Inweekly August 13 2026 Issue

LET IT SIMMER

WITH SINGER-SONGWRITER

KATIE DINEEN Independent News | August 13, 2026 | Volume 27 | Number 32 | Photo by Geoff Peck (tinyobservations)

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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. © 2026 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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JOE ZARZAUR

BOARD CERTIFIED CIVIL TRIAL LAWYER* PENSACOLA, FL

ihatejoezarzaur.com

*Board Certification by the Florida Bar and the National Board Of Trial Advocacy. Statistical information current as of November 2022.

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sig to R na b em tu rin e re g m ID ph ber to oto th a n e d po lls !

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE — BE HEARD, BE COUNTED.

winners & losers

VOTE AT YOUR PRECINCT ON AUGUST 18 KNOW WHERE YOU VOTE

Chad Henderson / Photo Courtesy of Catalyst HRE

EscambiaVotes.gov/precinct-finder

winners

losers

CHAD HENDERSON Founder and CEO Chad

FOR-PROFIT BINGO Bad actors have exploited the bingo space, with for-profit operators posing as charitable games facing serious money laundering charges for skirting the rules. A coalition including the American Legion and the Florida VFW is renewing efforts to educate state lawmakers on "true bingo" rules ahead of the legislative session.

VFW of Florida State Legislative Chairman Sean Golder said charitable instant bingo funds veteran services, from crisis assistance to hurricane response. Florida law allows nonprofits and veterans' groups to run bingo fundraisers where proceeds support their missions. The coalition is asking lawmakers to strengthen legal protections for legitimate nonprofits running bingo games.

On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Voters must vote in their home precinct on Election Day. To view your home precinct, visit:

Visit us online at EscambiaVotes.gov

Call our office at (850) 595-3900

Email us at soe@escambiavotes.gov

Robert D. Bender, Supervisor of Elections Phone: (850) 595-3900 Fax: (850) 595-3914 Email: soe@escambiavotes.gov

EscambiaVotes.gov

Henderson last week announced the formation of a $400 million equity joint venture with his Pensacola-based national healthcare real estate development and investment firm (Catalyst) and Nuveen Real Estate, one of the largest real estate investment managers globally. The joint venture will support approximately $1.3 billion in total development costs across Catalyst's national pipeline. Henderson said, "This venture strengthens our ability to deliver best-in-class healthcare real estate across a broad range of asset types and markets, from medical office and specialty healthcare facilities to our healthspan initiatives supporting academic institutions and healthcare systems nationally. Nuveen's scale, sector expertise and long-term investment horizon make them a strong strategic capital partner as Catalyst continues to grow."

ANGELEAH MALONE AND VIANCA POTTS Two NAS Pensacola MWR Corry Station

Annex Child Development Center employees, Teacher Angeleah Malone and Assistant Teacher Vianca Potts, received the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders.

Northwest Florida Executive Director Terri Jenkins presented the honor, the Red Cross's highest individual award, for their response to a choking two-year-old during lunch on April 22. Potts administered abdominal thrusts while Malone activated the facility's emergency alert system until the child's airway cleared. Jenkins praised their quick thinking and training, calling it lifesaving.

The Lifesaving Awards program, dating to 1911, recognizes CPR, First Aid and AED responders.

EMILY SHELTON The 21-year-old flight instruc-

tor who safely landed a disabled plane on Interstate 10 last week received the Escambia County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's Medal. Sheriff Chip Simmons recognized Shelton for her composure and skill in guiding the 1974 Piper PA-28 Cherokee beneath a highway sign gantry after the engine failed.

Shelton and a student took off from Pensacola International Airport Monday morning, flying north toward Barrineau Park before turning back.

Flight tracking showed the aircraft losing altitude over Ensley shortly before the emergency landing around 9:55 a.m., about two miles from where it touched down. No injuries were reported among Shelton, her student or motorists on the interstate.

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EMR SOUTHERN RECYCLING Pensacola Fire crews extinguished a fire Monday at EMR Southern Recycling, the sixth blaze at the scrapyard in two years, burning a 50-by-100-foot pile of aluminum wiring and plastic spools. No injuries were reported. Mayor D.C. Reeves said the city wants EMR to reimburse firefighting costs and finish promised upgrades, including an unmanned monitor system and onsite water supply. "Every cent it costs us would then be [passed] on to the company," Reeves said. Fire Chief Ginny Cranor said the cause remains under investigation. She noted lithium-ion batteries are a known problem at recycling facilities nationally, and EMR has spent nine weeks working to isolate them from other scrap.

FLORIDAWEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE Both the City of Pensacola

and Escambia County have hired their own economic development directors, which has some city council members and county commissioners questioning whether local government should continue funding FloridaWest. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves wants to move the city's $325,000 annual contribution to FloridaWest out of the general fund and into the city's share of the local option sales tax (LOST) revenue. Escambia County already funds the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission's $600,000 annually through LOST. County Administrator Wes Moreno has hired former Florida Power & Light executive Rick Byars to manage the county's economic development. FloridaWest will need to step up its game to keep receiving funding from the city and county. inweekly.net

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BLINDSIDED Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno had one job when the Board of County Commissioners met on the morning of Aug. 6: build consensus on the Pensacola Bay Center's future. Instead, he blindsided his own commissioners.

For more than two decades, county commissioners have debated what to do with the aging Bay Center—sell it, demolish it or renovate it. Administrators from George Touart to Moreno have all failed to reach a consensus.

Last week's meeting was supposed to be different. It wasn't.

The latest disaster happened at the Committee of the Whole.

The agenda had a single item: discussion of the Pensacola Bay Center. Moreno and his team would make a presentation and field questions from the Board of County Commissioners. However, Moreno didn't provide the public with any details of his presentation, as he did for the agenda items at the board's regular meeting that night.

However, the public and media weren't the only ones left in the dark. At the Committee of the Whole (COW), Commissioner Lumon May complained that he hadn't received any materials on the presentation until the previous day.

Assistant County Administrator Debbie Bowers told commissioners that county staff was asking for a vote, just direction on keeping Legends as Bay Center's operator for the next three years and moving forward with the $74 million phase-one renovation of the existing building. From listening to the commissioners' questions, it appeared Moreno and Bowers had few one-on-one meetings with commissioners about their proposal—meetings that would have answered many of their concerns before the COW. Adding to the commissioners' frustrations was a draft interlocal agreement between Escambia County and the City of Pensacola regarding the future of the Bay Center. Mayor D.C. Reeves placed it on the Pensacola City Council's agenda for Aug. 13. I published it on my blog and questioned why Moreno hadn't added it to his COW agenda.

The commissioners were caught off guard.

Commissioner Steven Barry said he had not approved the draft. "The proposed draft being agreed to, being approved by county legal— I mean, that's one thing. That's not the board," Barry said. "I certainly didn't give a stamp of approval to that."

Commissioner Lumon May said he learned of the agreement only that morning, during a conversation with Mayor D.C. Reeves. "This is the first I've heard of the interlocal," May said, adding that any deal should involve all five commissioners rather than being negotiated by staff alone.

Barry said the renovation cannot proceed without a finalized agreement. "If we can't get an interlocal agreement, it's moot," he said.

"I'm not going to vote to put any money on the project."

