Independent News | September 13, 2018 | Volume 18 | Number 88 | Photo by Steven Gray Photography / Courtesy of Peat & Pearls
FREE â–¶
winners & losers
outtakes
4
news
5
6, 8, 9
It’s an important first step in starting the atonement and reconciliation process.
cover feature 13
a&e
calendar
19
21
publisher Rick Outzen
graphic designer Michael Daw
contact us info@inweekly.net
editor & creative director Joani Delezen
contributing writers Savannah Evanoff, Jennie McKeon, Jeremy Morrison, Shelby Nalepa, C.S. Satterwhite, Stephanie Sharp
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. © 2015 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
If you’ve been injured, hire an expert.
JOE ZARZAUR
Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist
zarzaurlaw.com Pensacola, FL
22
(855)hirejoe follow us inweekly.net
September 13, 2018
3
winners & losers
Courtesy Photo
Pam Bondi / Courtesy Photo
ESCAMBIA COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER
AMENDMENTS 7, 9 AND 11 Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers issued a seven-page order saying three constitutional amendments proposed by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission improperly "bundled" unrelated issues. Amendment 7 deals with governance of the state-college system and death benefits for survivors of first responders and military members. Amendment 9 would ban drilling and workplace vaping. Amendment 11 would remove constitutional language that prohibits "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning property and would revise language to make clear the repeal of criminal statutes does not affect the prosecution of crimes committed before the repeal. Attorney General Pam Bondi has appealed the ruling.
winners The shelter's adoption, transfer and foster rates soared this summer, according to Animal Services Manager John Robinson. During June, July and August, the shelter saw 460 adoptions, nearly doubling the 265 adoptions they had during the same time period in 2017. The euthanasia rate has also decreased significantly. From a high of 61 percent in 2015 from January to August, the same period in 2018 was documented at 39 percent. The shelter also transferred 366 animals to other shelters in June, July and August, up from the 257 animals transferred in the same time period last year.
FRIENDS OF THE WEST FLORIDA LIBRARY Friends of West Florida Public
Library donated $25,000 to West Florida Public Libraries for youth program needs, such as Summer Reading Club supplies and educational performers and STEAM activities such as WFPL's robotics, science, art and engineering programs. Over past 40-plus years, the Friends have raised more than $2 million to enhance the programs and services at West Florida Public Libraries.
BARC The U.S. Environmental Protection
F I E S T A
P E N S A C O L A
2 0 1 8
PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
Agency last week recognized the Bay Area Resource Council (BARC) as the recipient of a $2 million cooperative agreement. The goal of the project is to develop a new estuary program in the Florida Panhandle. The Gulf of Mexico Program began in 1988 to protect, restore and maintain the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in economically sustainable ways.
losers
BAYVIEW PARK CROSS The debate over
the constitutionality of the City of Pensacola's cross in Bayview Park may not be settled before Mayor Ashton Hayward leaves office. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled to uphold the lower court's ruling that the city maintaining a cross in a public park was unconstitutional, and the cross must be removed. However, two judges argued the precedent set by the 1983 case of ACLU of Georgia v. Rabun County Chamber of Commerce was wrong and wanted the U.S. Supreme Court to fix it. Judge Charles Ashley Royal wrote of the cross in his concurring opinion, "It is rooted in Pensacola's history. If the cross is a problem, it is only a local problem, not a constitutional problem." The city will appeal.
S E P T. 2 8 – 3 0 D OW N TOW N P E N SAC O L A F R E E
A D M I S S I O N ENTE
HOURS:
Friday, Sept. 28 • 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29 • 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 • 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
R TA I N M E N T
WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN ADAM DOLEAC KENTON BRYANT THE MOLLY RINGWALDS & MUCH MORE!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.PENSACOLASEAFOODFESTIVAL.COM 44
Adoption • Paternity • Dependency/DCF Hearings Prenuptial Agreements • Postnuptial Agreements Divorce • Child Custody and Timesharing Child Support • Child Support Modifications Alimony • Collaborative Divorce • Divorce Mediation • Pre-Suit Family Law Mediation
127 Palafox Place Suite 100 (850)466-3115 autumnbeckblackledge.com inweekly.net
6400 US HWY 90 outtakes
by Rick Outzen
FORMER FORD DEALERSHIP - SELLER SAYS SELL! Approx. 21,000 sq. ft. BRING ALL OFFERS! REDUCED TO $950,000 GCCMLS#30011732
THE NEXT MAYOR'S PLANS Pensacola's next mayor will be Grover Robinson or Brian Spencer. They have about two months to convince us which of them is the best one for the job. The candidates need to remember the strong mayor government depends on ideas and platforms, not pretty mailers. Robinson and Spencer need to address: City Hall Organization: The structure of city government has been in a constant state of flux. Mayor Hayward started with a cabinetstyle leadership, but that was abandoned by 2014. His second term greatly suffered because of it. Departments have been combined, and department heads reclassified to avoid city council approval. Turnover has been nearly constant in the mayor's office. The Human Resources manual was "inactivated" last May, and employees have no independent appeal process. How will this change? Communication: The only town hall meetings held since December 2013 have been those conducted by Councilwomen Sherri Myers and Jewel CannadaWynn. Social media has become the one-way communication means of the Hayward administration. The City website has been redesigned at least three times since 2011. Its information often has been found to be outdated. Interviews have been limited to primarily emailed questions. A multi-faceted communication system is a key to transparency. Enterprise Management: Pensacola has four major enterprises—Pensacola Energy, Pensacola International Airport, Port of Pen-
sacola and Sanitation Services. What are the candidates' plans for these operations? The City could not balance its budget without the $8 million it receives annually from Pensacola Energy. The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) campus at the airport could change the face of the city over the next five years, but the port is struggling. No city operation has been studied more and had fewer lasting results than the Port of Pensacola. As for Sanitation Services, is it time for the city to expand selling the operation to ECUA or a private company? West Pensacola Redevelopment: The area west of Palafox Street has gone through a housing renaissance. As more people move to the Tanyard and West Pensacola, the demand for better infrastructure, public safety and other quality of life improvements will increase. The private sector has spearheaded most of the growth, but it may have exceeded the services offered on that side of town. The proposed Community Development Corporation might provide guidance, but the mayor and city council need to be a part of the process. What's needed? Sidewalks, street lighting, parks, police protection, grocery store and a higher performing elementary school are on our list. The next mayor needs to give us his ideas and timetable. Conflicts of Interest: Both candidates are successful business people. We need to know how they will separate themselves from their business interests and partners. {in} rick@inweekly.net
No city operation has been studied more and had fewer lasting results than the Port of Pensacola.
Virtual tour: www.tourbuzz.net/public/vtour/display/661524?idx=1 SEVILLE SQUARE REALTY WELCOMES JONATHAN W. BOYD
Contact Jonathan: 850-776-1730
SEVILLE SQUARE REALTY, LLC Cheryl Young Licensed Real Estate Broker
308 E. Government St. • Pensacola, Florida 32502
(850) 712-4742
www.sevillesquare.net • cheryl@sevillesquare.net
Licensed in Florida & Alabama
Practicing Since 1974 INJURED? (ALL TYPES OF ACCIDENTS)
ARRESTED? (ALL FEDERAL & STATE COURTS)
WHITE COLLAR CRIMES (HEALTH-CARE FRAUD • DRUG OFFENSES & D.U.I.s)
FREE CONSULTATION ON INJURY / DEATH CASES & CRIMINAL CASES NO RECOVERY - NO FEE / COST ON PERSONAL INJURY & WRONGFUL DEATH CASES
24 HOUR SERVICE
433-9922
304 E. GOVERNMENT STREET September 13, 2018
5
THE INNERARITY COMPROMISE
Doug Underhill / Courtesy Photo
By Jeremy Morrison The scene was rather idyllic along the curve of Bob-o-Link Road, as a late afternoon sky surrenders to another sunset. Over on Cruzat Way, a small patch of beach that overlooks Perdido Bay, dolphins crest the water's surface just long enough to hear Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill saying something about how "the whole purpose here is to balance." Commissioner Underhill, county staff and Hammond Engineering hosted a special on-site public meeting to discuss the plans for the Bob-O-Link, Gorham and Cruzat Project. The project, previously referred to as the third phase of the Innerarity Point Road Drainage Improvement Project, began strictly as a stormwater
66
project. While the design did improve residential flooding and the reduction of pollutants entering Perdido Bay, it did not allow for sufficient public access or provide an adequate intertidal zone. The commissioner wanted to give residents an opportunity to learn more about the revised plan during the walkthrough meeting. The redesigned project is slated for construction bid advertisement in September. It provides not only stormwater protection but also erosion control, sand access for area residents and a living shoreline at both Bob-OLink and Cruzat. The living shoreline will be home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Underhill stood in his flip-flops with a group of neighborhood residents, detailing a county project slated for the area. He stressed the compromised nature of the proposition.
