Taking A Bite Out Of Hunger: Peanut Butter Drive Underway
September 24, 2016
In an effort to boost the supply of the most requested food pantry item, peanut butter, UF IFAS Escambia County Extension is teaming up again with the Florida Peanut Producers Association to help “Take a Bite out of Hunger” by participating in a local peanut butter drive.
Residents are asked to help meet the challenge of collecting 1,000 pounds of the versatile food by donating unopened jars of peanut butter at one of five locations now through Wednesday, November 23. All peanut butter collected will be donated to local food pantries in December.
Drop-off locations:
- Escambia County Administration, 221 Palafox Place, 4th Floor
- Escambia County Extension Office, 3740 Stefani Road
- Escambia County Farm Bureau,153 Highway 97, Molino
- Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 North W Street
- Gilmore Services, 31 East Fairfield Drive
Many families in our community experience food insecurities. They rely upon food pantries to supplement their family’s meals and reduce worries about running out of food. To help meet the need of providing healthy options for our residents in need, this is the fourth year UF IFAS Escambia County Extension has participated in the peanut butter drive.
Last year, more than 2,800 jars of peanut butter were donated to local food pantries.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Bratt Superhero Boy On A Mission To Thank Law Enforcement
September 22, 2016
Tyler Carach is a Bratt Elementary School student by day, and an after school superhero that’s on a mission to thank law enforcement officers.
Tyler and his mother Sheena, who is a former police officer, created the “I DONUT need a reason to THANK a cop” program after an encounter with Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies at Gilley’s Store in Bratt during the summer. He asked if he could use some of his own money to buy doughnuts for the officers. He purchased four packs of chocolate doughnuts to share with the deputies.
He learned that there are just over 400 sworn officers in the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and he composed a letter to a the Krispy Kreme on 9th Avenue asking for a discounted bulk price. The store manager instead donated 420 doughnuts to the project. Tyler, dressed in a superhero doughnut cape, delivered the doughnuts to Sheriff David Morgan and his department.
“It was really cool and fun I love getting to meet one of the dogs and one of the horses and I also found a lizard outside the Sheriff’s Office,” Tyler said. “The sheriff gave me a really cool coin and said it was very special. It was called a challenge coin. I got to go on the command center and also sit in the SWAT mobile — that’s like the Batmobile but way cooler.”
Thursday, Tyler continued on his mission to thank every cop in America with a visit to the Flomaton Police Department. He provided each officer with doughnuts and a goodie bag. He was able to test out the siren, public address system and computer in a brand new Dodge Charger patrol car, and he even raced a couple of officers on foot. His request to play with an officer’s pepper spray and Taser was cheerfully denied for safety reasons.
“I like cops because they are the best and they are my friends and they like one of my favorite dessert — doughtnuts, he said. “They wear blue and green and those are two of my favorite colors. I like drinking coffee and they like coffee too it helps them stay awake when they have to work all night long to keep us safe.”
Tyler hopes to be a law enforcement professional one day.
“I want to be a cop to keep people and my family safe like the cops keep me and my family safe,” he said. “I also want to stop bad guys like bank robbers and stuff. I want to be a SWAT because they have riot shields and I want to be a canine because they have dogs and I love them and they are really cute.”
Mom Sheena said Tyler is remarkably quiet and reserved at a school and home. But put him in a room of police officers, like Thursday’s visit to Flomaton, and he’s extremely into his zone — even trading tips on dealing with bad guys and making arrests.
Through his Facebook page (click here), Tyler is working on finalizing an Adopt-A-Cop program with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to connect residents with deputies. He will be collecting goodie bags with items like gum, candy, hand sanitizer, pens, notepads and other item. And he is working on plans to visit more departments, spreading his message one doughnut at a time.
“You DONUT need a reason to thank a cop because everything they do is a reason to thank them, so if you see a cop today, take a second to say thank you,” Tyler said.
Pictured top: Bratt resident Tyler Carach servers a doughnut Thursday afternoon at Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis. Pictured bottom inset: Tyler with members of the Flomaton Police Department. Pictured first below: Tyler checks out the interior of a 2016 Dodge Charger police vehicle. Pictured second below: Tyler’s doughnut mission started with four Escambia County deputies at Gilley’s Store in Bratt. Pictured bottom: Tyler with Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan. NorthEcambia.com photo and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Lipscomb Elementary Art Teacher Named Best in State
September 22, 2016
Sally Miller of R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School has been named the 2016 Florida Art Education Association’s “Elementary Teacher of the Year”.
