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Inweekly Apirl 4 2019 Issue

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Independent News | April 4, 2019 | Volume 20 | Number 14 | Photos Courtesy of Blue Wahoos

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winners & losers 4

outtakes

news

5

6, 8

I imagine they've dusted that puppy off.

buzz

cover feature

a&e

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17, 24

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publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Michael Daw

contact us info@inweekly.net

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Sarah Mc Wilson, Jeremy Morrison, C.S. Satterwhite, Stephanie Sharp, Sydney Robinson

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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April 4, 2019

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EARTH ETHICS MONTHLY EDUCATION SERIES 2019 Join us on Monday, April 8th beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden Street as we welcome this months' guest speaker: Dorothy Kaufmann, Director at the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida. "Giving Wildlife A Second Chance" will address the many activities at the Sanctuary, such as receiving injured or orphaned wildlife, providing medical care and fostering during recovery, and rehabilitate and wildlife release. Join us on Saturday, April 20th beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden Street (former Sun Trust building) for the viewing of "Woman at War". It's a foreign indie film based in Iceland that conveys a global message relatable to all; how do we deal with one greatest issues of our time, the climate change, while maintaining a "normal" life. You must RSVP through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ woman-at-war-movie-viewing-tickets-58810076522 in order to reserve your seating. Seating is limited to 30 spots. Tickets, to paid at the door, are $7 and includes free popcorn, wine or water, and light refreshments. Thank you for your interest in protecting the environment. 850.549.7472 | earthethicsaction@gmail.com

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winners & losers

winners

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT Food Management (FM) magazine

recently ranked GCE No. 39 in the Top 50 Contract Management Companies list. FM editors do extensive research to compare and assess the largest contract management companies, including firms like Sodexo and Aramark. GCE, who fills most of its 1,700 positions with people with disabilities, has consistently made the list since 2010.

LEWIS BEAR, JR. Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Bear to the Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors, which was created by the Legislature to distribute $1.5 billion from the BP oil spill settlement to the eight Panhandle counties affected by the spill. Bear is president and CEO of the Lewis Bear Co. He also serves on the University of West Florida board of trustees and as the chairman of the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission. Bear was named to the top of the Inweekly Power List in 2009. GULF POWER FOUNDATION The University of West Florida GeoData Center was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the Gulf Power Foundation. Since 2013, Booker T. Washington High School Marine Science Academy students have collected water quality data at Bayou Texar. The Amplify! grant will allow the GeoData Center to help the academy integrate information collected into an online mapping Geographic Information Systems platform. Funds will also go toward training students on new tools for real-time data collection. Students at the Marine Science Academy will receive new tablet computers for entering and cataloging the data they collect.

losers

CONDUENT STATE & LOCAL SOLUTIONS The Florida Department of Transpor-

tation plans to fine the contractor $4.6 million for problems with the state's toll road system. Millions of toll transactions got delayed as a result of a billing system upgrade last June. When the transactions finally began to show up, some customers incurred bank overdraft fees as a result. Last Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the continued suspension of fees and penalties for SunPass and Toll-By-Plate customers until June 1. FDOT Secretary Kevin Thibault replaced his director of toll systems.

ELLENWOOD ACADEMY, LLC. Florida At-

torney General Ashley Moody last week filed a court action against Brandon-based Ellenwood Academy, LLC. "for deceptive marketing of illegitimate high school diplomas to consumers in Florida and nationwide." The school allegedly charged $195 for high school diplomas that are not accepted by any institution in the State University System. More than 3,000 people enrolled in the program between 2015 and 2017, according to the AG's office.

DAILY NEWSPAPERS CS/HB 1235 could end the requirement that government and legal notices be disseminated in print newspapers with paid circulations. Current Florida law requires state or local government entities to purchase newspaper advertising to get out notices. The bill would replace the newspaper provision with a requirement that such notices could be posted on a searchable public website. If passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by the governor, city and county agencies could save thousands annually by posting their legal notices on their website.

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417 E ZARRAGOSSA ST. outtakes

By Rick Outzen

A HARD LESSON This past week, I had the opportunity to interview the director of the Center for Civic Engagement, Terry Horne. During his first tour of Pensacola as the publisher of the News Journal from January-September 2014, we never met. The town was dealing with ice storms, floods and a jail explosion. Both the PNJ and Inweekly had their hands full. Horne has since retired from Gannett and returned to Pensacola with his wife. He has marveled at how much the town has changed in the past five years as private investment and philanthropy have risen. "The downtown seems to have more energy to me now than when I was here just five years ago," he shared. "There more people in the shops, more people in restaurants. You go out to eat, it's crowded, even on weeknights. It just shows a successful community." Horne added, "There seems to be a stronger sense of place. I sense now that more people realize that they're in a special place." For an hour, we discussed CivicCon and the center. One of his comments has stuck with me. He said, "A hard lesson that we've all learned is when you got something that shouldn't ever have been built in a place, it's tough to plan around it." For decades, downtown Pensacola was held back by the Main Street Sewage Plant

four blocks west of Palafox Street. The facility physically cut off the west side from downtown, but its noxious, foul odor also made dining outside nearly unbearable. The plant was built in 1937 on Main Street because the site was the lowest point in town, the sewer lines were gravity driven, and the effluent could be dumped into Pensacola Bay. Plus, the federal government paid for its construction. During the first five years of our newspaper's history, we fought for the plant to be relocated. We were told it was too expensive and the smell really wasn't that bad. Then Hurricane Ivan struck, and raw sewage was dumped everywhere. FEMA put up $150 million, and the plant was moved to the Cantonment area. Since the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority opened the Central Water Reclamation Facility in December 2010, downtown has blossomed. We have housing being built from Ninth Avenue to Pace Boulevard. Much of the development has happened over the past five years, and more projects are breaking ground. The Main Street Sewage Treatment Plant was a hard lesson that indeed was tough to plan around. What we do over the next few years will show how well we learned that lesson. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Much of the development has happened over the past five years, and more projects are breaking ground.

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TACKLING HOMELESSNESS, AGAIN something, we need to jump on this and take advantage of it."

EN ROUTE TO THE SUMMIT

It's still early, and Kimberl has been up a while already, directing dump trucks working on the driveway at Sean's Outpost, an outdoor area for homeless people to pitch camp. Before taking a position with the Alfred Washburn Center, which provides services like food and clothes, Kimberl was a homeless advocate involved in a years-long legal battle with Escambia County over the operation of Sean's Outpost. He eventually won that legal fight with the county and currently hosts between 15 and 20 people at the campground.

"It's been pretty dadgum amazing. The pieces are all starting to fall into place." Michael Kimberl

By Jeremy Morrison The city of Pensacola and Escambia County are about to begin working together to address the issues of homelessness and the needs of the homeless community in the area. No one's sure exactly what that's going to look like yet. "We don't have an idea at this particular time," Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said recently. "I think it's essential that we begin to discuss before we even get to the point of do we have a concept and what would be the concept and how would it work." To that end, the city and county will host a homeless summit Friday, April 5, with relevant community organizations. It's a chance to workshop possible ways local government could help address homelessness. "I think we want to find out where is it we're going," Robinson noted when announcing the summit.

A collective of community organizations has been invited to the summit, ranging from the scrappy-grassroots variety to more established nonprofits. A couple of days before the summit, some of the organizations are meeting for a pre-summit summit. "I said, 'Maybe we need to get together and cuss each other out, so we don't do it in front of the city and county officials,'" said Michael Kimberl, director of the Alfred Washburn Center. "So at least we get our lines straight." Kimberl can't say that he's entirely optimistic about the city-county engagement. "I'm always leery when government gets involved," he said. John Johnson, executive director for Opening Doors, is also a bit skeptical, "I don't think the government should lead this charge. I think they should play a supporting role." However, he's glad local government is initiating a conversation. Johnson said, "For the city and the county to want to do

"It's been pretty dadgum amazing," Kimberl reflected. "The pieces are all starting to fall into place." Since winning the right to remain on the property, Sean's Outpost has had a run of good luck, with individuals and organizations offering assistance in its mission. Volunteers from Ascend Performance Materials have helped do work on the property, which needed features like a privacy fence and vegetation screen as part of its legal settlement. Then, recently, a single individual ponied up for the mandated driveway—"I lost it; it just blew me away"—to the tune of $30,000. "And he wants to remain anonymous, so I can't even say who this badass is," Kimberl laughed. "He was basically like, 'This is between me and the Lord,' and I was like, 'All right, it works for me, but I don't mind singing your praises from the mountaintop.'" In addition to his work in service to the area's homeless community, Kimberl is also a drummer with a new band called

Struggling with

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Pauper's Grave. The band name is a winkand-elbow dig at a downtown restauranteur nicknamed the "Prince of Palafox" who once championed municipal efforts to enact ordinances against panhandling, but the moniker also ironically belies a darker aspect of the advocate's work—law enforcement sometimes calls upon him to identify bodies and verify that they were indeed homeless. Kimberl is a frontline, in-the-trenches homeless advocate. He's in the streets, in the parks, in the woods with sack lunches for everyone. He doesn't just help people; he knows their names; he becomes their friend. But in recent years, Kimberl has also earned a place in the virtual Rolodexes of public officials, having become considered somewhat of a subject-matter expert on homelessness. Funny, considering he's been involved in multiple lawsuits against both the city and county. As Pensacola and Escambia prepare to engage community organizations serving the homeless community, Mayor Robinson met with Kimberl. The activist told the mayor he wasn't keen on the concept of a large facility to house homeless people. "Since that's still the mantra that's being chanted, I'm assuming it didn't carry a lot of weight," Kimberl said. While Mayor Robinson has said that the city and county have yet to decide how best to inject themselves into the equation, one of the concepts that has been suggested is a facility to serve as a come-as-you-are shelter, which does not require sobriety, as well as a venue for organizations that provide services to the homeless community. Kimberl points to dystopian examples of such facilities, like Safe Harbor in Pinellas County where the sheriff 's office runs a homeless shelter. He said, "You basically get a yoga mat on a concrete floor inside a giant facility." The one-stop-shop, come-as-you-are facility is a core tenant of consultant Robert Marbut's one-size-fits-all prescription

