Author With Local Ties Signs Copies Of ‘The Know It All Kitty’
November 30, 2008
Children’s book author and storyteller Kathy Jernigan signed copies of her book The Know It All Kitty and the Peanut Butter Factory in Century Saturday.
Jernigan is a storyteller and songwriter that grew up in Brewton and spent a lot of time with her grandparents O.P. and Eula Mae Renfroe. Her mom, Adelaide (Renfroe) Jernigan, was raised in Century.
Jernigan, who now lives in Century, signed books at the Country Bumpkin and at the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society’s Boxcar Barbecue.
She said the book promotes sharing, courage and fun. She wrote the story to entertain her nieces and nephews when they were two and three years old.
In the book, the kitty really does know everything, it’s just the Know It All Kitty needs a lot of help along the way to live up to his name. He wants to share peanut butter goodies with his friends, so he musters his courage to do the one thing he hates to do… go underwater. He has to face his fears once again as he discovers a lake wizard in an underwater cave, and a hidden peanut butter factory. He sets off the alarm in the factory and it scares him silly, but he makes it out with a sack full of goodies for his friends.
Autographed copies of the book are available for sale at the Country Bumpkin on North Century Boulevard. It is also available for order from Amazon.com and Trafford.com (click either site name for order information).
Pictured above: Author Kathy Jernigan of Atlanta signs copies of her book The Know It All Kitty and the Peanut Butter Factory at the Country Bumpkin in Century on Saturday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Thanksgiving Meals Provided For Three Area Families By Rotary Club
November 27, 2008
The Tri-City Rotary Club delivered Thanksgiving meals to three needy families in the area on Wednesday.
A deserving family was chosen in Century, Jay and Flomaton to receive the meals, which included a smoked turkey from Archie’s Catering Smokehouse in Molino and the Northview High School FFA. The club also provided each family with a variety of staple foods to help them with their grocery budgets.
“We picked three deserving families,” Bo Brantley, club president, said. “A member of each family is employed, but they have just fallen on hard times and needed a little help.”
The Century family included a mother and three children. Their house was destroyed by fire Monday night. The Jay family was a mother and four children, and the Flomaton family included a grandmother that is raising her two grandchildren.
Pictured above: Tri-City Rotary Club members (L-R) Don Ripley, Bo Brantley, Bill Cox, Terri Sanders and Dietrich Bondurant prepare food boxes Wednesday afternoon for needy families in Century, Flomaton and Jay. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Local Students Cast In Upcoming ‘Chatterbox’ Movie
November 25, 2008
Two best friends, both students at Ernest Ward Middle School, were cast in an upcoming movie. Angel Mitchell and Cheyenne Godwin both had roles in the new movie “Chatterbox”.
Chatterbox is a teen movie about a 13-year old girl that wants to prove her worth to her parents by winning the talent, popularity, and community competition known as the Chatterbox competition. Along the way, lead character Chelsea cheats to win the entire competition. She learns that was the wrong thing to do, makes a public apology and gives up the Chatterbox crown.
Angel (pictured in red on the movie set) played Carlie Mitchell, a dancer and a top five finalist in the Chatterbox competition. Cheyenne (pictured in the cheerleader uniform) was cast as a cheerleader. Other locals Jessica Warner, also a student at Ernest Ward, and Jenson Warner, a student at Byrneville Elementary, had parts as extras in the movie.
“Oh I made it.” That was Angel’s big line in Chatterbox. “I sounded so Southern when I said it,” she said. “It sounded so bad.”
Cheyenne does not have any complete lines in the movie, but she’s heard in the background of a few scenes.
“You could hear me backstage cheering,” Cheyenne said. “There are a couple of spots were you see me between the main characters, but no speaking. But I loved acting in the movie.”
Both girls say the best part about being in the movie, besides their big screen appearances, was meeting new friends. The worst part? Getting called at 1:00 in the morning and being told to be in Gulf Breeze were the movie was filmed. One time, they checked out of school and went to the shooting location. They were home by 3:00 a.m., and they got a call at 4:30 a.m. to be back by 5:00.
“It was a lot of work, but it was fun,” Cheyenne said. “Sometimes the late nights were like a giant sleepover,” Angel added.
Angel, 12, and Cheyenne, 14, recently attended a private screening of the unreleased film.
“It was so weird being up on the big screen,” Angel said. “It was not like I was even looking at me.”
Release plans are in place to show Chatterbox in Indonesia, and producers hope to have a U.S. distribution in place in 2009 for the family-friendly move.
To learn more about the movie and watch a trailer, visit www.chatterbox-themovie.com.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward students Cheyenne Godwin (left) and Angel Mitchell (right) were cast in the movie “Chatterbox”. Pictured below: Angel Mitchell (far left) with cast members from the movie. Pictured bottom: Brianna Chomer (left), the star of Chatterbox, with Angel Mitchell. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park PTA Fund Raiser Now At $2,000
November 25, 2008
With new donations received on Monday, the Molino Park Elementary School annual fund raiser has reached $2,000 on its way to a goal of $8,000.
