Not About The Catch: Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo Held In North Escambia (With Gallery)
May 6, 2012
The sounds of excitement were all around Saturday for the 38th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill.
Over the history of the fishing rodeo, it has been held at locations ranging from Ft. Pickens to the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola. Since 2001, it has been held at Jantz’s Catfish Pond on South Highway 99, just off Highway 97.
Dozens of volunteers stood ready Saturday to help the disabled. They baited hooks, tossed a line and offered words of friendly encouragement.
Dozens of disabled people were registered in Saturday’s fishing rodeo. They were from around the area, including Pensacola and Century.
The Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo is provided to the disabled for free as a project of the Pensacola Fiesta of Five Flags organization. Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill supplies the cold drinks, Escambia River Electric Cooperative supplies the ice, and scores of volunteers join in to make the annual event a success.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Scenes from the 38th annual Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo in Walnut Hill Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Celebrating Mayfest
May 6, 2012
From beautiful babies, cute dogs, arts and crafts, entertainment and plenty of fun, Mayfest 2012 had a little bit of something for everyone Saturday at Tom Byrne Park in Atmore. Hundreds attended the annual event.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from Mayfest in Atmore, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Farmer’s Market Opens 2012 Season
May 6, 2012
The Market at St Monica’s Episcopal Church in Cantonment kicked off their 2012 season Saturday.
The community farmer’s market is open on the first and third Saturdays of every month, May through October as local farmers and artisans gather in the church parking lot at 699 South Highway 95A.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“Like many other communities across the country, we are seeing a growth in demand for locally grown produce and fresh prepared food products,” said Viven Welch, market manager. “We have ramped up our vendor recruitment and promotion efforts to meet this demand and expect to offer the community access to more vendors and a broader range of produce and prepared food in the 2012 season.”
Vendors taking part in opening day included Smocked With Love, Pawless Mini Farm, Po Man’s Pickins, M&K Mayhaws, Ladybug Acres Natural Growers, Tracie’s Candles, Susan’s Hot Dogs, Polly & Glenda’s Baked Goods (they sold out by 10 a.m.), Jackie’s Sno-cones & Popcorn, Lyle & Shirley, Mr. V’s DJ Service, St. Monica’s Quilters, ECW and more.
Organizers said opening day festivities are just the start of the activities planned for the 2nd season. Future plans include canning demonstrations, along with agricultural, nutrition and health information.
For more information about Market’s vendors, special events, or schedule, click here, call the church office at (850) 937-0001, or email communications@st-monicas.org.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Opening Day of The Market at St Monica’s Episcopal Church in Cantonment. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hundreds Attend Yard Sale For Baby Blaze
May 6, 2012
Hundreds of people attended a benefit yard sale in Flomaton Saturday for baby Blaze Johnson. He is currently in an Atlanta hospital awaiting his third open heart surgery in two months.
For more information about Baby Blaze, click here for an earlier story.
Pictured: A “Baby Blaze” benefit yard sale Saturday morning in Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo: Supermoon
May 6, 2012
Saturday night’s supermoon, seen in the photo above, was the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
The Power Of Purple: Relay For Life At Tate High (With Gallery)
May 5, 2012
The annual Relay for Life of Greater Escambia got underway Friday evening at Tate High School.
Dozens of teams and hundreds of people took part in the annual event which has raised over $500,000 for cancer research in about 10 years.
Teams in the event were from Cantonment, Molino, Gonzalez, Cottage Hill, Ensley and surrounding areas. The even was fformerly called the North Pensacola Relay for Life.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: The 2012 Relay for Life of Greater Escambia got underway Friday event at Tate High School. Pictured inset: Celebrating during the Survivor’s Lap. Pictured below: The moon rises early Friday evening over “HOPE” luminarias at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: NHS Presents ‘The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux’
May 5, 2012
The Northview Spring Musical “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux”, was presented Friday night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Annie Wiedel, click to enlarge.
Photos: The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux Dress Rehearsal
May 4, 2012
The Northview Spring Musical “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux”, will be presented Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The play follows the dastardly Dr. Dogsbreath Devereaux and his equally evil nurse, Hilda Hatchet, as they plot to wrestle away the Hanover D. Cash Clinic from Hanover’s sweet and very wealthy widow, Lotta Cash.
Dr. Phil Good, the good hero, and the heroine, Wendy March, try foil the evil Dr. Devereaux and nurse Hatchet.
Throw in a little love, marriage, flirting, burlesque dancers, murder, zany patients and more….and the audience won’t know what’s happening next at the Hanover D. Cash Clinic.
Tickets will be on sale Friday at the NHS office. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door for reserved seating.
For over 100 photos from a Thursday afternoon dress rehearsal, click here.
