Old Fashioned Day Was Big Success, Organizers Plan For 2011
May 5, 2010
Organizers say last Saturday’s Old Fashion Day in Jay was a huge success, and they are planning to hold the event again next year on the first Saturday in May.
Old Fashion Day at the Jay Historical Society Museum featured quilting, candle making, butter churning, corn grinding, story telling, pottery making and a petting zoo. There was also music and entertainment all day, and plenty of old fashioned games.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Names Students Of The Month
May 4, 2010
Bratt Elementary School has named their April Students of the Month.
They are:
- Pre-K: Emilee Cabral, Malonie Curryl
- Kindergarten: John Michael Ward, Dakota Peebles, Jakayla Jackson, Ashton Knicley
- First Grade: Deshawita Riley, Nona Wilson, JD Ward, Kiwianna McPherson, Gabrielle Marlow
- Second Grade:Natalee Gibson, Adam Peterson, Morgan Page, Myles Harrelson, Cheyenne Philyaw
- Third Grade: Samuel Stott, Janie Kite, Jeremiah Woods, Eric King, Kaitlin Berry
- Fourth Grade: Hunter Carter, Tara Windham, M.J. Jones, Logan Doremus
- Fifth Grade: Kylie Brook, Hanna Clarke, Kyle Ard, Zachary Maholovich, Tanner Guidry
Byrneville Students Check Out Hurricane Hunter Planes
May 3, 2010
A group of Byrneville Elementary School students toured two hurricane hunter aircraft at the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport last week.
The Byrneville fourth and fifth graders were able to see an an Air Force C-130J and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft — the first time the two hurricane hunter aircraft were on public display together.
With hurricane season beginning June 1, the hurricane hunters pushed hurricane preparedness while teaching the students about the science of hurricanes and hurricane hunting. From dropsondes — those devices dropped from the planes into hurricanes for measurements — to millibars and eyewalls, the students learned about how the hurricane hunters measure up a storm.
The NOAA hunter hunter plane has an airspeed of 210 knots and has flown into 88 different hurricanes with 713 eye wall penetrations.
Not About The Catch: Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo Held In North Escambia
May 2, 2010
“I caught one! I caught one!”
The sounds of excitement were all around Saturday for the 36th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill.
Over the 35 year history of the fishing rodeo, it has been held at locations ranging from Ft. Pickens to the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola. Since 2001, it has been held at Jantz’s Catfish Pond on South Highway 99, just off Highway 97.
Dozens of volunteers stood ready Saturday to help the disabled fish. They baited hooks, tossed a line and offered words of friendly encouragement. Many of the volunteers were from the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church.
About 60 disabled people were registered in Saturday’s fishing rodeo. They were from around the area, including Pensacola and Century. Several residents from the Century Care Center participated. Everything, including lunch, in Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo is provided to the disabled for free as a project of the Pensacola Fiesta of Five Flags organization.
For the Century Center residents, a morning snack of sardines on Ritz crackers and Vienna sausage brought memories of fishing trips gone by.
“They love sardines and Vienna sausage when they fish,” said Century Care Center Activities Director Mae Hildreth. “This is what they remember having on their fishing trips; they just love it.”
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from the 36th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Celebrating Mayfest
May 2, 2010
From beautiful babies, arts and crafts, entertainment and plenty of fun, Mayfest 2010 had a little bit of something for everyone Saturday at Tom Byrne Park in Atmore.
Hundred attended the annual event, including many North Escambia residents.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from Mayfest in Atmore, click here.
Pictured above: A Mayfest crowd enjoys twirlers Saturday morning in Atmore. Pictured: inset: One of the contestants in a beautiful baby contest. Pictured below: Mayfest in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Homemakers: Needlework Project
May 2, 2010
The ladies of the Molino Homemakers club will spend the next several months working on a needlework project in hopes of capturing a top prize at this fall’s Pensacola Interstate Fair.
[Submitted by Terri Brown, Molino Homemakers Club]
This month’s main topic was our Fair Booth project. Each year the Molino Homemakers vote on a project to enter at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds 4-H building. This would be a hand needlework project. Hand needlework includes, sewing quilts, knitting, crocheting and cross stitching. Several members take on a project and work on it during the next few months.
