Downtown Crowd, September 2019

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SEPTEMBER ‘19

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ALL ABOUT FISH SEPT 3 • 6 PM • $60 CAST IRON FILET MIGNON & SHRIMP SEPT 9 • 6 PM • $60 SUSHI 101 SEPT 12 • 6 PM • $60 FUMANA INTERNATIONAL WINE DINNER SEPT 13 • 6 PM • $86 HOMEMADE PASTA SEPT 16 • 6 PM • $60 LADIES NIGHT – CHARCUTERIE & WINE SEPT 17 • 6 PM • $60 CAST IRON PIZZA SEPT 19 • 6 PM • $60 SASI SEPT 26 • 6 PM • $60

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Pensacola Little Theatre Presents

September 26-29 2019

September 20-22 2019

Written by

Alan Ball Directed by

Maureen McNeill PENSACOLALITTLETHEATRE.COM 850-432-2042 Five Women Wearing the Same Dress is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York

DOWNTOWN CROWD SEPTEMBER 2019

Editor’s Letter

Publisher Malcolm Ballinger Owners Malcolm & Glenys Ballinger

7

Executive Editor Kelly Oden Editor Will Isern Art Director Guy Stevens Graphic Designer Bara’ah Jaraiseh Editorial Assistant Kaitlyn Peacock Advertising Account Executives Paula Rode Paula@ballingerpublishing.com Geneva Strange Geneva@ballingerpublishing.com For advertising rates or news tips contact Phone: 433-1166 · Fax: 435-9174 DOWNTOWN CROWD is published by Ballinger Publishing.

Offices located at 314 N Spring St., Ste. A, Pensacola Florida 32501 Published by Ballinger Publishing

Downtown Crowd is locally owned and operated. It is published monthly for distribution in Pensacola, Florida. All Right Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herein is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Comments and opinions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/ or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the publisher. This magazine accepts no responsibility for these opinions. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsibility of the individual advertiser. Appearance in this magazine does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Ballinger Publishing. © 2019

WILL ISERN EDITOR Toward the end of August, Mayor Grover Robinson took to a podium at the Pensacola Yacht Club to offer his assessment of the city’s growth and development as a burgeoning urban metropolis.

they see Pensacola as a place to live after school? I hope so.

Around the same time as Robinson gave his speech, a local friend posted online calling out the city’s haters. If you live to badmouth Pensacola, the mayor said, is the city for its shortcomings, she becoming an ever more desirable said, maybe consider moving place to live. Residential permits somewhere else. I can understand and ad valorem tax value are on the sentiment. It’s frustrating to the rise, meaning more people see people nitpick Pensacola when are buying, building or renovating the city has come so far in the homes within the city. The airport last decade. Sure, there’s room to hit a record high for passengers in improve. I mean, when are we going May and sales tax revenue is up. to get a Trader Joe’s? Still, things All signs are pointing to Pensacola are getting better all the time, and as a place that people want to be. to only focus on what could be better is to miss everything that’s "That's why we're looking into how already great. can we make Pensacola the place that you want to live, that your I would go step further than my children want to come back and friend did, however, and say if live,” the mayor said “That's the you don’t like Pensacola, then kind of community we're trying to change it yourself. The city didn’t create here.” become what it is today because people moved away. All of the I wonder are we there yet? Having amenities and opportunities we grown up here, I’m all too familiar enjoy exist because someone saw with the perception that Pensacola the potential and took the risk to is lacking in opportunity and create them. We may not yet be amenities. I know a lot of people the city we eventually want to be, my age who in high school couldn’t but we’re getting there little by wait to depart Pensacola for little every day. I think that’s worth what they believed were greener sticking around for. pastures elsewhere. I also know a good number who have since moved back. I don’t know what today’s high school students think of the city. Many are eager to go away to college, no doubt, but do

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12

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CONTENTS

7 An Urban Oasis 8 Mocktails Make a Splash Downtown 11 Pensacola Opera 12 Midnight Munchies 14 Pieces Adrift: Art from Garbage 16 In the Rough with David Feherty 19 5 Questions with Creatives: Greg Hewitt Cover Design by Bara'ah Jaraiseh DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 5

·STEAKHOUSE·

A CLASSIC CORNERSTONE OF DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA A TRADITION FOR 20 YEARS AND COUNTING

LUNCH MONDAY–SATURDAY

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BRUNCH SUNDAY

DINNER DAILY MONDAY–SUNDAY

Downtown Pensacola, South 400 Palafox Reservations: (850) 469-9898 · jacksonsrestaurant.com

