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Photos: Century Sawmill Pageant Winners Announced

The 25th Annual Century Sawmill Pageant was held recently, sponsored by the Century Lions Club. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of eye glasses for needy children in the local  tri-county area.

Overall queens, pictured top L-R were 2-5 years: Lexi Knowles,  6-9 years: Khloe Hamilton, and 10-16 years: Skylar Crawford.

Scroll down below photos for additional winners.

Toddler Miss Winners (2-3 years):
Picture above, L to R:  3rd- Mallory Marn; 2nd-Jillian Sanders; Queen-Marley Schoonover, and 1st-Lexi Knowles.

Little Miss Winners (4-5 years):
Picture above, L to R:  2nd-Abigail Hawthorn; Queen-Alydia Sutton, and 1st-Laurel Wadkins.

Young Miss Winners (6-7 years);
Picture above, L to R: Photogenic-Lexie Smith; 2nd-Kayleigh Forbes; Queen-Ansley Nowling; 1st-Khloe Hamilton; and 3rd-Jessica Pritchett.

Young Junior Miss Winners (8-9 years):
Picture above, L to R: 3rd-Jacie Himes; 2nd-Emily Brown; Queen-Lanie Stephens; and 1st-Leah Smith.

Junior Miss Winners (10-12 years):
Picture above, L to R: 3rd (tied)-Nevaeh King; 2nd-Morgan Hicks; Queen-McKenna Simmons; 1st-Bentley Glover & 3rd (tied)-Jordan Sanders.

Teen Miss Winners (13-16 years):
Picture above, L to R: 3rd-Whitney Kimbler; 2nd-Melissa Sunday; Queen-Victoria Scott; and 1st- Skylar Crawford

The Creek The Changed Course: Nature Class Learns About The Big Escambia

A Florida Master Naturalist conservation class learned about the Big Escambia Creek restoration project near Century last week. The class was presented by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. The class is an adult education program created by the University of Florida/IFAS intended to promote awareness and understanding of Florida’s unique environment.

Big Escambia Creek is a major tributary of the Escambia River located approximately 29 miles north of Escambia Bay. Over 30 years ago conditions along the lower reaches of the creek changed when a sand mining operation digging too close to the creek combined with an intensive rainfall event caused the creek to change its course and follow the path of least resistance through the sandpits. Since the creek changed its course, the estimated 900 acres of wetlands in and around the old creek channel now had no base flow and were reverting to an upland type habitat. In addition, tons of sediment began to flow downstream into the Pensacola Bay System.

A $7.7 million project was implemented to eliminate the delivery of the sediment and to restore the productivity of the floodplain by diverting the creek back into its original channel. Construction on the project began in 2003 and was completed in 2005.

Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Weekend Gardening: Remember Your Houseplants When Spring Cleaning

by UF/IFAS Santa Rosa Extension

Warmer weather signals that spring is here. After months of being cooped up indoors, it’s finally time for gardeners to go dig in the dirt. It’s also time for cooped up house plants to be revitalized.

Locate a shady area for this work. Even if houseplants are to be left out for a short period, after being shut up all winter, leaf damage can occur with only brief exposure to direct sunlight.

First, give the houseplants a bath. Use a soapy solution made of two teaspoons of mild liquid soap mixed with one gallon of water. Wash the leaves and stems, being certain to clean both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Allow the solution to remain on the plants for a few minutes, but rinse it off thoroughly before it is allowed to dry. This not only cleans plants, making them more attractive, but the soap helps to remove aphids, mealybugs and other insects.

Next, see if your plant needs re-potting. Although some plants require being pot-bound in order to flower eventually all plants outgrow their containers and become root- or pot-bound.

Why repot in the spring? Plant roots grow most actively in the spring, which means the plant will be able to quickly overcome the shock associated with re-potting.

When repotting, start with a clean, appropriately sized pot. If you want the plant to grow larger, then you will need to repot it in a larger pot. If you want it to maintain its present size, you’ll have to prune its roots.

In general, the pot size should be increased by only about two inches per re-potting. Therefore, a plant whose root ball is in a six inch pot is normally transplanted to a pot with an eight inch diameter. For some reason, drastic changes in pot size when re-potting seems to be detrimental to some plants.