"Nobody should walk out of here 100 percent happy." Doug Underhill "Nobody should walk out of here 100 percent happy," the commissioner said. Residents listened as Underhill, along with county staff and a project engineer, explained the specifics of the Bob-O-Link, Gorham & Cruzat Project. They flipped through handouts detailing the planned efforts to address the area's stormwater and flooding issues as well as shoreline erosion concerns.
"What we do here is going to affect this neighborhood and the quality of life in this neighborhood forever," Underhill told them. But not everyone in the neighborhood seemed convinced the project—a phase of the Innerarity Point Road Drainage Improvement Project, funded with Local Option Sales Tax revenue—was necessary. "I think they're trying to fix something that's not broken," said resident Joi Rodgers. This late August community meeting was the latest installment in a conversation that has been going on for the past couple of years between Escambia County and neighborhood residents. Since the project's 2016 genesis, the county and residents have been working toward a project design that addresses drainage and erosion issues, while also allowing for continued public waterfront access.
riprap used in erosion efforts in favor of employing a living shoreline component. "If you actually work hard at it, you can balance environmental and human use issues," Underhill said later. Even with the projects revisions, however, some residents at the community meeting appeared unsatisfied with, for example, the remaining riprap or felt that the area did not have any flooding, drainage or erosion issues and that the entire project was unnecessary. "Leave it the way it is," quipped resident Antonio Maesa. Underhill has little patience for this attitude, which he calls an "irrational position."
"What it comes down to, people are emotionally charged instead of actually taking off their "We have basically tried to take everything that was said two years activist hat and putting on their ago and tried to get it to engineering understanding hat." Underhill standards." Underhill "What it comes down to, people are
"We have basically tried to take everything that was said two years ago and tried to get it to engineering standards," Underhill said, explaining that the county's original design concepts would have prevented beach access. Some neighborhood residents have expressed concerns—on social media as well as officially in the form of a petition—about the project. They're concerned it would impede public access to the waterfront at the ends of both Bob-O-Link and Cruzat, and afraid the use of riprap in erosion efforts will make beach access dangerous. To address these concerns, county staff revised the design so that non-motorized vessels, such as kayaks, can still be brought to the water and limited the amount of
emotionally charged instead of actually taking off their activist hat and putting on their understanding hat," the commissioner said, recalling a conversation with a resident who felt shoreline erosion was a non-issue. "I said, 'Well, you see that pine stab out in the water? Within the past 10 years or so, that was terra firma; that was on shore.'" With the project slated to begin in December, area residents have until midSeptember to offer further input. But, as Underhill told attendees of the neighborhood meeting, the county isn't looking to "go back to the drawing board" after two years of work. "These ideas that you have," the commissioner said, "they need to come hot and fast, and they need to be detailed." {in}
inweekly.net
Studer Community Institute
Training & Development Better Jobs • Better Lives • Better Communities
60% to 80% of all jobs come from existing companies. Small businesses drive the economy’s engine, and we commend all those local businesses that work so hard, every day, to create jobs and spur growth for our community. We want to recognize the more than 1,900 people from 600+ businesses who have attended Studer Community Institute skills-training sessions over the past 12 months, including workshops, small business roundtables, and EntreCon® our 2-day business and leadership conference.
The Illuminators This talented team of speakers and facilitators light and lead the way to success. Illuminators share our mission to improve the quality of life for people. Illuminators lead workshops designed to help you develop a strong, values-based culture, where team members feel more fulfilled, growth is catalyzed and results sustained.
Miller Caldwell III Caldwell & Associates
Tracy Crowell Two Headed Marketing
Lynne Cunningham Studer Group
Jon Deckert Vivid Bridge Studios
Kelly Dickey Studer Group
Penelope Elebash Studer Group
Thomas Greek Navy Federal Credit Union
Liz Jazweic LiJaz.com
Cheryl Kirby, PhD Florida SBDC Network
Lisa Long Red Iron Design House
Kelly Massey Florida SBDC at UWF
Autumn Morris Studer Group
Ben Murphy Vivid Bridge Studios
Bob Murphy Studer Community Institute Faculty, Studer Group Speaker
Mort O’Sullivan Retired Managing Member, Gulf Coast Region, Warren Averett
Daniel Pennington Speaker Coach, Keynote Speaker & Author
Chris Reilly Sperduto Associates Inc.
Amie Remington LandrumHR
Kristine Rushing Beck Partners
Bert Thornton Retired Vice Chairman Emeritus of Waffle House
Kristie Tobias Studer Group
Debbie Williams Gorilla Group
Stacy Keller Williams Navy Federal Credit Union
Veronique Zayas Hatchmark Studio
If you are interested in learning more about Studer Community Institute training and development and EntreCon®, please visit our website at studeri.org or contact Rachael Gillette, rgillette@studeri.org, (850) 748-5656. The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
September 13, 2018
7
GAETZ'S LAST CRUSADE using their positions to gain a "disproportionate benefit" for themselves or their families. This measure relies on the ninemember Florida Commission on Ethics to define a "disproportionate benefit" and determine penalties for violators by Oct. 1, 2019. The "disproportionate benefit" part would take effect on Dec. 31, 2020, while the lobbying changes in Amendment 12 would take effect on Dec. 31, 2022. The Ethics Commission has nine members, five appointed by the governor and two each by the House speaker and the Senate president. The commission lacks the power to initiate ethics and lobbying investigations on its own. According to its annual report, the commission fielded 180 complaints in 2017, the lowest number since 2011. Of those, 70 were dismissed, 87 were investigated, and 23 are pending.
"No one has stood up and said, 'I'd like a debate on the issue. I'd like to take the other side. There is no Pro-Corruption Caucus." Don Gaetz Don Gaetz / Photo by Jeremy Morisson
By Duwayne Escobedo Don Gaetz's father, Jerry, served as mayor of the small town of Rugby, N.D.—the geographic center of North America—and later as a state senator. At the dinner table, the topic of conversation often turned to politics. Jerry would tell his family about nepotism and pressure to give contracts to certain companies. A straight shooter, it disgusted him. He drilled into his children that public office should never be for private gain. Those lessons stuck with his son, Don, who crusades today for Florida voters to approve the highest standards and ethics for elected officials in the United States. Amendment 12 appears on the general election ballot in November and would become part of the state constitution if voters support it. "My father always said in a Democratic form of government, voters pretty much get what they deserve," said Gaetz, who served as Florida Senate president during his 22 years in public office. "If they want higher standards from local and state government, then here's their chance. It's a simple yes or no," he shared. "We deserve a better government. Let's take a broom to local and state government." Gaetz first won election as an Okaloosa County school system board member in 1994 and then superintendent in 2000. 88
Gaetz moved on to the Florida Senate where he served from 2006-2016, including as Senate president from 2012-2014. In the Florida Senate, he introduced eight bills strengthening ethics laws, and six became state laws. Amendment 12, though, includes the most sweeping changes to how every local and state elected official and public employee conduct themselves, making them more accountable to the communities they serve. "This last (ethics) crusade is one of the most important I've engaged in my public life," 70-year-old Gaetz said. Amendment 12 established a six-year ban preventing legislators and other elected officials from lobbying the legislature or any other part of state government after they leave office. The current prohibition on making money as a lobbyist is two years after leaving office, and the ban applies only to the government agency that the official served. The proposed amendment expands the prohibition against lobbying from the state government to federal and local governments and statewide officeholders, such as Cabinet members. It applies the same probation to state agency department heads who leave their jobs and judges after they leave the bench. Also, elected officials can't do paid lobbying while serving in office. Additionally, Amendment 12 prohibits officeholders and public employees from
Why have you heard so little about Amendment 12's lobbying and ethics reforms? "No one has stood up and said, 'I'd like a debate on the issue. I'd like to take the other side,'" Gaetz said. "There is no Pro-Corruption Caucus. The opposition operates in the shadows." That's why you won't see any TV or print commercials opposing Amendment 12 or political action committees raising funds to defeat the proposed lobbying and ethics reforms. Instead, high-ranking Republicans and Democrats privately fight against the attempt to "clean the swamps" of political corruption, Gaetz said. His former peers approached him and asked him to back down from being a champion for the more stringent regulations called for in Amendment 12. Some asked him to water it down or even exempt them from the amendment, Gaetz reported incredulously. "It's an uphill battle to get passed because there is no organized effort against it," Gaetz said. "Maybe it's just inherent in human beings that they cannot police their own actions. That's why we needed the Ten Commandments, and that's why we need Amendment 12." Gaetz said the six-year ban against public officials being able to lobby resulted from a measure passed in the state House of Representatives by outgoing House Speaker Richard Corcoran. Plus, Gaetz said, "Any influence you used to have is pretty much evaporated." Gaetz said he is unable to swallow the
fact fellow legislators get paid to lobby local governments on contracts on the weekends when they return to their homes. It angers him when others enter office with the expectation to earn more money once their term ends. His father, Jerry, held down three jobs and chose to do public service to support his family. He would talk about officials trying to get relatives hired to "cushy" public jobs or put pressure on local officials to give contracts to certain companies so they could earn a kickback.