ART CLASSES

Children, Teens, & Adults Creative Painting • Age 18+ September 14th - October 26th Glassblowing Classes • Age 8+ Make Your Own Suncatcher, Starfish, Paperweight, Flower, or Cup! Classes offered Friday and Saturday Saturday Morning Art Class • Age 6-Adult • Yoga and Art for Kids 1st Saturday • Creating with Clay 2nd & 4th Saturday • Mixed Media Exploration 3rd Saturday Art-Lab • Age 9-14 After-School Art • Age 5-8 4 Week Sessions Each Month • $80-$140 Meditation and Art • Age 18+ Classes offered: Sep. 20 & Oct. 18th

• Painting • Flame-working • Drawing • Stained Glass and More!

Full Class Schedule - Firstcityart.org

COMMuniTY EVEnTS

September 7th • Pieces Adrift Silent Auction Fundraiser for FCAC’s Scholarship Program and Harmony Parks Pensacola • Free for Members / $10 Suggested Donation October 11th • Pumpkin Patch Preview Party • Tickets $20-$25 October 12th • Pumpkin Patch Saturday Sale • no Admission november 1st & 8th • 3D Printsacola • Collaboration with iHMC featuring 3-D Printed skatable sculpture, and keynote speakers professional skater Rodney Mullen and Creative Scientist David Fries December 13th • Hot Glass Cold Brew ugly Sweater Party • Tickets $20-$30

FirstCityArt.org | 850.429.1222 1060 n. Guillemard St. Pensacola, FL

BY WILL ISERN

One of downtown’s most popular bars, Perfect Plain Brewing Co., just finished a big expansion, adding an outdoor “beer garden” and event space. Garden & Grain, as the new space is called, features a 2,500 square-foot patio, complete with a cocktail bar, patio seating and a working garden.

While Perfect Plain focuses on its locallybrewed beer, the garden bar features a seasonal cocktail menu utilizing ingredients like citrus, olives and Muscadine grapes all grown on-site.

Their slogan is “Putting the garden back in Garden Street.”

PHOTO BY JESSI DOSEN PHOTOGRAPHY

"

We always had it in the back of our mind when we bought the property that we would eventually do something with it, but we didn't know

exactly

when.

The

early

Garden & Grain had a soft opening in August and is already proving popular with downtown visitors. They’re planning an official opening sometime in October.

success of our business has allowed us to grow a little faster with this project."

– D.C. Reeves, Owner

The garden’s defining feature is a 720-foot mural by Daniela de Castro Sucre depicting a hummingbird in a floral garden.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 7

Mixing up Mocktails Alcohol-free with a flair

BY WILL ISERN | PHOTOS BY BARA'AH JARAISEH

So you’re out downtown one night hitting the bars with your friends. Maybe they’re drinking, but you’re not. Whether that’s because you’re taking a break from alcohol, you’re pregnant or you’re on some medication that you can’t drink with, the upshot is you don’t have a lot of options. Cranberry and Sprite, soda and lime, Diet Coke, water. In most places, these are going to be the choices you’re left with sans alcohol.

Cucumber Slumber: Fresh Lime, Cardomom Syrup, Orange Flower Water, Saline & Soda Water by IRON bartender A.J. Galecki.

Midnight Summer Smash: Lemon juice, Demerara Syrup, Black Berries, Basil Leaves & Soda Water by IRON bartender Brett Briggs 8 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

But that’s starting to change.

A growing trend of alcoholfree cocktails, sometimes called mocktails, has made its way to downtown Pensacola. Bartenders and mixologists at some of the city’s most popular watering holes are experimenting with concoctions featuring ingredients like watermelon juice, muddled blackberries, Serrano chile syrup and whatever fennel shrub is.

“I read the book and it’s just this whole conversation about how everything revolves around drinking, and I looked around and it just seemed like there were no real options for people that wanted something a little healthier to drink,” Eckland said. “We wanted people to have a place they could come where they weren’t going to feel like they were being left out if they don’t drink.”

Some mocktails are as simple as, say, swapping gin for sparkling water in a French 75, but increasingly bartenders are putting as much craft into their nonalcoholic offerings as they are their cocktail menu.

Some places have gone so far as to create an entire mocktail menu.

Union Public House head chef Blake Rushing said he noticed more and more customers ordering nonalcoholic drinks and decided to make them a permanent addition to the popular restaurant’s offerings.