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for homelessness. He's behind Safe Harbor and has peddled such facilities to communities from Chico, Calif., to San Antonio, Texas, to Daytona Beach, Fla. In 2014, he delivered a $30,000 report for Pensacola which suggested a such a center. "I imagine they've dusted that puppy off," Kimberl quipped, explaining that a larger facility could be problematic when dealing with populations of individuals often dealing with substance abuse or mental illness issues ... "and then a mother with smaller children walks in?" Johnson also feels a large facility may not be the best way to go—"No more than 10 units. Ten is as high as I would go." "It's an issue that nationally has not had success," he said. "When you congregate a large population, you end up inviting and doing more harm than good." The Open Doors (formerly EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless) director said he felt individual units of affordable housing stock spread out over the county would be optimal. "Scattershot housing is and has been a success for the past 20 years," he said. Matthew Knee, executive director of Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida, Inc., expressed a similar sentiment. "My answer is always affordable housing, workforce housing," he said. "There's a large gap between what a family needs and what a family can afford." Many of the people Catholic Charities works with, people clinging to the edge, would likely fare better in a non-facility environment. "They don't want people to know they're homeless," Knee said. "I mean, they're still going to a job, even though they're sleeping in the car with their kids. That's a lot of who we're helping." Also on the summit invite list is Pensacola attorney Jim Reeves, who is a critic of the large facility concept. He told Inweekly, "You've got a great amount of liability with that, all sorts of things that could cause all sorts of trouble." Reeves has a nonprofit, AMR Pensacola, Inc., that was founded in the early 1990s and owns around 200 units of affordable housing. "Our whole thing was, if you build a whole bunch of affordable housing all in one place, all you've created is a ghetto," Reeves explained. The attorney also has some ideas on how local government can best participate in this issue. "We are spending lots of money in 14 different directions, but there's no central direction," Reeves said. "In my mind's eye, Pensacola needs kind of a homeless czar, if you would, that coordinates all of the services." Mayor Robinson has indicated he's interested in hearing all such input from invested parties at the summit. He's also expressed concern that there won't be enough buy-in among the central players. "If we get there and everyone says, 'This is a horrible idea. We don't want to do it. We can't connect to it,' then we'll probably step back," the mayor said. "But then where does that put us? That puts us right back with nothing." April 4, 2019

WHAT'S NEXT?

Robinson's predecessor, Ashton Hayward, made three attempts to eliminate panhandling in downtown Pensacola through ordinances without addressing homelessness. The laws were eventually repealed due to public pressure or First Amendment lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. His infamous "No Blanket" ordinance garnered widespread condemnation after an ice storm in January 2014. The city council deleted the law from the books after the mayor said he prayed on the matter and changed his mind about it. The ACLU challenged the 2017 attempt to outlaw panhandling by creating a special district in downtown. Mayor Hayward hired the Atlanta-based Bondurant, Mixson and Elmore law firm to represent the city at a rate of $1,740 an hour. The ACLU didn't back down. A month after passing the ordinance, the city council voted to repeal it. Mayor Robinson wants to deal with homelessness first but has acknowledged that once the city handles that issue, he would then proceed to address panhandling. It's hoped that such efforts with dull any legal challenges to panhandling ordinances. This time, though, Mayor Robinson has floated a new approach. "The challenge is, fining the panhandler doesn't really change anything, but, I mean, do we look at fining the giver?" Robinson has said. The mayor has suggested that perhaps the city treat people giving from the roadway like they are conducting business, which is illegal. "That is a business," Robinson explained the rationale. "You are giving somebody something; you're getting something. They're basically selling you your guilt, and you're assuaging your guilt by giving a dollar. One way or the other, you end up giving. How you end up giving, it is still goods and services." Benjamin Stevenson, an attorney with the ACLU office, sounded almost intrigued. The strategy was at least more creative than past city efforts, which were textbook duds, legally speaking. "You know, the city has a new attorney, and I expect Susan Woolf will be a little bit more nimble," Stevenson said. While the ACLU attorney said he's glad to see the city and county addressing homelessness, he isn't sure how such efforts relate to the issue of panhandling. Stevenson is familiar with the Pottinger Agreement—the decadesold law just repealed in February that kept municipalities from enacting punitive laws against the homeless community for, basically, living outside—but he isn't quite sure how that concept relates to panhandling, which is a legally-established form of protected speech. "It's not abundantly clear how providing services for homeless men and women legally insulate the city from a First Amendment challenge against a panhandling prohibition," Stevenson said. But this is a conversation for another day. "I told you already," Robinson said during a late-March press conference, "that we're not going to discuss where we're going with panhandling until we figure out what we're going to do about homelessness." {in} 7


IT'S ABOUT US

By Rick Outzen A year ago, the Pensacola News Journal and Studer Community Institute announced the formation of the Center for Civic Engagement that would help educate and empower citizens to make their communities better. In January, Terry Horne, former PNJ publisher and regional president for the USA Today Network, returned to Pensacola to serve as the center's first director. Sitting in an empty classroom off the lobby of the recently renovated SCI building, Horne shared his thoughts on how the center will build on the success of CivicCon, the speaker series that has brought to the community nationally-known experts to discuss growth management, economic development, walkability and other topics. The most recent forum featured Peter Kageyama, author of "For Love of Cities." Over 200 people gathered at the Sanders Beach Community Center, and more than 6,300 others viewed the live stream of Kageyama's talk about how to do their own creative things to make Pensacola a better place to live.

"This ought to be about us, about the people who live here," said Horne. "And that's the way we're approaching it—not to make it a tourist destination but to make an incredible place for all of us to live and work and raise our families and have fun." In the coming months, Horne plans on hosting speakers on some of Pensacola's toughest issues—education, homelessness and panhandling. He wants to divide education into early childhood education and post-high school education for people that drop out of high school to learn trades. He also plans to treat homelessness and panhandling as separate issues.

"There's all kinds of different homeless, all kinds of different reasons for panhandling." Horne Horne said, "There's all kinds of different homeless, all kinds of different reasons for panhandling. I think maybe we need speakers for both." He is reviewing a list of 11 speakers to discuss homelessness and panhandling. The challenge is to find speakers that are not just subject-matter experts but also are motivational. "When we're choosing speakers, we try to get people with great information," Horne shared, "but also somebody that's motivational so that when we're done, we want to act on what they talk about."

"The speakers that we bring in talk about how to make great cities, how we can continue to make our community more special for all of us." Terry Horne EDUCATION & ADVOCACY Horne said, "The speakers that we bring in talk about how to make great cities, how we can continue to make our community more special for all of us." The improvements might make Pensacola more attractive to tourists, but that's not the center's mission. 88

The Center for Civic Engagement will take the civic conversations that are started during the CivicCon presentations and help develop action plans to implement them. The center will help educate citizens to be their own best advocates, hold their leaders accountable and organize with their neighbors to build stronger communities.

Horne has been setting up a curriculum of courses on topics such as public records, effective advocacy and neighborhood associations, and he has asked CivicCon participants to vote on the ones they would like to see first. He said, "We're saying, 'Here are 15 courses that have been suggested by you and regular CivicCon attendees. Rank order them for us so we can select four that we can get up and going right away.' After we get those up and going, we'll do the next four that we'll rank order them, and so on." The center will also help citizens navigate through the bureaucracies of local government and better advocate for their causes. "For example, somebody has something they're advocating for, and they feel that City Hall isn't helping them," Horne said. "Well, they can come to us, and we can figure out how they can get around whatever they perceive as an obstacle. It may be just a communication problem, and they don't know who to go talk to. They went to the wrong person, but we'll help them negotiate that kind of thing." To help Horne with the advocacy component, recently retired County Administrator Jack Brown has joined the institute as associate director. "I'm glad to have him. The guy knows so much about how government works in Florida," said Horne. "Jack knows how to do things here much better than me. I know how to do it really well in Arizona because I was there the last umpteen years, but in Florida, I still got ropes to learn. I'm really, really happy that Jack wanted to be a part of this."

SHARED LANGUAGE

Horne has been impressed with the mutual vocabulary of many of the CivicCon participants. "There have been two or three times when I've heard people either say or write in emails our shared language, the need for narrow streets, walkability and bikeability,"

he said. "There's a large alignment, if you will, around those key things. And when those things come up in conversation, I never hear anybody from the CivicCon group say, 'Oh, that's not important.' Those things seem to matter to people." Horne believes people want to continue to build a great downtown. He said, "The SCAPE waterfront project can be a catalyst to continue to make downtown a showcase." In February, the Center for Civic Engagement invited SCAPE, an urban design firm with studios in New York and New Orleans, to reimagine Pensacola's downtown waterfront from the Pensacola Bay Bridge to Joe Patti's Seafood. Mayor Grover Robinson has contributed additional funds to extend the study to Sanders Beach. The landscape architects will share their thoughts at a CivicCon event on April 22 at the Sanders Beach Community Center. Last month, Horne and Mayor Robinson visited New York City to get a peek at the drawings. "Right now, you walk along Bayfront Parkway on a tiny little sidewalk close to the road," said Horne. "It's scary because the cars drive so fast, so SCAPE has a great idea—and we'll see if it survives the final planning—to widen the walkway, keep the lanes and narrow the median so that there's space for people, not just cars." He said the designs didn't appear to be expensive.

