Walnut Hill Vol. Fire Dept. Holding 50th Fish Fry Saturday (With Department History)
November 1, 2019
Saturday will mark the 50th anniversary of what has become one of the biggest events in Walnut Hill and surrounding communities — the annual fish fry at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
The fish fry has been held annually since 1969. The first fish fry on record was held about a month after the department was chartered.
The fire department’s first fish fry was held on Saturday, April 10, 1965, just after the Walnut Hill Fire Department was officially chartered on Monday, March 8, 1965, during a meeting held at Ernest Ward High School.
Adult plates were sold for $1, and plates for children under 12 were 50 cents. According to minutes from the fire department’s charter meeting, the fish fry was suggested by O.D. Gibson. It was organized as a fundraiser, and “to let the community know what had been accomplished” with the new department. It was a two hour community event.
That first fish fry cost the department $87.62, including $43 for fish and $13.23 to Lawrence Cooper’s Grocery. The total income was $256.50, netting a $168.88 profit for the Walnut Hill Fire Department’s first fundraiser.
The fire department was organized by the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, under the leadership of Ruritan President Royce Ward.
In 1968, the Walnut Hill Fire Department held an open house at their first building on November 16, 1968. The first firehouse was located under the water tower at Highway 97 and Arthur Brown Road. Before the building was completed, fire trucks and other equipment was stored in members’ sheds and barns.
There are no records indicating that a fish fry was held each year between 1965 and 1968, but the fish fry events have been held annually since 1969.
The department’s first truck was about a 1957 model GMC 2 1/2 ton 4×2 fuel service truck loaned from the Florida Forest Service.
The department has compiled a list of their fire chiefs as follows: E. C. (Chuck) Church, 1965 to September 1966; Bob Holdeman, September 1966 to August 1968; Vern Peters from August 1968 to 1983; Jack Brown from 1983 to December 1984; Ervin Schneider, 1985 to 1987; Dennis Rigby, 1988 to 1989; Bill Jackson, 1990 to February 1991; Al Bradley, March 1991 to 1992; Robert Stewart, 1993 to September 2008; and Chris Brown October 2008 to present.
The department’s first board of directors were: C.L. Byrd, Robert E. Holdeman, Kenneth Brown, W.H. Corley, Chief E. C. Church, Assistant Chief Buddy Sharpless, Assistant Chief Therman Raines, Captain Don Strickland, Captain James Pierce, Lt. Roger Johnson, Lt. Glenn Thrower, J.H. Morgan, Sam Jantz and Harvey Bradberry.
To read original fire department minutes from December 2, 1968, click here (pdf).
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s 50th Annual Fish Fry will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Fire Station on Highway 97. Plates will be $8 each with a choice of catfish fillets or grilled chicken, plus baked beans, coleslaw, hush puppies, bread and cake. There will also be drawing for door prizes beginning at 1 p.m. and a live auction.
Pictured top: This undated photograph from the early days of the Walnut Hill Fire Department shows Robert Mininger, an assistant chief; Bob Holdeman, the department’s second chief; Royce Ward, president of the Ruritan Club; and Vern Peters who served 15 years as the department’s third chief. Pictured inset: The original handwritten minutes from the department’s first meeting. Pictured below: Former Chief Robert Stewart (left) was honored in 2008. Stewart is being presented a framed uniform shirt by current Chief Chris Brown. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
November Chill: Cool Day, Back In The 30s Tonight
November 1, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high 58-61. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37-39. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38-41. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. East wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Calm wind.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
Pictured: A cool sunset Thursday over Lake Stone near Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
New FWC Regulations On Importing Deer Carcasses From Alabama
November 1, 2019
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has issued an executive order that regulates bringing deer carcasses into the state from Alabama and Florida. The order went into effect Friday, November 1 in an attempt to reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease spreading into Florida.
Under the order, carcasses of deer, elk, moose, caribou and all other members of the deer family may not be imported into Florida from anywhere, except for legally harvested white-tailed deer originating from Alabama or Georgia, provided they meet certain requirements.
The order prohibits importing deer carcasses and parts except for deboned meat; finished taxidermy mounts; antlers; and hides, skulls, skull caps, and teeth if all soft tissue has been removed.
The executive order allows exceptions for white-tailed deer legally harvested in Alabama or Georgia provided the person possesses an FWC Georgia/Alabama Carcass Importation Permit prior to the carcass being imported into Florida; reports the carcass importation within 24 hours of entering Florida using the FWC’s online Georgia/Alabama Carcass Importation Reporting Form; and disposes of any remains using FWC-approved deer carcass disposal options.
White-tailed deer legally harvested from Alabama or Georgia properties that are bisected by the Florida state line and under the same ownership are exempt from importation permit, reporting and disposal requirements.
