Farm-City Week Recognizes Importance Of Local Agriculture
November 24, 2009
Before sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, the Florida Farm Bureau would like everyone to remember that the meal they will enjoy is made possible by Farm-City partnerships.
National Farm-City Week, celebrated annually on the week leading to and ending on Thanksgiving Day, recognizes the importance of this cooperative network to the success of America’s agricultural industry.
The following was submitted by Dorthy Cunningham from the Escambia County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.
As wise steward and innovative entrepreneurs, dedicated farmers and ranchers improve our well-being by working to ensure a healthy and abundant agricultural supply. To succeed in this important enterprise, our farmers rely on essential partnerships with urban communities to supply, sell and deliver finished products across the country and around the world. National Farm-City Week recognizes the importance of this cooperative network to the success of America’s agricultural industry.
Escambia County Farm Bureau and the Women’s Committee will be recognizing the importance of the connection and partnership that exists between rural farmers and urban residents. Escambia County Farm Bureau Federation believes that events and activities of Farm-City Week will created a greater awareness of the types and sizes of farms in our area. In a county as diverse and geographically divided as Escambia County, agricultural industries are not often at the forefront of the overall population’s attention. It is the intent of the Escambia County Women’s Committee to highlight the agricultural industries that contribute to the our county’s continued economic well-being and encourage consumers to support local agriculture.
Here in Escambia County, agricultural enterprises include forestry, cotton, peanuts, wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables, livestock, and dairy. Traditional row crop and livestock production utilizes more than 30,000 acres, while 250,000 acres are used to produce timber. Together, the value of agricultural, silvicultural, and livestock was worth more than $386 million by 2007 estimates. Our farmers are known for “going green”– local producers are true stewards of our land and want to keep the environment safe for future generations to farm and enjoy. Farm-City Week is the ideal time to get the good word out about farming.
National Farm-City Week strives to increase understanding, cooperation, and relationships between rural and urban residents. As this year’s commemoration again culminates on Thanksgiving, all Americans are encouraged to thank someone who helps make it possible for you and your family to enjoy the bounty of our food supply. It’s a partnership summed up best whether you are from the farm or the city as, “Let’s eat!”
Escambia County Farm Bureau Federation represents local agricultural interests. Its mission is to implement policies that are developed by members and provide programs that will improve economic well-being an quality of life for farmers and ranchers.
For more information about Farm-City Week and local activities, please contact Dot Cunningham at (850) 587-5553. For more information about local agriculture, contact Libbie Johnson at the UF IFAS Escambia County Extension Office at (850) 475-5230.
Pictured top: Wheat is one of the crops produced in North Escambia. Pictured inset: Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Showband Of The South The Only Band To Appear In Disney Christmas Parade On ABC TV
November 23, 2009
The Tate High School Showband of the South is the only band in the nation selected to perform at the 2009 Disney Christmas Day Parade.
Each year, Disney invites bands to apply for the chance to appear in the nationally televised parade. Tate Band Director Joe Hooten submitted an application back in January based upon the band’s 37 years of superior rates, their 2008 appearance in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland as well as video footage and pictures from local events.
The Tate band will travel to Orlando on Thursday, December 3. The parade will be filmed in Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park on Saturday, December 5th and will be aired on the ABC television network on Christmas morning. The band will also get to participate in opening scenes for the parade.
While at Disney, the Tate band members will also get to participate in an educational behind the scenes clinic with cast members from Cirque du Soleil.
The Tate band offered a preview of their performance this past Saturday during the Miracle Bowl game between Tate and Northview High School.
Pictured above and below: The Tate High School Showband of the South previews their Christmas music planned for the Disney Christmas Parade. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Art On The Farm
November 22, 2009
People from across the area had the opportunity to enjoy Art at the Farm Saturday in Walnut Hill.
The annual event features art, crafts, foods like homemade gumbo and taco soup, pony rides and more. Event organizers said the event was successful, and the rains held off until after the event.
For photo gallery from Art at the Farm, click here.
Pictured above and below: Art on the Farm was held Saturday in Walnut Hill. Photos by Seales Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mmmm, Turkey: Byrneville Community Thanksgiving Meal For Seniors
November 20, 2009
Beulah Chapel Assembly of God held its annual Community Thanksgiving Lunch for Byrneville senior citizens Thursday. Dozens of seniors attended the lunch, which featured a full Thanksgiving menu of turkey, dressing and a variety of side dishes and desserts. Firemen from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, including the crew of Engine 519, assisted church members in serving the lunches. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Poarch Creek Indians Perform At Century Library
November 20, 2009
The Poarch Creek Indians presented pow wow dances Thursday at the Century Branch Library.