"Everything that they presented was a reflection I think of what people in Pensacola were saying." Horne "Everything that they presented was a reflection I think of what people in Pensacola were saying," he said. "It's doable and won't cost some ridiculous number. And it can be done in stages that I think will make a big difference." He continued, "Their concepts for Bruce Beach are super exciting, and their concepts for the walkway from the bridge to Bartram Park, very, very exciting. But it's not going to break the bank." Horne believes the next few years are critical for Pensacola. The decisions made will set the community's course for decades. "A hard lesson that we've all learned is when you got something that shouldn't ever have been built in a place, it's tough to plan around it," said Horne. "As we continue to fill in areas downtown and work in neighborhoods, we have got to be really sure that we don't put something in that's a wrong thing." He added, "As we think about the vision of the city and the county, we also must think about what we don't want and what does fit the vision of what we want this place to be." {in} inweekly.net


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Doug Underhill / Courtesy Photo

HELP REQUESTED In January, Commis-

sioner Doug Underhill failed to win support to invoke eminent domain to obtain a parcel owned by the Lake Charlene Homeowner's Association that would allow the county to lower the level of Lake Charlene and reduce flooding in the area. Underhill tried to get the item on the agenda even though it appeared he didn't have the votes. Commission Chairman Lumon May said that he was reluctant to use eminent domain without exploring every alternative and asked Underhill if he would be willing to wait until another engineer could review the plans. Underhill refused to withdraw the motion. It died without a second to the motion, which prevents him from bringing the project up again for a year. Another commissioner will have to make the motion for the board to consider it. Last year, Underhill saw his support shrink among Lake Charlene area residents, who vote at Precinct 54-Elks Lodge on South 72nd Avenue. In the 2014 Republican primary at Precinct 54, Underhill bested incumbent Gene Valentino, 61-39 percent, and he won the general election against Democrat Deb Moore by 36 points. However, the 2018 election cycle was different. GOP challenger Alan McMillan won the primary at Precinct 54, 57-43 percent. In the general election, Underhill edged past Democratic newcomer Scott Trotter by 8 points at the Elks Lodge polling place. In a March 25 letter to Lake Charlene residents, Underhill placed blame on the Lake Charlene Homeowner's Association (HOA) for holding up the project. He wrote, "I cannot build this project with your 010 1

HOA and their lawyer fighting me." The HOA has opposed lowering Lake Charlene by nine inches because of the possible harm it could do to wildlife, seawalls and property values. Underhill stated, "Their opposition is nothing more than aesthetics," and he labeled the HOA arguments "absurd." Underhill asked the residents to contact Chairman May and request that the matter is placed the agenda for the April 4 commission meeting, get the Lake Charlene HOA to drop its opposition and reach the other commissioners to ask for their votes for the project. "Or you can accept failure," wrote Commissioner Underhill. "Failure means the grant is rescinded, and the project is abandoned. Failure means 75 homes in your community remain at risk. Failure means that the next time these homes flood, we have only ourselves to blame."

"Failure means that the next time these homes flood, we have only ourselves to blame." Doug Underhill He continued, "That is not the Escambia County I believe in which we live."

RIGHT PRICE PARKING Pensacola's

Downtown Improvement Board continued to refine its plans for downtown parking during a March 26 workshop in preparation for a conversation on the subject this summer with the Pensacola City Council. DIB Vice Chair John Peacock told other members of the Parking and Traffic Committee that a minimalist approach would probably be best. The city council needs merely to know that the DIB is handling parking and routinely assessing the downtown parking stock and its associated rate structure to figure out how much to charge where and when. "I don't want to make it too complicated for city council," Peacock said. "They don't need to be involved in price setting, and I don't think they want to." In short, it looks like the DIB will tell the council that some parking that is currently metered may not be at some point and vice versa. The quasi-governmental organiza-

tion may lean on the tenets of parking guru Donald Shoup, who presented a CivicCon lecture in October—charge the "right price" for parking to ensure a healthy turnover, and then spend the proceeds to benefit the regulated area. The DIB may consider changing the currently free parking along stretches of Palafox. The organization has received criticism for leaving the prime spots free with metering parking farther away from downtown's main drag. Dan Lindemann, the owner of A&J Mugs, was particularly steamed about the situation, complaining that neighboring business owners and employees routinely park in the prime spots all day. He laid out his feelings on the matter at the DIB workshop. "We don't have a parking problem downtown," he said. "We've just got lazy people."

"We don't have a parking problem downtown. We've just got lazy people." Dan Lindemann Lindemann said he was tired of trying to reason with the offenders and wants the DIB to start charging for Palafox parking. "That's a gold mine up there for you guys. I'll go up there and do it for 20 percent," he laughed. "I agree with Dr. Shoup, charge the heck out of 'em." Palafox parking rates will be one of those details of downtown parking that the DIB plans to work out before visiting with the city council. "We don't want to debate whether Palafox will be free or not," said committee member Danny Zimmern. "Not in front of council," Peacock agreed. Other details the DIB will be considering include whether or not to charge different rates for the same spots depending on the time of day and if there should be some stock of parking that is reserved for people willing to pay more for more convenient spaces. Whatever the parking rates and structure end up being, the DIB will likely spend the revenue on beautification and amenities like bathrooms. Peacock said that anyone happening to receive a fine for parking would prefer to know the money went back into the area. "It's things like pressure washing; it's things like better landscaping; it's things like Christmas lights," he said. "It's not like we're a big enterprise just trying to make money," noted Zimmern. "It's about the big picture." Currently, the DIB oversees about 2,500 on-street parking spaces and approximately 1, 400 off-street spots. There are an additional estimated 13,000 private spaces they don't monitor. During Tuesday's workshop, DIB Executive Director Lissa Dees appeared to

prod parking committee members to firm up the specifics of their presentation to the city, but Peacock maintained that a more general approach was best. "I just want to make sure that whatever this group tells council we're going to do, we'll be able to follow through," Dees said. "I don't think that's going to be a problem," Peacock said.

DESANTIS REMAINS POPULAR Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to ride a wave of popularity among Florida voters, according to a recent statewide survey by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI). DeSantis enjoys a 54 percent approval rating, up six points from last month's BEPI survey, with 19 percent disapproval and 27 percent of voters unsure about the new governor. Democrats were less enthusiastic about DeSantis, with 37 percent approval compared with 31 disapproval. Independents gave DeSantis 51 percent approval to 12 percent disapproval, while Republicans registered 72 percent approval and 11 percent disapproval. Voters also were asked about several public policy proposals being discussed in Tallahassee. Importing prescription drugs from Canada to help lower costs to Floridians won 75 percent support among survey respondents, with only 12 percent opposition. DeSantis' proposal to create a task force to reduce the impact of harmful algae blooms was also widely popular among voters, with 63 percent support and 16 percent opposition. The expansion of school voucher programs for middle-income families garnered 52 percent support and 29 percent opposition. Banning fracking was also popular, with nearly half of those surveyed (49 percent) supporting a ban on all kinds of fracking in Florida, while 31 percent oppose a ban. Floridians by a margin of 46 to 34 percent support banning sanctuary cities to prevent local governments from passing ordinances that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Allowing teachers to carry firearms on school property was opposed by 50 percent of those surveyed, while 38 percent approved. The survey was conducted March 2224 and polled 500 Florida registered voters. The study was conducted using an online sample supplied by Survey Sampling International using online questionnaires and via IVR. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points.

TWO-WAY MLK DRIVE To improve traffic issues and create a more walkable community, Pensacola may consider changing a couple of currently one-way streets into two-way affairs. Mayor Grover Robinson said at his March 25 press conference that he plans to approach the city's Eastside

inweekly.net


Board of County Commissioners / Courtesy Photo

Community Redevelopment Agency about changing North Davis Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to two-way streets. Robinson said that he felt making the change would calm speeding traffic, make the neighborhood the streets run through safer and hopefully spur local businesses along the routes. "There's just a lot of things we could do in that community if we quit doing the one-way," the mayor said. Robinson related the neighborhoods running along the two streets to an area in Charleston, S.C., having just visited the city for the Mayors Institute for Civic Design conference this past weekend. He noted the positive results the area experienced after opening up streets to two-way traffic

and said he plans to relay that city's experience when trying to sell neighborhood residents on the twoway concept. "I do want to go to the neighborhood and say, 'Listen, I've seen it, I've seen the difference it's made in an area that was fairly similar to yours, in Charleston.' I think it does a lot of things we talk about. It's how do you slow traffic down? How do you make things more walkable? How do you make it safer?'" the mayor said. Robinson added, "I don't want to try to force something on the neighbors that they don't see—it's my job to get them to see that that is a value and would make it a better neighborhood for them." In addition to any traffic-calming impact it may have, Robinson said he considered a resurgence of local businesses along the newly two-way roads to be a real likelihood. "The other part is‌ how do we introduce microeconomic development back into some of these communities, especially some of the communities that we've traditionally seen more economically neglected?" he said. "If you give back that two-way traffic, if you give back that walkability, there is an opportunity for that residential neighborhood commercial to come back."

"If you give back that twoway traffic, if you give back that walkability, there is an opportunity for that residential neighborhood commercial to come back." Grover Robinson

April 4, 2019

While there isn't a timeline on this twoway conversation, Mayor Robinson said he planned to start the ball rolling soon. "Baylen and Spring streets didn't take that long once they decided to do it," the mayor said. "If we decided to do it, then we would begin notice and set a date. We'd move out and get it striped. And we'd eventually show up one day, and all the sudden you'd be driving two ways."

"We'd move out and get it striped. And we'd eventually show up one day, and all the sudden you'd be driving two ways." Robinson BOARD VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to four seats on the Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission. The EPHRC was first established by an interlocal agreement between the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the city of Pensacola in April 1974. The purpose of the commission is to be responsible for the promotion of fair treatment and equal opportunity to all citizens of the local community. For this term, commission members, who are called commissioners, will serve an initial two-year term of office. Commissioners will establish a schedule of regular meetings, which shall be held at least monthly. The commission meetings are held to discuss the previous month's day-to-day activities and to ensure that the interlocal agreement between Escambia County, the city of Pensacola and the EPHRC are in compliance. Additional meetings may be held for special discussion, workshops, training sessions or community activities. Interested Escambia residents are

asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by the close of business Wednesday, April 10. Resumes should be submitted to Judy Witterstaeter/ Shamara Jernigan, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 1591, Pensacola, FL 32502, or emailed to boardapply@myescambia.com.

FERRY LANDING GRAND OPENING

On Saturday, April 13, the City of Pensacola will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Pensacola Ferry Landing beginning at 10 a.m. Refreshments and tours of the facility and boats will be offered following the ceremony. Located at the head of Commendencia Slip between the Port of Pensacola and Plaza de Luna/Palafox Pier, the new $3.5 million dock and terminal building will serve as the homeport location for National Park Service's 150-passenger, catamaran-style boats, the Turtle Runner and Pelican Perch. HMS Ferries, Inc. is the new concessioner under contract with the National Park Service to operate the boats. Once in service, the ships will transport passengers between Quietwater Beach, Fort Pickens and downtown Pensacola.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR The Escambia

County Waste Services Department will host a Regional Roundup 8 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 6, in the north parking lot of Pensacola High School, 500 W. Maxwell St. Regional Roundup events provide an opportunity to properly dispose of electronics, household hazardous waste and up to four tires per vehicle, free of charge. Proof of Escambia County residency is required to participate, such as a driver's license, power bill or voter registration card. This is a residential drop-off program only; no commercial waste accepted. For more information, email wasteservices@myescambia.com. DIB finance committee meets 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in the Bowden Building, Room #2, 120 Church St. DIB parking & traffic committee meets 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the Bowden Building, Room #1, 120 Church St. {in}

11


ARGO ALUMNI STORIES April 17, 2019 | 4-6pm

UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts | Music Recital Hall

Hear from those who have graduated, seen it, and come back to tell the tale.