Watering the plant several hours prior will help you remove the plant more easily. Invert the pot and gently remove the plant by grasping the main stem. Give it a slight tug, and it should slip out of the pot. If it doesn’t, use a butter knife or other flat-bladed tool to loosen the sides of the pot and try again.

Once the plant is free of the pot, take the time to inspect the root system. Look for large, old circular roots which can strangle the plant and prevent much-needed nourishment. Sever or remove these old roots to allow new feeder roots to establish.

To re-pot, first add enough new soil mixture to the bottom of the pot to return the plant to its original depth. After the plant is replaced, fill in the sides with new potting soil.

Use a quality potting mix when re-potting. Gardeners generally rely on commercially available potting soil mixes for growing most types of houseplants. A lot of brands are out there and not all of them are especially good. In particular, avoid heavy, black potting soils. If the bag feels dense and heavy for its size, put it back.

The best potting mixes include vermiculite, bark and perlite in proportions that create a fairly light, loose mix that water penetrates readily but drains rapidly.

If you don’t want to change pots, there is a way of dealing with a pot-bound plant and keeping it in the same size pot. First, remove the plant from the pot and trim off one-quarter to one-third of the lower part of the root ball. Put a layer of fresh potting mix in the bottom of the original container equal to the amount of the root ball removed. Place the plant back in the pot, adding a little more soil around the sides. Water well, and place the plant in a shady location to recover.

House plants would also benefit from fertilization at this time of year. There are many commercial materials available for fertilizing indoor plants. Most are effective and safe if used as directed.

The Top Of The Class Of 2017 Honored

The top of the Class of 2017 from Escambia County’s high schools were recognized Thursday as the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation hosted the 2017 Senior Academic Awards program.

Honorees included the top five students in each graduating class (listed in alphabetical order), as well as a student from each of the following disciplines: Career & Technology, English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

For more photos, click here.

Honorees from Tate and Northview were as follows:

Northview High School (pictured top): TOP FIVE: Ellie Amerson,  Alyssa Borelli, Brandon Korinchak, Kaitlyn Pugh and David Weber. DISCIPLINES: Mitchell Singleton, Career & Technical;  Alyssa Bell, English;  Jessica Stacey, Foreign Language;  Jasmine Elliott, Math;  Zachary C. Sheldon, Science; Raychell M. Baker, Social Studies.

Tate High School (pictured below): TOP FIVE: Taylor Best, Samantha E. Brown, Raymond A. Freeman, Megan E. Gulsby and Carmen E. McCrackin. DISCIPLINES: Ethan C. Sutley, Career & Technical; Venkatesh V. Charya, English; Brine D. Bennett, Foreign Language; Hayden M. Aiken, Math; Kathryn R. Orren, Science;  Zyreshia A. Jackson, Social Studies.

Photos by Gary Amerson and Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Jim Allen Kindergarten Students Explore The Grocery Store

Kindergarten students from Jim Allen Elementary School, like all county kindergartners, learn about their community and community helpers.

This week they are traveling to the Publix grocery store located at  9 Mile Road and Pine Forest Road to meet some community helpers, to learn about the different features in a grocery store, get a “back stage” tour, and to meet Larry the Lobster.

The first group to make the trip were the classes of JoLyn Jackson and Michelle Helton with Teaching Assistant Kim Moorehead.

“We thought a field trip to Publix would be something fun and that it would be interesting for our students to come someplace they might visit every day and get to see the ins and outs of it,” explained JoLyn Jackson, a kindergarten teacher at Jim Allen Elementary.

“We are hoping that now, back in the classroom, we will be able to talk about the different community helpers that we have seen. We saw truck drivers, the people who work with fresh seafood, people who work with the fresh fruit, someone who bakes bread for the deli, all the way to the people who work at the checkout. They saw that there are a lot of people there helping us,” added Jackson.

Students saw a demonstration of how the bakers create roses for cake decorations, how to use a heavy duty tool to cut open pineapples, and they had a chance to taste some grapes. They traveled through the back hall to see the storage area for pallets of food items that will be placed on shelves later. They got to shiver a little in the freezer where the ice cream is kept. They learned that Publix is dedicated to recycling, whether it involves cardboard or the left over scraps of animal products that the butcher trims away before packaging the meat for the display cases.