Pictured inset: Scenes from a dress rehearsal Thursday afternoon of “The Dastardly Dr. Devereaux” at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen Sock Hops Raises Money For Relay For Life
May 4, 2012
Jim Allen Elementary School students recently held a Relay for Life Sock Hop to raise money for the Relay of Life of Greater Escambia at Tate High School. The Jim Allen students were able to enjoy wearing crazy socks and dancing to raise $426 for the American Cancer Society. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
For The Love Of Baby Blaze
May 3, 2012
Baby Blaze Johnson will be eight weeks old Friday — just days before he faces his third open heart surgery. It’s a surgery that is not without tremendous risk, but without it, he will likely die.
His story began early March, born six weeks early to Katherine Johnson, an RN at Sacred Heart Hospital, a Chris “Squeaky” Johnson, a videographer for WEAR TV 3.
“He was the cutest little thing,” Chris said, his voice rising into the squeaky tone that earned his nickname. “He had big fingers and toes.”
The couple knew their first child, due to his premature birth, would spend a few weeks at Sacred Heart Hospital’s NICU, receiving oxygen as his lungs matured. It was mountain that knew they could climb.
But by the time Blaze was five days old, the nurses at Sacred Heart knew that something just wasn’t right. And his oxygen levels began to plummet; his heart fell into a dangerous rhythm.
“They were about to shock him; they were about to shock our baby,” Chris said. He understood the gravity of the situation, and Katherine, an RN in Sacred Heart’s emergency room, was more than aware where they stood at that moment.
Doctors ordered an ultrasound. The results were frightening.
“My heart fell into my chest,” Chris said. “Everything was suppose to be fine. All the ultrasounds before he was born said he was healthy. This wasn’t suppose to be happening. We were OK with the breathing problems, and then were suppose to take him home and we would be fine. There are no words to describe it.”
The couple was forced to choose which of a handful of major children’s hospitals in the south would see Blaze. They choose Emory in Atlanta because Katherine had relatives that lived not to far away. Blaze and Katherine were quickly flown to Atlanta; Chris drove behind them.
Heart abnormalities had thrown a major curve ball into the lives of the young family, as their youngest was in real jeopardy.
Surgeries were performed; there were some successes, some failures. And this week the couple was faced with the decision on a risky surgery that could certainly mean life or death for their baby.
“We were given three choices: do nothing and he would die; stents that he would outgrow; or another surgery,” Chris said. Doctors will, on Friday, perform the surgery if all goes as planned.
Essentially, Blaze is without one of his heart chambers. Doctors will work to create a “well” in tissue that will replace the chamber. It’s a rarely done procedure, not something from a medical textbook.
“Please keep praying that God keeps this little boy in his hands, heal him and be with the doctors as they make their decision and assist God in this very difficult surgery,” Katherine wrote on the Baby Blaze Fan Club page on Facebook.
As he describes Blaze’s condition, Chris speaks with little emotion, sounding almost distant from the past seven weeks have been something of nonstop blur.
“I’m the father. I have to stay strong for Blaze and for Katherine. It’s my duty. You do what you have to do for your children.”
“But it does bother me,” he said, “I’ve shed many tears, but I must remain strong for my family.”
The Johnsons are not in their battle alone. Communities across the area have rallied behind them; over 1,100 people have joined the Facebook fan club for Blaze.
“The words of others on the Facebook page, the calls, the text messages, the prayers from people that don’t even know us that tell us how his story has touched them — it’s all given us strength,” he said. “But it’s also brought us closer to God and His strength.”
Chris’ father — Henry Franklin Johnson, a former chief of the Flomaton Fire Department — died of cancer in 2000. The name “Blaze” is a tribute to him, and a tribute to Katherine’s father Henry Page, who was also a volunteer fireman. Shortly after the death of Chris’ father, his brother died.
“God was preparing me for this with Blaze,” Chris said, emotion returning to his voice. “You can’t tell me there’s no God. I could not see it then when my father and brother died. But you can’t tell me God does not have a purpose. He was preparing me, making me strong for Blaze.”
For now, it’s about the little milestones in Blaze’s life. The tiniest baby steps of sorts. The couple realized a major milestone Wednesday as they were able to hold their baby Blaze for the first time in about seven weeks.
“Oh how I wish I could just make him whole,” Chris said. “I just want to hold him and know that he’s OK. It’s in God’s hands and God’s time.”
A benefit yard sale and bake sale will be held this Saturday at Flomaton First Baptist Church from 8 a.m. until for the Johnson’s expenses for baby Blaze. For information or to donate yard sale items, contact Renee Merchant at (850) 791-4106. There is also a benefit account under the name “Baby Blaze Fan Club” at Region’s Bank.
To join the Baby Blaze Fanclub on Facebook, click here.
Pictured top: Mom Katherine Johnson holds her son Blaze Wednesday for the first time in seven weeks. Pictured additional photos: Baby Blaze Johnson. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
