Century Correctional Institution Donates School Supplies To Byrneville Elementary
August 27, 2010
The Century Correctional Institution donated a large amount of school supplies to Byrneville Elementary School, just in time for the first week of school. Century CI holds the school supply drive each year, with employees generously donating to the children of the community. Pictured above: Carrie Bryan, Officer Lyons, Grace Gray, Officer Sheffield, Warden Halley and Officer White. Pictured below: Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe Sullivan, Carrie Byan and Michele Edwards. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Back To School
August 24, 2010
Monday was the first day of school in Escambia County. We invited readers to submit their back to school photos.
To see the photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The Northview High School cheerleaders prepare for a back to school routine Monday morning. Pictured left: Cole Crichton prepares for his first day at Jim Allen Elementary in Cantonment. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Produce Stand Operates On Honor System
August 23, 2010
There’s a little produce stand tucked away on a dirt lane near Walnut Hill with no cash register, no cashier. All summer, customers would stop by, pick out the perfect tomato or a great watermelon, leaving their money behind in a simple drop box.
The produce stand, located just over the railroad tracks between Walnut Hill and Enon, has operated for years purely on the honor system.
“My dad liked to trust people; a man’s word meant something,” said Sherry Black. She has operated the simple wooden stand since her father, J.B. Kent, passed away several years ago.
The Ten Commandments played a lot into Kent’s business model. To this day, an oversize copy of the Commandments occupies one corner of the stand, just behind the money box and weight scales, perhaps as a reminder to anyone that might be tempted when there’s no one watching.
“But if they need it worse that I do, Lord bless them,” Black said.
Regular customers don’t need cash at Black’s produce stand. There’s a spiral bound notebook and pencil for them to jot down what produce they took and how much they owe. They will “settle up” later in the box, or see Black around the neighborhood and pay.
For several years, Black grew most of the produce in the stand herself. Now she picks, buys or barters with area farmers and backyard gardeners for the freshest items. She said she’s been known to be on the phone late at night, cutting a deal with local farmers for the best price.
And sometimes there’s a special treat for visitors to the produce stand, which is located on Deer Run Road off South Highway 99, about seven miles south of Highway 97. Peacocks from a nearby flock of peacocks will visit with produce stand customers.
The produce season for this year has mostly ended — Sunday afternoon the stand was sold out and empty.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: The Thunder Rolls
August 23, 2010
Residents in northern portion of Escambia County were treated to some unusual cloud formations Sunday afternoon as storms pounded the area from Molino south. The photos on this page and in our gallery were taken from South Highway 99, about six miles south of Walnut Hill.
The storms caused scattered power outages across the area, downed a few small trees and at least home on Blanc Lane in Molino was reported to be struck by lightning. There was no major damage reported in that incident.
Pictured top and inset: Our cameras caught two distant lightning strikes as storm clouds moved across the Molino area Sunday afternoon. Pictured below: The cloud formations associated with the thunderstorms. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
New Memorial Honors Veterans
August 23, 2010
A new monument in Atmore honors veterans from across the area.
The memorial, a two-year joint project of the Atmore Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Atmore American Legion Post 90, was created by Weaver Monument Company in Flomaton. It was erected this week in front of the Atmore City Hall.
The monument honors deceased veterans from a different branch of service on each of its four sides.
For a photo gallery showing each side of the monument, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Teachers Get Ready For First Day
August 22, 2010
School bells ring Monday in Escambia County. Teachers returned to class last week to make sure everything was ready for the big first day. Pictured: Ernest Ward science and math teacher Michelle Thomas (top), Ernest Ward family and consumer science teacher Kathleen Ellis and Byrneville Elementary School first grade teacher Candi Thorton worked hard Friday afternoon to complete preparations for the start of school. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Hendrix, Williams To Wed
August 22, 2010
Mr. and Mr. Russell L. Hendrix, Molino, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Leslee Faye, to Mr. Jordan Williams of Pensacola.
The bride-elect is a graduate of Tate High School and Florida State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Secondary English Education. Leslee is a teacher at Tate High School.
The prospective groom is a graduate of Pine Forest High School and Pensacola Junior College where he earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing. Jordan is a Registered Nurse at Baptist Hospital. He also serves as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan.
They will be married November 6, 2010, at Flamingo Road Church in Pensacola.
Featured Recipe: Chicken Fried Steak
August 22, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is Chicken Fried Steak that the whole family with love. Serve with mashed potatoes or cornbread, and you have a real down-home meal your whole family with love.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Century Care Center: Jamaican Party Mon! (With Photo Gallery)
August 21, 2010
The residents at Century Care Center enjoyed a Jamaican Party Friday afternoon. Caribbean food, tropical drinks, party music and a limbo contest highlighted the afternoon’s events.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the party, click here.
Sunny Days: Growing Sunflowers
August 21, 2010
Sunflowers not only make the garden beautiful but can also be used to bring the beauty of outdoors inside.
It may be towards the end of summer, but you can still plant sunflowers and enjoy them during the fall. In north Florida, try to complete sunflower planting by the third week in August. Depending on the variety, sunflowers will bloom about 55 to 75 days after planting – 60 days is a good average. Some sunflowers are sensitive to day length and may yield shorter plants and earlier bloom when planted in late summer. This corresponds to the reduction in daylight hours as summer progresses toward autumn.
To begin, choose cultivars that fit your landscape. There are now more sunflowers than just the seed bearing giants that many gardeners are familiar with. Just take a look at the gardening catalogs.
Sunflowers can be broadly divided into two types: those grown for production of edible seeds and those grown as ornamentals and cut flowers. Most gardeners will be interested in the ornamental sunflowers, also known as Helianthus annuus.
Sunflowers come in heights ranging from less than one foot to ten feet and also come in a wide range of flower colors. While brilliant yellow will always be popular, you can also choose from creamy white, bronze, mahogany, rusty red, burgundy and orange. Some types produce flowers with more than one color. The center disk of the sunflower also adds to the display and goes through color changes as the flower matures and seeds form.
Sunbright, Sunrich Lemon, Sunrich Orange, Soraya and Moulin Rouge are some that are recommended for Florida.
For best bouquet results, choose cultivars that are pollen-less to prevent pollen from shedding onto a tablecloth or other flowers in an arrangement.
If you want to grow sunflowers for the delicious, nutritious seeds, make sure you choose varieties bred for seed production, such as Mammoth Russian – also known as Mammoth, Russian Giant and Gray Stripe. These tall-growing sunflowers produce a single enormous flower at the top of the plant. To grow a really big seed head, apply general-purpose fertilizer when the flower head begins to appear. Just be sure to place them so that you can stake them if necessary.
Sunflowers are true to their name, they need to be grown in full sun. Prepare a sunflower bed as you would for planting most vegetables. They tolerate heat and dry conditions and almost any soil type. The pH preference is 6.5 to 7.5 and the addition of composted organic matter is beneficial.
Plant seeds about one-quarter inch deep directly into a prepared garden bed. It’s common to plant sunflowers into landscape beds, and many gardeners include a row of sunflowers in spring and fall vegetable gardens. After sowing the seeds, water the bed well and thesun water it as needed to keep the soil moist – even lightly every day if the weather is dry.
Sunflowers should be harvested in early morning before 10:00 a.m. It is best to cut the stems and place them in warm water right away for best results.
The versatility and variety of today’s sunflowers offer something for almost every garden and gardener. If you haven’t tried this plant lately, give it another look.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.