Several dozen children enjoyed the performance at the library. For a complete photo gallery, click here.
The Century Branch Library and the other libraries in the West Florida Public Library system will be closed November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving.
Pictured above: A Poarch Creek Indian dancer performs at the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon. Pictured below: A packed house for the performance. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Everyone Wins: Welcome To The Miracle League
November 19, 2009
The 1A Northview Chiefs will take on the 4A Tate Aggies at noon Saturday at Tate with proceeds benefiting the Miracle League.
The Miracle League of Northwest Florida, a baseball league for disabled and special needs persons that plays spring and fall at the Mitchell Homes Miracle League Park on Nine Mile Road.
The following is a NorthEscambia.com feature about the Miracle League from earlier this year.
Every game ends in a tie. Every player hits; every player scores. There are no strikeouts, no errors. Everybody wins.
Welcome to the Miracle League.
It’s a baseball league for disabled and special needs persons. With players from ages 3 to 63, there are 14 teams that play on the two fields at the Mitchell Homes Miracle League Park on Nine Mile Road.
“Abigail rounds second! She looks good this year, all decked out and playing some ball,” announcer Crystal Martinez says during an afternoon game at the Miracle League. “Loooook at her go! She’s headed home! She scores! Yeah Abi!”
That’s just the way a Miracle League game goes — always.
The players are in wheelchairs and walkers. Some handicaps are mental, some are physical.
Joshua heads toward the batter’s box in his walker to take a swing at the ball with his “buddy”. Each player has a “buddy” assigned to them to help them hitch, catch, throw or run the field.
“Go Joshua!” Martinez announces. “Good job!”
In the end, the game between the Orioles and the Twins was tied, just as every game has ended in a tie for the past nine seasons. The stats for each of the 150 players will be the same at the end of the season — perfect.
“It’s a wonderful thing for these kids,” Martinez told NorthEscambia.com after the game. “It’s about them getting to play a sport that otherwise they could not play…it’s about the smiles. I love to say that they are all stars when I am announcing.”
“I think it is a great thing,” said Stephen Gruenwald of Pensacola. His son James, 5, plays Miracle League ball from his wheelchair. “He enjoys it very, very much. And he loves the people; the volunteers are one of the best things.”
Players and volunteers come from not just Pensacola, but Mobile, Crestview, Brewton and points in between. Everybody is a volunteer that participates with the Miracle League. The are paid only in smiles.
“It’s a beautiful thing. Everybody here does it for one reason” volunteer Larry Powell said, placing his hand over his heart. “It’s here, in your heart, for these kids.”
“We have a guy that was a Marine for 32 years,” Powell said. “He will sit on that field with the smallest child and help them. It really gets to you.”
Each of the two Pensacola Miracle League fields is made up of 180,000 pounds of rec ycled tires formed into tiles painted to match a regular field. It provides a softer landing spot for a hard fall, while still providing a good bounce for the hollow core ball that is also designed to lesson injury potential. There are two seasons at the park, spring and fall. The rubber surface gets too hot to play in the summer.
The Miracle League needs more volunteers to serve as buddies, work the concession booth, pickup trash and many more tasks around their area of the Nine Mile Road ballpark.
The public is always welcome and encouraged to cheer on the players.
“It’s a special place here,” Powell said. “Everyone should watch one of these games. It will touch you.”
For more information on Miracle League, or to volunteer, visit www.miracleleaguepensacola.org.
Pictured top: Abigail gets a high five after a base hit during a Miracle League game in Pensacola. Pictured top inset: James takes a swing: Pictured bottom inset: Headed for home. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Sings Across America, Honors Veterans
November 18, 2009
Molino Park Elementary School students honored veterans Tuesday with “Sing Across America”, a patriotic program and donation drive for Emerald Coast Honor Flight.
Each grade level performed two songs, and guest speaker Gary Cooper provided insight into the American flag. Sheila Allen and Ginny Cruz, local singers and songwriters, performed their song “Stand Up America”.
