Two Escambia Farmer’s Markets Named Among America’s Favorites
September 7, 2012
Two of the top 10 farmer’s markets in the country are located in Escambia County.
The Market at Saint Monica’s in Cantonment was named the number 10 small market in the country by the group American Farmland Trust. The Palafox Market, held in downtown Pensacola, was named the number 10 large market in the U.S. The Palafox market was also named the Florida’s second favorite.
The goal of American Farmland Trust’s fourth annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest was to highlight the role that farmers markets play in keeping family farmers on the land. The summer long contest was a nationwide challenge to see which markets can rally the most votes from their customers.
The bi-monthly Market at Saint Monica’s will be open again on September 15.
The Palafox market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Palafox Street between Garden and Wright streets in downtown Pensacola.
Pictured top: The Palafox Market in downtown Pensacola. Pictured inset and below: Items for sale earlier this summer at the Market at Saint Monica’s in Cantonment. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Community Center To Host Music Night, Swing Dance
September 6, 2012
The Barrineau Park Community Center will play host to two big events Friday and Saturday nights — a bluegrass music night and swing dancing.
Friday — Barrineau Park Music Night
The monthly Barrineau Park Music Night will be held Friday night at the Barrineau Park Community Center. The featured local groups are Southern Sounds and bluegrass group Trugrass.
The singing starts at 6:30 p.m. Food and refreshments will be available beginning at 6 p.m. The event is a family-friendly — no alcohol is permitted on the property, and no smoking is allowed in or near the building.
Admission is free, but donations are accepted for musicians’ expenses.
For more information, call (850) 572-4433. The Barrineau Park Community Center is located on Barrineau Park School road, about three miles west of Molino.
Saturday — Swing Dancing
“Swing Molino Swing”, a family oriented event, will be held at the Barrineau Park Community Center Saturday night.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with lessons. There will be a $5 charge to cover costs, and there will be a $5 meal available with a hot dog, chips, dessert and drink. Spike heels are not allowed, and females that plan to wear a dress and practice the dip moves will need a pair of shorts underneath.
Learn More About Starting Your Own Cottage Food Business
September 6, 2012
Escambia County Extension will host a “Cottage Foods: Starting Your Own Cottage Food Business” program for those that wish to sell food made in their homes.
The program will cover pricing, marketing, food safety, demonstrations and include a time for questions and answers with the Extension Service Small Farms and FCS Staff. Farms or individuals interested or currently marketing processed foods are encouraged to attend.
Cottage foods by definition are foods made in the home for resale that do not require refrigeration. These include but are not limited to jams, jellies, preserves, honey, cakes and pies.
The program will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11 at the Escambia County Extension Office at 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment. The $5 cost of the program will cover materials and handouts. For registration, contact Fran Lainhart at (850) 475-5230 or via email at lainhaf@ufl.edu to register.
Group Claims High School Prayers Illegal; Students Take A Stand
September 5, 2012
The Escambia County (Ala.) School District has banned prayers at events like football games, but that did not stop a group of Flomaton High students from taking a stand on the football field last Friday.
The students stood hand-in-hand along the sidelines before the game in prayer. No faculty or staff took part in the student led, student initiated prayer.
Prayers led over the public address system at Flomaton High School football games was common prior to this year, as was the recital of the Lord’s Prayer by both players and coaches following Hurricane football games.
But that all came to an end prior to Flomaton’s Friday night season opener against Monroeville after the school district received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation that claimed such prayers were illegal.
“A local complainant has reported to us that Flomaton High School has a local pastor, often a Baptist minister, pray before each home football game. This practice is unconstitutional,” FFRF attorney Andrew L. Seidel wrote in a letter to Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent Randall Little and Flomaton High Principal Scott Hammond. “It is illegal for a public school to organize, sponsor, and lead prayers at public school events. The Supreme Court has continually struck down formal and teacher or school-led prayer in public schools.”
The Freedom from Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit group with about 19,000 members with the purpose to “protect the constitutional principal of separation between state and church”.
“We ask that Escambia County Public Schools commence an immediate investigation into the complaint alleged, and take immediate action to stop any and all prayers occurring before all Escambia County Public Schools athletic events, including those at Flomaton High School,” Seidel wrote.
The school district responded to the letter by enforcing a ban against facility and students from participating in or leading prayer at school sponsored events.