"My father was physically revolted by the idea someone would use public office for private gain." Gaetz "I've seen too many examples of local officials and state officials who monetize public office," Gaetz said. "My father was physically revolted by the idea someone would use public office for private gain. I've tried to carry on that tradition in our family that my father instilled in me." That's why he hopes this November, voters go to the polls and approve Amendment 12, making Florida the nation's leader in ethics in government. {in}
A YES VOTE ON AMENDMENT 12 WOULD: •Extend the ban on state lobbying by legislators and statewide elected officials from two to six years. •Prohibit legislators and statewide elected officials from lobbying federal and local government agencies while in office. •Prohibit top state agency employees from any lobbying while working for the state and from lobbying state government for six years after leaving their job. •Prohibit local elected officials from getting paid to lobby anyone while in office and from lobbying their own governing body for six years after leaving office. •Prohibit judges from lobbying any branch of state government for six years after leaving the bench. •Prohibit any elected official or public employee from using his or her position to gain a "disproportionate benefit," a term to be defined by the Florida Commission on Ethics. Source: League of Women Voters of Florida inweekly.net
Let’s Wine!
IN THE SOIL By C. Scott Satterwhite In the early years of the 20th century, hundreds of white people joined in the public lynching of two African-American men in two separate instances in the center of downtown Pensacola. Mobs of over 1,000 men, women and children participated the 1908 lynching of Leander Shaw and the 1909 lynching of David Alexander, both in Plaza Ferdinand. This month, with the help of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a public reckoning will take place in the very spot of those crimes. Next Thursday, Sept. 20, a ceremony is planned to remember Escambia County's lynching victims, followed by a panel discussion at the nearby Bowden Building hosted by Pensacola's Race and Reconciliation Committee. Efforts to memorialize Shaw and Alexander began in earnest at a meeting of the group. Organized by members of the EJI, the Race and Reconciliation Committee facilitated a community dialogue on the Plaza Ferdinand lynchings. The hope was that the local community would join EJI and several communities across the country by trying to publicly acknowledge lynching victims. Based in Montgomery, Ala., EJI's website states that it "confronts racial injustice, advocates for equality and creates hope for marginalized communities." Over the past year, EJI's efforts to remember lynching victims garnered international headlines, specifically with the recent openings of the Legacy Museum and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, both in Montgomery. The memorial is the first and only public space of its kind that directly confronts our country's history of lynching. Throughout a space, which is almost the size of a city block, dozens of individual rectangular memorials hang from the ceiling with the names of counties where the lynchings occurred and the victims. An exact replica of each hanging memorial rests on the path leading out of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The replicas are made specifically for each community to claim and place within their county as part of the historical reconciliation EJI hopes to facilitate. The EJI anticipates that monuments will become available for communities to claim beginning in 2019. Between 1899 and 1910, white residents of Escambia County lynched at least five African-American men. Newspaper accounts from the time describe a macabre scene where white mobs hanged the men in the exact spot, one of the city's first outdoor electric light posts, nearly a year apart. In the case of Shaw, whites hanged him, shot his body hundreds of times and cleaned September 13, 2018
the body parts from Plaza Ferdinand the following day. A photographer took pictures of Shaw's body hanging from the light post and sold them as souvenir postcards.
"This project is important because it gives us an opportunity to remember and tell the stories of persons who lost their lives." Maurice Hargraves
matized black people through the country." For the most part, these acts of violence were tolerated, if not encouraged, by local governments throughout the South and helped enforce white supremacist racial hierarchies. EJI describes their position on this racial violence that killed more than 4000 African-Americans throughout the country in unequivocal terms, "These lynchings were terrorism." Although some whites were lynched for various crimes throughout the country, the vast majority of those lynched were African-American. All of Pensacola's victims were black. "I chose to get involved to be sure that black voices were instrumental in the telling and retelling of our own histories," said Hargraves.
To date, there is no official historical marker remembering these events, except what EJI created. That Escambia memorial is currently resting in Montgomery, alongside hundreds of others. While The National Memorial for Peace and Justice remembers the victims in large-scale form, EJI's Legacy Museum has another unique means of recognizing lynching victims. Within the museum, visitors are surrounded by America's history of racial injustice. Housed in a former slave market in downtown Montgomery, the Legacy Museum offers historical exhibits, multimedia visuals and even holograms to draw the connections between historic racial injustice and the present. To further the visitor's journey through America's history of racial injustice, a wall of soil-filled jars stands by the museum's exit. In each jar is the actual soil, collected by EJI and its community volunteers, where AfricanAnother volunteer is Rita Milton. Milton is American men and women were lynched. a long-time community activist and a member The victims from Escambia County will of Movement for Change who has been insoon be a part of this memorial. volved with this effort since the beginning. Recently, volunteers working for EJI care"Lynching has been a sad part of our fully removed soil from Plaza Ferdinand with permission from the local government. As Pla- history," said Milton. "The community za Ferdinand has been layered with soil several needs to know the suffering our people went through, physically and mentally. I times since for beautification projects over wanted to be a part of the remembrance the years, special care went into the removal project because of the importance of to ensure the soil collected was from the time learning about our past and going forward." both Shaw and Alexander were lynched. The long-term plan is to have a historic Getting to this stage was a several-monthmarker erected in the vicinity to mark the long process for the local steering commitlynching events as well as the placement tee. Beginning last spring, representatives of an EJI lynching memorial in a yet-to-befrom EJI joined the Race and Reconciliation determined location in the county. {in} Committee to help create a small group with the express task of spearheading local efforts to memorialize the victims. The first person to volunteer for the WHAT: A soil collection ceremony to honor project was Maurice Hargraves. Escambia County lynching victims hosted by the "This project is important Equal Justice Initiative and Pensacola's Race and because it gives us an opportunity Reconciliation Committee to remember and tell the stories of WHEN: 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20 persons who lost their lives," said WHERE: Ceremony begins in Plaza Ferdinand, Hargraves. "It's an important first followed by a reception and panel discussion at step in starting the atonement and the Bowden Building, 120 Church St. reconciliation process." DETAILS: facebook.com/racereconciliation; According to EJI's website, eji.org "racial terror lynchings were violent and public acts of torture that trau-
"Lynching has been a sad part of our history. The community needs to know the suffering our people went through, physically and mentally. I wanted to be a part of the remembrance project because of the importance of learning about our past and going forward." Rita Milton
Free Wine Tasting Every Thursday AWM 5pm - 7pm
27 S. 9th Ave. | 850•433•9463 AragonWineMarket.com
For Your Specialty
Eye Care Needs! • Color and Bifocal Contact Lenses • True Tear Dry Eye Treatments & Lipiflow Dry Eye Treatments • Eyelash Lengthening • Luxury & Exclusive Eyeglasses & Sunglasses
113 Palafox Place (Across from Saenger Theatre)
Pensacola
(850) 434-2060
SOIL COLLECTION CEREMONY
9
SETTLING CLAIMS Last Thursday, the
Escambia Board of County Commissioners approved a settlement payment of $850,000, with the county to pay $107,500 of that amount as its insurance deductibles, to the Estate of Rodney J. Berry in exchange for the execution of a general release and hold harmless agreement. Three years ago, Inweekly reported on the death of Rodney Jamal Berry, an Escambia County Jail inmate (Inweekly, "Jail Deaths Require Scrutiny," 12/3/15). The article led to a restructuring of medical services at the facility. Escambia County Director of Corrections Michael Tidwell was terminated the day after the article was published. In May 2015, Berry, who was a pretrial detainee, began complaining of vomiting and diarrhea. The correction officers and his fellow inmates tried to get medical help for him, but the infirmary staff would only place him on a sick call list for later in the day. He died having vomited and defecated on himself repeatedly for nearly seven hours. An autopsy was performed. The medical examiner ruled the cause of Berry's death was coronary atherosclerosis. Berry's death was among a series of five jail deaths that occurred between Nov. 1, 2014, and Nov. 15, 2015. The attorneys for Berry's family contended that the symptoms being shown by Berry were the result of the side effects of prescribed medicines which were indicators of a life-threatening health condition requiring emergency treatment at a hospital. They sued the county, alleging counts for negligence under Florida law as well as counts for deliberate indifference to the federal civil rights of Mr. Berry to receive adequate and appropriate medical treatment while in the care, custody and control of the jail. The board also approved settling for $175,000 the discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment and retaliation claims filed by former firefighter Amanda Phillips against Escambia County Fire Rescue with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is requiring that the county institute training of all fire department employees, including supervisory and management employees, in prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace. County policies must include more specific references to those persons with job titles to whom a complaint can be made and how an investigation of a complaint would proceed. The EEOC specifically required that a complaint need not be in writing but could be 010 1
verbal to start an investigation. The training and amended policies must be in place within 60 days of the county administrator executing this agreement and shall remain in effect for two years from that date. Commissioner Lumon May voted for the settlements but wanted assurances from County Administrator Jack Brown that he had dealt with those whose actions created the legal liabilities. "We're selling millions of dollars of discrimination suits," said Commissioner May. "I know that Jack's doing some internal action items, but when we're spending public dollars and we're voting for millions of dollars for discrimination and sexual harassment. I think that it's critical that we bring that to the public forum." Brown offered to brief the board on the training that has been conducted and the policies that the board had already approved. "I didn't want you to call a person's name, but there has to be a culprit of liability in terms of the actions that happened," said May. "We're settling a million dollars because somebody did something wrong, and that's as candid as I can be." Brown responded, "What I can tell you is that several people were let go over this issue."