Like the regular food menu, Union’s mocktail menu is seasonal and changes with the availability of fresh ingredients. In the summer, for example, the restaurant has been offering creatively-named concoctions like the “Thrown for a Cantaloop,” a blend of cantaloupe, fennel shrub, lime juice, vanilla and soda rimmed with black lava salt, and the tongue-twisting “Mind on my Melon, and my Melon on my Rhind,” a mix of watermelon, Serrano chile syrup, cardamom, basil, ginger and soda.

“Even people at the bar will order a mocktail, then other people who are drinking will see one and say, ‘Hey, I want one of those,’” said Brett Briggs, bartender at Restaurant IRON. Briggs said he sells anywhere from 30 to 50 mocktails a month, with a popular option being his blackberry basil smash, a mix of sparkling water, muddled blackberries, basil and simple syrup served shaken on the rocks.

Mocktails are designed to appeal not only the teetotaler, but to the health-conscious drinker who may be cutting back on sugar and carbs, as well as those who can’t drink for medical reasons. One of the first bars to start offering mocktails was Gulf Coast Brewery. Manager Carrie Eckland had the idea after she read “Sober Curious” by Ruby Warrington.

“They’ve become extremely popular,” said Rushing. “We were surprised how many we were selling on a Friday or Saturday night, granted, some people were putting a shot of vodka in them.

But they’re just that good.”

"

Thrown for a Cantaloop: Cantaloupe, Fennel Shrub, Lime Juice, Vanilla, Soda & Black Lava Salt Rim

We wanted people to have a place they could come where they weren’t going to feel like they were being left out if they don’t drink."

- Brett Briggs, IRON

Gulf Coast Brewery switches up their mocktail offerings each month. This summery concoction is a blend of coconut water, muddled raspberries and lime.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 9

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All the Right Notes Pensacola Opera commands the

stage at Gallery Night

BY KAITLYN PEACOCK Something new is taking over Museum Plaza behind the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Museum for Gallery Night.

Four singers will be commanding the night with popular theater songs, and a few arias. It’s not your typical Gallery Night, but the Pensacola Opera is aiming kick off their spring season with their firstever outdoor night concert Sept. 20, from 8 pm to 10 pm.

will also be popular songs that theater buffs and a more general audience will recognize and enjoy. A live pianist will accompany the singers for the performance.

While the Opera has participated in Gallery Night in the past, their appearances were usually pop-up concerts at the Artel Gallery, never a full-scale concert. This new performance comes from a desire to expand the Opera’s profile and establish itself as one of the major art institutes in the city. Cody Martin, the Opera's director of education and artists in

“It’s going to be a totally different kind of music,” Martin said. “It’s going to be a really fun atmosphere. With a food trucks and everything, it’ll be a kind of one-stop shop where you can hang out with your friends, eat and enjoy some really topnotch music. We have some really incredible singers who are going to be with us this night.”

"

which will be put on by the same team that produced Florencia in the Amazon last year. The season looks to be one of the Opera’s best, and Martin said they were more than excited to kick off the season as one with the community.

The Opera is hoping that its after dark concert will be the only place people will want to go during September’s Gallery Night.

...It’s really something a lot more. It’s upscale, it’s unique. Something you’re not going to be able to experience at most Gallery Nights.”

residence, he is often surprised how many people don’t know Pensacola has its own opera.

“Every now and then, we’ll do something out in the community and people will say, “Oh, I didn’t even know we had an opera company.” We’ve been here for thirty-six years now,” he said. “So we need to change that so everybody knows who Pensacola Opera is and what we do.”

The Gallery Night performance, called “Opera After Dark,” will take place on the new stage at the Museum Plaza. The free concert is aimed to introduce the opera to a younger audience who may not know what the expect from their productions.

The concert will feature the four artists in residence that will be at Pensacola Opera for the season.

These singers are professional opera singers at the beginning of their careers and are some incredible talents. The singers will also be a part of every major production during the opera’s season, including all their main stage performances. However, for Opera After Dark, Martin said they aim to do more than just preview the season. While there may be a couple of pieces to give the audience a taste of what to expect from the larger productions, there

The Gallery Night performance gives the Opera a chance to integrate into the community with one of the most anticipated traditions of the month.

With this performance, Martin said he hopes to kick off a recurring series of concerts for the Opera at Gallery Night.

“You can look forward to an event unlike anything you’ve ever experienced at Gallery Night before, for sure,” Martin said.