After the Committee of the Whole, Mayor D.C. Reeves called me. He was surprised county staff hadn't presented the agreement to commissioners earlier. The mayor said he saw the agreement as a way to show unity to potential bidders. He decided to pull it from the council's Aug. 13 agenda. Reeves emphasized that the withdrawal from the agenda was a gesture of respect to allow the commission time for deliberation.

Moreno and his team blew an opportunity to advance any renovations on the Bay Center. We are where we were last year when Mayor D.C. Reeves called for a joint city-county meeting on the facility just as the commissioners were prepared to approve renovations and the addition of an event center. The mayor wanted to conduct his own study that developed a vision for the project that encompassed the surrounding neighborhoods.

We now have a city study and a county study, and no agreement on either. Everyone says the Bay Center must be renovated.

Nobody in charge can say how, or with whom.

That's not a planning problem anymore. It's a leadership problem, and it sits on Wes Moreno's desk. {in} rick@inweekly.net

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We now have a city study and a county study, and no agreement on either.

August 13, 2026

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YOUTH LEAGUES FEEL CITY SQUEEZE "I feel like we've been 100% transparent with the City of Pensacola, and we're not getting that in return," she said.

Parks and Recreation Chair Kirwin Price sympathized with Hamilton, but said, "I hope you can understand that we need to make sure from now on that organizations open their books to us, with these MOUs, and [that] this package is complete before it goes to City Council … I'm sorry we failed you in that regard."

OPERATING IN THE RED

SYSA Legion Field / Photo by Rick Outzen

By Tom St. Myer Nonprofit youth sports organizations in Pensacola are under a financial microscope. Embarrassingly so, according to Mayor D.C. Reeves.

"We should be certainly thanking these leagues for doing what they do," Reeves said.

"We should not be grilling them and criticizing them over $2,000, $1,500 items. What's the dollar value that you put on education, youth enrichment, safety? What's the dollar value that these leagues provide? And the city government in the back there doesn't have to do anything other than cut the grass. That's all we've gotta do right now, and we're sitting here picking on these leagues. It is embarrassing."

The controversy unfolded after City Councilman Charles Bare questioned the finances and paperwork of the East Pensacola Student Athlete Program during a July 16 council meeting. The City approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for East Pensacola football and baseball programs, with Bare as the lone dissenting vote, but only after a lengthy debate.

Five days later, the Pensacola Parks and Recreation Board responded by approving a more standardized review process designed to ensure all organizations seeking MOUs with the city meet the same financial reporting standards before agreements reach the City Council for approval.

Under the new process, organizations will be required to submit substantial financial documentation. Nonprofit organizations must either submit their IRS Form 990s or provide 12 months of bank statements.

Board members directed staff to create a master list tracking every active MOU, including 66

expiration dates and renewal deadlines. Organizations will now be expected to submit renewal materials 90 days before agreements expire, allowing city staff approximately two months to review applications before they advance to the City Council.

"All the documents ought to be submitted prior to submission of an MOU," Bare said.

"This gives the parks board and us the opportunity to make an informed decision." Bare continued, "I'd like to know someone is financially viable before I make a decision whether we should have an MOU with them."

BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY

Reeves criticized how the issue unfolded during the council meeting, arguing that volunteer organizations providing youth recreation perform a valuable public service that ultimately saves taxpayers money.

"The YMCA runs our pools," he said. "If we ran the pools, it would cost triple, probably."

The mayor cited East Pensacola, the Bill Bond League of Pensacola and the Southern Youth Sports Association as nonprofit youth sports organizations whose services benefit the city. He argued they provide benefits beyond athletics by helping children build friendships, remain physically active and stay engaged in positive activities.

The fact that City Council members debated the topic for about an hour frustrated Reeves.

"How much staff labor time did we spend in the City Council meeting?" he said. "Just add up the council members, city administrator, the clerk.

We spent more money, taxpayer money, arguing and trying to attack a league that was being run than they actually owe."

Reeves continued, "Where does it end?

Should we be getting 990s if you do a wedding at Sanders Beach? I mean, some people pay more than the league does for using that.

Should we verify that they can't afford to pay more? 'Hey, is your wedding now more expensive 'cause we reviewed your 990?' What are we trying to accomplish?"

SLAP IN THE FACE

During the subsequent Parks and Recreation meeting, Lawanna Hamilton voiced her frustration on behalf of the East Pensacola Student Athlete Program. The board requested financial records just 48 hours before the meeting.

"Forty-eight hours is a tight squeeze for some documentation, especially with the level of privacy and two-step authentication that is required for most of these programs that retain financial information," she said.

Hamilton questioned why youth sports organizations are being put under a microscope and other youth nonprofits are not being held to the same standard. She said she considered the treatment a "slap in the face."

"What frustrates me the most about this situation is, I watched [City Council] approve an MOU for the Pensacola Children's Choir, but did those programs retain the same information that you're asking us?" Hamilton said. "Because I feel like you're only saying youth sports programs. What about the drama classes? What about these chorus classes and everything else?

We feel like we're being targeted, and I'm saying 'we' because I'm speaking as a whole."

Hamilton said her organization attended meetings, exchanged emails and met with Reeves, yet here she sat being questioned about its finances.

Hamilton explained to the board that East Pensacola operates in the red. The organization charges $195 per football player, but the expenses include $400 for security on game days, an insurance bill of nearly $3,000, plus the costs for uniforms, trophies, banquets and $10 per child that is paid to the city.

"We're paying $10 per kid for a child who may live in Section Eight housing, whose parent doesn't even have a job, whose parent doesn't have a car," Hamilton said. "So that money has to come from somewhere because it's owed to you all. So we have to come up with that money in some way, form or fashion."

Bare described the $10 tax as "inappropriate." The tax is used to cover expenses such as field maintenance. Fellow council member Jennifer Brahier said the city pays $200,000 annually to maintain just soccer fields. Brahier voiced some of the same concerns as Bare about youth sports organizations not submitting financial information.

Representatives from the Northeast Pensacola Wildcats shared their financial information during the parks and rec meeting. The organization is growing but still operating at a loss.

According to their presentation, football participation increased from 239 players in 2025 to 285 in 2026, while cheerleading participation grew from 77 to 85 participants. The cost for a new cheerleader is $460 and a returning cheerleader pays $400. The cost for football players ranges from $200 to $250 depending on the age group. The organization offers payment plans for as low as $50 a month.

Self-described as a boots-on-the-ground organization, Northeast Pensacola relies on fundraising events, such as Steak 'N Shake Spirit Night, to cover remaining expenses.

"Our bylaws state that we have to have a $5,000 reserve to push over to the next year," a Northeast Pensacola representative said. "Sometimes we have it, sometimes we don't, and we have to start in the hole to dig out sometimes."

Reeves said asking youth sports organizations for their financial records was originally intended purely to show what they could and could not afford.

"It's now been somehow weaponized into us grilling leagues that are only doing the city a service," Reeves said. "That's why I was embarrassed about it. I apologize, not because we were the ones that said it, but that's certainly from an administrative standpoint, not our position." {in} inweekly.net

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One Energy Place / Photo by Rick Outzen

FPL PENSACOLA HQ SOLD One Energy Place, the former Gulf Power and Florida Power & Light headquarters on Pensacola Bay, has sold for $41 million in a deal that closed July 31 after a confidential, seven-year effort by its listing broker.

