Century Dedicates Wall Of Honor On The Fourth
July 5, 2008
Marion Brown stood quietly to the side as he Town of Century dedicated its new Veteran’s Wall of Honor Friday.
In her hands she held a picture frame with memories from her husband’s five tours in Vietnam. There is a purple heart and other medals from Willie H. Brown’s service in the 101st Airborne divison of the U.S. Army.
Willie Brown passed away last September from pancreatic cancer. Now the picture frame of memories honors his service to the country. But his name will soon be added to the new Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor.
“I wish he could be here today to see the wall,” Marion (pictured left) told NorthEscambia.com. “He had went to the mayor a few years ago and asked about some memorial to honor veterans. He would be so proud that it has finally happened.”
“He did not really like to talk about going to Vietnam,” she said. “But he served his country well. He was a courageous hero, just like all of the others.”
About thirty of those others that served from the Century area are now honored on the Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor that was unveiled in the Fourth of July ceremony at Century’s Roadside Park on Highway 29.
Several dozen families joined local dignataries in dedicating the wall, some waving American flags and wiping away tears as the crowd sang “God Bless America”.
Pictured top: The Rev. Willie Carter (right) prays a prayer of blessing over the new Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor Friday morning as an audience member holds a flag. Pictured above: Marion Brown holds a picture frame with items honoring her husband’s service in Vietnam. Pictured below: A young girls runs her finger along one of the names on the Veteran’s Wall of Honor. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The Pearls Of The Pacific Perform At Century Care Center
July 4, 2008
The Polynesian dance group the Pearls of the Pacific brought their show to the Century Care Center Thursday afternoon.
From “Tiny Bubbles” to a selection from “Lilo and Stitch”, the girls performed traditional and interpretive hula dances. Several audience members also joined in on stage, trying their hand at the hula.
Pictured above: The Pearls of the Pacific at the Century Care Center Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
EWMS Class of 78 Holds Reunion, Honors Former Teachers
June 30, 2008
The Ernest Ward High School Class of 1978 recently held their 30th reunion.
Former Ernest Ward teachers and class sponsors Patty Stone and Jean Webb were on hand for the evening that began with a special presentation of photos with 70’s music.
One of the highlights of the evening was Mrs. Jean Webb’s (now known as JJ) introduction and signing of her newly published book, “Feet of Clay”, with the reading of a special dedication to her former students.
The reunion was hosted at B&T Barbeque in Atmore.
Pictured above: (front, L-R) Mike Wilson, Alan Lowery, Ronald Hartner; (second row, L-R) Lenora Wilson-Grissett, Tony Killiam, Barbara Singleton-Hollingsworth, Linda Amerson-Jackson, Nancy Bentley-Barger, Judy Pickern-Parham; (third row, L-R) Richard Cook, June Hansen-Hall, Gary Gibbs, Dianne Crews-Hall, Becky Bryars-Angles, Anita Conway; (back row, L-R) Zelda Coon Berry, Jeffery Smith, Elaine Bryan-Holk, Tara Killiam-Wiggins, Cathy Dortch-Reynolds, Kathy McLain-Jones, Malcom Mitchell and Rita Powell Parker. Pictured below: Patty Stone (left) and Jean Webb. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Comes To Century
June 28, 2008
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has come to Century, with plans to provide a free book every month for every child under five years old.
In 1996, Dolly launched an e new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. And she wanted to insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
She decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under five in Sevier County, Tennesee. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mailbox. These moments continue each month until the child turns five,and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.
Now children under in the Century area can signup for the same program under the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. They will receive a new age appropriate book each month until they turn five…all at absolutely no cost. And, there are no income requirements for the program.
“Parents will not pay a dime for the program,” said Larry Kenny from the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County which administers the program locally. “They will not be added to any kind of mailing list; their information is kept private and used only to mail the books free of charge to their homes.”
Century area parents were able to enroll their children in the program for the first time during a celebration the the Campfire USA Child Development Center.
Parents can continue to enroll their children in the free program during regular business hours at Campfire USA on Industrial Boulevard and at the Century Pharmacy on Mayo Street.
Funding for the program in the Century area is provided by the Teaspoon Foundation and Century Pharmacy.
Pictured above: Jared Bevan, 4, enjoys reading one of the books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at Campfire USA in Century Friday morning. Pictured below: Some of the books from the program. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Student Elected State Representative For National Council
June 27, 2008
Olivia Bryan of Bratt was recently chosen as Florida’s only representative on the national Youth Leadership Council while on a trip to Washington, D.C.
The Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is a joint effort of local electric co-ops, statewide cooperative associations and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Olivia attended the 2008 Youth Tour in Washington as a representative of Escambia River Electric Cooperative, one of about 1,500 high school students visiting the nation’s capital as representatives of their rural electric cooperative.
Each state is entitled to have one representative on the Youth Leadership Council. The YLC is designed to provide participants with stronger leadership skills, presentation skills and a broader understanding of rural electric cooperatives.