“I think people might be thinking about this like the karaoke stage at the top of Palafox, but it’s really something a lot more. It’s upscale, it’s unique. Something you’re not going to be able to experience at most Gallery Nights.”

While Opera After Dark will kick off the Opera’s season, their first main stage production will be As One, an intimate production of two characters and a string quartet about a trans woman’s journey to explore and accept herself. The Opera will also host performances of some classic productions, including Il Trovatore,

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 11

PHOTOS BY BARA'AH JARAISEH

BY WILL ISERN & KAITLYN PEACOCK

So you’ve been out all night bar crawling on Palafox with your friends when it hits you.

The hunger. All of sudden you realize you could eat your weight in Pizza Rolls. But it’s late, past midnight and most places have closed. Fortunately, there are some places in and around downtown that keep the grills fired up into the wee hours of the morning.

Like a lighthouse to weary sailors, these bastions of late-night gourmandizing are a godsend to the ravished reveler. Some are old, some are new, but all are guaranteed to hit the spot when it counts. Here’s our guide to Midnight Munchies in downtown Pensacola.

12 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

Grab N'Go PANCHOS BURRITOS If you’re walking down the street and you happen to spy a lone food truck open past midnight, stop what you are doing and get yourself a burrito. Pensacola has plenty of excellent food trucks, but Panchos Burritos takes the cake, especially for any late-night snack needs.

Whether you are looking for something for a late night dinner or just to get you through to morning, you cannot go wrong with a burrito. The truck doesn’t have a set location, but keep an eye out for it on Government street and around downtown Pensacola. The truck is open at differing times, so keep an eye out for it during your late-night adventures.

Grab N 'Go THE DWARF

RACHEL'S WIENERS

Do you need fried chicken at three in the morning? Honestly, who doesn’t? So good. So cheap. Exactly what you want after a night out. Pro tip: use the bread that comes with the chicken to keep your hands free of hot sauce and grease. Also, call ahead because wait times can be long. Totally worth it, though.

Have you ever been to Seville Quarter and noticed a hotdog cart right outside the front doors? Veterans will remember a man selling midnight snacks, but it’s recently come under the ownership of Seville Quarter and, surprise, it does in fact have a name.

Rachel’s Wieners, a name given to the stand by the people of Pensacola. And don’t worry. They still sell the same great hotdogs, perfect for grabbing after a long night of dancing, or just to pop in for a quick bite. The stand is open from 11 pm to 3 am.

New School GRAFITTI PIZZA

CHICAGO BAR & GRILL

PIZZAAAA!!! The quintessential late night food, served by the slice, finally found its way to Palafox Street in 2018. Big, thin slices. Any topping a reasonably sane person might want. An outdoor bar, and all on the main drag. What’s not to love?

A newcomer to the late night menu, the Chicago Bar and Grill offers a solid bar menu with all your midnight cravings, including wings, a slew of fries, nachos and other munchy offerings. This is the place to go for a place to sit and relax with a beer after the midnight bell. If you find yourself away from Palafox but looking for that bar vibe, this is where you want to be. The bar is open until 2 am Sunday through Thursday and 3 am Friday and Saturday.

CHIZUKO Are you cool? Do you wear a lot of black?

Do you like the Elbow Room but also really loud guitar music? Does a double-decker peanut butter and nutella sandwich with strawberries, bananas and potato chips sound like your idea of a midnight snack?

If so, Chizuko is the place for you. While you’re at it, the boiled peanuts are really good too.

Classics ELBOW ROOM

MCGUIRE’S IRISH PUB

WHATABURGER

Opened in 1963, the Elbow Room is the oldest entry on this list and a landmark of the city’s late-night scene. Indeed, for decades the Elbow Room was THE late-night food spot, and rightfully so. Pizza? Check. Meatball sub? Got it. Cake?

You bet, and all bathed in the dim red glow of the Elbow Room’s signature ambience. There is no better last stop on a night in Pensacola.

It wouldn’t be a true pub if you couldn’t sit and drink Irish coffee until far into the night. McGuire’s offers a night owl menu Wednesday through Sunday starting at 11 pm and going until 2 am. The menu is somewhat fluid, based on the availability of items. This means some of the items on the menu may not be available every night, and sometimes you’ll walk in and find yourself eating a prime rib steak. The night menu’s prices are slightly reduced from the normal dinner menu, however it’s on a first-come, first-serve basis.

And seriously, don’t forget the Irish coffee. It’s delicious.