The sale price included a furniture, fixtures and equipment package that one source valued at roughly $11 million before depreciation. The building had been listed between $42 million and $46 million.

Michael Carro, CCIM, senior advisor and managing director at SVN Southland Commercial, discussed the deal on "Rick's Blog Live." Carro said he had informally evaluated the property's value for Gulf Power, and later FPL, for years at no charge before the company decided to sell. When FPL moved forward, it opened the listing to the broader brokerage community before ultimately awarding it to SVN. The listing remained confidential for months, a secrecy Carro said even extended to his own office and his wife.

The five-story, 250,000-square-foot building sits on 13.38 acres of waterfront property in downtown Pensacola. It was built in 1986, but Carro said FPL's maintenance, including a roof replacement three years ago and updated cooling tower systems, left it with an effective age of under five years.

Financing posed a challenge because the building was delivered vacant, a difficult proposition amid a national lending climate that has grown wary of large office properties since the pandemic. Carro said several banks declined to finance the deal outright, citing national officemarket conditions despite downtown Pensacola's 4% office vacancy rate.

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Two factors helped secure financing: FPL agreed to remain as a tenant on the fourth floor, and the buyer brought in-house construction, property management and real estate development capabilities.

The deed lists the buyer as One Energy Plaza, LLC, whose address matches corporate filings for John White-Spunner, founder, president and CEO of White-Spunner Construction and WhiteSpunner Realty in Mobile, Ala. White-Spunner has been inducted into the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame by the Associated General Contractors of Alabama. Carro said the buyer's group had considered converting portions of the building to a hotel or condominiums before deciding to keep it as multi-tenant office space.

Leasing has moved quickly. A new tenant occupying about 11,000 square feet moved in Monday. At closing, 127,000 square feet were already under signed leases, leaving roughly 123,000 square feet available. Carro said he is negotiating an additional 150,000 square feet in active deals and would not be surprised if the building is fully leased within three to six months.

Carro credited cooperation from competing brokerages, including NAI Pensacola, Sterling Properties and Neal & Company, for helping fill the space.

New signage went up the afternoon of the closing after the seller withheld authorization until funds officially transferred. Carro said he received confirmation from his client at 7:21 a.m. on closing day and ordered the signs installed that afternoon rather than waiting until Saturday as planned.

FIRING BACK AT CHILDERS Two Escambia County nonprofits have filed a sharply worded

response to Clerk Pam Childers' attempt to dismiss a lawsuit regarding $7,000 in community grant funding that county commissioners approved but that Childers has refused to disburse.

Childers has argued that the nonprofits' funding applications were altered after commissioners approved them, that a $500 cap on discretionary grants under county ordinance makes the larger payments unauthorized and that neither group's project served a countywide public purpose. She has characterized her role as an "independent watchdog" over county spending rather than a ministerial function.

The reply, filed July 29 by attorney Alex Andrade on behalf of Greater Pensacola Junior Golf Association Inc. (First Tee Gulf Coast) and Warrington Emergency Aid Center (WEAC), disputes each point. He argues the funding application itself created a binding contract once the nonprofits agreed to conditions including nondiscriminatory service, site visits and audits, and that the county's own policy states a formal application isn't even required. Both organizations, he says, spent money in reliance on the commission's funding promise and later met every documentation requirement asked of them.

The filing also contends the $500 cap Childers cites applies to a different category of "recognition" awards under Ordinance 46281, not to payments made through the county's Community Support Funding Program.

Andrade lays out a timeline alleging Childers demanded new paperwork after already denying the requests, issued "blanket denials" and, according to an email from a commissioner's aide, discouraged commissioners from submitting further funding recommendations. He argues that conduct would constitute tortious interference in another context.

The filing cites more than a year of Childers' emails to county officials, the state Chief Financial Officer and the Florida Attorney General's office, in which she reportedly called similar payments "wasteful" rather than illegal while asking officials to help end the program. Andrade contrasts that with her approval of a comparable payment to American Legion Post 33, arguing there is no legal basis for treating the nonprofits differently.

On legal authority, Andrade cites Florida Statute 125.74, which assigns contract administration duties to the county administrator, not the clerk. He also cites case law, including City

of Boca Raton v. Gidman, holding that a clerk's pre-audit authority is limited to blocking expenditures with no legal or practical relation to a valid county purpose—a narrower standard than the one he says Childers is applying.

The filing closes by noting that Childers approved similar community support payments from 2016 through 2025 without objection and argues her current position amounts to an unsupported attempt to act as a "sixth commissioner" over county appropriations. Andrade is asking the court to reject Childers' illegality defense and order her to resume processing the commission-approved payments.

The case remains pending in Okaloosa County.

WORKFORCE SUMMIT Mayor D.C. Reeves is hosting a statewide workforce summit on Aug. 26, followed by a CareerSource Florida board meeting the next morning at the University of West Florida, as the city races to build a training pipeline large enough to match the jobs headed to Pensacola.

Invited guests include Florida Education Commissioner Dr. Henry Mack and the state's Secretary of Commerce, Alex Kelly. Reeves has also invited UWF, Pensacola State College, ST Engineering, American Magic, Birdon and officials from Okaloosa and Bay counties to the table.

The mayor framed the city's challenge not as a shortage of opportunity, but as a shortage of trained workers ready to fill it. He described the need for a training "funnel" large enough to absorb roughly 530 jobs averaging about $112,000 a year and roughly 1,500 jobs averaging about $68,000, positions expected from Birdon and its ancillary contractors, plus continued growth at ST Engineering and American Magic.

Florida was recently awarded $40 million for shipbuilding workforce development, funding Reeves hopes will help close the gap. He pointed to Pensacola State's Aviation Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Program facility at the Pensacola International Airport next to ST Engineering as a model for the targeted training the region needs.

Reeves said the city is in the final stage of lease negotiations with Birdon, which has indicated it wants to begin operations this fall. That timeline adds urgency to the summit, since the workforce pipeline needs to be in place before the jobs arrive, not after.

The Aug. 26 summit, paired with the Aug. 27 CareerSource Florida board meeting at UWF, gives state officials a direct look at Pensacola's growth and a chance to weigh in on how state training dollars get deployed locally, at a moment when the city says timing matters as much as funding.

SUPPORT FOR APPOINTED The Greater

Pensacola Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has formally reaffirmed its longstanding support for keeping Escambia County's Superintendent of Schools an appointed position, as the question returns to voters on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. inweekly.net

The Chamber first staked out its position in October 2018, when then-chair Stephen Moorhead wrote that hiring a superintendent with "a proven track record of creating academic success is attractive to the business community."

Voters approved the appointed model that year by a narrow margin, 50.37% to 46.63%.

Current Board Chair Ildi Hosman said the organization's stance has not wavered. "The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce has held a clear and consistent position on this issue since 2018, and our board of directors is united in reaffirming that stance today," Hosman said, adding that an appointed model "best serves the students, families and employers of Escambia County."

The Chamber, which represents more than 1,000 member businesses, is positioning the referendum as a matter of regional economic competitiveness, citing its impact on workforce development and industry recruitment.

The Escambia County School Board has chosen the wording for this year's referendum so that a "Yes" vote makes the superintendent position elected, not appointed—the reverse of the 2018 framing. The school board also pushed to place the measure on the primary ballot rather than the general election, a move seen as a strategy to capitalize on lower primary turnout.

