Walnut Hill Resident Finalist In Taco Jingle Contest
August 5, 2009
Olivia Godwin of Walnut Hill is hoping that a short tune about tacos will win an Alabama radio station contest.
Godwin is a finalist in a Taco Casa jingle contest sponsored by radio station 94.1 WZBQ in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where she is a student at the University of Alabama. The winner of the taco restaurant’s jingle contest wins a three day, two night stay at the Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Panama City, Pepsi products and $600 worth of Mexican food from Taco Casa.
There are five finalists in the contest. Click here to vote. Olivia Godwin is in the photo at the bottom of the page. You must enter a valid email in order to verify your vote. To view Godwin’s video entry, click here.
Godwin is a 2008 graduate of Northview High School.
Old Fashioned Gospel Time At Century Care Center
August 5, 2009
There was some pickin’ and grinnin’ going on Tuesday morning at the Century Care Center.
Three of the residents’ favorite musicians all took part in a morning jam session for the residents. Harold Pope, “Brother” Kelly and Robert Strength entertained with old style gospel music.
Pictured above: (L-R) Harold Pope, “Brother” Kelly and Robert Strength Tuesday morning at the Century Care Center. Pictured below: The CCC residents enjoyed singing along. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Want To Help? Time To Start Planning Relay For Life 2010
August 4, 2009
Relay for Life is months away, but there is a meeting just a week away to being planning Relay for Life 2010 in North Escambia.
Community leaders and anyone passionate about fighting cancer in the North Escambia area are invited to a Relay for Life 2010 Committee Rally at 7:00 next Tuesday evening at the Century Ag Building at the corner of Highway 4 and Industrial Boulevard.
The purpose of the meeting will be to recruit new members for the Relay for Life Steering Committee. The committee is tasked with organizing teams, fund raising and the Relay event itself.
The 2010 Relay for Life will be the fourth in North Escambia supporting the American Cancer Society.
For more information, contact Paula Jernigan at (850) 256-3842.
Update: How To Build A Florida Igloo, And Other VBS Stuff
August 3, 2009
Last week, we ran a story about an igloo constructed by a Molino church using over 700 plastic jugs.
We received several comments and lots of email about the igloo, so we thought we’d share photos of the construction process that were emailed to us by Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
As for how the igloo was constructed, church members tell us it is nothing but the plastic gallon milk-type jugs and a lot of hot glue.
The igloo was constructed to be used in the “Polar Bear Snack Express” at Aldersgate’s Campe E.D.G.E. Vacation Bible School that is going on from 5:30 until 8:30 each evening this week at the church, which is located just south of the Highway 29 and Highway 97 intersection in Molino.
“It’s an action-packed, adrenaline-filled expedition that teaches kids how to live on the E.D.G.E. in their faith. Daily adventures with the Bible will introduce kids to characters that have experienced and discovered God in many ways,” Camp E.D.G.E. director Sandra Greenwell said. “We also will have our Camp Sites, Waterfalls, Caves, Butterfly Gardens, Science Labs…and much more.”
Camp E.D.G.E. is free and open to all children from three years to sixth grade.
To see a photo gallery of the igloo construction and other VBS preparations, click here.
It’s A Wrap: Beauty And The Beast
August 3, 2009
The Greater Escambia County Council for the Arts presented “Beauty and the Beast” this past weekend in Atmore.
The production featured over 70 cast members, several of them from North Escambia — making the show one of the largest the group has ever produced.
The role of Belle was played by Ellen Johnson, the Beast by Allen Rigby, Gaston by John Matthieu, Lefou by Emily Moore, Maurice by Norman Boyd, Lumiere by Perry Jones, Cogsworth by Stephen Billy, Babbette by Miranda Andrews, the Wardrobe by Kris Wood, and D’Arque by Leo Hursh.
More information about the Greater Escambia County Council for the Arts is at www.gecarts.com.Pictured top: A montage of photos from Beauty and the Beast. Pictured below: The show’s cast. Photos by Leonard Hursh, Hursh Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Time To Think About Fall Tomatoes
August 2, 2009
The tomato is one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. Gulf Coast gardeners revel in the planting of tomato plants in the spring. But unless you have grown hot-set tomatoes or the small fruited cherry and grape varieties, your tomato plants may have stopped setting fruit by mid-summer.
Most tomatoes are sensitive to night temperature. They set fruit best when it is near 70 degrees F. When tomato plants experience night temperatures lower than 55 degrees F or above 75 degrees F, interference with the growth of pollen tubes prevents normal fertilization. The pollen may even become sterile, thus causing the blossoms to drop.
High daytime temperatures, rain, or prolonged humid conditions also hamper good fruit set. If the humidity is too low, the pollen will be too dry and will not adhere to the stigma. If the humidity is too high, the pollen will not shed readily. Pollen grains may then stick together, resulting in poor or nonexistent pollination.