Dr. Martha D. Saunders UWF President Moderator

Dr. Mona Amodeo Founder and President, idgroup

Kenneth Cockrell Astronaut

Jason Crawford Managing Partner, One in a Row Ventures

Jerry Maygarden Former Pensacola Mayor, Florida Legislator and Chamber President

REGISTER | uwf.edu/cfe

This event is part of UWF Founders Week. Learn more at uwf.edu/foundersweek.

This ad is sponsored by the Studer Community Institute 212 1

inweekly.net


By Jeremy Morrison

April 4, 2019

13


Soon, spring will embrace baseball season in Pensacola, and Blue Wahoos Stadium at Maritime Park will once again hear the crack of the bat, pop of the ball and cheers during Saturday night fireworks. But on a Wednesday afternoon in late March, the stadium is mostly quiet, except for a gaggle of media here to check out a new slate of food offerings being introduced for the 2019 season. "My personal favorite—the grilled cheese hot dog," smiled Jay Kudla, vice president for Blue Wahoos concessions. "It's half baseball, half comfort food." In a minute, Kudla would dare people to try a decadent looking dish dubbed the Deep Fried Elvis, but for now, everyone was busy scarfing down hotdogs with mango salsa and pineapple mustard. But the Wahoos' 2019 season will bring more than a new menu. There's also new sod on the field and, of course, a new team, with the Double-A Blue Wahoos beginning their relationship with the Minnesota Twins.

KAZOO'S TWIN

Last fall, the Wahoos announced a big change. After being affiliated with the Cincin-

nati Reds since its inception, the team would be switching to the Twins. For local fans, the affiliation switch means getting acquainted with a new roster of players and coaching staff. But with the natural flow of minor-league turnover, that's pretty normal anyway. For the Twins, the switch meant moving south from their old Double-A haunts of Chattanooga, Tenn. According to Twins General Manager Thad Levine, it's a move the team is excited about. "We enjoyed our time in Chattanooga. We won a lot of baseball games there," Levine said. "But when the opportunity came to join with [team owner] Quint [Studer], it was something we didn't want to miss." Among the reasons for pursuing the Wahoos was, of course, the stadium locale and the numerous awards the stadium has claimed, but it was also something else, something a little intangible—a chance to develop a symbiotically-beneficial relationship with the community, a chance to contribute to and learn from. "I believe our players will weave into the fabric of this community. I think they will

be better men for having that experience. That was something important to us as we were making this decision to change affiliations," Levine explained. The general manager cited how players coming out of Pensacola had benefitted from their time playing in the area. "You can see how entrenched this team has been in this community and how it has impacted so many people's lives beyond baseball," Levine said. As the Twins make the move to Pensacola, local fans should expect to see some impressive talent come through the area en route to the majors. "The beauty of where you guys are in the cyclical nature of our development is that some of our best players in the minor league system are either ready to come to Double-A on opening day or they will be here at some point," Levine said. Some of the new Wahoos will be coming from the Twins' Class A team in Fort Myers, Fla. The Fort Myers Miracle won the Florida State League championship in its class last season. Also coming from Fort Myers will be Ramon Borrego, who managed that championship team. A native of Venezuela, Borrego is excited to be continuing his journey through the minor league ball system in pursuit of baseball dreams and looks forward to his time in Pensacola. "Now is my time to show people what I can do as a manager in a higher league," Borrego said. "What is my goal? Working in the big leagues. So, this is part of reaching that goal." Borrego is also excited about working with some of the players he knows from Fort Myers. "They know me; I know them," he said. He's also got a feeling that Blue Wahoos fans are in for a good season. "I really like this team. I think it will be an exciting year," Borrego said. "You are going to enjoy these guys with the way they play, the passion they bring. It's going to be a fun, interesting year."

MENU ANEW

The Blue Wahoos' new affiliation with the Twins is this season's biggest news, but fans will also see other changes in 2019. In addition to the new sod, a new 20-foot LED video scoreboard behind home plate and the new radio broadcast contract with ESPN Pensacola, there are also the new food offerings. The stadium's new menus represent a shift in culinary philosophy. "We're getting rid of concession stands," explained Wahoos President Jonathan Griffith. "We wanted to take our customer service to another level." Whereas previous seasons have seen traditional ballpark fare served at the stadium's various concession areas—hotdogs, pretzels, nachos and beer—the 2019 season will begin a new era. This new era will feature tacos with mahi-mahi, octopus and pickled onions at one place and soft serve chocolate, whiskeyinfused ice cream at the next. Each of the stadium's concession areas now features a new facade designating each with a different theme. Each theme is meant to highlight an aspect of local culture, with menu items ranging from the nachos conquistadors at Cantina Espanola to the footlong chili cheese hotdog named after Gen. Chappie James. Bubba's Sandtrap, the stadium's bar behind home plate, also got some upgrades this season. Fans can now enjoy their drinks from an outdoor area outside the Sandtrap. "This, right here behind home plate, pretty much one of the best views in town" Kudla said. {in}

BLUE WAHOOS HOME OPENER 2019 WHAT: Blue Wahoos vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp WHEN: 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. DETAILS: bluewahoos.com

THE DAILY SHOW Sure, baseball is the main reason to make your way to Wahoos Stadium, but there are a few other things you might want to plan your ballpark outings around. Here’s a rundown of the 2019 promotional schedule.

Military Mondays and Giveback Mondays

The Wahoos will begin each week by honoring local military members and helping local nonprofits raise money through a dual promotion.

Fat Tuesdays

For $24, you can get a ticket to the WinnDixie Party Deck, which includes access to a 90-minute pre-game buffet dinner,

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unlimited soda and water throughout the game and a free Wahoos hat.

Social Media Wednesdays

You already do it for the ‘gram, why not for a chance to win prizes? Make sure your phone is fully charged and come ready to get social with Wahoos players and staff throughout the game every Wednesday.

Thirsty Thursdays

Because the only thing better than a ballgame is a ballgame with happy hour.

Giveaway Fridays

Be one of the first 2,000 fans at the ballpark on Fridays to get special edition Wahoos giveaway items. They've got some pretty great stuff planned this

season—like a Pensacola Beach Towel on May 31 and a LandShark Margaritaville Bobblehead on Aug. 16.

and specialty jerseys. Here are a few to go ahead and put on your calendar:

Fireworks Saturdays

Field of Dreams Night (April 20) Star Wars Night (May 4) Bark in the Park (May 16 and Aug. 4) Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure Night (June 4) Mermaids and Pirates Day (June 16) Ghostbusters Night (June 29) Mardi Gras Night (July 16) Christmas In July (July 26) Anchorman Night (Aug. 3) Summer of ’69 Night (Aug. 17)

Win or lose, the Wahoos celebrate every Saturday night with post-game fireworks.

Family Sundays

Bring the kids, and after the game, they can take the field, run the bases and play catch in the outfield.

Special Events

In addition to these regular promo nights, there will also be special events throughout the season combining themed food and drink specials, costumes, giveaways

*All giveaways, promotions and event dates are subject to change

inweekly.net


2019 HOME GAME SCHEDULE APRIL

Wednesday, April 10 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Thursday, April 11 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Friday, April 12 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Saturday, April 13 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Sunday, April 14 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Saturday, April 20 vs. Mobile Baybears Sunday, April 21 vs. Mobile Baybears Monday, April 22 vs. Mobile Baybears Tuesday, April 23 vs. Mobile Baybears Wednesday, April 24 vs. Mobile Baybears

MAY

Wednesday, May 1 vs. Biloxi Shuckers Thursday, May 2 vs. Biloxi Shuckers Friday, May 3 vs. Biloxi Shuckers Saturday, May 4 vs. Biloxi Shuckers Sunday, May 5 vs. Biloxi Shuckers Thursday, May 16 vs. Mobile Baybears Friday, May 17 vs. Mobile Baybears Saturday, May 18 vs. Mobile Baybears Sunday, May 19 vs. Mobile Baybears Monday, May 20 vs. Mobile Baybears Tuesday, May 28 vs. Mississippi Braves Wednesday, May 29 vs. Mississippi Braves Thursday, May 30 vs. Mississippi Braves Friday, May 31 vs. Mississippi Braves

April 4, 2019

JUNE

Saturday, June 1 vs. Mississippi Braves Sunday, June 2 vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Monday, June 3 vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Tuesday, June 4 vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Wednesday, June 5 vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Thursday, June 6 vs.Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Wednesday, June 12 vs.Tennessee Smokies Thursday, June 13 vs.Tennessee Smokies Friday, June 14 vs.Tennessee Smokies Saturday, June 15 vs.Tennessee Smokies Sunday, June 16 vs.Tennessee Smokies Tuesday, June 25 vs.Biloxi Shuckers Wednesday, June 26 vs.Biloxi Shuckers Thursday, June 27 vs.Biloxi Shuckers Friday, June 28 vs.Biloxi Shuckers Saturday, June 29 vs.Biloxi Shuckers Sunday, June 30 vs. Mississippi Braves

JULY

Monday, July 1 vs. Mississippi Braves Tuesday, July 2 vs. Mississippi Braves Wednesday, July 3 vs. Mississippi Braves Thursday, July 11 vs. Montgomery Biscuits Friday, July 12 vs. Montgomery Biscuits Saturday, July 13 vs. Montgomery Biscuits Sunday, July 14 vs. Montgomery Biscuits

Monday, July 15 vs. Montgomery Biscuits Tuesday, July 16 vs. Montgomery Biscuits Monday, July 22 vs. Mobile Baybears Tuesday, July 23 vs. Mobile Baybears Wednesday, July 24 vs. Mobile Baybears Thursday, July 25 vs. Mobile Baybears Friday, July 26 vs. Mobile Baybears

AUGUST

Thursday, Aug. 1 vs.Birmingham Barons Friday, Aug. 2 vs.Birmingham Barons Saturday, Aug. 3 vs.Birmingham Barons Sunday, Aug. 4 vs.Birmingham Barons Monday, Aug. 5 vs.Birmingham Barons Tuesday, Aug. 13 vs.Chattanooga Lookouts Wednesday, Aug. 14 vs.Chattanooga Lookouts Thursday, Aug. 15 vs.Chattanooga Lookouts Friday, Aug. 16 vs.Chattanooga Lookouts Saturday, Aug. 17 vs.Chattanooga Lookouts Friday, Aug. 23 vs. Jackson Generals Saturday, Aug. 24 vs. Jackson Generals Sunday, Aug. 25 vs. Jackson Generals Monday, Aug. 26 vs. Jackson Generals Tuesday, Aug. 27 vs. Jackson Generals Game Times: Regular season home games start at 6:35 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Sunday games start at 1:05 p.m. now and 5:05 p.m. later in the season. Stadium gates open one hour prior to first pitch.