Students competing for their state’s spot on the Youth Leadership Council had to face a panel of judges and explain their goals and interests, academic standing and past accomplishments. Then each contestant was given six minutes to prepare a speech on a given topic and present it to the judges and fellow youth tour delegates.
The speech had to be address how youth could cause state at the national, state and local levels.
“In my speech, I focused on if we wanted to cause a change, we had to be the change” Olivia told NorthEscambia.com. “There was not a lot of time to prepare. I was surprised they liked my speech the best because some of the others were really good.”
Now that she is on the Youth Leadership Council, Olivia will head back to Washington for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Leadership Conference in July for leadership training. And then she will attend to the NRECA Annual Meeting in New Orleans in February of 2009. At the July meeting, one student will be chosen as the national Youth Leadership Conference Spokesperson and will speak to the thousands at the NRECA Annual Meeting.
“I’m excited to see what kinds of doors this may open for me,” Bryan said. “I’m also interested to see what the leadership training in Washington will have to offer.”
While in Washington as EREC’s representative on the Youth Tour, Olivia visited the U.S. Capital where she met with Florida Congressman Jeff Miller on the Capital steps. She was also able to visit most of the national memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial.
She was most impressed with the Lincoln Memorial, Olivia said. “It was huge. I never realized the scale of it.”
Olivia is the daughter of Robert and Rebecca Ryan of Bratt. She will be senior this fall at Northview High School.
For more photos from Olivia Bryan’s Washington trip, click here.
Pictured above: Northview student Olivia Bryan on the steps on the U.S. Capital in Washington. Pictured below: Olivia (turned sideways in the black dress) talks with Florida Congressman Jeff Miller on the Capital steps. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
The Sensational Tones Of Joy Perform At Century Care Center
June 26, 2008
The Sensational Tones of Joy brought a little joy to the residents of Century Care Center Wednesday morning.
The group, comprised of area men that work shift work and get together whenever they can, perform every chance they get at Century Care.
Pictured above are front (L-R): Group Manager Marvin “Gator” Johnson, Mikyle Dees and Johnny Dees. Back (L-R) Norris Grooms, Melvin Johnson Jr., Willie Holmes, Johnathan Hall and Melvin Johnson, Sr. Pictured below: More scenes from the Sensational Tones of Joy at the Century Care Center on Wednesday. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
North Escambia Woman Gets Complete Makeover On NBC’S Today Show
June 23, 2008
A girls’ week in New York City ended with a North Escambia woman getting a surprise complete makeover on national television Friday morning.
Cheryl Golson of Davisville was selected from the crowd at Rockefeller Plaza in New York for a “Plaza Ambush Makeover” from NBC’s Today Show. Cheryl received a complete makeover…hair, makeup and new designer dress.
Cheryl, an ESE teacher at Bratt Elementary School was in New York with her daughter Shelby Bryan, Bratt guidance counselor Sheila Bryan, and Sheila’s daugther Jill Laborde, all from Bratt. The entire trip was to celebrate Shelby and Jill’s graduation from the University of West Florida.
On Friday, their last day in New York City, they decided to try to be in the audience on NBC’s today show. Today show producers picked two ladies from the audience for complete makeovers in a segment of the show called “Plaza Ambush Makeovers” that airs in the program’s fourth hour every Friday.
“We got lucky and got to be along the barricades,” Cheryl told NorthEscambia.com. “I didn’t know about the makeovers. Jill and Shelby were yelling ‘pick us, pick us’, but they were told that they were too pretty. Then they started yelling ‘do our mothers’.”
“They picked me and took me back to their wardrobe area,” she said. “Everybody else got to go to the Green Room.” The Green Room is where people appearing on the Today Show wait before going on the air. In the Green Room, Shelby, Sheila and Jill got to meet host Meredith Vieira and Grammy-winning pop sensation Rihanna before her Summer Concert Series performance.
Cheryl said the whole makeover process took about two hours with US Weekly contributor and fashion expert Jill Martin and hairstylist Louis Licari. Her hair was colored twice, and she tried on about six dresses, she said.
“I’d never even had my nails done before,” Cheryl said.
In the end, Cheryl ended up on national television with her new look. Her hair went from light ash brown to a reddish auburn color, and a complete makeup change. She was dressed in a Lafayette 148 silk dress and shoes from Nine West.
“The red just made her come alive,” Licari said. “Remember, redheads work as long as they are believable and this is a believable auburn color.”
“She’s a school teacher, and she has nothing like this in her wardrobe,” Martin said. “She’s going to find some place to go.”
When asked on the Today show how she felt, Cheryl said, “Wonderful! This is not my normal Friday at all.”
“She looks beautiful; I love it,” Shelby (pictured left with her mom) said on the show.