All registered Escambia County voters are eligible to weigh in until the polls close at 7 p.m. on Aug 18.

FALL BASEBALL Blue Wahoos Stadium will

host its largest fall college baseball schedule ever this October, bringing six nationally ranked programs to Pensacola over three consecutive Saturdays.

Florida State, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Troy will each take the field in a series of preseason scrimmages, continuing a tradition the Blue Wahoos began in 2024 that has quickly become one of the region's most anticipated fall sports events.

The schedule kicks off Saturday, Oct. 10, with Florida State facing Auburn at 1 p.m. CT. Alabama and Georgia Tech follow on Saturday, Oct. 17, with Florida and Troy closing out the series on Saturday, Oct. 24. Start times for the final two matchups have not yet been announced.

"Ever since we began hosting fall college baseball at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2024, the fan response has been overwhelmingly positive," Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith said. "This unprecedented expansion of our NCAA slate helps meet the high demand for our passionate local fans and helps bring new baseball communities to experience Pensacola's unique environment and fan experience for the first time."

This will be Florida State's third straight year scrimmaging at the stadium, after sellout crowds turned out to watch the Seminoles take on Auburn in 2024 and Mississippi State in 2025. Auburn, fresh off hosting a Super Regional and winning a Regional title in 2026, will be making its second appearance in Pensacola since that 2024 matchup against FSU. August 13, 2026

Alabama and Troy bring added star power, both having advanced to the College World Series in recent seasons. The two programs last met in Pensacola in a 2014 regular-season game.

Florida also returns to Blue Wahoos Stadium for the first time since 2013, when it played in the very first college baseball game held there.

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, will be making its first-ever trip to Pensacola.

Blue Wahoos season ticket members received early access to purchase tickets ahead of the general public. Tickets for the Florida StateAuburn matchup went on sale Tuesday, Aug. 11, with sales for Alabama-Georgia Tech opening Aug. 18 and Florida-Troy tickets going on sale Aug. 25, all at 9 a.m. through bluewahoos.com.

NOMINATIONS OPEN Community members are invited to nominate outstanding businesses, employers and entrepreneurs for the 2026 EntreCon® Awards, which celebrate innovation, leadership, and economic growth throughout the region.

Nominations are open now through Aug. 17 at studeri.org/jobs/entrecon/#awards.

The awards recognize achievement across nine categories. The Emerging Business of the Year award honors companies launched within the past two years that have found early success bringing a product or service to market, guided by strong leadership and a mission statement rooted in clear core values.

Large Business of the Year is open to companies with more than 50 employees that have shown adaptability, economic growth and a commitment to employee skill development. Small Business of the Year recognizes companies with 50 or fewer employees that emphasize inclusion, community involvement and innovative practices, and can clearly articulate what sets their product or service apart.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award goes to a creative business leader whose product or service solves a marketplace problem while improving quality of life through employment or service to others. Nonprofit of the Year honors an organization that has advanced its mission through volunteering, partnerships or fundraising, while Employer of the Year recognizes a workplace known for strong training programs, work-life balance, career growth and diversity and equal opportunity initiatives.

Three categories highlight business owners from specific communities: the Rodney Jackson Minority-Owned Business of the Year, Veteran-Owned Business of the Year and Female-Owned Business of the Year awards each recognize small businesses that combine outstanding achievement with social responsibility, creativity and community leadership.

The John Myslak Award for Servant Leader closes out the categories, honoring a leader who strengthens organizations and community life in the spirit of Myslak, a local colleague remembered for his dedication to others.

The awards are designed to spotlight the people and organizations shaping the local economy and quality of life. Nominations can be submitted online ahead of the Aug. 17 deadline. {in}

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LET IT SIMMER WITH SINGER-SONGWRITER

KATIE DINEEN

BY SAVANNAH E VANOFF

Katie Dineen makes music you can garden to.

The Pensacola singer-songwriter knows it from experience, too; she has her own "yarden."

Dineen immediately says she wants to cultivate frogs, then explains that she actually means to build a habitat for living things—frogs included.

Dineen refers to her whimsical yet earthy sound as either "indie garden pop" or "indie garden rock." So yeah, you could call her "crunchy," she said.

Dineen digs the sound she's created.

"I am just so stoked on all of these songs on this upcoming [album] in a way that makes me want to listen to them over and over again," Dineen said. "I feel like a lot of singers specifically can struggle to listen to their own voice, and for me, I'm like, 'Man, these songs rock.' People need to have their own memories and experiences with them."

It makes sense that Dineen envisions listeners taking road trips or floating along the river to the tune of her sophomore album. She wants them to hear it in the same way she created it: letting it simmer.

"I really wanted to steep in this and be slow about it and create something that just felt really nourishing," Dineen said.

"Simmer" is the album title and its theme.

While Dineen felt pressured to release her first album as quickly as possible, she's been mediating on these songs for years.

Everything about "Simmer"—from the art to the text (handwritten with a gold pen, a mysterious wedding gift from a still-unknown source)—was made slowly and intentionally.

Even the album cover wasn't rushed but instead revealed to her. "[It] is a picture from my birthday this year of a pot of curry that my husband Jacob made for a surprise party that he held for me at our house," August 13, 2026

Dineen said. "I took this photo, and that light filter is just the magic of film. I had different art for it, and then I got this film processed, and I was like, 'Wait, what? This is the album art' … I just really wanted this to feel very personal and handmade, and I feel like it's coming through."

The pot was a wedding gift from her aunt, making it extra serendipitous, she added.

Dineen wrote the "Simmer" track "Lucky" about Jacob Palmer in 2024, before she knew where their relationship would lead. He plays guitar and sings on both of her albums.

"It's so fun, dude; it's the best," Dineen said.

"He's my first filter, and I feel like I've grown so much as a songwriter because of him, because he's a phenomenal musician … We go and play gigs together sometimes, and it just feels like a date that we get paid for."

"And a lot of the songs are the reflections of me moving through my mid-20s and falling in love with my husband and feeling out these themes of friendship and friends moving other places, and my desire and need to expand and grow," Dineen said.

Dineen approached "Simmer" with a full band and more confidence than her stripped-down debut. She practically recorded the whole thing live to tape at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Miss.

It's more "twangy" and indie rock, she said.

"Instead of standard tunings on the guitar, I've been writing a lot of the songs in [what] they call 'dad fad'—it's just a different style of tuning and comes through in my sound," Dineen said. "I've had a lot of people in the past year or so be like, 'Oh, you're really developing a unique-to-you sound.'"

Dineen recorded "Whale Song" in one take, and you can feel the warmth of the medium, she said.

"To me, [tape] has a similar feeling as film

photography; it has this graininess and almost feels like a memory, and there's different things that my voice does," Dineen said. "For instance, if I were to re-record it several times, I probably wouldn't have sung it like that because there's just a humanness to it. Maybe that was a little flat there, a little crack there, but at the end of the day, this is just what it sounds like … 'Whale Song' was just eyes closed, we are here making this dreamy atmospheric thing."

There's a world of difference between this album and Dineen's first, but seeing the CDs propped up on her piano—both with a film photo as the cover—reminds her there are similarities, too. At her core, Dineen is a musician who gardens, builds habitats and waits for film to develop into photos, and she couldn't keep any of that out of her music even if she tried to.