In October when the items are completed, they are strategically placed in the fair booth as to draw attention especially to the judges for a good score. A good score means a ribbon and money for the club when it places in the top three. The Molino Homemakers have been entering the fair as long as they can remember and enjoy showing off their beautiful handiwork.
Several members bring items they have been working on throughout the month and share during show and tell. Becky Dortch showed a beautiful throw she had been working on. The stitching was done by machine. She hopes to have it finished in the near future.
Dot Halstead’s cross stitched “Brave Night” took about 4 weeks to complete. She tries to complete one every month and has completed four this year.
Nancy Holland showed a Monkey quilt she had been working on and plans to have it completed soon.
The Molino Homemakers meet at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the fellowship hall of Molino First Assembly of God Church. Visitors are welcome.
Pictured top: Nancy Holland with one of her needlework pieces. Pictured below: Dot Hallstead (left) and Becky Dortch with their work. Submitted photos by Terri Brown for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: North Pensacola Relay For Life At Tate High
May 1, 2010
The North Pensacola Relay for Life got underway Friday evening at Tate High School with over 1,000 people taking part in the event that benefits the American Cancer Society.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Celebrates The Arts
May 1, 2010
Molino Park Elementary School held its annual Arts Day on Friday, with the students spending the day immersed in a variety of arts.
The students enjoyed a wide range of arts, from pottery to painting. They had the opportunity to get “hands on” with many activities.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The day ended with the “Molino Park Arts Day Roundup”, a live concert series in the school cafeteria. Artists appearing in the concert all had local ties to Molino Park, including Leah and Morgan Taylor, the Moye Family Band, Dusty Sandeson, Candy and Hannah McGahan, Crystal Holliday, Lynda Barnes, Sheila Allen & Co., Chris Dufour Karate, Kelton French and Florence Cutler.
Visual art demonstrations included the Pensacola Doll Study Club, painting from Joyce Benink and Ruth Gordon, watercolors by Patsy Pennington, pottery by Matt Brabham and wood turning with Ralph Thomas.
Performing artist demonstrations included the Northview High School Jazz Band, singer/songwriters Sheila Allen and Ginny Cruz, singer Crystal Holliday and The Gospel Keys.
In a hands on area, students had the opportunity to make or explore with sun visors, wire sculptures, paper hats, clay, spin art, sidewalk chalk art, beaded necklaces, yarn wraps, fish prints, and water tube bracelets.
Hall displays featured the Society for the Creative Anachronisms, the Molino Park Historical Society, Barrineau Park Historical Society, Pensacola Quilt Guild, various school doll displays, folk instruments and the Australian Trunk from the Pensacola Museum of Art.
Other displays and activities included oil painting by Debbie Andress and Yvonne Vick, photography by Candy McGahan and Michelle Daniel, candles from Dee Riley, crochet and needlework by Teresa Myrick, embroidery by Anita Barnett, Linda Till and Pat Johnson, motocross and dragsters from Allen Lowery, race cars with Jerry Venable and antique cars.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NHS Prom: Generosity Provides Free Dresses
May 1, 2010
About a half dozen young ladies attended the Northview High School prom Saturday night in dresses they received compliments of a group of concerned students that worked to make sure that every girl could have that perfect dress for a magical evening.
The girls learned about the program from an April 9 article on NorthEscambia.com. Also after the article, over 30 dresses were donated.
Our original April 9 article is reprinted below.
Calling themselves the “SWANS”, the group of young ladies is collecting prom dresses that are being made available to any Northview girl headed to prom that needs a dress, no questions asked.
“Prom is big deal for girls,” said SWANS member Jessica Bloodsworth. “They want to look pretty, and the perfect dress helps them look special. It can boost the self-esteem of a girl.”
Knowing that dresses are without a doubt expensive and that the expense could keep some girls from attending their junior or senior prom, the 20-something students in the SWANS decided to go to work to create a prom dress closet of sorts. So far, they have collected just over a dozen dresses, and they have been promised a donation of about 30 more soon from someone that is closing a bridal shop.
“A lot of girls have dresses left over from other events, and there are girls that need a dress but their family can’t afford one, so it’s a perfect match,” Bloodsworth said.
The girls recently bagged groceries at a Winn Dixie store to raise money — about $200 — so they could dry clean the donated dresses. The dresses are fashionable, modern styles that are free of flaws.