POLICE GET RAISES Nearly three months after Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward announced he had reached agreements to the Police union, he was presenting the tentative agreements to the Pensacola City Council for approval at its Sept. 13 meeting. In his budget statement, the mayor said, "Negotiations with the three different police unions have reached a tentative three-year agreement, which includes a 10 percent pay increase for police officers and a 3 percent pay increase for police sergeants and police lieutenants in Fiscal Year 2019." However, Mayor Hayward didn't give all the details. The police officers and sergeants will receive an additional 8 percent increase spread over the following two fiscal years. Lieutenants will receive an additional 6 percent annually spread over the same period. Lt. Erik Goss, Lt. James Reese and Lt. Matthew Cloverdale will have their salaries increased to $80,275.73 on Oct. 1. UWF ADDS CYBERSECURITY DEGREE The University of West Florida has added a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity this fall, enhancing its nationally designated program, making it the first university in Florida to offer a degree with a Center for Academic Excellence designation from the
National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. UWF previously offered a Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Sciences with a specialization in Cybersecurity. In its first year in 2015, 21 students pursued the cybersecurity specialization. Now, approximately 180 students have declared cybersecurity as their major, making it one of the fastest growing programs at UWF. "This is another significant step taken by the college in its role as a leader in cybersecurity education," said Dr. Jaromy Kuhl, interim dean of the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering. "To offer a B.S. in Cybersecurity, especially one with the Center for Academic Excellence designation, ensures we will produce talented cybersecurity professionals to fill the critical workforce shortage." The bachelor's degree program in cybersecurity, housed in the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, will emphasize secure computer programming and foundational knowledge, skills and abilities for cybersecurity. The program will create new synergies for students and faculty across UWF to engage in research and prepare students to become future cybersecurity leaders. Faculty and students from various departments will be able to collaborate on joint projects to solve complex security problems that leverage individual expertise. "UWF's bachelor's degree in cybersecurity addresses the nation's growing need for graduates with cybersecurity skills that can build secure systems, protect data assets and defend against network and system attack," said Dr. Thomas Reichherzer, chair of the Department of Computer Science. "The degree program will allow students to launch their careers as cyber professionals." For more information, visit uwf.edu/ cyberdegree.
CALLING LOCAL ARTISTS ArtFields
has put out a call for submissions from artists from Florida and eleven other states. More than $140,000 is up for grabs in prize money, including an award for the best work from each state. ArtFields started in 2013 and is the brainchild of Lake City, S.C., native and philanthropist Darla Moore. Its goal is to honor Southeastern artists with nearly two weeks' worth of celebration and competition in the heart of Lake City. To date, ArtFields has awarded nearly $700,000 in prize money, helped launch the careers of artists and ultimately led to Lake City's
transformation into a burgeoning arts mecca. Moore has been named one of Garden & Gun's most inspiring Southern women. From April 26-May 4, the ArtFields event transforms the small South Carolina town into a gallery for up to 400 pieces of art, exhibiting artwork in professional gallery spaces and private shops, restaurants and other locales. Among ArtFields' roughly 20,000 yearly attendees are gallery owners, museum curators and directors, arts educators, art critics and writers, students and locals. Most events are free and open to the public. ArtFields will accept submissions through Nov. 5. For more details, visit artfieldssc.org.
NEW STATE PARKS WEBSITE The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has redesigned the Florida State Parks website, floridastateparks.org. The new website promotes the Florida Park Service, providing visitors with detailed information about all 175 state parks, trails and historic sites. "Florida is home to the best state parks in the nation," said Gov. Rick Scott in a press release. "Our award-winning state park service not only provides world-class recreation for Florida's residents and visitors but also protects our natural treasures for generations to come." The enhanced site improves user experience with its mobile responsiveness and site search tool, and it features more photos and a trip tuner, making it easier for visitors to plan their trips to state parks. The Florida Park Service provides accessibility and outstanding customer service to all visitors, ensuring they have a memorable experience. "We're so excited for the launch of the new Florida State Parks website and how well it interprets what our parks staff do every day to manage our state's natural resources," said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. "Our award-winning state parks provide many unique recreational and educational opportunities for all who visit. By creating this new platform, DEP is dedicated to providing visitors with a oneof-a-kind park experience." The website also features a new marketing logo for Florida State Parks. The new logo features the Florida panther, which symbolizes the Florida Park Service's role in protection and conservation while representing the wild, Real Florida found within Florida State Parks. "Floridastateparks.org is a place where people can learn about Florida's special places and prized properties," said Eric Draper, director of Florida State Parks. inweekly.net
parks, and this new website features our great park staff, volunteers and friends."
APP CHALLENGE Congressman Matt
Matt Gaetz / Courtesy Photo "This new design recognizes state park transformative experiences, which in Florida can be as different as swimming in a first magnitude spring or walking on one of the world's best beaches. People make our
September 13, 2018
Gaetz recently announced the 2018 Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a competition for students in middle and high school. The CAC accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language and for any platform, including desktop, web, mobile, Raspberry Pi and others. "I am pleased to be hosting the App Challenge again," Rep. Gaetz said. "STEM, computer and coding skills are extremely valuable in today's data-driven world, and students who develop these skills are preparing themselves well for the jobs of the future. It was inspiring last year to see so much talent from within the district, and I look forward to another successful App Challenge this year." Congress created the CAC to highlight that STEM and computer-based skills are essential for economic growth and innovation. By some estimates, the U.S. may be short by as many as a million programmers by 2020.
The competition is open to all students, regardless of coding experience, who meet the eligibility requirements. Students are eligible to participate as individuals or in teams of up to four members. At least one student on the team must be a resident of and attend school in Florida's 1st Congressional District. The Challenge is currently accepting submissions. Students are encouraged to register online by Sept. 10 before submitting their apps. Students can register at congressionalappchallenge.us. The submission deadline is Oct. 15. The culminating event for the competition will take place at the 2018 Congressional App Challenge and STEM/Cybersecurity Expo at 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway. Students will present their app video demos to the panel of judges. Industry informational tables will be set up throughout the expo for attendees to visit. The awards program ceremony, where the winners will be announced, will take place later in the afternoon. The winning apps will be eligible to be
featured in the U.S. Capitol, on house.gov, and on the Congressional App Challenge website.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR Experts from
the UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County will offer a class on having your own backyard chickens at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, at the UF/IFAS Santa Rosa County Extension Office, 6263 Dogwood Dr., Milton. This class is free to attend without pre-registration. Brownsville Northwest Neighborhood Cleanup is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Only residents in the designated cleanup area can participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Items left at the curb outside of the cleanup area won't be collected. The general cleanup area is south of W. Fairfield Drive and W. Avery St., north and east of Mobile Highway and west of North Z St. For more details, visit myescambia.com/cleanup. The Escambia County Purchasing Department and the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce are hosting a Small Business and Veterans Expo 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. De Soto St. For details, visit gcaacc.info. {in}
11
HIROYA TSUKAMOTO
presents
RadioLive adioLive THE FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH at the Museum of Commerce in Historic Pensacola
Featuring
CHRIS ALVARADO HIROYA TSUKAMOTO PETER KARP 212 1
10/04/18
6:00 p.m. Doors 5:00 p.m.
Tickets $10
available at wuwf.org 850.474.2787
Broadcast LIVE on 88.1 FM
inweekly.net
BY JOANI DELEZEN, STEPHANIE SHARP & TORIA CLARKE
Pensacola definitely knows how to turn up the heat during the summer, but we also know how to have a good time in the fall too. And most of those good times come courtesy of festivals, which we really do have at least one of pretty much every weekend for the next three months. September 13, 2018
PART 1 FESTIVALS
It doesn't matter if you're a foodie, a dog lover or an appreciator of the arts, there's a fall fest for you. From the this month's Seafood Festival to November's Foo Foo Festival, here's your annual guide to local and regional can't-miss fall events.