She has a degree in art for the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s in education from the University of West Florida. She has taught at the elementary level for 19 years, and f0r 10 years she taught the art education classes at UWF. Miller has received the Best in Show award for art educators at the Pensacola Museum of Art several times, and she has been awarded first, second and third place awards at the Artel Gallery in Pensacola.
Miller was recognized Tuesday night by the Escambia County School Board and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
Jay High School Announces Homecoming Court Members
September 21, 2016
Jay High School has elected their 2016 Homecoming Court. Members are (L-R) Raven Fretwell, sophomore; Taylor Scott, senior; Mattie Holt, senior; Meghan Mayo, senior; Courtney Walther, senior; Morgan Floyd, junior; and Hayden Burkett, freshman. Pictured below are senior court members Taylor Scott, Mattie Holt, Meghan Mayo, and Courtney Walther. The homecoming queen will be elected during homecoming week. Courtesy photos by Junia Fischer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Sets Homecoming Parade; Entries Now Accepted
September 19, 2016
The annual Northview High School Homecoming Parade has been set for Friday, October 14.
The parade will line up at noon and travel from Bratt Elementary School to Northview High. Entries are being accepted now; there is no cost to enter. For a printable entry form, click here. Entries are due by October 10.
Contact Perry Byars at (850) 327-6681 ext. 248 for more information.
The Northview Chief’s homecoming game will kickoff at 7 p.m. on October 14 against the Jay Royals.
Pictured: A float in the 2015 Northview High Homecoming Parade in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Bonus Gallery: Northview Chiefs Tribal Beat Band
September 19, 2016
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Take Stock In Children Names Students Who Will Receive Scholarships
September 19, 2016
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and Take Stock in Children recently introduced 24 new scholarship recipients at the annual Take Stock Kick-Off Dinner. There are now a total of 125 students in grades 7-12 in Escambia County’s program. Students will receive a college scholarship upon graduation from high school as long as they maintain good grades, attendance and citizenship, remain crime and drug free, and meet weekly with a volunteer community mentor.
Take Stock in Children is a statewide non-profit organization that provides “scholarships, mentors and hope” to deserving young people selected through a need-based application process through the public middle schools at the end of their sixth grade year. Scholarship donations from local foundations, organizations, businesses and individuals are matched dollar-for-dollar when scholarships are purchased from Florida Prepaid College Foundation each year and are held until students successfully graduate high school.
The newly selected students include:
- Bailey Middle – Madison Hayes, Matthew Setzer, Cora Smithkey, Hannah Thorne
- Bellview Middle – Trexton Smith
- Brown Barge Middle – Rebecca Kurau, Tho Pham, Aidan Sidner-Palafox, Gabrielle Vines
- Ernest Ward Middle – Miyhanna Davidson, Jonathan Gibbs, Paige Gibbs, Harley Walker
- Escambia High – Sierra Rugg
- Ferry Pass Middle – Emma Booth, Chelsea Hotopp, Paige Hotopp
- Ransom Middle – Lindsay Holmquist, Makia Samuel
- Warrington Middle – LaDarrien Kimble
- Woodham Middle – Jakiah Henderson-Young, Centyah Moye
- WorkmanMiddle – Adrianna Blackmon, Elise Brandon
Pictured: (first row) Jonathan Gibbs, Rebecca Kurau, Centyah Moye, Madison Hayes, Paige Gibbs, Elise Brandon, (second row) Lindsay Holmquist, Tho Pham, Aiden Sidner-Palafox, Trexton Smith, Matthew Setzer, (third row) Adrianna Blackmon, Miyhana Davidson, Emma Booth, Chelsea Hotopp, Cora Smithkey, Gabrielle Vines, (back row) Paige Hotopp, LaDarrien Kimble, Sierra Rugg, Makia Samuel, Harley Walker, Hannah Thorne Not Pictured: Jakiah Henderson-Young. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
West Florida Libraries Offer Special Edition Library Card This Month
September 18, 2016
West Florida Public Libraries are offering a special edition library card in honor of Library Card Sign-up Month, with colorful cards featuring WFPL’s mascot Whooo the owl.
