Bonus Photos: Tate And West Florida Cheerleaders, Bands And Student Sections
September 13, 2021
Here is a bonus photo gallery of the Tate and West Florida cheerleaders, bands, student sections and more from last Friday night.
For the photo gallery, click or tap here.
For a game action story and photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2021
We publish this piece on an annual basis, and we encourage you to comment below, answering the question ‘Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2001. It’s been 20 years.
Life, at least when that morning began, seemed good. I’ve always been a work at home dad, so I was home with my two girls. The youngest was almost four months old, and the oldest was approaching her fourth birthday. It was a normal morning. The little one was asleep, “fat and happy” as we used to say, after a morning bottle. The oldest was in the living room just a few feet from my office watching PBS Kids on the TV as I worked on a project for a client.
Then this arrived in my inbox:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 08:52am– World trade center damaged; unconfirmed reports say a plane has
crashed into tower. Details to come.
I got up, walked to the living room and flipped the TV to CNN. They were talking about how a pilot could make such an error, hitting such a large building. They were speculating that it was just a small plane. But then as the TV news helicopters zoomed their cameras in closer, the anchors were beginning to notice what I had already thought….those holes the tower were to big to have been a small plane.
(continues below photo)
I called my wife at work in Atmore. She had seen the breaking news email, and had tried to visit the CNN website to see the story. If you remember trying to use the internet that morning, it was near impossible to get a news website to load; they were all overloaded. She was unable to see the pictures. I was describing what I saw on the TV to her.
I managed to grab a picture from CNN via my web server and then download and email it to her. We were speculating about how it could happen when the second one hit.
I remember saying “wait, hold on, wait…”. I told her what I just watched on the TV. The second plane had hit the other tower. We quickly decided that we were at war as the anchors on TV speculated again that perhaps there was a problem with some navigational system, causing jetliners on a beautiful, clear morning in New York to fly into some of the tallest structures in the world.
Another breaking news email arrived:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:21am– Second plane crashes into World Trade Center.
She and I began to speculate ourselves that we were at war. What would we do? What should we do? What about the kids? It was not panic, understand, but just that protective momma and daddy instinct, I suppose. Prayer. That was a good idea. Maybe go to the bank and get out a little cash. That seemed like a good idea. How would you prep for a war on American soil? We were not sure.
I continued to relay information about what I was seeing on TV to my wife at work, who, in turn, would relay the information to her coworkers. They had a TV, but no cable service or antenna. They ended up fashioning a homemade antenna to see a fuzzy picture.
Meanwhile, the breaking news emails kept arriving…
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:32am– Sources tell CNN one of two planes that crashed into World Trade
Center was an American Airlines 767.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:42am– President Bush calls plane crashes at World Trade Center a
terrorist act.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:45am– Significant fire at the Pentagon. Details to come.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:46am– White House evactuated. Details to come.
The Pentagon on fire? The White House evacuated? Notice that in CNN’s email they were in such a hurry that they misspelled “evacuated”. One sentence at a time, the situation became more grave.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:55am– CNN confirms a plane hit the Pentagon
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:03am– One of World Trade Center towers collapses; fire forces
evacuation of State Department
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:30am– Second World Trade Center tower collapses in Manhattan
Over and over, we watched those towers collapse on TV, and we watched our Pentagon burn.
Our almost four year old asked a lot of questions. “Were people hurt? Did they need a Band-aid?” The magnitude of the event was lost on a four year old. Looking back at those first few hours, I think the magnitude of the event was lost on all of us.
Like many Americans, I sat glued to the TV that day, continuing to watch the video of the towers falling. Our almost four year old asked if another building fell down or if it was the same one. It was time to change the channel on the TV.
You might remember that many of the entertainment TV stations ran network news feeds. Others just simply ran screens about the day’s events. There was no USA network, no ESPN, no MTV. But on PBS, we found children’s programming at a time it was not normally on. For a little while, sitting in the living room floor holding my kids, the world stopped turning that September day, as we watched Big Bird and the Cookie Monster.
Country artist Alan Jackson later wrote a song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”.
Some of those lyrics:
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cryDid you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don’t know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left belowBut I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where where you when the world stopped turning that September day? Your comments are welcome below.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Bethany (Reynolds) Landis, click to enlarge.
NAS Pensacola Hosts Silent Walk In Remembrance of 9/11
September 11, 2021
NAS Pensacola hosted silent walk Friday morning in remembrance of September 11, 2001.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview NJROTC Cadets Honor First Responders Lost On 9/11
September 11, 2021
In honor of the first responders that lost their lives on 9/11 in New York City, all NJROTC classes at Northview High School did 110 squats, 110 pushups, 110 curl-ups and 110 jumping jacks in two-person teams Friday. Leaders said it was a time for the cadets to reflect, learn about dedication to duty and have a good workout.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
10,000 Pound Food Giveaway Held In Cantonment
August 25, 2021
The Cantonment Improvement Committee held a 10,000 pound food giveaway Tuesday afternoon.