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inweekly.net


WEEK OF APRIL 4-10

Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

A Shucking Good Cause By Sydney Robinson

North Carolina's Mera Brothers Oysters, Louisiana Oyster Co., Louisiana's Grand Isle Sea Farm, Alabama's Portersville Bay Oyster Co., Florida's Gulf Springs Sea Farm, South Carolina's Lowcountry Oyster Co. and Alabama's Massacre Island Oyster Ranch. "This isn't your typical festival," Strickland said speaking to the Hurricane Michael related mission of Barleybrine. "Of course, we'll have great beer and delicious food, but we believe people are hungry for more. They crave understanding and connection."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The practice of oyster farming is a new one to the Gulf Coast, an industry which promotes a healthier ocean while providing coastal residents with highquality seafood in a sustainable way. The industry was just developing its sea legs when the Panama City area was hit in October by Hurricane Michael, a devastating storm which, in addition to widespread damage on land, left much of the oyster farming community in shambles. Through the upcoming Barleybrine event, attendees have the opportunity to give back to fellow panhandle residents affected by Hurricane Michael with a focus on gulf fishermen and oyster farmers who are struggling more than six months after the storm's impact. Described by T.S. Strickland, founder and president of Blue Collards events, as "swarthy and swashbuckling," the Barleybrine event is going to be approachable and fun, a homier version of their fall event Peat and Pearls. This time, instead of scotch, attendees can try a variety of Southern craft beer paired with farm-raised oysters from all over the South. And it's a multi-day event, April 4, 2019

so you can really get your fill of good stuff. Things get started Thursday with the Hair Many Hootenanny kickoff event in partnership with Perfect Plain Brewing Co. and Wilfrid's Barber & Fine Goods with a beard and mustache challenge. Following that is a more upscale five-course meal with recent "Top Chef" winner Kelsey Barnard Clark on Friday, and Saturday is the Grand Tasting. Saturday's tasting event will center around high-quality beer featuring an impressive list of Southern craft brews including Abita, Parish, Cigar City, Good People, Idyll Hounds and many more. Alongside the beer tasting, attendees can opt for an additional Oyster Showcase ticket for $20. The showcase is the best way to experience a variety of oysters from farmers in the region. You can eat them raw on the half-shell or try an expertly crafted small bite from on-site chefs. Oyster farmers in attendance include

killed the oysters, though Mercer theorizes it could be a change in salinity or stress from the storm that did it. Now, oyster farmers in the area are further hampered by a delay in government assistance. Despite having crop insurance, the government has yet to pay one dime to oyster farmers, making it difficult to buy new oyster seed. Even if they had the money, hurricaneimpacted farmers like the Mercers are finding it hard to buy the seed—tiny oysters the size of a pinky nail required for oyster farming because the variety of oyster used is unable to spawn—while hatcheries struggle to keep up with demand. In light of these difficulties, Mercer says the mission of Barleybrine is a dear one. "It means a lot because for the oyster farmers, there's no kind of relief after a storm like this," Mercer explained. "[After the storm,] we went to state agricultural meetings, and there's nothing for oyster [farmers] except loans. I'd say that we're the forgotten farmers." Mercer is excited to share TAB Oyster's variety of Piney Island Selects—so-named for a nearby island of the same name—and is even more excited to meet and spend time with others in her industry. "When we do events like this Barleybrine event, it's a time to meet new farmers from all over," Mercer said. TAB Oysters plan to rebuild and are working to build their crop up to its prehurricane status and then some.

One Hurricane Michaelimpacted oyster company participating in Barleybrine is TAB Oysters from Crawfordville, Fla. Started in 2017 by couple Teresa and Joseph Mercer, TAB is named for their three young daughters— Taylor, Ava and Brooklyn. The Mercers were driving home from participating in another event hosted by Blue Collards last October when they got word that Hurricane Michael was headed their way. Having just harvested their first season of oysters and invested in doubling their crop, they were forced to sink their oyster farming equipment and hope for the best. "We lost over half of our oysters out "We want to get our crop back up, keep there in the water," building and get bigger," said Mercer. "The said Teresa Mercer. more people find out about farm-raised "They died a few oysters, the more they taste them and love days after the storm them." {in} and continued to die." While the couple was fortunate to have their home left undamaged, Mercer says the impact on their oyster supply has been significant. "Some oyster farmers lost equipment; WHEN: Thursday, April 4-Saturday, April 6 some lost almost all of their oysters. This DETAILS AND TICKET INFORMATION: time last year, we were harvesting weekly bluecollards.com/barleybrine and bringing in so many oysters, and now it's kind of bleak," Mercer told Inweekly. It's unclear why exactly the storm

"This time last year, we were harvesting weekly and bringing in so many oysters, and now it's kind of bleak." Teresa Mercer

"We want to get our crop back up, keep building and get bigger." Mercer

BARLEYBRINE

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calendar THURSDAY 4.4

TRAIL WORK ON THE FLORIDA TRAIL 8 a.m.-

12:30 p.m. Every Thursday. Three miles north of Deaton Bridge Road. meetup.com/ ftawesterngate YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Community Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org LA LECHE LEAGUE 10 a.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org PILATES MAT 12:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org JUAN SEBASTIAN DE ELCANO RETURNS TOUR

3-6:30 p.m. NAS Pensacola, 1878 S. Blue Angel Parkway. ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS 5 and 7 p.m. $20 per person. Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. greatsouthernrestaurants.com AWM WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Free. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. facebook.com/ aragonwine RADIOLIVE 6 p.m. $10. Tanya Gallagher, Jonathan Byrd and Korby Lenker. Museum of Commerce, 201 Zaragoza St. radiolive.org BARLEYBRINE OYSTER AND CRAFT BEER WEEKEND: HAIRY MAN HOOTENANNY 6:30

p.m. Free. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. bluecollards.com/barleybrine LATIN DANCE CLASSES 6:30-9 p.m. $10. Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha and more. Professional dance instruction for all skill levels. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com MEDITATION AND ENERGY HEALING 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org END OF THE LINE THURSDAY DINNER 6-9 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. Sign up for the newsletter for menu. eotlcafe.com RABBIT HOLE 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com THREE DOG NIGHT 7:30 p.m. $46-$96. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com

FRIDAY 4.5

PANHANDLE TRACE HIKE II FLORIDA/ALABAMA LINE 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet at

North Hurricane Lake campground area in Baker. meetup.com/ftawesterngate ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 10 a.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com EVER'MAN COOKS: 30-MINUTE MEALS WITH BACKYARD BOHEMIAN 11 a.m. Ever'man

Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org GLORIA BELL SCREENING 1 p.m. $7. Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St. pensacolacinemaart.com PENSACOLA FOOD TRUCK FEST 5-10 p.m. Live music and 40 plus unique eateries. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. pensacolafoodtruckfest.org ART FOR SCIENCE CULINARY RECEPTION

5-7:30 p.m. $20-$25. Dr. Wendy Bennett's Studio, 923 N. Davis Highway. eventbrite.com GARDEN AND GRAIN CRAFT CLUB 5 p.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco 818 1

HAPPY HOUR COOKOUTS 5 p.m. Drink spe-

cials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

WINE AND TAPAS TASTING WITH CAROL SHELTON 6 p.m. $40. So Gourmet, 407-D S.

Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com FIRST FRIDAY MAKER'S MARKET 6-9 p.m. Bare Hand Collective, 2370 N. Palafox. facebook.com/barehandco BARLEYBRINE OYSTER AND CRAFT BEER WEEKEND: BLUEGRASS AND SUNSHINE BEER DINNER 6-9 p.m. $125. Heritage Hall, Seville

Quarter, 130 E. Government St. bluecollards.com/barleybrine DATE NIGHT DANCE CLASSES 6:30-8 p.m. $8. Learn several romantic ballroom dance styles in unique group classes. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com SOMO: THE PHASES TOUR 7 p.m. $20-$299. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com OPEN MIC 7-11 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook.com/cafesinglefin

BLACK GOLD: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE SCREENING 7 p.m. Open Books, 1040 N. Guil-

lemard St. facebook.com/openbooksbookstore BALLET PENSACOLA'S CINDERELLA 7 p.m. $37. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. balletpensacola.com DEARLY DEPARTED 7:30 p.m. $7-$18. Free to UWF students. University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/cfpa RABBIT HOLE 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Rd. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com

SATURDAY 4.6

PARKRUN/WALK MEETUP 7:30 a.m. University

of West Florida, Rec Plex North Field, 11000 University Parkway. parkrun.us/recplexnorth

PANHANDLE TRACE HIKE II FLORIDA/ALABAMA LINE 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Meet at South

Karick Lake entrance off Highway 189 north of Baker. meetup.com/ftawesterngate PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com YOU SELL IT HERE FARMER'S MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission. Every Saturday. 8600 Pensacola Blvd., facebook.com/yousellithere SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fresh local produce, honey, baked goods and live music. Pace Presbyterian Church, Woodbine Road. OCEAN HOUR CLEAN-UPS 9-10 a.m. Two sites—Gulf Islands National Seashore at Naval Live Oaks, 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze; and the south end of Bob Sikes bridge, meet at Grand Marlin parking lot. oceanhourfl.com JAZZFEST 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Free admission. Bring your own lawn chair and blankets. Seville Square. jazzpensacola.com WHAT'S NEW IN DNA FOR GENEALOGISTS 10 a.m. Free. West Florida Genealogy Library, 5740 N. 9th Ave. wfgsi.org DIY GARDENING 10 a.m. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org