Pictured above: Students perform during “Sing Across America” Tuesday afternoon at Molino Park Elementary. Pictured below: Ginny Cruz and Sheila Allen perform their song “Stand Across America”. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Exclusive Photo Gallery: 17 Story Drop; Rappelling Off The Top Of The Wind Creek Casino
November 17, 2009
The old saying says the first step is the hardest. When that first step takes you from the roof over the edge of a 17 story building, most people would tend to agree.
Monday afternoon, members of the Poarch Creek Fire Department practicing rappelling down the side of the Wind Creek Casino –part of high rise rescue training and certification for department members.
“It was fun; there was definitely an adrenaline rush,” Poarch Creek fireman Andy Hammonds said after his 17-story descent. “It wasn’t too bad.”
Only three of the fire department’s members were certified in high angle rope rescues prior to Monday, including Chris McGhee, the Poarch Creek Fire Department’s training officer. With classroom training from the Alabama Fire College and the 17 story trip, another 14 men worked toward their certification Monday for whatever emergency that might arise in future.
“They are about to hire window washers; there’s a lot of glass in the building,” McGhee told NorthEscambia.com while standing on the roof of the casino Monday afternoon. “We might have to rescue one of the window washers one day.”
McGhee said that they Poarch Creek Fire Department would be able to put their training to use if the need arises in any surrounding area, including North Escambia.
The process of rappelling down the from the roof of the Atmore casino looks rather simple. Two ropes are tied off. One serves as a safety; one is the main rope for rappelling. The main rope passes through a rappelling rack, a device that provides friction to stop or allow a controlled descent. The safety rope is fed down with the firefighter. If he should fall or descend two quickly, a couple of knots provide a quick and automatic stop.
Once fitted with the proper gear, the trip down the side the Wind Creek was as simple as getting the courage to stand on the small ledge at the top of the building and stepping backwards.
For an exclusive NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the training click here. In the photo gallery, we take you to the roof the 17 story Wind Creek. We watch as firemen prepare to rappel off the building; we look over the edge as the they head down. Plus, we take a look at the scenery from the top of the Wind Creek Casino, and look back up as the firemen descend.
Pictured above and below: Firefighters practice rappelling from the roof of the 17 story Wind Creek Casino Monday afternoon. In the lower inset photo above, notice the firefighter heading down the side of the Wind Creek. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Old Molino Jail: There’s A Lesson In There Somewhere (With Photo Galleries)
November 16, 2009
Molino was once a bustling little town complete with a mayor, a car dealership, a dentist, a bank, three doctors, a canning factory, a couple of mills, a railroad station — and criminals, mostly men with a little too much booze in them following a good payday.
The time was 1913, and Molino was incorporated as a town. A town hall and jail were constructed. But less than two dozen years later, a devastating fire and the Great Depression put an end to Molino’s roaring times. The town was dissolved in April, 1933, and the town hall and jail were given to Escambia County. Escambia County was charged by the Florida Legislature to maintain the fair grounds as a public park and the jail and city hall were to be maintained by the county “for use of peace officers of the said county”.
The town hall is long since gone; it was believed to have stood in front of the jail. But the jail still stands with one iron cell inside a small brick building. For years, it was hidden away yards from Brickyard Road, near Molino Road. Schoolchildren had an opportunity to visit the jail about 10 or 15 years ago. Since that time, it was almost forgotten behind thick brush.
For early 2008 photos from the inside and outside of the jail. click here.
Almost forgotten, but not by Lil King, Tom Helms and other members of the Molino Historical Society. King spent hours in Tallahassee looking for evidence that the jail belonged to Escambia County. It was a dollars and cents move. The historical society did not have the funds to restore the jail, but Escambia County would.
King uncovered the document she was hoping to find, known as House Bill 322. The jail did in fact belong to Escambia County.
The ownership revelation allowed the county to use county crews and prisoners from the Escambia County Road prison to clean the property. When NorthEscambia.com first visited the jail in February, 2008, reaching it was a trip down a little path through very thick brush. The kind of brush that only a machete and manpower would allow a human to pass. The trip was a near crawl. The photographer that was there from the city was nervously uncomfortable.
Over the course of that February day, road prison crews chomped away at the woods and the vines. clearing the lot for the first time in at least over a decade. The jail, once held prisoner by the growth of time, was once again free.
The small brick building was in remarkably good shape after all these years. The tongue and groove wood ceiling looked virtually undamaged. The roof needed some minor repair; and there was some water damage to wood around the bar-covered windows. The front door was missing.