"Whale Song," for instance, started out as a memory from a snorkeling trip in the Pacific Ocean, where Dineen heard a humpback whale singing.

"It was just such a beautiful and moving moment," Dineen said. "The song itself is partly the point of view of a whale and partly the point of view of me."

But the song evolved beyond a story; it's now a mission to raise awareness for the Rice's whale, a critically endangered species found only in the Gulf of Mexico.

"It's just this complicated, interesting story that's happening right now under our noses that most people don't know about," Dineen said.

That mission shaped the music video, too.

Dineen partnered with Pensacola's Breadbox Theatre to feature "Mysti," a four-person Rice's whale puppet originally created for the Pensacola Whale Festival. The concept is intentionally absurd, following a lonely Rice's whale searching for connection.

The "Do You Know About the Rice's Whale?" song artwork (written in gold, of course) and its music video reflect Dineen's hope that art can inspire people to care a little more about the world around them.

Whether Dineen is organizing the Pensacola Songwriters Rounds Series that she founded, supporting the planting of trees through the Pensacola Canopy Project or volunteering with Eco Clean Marine, she can't help cultivating community. Everything she cultivates comes from the same impulse: to leave people, places and the natural world a little better than she found them.

A week or so ago, Captain Pat Dineen, a charter fisherman, was crossing Choctawhatchee Bay just before sunrise. He stopped, turned off the boat and played his daughter's song "Lucky"— thinking about all the ways he feels lucky.

"You got me," he told her.

In that moment, Dineen's music did exactly what she'd always intended.

"That's ultimately what I want people to have … emotional connection with music and with other people and with nature," Dineen said. "I just want people to have rich, deep lives, and create something that can be a soundtrack, some small part of it. If I can do that, I feel like I've done something." {in}

KATIE DINEEN'S ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

WHAT: A show celebrating "Simmer," featuring Logan Pilcher and Tanner Lee Gray WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 WHERE: The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. COST: $10-20 sliding scale DETIALS: @katiedineensings, @thehandlebar850 11

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See free Blue Angels practices most Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Scan the QR code for all the details and premium seating options.

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FREE ADMISSION

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NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Beef 'O' Brady's, 1 New Market St., Cantonment (on Nine Mile Road near Pine Forest Road).

The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. For more information, visit facebook.com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTION Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every

first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD DRIVE The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Min-

istry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens 10 a.m. and also has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups.

Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women, as well as sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

ARTS & CULTURE

SAENGER THEATRE SUMMER MOVIE SERIES The historic Saenger Theatre has an-

nounced the lineup for the summer movie series. Its theme is "The Sound and the Story: Five Decades of Steven Spielberg and John Williams." Screenings are 3 p.m. at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are $7 per person.

Full concessions are available at each screening.

Dates are: "Catch Me If You Can" on Sunday, Aug. 16 and "Lincoln" on Sunday, Aug. 23. Details available at pensacolasaenger.com.

CINEMAS IN THE SAND: GOAT Watch the

animated film "Goat" hosted by Santa Rosa Island Authority. The movie starts at sunset Friday, Aug. 14 at Gulfside Pavilion, 20 Casino Beach Boardwalk. Visit visitpensacolabeach.com for details.

ELECTRIC GARDEN Perfect Plain Brewing

Co. and Mosaiq and Sweet Cola host this all-day event with live music, immersive experiences and a vendor market from 12-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 located at 50 E. Garden St. Tickets are $40 for general admission and $80 for VIP which includes a private DJ and bartender. Details available at facebook.com/gardengrain.

PENSACOLA HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY LUNCHEON The next luncheon is 11

a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at Golden Corral Meeting Room, 2260 Langley Ave. Cost is for the lunch buffet, $15 at the door. Participants are asked to bring an antique and give a brief talk. No reservations needed. For more information, visit pensacolahistoricpreservationsociety.com.

OMGITSWICKS & FRIENDS Comedy show

is 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at pensacolasaenger.com.

August 13, 2026

FILM SCREENING WITH ASHA DORE Asha

Dore's animated film will be screened 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at 309 Punk House, 309 N. Sixth Ave. Details available at facebook.com/309punkproject.

KEEPING COOL IN A WARMING WORLD

Join League of Women Voters Pensacola Bay Area for an informative discussion on the environmental and public health impacts of climate change. Event is 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 at the Gulf Breeze Library, 1060 Shoreline Drive. This event is hosted by the LWVPBA Natural Resources Committee.

AQUA SPA PRESENTS EPICUTIS EDUCATION NIGHT This complimentary experience

includes samples, food and drinks, raffles and more 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 at Laguna's Tiki Hut, 460 Pensacola Beach Blvd.

DRAG-LESQUE Show is 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

CHILDREN'S BOOK FAIR AT OPEN BOOKS Event is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug.

22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 at Open Books, 1040 N. Guillemard St. Visit facebook.com/openbooksbookstore for details.

ROAD TO REVOLUTION EXHIBIT AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF HISTORY "Road to

Revolution: Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American War for Independence" highlights how Pensacola helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution. Developed in partnership with America250, the exhibit explores how a Gulf Coast port played a pivotal role in a global conflict. The exhibit is on display through May 2027. The museum is located at 330 S. Jefferson St. For more information about the UWF Historic Trust, visit historicpensacola.org.

THE ART OF ANIMATION Pensacola Mu-

26

a&e happenings ception with wine, live music and occasional artist demonstrations. Visit bluemorninggallery.com for details.

MOVIE NIGHTS AT MUGS & JUGS Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway, hosts monthly movie nights. Watch their website for dates and movie announcements at mugsjugsbar.com. All movies are screened 9 p.m. on select Saturdays.

CLUB 27 COMEDY SHOW Visit Lili Marlene's at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. on the first and third Sundays of the month for a night of comedy. Doors open at 6 p.m. show starts at 7 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for details.

PENSACOLA HERITAGE FOUNDATION LECTURES Learn Pensacola and Northwest

Florida history through interesting, informal lectures every other Tuesday at The Wright Place, 80 E. Wright St. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. The lecture starts at noon and lasts one hour. Lecture cost is $5 for non-members and is free to members. Lunches are $12. For reservations, call (850) 380-7759.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART FILM SCREENINGS Pensacola Cinema Art will screen films se-

lect weekends during the summer season at 220 W. Garden St. Tickets are $10, and payment is cash only. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for their complete schedule.

PENSACOLA ROSE SOCIETY Monthly meetings are normally 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. Ninth Ave. Visit pensacolarosesociety.org for more information.

BTB COMEDY Watch live stand-up comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates.

seum of Art exhibit featuring illustrations from the Gerald and Vicki Adcox collection. On view through Sept. 6. Visit the museum at 407 S. Jefferson St. Find more details and museum hours at pensacolamuseum.org.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little

HUMANISTS OF WEST FLORIDA MONTHLY MEETING The Humanists of West Florida

2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox Streets at Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/downtownpensacola.

meet at the Ever'man Education Center, 351 W. Garden St. 10:15 a.m. every second Sunday of the month. For more information, visit facebook.com/ humanistsofwestflorida.

