Century Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr’s Legacy (With Photo Gallery)
January 19, 2016
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated across the area Monday.
In Century, a “Keep the Dream Alive’ birthday celebration was held at the Century Community Center. Guest speaker Evangelist Letitia Griggs told the crowd to look beyond the dream, look beyond the one man who had a dream and look toward Jesus regardless of race.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Kick Off Reading Program At Jim Allen Elementary
January 19, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos kicked off their second year of Kazoo’s Grand Slam Reading Program at Jim Allen Elementary School last Friday morning. Blue Wahoos staff members and Kazoo, the team’s mascot, acted out the beloved baseball take, “Casey at the Bat,” to get students excited about reading.
The program will be presented over the next few weeks at schools throughout the Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Kazoo’s Grand Slam Reading Program is designed as an incentive to excite and motivate students while developing a lifelong love for reading. Students in grades 3-5 are asked to read four books of their choosing during a four week period. Every student in the program receives a Blue Wahoos gift and all classrooms with 100% participation will be entered into a drawing to win a free classroom trip to a 2016 Blue Wahoos home game.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Farm Day 2016 Planned For February 4
January 18, 2016
UF/IFAS Extension and Alabama Cooperative Extension will present Farm Day 2016 on Thursday, February 4 at the Grace Fellowship Church at 1412 East Nashville Avenue in Atmore.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. Topics will include economic outlook, row crop disease control, corn price protection, insects that plague and more. Lunch will also be provided.
For more information, contact one of the following:
FLORIDA
Libbie Johnson: 850-475-5230 • libbiej@ufl.edu
Mike Donahoe: 850-623-3868 • mcd@ufl.edu
John Atkins: 850-675-3107 • srcextag@ufl.edu
ALABAMA
KimWilkins: 251-937-7176 • wilkikj@aces.edu
KenKelley: 251-867-7760 • kellewi@auburn.edu.
Pictured above and below: An operating irrigation system in Walnut Hill creates a rainbow in this NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge..
Order A Free Tree From The Florida Forest Service
January 18, 2016
In honor of Florida’s Arbor Day last week, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that the Florida Forest Service is providing 10,000 free trees to Florida homeowners through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees Program. Florida’s Arbor Day is held each year on the third Friday in January.
Strategically placed trees can add extra shade to the home and reduce household electrical use by up to 30 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a single healthy, young tree can provide the same net cooling effect as ten room-sized air conditioners operating 20 hours per day. In addition to providing energy savings, trees provide other benefits such as cleaner air and improved storm water management.
Florida homeowners can reserve their free tree today at arborday.org/FloridaTrees. Within seconds of accessing the website, an online tool helps homeowners find the most strategic location for planting and estimates the annual savings and benefits that will result from the tree. Homeowners may reserve one tree per household. The program will continue until all the trees have been reserved.
The Energy-Saving Trees online tool was created by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Davey Institute, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Co., and uses peer-reviewed scientific research from the U.S. Forest Service’s i-Tree Software to calculate estimated benefits. This program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than one million acres of public forest land while protecting 26 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire.
Weekend Gardening: Tips for January
January 16, 2016
Here are gardening tips for the month of January from the IFAS Extension Service:
Flowers
- Refrigerated bulbs such as tulip, daffodil and hyacinth should be planted in prepared beds.
- Start seeds of warm season flowers late this month in order to have transplants in March.
- There’s still time to transplant some cool season annuals such as carnations, foxglove, pansies, petunias and snapdragons.
- Re-fertilize cool season flowerbeds, using a liquid or dry form of fertilizer. Be careful not to apply excessive amounts and keep granules away from the base of stems.
- Finish dividing crowded perennials. Don’t wait until spring for this job.
- Plant bare root roses immediately after they are purchased.
Trees and Shrubs
- Plant trees and shrubs. This is an ideal time of year for transplanting larger specimens.
- Plant bare root plants such as deciduous ornamental shrubs and trees.
- Prune dormant shade trees, if needed.
- Stick hardwood cuttings of fig, grape, honeysuckle, Althea, Catalpa, Forsythia and Wisteria.