Mobile Munchies By Sydney Robinson

This weekend, Pensacolians can forgo traditional dining establishments and chain restaurants in favor of food a bit more mobile at the Pensacola Food Truck Festival. Inweekly's 2018 Best of the Coast Winner for Best Food Event is returning on April 5 and 6 and hoping for sunny weather as they showcase sweets and savories from dozens of area food trucks. As always, the event is for a good cause, with proceeds benefitting the organizers, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. Also, as in past years, trucks will compete for a crowd favorite trophy as well as the official judging to determine who really has the best mobile menu. Among the long list of attendees is City Bowls South, a local branch of an established Birmingham-based açaì bowl truck featuring fresh and fruity smoothie bowls. Also competing is Pensacola institution Hip Pocket Deli, where you can enjoy a gyro to rival any in town. There will also be pizza at Rolling Embers and Portuguese cuisine from Father's Daughter. And that's just a small taste—there will about 30 more trucks to pick from. While there will be dozens of trucks vying to take home that crowd favorite top spot, you can bet Randy Russell's Nomadic Eats will be working hard to defend the title. The mobile fusion truck boasts a regular array of South American, East Asian and Cajun-inspired dishes and rotating daily specials ranging from boudin to bahn mi tacos to handmade peanut tofu. At the festival, Nomadic Eats will be competing with a typically untypical menu. Russell hinted that the truck would be offering their infmaous hot chicken in a nugget form, as well as coconut milk shrimp ceviche, Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice) and several other PENSACOLA FOOD TRUCK FEST 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Live music and 40 plus unique eateries. Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. pensacolafoodtruckfest.org BARLEYBRINE OYSTER AND CRAFT BEER WEEKEND: GRAND TASTING Noon-5 p.m. $15-

$75. De Luna Winery, 116 E. Gonzalez St. bluecollards.com/barleybrine GLORIA BELL SCREENING 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. $7. Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St. pensacolacinemaart.com WISDOM OF MYTH 2-4 p.m. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. GUMBO YAYA COOK-OFF 4-6 p.m. $10. Proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12

specially-crafted items you'll have to order to believe. "This is a great event for food trucks and Pensacola," said Russell. "When we participated the first year, it really brought a lot of awareness and support for food trucks in our area, and it's only grown over the years." Since his first year competing in the event, Russell has upgraded his truck, brought on two additional employees and has moved to a permanent event space just above Garden Street where he plans to host events and continue to expand the definition of "nomadic" eating in the Pensacola area. "Events like this give us and other trucks exposure, which has helped us grow and expand to what we are today, not to mention the event is for a great cause," Russell told Inweekly.

PENSACOLA FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL

WHEN: 5-10 p.m. Friday, April 5, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, April 6 WHERE: Community Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. DETAILS: pensacolafoodtruckfest.org

plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us NEW MOON MEDITATION AND TEA 6:30 p.m. Asher & Bee Apothecary and Tea House, 7 E. Gregory St. facebook.com/ asherandbee STILL STANDING: TRIBUTE TO ELTON JOHN

7 p.m. $10. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com

CULTURES COOK: FILIPINO COMFORT FOOD

7 p.m. $39 per person. Pensacola Cooks Kitchen, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.rezclick.com DANCE PARTY 7 p.m.-midnight. $10-$20. One-hour workshop followed by a mix of swing, country and ballroom music. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com

inweekly.net


calendar BALLET PENSACOLA'S CINDERELLA 7 p.m. $37.

levels. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: RUSSIAN SPECTACULAR 7:30 p.m. $23

MONDAY 4.8

Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. balletpensacola.com

and up. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. pensacolasaenger.com DEARLY DEPARTED 7:30 p.m. $7-$18. Free to UWF students. University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/cfpa RABBIT HOLE 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Rd. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com IMPROVABLE CAUSE 10:30 p.m. $11. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com

SUNDAY 4.7

WAKE UP HIKE 7 a.m. Meet at Bay Bluffs Park, Scenic Highway at Summit Ave., for a brisk one to two-hour walk with brunch to follow at an area restaurant GULF COAST HALF MARATHON 7 a.m. Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, 4 Via de Luna Drive. runpensacolabeach.com TERRAIN RACE 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 8974 Tomahawk Landing Road, Milton. terrainrace.com PANHANDLE TRACE HIKE II FLORIDA/ALABAMA LINE 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. McVay Road.

meetup.com/ftawesterngate

THEMED BRUNCH AT PERFECT PLAIN 10 a.m.

Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco BRUNCH WITH LIVE MUSIC 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook. com/cafesinglefin JAZZFEST 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Free admission. Bring your own lawn chair and blankets. Seville Square. jazzpensacola.com TRANSMISSION GROUP WORLD SERVICE MEDITATION 10:30 a.m. Free. Ever'man Educational

Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org VEGAN BRUNCH 11 a.m.-2 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. Sign up for the newsletter for menu. eotlcafe.com SUNDAY BRUNCH AT H20 11 a.m. $28.95 for adults. Free valet parking and 15 percent off with local ID. H20 Hilton, 12 Via de Luna Drive. facebook.com/hiltonpensacolabeach KEEP PENSACOLA BEAUTIFUL BAG SWAP 1-5 p.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco BRIDES AND BUBBLES 2 p.m. Free for brides. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com BALLET PENSACOLA'S CINDERELLA 2:30 p.m. $37. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. balletpensacola.com DEARLY DEPARTED 2:30 p.m. $7-$18. Free to UWF students. University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/cfpa PENSACOLA MUSIC STUDY CLUB WINNERS' RECITAL 3 p.m. Music Hall at University of

West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/cfpa RABBIT HOLE 2:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com SWING DANCE CLASSES 4-7 p.m. $10. Professional West Coast swing instruction for all April 4, 2019

SKILLSUSA FLORIDA STATE LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Pensacola

Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com RESUME HELP 11 a.m. Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A. mywfpl.com PILATES MAT 1:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org EARTH ETHICS 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SEVILLE QUARTER MILERS 6 p.m. Runners meet in front of Seville Quarter for a run around downtown Pensacola. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MUSIC HALL ARTISTS SERIES: BRIAN DOWNEN, TENOR 7:30 p.m. $7-$18. Free for

UWF students. Music Hall at University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/cfpa

HIP-HOP & CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASSES

8-9 p.m. $5. Learn amazing moves from professional instructors. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com

TUESDAY 4.9

SKILLSUSA FLORIDA STATE LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Pensacola

Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. pensacolabaycenter.com JOHN APPLEYARD TALK: EARLY PENSACOLA 9 a.m. Pensacola Visitor Information Center, 1401 E. Gregory St. YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Community Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE 11:30 a.m. Free. National Naval Aviation Museum, 1878 S. Blue Angel Parkway. navalaviationmuseum.org HOMEMADE PASTA TUESDAY 12 p.m. $10. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com GLORIA BELL SCREENING 1 p.m. $7. Studer Community Institute, 220 W. Garden St. pensacolacinemaart.com GARDENING ON THE GULF COAST 1 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org TRYON FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT 4 p.m. Tryon Branch Library, 1200 Langley Ave. mywfpl.com COMPLIMENTARY WINE TASTING 4-6 p.m. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com VINO MAGNIFICO 5:30 p.m. $12 per person. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com WALKING CEMETERY TOURS 5:30 p.m. $12 plus tax. St. John's Historic Cemetery, 301 N. G St. goretro.us CULTURES COOK: GNOCCHI, ITALY'S DUMPLING 6 p.m. $39 per person. Pensacola

Cooks Kitchen, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.rezclick.com FUNKY YOGA 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES 6:30 p.m. $10. Country two-step, East Coast swing, competition choreography and more. No 19


calendar partner required. World championship dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com BANDS ON THE BEACH 7-9 p.m. Free. Rhinestone. Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach. visitpensacolabeach.com COMEDY NIGHT 7 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. swanneckwinery.com

WEDNESDAY 4.10

BLUE ANGELS PRACTICE 11:30 a.m. Free. Na-

tional Naval Aviation Museum, 1878 S. Blue Angel Parkway. navalaviationmuseum.org ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 3 p.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com VEGAN AND VINO SUNDAYS 4-7 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox YOGA FLOW 6-7 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SWING DANCE CLASSES AND PARTY 6:3010 p.m. $10 lesson, $5 party. Professional West Coast swing instruction for all levels followed by fun and friendly social dancing on the best wood dance floor in the area. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com BLUE WAHOOS VS. JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP 6:35 p.m. $5 and up. Blue Wahoos

Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. bluewahoos.com

FREE DANCE LESSONS 8-8:30 p.m. Free.

Beginner West Coast swing dance lesson. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola S. Blvd. dancecraftfl.com

020 2

Arts & Culture

≥Events

PMA GALLERY TOURS 2:30 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free with museum admission. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org

≥Current Exhibits

INSIDE OUT: THE PEOPLE'S ART PROJECT

At Jefferson St. and Main St. pensacolamuseum.org ARCHITECTURE FOR TRAVELERS On view

through March. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org CASITA On view through March. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org

PENSACOLA ART STUDY CLUB 2019 MEMBERS SPRING SHOW On view

through April 7. Free. First United Methodist Church, 80 E. Wright St. TAGGED STUDENT ART & DESIGN EXHIBITION On

view through April 13. The Art Gallery at UWF, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. uwf.edu/ cfpa ABOUT FACE RECEPTION On

view through April 14. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.com CYBERPUNK On view through April 25. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. artelgallery.org SPOTLIGHT ON ART: UWF SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENT JOSE MOLINA On view

through April 27. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. bluemorninggallery. com PMA MEMBERS SHOW

On view through April 28. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org

AUBREY BEARDSLEY

On view through May 5. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org ART BY DIANE BRIM AND KATHY BREAZEALE On view

through May 12. Luna Fine Art Gallery, Hilton Pensacola Beach, 12 Via de Luna Drive. lunafineartgallery.com DOCUFLORIDA II On view through May 17. T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org BEAUTY IN USE:

CELEBRATING JAPANESE CULTURAL TRADITIONS On

view through June 27. Lamar Studio Switzer Center, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. pensacolastate.edu PUNKSACOLA: REFLECTIONS OF A SUBCULTURE On

view through July 2019. T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org

COTTON FIELDS TO CONGRESS: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF EARL HUTTO On view at

the T.T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum, 330 S. Jefferson St. historicpensacola.org

GALLERY DAYS

Noon-4 p.m. Saturdays. Featuring local artists. To be featured, contact Angel at 941-735-

4586 or call the restaurant at 4770035. TGI Fridays, 1240 Airport Blvd.

≥Workshops & Classes

POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Six-week

workshops are held Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-noon, Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non-members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

INTRODUCTION TO POTTERY ON THE WHEEL Every Monday

from 6-8:30 p.m. at First City Art Center. Classes are $40. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

CLAY HAND BUILDING Six-week

workshops are held

Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non-members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org. CLAY SCULPTURE

Six-week workshops held Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at First City Art Center. Cost is $157.25 for members and $185 for non-members. For more information, visit firstcityart.org.