WEST GARDEN DISTRICT ARTISAN MARKET Shop local vendors and artisans 1-6 p.m. Fri-

days at Del Mar Plaza, 1617 W. Garden St. For more information, contact info@ub-pensacola.com.

TALK TO THE MOON COMEDY CLUB OPEN MIC Weekly comedy open mic is 7 p.m. Wednes-

days at Mathison Brewing Co., 500 E. Heinberg St. Signup starts at 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Adam Bowles and Russell Douglas. Details available at talktothemooncomedyclub.com.

FIRST FRIDAY AT BLUE MORNING GALLERY Visit Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox St., 5:30 p.m. every first Friday of the month for a re-

You’re Invited

Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every second Saturday of the month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is 9 a.m.-

SUNDAY MARKET ON PALAFOX Rain-orshine market is Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Located in downtown Pensacola, between Chase and Gregory Streets in the MLK Plaza.

Market features handmade crafts, art, baked goods, international cuisine and fresh produce.

Visit smopalafox.com for details.

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Caba-

ret Drag Showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open 8 p.m. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information, contact show director Taize Sinclair-Santi at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

Aug 14 –16 Fri & Sat 10a-5p Sun 12p-4p

To preview ALL of the 2026 Parade of Homes go to

paradeofhomespensacola.com 13

a&e happenings SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensac-

ola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MYSTERY TOUR AND DINNER After Dark Para-

normal Investigation and Dinner happens inside one of Pensacola's most haunted restaurants with real ghost-hunting equipment 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more related to Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. After your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E. Government St. Reservations are required. Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets are available at pensacolaghostevents.com.

LIVE MUSIC

BANDS ON THE BEACH The weekly concert

series takes place 7-9 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 27 at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. Free to attend. Upcoming dates: Paperchase on Aug. 18 and Mass Kunfuzion on Aug. 25.

For more information, call the SRIA at (850) 9322257 or go to visitpensacolabeach.com for the latest updates.

LIVE MUSIC AT FIVE SISTERS BLUES CAFÉ

Enjoy live music Thursdays through Sundays at Five Sisters, 421 W. Belmont St. Upcoming dates: The Glenn Parker Band 6-10 p.m. Saturdays; Curt Bol Quintet 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays; and John Wheeler 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays.

STEVE FORBERT Show is 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

KATIE DINEEN'S ALBUM RELEASE SHOW Show is 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

HEROES FOR GHOSTS Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

ALABAMA Show is 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at

Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets available online at pensacolabaycenter.com.

THE EMO NIGHT TOUR Show is 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15 at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at vinylmusichall.com.

BOUNTYTX Show is 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 at

The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

SOUTHPAW Show is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

GRAVE CHORUS Show is 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

ALL YOUR FRIENDS: INDIE DANCE PARTY Show is 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

VINCE GILL: 50 YEARS FROM HOME TOUR Show is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at

Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Details and tickets available at pensacolasaenger.com.

OUTTA POCKET Show is 5 p.m. Saturday,

Aug. 22 at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

SAVE FERRIS Show is 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at

The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Details and tickets available at thehandlebar850.com.

FOOD + DRINKS

CRAVIN' ASIAN: FILIPINO FLAVORS Cooking class is 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave., Ste. C. Tickets are $60 and available at pensacolacooks.com.

PICKLE FEST AT GARY'S BREWERY Visit Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. for a weekend of cold brews and pickle everything 3-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 12-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 and 1-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16. Details available at facebook.com/garysbrew.

MEXICAN FIESTA: AUTHENTIC TACOS WITH VIVIANA'S TORTILLAS Cooking class is 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave., Ste. C. Tickets are $70 and available at pensacolacooks.com.

FIL-AM LUAU Join Fil-Am Association of Pensacola for a luau 6:30-9:30 p.m. with food, entertainment and more located at 234 W. Oakfield Road. Admission is $30. Details available at filampcola.org.

LUNCH & LEARN: FERMENTATION Class is 12-1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Bodacious, 407D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $48 and available at Eventbrite.

TAILOR MADE WITH CHEF JEREMIAH TAYLOR: BOUNTY OF THE GULF COAST

Cooking classes are 5 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox St. Cost is $55 per person and includes tastings and recipe booklet. Reservations are required. Make yours by calling (850) 777-0412 or email marthaanne@goodgrits.com.

CULTURES COOK: AUTHENTIC INDIAN

Cooking class is 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Pen-

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August 13, 2026

15

a&e happenings sacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Tickets are $70 and available at pensacolacooks.com.

MIDDAY MURDER MYSTERY Event is 2:304:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Bodacious, 407D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $48 and available at Eventbrite.

PAELLA AND PALMERAS Cooking class is 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Tickets are $70 and available at pensacolacooks.com.

O'RILEY'S IRISH PUB BARTENDER CHAMPIONSHIP The ninth annual champi-

onship is 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox St. Attendees can sample cocktails made by each bartender, who will be crafting drinks with a secret ingredient chosen by O'Riley's. Judges will select their favorite cocktail and attendees will get to vote for their favorite. Attendee tickets are $25 and available at orileyspub.com/bartender-championship.

FITNESS + RECREATION

ICE FLYERS 2026-2027 SEASON The Pen-

sacola Ice Flyers have unveiled their full theme night schedule for the 2026-27 season. Home games are held at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Opening night is Saturday, Oct. 17.

See the full theme night schedule and find tickets at iceflyers.com.

OCEAN HOUR CLEANUPS Ocean Hour

cleanups are 8:45 a.m. Saturdays. On Aug. 15, the sites are Jones Creek, Bayfront Parkway and Wayside Park. For more information and meetup locations, visit oceanhourfl.com.

BLUE WAHOOS HOME GAMES Watch home games at the Blue Wahoos stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. Tickets and details at bluewahoos. com. Upcoming games are 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Aug, 18, Wednesday, Aug. 19, Thursday, Aug. 20, Friday, Aug. 21, Saturday, Aug. 22 and 4:05 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23.

ISLAND FIGHTS Island Fights 57 is 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Details and tickets available at pensacolabaycenter.com.

EAST HILL CLEAN UP The next park clean-

up is 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Andalusia Square, 1501 E. Cervantes. Visit myeasthill.org for details.

DOGS DAYS OF SUMMER Portside Pickle,

located at 740 Commendencia St., will host Pensacola Humane Society shelter pups so you can meet adoptable dogs as you take in a game of pickleball. Event is 8-10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30.

FRIDAY MORNING RUN/WALK CLUB Join the Lucky Goat community for a Friday morning fun run 6-8 a.m. Fridays at the Lucky Goat parking lot, 7175 N. Davis Highway. Runners complete a 6-mile loop and walkers complete a shorter, 45-minute loop. Finish the walk/run at the café when it opens at 6:45 a.m.

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SEVILLE QUARTER MILERS RUN CLUB

The Seville Quarter Milers Club meets 5:30 p.m.

Wednesdays in front of Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Enjoy free post-run pasta and happy hour drink specials. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

ADULT ROLLER HOCKEY GAMES: PENSACOLA BEACH HOCKEY LEAGUE The

third season of the adult roller hockey league kicks off in September with games every Sunday through December at Cowley Park, 916 Via de Luna Drive. More information is at app.teamlinkt.com/register/find/pbhl.