Get Green Thumb Certified With Master Gardener Training
September 5, 2012
Certifications are available for your hard-earned green thumb – Escambia County Extension is accepting applications through Friday, September 7 for a Master Gardener training class.
Class sessions begin Wednesday, September 26 and continue every Wednesday through November 14, with one Friday class on October 26. Classes resume on Wednesday, January 2 and run continuously through February 6. Normal class hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost for the program is $125 and includes all book and class materials.
Those with a passion for gardening and are interested in serving as a volunteer to assist with community horticulture education programs and activities, are encouraged to apply for training as a Master Gardener. Trainees will complete approximately 60 hours of horticulture training and donate 75 hours of service as an Extension volunteer. Volunteers gain service hours through numerous projects including school and community gardens, community outreach demonstrations, and adult and youth horticulture programs.
For more information, contact Beth Bolles at (850) 475-5230 or email bbolles@uwf.edu with any questions about the program or application process.
For more information, please visit http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/master-gardeners.shtml.
Voting Ends Monday: Farmer’s Market In The Running For America’s Favorite
September 2, 2012
A Cantonment farmer’s market is in the running to be named one of America’s Favorite Farmer’s Markets, and your final chance to vote is Monday.
The Market at St. Monica’s is one of the contestants in the 2012 competition hosted by the American Farmland Trust. Winners will be featured on the food website Epicurious.com and will be honored at local celebrations with a prize package.
Market shoppers can cast their vote in support of their region’s farmers, community and market. To vote for The Market at St. Monica’s, click here and select the market. After voting, American Farmland Trust will solicit a donation to protect American farmland, but donations are not required to vote.
The Market at St. Monica’s is open on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8 a.m. until noon with a variety of locally grown produce and other merchandise at St. Monica’s Episcopal Church at 699 County Road 95-A South in Cantonment.
The market will be open again September 15.
Pictured: Scenes from a recent Market at St. Monica’s. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gardening: Fall Veggies Are Cool To Grow In North Escambia Area
September 2, 2012
In Northwest Florida, vegetable lovers can enjoy harvests from their backyard gardens throughout the year. However, to ensure a productive and enjoyable vegetable garden, you must understand and abide by planting times.
In general, vegetable crops can be grouped into warm-season and cool-season varieties. Warm-season crops do not grow well at temperatures below 50 degrees F and are killed by frost. Cool-season crops are those that grow at lower temperatures, are not injured by light frost, but can’t take the heat.
In late summer and early fall, North Florida gardeners experience a unique opportunity. You can still plant another round of warm-season crops and/or start your cool-season vegetables.
Planting of warm-season vegetables gets to be more critical with the fall garden because we have an end point—frost and freezes. When planted too late, plants will grow, but may not provide enough of a harvest to make the effort worthwhile. Examples are peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. These vegetables can easily take up to two months from transplanting to producing the first fruit. All the time, the fall is getting shorter in day length and cooler in temperatures. That’s really tough on “warm-loving,” full-sun plants.
Since timing is so important with the fall crop, choose warm-season crops that will produce well within a short time. Look for fast-maturing and determinant or bush-type cultivars to ensure a good yield before frost.
Crops to plant outdoors in August include bush and lima beans, cauliflower, collards, cucumbers, onions, southern peas, peppers, squash, tomato and turnips.
In September, you can set out beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, endive, kale, kohlrabi, mustard and radish.
The cooler temperatures of October are better for planting Chinese cabbage, lettuce and spinach.
To find specific recommendations on when to plant vegetables in Florida, read the UF/IFAS “Vegetable Gardening Guide”. It’s online at edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021
The leafy crops excel in the fall. Some of the more popular leafy crops are Swiss chard, collards, spinach, mustard, turnip greens and lettuce. Endive, escarole, kale, arugula and the greens of mesclun mix also do very well during the cooler months.
Garden lettuces can be divided into three classes based on habit of growth – leaf or loose-leaf types, semi-heading types (such as butterhead and romaine) and heading or crisp-head types.
Crisp-head lettuces, such as the iceberg types available in supermarkets, are more of a challenge to grow here, so its recommend you stay with the leaf and semi-heading varieties. Other than generally avoiding the heading types, feel free to try just about any variety that strikes your fancy.