There is just a single room in the old jail. It contains a single cell in the room, with a small area to walk around three sides of the cell. The door of old cell still swings freely, and does not even squeak. There is no obvious sign that the building was ever heated in winter and no bathroom. A February night in the Molino jail would bring cruel and unusual to mind.
The faint outline of the 1927 date written in the concrete doorway (pictured left) at the time of the repair is still visible today. The jail was repaired after an explosion took off the door, possibly in an escape attempt, King said.
The road prison inmates dubbed the old jail as their “Camp One”, a play on words because the road department’s north end facility in Bratt is called Camp Five.
The inmate cleanup and restoration work at the jail were supervised by Jeff Bohannon, superintendent of the Escambia Road Prison. He said he was proud to be able to help clean up the lot for the historical society. And the prisoners on the work crew were equally proud to take part.
“You are contributing to a part of history,” Bohannon told the prisoners as they prepared for a lunch break during one cleanup effort. “I know you get out and do this kind of cleanup thing everyday, but this is special. When you get out, you can come back where with your kids or grandkids and show them what you helped do.”
“I really appreciate each one of you. What you did today, and what you do everyday,” he said.
Several prisoners responded with a “thank you, sir”.
Inmates started their restoration with the front door — after all, a jail just isn’t a jail without a door. “It was built by the prisoners,” King said in March of 2008. “They are quite accomplished young men and some are already experienced carpenters and masons. I was happy to see the brick over the door put in; it gives a ‘finished’ look.”
For inmate Troy Cutts, 37, the Molino jail project has been a release from the road prison. Cutts was a carpenter before landing himself in the road prison. Part of his work on the jail included staining the new wood to look old. When gets out of jail, he wants to show his daughter the work he did on the old Molino jail.
There’s a good life lesson in there somewhere.
For early 2008 photos from the inside and outside of the jail. click here.
For photos of the jail restoration (courtesy Tom Helms) and a current day look at the jail, click here. Pitctured top: The single iron cell inside the 1913 Molino Jail. Pictured top inset: The faint outline of “1927″ in a repaired area of the door. Pictured bottom inset: The new sign at the old jail. Pictured below: The restored Molino Jail. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Old Molino Jail Restoration Celebrated
November 14, 2009
Area history buffs gathered in Molino Friday morning to celebrate the restoration work done on the old Town of Molino Jail — a nearly 100 year old single-cell structure that was hidden away for years.
The jail was built about 1915 and repaired in 1927, said Lil King of the Molino Mid-County Historic Society. The faint outline of the 1927 date written in the concrete doorway at the time of the repair is still visible today. The jail was repaired in 1927 after an explosion took off the door, possibly in an escape attempt, King said.
The jail, located on Brickyard Road, a short distance northwest of Molino Road, had been hidden away behind thick growth for years before being “uncovered” in February, 2008. Since that time, inmate carpenters and craftsmen from the Escambia County Road Prison have worked to restore the jail.
“It still looks old,” said Tom Helms, member of the Molino Mid-County Historic Society. “All work was done without giving a new look to any of it. Even the new facing rafters were stained to look weathered.”
The small brick building was remarkably good shape when county crews uncovered it in 2008. The tongue and groove wood ceiling looked virtually undamaged. The roof needed some minor repair; and there was some water damage to wood around the bar-covered windows. But all of that damage has now been repaired by the road prison inmates.
There is just a single room in the old jail. It contains a single cell in the room, with a small area to walk around three sides of the cell. The door of old cell still swings freely, and does not even squeak. There is no obvious sign that the building was ever heated in winter.
The Town of Molino was established in 1913 and was dissolved after hard financial times during the Great Depression. In 1933, the Florida Legislature abolished the town and distributed the assets of the town to Escambia County.
In the document pictured to the left, known as House Bill 322, the Legislature directed the county to keep the fair grounds as a public park and that “the jail and city hall be maintained by the said County of Escambia for the use of peace officers of the said county”. Click the photo to the left to read a copy of the document.
The city hall was believed to be located directly in front of the old jail, but it is no longer standing.
It was after King located this document while researching Molino history in Tallahassee that they historical society was able to get the county to clean up the lot around the jail since it became clear the county owns the property.
Pictured top: The single cell inside the old Town of Molino Jail. Pictured top inset: A side window of the old building. Pictured bottom inset: House Bill 322 directed Escambia County to maintain the jail. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.