Six year-old Abby Rose explained that they came to Publix to “look at food and to buy stuff.” Though she explained that they really pretended to buy stuff. “Miss Charlotte,” a member of the store’s customer service staff, made arrangements to allow each of the students got to take a turn scanning the “purchases,” then take a turn as the bagger, and a turn as the customer.

Justine Sherry was the guide for  Jackson’s class. She made a point of telling the students that Publix hires teenagers as young as 14. One young man was overheard planning to work there and stating that he plans to be cashier of the year someday.

Escambia County 4-H Livestock Show Results

Fillingim Landing Offers Great Recreational Opportunities

Saturday was a beautiful and busy day at Fillingim Landing along the Perdido River.

Fillingim Landing is a day-use recreation area that offers a canoe/kayak launch, hiking trails, picnic areas, pedestal grills, portable toilets and gravel parking. The area, managed by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, does not allow ATV’s or trailer boat launching. It is day use only (no camping), and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Fillingim Landing is located off Jacks Branch Road south of Barrineau Park Road. Admission is free.

Latitude/Longitude: 30.675033, -87.405864

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Thousands Attend Blue Jacket Jamboree, Livestock Show

Thousands of people attended the annual Northview High School FFA Blue Jacket Jamboree and the Gulf Coast Agriculture & Natural Resources Youth Organization Annual Spring Livestock Show Saturday in Molino.

The event included plenty of arts and crafts, a car show, a tractor show and more, including a special visit the Easter Bunny and an egg drop from a ladder fire truck.

The livestock show included over fifty 4-H and FFA youth exhibiting hogs, beef cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and rabbits from Escambia and neighboring counties. The day ended with youth exhibitors auctioning off their market animals.

The Blue Jacket Jamboree was sponsored by NorthEscambia.com.

For photos from the livestock show, click here.

For photos from the Blue Jacket Jamboree and Egg Drop, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

New Members Inducted Into Northview High Beta Club

New members were inducted Wednesday  into the National Beta Club at Northview High School. The new members are:

9th Grade
Will Beach
Keaton Brown
Lacie Carter
Karlee Criswell
Jackson Edwards
Ashlan Harigel
Anna King
Kayla McKillion
Colby Morris
Kinzie Rackard
Savannah Roley
Savannah Spence
Jace Weber

10th Grade
Lexxi Baggett
Logan Chavers
Justin Cruce
Rebecca Dunn
Dalton Hamilton
Tanner Levins
Delaney Reynolds
Valen Shelly
Aaliyah Tucker

The National Beta Club’s purpose is “to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership and service among elementary and secondary school students.”

Pictured: New Beta Club members at Northview High School  Ninth grade (below) and tenth grade (above). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Spring Livestock Show, Blue Jacket Jamboree Are Saturday

University of Florida IFAS Extension in Escambia County is hosting the Gulf Coast Agriculture & Natural Resources Youth Organization Annual Spring Livestock Show and FFA Blue Jacket Jamboree Saturday, April 1 at the Escambia 4-H Livestock Facility located at 5701 Highway 99 in Molino.

This year’s show begins at 8 a.m. with over fifty 4-H and FFA youth exhibiting hogs, beef cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and rabbits from Escambia and neighboring counties. The day will conclude with youth exhibitors auctioning off their market animals beginning at 5 p.m. The event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

Youth exhibitors receive quality premiums for their animals as well as proceeds from the auction of their animals. The GCA/NRYO show and auction is the culmination of the projects that youth have invested months and numerous hours in preparation. The livestock auction has become a success through the generous support of local sponsors and businesses who purchase the animals.

The Northview High School FFA Blue Jacket Jamboree will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. with plenty of arts and crafts, a car show, a tractor show and more. An Egg Drop will be held at noon, with over 2,000 Easter eggs dropped from a ladder fire truck for children to hunt for free.

Arts and crafts vendors are still being accepted….visit bluejacketjamboree.org or call (850) 712-6267 or (850) 572-1076.

The Blue Jacket Jamboree is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.

NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

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