Rather than asking the children and their parents to sell something like in past years, Principal Alice Woodward says the school’s has simply asked parents, grandparents, guardians and their friends and families to make a contribution to the school.
The math is simple, Woodward said. With over 400 children, if each gathers about $20 in donations each, the school will quickly reach its goal of $8,000.
Donations should be sent to school with Molino Park students before Wednesday, donations can be made in the school office, or checks can be mailed to the school. If any community members would like to donate they can make checks to Molino Park PTA and send to 899 Hwy. 97, Molino, FL 32577.
Some of the recent projects funded by the PTA include SuccessMaker software, supplies and materials for each of the school’s teachers, grandparent’s day, field day and more.
As of Monday afternoon, donations were at $2,000.
Man With Molino Relatives Hailed As A Hero In Iraq
November 23, 2008
Sgt. Keith Fuqua, a Milton man with relatives in Molino, is among a group of men being called heroes after capturing a wanted Iraqi.
Marines with Company C, Task Force 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, conducted a cordon and search operation recently, which led to the detainment of the battalion’s number one High Value Individual.
Muhammad Ayid Fayyad is suspected of being involved with individuals who planned and executed attacks against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces.
The company learned Fayyad was in the vicinity of a local barbershop in Khalidyah and quickly responded by establishing a cordon around the area.
Marines with 4th Platoon, Company C, set up blocking positions on the main roads leading in and out of the cordon where the company’s Personal Security Detachment provided security for the closed off area.
Lance Cpl. Chelsey Wilson, a 24-year-old assaultman from Pensacola, Fla., was a vehicle commander in 2nd Platoon, which was responsible for the assault and search of the area.
Wilson said as he and two other Marines patrolled near the barbershop they began to notice suspicious behavior.
“There were four men cutting hair inside the shop at the time,” Wilson recalled. “Some of them tried to leave when they saw us, but we held them in the shop.”
The Marines realized one of the four men in the shop was indeed Fayyad after questioning the men and then took him into custody.
Fuqua, a 25-year-old squad leader from Milton, Fla., said it was no surprise Fayyad did not resist being detained.
“The operation was successful due to the precision in which it was executed,” Fuqua said. “Every element came together and we got this guy off the streets. The Iraqis are safer.”
Fayyad was immediately taken to the battalion’s Detainee Collection Point for questioning, and then was transported to a higher command for follow-on questioning.
The operation was successfully completed with no casualties to Marines, local nationals or Fayyad.
Story and photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Schmidt
Barrineau Park Veterans Wall Of Honor Surpasses 100 Photos Of Veterans
November 22, 2008
The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center surpassed 100 photos this week, with each photo honoring a veteran from around the small community.
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the wall, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
Having the boys up there that have been killed,” she said, “makes me real said.” Five of those on the wall were killed in action.
Marine Thomas Edward Jones was killed in Korea in 1950. Army CPL Joseph N. Landry, III was killed in action in 2007. Terry Beasley died in service in 1965. CPL Jonathon Ross “J.R.” Spears died in Iraq in 2005. LCPL William “Trey” Yuhasz died while serving his country in 2004. Rollin Golightly also died in service and is honored on the wall.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
When NorthEscambia.com visited the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center last week, Steve Jogan was hard at work on the office laptop.
“I’m trying to get this program to get rid of the background so the face stands out,” Jogan said as he worked hard in his graphics program to improve a photo. “Sometimes it takes a lot of work with these old photos to make them look good.”
Jogan himself is on the Wall of Honor; he’s retired Nav, with 27 years of service.
“We are going to have to raise the Wall of Honor sign,” Berry said. Organizers never knew there would be over 100 photos on the wall, so their sign had to be moved to make room for more photos.
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at 587-2266.
For a complete photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Pictured above: The Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Pictured below: Nita Berry (left) and Nancy Fillingim at the Wall of Honor. Fillingham’s husband Aubie Fillingham is in the picture by her shoulder. Pictured above middle: Steve Jogan works on a new photo for the Wall of Honor at the Barrineau Park Community Center. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Poarch Creek Indians Perform In Century, Flomaton
November 21, 2008
The Poarch Creek Indians presented pow wow dances Thursday at the Century Branch Library, the Century Care Center and at Flomaton High School.
About 50 children enjoyed the performance at the libary. The children decorated pow wow drums and received necklaces before watching the 17 dancers perform traditional dances.
For a complete photo gallery from the library performance, click here.
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.
Told She Would Never Walk Again After Wreck, Tina Vickery Stands Tall
November 20, 2008
In seconds, Tina Vickery went from a transportation supervisor responsible for transporting hundreds of North Escambia students by bus everyday, to a world where doctors told her that she would probably never walk again.