“She is the best mom in the world; she deserves it. She’s always put so much effort into her kids and then she’s never really spent as much time on herself,” Shelby said in an on-air interview prior to seeing mom’s new look. “Dad’s going to think she looks hot.”
“I was proud for her,” Cheryl’s husband and Shelby’s dad Ricky Golson told NorthEscambia.com. “She looked very nice. I was thrilled for her.”
“My daughter had called about 6:30 Friday morning and said mom had been selected,” Ricky said. “I was not sure what she meant. When I got in from work Friday afternoon, I googled it and found a link to the video.”
“I think she looks so good,” Shelby told NorthEscambia.com. “She always cared for us and has been a great mother. She just needed a new ‘do’.”
As for where Cheryl plans to wear her new designer dress, she’s not sure yet.
“I don’t know where I am going to wear it,” she said from her home Saturday. “I don’t think it will be Sunday School.”
The dress, which retails for $498 (click here to order) was accented by a shawl purchased by the Today show staff from a street vendor.
To see the complete video clip from the Today Show, click here. The clip begins with another lady that also received a complete makeover Friday morning. Cheryl’s segment begins about four minutes into the video. A DSL, cable or other high speed connection is needed to watch the video.
Pictured top: Cheryl Golson before and after her “Plaza Ambush Makeover” on NBC’s Today Show Friday morning. Photo courtesy NBC. Pictured below (L-R): US Weekly contributor and fashion expert Jill Martin, Sheila Bryan, Jill Laborde, an NBC makup artist, Cheryl Golson, hairstylist Louis Licari and Shelby Bryan. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
Ernest Ward High School Class of 1967 Holds Reunion
June 22, 2008
The Ernest Ward High School class of 1967 held their 41st reunion Saturday at the old Davisville School.
When the class was in seventh grade, 19 students from Davisville joined the class of 35 students. In tenth grade, another 26 students were transferred into the class from Bratt School for a total of 80 students. By the time the class reached its senior year at Ernest Ward, only 44 students remained in the graduating class.
Twenty of those were present at the Saturday reunion, some from places like Colorado, South Dakota, the Carolinas and Michigan. Members of the class include a Pensacola pastor, a Miami area judge, firefighters, homemakers and more.
Pictured below, front row (L-R): Sylvia Barlow Elkins, Katie Norris Darby, Kay Beasley Mooney, June Dortch Valenzuela, Brenda Priest Ekstrom, Suzanne Milstead Rigby, Melba Hollingsworth Cook, Gloria Beasley Gilman, Betty Smith Singleton and Marjorie Gillman Criswell. Back row (L-R): Roy Ward, Terry Harris, Floyd Mooney, John Stacey, Duane Dortch, Leroy Smith, Harold McGhee, Robert Stewart, Thomas A Gibbs and Tony Andress. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Pictured bottom of page: Class member Robert Stewart (right) and his wife Diann enjoy the reunion. Pictured above: Members of the Ernest Ward Class of 67 reminisce while looking at old yearbook photos. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
End Of Era At Cooper’s Store In Bratt As Gas Pumps Are Removed
June 20, 2008
It was the end of an era Thursday at Cooper’s Store in Bratt as the store’s gas pumps and tanks were removed.
When Lawrence Cooper purchased the store 52 years ago, gas was selling for 10 cents per gallon, his son Marion Cooper told NorthEscambia.com Thursday. Now, even though gas in selling for around $4 a gallon, the profit per gallon for the store was still only about 10 cents per gallon.
He said the state mandated that the aging underground storage tanks had to be dug up. He said replacing the tanks would have cost about $30,000 to $40,000…more than the store would profit by selling gas.
Cooper said the store was recently averaging about 500 to 600 gallons of gas sold per week. “We just don’t sell enough to justify replacing the tanks,” he said.
He predicted that more and more small stores like Cooper’s would be getting out of the gas business in the coming years due to the expense of meeting strict state regulations. He said that regulations are tough and expensive on small stores, pointing out that a state inspector was outside the store supervising the tank removal.
“The independents will be gone in a few years, and the big companies will control the gas market,” Cooper said.
Pictured above: The gas tanks and pumps have been removed at Cooper’s Store in Bratt. Pictured below: A state inspector outside the store tracks the progress of the tank removal project Thursday afternoon on his laptop. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
June 18, 2008
The Pensacola Little Theatre presented “A Short History of Nearly Everything” Tuesday at the Century Branch Library.
In the play, characters Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin presented a short history of (like the title says)…nearly everything.
The program was the second installement in the library’s summer reading program.
Next Tuesday at noon, magician Sammy Smith will amaze at the Century Branch Library’s Summer Reading Program. The program is free for children of all ages.
For more information on the Summer Reading Program at the Century Branch Library, call 256-6217.
For more photos from the event, click here.
Pictured above: Characters Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Charles Darwin from “A Short History of Nearly Everything” at the Century Branch Library. Pictured below: Children enjoy the program. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