Once upon a time, Palafox Street was a desolate ghost town. Save for a handful of bars, there just wasn’t anywhere down there to get a bite after 10 pm. So when Seville Quarter would let out at 3 am, there was (and is) one place you could reliably expect to follow the crowd to satisfy that early morning craving. Whataburger’s importance has diminished somewhat with the rise of downtown, but the memory of its honey butter chicken biscuits will live on in our hearts forever.

DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM | 13

THIS ART IS GARBAGE

BY WILL ISERN

Take a walk down the shoreline of any local waterway and you’re almost guaranteed to encounter an unfortunate reality of modern consumerism: trash. Waste in the form of plastic bottles and bags, toys, discarded fishing nets, aluminum cans and all other manner of junk find its way into the rivers, bays, bayous throughout Northwest Florida.

Efforts to combat the pollution of our local waterways by groups like Keep Pensacola Beautiful help to cut down on the accumulation of garbage in the water, but the underlying problem only gets fixed when we all commit to greater diligence in proper disposal of our garbage.

In an effort to raise awareness about the pollution of our local waterways, a new art exhibit and silent auction called Pieces Adrift will feature works by more than 50 artists made with trash and found objects collected from local waterways. The exhibit is a collaboration between First City Art Center and Keep Pensacola Beautiful.

Pieces Adrift has been in planning for nearly a year, said First City’s managing director Caitlin Rhea. Throughout the spring and summer, Keep Pensacola Beautiful has been holding on to some of what it has collected from local beaches for artists’ to use in works for the show.

The exhibit will include many forms of art including sculpture, painting and collage, the only restriction being that each piece must consist of at least 50 percent trash.

“So far we’ve already had a few really amazing pieces come in,” said Rhea.

“We’re really excited to see how people take this idea and turn trash into art. It’s 14 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

not a new idea, people have been doing this for a while, but it’s a really nice way of thinking about how do we make something positive and productive from the stuff that washes up in the wrong place.”

Pieces Adrift will also have hands-on ac-

”

It’s a really nice way of thinking about how do we make something positive and productive from the stuff that washes up in the wrong place.”

tivities that teach attendees how they can help reduce waste without impacting their daily lives. Rhea said she hopes the auction and exhibit will help people to think about the ways they can reduce waste.

“It’s very easy to go down that pessimistic path of, ‘Look at what were doing to the environment,’” said Rhea. “But we wanted to do something that would empower people and create a positive feeling and not a negative one.”

Proceeds from Pieces Adrift will go to support Keep Pensacola’s Beautiful’s Harmony Parks Project that installs musical features at local playgrounds and First City Art Center’s scholarship for low-income families to participate in art classes.

A collection of pieces from the auction will be gathered into a traveling show to be exhibited at the Pensacola Museum of Art and at local businesses throughout town in the months following the auction.

Pieces Adrift is from 5 to 8 pm, on September 7 at First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. Admission is free for members of Keep Pensacola Beautiful and First City Art Center, as well as children under 12.

Admission is $10 for non-members.

Tickets to Pieces Adrift can be found on Facebook and Eventbrite.

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Tee Time

David Feherty brings jokes, storytelling to Saenger Theatre

BY WILL ISERN You might not know David Feherty’s face, but you can probably recognize his voice. Feherty is the wisecracking golf analyst and television host with the thick Irish accent on NBC Sports and the Golf Channel whose irreverent personality and wit have entertained golf fans for more than 20 years since he retired from professional play.

When he’s not providing course commentary at major golf tournaments or filming episodes of his show Feherty,

How would you describe the show?

DF: It’s really a journey through my life with a bunch of fart jokes. I actually tell jokes, which is one of the things you seldom see or hear these days. It’s almost all situational or observational humor. People don’t really tell jokes anymore. My father was a great storyteller and his friends as well, so it’s really just the atmosphere I grew up in. A lot of these jokes are old jokes, but people here haven’t heard them before and if I don’t tell them they’ll die.

the 61-year-old Feherty hits the road to perform a show that’s a mix of stand-up comedy and storytelling in theaters across the country.

Feherty will bring his “Feherty Off Tour” show to Pensacola’s Saenger Theatre on September 19. He spoke with Downtown Crowd ahead the tour about his inability to watch himself on TV, his struggles with alcoholism and his ever-present stuffed chicken, Frank.

It’s kind of like some of the golf stories I tell about men like Palmer and Ken Venturi, if I don’t tell these stories they’re going to go away, they’ll go into the ether. I would say about half the show is golf related, and half isn’t. So you don’t have to be a golfer to come and enjoy the show. There’s plenty for everybody.