YOGA AT GARDEN & GRAIN Join Disko

Lemonade Yoga Studio for an all-levels vinyasa flow 10 a.m. Sundays through Dec. 21. Cost is $23 and includes a beverage (non-alcoholic options available) at Garden & Grain, 50 E. Garden St. Bring your own mats and water bottle. Details are at facebook.com/gardengrain.

HOT SPOTS FISHING SEMINARS A monthly free fishing seminar is held at Flounders Chowder House, 800 Quietwater Beach Road. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Seminar begins at 7 p.m. and typically lasts an hour. Visit facebook.com/ hotspotsfishing for details.

SPOT, PLOT AND FIRE Walk with a guide on a 45-minute tour of Battery Pensacola and discover how a young nation defended itself in a changing world. Meet inside historic Fort Pickens 11 a.m.

Saturdays and Sundays.

COASTAL CURIOSITIES Join a guide during

this hands-on activity to see, touch and learn how plants, animals and humans have continuously changed and adapted to the coastal environment. Meet at the Langdon Beach Pavilion 10 a.m.

Saturdays and Sundays.

KID-FRIENDLY

CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR AT BARNES & NOBLE Children's book author Christine Ka-

panga will read her book "Connor's New Adventure: New School … BIG Jitters" 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Pensacola Barnes & Noble, 1200 Airport Blvd.

ART ACADEMY FOR AUTISM AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART The next Art

Academy is Saturday, Aug. 15. Ages 5-9 is 10:3011:30 a.m.; ages 10-15 is 12:30-2 p.m.; and ages 16 and up is 2:30-4 p.m. Classes are free, but preregistration is recommended. Reserve your spot at pensacolamuseum.org/event/art-academyfor-autism-free-monthly-programs.

PRE-SCHOOL ART & STORYTIME AT PENSACOLA MUSEUM OF ART Book read-

ing and art activity for children aged 2-5 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Free to attend, but pre-registration is highly recommended. Reserve your spot at pensacolamuseum.org/event/augustfree-preschool-art-story-time-program.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

inweekly.net

HELPING GREAT EVENTS GROW

Pensacola Sports Grant Programs B

ehind every successful tournament, youth league and championship event is a community committed to helping sports thrive. Pensacola Sports has been making that commitment for decades through grant programs that strengthen local athletics while bringing visitors and economic impact to our region.

Sports Tourism Grant Program The Sports Tourism Grant Program provides financial assistance to organizations hosting sporting events that attract athletes and their families to Escambia County. Those events fill hotel rooms, support local businesses and showcase Pensacola as one of the Southeast’s premier sports destinations.

Applications are accepted quarterly, making funding available throughout the year for qualifying events.

Community Grant Program The Community Grant Program focuses on local nonprofit organizations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that are creating opportunities for athletes of all ages. From introducing children to their first sport to helping established events grow, these grants make a lasting difference by expanding access to competition, recreation and healthy lifestyles.

Every grant awarded represents an investment in people, partnerships and community pride. Whether your organization is planning a new event or looking to grow an existing one, Pensacola Sports is committed to helping great ideas become successful realities.

To learn more about eligibility, application deadlines and available funding opportunities, visit PensacolaSports.org/Grants and discover how Pensacola Sports is helping build champions both on and off the field.

Brought to you by Pensacola Sports

August 13, 2026

17

free will astrology WEEK OF AUGUST 13 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): At the post office, I mischievously plucked a crumpled piece of red paper out of the trash can. I don't usually do such things, but I sensed some horoscope material was lurking there. It turned out to be a handwritten love note addressed to "My Lush and Luminous Aries Laugh-Lover" and signed, "Your Flawed but Fiery and Funny Provocateur." The Provocateur had written, "Let's be rowdy investigators of wonders and miracles. Let's hack our way through the frontiers to discover the wildest beauty and truth ever." I was shocked that anyone would have discarded such a tempting proposal—especially an Aries.

Please avoid making comparable errors in the near future, my dear.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): The ancient

Romans could be obsessive perfectionists in their approach to building stuff. They were extra thorough and scrupulous. That's why some of the roads they constructed are still usable today, 2,000 years later. Workers dug deep foundations, then layered stones, gravel and sand before placing the final surface. In the coming weeks, Taurus, I recommend that you, too, carry out meticulous groundwork as you upgrade your foundations and optimize your stability.

Don't you dare be lazy or hurried in doing this grunt work. Your dogged and ingenious attention to detail will make your future safety zone shatterproof and shockproof.

Well-crafted inquiries will unlock sweet insights that brute effort can't.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): I appoint you to be the Chief Role Model in charge of showing everyone how to be a smart lover in all situations. Yes, all situations, not only those involving romance. In addition, I bestow on you the title of Chief Administrator of Amazing Grace, hoping this will inspire you to make elegant interventions in every situation where you have influence. Finally, Gemini, I exhort you to be devoted to seeing the beauty in everyone you encounter, even if you must work hard to find it. In asking you to carry out these humongous responsibilities, I'm interpreting the clues offered by the astrological omens. They have revealed to me that cultivating a generous spirit is crucial to you attracting what you want most.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): I confess I have succumbed to a very modern misdemeanor: tossing the word "sacred" around more often than it deserves. To be fair, I haven't stooped to the tacky depths of New Age hustlers hawking "sacred e‑mail marketing" or "sacred dog-walking." But still, I would prefer to invoke the word more sparingly, so that on the rare occasions I do, you will feel a genuine shiver of awe. Like now. I predict you will soon be stirred by marvelous encounters and realizations that flood 818 1

By Rob Brezsny

you with reverent feelings and turn your inner life deliciously upside down.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Given how extra vibrant and refreshed you have been feeling, I would understand if you had zero interest in confronting The Dilemma That Refuses to Fade. Why deliberately tangle with that stale, long‑term energy drain when your spirits are so high? Here's why: at this moment, you possess a new and unprecedented advantage over The Dilemma That Refuses to Fade. You may not manage to completely vanquish it once and for all. But then again, you just might. At the very least, you can now sharply curtail its ability to siphon your energy and meddle with your life.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo math-

ematician Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was known as a "human computer" who specialized in carrying out large volumes of intricate calculations. She also had an uncanny ability to translate complex problems into elegant equations, which was why NASA called on her help to guide its early space missions. She said she simply asked the right questions until the numbers disclosed their hidden patterns. Be like her in the coming weeks, Virgo. Instead of forcing quick and simple answers, focus on dreaming up the smartest questions. Well-crafted inquiries will unlock sweet insights that brute effort can't.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In the art of mosaic-making, tiny fragments of stone or glass are fitted together into intricate patterns. Each piece is insignificant and meaningless on its own, but together they compose luminous images. Let's deploy the mosaic as a metaphor for your life, Libra. I invite you to consider the possibility that you are assembling minor details and small clues into a big, beautiful masterpiece. You may not even be fully aware of how exactly you're doing it or what it will ultimately look like and do. That's fine. Your higher self is in charge of accomplishing this minor miracle.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Before

launching spacecraft, engineers perform countless simulations of situations they hope will never happen. They repeatedly practice failures so that success becomes more likely.