It giveaway included food from Manna Food Pantries and Feeding The Gulf Coast.
The food giveaway, although smaller some weeks, is held at 3:30 each Tuesday afternoon at Carver Park at 208 Webb Street. Florida residents can line up in their vehicles, single-file, around the park for the drive thru event.
Pictured Volunteers from Ascend Cares assisted with a 10,000 pound food giveaway Tuesday afternoon at Carver Park in Cantonment. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Look, New Uniforms Coming For The Tate High School Showband Of The South
August 24, 2021
UPDATE: The purchase has been updated to 250 each of marching coats, bibber trousers, and Aussie hats; and 12 drum major coats and 12 drum major Aussie hats.
A new look is coming next year for the Tate High School Showband of the South.
The new band uniforms from Fruhauf Uniforms in Wichita, Kansas, are expected to arrive next spring.
The band will receive 300 bibber trousers, 300 marching coats, 300 Aussie hats and uniform management software. The total cost approved by Escambia County School Board was $97,764, based upon current band membership. Of that, $28,000 will come from the district’s general fund, and the $69,764 will balance will be paid from school internal accounts.
Photos courtesy Casey Dull Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘I Died Doing Something Meaningful’ – Gold Star Mom Reflects On 10th Anniversary Of The Death Of LCpl. Travis M. Nelson In Afghanistan
August 18, 2021
Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of local LCpl. Travis M. Nelson, who gave his life in Afghanistan on August 18, 2011.
Tuesday evening, Gold Star Mom Beckie Nelson spoke with NorthEscambia.com about the last 10 years, her son’s sacrifice in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s recent takeover.
I Died Doing Something Meaningful.
And she shared with us a short, simple note LCpl Travis Nelson left behind in his field book just in case he did not return.
“Dear friends & family, If your reading this it seems I didn’t get to come home. I love each and every one of you and I want you to know I have no regrets. I died doing something meaningful.”
He died a few short weeks after writing that note.
Beckie Nelson clings to those words that provided her peace and understanding.
“We received Travis’ belongings weeks after the funeral. The emotions we felt as we opened the trunk are unexplainable. Still in disbelief, our hearts still in pieces, it was gut wrenching to say the least. When I saw this page I closed the book, laid down on his bed with it in my arms and I actually slept for the first time in weeks.”
Not For Nothing.
“It was years before I opened it again and even now as I see it, and with the crisis in Afghanistan today, it’s like I know without a doubt his sacrifice, his loyalty to his Marine brothers and their mission, was ‘not for nothing’. It was a huge ’something’ to Travis and those beside him.”
“I have such mixed emotions. We’ve known that we had to bring our troops home; that was inevitable. They had to come home,” she said. “I do feel bad about the administration now and the way it was handled, pulling them out without a plan. It’s just such a hard time right now.”
“It’s not for nothing. They did what they went there to do in training the Afghan people to hold their own. For Travis and others, it was their loyalty to country and service. I felt like his mission, their mission, accomplished so much. I definitely don’t think it was in vain.”
Growing Up With A Promise To His Mother
A young Travis Nelson grew up in Bratt, just two doors down from the modern day Travis M. Nelson Park that was named in his memory about a year after its 2010 opening.
He would play on those very grounds, shooting his BB gun and riding his go cart. His first love in his young life was fishing. At four years old, he would spend hours with relatives fishing on the Escambia River. No matter how old he got, he never gave up the love for a fishing pole and hook. He also loved playing baseball at Northwest Escambia’s Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
On Sept., 11, 2001, Travis Nelson was nine years old when America was attacked. He was not playing; he was fixated on the news.
And he made a promise that day. The kind of promise to a mother than a young man will do anything to uphold.
“I’ll never forget him saying ‘Momma, I will protect you. I will be soldier’,” Beckie Nelson said.
The family last saw Travis on July 13, 2011, as he deployed for Afghanistan. Their last phone conversation was Monday, August, 15, 2011, as he requested items for a care package.
That care package was still sitting by the front door three days later. It never made it to the mail.
August 18, 2011.
It was about noon on Thursday, August 18, 2011, at the Nelson home in Bratt.
An American flag fluttered in the breeze on the porch.
And three men in military uniforms stood at the door. Beckie Nelson knew what that meant.
“I just screamed and said no,” she said. “I just went to my knees and said don’t let them come in. I knew right away that he was gone.”
My Biggest Fear
The next day, Beckie Nelson sat in the middle of her bed with a laptop, reading the scores of reader comments on a NorthEscambia.com story about Travis Nelson’s death.
“He really was our hero,” she said, clutching a 5×7 photo of her son.