But living along the Gulf Coast does have its advantages. Since our first frosts generally don’t arrive until late November or early December, gardeners can enjoy a fall crop of tomatoes.
Unless spring tomato plants were protected with routine fungicide applications they are probably infested with diseases by now. If the foliage is yellowed and spotted and if production has ceased, it’s best to start over.
Visit area nurseries to find out what transplants are available. For the adventuresome, try some unusual varieties by starting them from seed, which can be ordered from specialty tomato seed companies.
Move to a new spot in the garden for your fall planting. You are asking for trouble if you plant tomatoes in the same spot more than once. If you know that your have nematodes or soil-borne diseases, try growing your tomatoes in a container with fresh potting media.
Of course, it’s important to prepare beds properly before planting this next crop of tomatoes. To do that, clear the site of all weeds or finished vegetable plants. Spread a 2-inch to 4-inch layer of organic matter (leaves, grass clippings, aged manure or compost can be used) over the soil. Turn the soil with a shovel, fork or tiller to a depth of at least 8 inches. This helps to maintain a high level of organic matter in the soil, which encourages a strong, healthy root system, improves drainage, retains moisture, provides nutrients and promotes vigorous plant growth. Be sure to wait a couple of weeks prior to planting if organic matter has been added.
By this time of year, insects and diseases have had all summer to build up their populations, and insects such as whiteflies, stink bugs, aphids and caterpillars are commonly seen. Since insect and disease pressure often is greater in the late summer/early fall than in the spring, watch plants carefully for problems and use appropriate control measures promptly when needed.
The key to heavy fall production is timing. The idea is to have healthy plants that are flowering as our night temperatures begin to gradually drop. If fall conditions are agreeable, it is possible to have fresh vine ripened tomatoes in December.
Fall vegetable gardening is not limited to tomatoes. Both sweet and hot pepper plants produce well if set out at about the same time. Other warm season vegetables can be started from seed in August. These include snap beans, lima beans, cucumbers, southern peas and summer squash.
History In The Park
August 2, 2009
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society’s Day in the Park was held Saturday in Century. Collectors displayed their items and shared information with others. The historical society’s museums were open, and the group sold watermelon, hot dogs and more. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Molino’s Pumpkin Wins National Cute Dog Contest
August 2, 2009
NorthEscambia.com readers helped Pumpkin win a national cute dog contest at cutepuppypicture.com. Suzanne Landry of Molino entered Pumpkin in a cute puppy contest the national web site, and we posted a story with a link to vote for Pumpkin back on July 24. Pumpkin is a one and half year old Bichon Frishe. There’s no word yet on Pumpkin’s prize, but Landry said the web site has asked for her size. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Don’t Take For Granted That You Will See Your Kids Grown’
July 30, 2009
Marty Green of Bratt thought she felt bad from too much stress in her life. Within a few shorts weeks, she learned that it was not stress but stage IV lung cancer.
The year started off rough for Marty and her husband Greg — their teenage daughter Blaze was critically injured in car accident on Greenland Road in Davisville on January 7. Blaze’s condition was dire at the time, with doctors telling the family that she should have been paralyzed from the waist down. She spent weeks in a halo to hold her head in a fixed position as she recovered from a fractured neck. The family was also busy taking care of a bedridden relative. Marty knew she was feeling bad; and she knew that there was a lot of stress in her life.
“I just thought I was having a much needed nervous breakdown,” Marty said. She felt “pretty bad” for a couple of weeks and had a few chest pains. She had always been one of those healthy people that seldom visited a doctor. But she found a doctor, and she was treated for stress. Two months later, the treatments were not working, and she knew something else was wrong.
She was now losing her voice, so she made an appointment with an ENT — ear, nose and throat specialist. He thought he saw something during her exam under her vocal cords, and he ordered a CT scan. There was nothing under her vocal cords, but there were spots on her lungs, adrenal glands and lymph nodes. A biopsy was scheduled the next day. The results were not good.
It took three weeks to get an appointment with an oncologist. The news was really bad, and the words were hard to hear: Stage IV large cell carcinoma.
“He would not give me a prognosis,” Marty, 44, said. “He just said it is bad. One day at time. He did not want me to think about that.”
She is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy. Tuesday and Wednesday were her first full days in many weeks at home without trips to Pensacola for medical appointments.
“I am just hoping that maybe I will feel better for a few more days,” Marty said. “It’s now in my bones,” she added, almost as an afterthought.
Her conversation was matter of fact, repeating what the doctors have said. She talked about the disease that has attacked her body with little emotion, almost as if she was talking about someone else. She has told the story before.
But the next part of the story was the hard part.
“I want to wish that it was all a dream; you just don’t think this will happen to you,” she said.
“I have to keep my faith up. The Lord is going to step in and do His thing. He did it for Blaze; I know he can do it for me.” She paused for a moment. “If it is His will.”