Do you feel like you’re able to let loose a little more in these theater settings than you are on TV? That’s one of the things I set out to do. At the beginning of the show I explain, tonight I’m a comic not a sports commentator, because I’ll say things that would get my ass fired in a heartbeat if I were on television. You know comedians can kind of do what they want they can make fun of people, where commentators can’t, so I kind of have to divide my life into compartments when it comes to my career if I want to continue to have one.

I hear you don’t watch yourself on TV. Is that still true?

Yeah, it is. It creeps me out. I have to watch a certain amount in the edit room and that’s not for me. I can’t take it.

16 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM

I understand you have a taxidermied chicken on stage in the show. What can you tell me about Frank the chicken?

That’s a good question. I don’t even know where Frank came from. He just showed up on the set one day.

I think he came from a pawn shop somewhere.

country in which they’re fighting and the restraint they show on a daily basis. So when I came home I knew I had to be an American. I wanted to be able to call them my troops.

Not to spoil the show, but can you give me an example of a story you might tell?

Do you touch on your alcoholism at all in the show?

I tell a lot of Irish jokes. As a former Irish person, I think we’re probably the last ethnic group on the face of the planet that you can safely insult and get away with it. You can’t offend a real Irishman.

Speaking of your citizenship, I understand you became American citizen.

Why was that important to you?

I grew up in an urban warfare environment in Northern Ireland, and when 9/11 happened I had been in the country for a number of years and had already fallen in love with it. I went to Iraq with the USO and I was blown away by the compassion that our troops have not just for each other, but for the people in the

I do, I more than touch on it. It’s been a huge part of my life. You have to maintain a sense of humor about that shit particularly, if you’re going to have any kind of a life. So that is a big part of it.

Do you find it cathartic?

Yeah, you know the best part of being something of a D-list celebrity or whatever is that a lot of people will come up to me afterwards and say you were an inspiration to me or you’re the reason I’m sober.

That’s therapeutic for me. The thought that this might be useful to someone else is of tremendous comfort to me.

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5 QUESTIONS WITH

CREATIVES Gre g Hew i t t

BY KAITLYN PEACOCK

A lot of your photographs look like they are candid shots.

Yes, I would say that unless it’s a picture of somebody I know or somebody that is close to me, they’re all completely candid. Whether it’s me out and about just carrying my camera with me, living my normal life, whatever just happens to be occurring, I’ll take some shots, or if I go out specifically to photograph stuff, all that’s just in the moment, unplanned. Stuff that I can plan is the environment. So if I like how the shadows are being cast off a building, I can stand around and hope someone walks into that scene.

Everything’s just kind of in the moment, just what’s happening in front of me at the time.

When you walk into one of those moments, how can you tell that this is what you’re looking for?

It definitely starts with the light first.

I’m drawn to strong lighting, good shadows or an interesting sign that’s humorous or something in the foreground I’m hoping someone will interact with it. In general, I’ve been a people watcher all my life, so if I see someone who just has great storytelling characteristics about them, if you can see a story on their

face or if they’re stylish or wearing a hat, which nobody seems to do around here very often, I’m immediately drawn to that.

You already talked about the lighting and how you’re drawn to that.

How does that work when everything’s candid? It seems like of everything the lights and the shadows would be some of the most difficult things to get right.

I have a painting background and photography for a long, long time, since I was a teenager, so I guess I can kind of predict how a light will hit a subject, what colors will happen. I can use those basic principles and know pretty confidently what will take place regardless of who is coming into the scene and what they’re wearing. I know they will probably be struck be a certain amount of light this way, or the neon lights will make this happen on a person.

somebody that’s walking through.

Maybe it’s a billboard with a funny face on it and somebody’s walking by and that kind of juxtaposition makes something humorous happen. It is patience, some of it is observing.

How are you find situations that are more humorous?

A lot of times, I rely on scale. Something large that is closer to me and how it interacts with something behind it might be funny. Or, like I mentioned before, there’s a sign that’s interesting and if you can just wait for

When you’re out and about in Pensacola, what does the city offer?

I like that you can walk down a couple of main streets and a couple of side streets here and get a lot of different environments, a lot of different scenery. I love how you can go from one end of Palafox to the

other just in those few blocks and you have neon lights at the theater, cafes with nice reflections, then you have the pier down at the other end with fishing and the boats and everything. So it’s so much variety in such a compact space that it’s easy to get a lot of nice subject matter.