While library cards are always free for Escambia County residents, the usual $3 replacement fee for lost or damaged cards will be waived during the month of September as part of the celebration. Escambia County residents can find information about getting a library card or sign up by clicking here.
September was designated as Library Card Sign-up Month by the American Library Association in 1987, after then Secretary of Education William J. Bennett issued a challenge through a national campaign encouraging every child to obtain and regularly use a library card.
West Florida Libraries are located at:
- Century Branch Library — 7991 N. Century Boulevard
- Molino Branch Library — 6450-A Highway 95A
- Pensacola Library –239 N. Spring Street
- Tryon Branch Library — 1200 Langley Avenue
- Westside Branch Library — 1301 West Gregory Street
- Genealogy Library — 5740 N. 9th Avenue
Weekend Gardening: Time To Plant Those Fall Vegetables
September 17, 2016
by Santa Rosa Extension
The slightest hint of fall is in the air. But this doesn’t mean that the vegetable gardening season is over. Fall is an excellent time to grow cool-season vegetables.
Florida is unique in that we have multiple growing seasons. There is something that can be grown in the vegetable garden all year round. Knowing which vegetables to grow during which season is the key to having a successful harvest.
In the summer, gardeners are somewhat limited in the different types of warm-season vegetables that can be grown and will survive the heat. Now with cooler days approaching, we have a much wider selection of cool-season vegetables to plant.
In September many vegetables can be planted in the garden including beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onions and radish. In October, you can plant Chinese cabbage, spinach and strawberries.
These vegetables are best started from transplants but many can be direct-seeded. If you seed them directly into the soil, keep the ground moist while it’s still warm to give them a good start. Keep them well watered if you transplant, too. The later you start, the smarter it becomes to transplant to cut the time to maturity. Preparing the garden properly is as important as selecting the right plants.
Choose a sunny location. Most vegetables perform poorly in shade. An area that receives at least eight hours of sunlight per day is best. Some vegetables such as broccoli, collards and spinach will tolerate partial shade. Avoid locating your garden near hedges or trees. They not only create too much shade but also compete with the garden for moisture and nutrients.
Locating the garden near the house will make it easier to periodically check the garden for insect pests and disease. And, it is easier to keep an eye on the garden for larger pests such as birds, squirrels and rabbits. Closeness to the house will make it convenient in tending to the garden chores.
Locate the garden near a water supply so it can be watered as needed. You’ll get only moderate results if you try to grow a garden without supplemental irrigation.
Of course, it’s important to prepare beds properly before planting. To do that, clear the site of all weeds or finished vegetable plants. Turn the soil with a shovel, fork or tiller to a depth of at least 8 inches, and spread a 2-inch to 4-inch layer of organic matter (leaves, grass clippings, aged manure or compost) over the tilled soil. This helps to maintain a high level of organic matter in the soil, which encourages a strong, healthy root system, improves drainage, retains moisture, provides nutrients and promotes vigorous plant growth.
Mix the organic matter thoroughly into the soil. Turn the soil by digging with a shovel, garden fork or a tiller until the materials you’ve added are evenly distributed in the soil. When using fresh organic amendments, it’s best to wait a couple of weeks before planting your transplants or seeds.
By this time of year, insects and diseases have had all summer to build up their populations. Insects such as whiteflies, stink bugs, aphids and caterpillars are commonly seen. Since insect and disease pressure often is greater in the late summer/early fall than in the spring, watch plants carefully for problems and use appropriate control measures promptly when needed. Contact your local Extension Office for control recommendations.
Century Chamber Plans October Fall Festival, Vendors Needed
September 15, 2016
The Century Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a Fall & Craft Festival & Car Show for Saturday, October 15 at Showalter Park.
The event will feature craft booths, family fun, food, a car show and entertainment featuring The Horseshoe Halo Band and Michael Peterson.
The chamber is currently seeking vendors, entertainment and sponsors for the event. For a vendor booth application, click here. For sponsorship or other information, call Kim at (850) 256-3208 or email kgodwin@centuryflorida.us.
The festival is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.