“I worry about the kids, Greg, my mom.”
It is easy to see in the Green’s living room that family is important. The family pictures are everywhere. They are not all the posed portraits that everyone displays. Some are just simple snapshots of cherished moments over the years. Like a photo of son Blake, now 12, when he played machine pitch ball a few years ago. It’s one of her favorites.
She enjoys looking at the photos as she sits in her corner chair in the living room. She enjoys the family memories.
“I know the Lord can heal. But he might have a different plan for me. We just don’t know. I worry about Greg and the kids.”
She knows that if she is not healed, that there might be other reasons.
“It might be his plan to send a message to all those out there to take better care of themselves, and get their faith straight. You never know when it is your time to go,” she said, followed by a long pause as she gathered her strength to continue. It was hard to say the next words.
“Don’t take for granted that you will see your kids grown.”
There was more to that statement than might be imagined. Marty has already lost one child, a daughter almost five years old that died after being thrown from a horse. She found out she was pregnant with Blaze just a month later.
“She was my angel. She was my answered prayer.”
In January, when she found out Blaze was in that car wreck and was being transported via LifeFlight, it was hard.
“When I almost lost Blaze, it was was more than I could stand.”
For Blaze, 16, it’s been a tough year. From the car accident, to the halo cast, to missing the rest of the school year, to the decision not to return as a Northview cheerleader — it’s been a lot.
When asked about her mom, Blaze answered, “It’s been a big change; I was used to her doing things around here, now I have to do them.” It was one of those answers that someone gives because it is the easier thing to say. When asked again, she paused. It was a lot for a daughter to say about her mom.
“When I think about her not being here,” Blaze said, no longer able to fight back the tears, “…think about her not being here…it’s a lot for a 16 year old. God will be here for us.”
“I tell her to never forget what the Lord did for her, and don’t let other people forget either,” Marty said. “He is good.”
The Green family does not have health insurance. A coed softball tournament to benefit Marty Green will be held beginning at 8 a.m. on August 1 at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill. The coed softball team must consist of seven men and three women, double elimination. There is a $200 entry fee. For more information, contact Bodie Tullis at (850) 327-6788 or (850) 327-6722, Theresa Hanks at (850) 327-6722 or Pam Brown at (850) 327-6155. The tournament is sponsored by Northwest Escambia Little League and Northwest Escambia Football, with all proceeds going toward Marty Green’s medical expenses.
“I just want to thank everyone for what they have done for us,” Marty said.
Pictured top: Greg and Marty Green, daughter Blaze Green and son Blake Green. Pictured top inset: Marty Green prior to learning that she had cancer. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com. Pictured bottom inset: Blaze Green was severely injured while riding in the backseat of this car on January 7. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Mallory Mullis Named Escambia (Ala) Junior Miss
July 27, 2009
Mallory Brooks Mullis was named the 2010 Escambia County (Ala.) Junior Miss this weekend.
Ashleigh Elizabeth Ward was named First Alternate, and Allie Lanora Rush was named Second Alternate.
For a photo gallery of all of the participants in the 2010 Escambia County (Ala.) Junior Miss program, click here.
Mallory Brooks Mullis (pictured above, center) is the daughter of Debra and Ron Mullis and attends T.R. Miller High School. She is Secretary General of the South Alabama Model United Nations, a member of the Math Club, a cheerleader co-captain, participated in Relay for Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Kaleidoscope Editing Team, Pep Club, Spanish Club, tennis team, softball team, volleyball team, National Honor Society, and the Rural Health Scholars program. She is in the top 10 in her class, student government president for 2009-2010, student government treasurer in 2008-2009, freshman class treasurer, sophomore class representative, all state band participant, honor band participant, solo and ensemble superior ratings and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
Ashleigh Elizabeth Ward (pictured above, left) is the daughter of Don and Cindy Ward and attends T.R. Miller High School. She is a member of the First Baptist Church Youth Mentor and Small Groups, majorette and color guard of the T.R. Miller Band, yearbook staff, Pep Club, Spanish Club, Kaleidoscope staff, FCCLA, National Honor Society, top ten in class, SGA class representative, first chair second clarinet in the band, district honor band, Most Valuable Play in band, and a humane society volunteer.
Allie Lanora Rush (pictured above, right) is the daughter of Dru and Connie Rush and attends Cornerstone Christian School. She is a member of the Piano Audition for the Top Program, Blount Slawson Young Artist Piano Audition, Page for Lt. Governor Jim Folsom, Jr for two years, National Piano Guild, lifeguard and swim instructor at the YMCA, church praise band, President Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, 4-H Club, Church of God Teen Talent Regional winner in piano and drama, 4-H regional and state photography winner.
Pictured above: 2010 Escambia County (Ala.) Junior Miss Mallory Brooks Mullis (center), First Alternate Ashleigh Elizabeth Ward (left) and Second Alternate Allie Lanora Rush (right). Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.