If CWD is detected in Georgia or Alabama, importing a carcass from that state would then be prohibited.
CWD is a transmissible disease of the nervous system that is fatal to deer, elk, moose, caribou and other members of the deer family. It remains undetected in Florida since surveillance measures were initiated in 2002 but is currently found in 26 states. It was most recently detected in Mississippi and Tennessee. The transportation of infected deer, elk, moose and caribou carcasses is one of the known risks for introducing CWD to new areas.
As part of its ongoing CWD surveillance program, the FWC is asking anyone who sees a sick, abnormally thin deer or finds a deer dead from unknown causes to call the CWD hotline, 866-CWD-WATCH (866-293-9282) and report the animal’s location.
Eight Teens Arrested In Crime Ring
November 1, 2019
Eight individuals ranging in age from 14 to 18 have been charged in a vehicle theft, vehicle burglary and robbery ring across three counties.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests on Thursday.
Those charged are: Terrance Anton Harris Jr., 18; Kody Allen Gresh, 18; Tony Lorenzo McGee, 16; Oreion Emanuel Lane, 17; Shawn Ladarius Albert, 14; Jacobi Donell Brown, 18; Roy Donta James III, 18; and Jacquavious Lamar Savage, 18.
“This group of young criminals have burglarized and stolen vehicles from Baldwin County, Alabama, Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties in Florida,” the ECSO said in a statement. “In Escambia County alone, over the past two weeks, this group of suspects have burglarized a large number of unlocked cars and stolen 30 vehicles.”
The ECSO said the investigation is “far from over” and additional arrests are expected.
Friday Night Football Finals
November 1, 2019
Here are Friday night football finals from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Northview 40, Jay 7
- West Florida 40, Tate 26
- Pine Forest 49, Gulf Breeze 7
- Escambia 52, Pensacola High 7
- Pensacola Catholic 29, Milton 28
- Oak Mountain, Ala. 27, Pace 24
- Vernon 36, Port St. Joe 13
ALABAMA
- Escambia County (Atmore) 24, Marion 16
- Escambia Academy (Atmore) 48, Fort Dale Academy (Greenville) 28
- T.R. Miller 7, W.S. Neal 6
- Flomaton 22, Southern Choctaw 8 (Thursday p.m.)
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Rescue Responds To Smoke Reported In Century Prison Dorm
November 1, 2019
Multiple area fire departments responded to Century Correctional Institution early Friday morning after a report of light smoke and fire alarms in one of the dorm units.
The smoke was reportedly traced to an electrical problem in a heating unit. There were no injuries reported in the 1 a.m. incident.
The Century, McDavid, Walnut Hill, Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department and Escambia County EMS responded to the call.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Discrimination Lawsuit Against Sheriff David Morgan Settled
November 1, 2019
A discrimination lawsuit again Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan has been settled out of court.
The federal suit was filed by former Col. Laura Montoya against Morgan, the county and other employees of the Sheriff’s Office. Montoya claimed she was passed over for promotions, berated and demoted because of race and gender.
A $100,000 settlement was reached in the case by the Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund (“FSRMF”), which is ECSO’s insurer, and Montoya, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon by the Sheriff’s Office.
The complete statement from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is below.
Friday Night Football Schedule
November 1, 2019
Here is Friday night’s football schedule for the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
Northview at Jay, 7 p.m.
Tate at West Florida, 7 p.m.
Pine Forest at Gulf Breeze. 7 p.m.
Pensacola High at Escambia, 7 p.m.
Catholic at Milton, 7:30 p.m.
Pace at Oak Mountain, Ala.
ALABAMA
- Escambia County (Atmore) at Marion, 7 p.m.
- Escambia Academy (Atmore) at Fort Dale Academy (Greenville), 7 p.m.
- T.R. Miller at W.S. Neal, 7 p.m.
- Flomaton 22, Southern Choctaw 8 (Thursday p.m.)
Photos: Trunk Or Treaters Enjoy The Night
November 1, 2019
Several churches and community organizations held Trunk or Treat events Thursday night to provide a safe alternative for children.
Instead of going door to door in a neighborhood, children go car to car or tent to collect their candy.
“The turnout has been great, and the kids are having a great time,” Century Chamber of Commerce President Mary Bourgeois said during the chamber’s event at Showalter Park. It was the first time the chamber held a trunk or treat with several community groups and businesses taking part. Volunteers from Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue were also on hand with a special witch’s brew, and a few brave souls took the plunge in a dunking booth despite cold windy conditions.
At Highland Baptist Church in Molino, children also enjoyed trunk or treating, receiving candy in family friendly environment.
For a photo gallery from the Century Chamber event, click here.
For a photo gallery from the Highland Baptist event in Molino, click here.
NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