13
PART 1 FESTIVALS Taste of the Beach
Living next to the beach also means living next door to some of the best cuisine. Taste of the Beach is Pensacola Beach's biggest culinary event of the year and features a full day of events, including cooking demos, a chefs' challenge and live music. Admission to Taste of the Beach is free, but sampling the food will cost you. You can buy chef and beer sampling tickets in advance. Sept. 15, tasteofpensacolabeach.com
Pensacola Seafood Festival
Spahr Brewing's Oktoberfest
miss it. So save the date and get ready for a full day of beer-infused fun. Sept. 29, facebook.com/spahrbrewing
Pensacola Beach Songwriter's Festival
beers. There will also be German music, food, games and more. Oct. 6, facebook.com/garysbrew
p.m. Friday, Oct. 19. There's no reserved seating, so make sure you get there early. Oct. 18-28, pensacolafair.com
Pensacola Greek Festival
WSRE Wine & Food Classic
Once again, this annual festival will take over Seville Square, Fountain Park and Bartram Park all in the name of seafood. With art, music and, of course, tons of seafood, you're sure to leave full and entertained. Live music will include sets by William Michael Morgan and The Molly Ringwalds. There's also a children's area with fun activities, like face painting and touch pools with live sea creatures, so be sure to bring the kids too. Sept. 28–Sept 30, pensacolaseafoodfestival.com
Pensacola Beach Songwriter's Festival encourages us to hear the stories that inspired the birth of our favorite songs and recognizes the songwriters behind them. The 10th annual event is pairing up with the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame and will be hosting a workshop in three local schools, where children will be encouraged to participate in creating their own songs. The fest takes place at a stretch of venues along the beach, like Margaritaville, Elks Lodge, Casino Beach Bar and Grille and more. Oct. 3-7, pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com
Peat & Pearls
Peat & Pearls is a four-day culinary experience, pairing oysters with spirits in a series of salon-style events. For more details, check our feature story "Shifting Tides and Trends" on page 16. Oct. 4-7, peatandpearls.com
Gary's Home Brew Oktoberfest
For their second Oktoberfest, the team at Gary's will be featuring all Hofbrau German
Foo Foo Festival
This year marks the fifth anniversary of Foo Foo Festival—which is Pensacola's most expansive and diverse festival, featuring almost two full weeks of art, music, food and more, all highlighting our ever-growing cultural scene. Dozens of events will happen during that 12day span. One that we're super excited about is CUBED Luminous, which is an outdoor digital arts and music festival. Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Pensacola are also joining forces for "See the Music, Hear the Dance," and Sunday's Child is hosting a UNITY project, which will include an interactive, public art structure. Nov. 1-12, foofoofest.com
Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival
Drawing in more than 200 of the nation's most 414 1
Doc Severinsen Courtesy Photo
Locals Spahr Brewing are currently planning one of the biggest Oktoberfests on the Gulf Coast, and you aren't going to want to
Every year, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church opens their doors and invites the town to share in their culture. And we love every minute of it. From eating delicious Greek dishes like pastitsio and spanakopita to watching traditional folk dancing, there really is no better way to immerse yourself in all things Greek than at this annual event. This year, the fest will be contributing to Guardian ad Litem of Northwest Florida and will also be accepting donations to Manna Food Pantries. Oct. 12-14, pensacolagreekfestival.com
Pensacola Interstate Fair
Fall in Pensacola would not be complete without at least one trip to the Pensacola Interstate Fair. This year, in addition to riding your favorite rides like Fireball and Avalanche and eating those curly fries you've been craving all year, you can also see Sugar Ray. That's right, Mark McGrath and company will be performing live at 7:30
talented painters, potters, sculptors, graphic artists, craftsmen and jewelers, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is not just one of the most popular local events. It's also one of the most well-regarded arts festivals in the entire country. The annual event dominates Seville Square for three days of live music, arts and crafts. While there, you can learn how to blacksmith or weave while your friends watch dance recitals from local dance schools or community groups. And be sure to check out the Student Art Show too, where over 2,000 pieces of art display the talent of local elementary, middle and high school students. Nov. 2-4, ggaf.org
WSRE is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Wine & Food Classic this October. Events will include a walkabout tasting and a dinner and book signing with PBS celebrity chef Sara Moulton of "Sara's Weeknight Meals." Oct. 19-21, wsre.org/wineandfood
Barktoberfest
Calling all pups and pup owners, Barktoberfest is at a new location this year—the Community Maritime Park. We're hoping a bigger space means a bigger turn out of adorable dogs. Pensacola Humane Society is billing the annual event as "so cute it's scary," and we couldn't agree more. From costume contests to Dachshund races, it really is a full day of straight up cute overload. And don't worry if you don't have a dog but know attending will make you want one—The Humane Express will be on hand and will be full of adoptable animals. Oct. 27, pensacolahumane.org
what—it doesn't matter. The Mahabhuta Yoga Fest has something for everyone, including tons of classes and workshops and even concerts. Nov. 9-11, mahabhutayogafestival.com
Mahabhuta Yoga Festival
Are you a certified yogi or just beginning to practice your downward dog? Guess inweekly.net
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Itching to get on the road but don't want to go too far? We've got you covered. These festivals are close enough to home to make for an easy getaway but far enough to help you relax and enjoy yourself.
Mobile Ten65
Do you enjoy music? Do you enjoy free festivals? Then Ten65 Fest is the festival for you. The lineup has yet to be announced, but last year's acts included Cage The Elephant and St. Paul & The Broken Bones, so we're sure this year's won't disappoint. Oct. 5-6, tensixtyfive.com
Mobile International Festival
If you're looking to satisfy your craving for culture, this fest has got you covered. The 35th Annual Mobile International Festival provides the feel of world travel without having to renew your passport. Meet people from over 70 countries while sampling international cuisine, visiting educational exhibits and engaging in different activities from around the world. Nov. 17, mobileinternationalfestival.org
Hangout Oyster Cook-Off & Craft Beer Weekend
Oysters and craft beer—you can't get more Gulf Coast than that. On Friday, enjoy tastings of dozens of craft beers and live music. On Saturday, indulge in some oysters brought to you by a variety of chefs from across the country, including Food Network Star Martie Duncan. Activities like oyster shucking contests and college football viewing parties will be happening throughout the day, so there really is no reason to miss this annual beachside event. Nov. 2-3, hangoutcookoff.com
Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival
The 34th annual Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival will feature more than 200 nationally-acclaimed songwriters performing along the Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast in over two dozen venues from downtown Pensacola, Perdido Key, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Bon Secour and Silverhill, Ala. The 11-day festival provides an opportunity for seasoned and aspiring songwriters and musicians from all over the world to have their songs heard. Nov. 8-18, frankbrownsongwriters.com
Fairhope
Destin/30A/Seaside
With a selection of 70-plus films, you're sure to be entertained for hours on end at this four-day event. Whether you opt to catch a foreign flick or enlighten yourself with a documentary, the Fairhope Film Fest is sure to impress your inner movie critic. Nov. 8-11, fairhopefilmfestival.org
After you stop by the Pensacola Seafood Festival this month, you might want to take a drive over to Destin next month to get your next seafood fix. Three days of good food from restaurants and Destin Harbor and HarborWalk Village mixed with a little live music is a guaranteed good time. Oct. 5-7, destinseafoodfestival.com
Fairhope Film Festival
Perdido Key/ Orange Beach
The Wharf Uncorked Food & Drinks Festival
The 5th annual Wharf Uncorked Food & Drinks Festival is happening this weekend, and you'll definitely want to check it out if you can. This three-day fest combines food and wine tastings with live entertainment, all brought to you with a bit of Southern flare and hospitality. This year, the event will be raising funds for Make-A-Wish Alabama, so you can enjoy yourself and help others at the same time. Sept. 13-15, thewharfuncorked.com
Flora-Bama's Oktoberfest
Ready to break out your lederhosen? You better be. This festival brings all of your German favorites to the Gulf Coast. There will be brats, with sauerkraut and a variety of German beer, and The Brats, who are a New Orleans-based polka band. Oct. 14, florabama.com September 13, 2018
Destin Seafood Festival
Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest
Beer lovers unite. This two-day event features two unique tasting opportunities. Friday night is all about the locals with an event called "Beer From Around Here," and Saturday there will be 40 breweries on hand, offering up samples of close to 200 domestic and international craft beers. Oct. 12-13, baytownewharfbeerfestival.com
greatest things in the world, so of course, there's a weekend dedicated to it in one of the greatest cities in the world. Held in NOLA's Woldenberg Park, this festival includes food from more than 35 restaurants, music on two stages, cooking demonstrations and family-friendly activities. Sept. 22-23, friedchickenfestival.com
NOLA on Tap Beer Fest
NOLA on Tap features over 400 local, national and home-brewed beers, plus it's a dog-friendly festival and the largest annual fundraiser for the Louisiana SPCA. Talk about a win-win. Sept. 22, nolaontap.org