≥Call for Artists

GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL LOOKING FOR EMERGING ARTISTS Applica-

tions are open for the GGAF Emerging Artists program. This program, developed in partnership with Artel Gallery, gives new artists a chance to be a part of the Great Gulfcoast Arts

inweekly.net


KORBY LENKER

presents

RadioLive adioLive THE FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH at the Museum of Commerce in Historic Pensacola

Featuring

KORBY LENKER TANYA GALLAGHER JONATHAN BYRD

April 4, 2019

04/04/19

6:00 p.m. Doors 5:00 p.m.

Broadcast LIVE on 88.1 FM

Tickets $10

available at wuwf.org 850.474.2787

21


calendar Festival and offers them guidance in what is involved in being in an arts festival. Applications are open to artists who have limited experience participating in arts festivals and are residents of Escambia or Santa Rosa Counties. Two artists will be chosen to participate in this year's festival. GGAF will waive fees for the two artists and will provide a booth and mentor to help guide them through the process. For more information and an application, visit ggaf. org. The GGAF is Nov. 1, 2 and 3, 2019, in Seville Square.

Bars & Nightlife

≥Live Music

THURSDAY 4.4 NICK ANDREWS 6

222 2

p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes. com JOHN RIPLEY 6-9 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. BILLY HOWELL 6:30 p.m. The District Steakhouse, 123 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MEL KNAPP 7 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com OPEN COLLEGE JAM WITH MIKE BOCCIA

7:30 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. DUELING PIANOS

8 p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

OPEN MIC/JAM

8-11 p.m. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. Use

our instruments or bring your own. LIVE MUSIC 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com SCENIC HEIGHTS BAND 9 p.m. End O'

the Alley Courtyard, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

FRIDAY 4.5

LIVE JAZZ WITH JOE OCCHIPINTI Noon.

The Drowsy Poet Coffee Co., 655 Pensacola Beach Blvd.

JOHN HART PROJECT

6 p.m. Paradise Bar and Grill, 21 Via de Luna Drive. paradisebar-grill.com

PLATINUM PREMIER 6 p.m. Peg

Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. The Deck Bar, 600 S. Barracks St.

LIVE MUSIC 6-9

p.m. V. Paul's Italian Ristorante, 29 S. Palafox. vpauls.com JIM ANDREWS 6:30 p.m. The District, 123 E. Government St. districtsteaks.com AL MARTIN 6:30 p.m. Doc's Courtyard and Cafe, 5198 Willing St., Milton. JOHN RIPLEY 7-10 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. LIVE MUSIC 7:30 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. swanneckwinery.com MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. DUELING PIANOS

8 p.m. Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

MIKE & FRIENDS

8 p.m.-midnight. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. OLIVER TWIST 8 p.m. Hub Stacey's 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com THE GOOD LOOKINGS 9 p.m. Lili

Marlene's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SCENIC HEIGHTS BAND 9 p.m. End

O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE DJ: MR. LAO

10 p.m. Phineas Phogg's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com HIGH DMAN 10 p.m. Apple Annie's, Seville Quarter, 130

E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SATURDAY 4.6

LIVE JAZZ WITH JOE OCCHIPINTI 10 a.m.

The Drowsy Poet Coffee Co., 655 Pensacola Beach Blvd.

MIKE MAGAZZINE

12-4 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com LIVE MUSIC 6 p.m. The Deck Bar, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola.com AL MARTIN 6-11 p.m. The Piano Bar, Quality Inn, 7601 Scenic Highway. BEN PARSONS 6 p.m. Peg Leg Pete's, 1010 Fort Pickens Road. peglegpetes.com COLM KELLY 6 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com JIM ANDREWS 6:30 p.m. The District Steakhouse, 123

E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. OPEN MIC/JAM 8 p.m.-midnight. Goat Lips Brewhouse, 2811 Copter Road. Use our instruments or bring your own. LIVE MUSIC 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com COLM KELLY 9 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com THE GOOD LOOKINGS 9 p.m. Lili

Marlene's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SCENIC HEIGHTS BAND 9 p.m. End

O' the Alley, Seville Quarter, 130 E.

Government St. sevillequarter.com LIVE DJ: MR. LAO

10 p.m. Phineas Phogg's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com HIGH DMAN 10 p.m. Apple Annie's, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

SUNDAY 4.7

18 STRING ARMY

10:30 a.m. Apple Annie's Sunday Brunch, Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET 11 a.m. Five

Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St.

JAZZ BRUNCH WITH AL ALVARADO 11

a.m.-2 p.m. McGuire's Irish Pub, 600 E. Gregory St. jazzpensacola.com

for more listings visit inweekly.net

inweekly.net


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23


a&e

By Jeremy Morrison

Drawing From Russia's Deep Well on melodies. It will be Rubardt's first time Symphony," the director said. "I don't suppose directing this piece. 'Tchaikovskian' is a real word, but if it were, "Glazunov's Violin Concerto is not a it could have been coined to describe the piece that you hear a lot these days. It's "PathĂŠtique" Symphony. From first note to last, this is Tchaikovsky at his most intense and Russian to the core," the director said. "Glazunov's Violin Concerto is a piece that is passionate, swinging from the highest of highs fiendishly difficult for the soloist. It has the to the lowest of lows." reputation of being one of the hardest piecTchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony was his final es that a violinist ever has to do, but what I work. Within 10 days of the work's premiere in love about it most are the soaring melodies, 1893, the composer died. The official story lists particularly in the first movement." the cause of death as cholera, though there is Performing with the Pensacola Symspeculation he committed suicide. phony for its Russian Spectacular concert In addition to being considered among will be violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen. The his best work, the Sixth Symphony is also international performer's playing has been among the composer's darkest works. hailed as "sparkling, sensual and personal," "The last movement starts with a with a display of "boundless technique and drawn-out cry of anguish, a shocking musicianship." The guest artist will perform gesture that shatters the exuberance of the preceding movement," Rubardt said. "What on the Glazunov selection. {in} follows is music with a depth and emotion that rises far above every other piece he wrote, which for Tchaikovsky is saying a lot." WHAT: Pensacola Symphony Orchestra The Rachmaninov piece the performs Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and orchestra will be performing, "VocalGlazunov ise," is a selection from a larger work WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 consisting of 13 other pieces. "Vocalise" WHERE: Pensacola Saenger Theatre, 118 S. was a last-minute add-on written three Palafox years after the rest of the collection. It COST: Tickets start at $23 became the most well-known piece of DETAILS: pensacolasymphony.com music the composer ever wrote. "Vocalise'" is melody at its most sublime," Rubardt said. Ticket holders can attend a pre-concert The director describes the discussion at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Leonid piece as "one of those melodies that Yanovskiy, who is concertmaster as well as doesn't end" and "five minutes of professor and director of strings and orchestra pure heaven." The work, he exat the University of West Florida. plained, strives for the experience of Yanovskiy is an acclaimed violinist, violist the human voice in flight. and conductor. He has performed on the "When Rachmaninoff composed stages of Lincoln Center, Chicago Orchestra 'Vocalise,' he was reflecting on the and Boston Symphony halls, the Kennedy fact that fundamentally, all instruCenter and the Metropolitan Opera. mental music is aspiring to song," PSO also offers $5 tickets to their 1:30 p.m. Rubardt said. "The greatest thing Saturday afternoon dress rehearsals prior to that a violin can do is to sing." each performance at the Saenger Theatre. The night's other work, Glazunov's Violin Concerto, also relies

RUSSIAN SPECTACULAR

Peter Rubardt / Photo Courtesy of PSO

The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra (PSO) performs a concert featuring the music of Russian composers every season. Something about the music's deep intensity keeps calling the orchestra back. "Russian composers had a way of capturing the virtuosity of orchestra playing and the incredible intensity of emotion," explained Peter Rubardt, music director for the symphony. "Laying that emotion all out there is a core element of the Russian style." This year, the symphony is performing the works of three Russian composers. From Sergei Rachmaninov, there is "Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14," from Alexander Glazunov, "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 82" and, finally, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, Pathetique." It will be the first time in many years

that some of these pieces have graced the Saenger Theatre's stage. PSO hasn't played the Tchaikovsky selection since 2001, with Rubardt intentionally taking a break from the piece due to its intense nature. "All three of the pieces on the program are works that I'm certain our audience will go wild for," Rubardt said.

TRAGEDY AND MELODIES

Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony is something special. At least, Tchaikovsky thought so. "I myself consider it the best and especially the most open-hearted of my works," the composer wrote to a friend upon completing the work. "I love it as I have never loved any of my other musical offspring." Rubardt agrees with this sentiment. "Tchaikovsky knew that he had expressed something very real and very deep in his Sixth

PRE-SHOW EVENTS

EATS, DRINKS & SMILES BIG ASS SMILES @THEMAGNOLIAEPH NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS 424 2

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DIFFERENCE MAKERS

IMPACT 100 PENSACOLA BAY AREA TO AWARD OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO LOCAL NONPROFITS

IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area, a local women's philanthropic group, is pleased to announce its 2019 Membership Drive has successfully concluded with a record-setting total of 1,166 members.  On October 13, IMPACT 100 will award a total of $1,166,000 to fund transformative project grants in the amount of $106,000 each to 11 nonprofit organizations serving Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. This year marks the 16th anniversary of IMPACT 100 awarding grants to local nonprofits. After awarding the 2019 grants, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area will have funded 109 grants, totaling $11,664,000! "The charitableness our community displays is a blessing to so many, and the power of collective giving can't be underestimated! It's always very exciting to review the innovative new project ideas submitted by our area nonprofit organizations," said Brigette Brooks, President of IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area. "Thanks to the generosity of our members, Pensacola Bay Area shines once again as the largest IMPACT 100 organization in the world." Two grants will be awarded in each of five focus areas:  Arts & Culture; Education; Environment, Recreation & Preservation; Family; and Health & Wellness.  Due to the overwhelming response to the Membership Drive, IMPACT 100 is pleased to announce that for the second time in their history, members will award one additional grant in one of the five focus areas for a total of eleven transformative grants. IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area is hosting a free Nonprofit Workshop on Tuesday, April 16 at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 West De Soto Street, Pensacola. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. with the workshop held from 9:00 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Guest speaker Karin Cox, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Hartsook Companies will present "Grant Me the Money! Define, Prepare, Apply, & Award." All nonprofit organizations in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties are invited to attend and learn about the grant process, get tips for writing a successful grant, and be inspired to create a winning project for the 16th year of giving. Additional information is available on the IMPACT 100 website at www.impact100pensacola.org.