Fruits and Nuts
- Apply dormant oil spray to peach, plum, nectarine and other deciduous fruit trees. This practice is necessary when growing the stone fruits in locations along the Gulf Coast. Note: This applies to the flowering peaches and cherries since they are susceptible to the same pests as their fruiting cousins.
- Plant bare root deciduous fruit trees
- Prune dormant fruit trees if needed
Vegetable Garden
- Start seeds of warm season vegetables late this month in order to have transplants in March.
- Lime (if needed), and begin preparing vegetable gardens for the spring planting.
- Cool season vegetables that can still be planted in the garden are: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, leek, mustard, bunching onions, parsley, English peas, Irish potatoes, radishes and turnips.
- Irish potatoes can be started from January through March by planting seed pieces 3 to 4 inches deep in rows. Always purchase certified seed potatoes.
Lawns
- Check soil moisture during winter and water as needed.
Tate, Northview FFA Members Place In Career Development Event
January 15, 2016
Tate and Northview High School FFA members excelled at a FFA Career Development Event Thursday.
The Tate High School FFA placed first in the Parliamentary Procedure event. Northview FFA member Haylee Weaver placed first in Extemporaneous Public Speaking; and Northview FFA member Mitchell Singleton placed second in Prepared Public Speaking.
A first place finished equates to a student being among the top 12 in the state.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Church, Forest Service Celebrate Arbor Day With Food And Trees For Needy
January 15, 2016
The Florida Forest Services teamed up with the Abundant Life Assembly of God Church in Century to provide free fruit trees to needy families.
Abundant Life holds a food distribution each Thursday for those in need in the community. During Thursday’s event, the Florida Forest Service provided food recipients with their choice of a free pear, plum, peach or loquat tree in celebration of Arbor Day.
The church food distribution serves about 400 needy families in the Century community each month. Food distributions are held weekly on Thursday with recipients allowed to receive food once per month.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Library Holding $5 Blowout Book Sale
January 12, 2016
The West Florida Public Library will hold a $5 Blowout Book Sale on the last Saturday of the month.
Attendees can pay $5 for a brown paper bag and stuff it will all the books that will fit. There’s no limit to the number of bags that can be purchased.
Contributions will be used to support the West Florida Public Library’s efforts to build community and improve literacy.
The sale will be Saturday, January 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Florida Public Library Main Branch at 239 North Spring Street.
Miss NHS Pageant Tickets Go On Sale Thursday
January 12, 2016
Tickets will go on sale this week for return of the annual Miss Northview High School pageant.
The public can purchase tickets beginning Thursday morning in the Northview front office. Tickets are $7 in advance only; tickets will be not be sold at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Northview Model United Nations Team and their annual competition in Orlando.
There are 18 contestants in this year’s pageant which takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 23.
Pictured: Miss NHS 2016 contestants (front, L-R) Maddi Weber, Jadlyn Agerton, Miss NHS 2015 Kendal Cobb, Kayla Galvan, Amber Freeman, (middle row) Morgan Myrick, Brittney Ward, Hannah McGahan, Sarah Dutton, Peighton Dortch, Sarah Perritt, Catie Clayton, (back) Alyssa Borelli, Brittanie McLemore, Bailey Spann, Ashtyn Carnley, Moriah McGahan, Brianna Smith and Alayna Brown. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Donate Adult Diapers To Council On Aging
January 10, 2016
Local firefighters donated 700 adult diapers to Council on Aging of West Florida, and expect to deliver several hundred more in the coming weeks.
“We wanted to go above and beyond,” said Dusty Merritt, vice president of Pensacola Professional Firefighters Local 707. “We know there’s a need.”
Adult diapers and underwear can cost up to $40 a pack, and can be a cost burden for many seniors. This donation will allow Council on Aging to help the clients in the community who need it most.
“Every day firefighters serve our community selflessly,” said John Clark, president/CEO of Council on Aging. “They already do so much for others, and we are grateful that they chose us to be the recipient of another selfless act.”
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.