Tremé Festival
This festival is held in the famous Tremé neighborhood, which is filled with a rich and diverse history. Enjoy food, music, art, and more while donating to a good cause. This year's proceeds will benefit the many cultural destinations found within the historic community. There will be a street festival Saturday and gospel mass and concert Sunday. Oct. 5-7, tremefest.com
New Orleans Film Festival
Celebrating its 29th year, The New Orleans Film Festival has grown into an internationally respected annual event that attracts 25,000 people and 400-plus filmmakers and screens over 200 films each fall. The event works to offer its guests opportunities to connect with the film industry, providing meetings with distributors, funders, broadcasters and other film organizations. This year's closing night film is called "A Tuba to Cuba," and it follows NOLA's own Preservation Hall Jazz Band as they retrace their musical roots from the city of jazz to the shores of Cuba. The band will perform as part of the closing night party. Oct. 17-25, neworleansfilmsociety.org
Seeing Red Wine Festival
If vino is your thing, you'd better head to Seaside this November. Both wine aficionados and foodies will savor selected Gulf-to-table dishes from some of Seaside's best restaurants while sipping on carefully paired wines from around the globe. Tickets are limited, so you'll want to snag one while you can. Nov. 8-11, seeingredwinefestival.com
New Orleans
Fried Chicken Festival
It's no secret that fried chicken is one of the
Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
Music festival season isn't quite over, folks. This Halloween adjacent festival brings you three days of music, food and costumes. Headliners for this year's fest include Mumford and Sons, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys and Odesza. And it gets even better—Inweekly has partnered with Voodoo to give away a pair of general admission three-day passes to the festival. You can enter the contest by searching "Voodoo Music + Arts Experience" on inweekly.net. Oct. 26-28, voodoofestival.com 15
PART 1 FESTIVALS
SHIFTING TIDES AND TRENDS By Stephanie Sharp
Blue Collards Events, a culinary events incubator based in Pensacola, has a vision for growing the market for premium oysters in the Southeast, something beyond the stereotypical dozen oysters with a pitcher of light beer at a local seafood joint. That vision starts with Peat & Pearls. Peat & Pearls is a four-day culinary event, pairing premium oysters with good scotch, curated wine lists and salon-style events but with a particular goal—focusing on the farmers that are transforming the oysters market as the Pensacola area knows it. "We try to keep the focus on the farmers and let them tell their stories in their own words," said T.S. Strickland, founder and president of Blue Collards Events and Peat & Pearls event coordinator. Strickland is hopeful that Peat & Pearls will serve as a platform to engage oneon-one with oyster farmers and immerse guests in the rich narrative of oyster farming on the Gulf Coast. "If you really care about knowing where your food comes from, if you care about knowing the folks who produced it, if you like to engage with your food in that way, you will definitely enjoy it. That's what we're really all about, connecting people to the sources of their sustenance and really honoring the food." Similar to how wine lovers can appreciate the ways that growing practices and environments can affect grapes and therefore the wine or how craft beer fans can get into the nitty-gritty of how certain hops or brewing practices can bring about their favorite beer, farming practices and specific environments are reflected in the flavor and texture of a premium Gulf oyster. "The cool thing about oysters to me, the powerful thing, is that oysters are a
metaphor for our coastal environment," said Strickland. "When you get people to engage with oysters in this way, they're really engaging with the stories of these farmers. A lot of them have really incredible, compelling stories. A lot of the traditional working waterfronts along the Gulf Coast are not in a great place. Our wild oyster fisheries are on the decline. That means not just lost livelihoods but really a way of life that's in danger in a lot of these communities. Oyster farming presents a solution to some of those problems." Peat & Pearls represents not just great food and drink, not just connecting diners with farmers, but an opportunity to explore the depth of connection between the hospitality industry, food culture and the urgent concerns coastal environmentalism. "We're trying to get people engaged with the story of our coastal environments. Oysters are a sentinel species. You can't produce beautiful oysters if you don't have beautiful water. You can't have good water quality if you don't protect your uplands. Oysters are a great vehicle for getting folks engaged with the environment." Strickland doesn't expect people to come through the doors looking for a sustainability lesson. He knows they are looking for a great time and good food cooked by amazing chefs. "But along the way, we hope to do a little bit of educating, definitely."
A NEW HORIZON FOR TOURISM
"At Blue Collards, our goal is to grow the culinary tourism sector in our area and, in the process, to create a local food community that is more just, sustainable and inclusive," said Strickland. The caliber of talent that's come together for the second annual Peat & Pearls event makes it clear that this is much more
than a farmer meet-and-greet or a lesson on healthy coastal environments. Peat & Pearls' main event, Sunday's Grand Tasting at the Barkley House, will feature oyster farmers and celebrity chefs, along with a storytelling salon, cigar garden, craft corridor and a spirits program by William Grant & Sons. Blue Collards made it a priority to bring in culinary talent from farther afield than area foodies might have the opportunity to experience outside of Peat & Pearls. "We're bringing in a lot of folks who maybe don't make a habit of coming to Pensacola," said Strickland. The event spans four days, which is kicked off this year by a new event, the Pearl Promenade. This progressive pairing experience winds down Palafox Street, featuring premium oysters prepared by local chefs and wine from the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio. There will also be a Secret Supper, featuring Chefs Cody and Sam Carroll of New Orleans' Sac-a-Lait and the Food Network's "Cajun Aces." Another addition to the Peat & Pearls weekend is the Women and Whiskey salonstyle event, highlighting the perspective of women working in the oyster and whiskey industries, two spaces traditionally dominated by men. This event with feature a cocktail hour, panel discussion and after party. "It's really interesting to see over the last few years, there's been a surge of interest from women jumping into the oyster farming industry. More women oyster farmers have popped up along the Gulf Coast and the Eastern seaboard. In the whiskey category, you're seeing a lot more women who are drinking whiskey these days as well," explained Strickland. "Both of those fields are traditionally male-dominated, and we're going to be highlighting the perspective of women in both of those fields at this event."
From the new event programming to details like custom-built raw bars from local maker Jeff Bere of Losobe Woodworks, Peat & Pearls aims to be an experience worth the price of admission and an impactful memory for each guest. "More and more, people don't want to just go to a restaurant; they want to actually engage with it," said Strickland. "We want to step it up, provide a higher quality experience for travelers." "We want to honor the oyster farmers. That's really what it's about, celebrating them and giving the pageantry they deserve," he added. In addition to Peat & Pearls, Blue Collards will be bringing two new event concepts to Pensacola in 2019. The first, called "Barleybrine," will be held in January and focused on oysters and craft beer. The second, to be held in March, is called the "Hoe Cake Throw Down." Strickland called the latter event a "contemporary riff on the age-old tradition of the harvest festival," focused on cornbread and bourbon. {in}
PEAT & PEARLS 2018
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 7 DETAILS: peatandpearls.com
Stock Market Losses? Hire a lawyer who is a former Merril Lynch stock broker.
Gene e. mitchell attorney and counsellor at law
Representing retirees and other investors
850-232-5278 11 east romana street
www.attorneygenemitchell.com 616 1
inweekly.net
Here for you, so you can be there for them. When the unexpected happens, we’re here. We serve families displaced by healthcare emergencies by providing them with free shelter, food and support. Lean on us as you care for your loved ones. Learn more, donate, or get involved at VineyardFamilyHouse.org.
850.469.1466 • VineyardFamilyHouse.org September 13, 2018
17
818 1
inweekly.net
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 13-19
Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
Exploring the Peruvian Amazon By Sam Smith
The first and only contemporary art exhibit in the United States that is influenced by the Peruvian Amazon can now be experienced in our very own backyard at Pensacola Museum of Art. Beginning in an undergrad class, Gabriela Germana, independent curator and Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at Florida State University, encouraged students to develop an exhibition project on Peruvian Amazonian art due to her knowledge of Peruvian indigenous aesthetics, the students' relationship with contemporary global art context and borrowed pieces from artist, curator and independent researcher of Amazonian art Christian Bendayán's personal collection.
"I am very proud of the students who, without previously knowing anything about the subject, engaged very well with the pieces and their contexts." Gabriela Germana "The show was a success. I am very proud of the students who, without previously knowing anything about the subject, engaged very well with the pieces and their contexts. Amy Bowman-McElhone, the director of the Pensacola Art Museum, who is also a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at FSU, proposed to present a bigger show on contemporary Amazonian art in the Pensacola Art Museum," expressed Germana.