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free will astrology WEEK OF APRIL 4 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): A mushroom shaped like a horse's hoof grows on birch trees in parts of Europe and the U.S. If you strip off its outer layer, you get amadou, spongy stuff that's great for igniting fires. It's not used much anymore, but it was a crucial resource for some of our ancestors. As for the word "amadou," it's derived from an old French term that means "tinder, kindling, spunk." The same word was formerly used to refer to a person who is quick to light up or to something that stimulates liveliness. In accordance with astrological omens, I'm making "amadou" your nickname for the next four weeks. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): "Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them," wrote novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "Life obliges them over and over to give birth to themselves." Here's what I'll add to that— As you mature, you do your best to give birth to ever-new selves that are in alignment with the idealistic visions you have of the person you want to become. Unfortunately, most of us aren't skilled at that task in adolescence and early adulthood, and so the selves we create may be inadequate or delusory or distorted. Fortunately, as we learn from our mistakes, we eventually learn to give birth to selves that are strong and righteous. The only problem is that the old false selves we generated along the way may persist as ghostly echoes in our psyche. And we have a sacred duty to banish those ghostly echoes. I tell you this, Taurus, because the coming months will be an excellent time to do that banishing. Ramp up your efforts now! GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): "When spring came, there were no problems except where to be happiest," wrote Ernest Hemingway in his memoir. He quickly amended that statement, though, mourning, "The only thing that could spoil a day was people." Then he ventured even further, testifying, "People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself." I bring these thoughts to your attention so as to prepare you for some good news. In the next three weeks, I suspect you will far exceed your quota for encounters with people who are not "limiters of happiness"—who are as good as spring itself. CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): It's time

to prove that Cancerians have more to offer than nurturing, empathizing, softening the edges, feeling deeply, getting comfortable and being creative. Not that there's anything wrong with those talents. On the contrary! They're beautiful and necessary. It's just that for now, you need to avoid being pigeonholed as a gentle, sensitive soul. To gather the goodies that are potentially available to you, you'll have to be more forthright and aggressive than usual. Is it possible for you to wield a command-

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By Rob Brezsny

ing presence? Can you add a big dose of willfulness and a pinch of ferocity to your self-presentation? Yes and yes!

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): General Motors manufactured a car called the Pontiac Aztek from 2001 to 2005. It wasn't commercially successful. One critic said it looked like "an angry kitchen appliance," and many others agreed it was exceptionally unstylish. But later, the Aztek had an odd revival because of the popularity of the TV show "Breaking Bad." The show's protagonist, Walter White, owned one, and that motivated some of his fans to emulate his taste in cars. In accordance with astrological omens, Leo, I suspect that something of yours may also enjoy a second life sometime soon. An offering that didn't get much appreciation the first time around may undergo a resurgence. Help it do so. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): "Of all the

female sins, hunger is the least forgivable," laments feminist author Laurie Penny. She's referring to the hunger "for anything, for food, sex, power, education, even love." She continues, "If we have desires, we are expected to conceal them, to control them, to keep ourselves in check. We are supposed to be objects of desire, not desiring beings." I've quoted her because I suspect it's crucial for you to not suppress or hide your longings in the coming weeks. That's triply true if you're a woman but also important if you're a man or some other gender. You have a potential to heal deeply if you get very clear about what you hunger for and then express it frankly.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Only one of Nana Mouskouris's vocal cords works, but over the course of an almost 60-year career, the Libran singer has sold over 30 million records in 12 different languages. Many critics speculate that her apparent disadvantage is key to her unique style. She's a coloratura mezzo—a rare category of chanteuse who sings ornate passages with exceptional agility and purity. In the coming weeks, I suspect that you will be like Mouskouris in your ability to capitalize on a seeming lack or deprivation. SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Your

tribe is symbolized by three animals—the scorpion, the eagle, and the mythological phoenix. Some astrologers say that the scorpion is the ruling creature of "unevolved" or immature Scorpios, whereas the eagle and phoenix are associated with those of your tribe who express the riper, more enlightened qualities of your sign. But I want to put in a plug for the scorpion as being worthy of all Scorpios. It is a hardy critter that rivals the cockroach in its ability to survive—and even thrive in—less than ideal conditions. For the next two weeks, I propose we make it your spirit creature.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Sagittarian novelist Gustave Flaubert declared that it's "our duty is to feel what is sublime and

cherish what is beautiful." But that's a demanding task to pull off on an ongoing basis. Maybe the best we can hope for is to feel what's sublime and cherish what's beautiful for 30 to 35 days every year. Having said that, though, I'm happy to tell you that in 2019, you could get all the way up to 95 to 100 days of feeling what's sublime and cherishing what's beautiful. And as many as 15 to 17 of those days could come during the next 21.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Som-

meliers are people trained to perceive the nuances of wine. By sampling a few sips, the best sommeliers can discern facts about the type of grapes that were used to make the wine and where on earth they were grown. I think that in the coming weeks, you Capricorns should launch an effort to reach a comparable level of sensitivity and perceptivity about any subject you care about. It's a favorable time to become even more masterful about your specialties; to dive deeper into the areas of knowledge that captivate your imagination.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Every language is a work-in-progress. New words constantly insinuate themselves into common usage, while others fade away. If you traveled back in time to 1719 while remaining in your current location, you'd have trouble communicating with people of that era. And today, linguistic evolution is even more rapid than in previous ages. The Oxford English Dictionary adds more than a thousand new words annually. In recognition of the extra verbal skills and inventiveness you now possess, Aquarius, I invite you to coin a slew of your own fresh terms. To get you warmed up, try this utterance I coined—vorizzimo! It's an exclamation that means "thrillingly beautiful and true." PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): One of history's most audacious con men was George C. Parker, a Pisces. He made his living selling property that did not legally belong to him, like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Statue of Liberty. I suspect you could summon his level of salesmanship and persuasive skills in the coming weeks. But I hope you will use your nearly magical powers to make deals and perform feats that have maximum integrity. It's OK to be a teensy bit greedy, though. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Name a beautiful thing you were never capable of doing until now.

freewillastrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com Rob Brezsny © Copyright 2019

inweekly.net


news of the weird MYSTERY SOLVED Along the Iroise coast in Brittany, France, residents have been puzzled by a mysterious phenomenon for more than 30 years. Broken pieces of orange plastic landline phones in the shape of the cartoon character Garfield have been washing up on the beach. BBC News reports the mystery has now been solved: A local farmer remembered the phone parts started showing up after a particularly fierce storm in the early 1980s, and, more important, he also knew the location of a lost shipping container—in a sea cave accessible only at low tide. Members of the Ar Viltansou anti-litter campaign climbed down to the cave and found not only the remains of the container, but also more Garfield phones, preserved better than any that had made it to the beach. The container cannot be removed, so officials have pledged to keep picking up Garfield phones as they wash ashore. UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT Bystanders at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport got an unexpected show on March 23 when an unnamed man made his way through Ural Airlines flight registration, then suddenly stripped off all his clothes and ran onto the jet bridge. A fellow passenger told REN TV: "He shouted that he was naked because clothing impairs the aerodynamics of the body. He flies with more agility when undressed." The nude man, who hails from Yakutsk but lives near Moscow, was intercepted by airport staff before he made it to the plane and was turned over to police, then moved to a hospital. Witnesses said he did not appear to be drunk. EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY You don't need to be celebrating a birthday to get a special cake these days. In Nashville, bakers at Signature Desserts made the news in early March when they filled an order for a woman trying to sweeten the deal for her husband, who was undergoing a vasectomy. FOX 17 reported the cake was decorated with lemons and read, "100% Juice, No Seeds. Happy Vasectomy!" The pleased recipient "loved it!" according to his wife. The news outlet also reports that doctors see a big spike in vasectomies during the NCAA basketball tournament, when men have a constant source of entertainment as they heal. FASHION VICTIM I hate when this happens: Jarred Randal Womack, 37, agreed to exchange pants with another man in Boulder, Colorado, on Jan. 22, but after the trade, he decided he didn't like the other man's pants after all, so Womack stabbed the man in the back. Detectives investigating the incident later found the pants in question soiled with feces, which "could be the reason for the altercation," according to the police affidavit. The Daily Camera reported that Womack was eventu-

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

ally charged with first-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault and robbery; the stabbing victim sustained life-threatening injuries. SERIOUSLY? At Palapas Tacos in Anaheim, California, the menu is presented in English and Spanish, which proved to be a bridge too far for one customer on March 25. On that day, a Monday, the unnamed man saw a sign advertising "Fish Tacos for $1.99 All Day" under the heading "Especial de Viernes," or Friday Special. He became upset when he found out he couldn't get the Friday special on Monday, yelling, "That's bulls—-! It says it in Mexican. We're not in Mexico. We're in America! ... I'm an American!" Palapas' owner Juan del Rio followed the man outside to talk with him, but the man pulled out his phone, saying he was going to call "Immigration! Because you're not legal!" "I just feel like it's sad that there's people (who) actually think like that," del Rio told FOX 11. "But over a taco?" MISTAKEN IDENTITY Passengers on a Melbourne, Australia, commuter train dove under seats, cried and texted their loved ones on March 28 when police locked down the Flagstaff Station in response to a report of a man with a rifle case acting suspiciously, according to the Associated Press. As it turned out, Will Austin, a busker aboard the train, was performing breathing exercises in advance of playing his didgeridoo—an indigenous wind instrument that Austin was carrying in a long bag. Oblivious to police wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles, Austin admitted "I probably looked pretty suspicious, I suppose, just waltzing around and slowly walking out" before officers stopped him to search his bag. Nothing to see here. AWESOME! Along the border between Mexico and the United States, the battle over a wall rages on. But one Los Angeles artist has taken matters into his own hands. Inspired to "Make America Grate Again," Cosimo Cavallaro is repurposing blocks of expired cotija, a hard cheese from Mexico, to build his own wall in Tecate, California. Cavallaro's wall is 5 feet high, and he hopes to make it about 1,000 feet long, he told the Los Angeles Times. "To spend all this money to keep dividing the countries, I think is a waste," Cavallaro said. "You see the waste in my wall, but you can't see the waste in (Trump's) $10 billion wall, which in time will be removed? It sounds cheesy, but just love one another."{in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2019 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com April 4, 2019

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