It was the morning of February 26, 2008, at about 8:00. She had just left Ernest Ward Middle School, and was southbound in a school district car on Highway 97 near Dixie Feed in Molino.
“I remember it. I remember everything,” Tina said Wednesday morning at at a bus driver Thanksgiving lunch in Molino. “It happened so fast. It happened so fast. There was nothing I could do.”
Elisha J Tyler, 50, of Molino lost control of her van when she hit standing water in the roadway and spun into Tina’s lane. “My most vivid memory is seeing her head toward me. I just hit her. There was nothing I could do.”
It was a bad wreck. A very bad wreck. Elisha’s van lay on its side, nearly folded in half. Tina was in her crumpled school district car, watching everything around her as emergency vehicles arrived. She saw, and remembers everything until the ambulance workers wheeled her into the emergency room where she was given strong pain medication. The next thing she remembers is waking up as nurses were removing her breathing tube. The first thing she asked was if the other driver survived.
After weeks in the hospital, Tina transferred to in-patient rehab. It was three and a half months before she could place any weight on her legs. Even then, doctors told her that her chances of walking were very slim.
“They told me I would probably never walk again,” Tina said. “But here I am walking again. What a blessing!”
Wednesday morning, she stood before her employees, the 35 bus drivers that transport students to the Escambia County Schools from Molino to Century to Walnut Hill. It was a Thanksgiving lunch, and Tina was thankful to be standing there.
“This has probably been one of the worst years of my life,” she told her employees. “But you were there for me. I thank God for each one of you. I hope He blesses each one of you.”
It was a proud moment for Vickery to be able to stand before her drivers, her friends.
“I had such wonderful support from my coworkers, my family and my friends,” she said of the months after the accident. “It’s not like we are coworkers. We are like a family.”
The bus drivers visited Vickery often in rehab. They cooked for her family. They took care of her personal business and errands. “It’s like we are family,” she said. “When one had a problem, everyone steps in, during the good times and the bad.”
Back on May 15, the drivers pulled a little surprise on their boss. Barbara Hollingsworth, one of the drivers, arranged for the drivers to use a handicap equipped bus to sneak Tina out of rehab. Since Tina was in a wheelchair, they even put people in two other wheelchairs in the back of the bus so that she would not be alone. They took her to Barnhill’s for lunch. It was the first time since the day of the accident that Tina had walked on her feet on the ground.
” I thank God for letting her come back because she is such a blessing to all of us and a great superior,” Hollingsworth said.
Tina is back at work now as the north end route supervisor for the Escambia County Schools Transportation Department for three half days per week. She is still attending physical therapy each week.
She looks at life a bit differently now, nine months after the accident.
“I give thanks to God each day,” she said. “The little things are not as important anymore when you look at the big picture.”
Even in her lowest moment, she continued to thank God. “I realized during those months of rehab that there were people that were there that were so much worse off than me. I was so thankful for all that God has done for me.”
To see a photo gallery from the Thanksgiving lunch, the trip to Barnhills and more stages of Tina’s recovery, click here.
To see a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the accident scene in February, click here.
Pictured top: Tina Vickery’s accident on Highway 97 on February 26, 2008. Pictured above: Tina Vickery on Wednesday with bus driver Marie McPhillips. Pictured below: North Escambia bus drivers at a Thanksgiving lunch on Wednesday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park PTA Fund Raiser
November 20, 2008
The annual PTA fund raising drive at Molino Park Elementary School is a little bit different this year. Basically, it’s a no fund raiser, fund raiser.
Rather than asking the children and their parents to sell something like in past years, Principal Alice Woodward says the school’s has simply asked parents, grandparents, guardians and their friends and families to make a contribution to the school.
The math is simple, Woodward said. With over 400 children, if each gathers about $20 in donations each, the school will quickly reach its goal of $8,000.
Donations should be sent to school with Molino Park students by early next week, or donations can be made in the school office.
Some of the recent projects funded by the PTA include SuccessMaker software, supplies and materials for each of the school’s teachers, grandparent’s day, field day and more.
As of Wednesday, donations were at $700 of the $8,000 goal.
Retired Walnut Hill Chief Video Tribute
November 17, 2008
Retired Walnut Hill Fire Chief Robert Stewart was honored at a reception Saturday night with a video tribute.
The video featured scenes from the fire department’s recent calls, along with scenes featuring the chief at work and at play. He was shown answering fire calls, with his new grandson, with his family, at department functions and even playing Santa Claus on his way to Enon Country Manor.
The video also featured a special “thank you” from Valerie (Baker) Brock, who thanked Chief Stewart for saving her life.
The video was produced by NorthEscambia.com using our photos and video footage, along with pictures submitted by fire department members and Robert’s family.
Watch the video by clicking play below. (If you do not see the video, it is because it is being blocked by your employer or school.)
To read about Saturday night’s reception, click here.
To read about Valerie (Baker) Brock’s accident, click here.