By accepting the request, she asked to do the curatorial work alongside Bendayán, who had curated several different shows on the subject in various cities of Peru and abroad. Once the project was developed, Pensacola Art Museum accepted their concept to create an exhibit that included multiple perspectives about the Amazon with great enthusiasm, Germana stated. The exhibit, titled "Everything that Sounds in the Forest: Contemporary Art of the Peruvian Amazon," opened last month and will be on view through Sunday, Oct. 21. It is a one-of-a-kind collection, consisting of paintings, photographs, embroideries and printings from international artists who were inspired by the Peruvian Amazon. Germana explained that she feels it is under Bowman-McElhone's direction that the Pensacola Art Museum continues to break away from traditional stereotypes about art, and she believes this exhibit fits perfectly within these walls. "We wanted to show, through the works of the artists, that the Amazon region is not only a big natural space, a big forest or a place where native communities live but that it is also a place with big cities and a vibrant urban life and that native and urban people and nature are all related to each other in many different ways. We wanted to break the stereotyped vision that presents the Amazon only as an idyllic place, without taking into account the complexities of a space where nature, tradition and modernity coexist," Germana said. Therefore, these diverse influences
a dedicated project that promotes and account for all the unique sounds that researches Amazonian art from Lima, Peru. emerge—from wildlife melodies to the na"It is fascinating to see how each big tive tongues to the hustle of modern cities and all the colorful entities in between. The topic has been addressed by each artist according to its own perspective, interests title of the exhibit came from this concept and technique he or she is specialized in," and was inspired by the book "The Three Germana said. Halves of Ino Moxo," which was written by Next to each piece of work, art a very important Amazonian writer, César enthusiasts can gain perspective into the Calvo, Germana explained. artist's practice by reading the transcripActing as the largest and most biotion of their influences and thoughts, most diverse region of tropical rainforest in the of which are extracts, which can be found world, the Amazon encompasses both from interviews in the book "Amazonistas." complex urban life and ancestral groups. From world views deep-rooted in This collection features work produced by nature, mythology and cosmic imaginary, artists born in the Amazon region, those to the struggle of female identity in new from Peruvian cities and even some artists environments, to the bold and bright flora from outside of Peru—all sharing a comand fauna and honesty of transgender mon theme of interest or influence of the identities—this exhibit explores and opens Amazon. During the selection process, the narrative that there is more to be seen Bendayán and Germana found that despite and heard from the forest floors and walls different backgrounds, all the artists' interof the great Amazon. {in} est existed around the same topics. Artists Graciela Arias Salazar, Christian Bendayán, Lastenia Canayo, Enrique Casanto, Harry Chávez, Frank Gaudlitz, Thomas Locke Hobbs, Silvana Pestana, Gerardo Petsaín, Roldán Pinedo, Adrián Portugal, Inon Sani, WHAT: An exhibition featuring contempoElena Valera, Rember Yahuarcani and rary art of the Peruvian Amazon Santiago Yahuarcani explore themes WHEN: On view through Sunday, Oct. 21 such as people, nature, traditional WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. worldviews, ritual practices, myths, Jefferson St. local customs and knowledge, gender COST: $7; $4 for children 3-14; free for and social issues. members, children younger than 3 and The individual pieces selected UWF students were generously borrowed from DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org Bendayán and Bufeo / amazonía+arte,
EVERYTHING THAT SOUNDS IN THE FOREST
EATS, DRINKS & SMILES BIG ASS SMILES @THEMAGNOLIAEPH NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS September 13, 2018
19
This event will feature different oyster preparations paired with three beverage selections. Cost is $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Seating is limited and reservations are required. To make a reservation, call 850-433-9450.
020 2
inweekly.net
calendar THURSDAY 9.13
YOGA WITHIN REACH 9-10 a.m. Free. Commu-
nity Health Northwest Florida, 2315 W. Jackson St., Room A. healthcarewithinreach.org ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 11 a.m. Molino Branch Library, 6450-A Highway 95A. mywfpl.com PILATES MAT 12:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org AWM WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Free. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. facebook.com/ aragonwine PRANIC HEALING 6-7:30 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 FLORIDA CHEF CHALLENGE 6-9 p.m. $75, proceeds benefit Feeding the Gulf Coast. Sanders Beach, 913 S. I St. feedingthegulfcoast.org BEYOND THE GRAPE WINE TASTING 6:30 p.m. $15-$35. Beyond the Grape inside Cordova Mall, 5100 N. 9th Ave. pensacolafruitwinery.com 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 SHOCK ILLUSIONIST: DAN SPERRY $10-$20. Vinyl Music Hall, S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com WILL MR. MERRIWETHER RETURN TO MEMPHIS? 7:30 p.m. $15. Pensacola Little Theatre,
400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com
PROOF 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Commu-
nity Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com
FRIDAY 9.14
ONE-ON-ONE TECH HELP 10 a.m. Pensacola
Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com
FLIGHT NIGHTS 5-7 p.m. $9 for three
3-ounce pours. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. 9th Ave. aragonwinemarket.com
'VANISHING SAIL: THE STORY OF A CARIBBEAAN TRADITION' SCREENING 5-7:30
p.m. Free. Panel discussion after the film. Voices of Pensacola, 117 E. Government St. facebook.com/fpannorthwest HAPPY HOUR COOKOUTS 5 p.m. Drink specials, free cookout. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com GAY GRASSROOTS 6 p.m. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org HOMEMADE PASTA HANDS-ON COOKING
6-8 p.m. $64.50. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmet.com
PENSACOLA MESS HALL: RETRO NIGHT
6-8 p.m. $20. Ages 21 and up. Pensacola MESS Hall, 116 N. Tarragona St. pensacolamesshall.org KITTY GET A JOB TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY 6-11 p.m. chizuko, 506 W. Belmont
St. facebook.com/chizukopensacola 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 RODNEY CARRINGTON LIVE 7 p.m. $44.75$179.75. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. saengertheatre.com September 13, 2018
ERIC LINDELL ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 7 p.m. $20. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com HILL-KELLY MOVIES IN THE PARK: 'SHERLOCK GNOMES' 7-9 p.m. Free. Community
Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. facebook. com/playpcolaparks
'COWSPIRACY: THE SUSTAINABILITY SECRET' SCREENING 7 p.m. Free. Open Books,
1040 N. Guillemard St. facebook.com/ openbooksbookstore OPEN MIC 7-11 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook.com/cafesinglefin WILL MR. MERRIWETHER RETURN TO MEMPHIS? 7:30 p.m. $15. Pensacola Little Theatre,
400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com PROOF 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com
SATURDAY 9.15
PENSACOLA CYCLING CLASSIC 7:45 a.m.
through 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16. Pensacola Beach (one mile east of Portofino). pensacolacyclingclassic.com INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP 8 a.m. Park West, Pensacola Beach. keeppensacolabeautiful.charityproud.org PALAFOX MARKET 8 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 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. Pensacola Visitor Center and Graffiti Bridge, meet at 1401 E. Gregory St.; Bartram Park, 211 Bayfront Parkway. oceanhourfl.com COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com DOGGY BATHE-IN 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $8-$11. Pensacola Humane Society, 5 N. Q St. pensacolahumane.org LEAPS 10 a.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org STORYTIME SATURDAYS 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $5. Through Nov. 10. Pensacola Children's Museum, 115 Zaragoza St. TASTE OF THE BEACH 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. 7 Casino Beach, Pensacola Beach. tasteofpensacolabeach.com PENSACOLA OPERA COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Barnes & Noble,
1200 Airport Blvd.
COMPUTER BASICS Noon. Pensacola Li-
brary, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com
JUNIOR HUMANE SOCIETY ADOPTION
Noon-4 p.m. PetSmart, 6251 N. Davis Highway. juniorhumanesociety.com BLOCK PARTY YOGA WORKSHOP 12:30 p.m. $20. Wild Lemon, 3000 N. 12th Ave. beawildlemon.com 'RBG' 1 p.m. $5. Pensacola Cinema Art, 117 E. Government St. pensacolacinemaart.com THE PINK SLIPPER SOIREE CHILDREN'S FASHION SHOW 3-5:30 p.m. $65. Proceeds
benefit Ballet Pensacola. Palafox House,
196 N. Palafox. 850tix.com/events/thepink-slipper-soiree HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES DECORATING CLASS
4-7 p.m. $95, all materials included. Bluejay's Bakery, 11 S. Palafox. bluejaysbakery.com SLEEP SOUNDLY WITH ESSENTIAL OILS 6 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org PINTS FOR PITS 6-8 p.m. $20-$25. $10 for food. Benefits Amazing Grace Bully Rescue and Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter. Spahr Brewery, 3541 W. Fairfield Drive. CADDY SHANKED: MURDER MYSTERY DINNER 7 p.m. $20-$35. Imogene Theatre,
6866 Caroline St. theimogenetheatre.com
JULIE STILL-ROLIN BOOK SIGNING 7-9 p.m.