“I didn’t think I could see past that day. I felt like it would always be that day. I didn’t imagine that I could ever talk about it,” she said Tuesday evening. “But I can, and it has to do with the support groups, the military support groups, and the community support.”
She was remarkably strong as she talked about the heart wrenching pain of that day.
But during our interview, her voice broke.
“My biggest fear,” she said before pausing. “My biggest fear was that Travis would be forgotten. I was scared I was going to forget.”
A Fallen Marine Returns.
LCpl. Travis M. Nelson was never forgotten.
The rain poured down at Pensacola Naval Air Station August 24, 2011, as Nelson’s body arrived on the final leg of his journey home.
Outside the main gate of Pensacola NAS, people gathered to pay their respects to the young soldier. The rain did not send them running; they stood silently — many holding American flags — as the hearse carrying an American hero departed on a 55-mile journey to Atmore.
Along the way, some of Pensacola’s busiest roadways came to a complete standstill as the motorcade passed. Many motorists stood outside their vehicles and paid their respects.
In Walnut Hill, just a few miles from Nelson’s boyhood home in Bratt, the motorcade slowed as it approached Ernest Ward Middle School. Nelson was a Golden Eagle, attending Ernest Ward in the sixth and seventh grades.
Hundreds of Ernest Ward Middle School students and teachers dressed in red, white and blue lined Highway 97, American flags in hand, waiting for the arrival of the motorcade.
Several of Nelson’s middle school teachers were among the crowd that suddenly grew silent as the first sirens could be heard. As the procession passed, the students stood with their hands over their hearts, waving Old Glory. The thunder of 127 Patriot Guard motorcycle riders vibrated the ground and echoed across the country fields near the school.
Six Florida Highway Patrol trooper vehicles led the hearse past the school. Many students and teachers broke down in tears at the sight of a flag draped coffin. Others cried as they made eye contact with Nelson’s parents and their daughter — who was a sixth grader at Ernest Ward at the time.
“I look back at those pictures now,” Beckie Nelson said Tuesday evening. “Those pictures from the middle school. It meant so much. Those kids are now fathers, mothers, some are now serving in the military.”
My Travis.
“Travis knew at nine years old that nothing was going to hold him back. That was his heart’s desire,” Beckie Nelson said 10 years later. “That’s what he wanted to do with his life.”
“God had a greater plan for my Travis.”
Above: NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: First Day Of School In Escambia County
August 12, 2021
Wednesday was the first day of school in Escambia County.
For a gallery of parent submitted photos, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County 4-H Honors Members At Annual Awards Banquet
August 11, 2021
Escambia County 4-h celebrated at its annual banquet recently at the Langley Bell 4-H Center in Cantonment.
Over 70 guests participated in the celebration and recognition of Escambia County 4-H achievements in a fiesta theme setting.
Many awards were given out at the banquet to recognize the accomplishments of 4-H members. County council members and honored guests presented certificates, pins and awards.
Graduating seniors were recognized, and Jessica Conti, 2020-2021 County Council president, gave her retiring address. Escambia County 4-H also honored the members that made up the 2020-2021 County Council and inducted a new group of council officers for 2021-2022.
The new council officers are as follows: Taylor Anderson and Chloe B. as district delegates, Raimi Joseph as motivational leader, A.T. Bridgers as sergeant-at-arms, Madelyn Goss as parliamentarian, Alan B. as reporter, Tucker Padgett as treasurer, Kailee Dunlap as secretary, Ava Chauvette as vice president, and Gracie Meredith as president.
According to Brian Estevez, Escambia County 4-H Agent, the new officers were inducted in a lighting of the candle ceremony and were told that “good officers pledge their hands to the service of their 4-H council, its members, and the clubs they represent.”
There were 249 youth in Escambia County that were enrolled in one of 16 4-H Clubs. Six Escambia County 4-H members placed first in their respective divisions at state competitive events; and two judging teams won their respective state contests. More than 1,000 youth from Escambia County schools participated in at least 6 hours of 4-H programming.
“Escambia County 4-H would like to say thank you to all of the 4-H members, parents, sponsors, and guests that attended the 2021 4-H Awards Banquet,” said Estevez.
“The 4-H Awards Banquet was made possible with the donations from our many sponsors. Escambia County 4-H thanks you for your donations of money, time and effort to make the banquet possible,” said Aly Schortinghouse, Escambia County 4-H/Livestock Agent.
Ascend Cares Volunteers Repair, Expand Boardwalk Trail At Escambia Westgate
August 4, 2021
Volunteers from Ascend Cares Pensacola worked to repair and widen the boardwalk at Escambia Westgate School.
The repairs will allow students with limited mobility to have access to a wooded area where they can enjoy and learn about nature.
The work was one of Ascend Care’s 10th anniversary projects.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
