Veterans Day Programs This Week At Northview, Ernest Ward
November 5, 2012
Veterans Day program are scheduled this week at Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle schools.
Northview High
Northview High School will hold its annual Veterans Day program on Wednesday, November 7 in the school theater. Identical programs will be held at 9:35 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Captain Carl Mock, United States Navy, retired. Captain Mock is the former commanding officer of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) located at NAS Pensacola. He served 38 years before retiring in June 2005. All veterans, their families and community members are invited to attend.
Ernest Ward Middle
Ernest Ward Middle School will hold its annual Veterans Day program at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, November 8 in the school gym. The public is invited, and a special invitation is extended to veterans in the community. The event will feature guest speaker Albert Hunninghake from Walnut Hill, patriotic music and presentations. Refreshments to follow.
Pictured top: A flag ceremony during the annual Veterans Day Program last year at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Colorful Bedding Plants Can Brighten A Winter Day
November 4, 2012
Decreasing day length is a signal to start preparing for winter. Soon, deciduous shrubs will drop their leaves and the landscape will appear stark and less impressive. To keep the gloomy days of winter at bay, add cool season bedding plants to the landscape.
Bedding plants are those that are commonly used in residential and commercial landscapes to provide color and interest. No other group of plants can so quickly and economically create a colorful landscape.
Most bedding plants are annuals. These short-lived plants grow from seed, bloom and die within one growing season. The transient nature of annuals means that at the end of their season when they are no longer attractive, annuals are removed and replaced with new plantings.
Many flowering plants prefer a very specific season; therefore, bedding plants are classified into two groups based on the temperatures they prefer. Cool season bedding plants do best in the cold to mild temperatures of October through early May and generally tolerate typical winter freezes without protection.
According to a University of Florida/IFAS publication, bedding plants that can be added to the North Florida landscape now include alyssum, baby’s breath, calendula, carnation, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, hollyhock, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansy, petunia, snapdragons and violas.
Most annual bedding plants prefer to be in a sunny location. Prepare the planting beds several weeks before planting. First, remove any weeds or other unwanted plants from the bed. Next, turn the soil to a depth of about eight inches. Spread a two- to four-inch layer of compost, rotted leaves, aged manure, composted finely ground pine bark or peat moss over the bed, and then evenly sprinkle a light application of an all purpose fertilizer. Thoroughly blend the organic matter and fertilizer into the bed, rake smooth and you’re ready to plant.
Gardeners are accustomed to (and even demand) that bedding plants be in bloom when they are purchased. Some cool season bedding plants, however, will provide far superior results if they are purchased when young and before the colorful display begins.
Bedding plants are typically planted to make a dramatic statement. To accomplish that, place multiple plants of the same kind in a bed. Bedding plants generally look best and the beds will fill in better when the rows are staggered. Lay out the first row of plants spaced properly. The second row is laid behind the first row at the appropriate spacing from it, but the plants are placed between the plants of the first row so that they form triangles with those plants.
Flower beds of colorful bedding plants add a lot to the landscape but require a fair amount of maintenance to stay looking their best. Keeping beds well weeded is critical. A two-inch layer of mulch will help considerably in keeping weeds from growing, and using preemergence herbicides (weed preventers) may help in some situations. However, always plan on having to do some hand weeding.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
In His Own Words: The Ride Of A Lifetime With The Blue Angels
November 2, 2012
This morning, NorthEscambia.com takes you along for a flight with the Blue Angels with Escambia County School Board member Jeff Bergosh, in his own words:
The interesting aspects of the experience were numerous, but the standout in my mind is just the professionalism of the entire team, from the support staff, to the briefing personnel, to the PAO, to the ground crew, to the pilots.
For our rides, the #7 pilot, who also doubles as the team’s narrator, was tapped for the job. Lt. Mark Tedrow, a 2004 Naval Academy graduate, was extremely gracious and accommodating. In addition to his gregarious demeanor, this pilot was physically impressive.
He was easily 6’3”, and when I shook his hand before and after the flight, I felt like I was shaking hands with a bronze statue—this guy was a rock—kind of what one would expect as a Naval aviator from the movies. I also learned that none of the pilots wear “G Suits” during their flights—they have to control the G-forces’ effects on their bodies via a muscle flexing and breathing regimen called the HICK maneuver.
As we taxied down the runway we talked a bit, and he told me he was a football player, wide receiver. “On a team that didn’t like to pass the ball,” he quipped. An interesting thing I learned from Lt. Tedrow was that as a part of the rotation process coming on to the Blue Angels, many of the pilots spend their first year serving as narrator, before they rotate up to the actual demonstration team.
While serving as narrator, these pilots still train and fly, and these are the pilots tapped for giving VIP rides. Another thing I learned was just how lucky I was to get a ride; the ground-crew member who assisted with buckling me into the 14 point restraint system in the cockpit told me it took him eight years to earn his first backseat ride — eight years serving with the Blue Angels before he got a ride! That puts it into perspective for me — I was SO LUCKY to get this chance!
BLAST OFF
My ride lasted 30 minutes, and started with a bang as Lt. Tedrow began our flight by executing a high-speed, high performance takeoff that pulled six G’s of force. After we flew down the runway at 300 Knots, Lt. Tedrow put the nose of the jet straight up, vertical, and hit the afterburners. The jolt of the sudden change in direction pushed my whole body forward as we quickly ascended into the sky.