Open Books, 1040 N. Guillemard St. facebook.com/openbooksbookstore
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE AND DEFTONES TRIBUTE BANDS 7 p.m. $12-$15. Vinyl Music
Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com
PENSACON DRESS UP OR DRESS UP 2018 7:30
p.m. $20. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. pensacolalittletheatre.com PROOF 7:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com
SUNDAY 9.16
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. BRUNCH WITH LIVE MUSIC 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Café Single Fin, 380 N. 9th Ave. facebook. com/cafesinglefin 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 YAPPY HOUR AT PERFECT PLAIN 2 p.m. Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco FAMILY FRIENDLY IMPROV CLASS 2:30 p.m. Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com PROOF 2:30 p.m. $15. Panhandle Community Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace. panhandlecommunitytheatre.com ACUPUNCTURE 101 3 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org SWING DANCE CLASSES 4-7 p.m. $10. Professional West Coast swing instruction for all levels. No partner required. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com VEGAN AND VINO SUNDAYS 4-7 p.m. Skopelos at New World, 600 S. Palafox. TRANSGENDER ALLIANCE 4:30 p.m. Free. Ever'man Educational Center, 327 W. Garden St. everman.org BLUES ON THE BAY 6 p.m. Free. The Mulligans. Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. facebook.com/bluesonthebaypensacola EVE TO ADAM 7 p.m. $10-$15. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES BABY GO BLIND 7:17 p.m. $10-$15. Casks & Flights, 121 S. Palafox Place, Ste. B. setsco.org
MONDAY 9.17
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 SEVILLE QUARTER MILERS 5:30 p.m. Runners meet in front of Seville Quarter for a run around downtown Pensacola. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com CULTURE'S COOK: JAPANESE GRILL, HIBACHI & TEPPANYAKI 6 p.m. $39. Pensacola Cooks
Kitchen, 3670 Barrancas Ave. pensacolacooks.rezclick.com VEGAN COOKING CLASS 6 p.m. $25. Sweet potato samosas with pear chutney; garam masala with roasted Brussels sprouts and lemon aioli; and apple tart with fig glaze. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. eotlcafe.com 'CITIZEN KANE' 7 p.m. $5 (cash only). Rex Theatre, 18 N. Palafox. pensacolacinemaart.com SONGWRITERS AND POETS OPEN MIC 7-9 p.m. Goat Lips, 2811 Copter Road. goatlips.com HIP-HOP & CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASSES
8-9 p.m. $5. Learn amazing moves from professional instructors. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com
TUESDAY 9.18
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. National Naval Aviation Museum viewing area, 1750 Radford Blvd. navalaviationmuseum.org PILATES ON PALAFOX WITH WILD LEMON
4:30 p.m. Cowork Annex, 13 S. Palafox. beawildlemon.com COMPLIMENTARY WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmetpensacola.com RAGIN' CAJUN HANDS-ON COOKING CLASS
6-8 p.m. $64.50. So Gourmet, 407-D S. Palafox. sogourmet.com COUNTRY DANCE CLASSES 6:30 p.m. $10. Country two step, East Coast swing, competition choreography and more. No partner required. World championship dance instruction for all skill levels. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. dancecraftstudios.com ACE HOOD 7 p.m. $25-$30. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. vinylmusichall.com BANDS ON THE BEACH 7-9 p.m. Free. Dr. Breeze. Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach. visitpensacolabeach.com COMEDY NIGHT 7 p.m. Swan Neck Meadery, 2115 W. Nine Mile Road. swanneckwinery.com OVER-50 BALLROOM DANCE CLUB 7-9:30 p.m. $5-$10. Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Center, 913 S. I St. Dressy attire (no jeans). WEST FLORIDA LITERARY FEDERATION OPEN MIC 7:30 p.m. Free. Pensacola Cultural Center,
S. Jefferson St.
WEDNESDAY 9.19
POPULAR LITERARY CLUB 10:30 a.m. Pensacola
Library, 239 N. Spring St. mywfpl.com
for more listings visit inweekly.net 21
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
SACRED HEART NAMES NEW EARLY STEPS PROGRAM MANAGER Kimberlee Spencer, PhD, has been named program manager for the Western Panhandle Early Steps Program at Sacred Heart. Spencer graduated with her bachelor's degree in education at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. She then received a master's degree in early childhood education at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and she completed her doctorate in child development at Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas. She has presented at professional meetings such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Air Force Child and Youth Services Webinar Series. Spencer comes to Pensacola from the University of Georgia in Athens, where she served as clinical assistant professor and child life coordinator, teaching and working with graduate and undergraduate students pursuing careers as certified child life specialists. Throughout her career, she has also served as an assistant professor and campus child development center director at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and as the director of child and youth programs at Naval Air Station Fort Worth in Texas. Early Steps is the state of Florida's early intervention system that offers services to eligible infants and toddlers, under three years of age, with significant delays or a condition likely to result in a developmental delay. Early intervention is provided to support families and caregivers in developing the competence and confidence to help their child learn and develop. For information about Early Steps, visit earlystepsatsacredheart.org. The Studer Family Children's Hospital at Sacred Heart is a member of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system. For more information about the services available at The Studer Family Children's Hospital at Sacred Heart, visit studerfamilychildrenshospital.com.
Sponsored by The Studer Family 222 2
inweekly.net
news of the weird RUDE AWAKENING Former English soccer star Gary Mabbutt, 57, traveled to South Africa in July to visit his daughter, who works at Kruger National Park, but it wasn't the exotic big game that left the most lasting impression on him. While he was sleeping, he later told the BBC, "... a rat has come into the bedroom, climbed into the bed and has decided to chew on my foot," which Mabbutt couldn't feel because he suffers from Type 1 diabetes and has little feeling in his foot. The rat "made quite a big hole in my toe, going down to the bone, and ate underneath my foot." Mabbutt was finally alerted to the rodent's presence when it bit his thumb and he saw his bloody foot. He flew back to the United Kingdom, where he underwent surgery and spent a week in the hospital. "All the opponents that I've played against," he said, "and I finally get taken out by a rat." BRIGHT IDEAS The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Maine is seeking state permission to construct a permanent memorial to the 4,500 or so lobsters that perished on Aug. 22 when a truck carrying them crashed in Brunswick. The monument, a 5-foot-tall granite tombstone, would "remind everyone that the best way to prevent such tragedies is to go vegan," said Danielle Katz, director of PETA. The proposed wording for the stone is: "In memory of the lobsters who suffered and died at this spot August 2018, Try Vegan, PETA" and would include a graphic of a lobster. Of course, Maine residents are possibly the least sympathetic about their crustacean counterparts: The Portland Press Herald reports that in 2017, 110 million pounds of lobster were harvested in the state. •Along with a nail salon, a massage parlor and a dry cleaner, a mall in Toronto, Canada, is now the site of North America's first sex doll brothel. Aura Dolls offers "an exciting new way" for patrons to achieve their desires "without the many restrictions and limitations that a real partner may come with," says the company's website. Marketing director Claire Lee told City News on Aug. 27 that customers "come in, they have their own room ... a TV monitor that plays adult entertainment and a doll ... will be ready and waiting for you." Lee also assures potential customers that the dolls will be cleaned after each customer using a three-step process. The company says it has had requests from women for male dolls and is considering adding them. HARSH Lifelong New York Knicks fan Evan Perlmutter, 33, finally hit the wall with his team. Fed up that the Knicks had been promising a better future for a decade, he told Bleacher Report, Perlmutter posted a listing on eBay to sell his fandom. In the description, he promised to root for the team of the
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
auction winner's choosing and "burn no less than three articles of Knicks memorabilia." Sure enough, he got a bite: James Riedel, 23, of Orange County, California, paid $3,500 for Perlmutter's fandom on Aug. 24, converting Perlmutter into a Los Angeles Lakers fan. Perlmutter plans to attend a few Lakers games with Riedel and record his destruction of his Knicks gear for Riedel's YouTube channel. QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT Toms River, New Jersey, police are hoping the public can lend them a hand in finding a lost item. Ronald Vanarsdale, 36, of Toms River was drag racing on his motorcycle just after midnight on Aug. 30 when he crashed, sending the bike more than 760 feet from the crash site and hurling Vanarsdale 300 feet through the air, severing his right arm just below the bicep. NJ.com reported police Sgt. Ed Mooney applied a tourniquet to Vanarsdale's arm at the scene, and he later underwent surgery at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Toms River police, though, could not locate the severed limb and asked the public's help in locating it. AWWWWWWW! A first date spent surfing in Santa Cruz, California, last October ended in an unconventional first kiss when 56-yearold Max Montgomery collapsed from a heart attack on the beach. His date, Andi Traynor, a 45-year-old anesthesiologist, leaped into action, performing CPR until paramedics arrived. Montgomery underwent bypass surgery the next day, and he assured Traynor that she was under no obligation to keep seeing him. "Who wants to date someone who just had a heart attack? But she told me she was not going anywhere," he told The Daily Mail on Aug. 29, and in fact, the two are still together, having sealed their relationship with a "real" kiss. GOVERNMENT IN ACTION This summer, a few of Ryk Edelstein's friends in Montreal, Canada, had their requests for vanity license plates turned down for being "offensive." "I found it mind-boggling that innocent-sounding family names or place names were being rejected," Edelstein told the Montreal Gazette. So he decided to order his own vanity plate, requesting the word SMEGMA, which he was certain the Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec (SAAQ), which issues the plates, would check, "and in a million years it would never be approved." But it took SAAQ less than 24 hours to approve the request and issue its congratulations to Edelstein, who now sports the plate on his car. He reports that his wife thought it was funny at first, but now she is "none too pleased about this plate." {in}
From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird Š 2018 Andrews McMeel
Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com September 13, 2018
23
/BodaciousShops
MON – THU • 7AM – 6PM
BOD0220 Fall Spice Ad INW.indd 1
MON – FRI • 6:30AM – 6PM
FRI – SAT • 7AM – 7PM
SATURDAY • 7AM – 6PM
SUNDAY • 8AM – 2PM
SUNDAY • 8AM – 2PM
Independent News | September 13, 2018 | inweekly.net
9/7/18 12:09 PM