Leaf lettuces are the most decorative and least-demanding. They also are among the most heat-tolerant lettuces. This type of lettuce grows in a loose rosette of foliage, and the leaves can be smooth or crinkled, pointed, lobed, curled or ruffled. Foliage color runs from deep ruby red to dark green to pale greenish yellow, with just about every combination in between.
Collards will withstand wide ranges of temperatures if properly conditioned. They may be direct seeded and or plants can be transplanted. Collards may be harvested by cutting the whole plant or by “cropping” individual leaves.
Onions are generally grown from sets or plants. Sets and plants will require about six to eight weeks to reach eating size. Bulbing onions will not be ready to harvest until spring.
Radishes are fast growers and fun for the kids. Many are ready to harvest 25 to 30 days after planting.
So take the leap and “fall” into vegetable gardening.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County
Guntner Graduates Twice From FSU, Working Toward Law Degree At UF
September 2, 2012
A 2008 Tate High School graduate is working hard toward her goal of becoming a lawyer.
Debra Nicole Guntner, known to her friends as “Nikki”, received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University in April 2011 and graduated again last month from FSU with a Masters of Science in applied American politics and policy. She then enrolled in the Fred Levin School of Law at the University of Florida working toward her Juris Doctorate. Guntner will study at UF for the next three years as she prepares for her career as an attorney.
Nikki Guntner is the daughter of Barry and Dara Guntner of Cantonment. Her grandparents are Clyde and Helen Allen of Cantonment and George and Jeanette Guntner of Milton.
Photo Gallery: Northview Cheerleaders, Band And Dance Team
September 2, 2012
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Panthers of John Paul Catholic School of Tallahassee Friday night in Bratt.
For a photo gallery with the Northview cheerleaders, band and dance team, click here.
For a game summary and action photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium Named Ballpark Of The Year
August 31, 2012
Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium has been recognized as the top new stadium in all of professional baseball according to Baseballparks.com, a popular website that annually reviews baseball stadiums all over the country. Baseballparks.com site mater, Joe Mock made the announcement in a press release early on Thursday that Pensacola Bayfront Stadium was the recipient of the 13th annual Ballpark of the Year.
This distinction is just another in a long list of memorable moments that have made the Blue Wahoos inaugural season a resounding success. The Blue Angels flyover on opening day, visits from Masters Champion Bubba Watson and National Champion running back Trent Richardson, a no-hitter, Billy Hamilton’s stolen base record and now baseball’s best new stadium have all molded a lasting impression of Minor League Baseball on fans in the Pensacola community.
“We are very grateful for the high praise from Baseballparks.com,” said Blue Wahoos’ president Bruce Baldwin. “Considering the other stadiums that have opened this season, we are thrilled to receive this award. It is truly an honor. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication to this project by our owners Quint and Rishy Studer and the confidence and support of this stadium and the vision by the Community Maritime Park Associates, the City of Pensacola and its citizens. I don’t consider this an award for the Blue Wahoos, but one for all of Pensacola and Northwest Florida.”
Mock visited the park in May and provided a review of the stadium on his site following the trip. Other stadiums in consideration for the award included Marlins Park in Miami and the Boston Red Sox spring training facility in Lee County, Fla.
“The architects at Populous should be very proud of their facilities that opened this year,” said Mock. “They designed the incredibly impressive spring-training park and complex in Lee County, Florida for the Red Sox. They were also the architects for one of the most ambitious sports facilities ever built, Marlins Park. But even though it was the smallest of their three projects, I think Pensacola’s ballpark is the best.”
The selection of Populous as the stadium’s architecture firm is indicative of the commitment to the project by the City of Pensacola and the CMPA. Fans have been flocking to the stadium all summer long. The bayfront stadium has been sold out 37 times in 2012 and the Blue Wahoos boast an overall attendance of 303,744 averaging 4,821 fans per game.
“Over the past five months, thousands of people have enjoyed the great atmosphere and gorgeous view at Pensacola’s new bayfront stadium,” said Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward. “This latest accolade is another testament to the Blue Wahoos’ fanastic first season and the hard work of so many over the past six years. This stadium has been an amazing addition to our vibrant downtown and growing waterfront and another reason that Pensacola is the Upside of Florida.”
Mock credited the design, fan amenities and site selection as contributing factors for the award. Past recipients of this award include AT&T Park in San Francisco, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and last year’s winner Salt River Field in Arizona