“Prom is just that special night that you get dressed up and feel like an adult,” said Natalie Nall, one of the SWANS teacher sponsors. “This is the big deal for many of the girls. For the girls that don’t go to college, senior prom night is the special time in their lives until their wedding.”
Extra effort is made to make sure that no girl is embarrassed by wearing a donated dress, according to Barbara Luker, another SWANS teacher sponsor. It is all done as quietly as possible to make sure no one knows a girl took part in the program. Even for our NorthEscambia.com photo, Luker worked to make sure the dresses were presented in such a way that no dress could be identified.
Northview girls that donate a dress to the program sign a promise to not let anyone know what dress they donated.
“I promise to not let it be known that this dress once belonged to me and will hold it secret in my heart because I know that my generosity means more than the compromise of someone’s self-esteem,” the prom dress donation promise states.
Girls that receive a SWANS prom dress have the option of keeping it, or returning to the program.
The SWANS — Sophisticated Warriors Advocating Northview Self-Discovery — are also working toward a clothes swap closet at the school for everyday clothing. And they are planning a Mother’s Day tea to allow girls and their moms to get a little closer and allow the girls to meet their friends’ moms.
“It’s all about self-esteem and being a woman,” Bloodsworth said.
SWANS is actively seeking prom dress donations. Anyone can drop a dress by the school office. Any Northview student in need of a dress can contact any SWANS member at the school, or any teacher sponsor.
Pictured above: Northview SWANS member Jessica Bloodsworth with some of the donated prom dresses. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bald Eagle Released Near Walnut Hill (With Photo Gallery)
April 29, 2010
A one-year old rehabilitated bald eagle was released back into the wild Wednesday morning near Walnut Hill.
Once injured and missing her primary flight feathers, the eagle took flight — perhaps a little low and a little unstable at first — and then majestically headed into a wooded area to join a group of eagles that live around a Highway 97A residence near Enon.
The homeowner said she frequently sees nine or ten eagles around her home, often feeding at her pond. That is why the location was chosen to release the female eagle; for eagles, apparently it’s all about social networking.
“Our eagle has had the opportunity to socialize with other eagles,” Dorothy Kaufmann, director of the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, said of the eagle that caregivers called “Eagle #3″. “But here, with the other eagles, she will get to go in and learn with the social networking for learning things like how to hunt and preparing for migration in the fall.” (Not all North Escambia eagles migrate, Kaufmann added.)
For more photos from the Walnut Hill eagle release, click here.
The juvenile eagle was rescued in Tallahassee last year with an infection and trauma to her left wing, unable to fly or fend for herself. After initial care from the St. Francis Wildlife Association in Tallahassee, she was transferred to Pensacola on July 17, 2009, for long term rehabilitation, maximum care and conditioning. Dr. Tommy Knight, a veterinarian with the Westside Animal Hospital cared for the eagle’s medical needs during numerous house calls to the facility, which included a 100 foot enclosed flight conditioning area.
Kaufmann told the property owners that they will be able to spot the rescued eagle because she will fly “a little less than perfect”, perhaps favoring her old injury.
“The ones that have been in the wild are just perfect, but ours will be different,” she said.
Eagle #3 was hooded and hand-carried for transportation by car to North Escambia. A hooded eagle is a calm eagle, Kaufmann said. The hood remained on the eagle until shortly before flight time, Kaufmann holding her with thick gloves.
“This may not be graceful,” Kaufmann said as she prepared to release the bird. “I don’t know if she’s ready, but I’m ready.”
“She’s going up in the trees. There’s another one. An adult. Go baby,” she said as the eagle dipped a little toward the ground — the ungraceful part as predicted.
“Somebody else (another eagle) just met her. Isn’t that great?”
Kaufmann said the rehabilitated eagle should be able to breed and have a normal lifespan of 30 to 45 years. She added that juvenile eagles are chocolate brown in color. They are about five-years old when the feathers on their head and tail become white and they take on that classic bald eagle look.
For more photos from the Walnut Hill eagle release, click here.
Pictured top: A juvenile eagle is released by Dorothy Kaufmann, director of the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, Wednesday morning in Enon near Walnut Hill. Pictured middle: Eagle #3. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge. Pictured below: This submitted file photo shows other eagles on the property.
