USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
SUMMATIONWeeklyy
This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T
PHANTASMA!
Vol. 23, No. 48
November 29, 2023
SummationWeekly.com
NEW ODDITIES SHOP OPENS IN PENSACOLA
By Nicole Willis
F
eaturing goth and punk fashion, music and horror merchandise and plenty of oddities, Phantasma is Pensacola’s newest one-stop-shop for everything odd and alternative. Nestled in a small shopping
center at the corner of 9th Avenue and Creighton Road, this quirky new shop is Pensacon CEO Mike Ensley and his wife, Heather’s, latest venture. The couple held the grand opening of Phantasma on October 1 after noticing a lack of oddities and alternative stores in the Pensacola area. “My family and I travel a lot and
we always try to check out those kinds of stores wherever we go because we haven’t had anything like that in Pensacola since the 90s. There used to be a shop called Impulses that was first on the beach and then in University Mall, which is now defunct. They used to have a lot of rock t-shirts, stickers, patches and all that kind of stuff from different music and bands. We’ve combined that kind of stuff with oddities,” Mike explained. “There’s nothing like this between Atlanta or New Orleans, and we’re kind of at that midway point, so we figured what the heck, let’s just try it.” The Ensleys sought out to fill this retail gap and bring a unique oddities shop back to the Pensacola community. In addition to a plethora of oddities and music merchandise, Phantasma also offers a variety of horror merchandise, vintage and new gothic-style clothing, jewelry, accessories and a unique selection of books. The shop is divided into four main sections, with the first section housing a large selection of music memorabilia from various rock and metal bands. The section
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
is packed with unique music merchandise, including collectable pins, t-shirts, patches, stickers and more. The next section of the shop is the oddities room, which features some of the shop’s most coveted and obscure items. Lemmie Crews, who is a long-time friend of the Ensleys, has been tasked with the unique job of sourcing each of the weird and wacky items sold in the shop. “Lemmie has many different strange things from Odd Fellows, and he’s got a taxidermy king cobra in there [the oddities room] right now. There’s all kinds of crazy stuff in there—old medical bottles, funerary items—just odd antiques,” Mike said. In addition to searching for rare oddities to carry in the shop, Crews is also open to purchasing unique finds or oddities that people bring into the shop. If you have something that you think may be of interest to Crews or the Phantasma team, individuals are invited to send a message to @phantasmapensacola on Facebook. The back of the shop houses gothic-style clothing and accessories, both vintage and new. From flowy gothic dresses to stunning vintage rosaries, each of the gothic pieces in the shop’s collection were hand-selected by Heather Ensley herself. Even if gothic fashion isn’t your everyday go-to, Phantasma offers a great selection of pieces to help you put together an amazing
cosplay costume. The final room in the shop is what Mike describes as the Edgar Allen Poe-themed “library area.” The library area features a lot of esoteric books that wouldn’t be found at a typical bookstore, such as underground comics, musician biographies and even zines. The shop’s name is just as spooky as some of the items inside. The name, “Phantasma,” stems from the Latin word “phantasm,” meaning a ghost or apparition. Mike explained that the name for the shop came to the team after a brainstorming session. “We were trying to find something that seemed a little spooky, and wasn’t too run of the mill and Phantasma just kind of appealed to us. It’s about ghosts, and we have a little bit of strange stuff in here, so we figured it tied in,” he explained. Whether you’re into creepy relics and oddities, or simply want to pick up a funky new piece for your wardrobe, Phantasma has something fun and quirky that’s sure to be right up your alley. Phantasma is located at 2633 Creighton Rd., Suite B, just across from the Walmart shopping center and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm. To stay updated on Phantasma and what new and interesting things come through the door, follow @phantasmapensacola on Facebook or Instagram. ■
Bryant and the team at Five Flags Speedway have been working throughout the year to prepare for this highly anticipated event. “This event is nearly year-round [work] for us, but the month of November is really hectic and, of course, race week is especially so,” Bryant said. “We employ around 200 people for four days out here, each with a task. Our mission is just to make a good experience for both the competitors and the fans.” Race organizers are expecting and preparing for quite the turnout this year, as attendance has been extremely high and selling out in recent years. Bryant says that he and the team at Five Flags Speedway are preparing for thousands of people being in attendance at one time. “We usually have 10,000 people between the grandstands and the infield watching the Snowball Derby. Over the course of four days—because the preliminary starts on Thursday and the main event is Sunday—we run an excess
of 30,000 people through our gates,” Bryant explained. Tickets for the 56th annual Snowball Derby are on sale now and can be purchased and reserved over the phone by calling the track office at (850) 944-8400. Tickets are also sold at Five Flags Speedway on the event date up until race time. “For this event, we don’t do online ticket sales. I know that sounds antiquated, but over the years, we’ve just gotten so well acquainted with our race fans and so many of them are repeaters that are still doing it the old fashioned way. You can call the track office and order tickets and we’ll hold them for you at will call,” Bryant explained. Parking and shuttle services to and from the track will be available on race day. Five Flags Speedway is located at 7451 Pine Forest Road in Pensacola. For more details, visit 5flagsspeedway.com or facebook. com/5flagsspeedway. ■
56TH ANNUAL
SNOWBALL DERBY PENSACOLA’S FAVORITE STOCK CAR RACE RETURNS By Nicole Willis
G
rab your sunglasses and a cold beer because the Snowball Derby is here! That’s right, the annual Snowball Derby has returned for its 56th year. This 300-lap, 150-mile super late model stock car race draws the attention of thousands of racers and fans alike to Pensacola for a chance to witness some of the best names in short track racing. Hosted annually at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, the Snowball Derby was first held in 1968. The derby was started by Tom Dawson, whose family previously owned Five Flags Speedway during the time of the first derby. Today, the track is owned by the Bryant family who gained ownership in 2007. The Bryant family has a deep-rooted love for racing and the Snowball Derby, as current Five Flags Speedway general manager, Tim Bryant, has also competed in the Snowball Derby several times himself. The family has worked to keep the tradi-
tion of this popular race alive, as it only continues to gain the attention of more racers and fans each year. “It’s very unusual for one [racing event] to go 56 years without interruption,” explained Bryant. “So that’s testament to not just the Bryants, but all of the management teams that were here before us, especially the Dawson family who started the event in 1968. Tom Dawson was the owner and promoter in those days. When we [the Bryant family] took over the track, we actually named the winner’s trophy the ‘Tom Dawson Trophy.’ That has become nationally recognized and we’re pretty proud of that.” Since its inception, the event has grown to include some of the biggest names in NASCAR, such as Kyle Busch and Chase Elliot, who are both two-time winners of the Snowball Derby. Elliot also became the derby’s youngest winner at only 16 years old. The Snowball Derby has become so popular among racing drivers and fans that NASCAR actu-
ally changed the date of its annual Cup Series Award Banquet so that it did not interfere with the schedules of drivers who wanted to compete in the derby. The Snowball Derby draws some of the biggest names in stock car racing including previous Snowball Derby winners Bobby Gill, Darrell Waltrip and Steve Wallace. With names such as these, there is no telling which star drivers will grace the track in 2023. The drivers for this year’s derby have not yet been picked, as entries are still being received. According to Bryant, they typically receive between 250 and 300 race entries each year. The 2023 Snowball Derby is co-presented by longtime partner Bayou Fox Hooters and new partner Safe Locator. Opening night of the 2023 Snowball Derby is November 30 at 7 pm. The derby then continues on Friday and Saturday, with the main event taking place on Sunday. Races start at 7 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the main race taking place at 1 pm on Sunday.
visit SummationWeekly.com