This is a different version of your current assignment, Scorpio. Your task is not to worry about disaster but to rehearse courage. So I encourage you to use your imagination to strengthen your resilience. Visualize yourself responding with creativity, grace and humor whenever life springs surprises and unexpected blessings. Your confidence will thrive because you will have lots of inner practice in collaborating adeptly with uncertainty.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): The

horizon line is always the same distance away from you, about three miles at sea level. If you walk toward it, you will never reach it because it moves with you. Now I'd like to propose that some of your personal goals work like horizons.

They are orientations, not actual destinations.

You're supposed to move toward them indefi-

nitely, never arriving. In the coming weeks, I invite you to distinguish between your horizon goals and your destination goals. Some aims are meant to be reached, while others basically guide your direction without ever needing to be attained.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Here's

my normally $600-per-hour advice, provided at a very low cost to you: don't get back to where you once belonged. Instead, go toward where you must belong in the future. Maybe the old place feels cozier because it's familiar, even if it no longer fits the person you are now. But I recommend that you heed the subtle pull of the life that's calling you from ahead. Who exactly is the even more beautiful self you're on your way to becoming? Visualize in detail the situation where that sovereign majesty will thrive.

Who exactly is the even more beautiful self you're on your way to becoming?

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): If you're single, the coming weeks will be one of the most auspicious periods in ages for cultivating your own fan club of admirers. Your allure is turned up higher than usual, and the universe seems to have decided that what once might have counted as excessive is now perfectly appropriate. If, however, you're happily ensconced in a lively monogamous bond, don't sabotage it with daydreams of juggling multiple lovers. Instead, conspire with your partner to expand the range of flavors inside the relationship. Try stepping into different personas together: adopt new names, experiment with strange accents and imagine you're living in 1453 Italy, or 1506 Spain, or 1685 Japan, or 1721 France.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): The speed

of thought can zip along at over 200 miles per hour. That's the rate at which signals travel through neurons. Electrical impulses in computers, on the other hand, may travel much faster, at half the speed of light. So your thoughts are very leisurely compared to machines. But they do what computers can't. They're creating meaning, not just moving data. Their slowness is where the richest reality unfolds. Remember that well in the coming weeks, Pisces. It's extra important for your mental and physical health that you not imitate machines and algorithms.

You need to ruminate and meditate and muse as gently and unhurriedly as you dare.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: What blessing would you most like to receive? Visualize it vividly. {in}

freewillastrology.com

tinyurl.com/u9u9u9u freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com © 2026 Rob Brezsny

inweekly.net

news of the weird GAS LEAK Hundreds of moviegoers in Colombia fled the theater during a showing of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," thanks to a noxious smell, The New York Post reported on Aug. 3. Witnesses at the screening in Cartagena said they were overwhelmed by the stench of flatulence, forcing them into the hallways outside the showing.

That's right: Someone's fart was so rotten that they cleared an entire theater full of people.

The stinker hasn't 'fessed up—who can blame them?—and so strong was the smell that some speculated someone had set off a stink bomb.

The anonymous air-befouler let it rip about halfway through the showing, and many moviegoers left without finishing the movie. [NY Post, 8/3/26] SKELETON IN THE ... DEEP FREEZER An Alaska family cleaning out a deceased loved one's home called authorities when they discovered human remains on the property, Juneau Empire reported on July 30. Juneau police say the body—a man who would have been in his 70s now—was found in a deep freezer located in a locked outbuilding, and has been identified as a relative of the home's deceased owner, though no missing person's report was ever filed for him. Police estimate the body had been stashed for years, and are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the man's death. [Juneau Empire, 7/30/26] GET OFF MY LAWN Kyle James Steffen, 39, of Minnesota, faces charges after placing about 40 three-inch spikes in his lawn to deter neighborhood children from riding their bikes through his front yard on their way to a nearby park. KARE 11 reported on July 31 that a neighbor called police after witnessing Steffen yell at her children, and when police arrived, they discovered Steffen's homemade spike strip. They charged him with a gross misdemeanor count of setting a spring gun/ pitfall/deadfall or snare. Steffen could face up to 180 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. His court date is set for Aug. 25. [KARE 11, 7/31/26] CLOTHING OPTIONAL Customers in Hollywood, Florida, are free to abide by an unusual dress code at the Class Soiree Steakhouse: clothing optional, UPI reported on Aug. 4. On the first Monday of the month, the steakhouse offers a nude dining experience from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Diners must be over 18 years old to participate, and are expected to follow additional guidelines, such as no touching without consent. Upon arrival, they are given a robe, a towel and a seat cover. Chef and owner Maurad Ali says his staff members—who remain clothed during the event—have been well-trained and are respectful of the hungry nudists. Tickets start at $150 for women, $250 for men and $300 for couples. [UPI, 8/4/26] DEATH BECOMES HIM A 26-year-old Welsh man has been arrested for dressing in a black hooded outfit to mimic the appearance of the Grim Reaper, climbing the roof of a local hospital and staring into hospital rooms, The Independent reported on Aug. 5. Local resident Leon Gillespie has been charged with causing a nuisance or

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

disturbance without reasonable excuse after a June incident at the Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital in North Wales. He pleaded guilty and was fined $270 for his stunt. [The Independent, 8/5/2026] PRECOCIOUS It was all hands on deck when a kitten was discovered stuck behind a Honda owner's front grille in Ames, Iowa. The car's driver was in the drive-thru at a Scooter's Coffee when she heard the kitten crying. Other drivers quickly gathered around, and the coffee shop manager called Ames Animal Shelter for help. "You could hear the cat crying out," animal services officer Kathy Pike said. "We didn't know how to get it out." She then contacted a towing company for more assistance. Jordan McKnight and Cole Denning from Central Iowa Towing and Recovery came over and had to dismantle the front part of the car enough for Pike to reach through and remove the kitten, who was showing signs of distress on a hot, humid day that felt like 118 degrees. The kitten—whom Pike named "Fika," a Swedish word for "coffee"—was put up for adoption, and in an adorable plot twist, McKnight, who helped rescue her, ended up taking her home with him, much to the delight of his wife and daughter. [Washington Post, 8/5/26] OUTFOXED After bottles of milk kept disappearing from outside his door, a man in Glasgow, Scotland, set up cameras to catch the culprit.

On Aug. 2, Fox News reported that Gordon Campbell, 42, suspected a "vegan militant" was to blame for the stolen milk. "I didn't really know exactly who would be doing it," Campbell said. "I thought it was a person or an animal." Campbell soon captured images of a fox scampering up the front steps, using its mouth to grab the bottle of milk, knocking it over and carrying it away. "All was forgiven when I saw its big ears and wee face," Campbell said. As to whether he'll be getting milk delivered in the future, Campbell's not certain, but if he does, he says he plans to put a protective box on his front step for safekeeping of the bottles. [Fox News, 8/2/26] THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HELICOPTER UPI reported on Aug. 3 that a horse and its rider became separated early in the Tevis Cup 100mile high-altitude endurance race in California.

After locating the uninjured rider, search crews spent two hours looking for the horse without any luck. The Butte County Sheriff's Office Helicopter Unit joined the search and located the equine in the Granite Chief Wilderness, which is nearly 7,200 feet above sea level and difficult to reach. The horse was assessed, sedated and secured in a lift before being extracted. After being airlifted to the French Meadows Reservoir, the horse stood up and walked on its own to a trailer that was waiting to take it home.

[UPI, 08/03/26] {in} From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2026 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com August 13, 2026

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