Once we hit our cruising altitude of 16,000 feet, we flew about 30 miles off the coast, descended toward the ocean, and performed a series of low and high speed maneuvers that resulted in various levels of G-forces on our bodies — from three to five G’s sustained — during some of the turns. The highlight for me, aside from the ridiculously insane takeoff, was when Lt. Tedrow lit the afterburners and we broke the sound barrier and went supersonic. I have never felt anything like that in my life; it was incredible!
And how many civilians will ever get the chance to break the sound barrier? Flying upside down was also an amazing sensation — and the views out of the canopy when one is flying upside down simply defy description. Awesome.
Aside from the majestic beauty of the day which allowed for views of over 20 miles up and down the coast, the final highlight was coming in to NAS Pensacola for a landing amidst the beauty of our local beaches and emerald water. After the flight, the Blue Angels presented me a signed commemorative photograph, as well as the complete cockpit video of the entire flight (Something my wife and kids now affectionately refer to, as their “endless source of entertainment” due to my facial expressions up there during the flight.) And to answer the one lingering question everyone has asked — NO, I did not black out during the flight — even while pulling G’s. I did grunt and strain but never blacked out!
The 30 or so minutes I spent up there that morning are 30 minutes I will remember as long as I live. I still can’t quite believe I was so fortunate to be selected for this honor, so much so that a part of me is still up there in the sky — on cloud nine!
Pictured top: Escambia County School Board member Jeff Bergosh flies with the Blue Angels. Pictured insets: Bergosh with the Blue Angels. Pictured below: Bergosh’s autographed ride photos. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Hundreds Attend Molino Fall Festival
November 1, 2012
Hundreds of people attended a community-wide Fall Festival in Molino Wednesday night. Sponsored by four area churches, the interdenominational event provided a safe Christian alternative on Halloween night.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
The event was sponsored by Victory Assembly of God, Highland Baptist Church, CrossFaith Church and Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
The event featured a variety of games, bounce house, a hayride and lots of free food.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Recognizes Longtime Employees
November 1, 2012
The Town of Century has recognized 13 employees for a combined 265 years of service.
Pictured are: (front, L-R) Steve Ross, 22 years; Comer Wilson, 16 years; Mayor Freddie McCall; Eddie Hammond, 30 years; W.L. Tyree, 22 years; Larry Murphy, 30 years; (back, L-R) Kristina Wood, 11 years; Carl Godwin, 22 years; Robert Powell, 15 years; Sedrick Lowery, 10 years; Robert Tims, 24 years; Donnie Waters, 21 years. Not pictured: Louise Harwell, 20 years, and Joe Brown, 22 years. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Hundreds Attend Flomaton Fall Festival
October 31, 2012
Hundreds of people from Flomaton, Century and across the area attended the annual Fall Festival in Flomaton Tuesday evening.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from the Flomaton Fall Festival Tuesday night in Flomaton, Alabama. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Showband Of the South Earns Best In Class, Superior Ratings
October 30, 2012
The Tate High School “Showband of the South” competed in the Deep South Marching Festival last weekend in Theodore, Ala. The band competed against nine other bands and received superior ratings in all areas, including auxiliary, drum major, presentation, percussion and band. The Showband was also awarded Best in Class for Class 4A.
The Showband of the South will close out their 2012 season Friday night during Tate’s home football game against Washington High at 7:30. Seniors will be honored as the band presents their last performance of their 2012 show “Styx and Stones”.
Pictured: The Tate High School Showband of the South. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FFA Fair Booth Winners Named
October 30, 2012
FFA booth winners from this year’s Pensacola Interstate Fair have been named. Winners were:
- West Florida High
- Northview High
- Tate High
- Ernest Ward Middle
- W.S. Neal
- Beulah Elementary
- Woodlawn
Pictured: The Northview High School FFA booth at the Pensacola Interstate Fair. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate: Molino Park Student Take Part In Food Drive
October 29, 2012
Molino Park Elementary School is participating in the “Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate” food drive along with the Escambia County School District to benefit Manna Food Pantries. The program encourages each student and their family to donate one can of fruit, one canned vegetable and one canned meat — enough for two meals — to fill a neighbor’s plate.
Donations can be made at Molino Park Elementary School through November 16.
Pictured: Food items collected last week by Molino Park Elementary School on the very first day of the “Fill Your Neighbor’s Plate” food drive to benefit Manna Food Pantries. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The Power Of Pink: Thousands Take Part In Breast Cancer Walk
October 28, 2012
Over 14,o00 people took part in the 10th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk Saturday morning in Pensacola.
For Team Sandra, it was a chance for friends and loved ones of Sandra Morris of McDavid to honor her and help raise money for the American Cancer Society. Morris was just diagnosed with cancer on October 4. She has already underwent surgery and will begin chemo soon.
There were hundreds of survivors like Sandra honored during the walk that raised an estimated $470,000 for breast cancer research.
Pictured top: Team Sandra, named for Sandra Morris of McDavid, took part in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk Saturday morning in Pensacola. Pictured below: A portion of the 14,000 people that participated. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