Check out all of Greg’s street photography from Pensacola and many other cities on Instagram @hardlyinvicible.

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Date line Downtown Emerald Coast Beer Festival September 6 The Escambia Bay Homebrewers and Seville Quarter are once again hosting the Emerald Coast Beer FestivalTM! The longest running beer festival on the Gulf Coast, the Emerald Coast Beer FestivalTM kicks off on Sept. 5 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at Seville Quarter with a five-course beer pairing dinner featuring handcrafted beers from Parish Brewing Company out of Broussard, Louisiana. This event requires advance tickets sales from Seville Quarter. Call Nancy at 4346211 or visit https://emeraldcoastbeerfest.com for more information.

Songwriters at Sunset September 6 From the producers of the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival and the Perdido Key Area Chamber of Commerce, "Songwriters at Sunset" will make its debut Sept.

6, starting at 6 pm on the beautiful, breathtaking beaches of Perdido Key! Featuring Awardwinning Singer-Songwriters performing their greatest hits, including Jon Nite, Jimmy Robbins and JT Harding. Tickets are $100. For more information or to buy tickets, visit https:// business.perdidochamber.com.

Improvable Cause Show September 7 Pensacola Little Theater will host an Improvable Cause (IC) show Sept. 7 at 10:30 pm. IC is Pensacola's only professional improv comedy troupe. Everything is created in the moment with audience suggestions, so each show is different. IC shows are edge-of-your-seat theatre where anything can happen, and usually does. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.pensacolalittletheatre.com.

Doggie Bowl September 8 Join one of Pensacola's most beloved organizations at one of Pensacola's most iconic establishments for a bowling tournament like no other! Pensacola Humane Society, along with Cordova Lanes invite you to Doggie Bowl 2019. This event features a three round bowling tournament full of twists and turns, excitement and healthy competition as bowlers vie for the coveted Doggie Bow. Teams with the lowest scores are eliminated at the end of each game. The third game consists of the top six teams duking it out for bragging rights, the grand prize trophy and a $100 gift card to one of Pensacola's area restaurants. For more information, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ dogbow201.

John Appleyard Talk: Pensacola History September 10 and 24 John Appleyard will have two history presentations this month, September 10 and 24 both at 9 am at the Pensacola Visitor Information Center. Don't miss the opportunity

to hear famed historian, John Appleyard share his knowledge of Pensacola's history with one of his famous storytelling sessions. The event is free to the public but seating is limited. For more information, call 434-1234.

5210 Day of Play September 14 The 5210 Day of Play is a day to get up, get out and get active. On Sept. 14 from 10 am to 2 pm at Maritime Community Park, families will shut off their computers, tablets and TVs and head outdoors for some fun. Come check out the many ways families get moving. Join the community for a day of exciting activities, games, sports, contests and physical challenges for the entire family. For more information, visit cityofpensacola.com.

Ping Pong on Palafox Tournament September 14 Take a trip to Palafox Street for a community ping pong tournament Sept. 14 from 10 am to 5 pm benefitting Gulf Coast Kid's House. The event will be held on the street at the intersection of Palafox and Romana Streets in downtown Pensacola.

“Ping Pong on Palafox,” hosted by Zarzaur Law, will include a table tennis “ping pong” tournament for all ages and levels, games, refreshments for players and more. Guests can learn tips and tricks from Table Tennis professionals and watch kids all the way to pros battle each other right in the heart of Downtown Pensacola. Sign up for the tournament on Event Brite.

visit www.pensacolasaenger.com or contact the Saenger Theatre Box office at 595-3880.

Gallery Night September 20 Enjoy the beautiful summer night at Gallery Night, Sept. 20 starting at 5 p.m. Take the “Arts to the Streets” where visitors can connect with the unique culture of Pensacola. Be sure to stop by the Museum Plaza for a special concert from the Pensacola Opera, Opera After Dark, starting at 8 pm. Palafox Street will be closed for traffic between Garden and Main Street during the event. For more information, visit www. facebook.com/pg/Gallery-Night-Pensacola.

Movies in the Park Series September 20 Finish up the summer with a movie in the park.

The last movie will be A Dog’s Way Home, scheduled for Sept. 20 beginning at sunset, 7:50 pm. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for an evening of family fun underneath the stars.

Local food trucks will be at the event, so make sure to come ready to enjoy dinner and a show.

Pets and glass containers are not allowed in the park. For more information, visit www. cityofpensacola.com.

Apple Market Live Music Fall Festival September 21 The Apple Market will host a live music festival from noon to 3pm in the grocery store's parking lot located at 1021 Scenic Highway.

David Feherty – Off Tour September 19 The Saenger Theatre’s stage will be taken over Sept. 19 at 7:30 pm by David Feherty in his Off Tour Live on Stage event. How do you describe the offbeat antics of David Feherty? The New York Times called him “a cross between Oprah Winfrey and Johnny Carson.” With a sharp wit and irreverent style, the professional golfer turned golf analyst, talk show host and sports broadcaster has made a name for himself as one of the most hilarious and irrepressible personalities in golf. Ticket prices start at $49. For more information, visit www. pensacolasaenger.com or contact the Saenger Theatre Box office at 595-3880.

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress September 20 to 22 and 26 to 29 PLT will be hosting productions of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress throughout September. Show times are 7:30 pm Sept. 20 to 22 and Sept. 26 to 28 with special showings at 3 pm, Sept. 29. In Alan Ball’s hilarious comedy, five very different bridesmaids find themselves hiding together in an upstairs bedroom, hoping to escape the wedding reception of a bride that – they soon realize – none of them really like.

In this cramped bedroom, these five identically dressed women talk, laugh, argue, cry, console one another and slowly become friends. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www. pensacolalittletheatre.com.

Jon Foreman September 20 The Saenger Theatre is proud to host Jon Foreman Sept. 20 at 7 pm. It’s easy for a surfer to lose focus and fall into the steady pull of the crashing waves, and it’s easy for a musician to forget where they came from under the glaring lights, before a sea of adoring fans screaming their name. On a surfboard or on a stage, the ground is made of different matter, and truth defers to the engulfing chaos. Jon Foreman has treaded these waters for over 20 years, moored by the truth he carries in his bones.

Ticket prices start at $17. For more information,

Haas Center Fall Forum September 26 The inaugural Haas Center Fall Forum will be held September 26 from 8 am to 1 pm and is a half-day event being curated by the University of West Florida's Haas Center and the Division of Research and Strategic Innovation. The goal is to bring together bright minds and exciting vendors to give data-driven talks to a diverse audience of economic developers, business and non-profit leaders and staff and community members. Forum attendees will leave with a clear sense of how to use data to better tell their story. Tickets are $150. To register or for more

information, visit https://haas.uwf.edu.

Dixon Dub Lip Sync Battle September 27 You’ve seen the epic battles on television, and now we're bringing them to you live – and for a good cause. Join in for the third annual Dixon Dub Sept. 27 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach.

Teams from around the Pensacola community will compete for the title of Lip Sync Champion.

Show your support by coming out, singing along and cheering for your favorite team. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door To sign up, visit Evenbrite.

Vettes at the Beach September 27 and 28 Join the Miracle Strip Corvette Club for a weekend of fun, sun and Corvettes. There are expected to be up to 300 Corvettes from all over the country at the show. Visitors are welcome to walk around and look at the Corvettes, talk and share stories, no charge for visitors.

Registration is Sept. 28 from 8 am to 10 am and trophies will be awarded at 2:30 pm. For more information, visit miraclestripcorvette.com.

Pensacola Seafood Festival September 27 to 29 Sample a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes and enjoy continuous entertainment in Fountain Park Sept. 27 through 29. Arts and crafts vendors will be displaying their unique wares, many items reflective of our area's unique Gulf Coast lifestyle. A children's area is filled with activities for all ages. The Fiesta Seafood Grille offers cooking demonstrations where you can watch area chefs prepare regional delicacies. For more information, visit pensacolaseafoodfestival.com.

St. Rose of Lima International Fall Festival September 27 to 29 This festival is a family friendly event with live entertainment, vendors of all kinds, indoor bingo, big rides and the best food, including Filipino, Italian, Latin, American, Cajun, Polish,and so much more. Come have some fun at one of the biggest fairs in Pensacola. For more information, visit call 602-7495.

Dane Cook – Tell It Like It Is September 28 The Saenger Theatre will host Dane Cook, Sept.

28 at 8 pm. Dane Cook returns to the stage with the Tell It Like It Is Tour, his first full-scale stand-up tour since 2013. Combining energetic physical comedy, clever wordplay and trenchant observations about human behavior, Cook’s unique brand of stand-up and accessible guynext-door attitude have galvanized audiences of all ages. Ticket prices start at $39.50. For more information, visit www.pensacolasaenger. com or contact the Saenger Theatre Box office at 595-3880.

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