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Independent News | November 18, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 46
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winners & losers
outtakes
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It was so weird.
feature story
buzz 8
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publisher Rick Outzen
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contributing writers Gina Castro, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, Sydney Robinson, C.S. Satterwhite
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November 18, 2021
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winners & losers
Courtesy of Rally Foundation
winners SANSING FAMILY The Sansing Family has a passion for helping children. Their commitment shined bright when they presented a $150,000 gift to Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research Rally. At the presentation ceremony at Sandy Sansing BMW, the Sansing Family and Rally staff were joined by local Rally families whose kids are battling cancer, the number one disease killer of children. Only 4% of the National Institutes of Health's cancer research budget supports pediatric cancer research. Rally exists to fill the funding gap. The continued generosity and dedication of the Sansing Family helps fulfill Rally's mission and supports the work they are doing for kids in our community battling cancer. DEEDEE DAVIS A decade ago, DeeDee Davis created the Rat Pack Reunion as a fundraiser for the Council on Aging of West Florida. The event has raised nearly $2 million for vulnerable elders in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. On Saturday, Nov. 6, the annual gala held its grand finale in honor of the late Fred Levin, with title sponsorship provided by the Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm. This year's event was the most lucrative in its history, raising $220,500 that will have an immediate and tangible impact on the lives of senior citizens. BEAR LEVIN STUDER FAMILY YMCA
The downtown YMCA turned five last week. Since opening, the Y team has welcomed more than 1.9 member visits, taught 5,814 swim lessons, led 24,864 group exercise classes and opened its doors to dozens of organizations such as Arc Gateway, Family Dinners Church, Special Olympics, Partners in Play and Gulf Power linemen—all in pursuit of its mission to strengthen community.
GULF WINDS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION The University of West Florida's
Louis Maygarden Center for Financial Literacy received $25,000 from the Gulf Winds Cares Foundation to provide a series of quarterly financial literacy workshops available for free to the community. The workshops will be in January, March, June and October of 2022.
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Kent Fuchs / president.ufl.edu
losers KENT FUCHS The University of Florida
president reversed his attempt to block political science professors Daniel Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin from testifying as expert witnesses for plaintiffs in a case challenging the constitutionality of elections laws passed earlier this year by the Florida Legislature. The university's stance garnered national headlines and criticism from UF faculty and alumni. In a statement issued Friday, Nov. 12, Fuchs wrote that the professors are free to be hired as expert witnesses "assuming the activity is on their own time without using university resources." Paul Ortiz, president of the university's chapter of the United Faculty of Florida union, praised the decision, but his union wants "a clear and unambiguous commitment to academic freedom going forward."
JOSEPH LADAPO According to Florida
law, in order to be the state surgeon general, a person must be a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 who has advanced training or extensive experience in public health administration. It appears rules were bent to expedite the Florida medical license of Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointee, Joseph Ladapo. The Florida Board of Medicine approved his application in two days, a process that usually takes a minimum of two months. Ladapo reportedly got help from Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini, ICI Homes CEO, GOP megadonor and DeSantis advisor. The W&L staff had wondered why the governor's office listed Ladapo on the UF medical school's faculty when the governor announced his appointment, but UCLA still had him on its medical school website. Maybe UCLA thought Ladapo was taking a long lunch break.
AMERICAN WORKFORCE Three percent of the workforce called it quits in September—a record 4.4 million Americans. The number is up from the previous record set in August—4.3 million workers. Economists say the COVID-19's delta variant, child care and schooling pressures made many employees rethink their daily routine. Also, retirements have increased, as many older Americans have decided to resign. inweekly.net
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TURN THE CAMERAS ON On Friday, Nov. 4, Barry E. Dickson Jr. became Escambia County's newest county judge. Before his appointment by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Dickson served as an assistant public defender in the First Judicial Circuit for 16 years. Can you name the four other county judges? If you're not an attorney or don't work in the court system, you probably can't. Retired Circuit Court Judge Tom Dannheisser thinks we should. He believes we should televise court cases to learn who our judges are and better understand what happens in the courtrooms at M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building on Government Street. And I agree with him. In a recent interview (Inweekly, "A Judge Steps Away," 11/4/21), Judge Dannheisser shared, "Too few citizens know really what goes on inside the courthouse building, and it's very important, I think, the citizens need to, but also the court system needs the feedback of the public." He recognized that public forums at city council, county commission and school board meetings give the public outlets to address their concerns and bring up issues to elected officials. However, people have no such avenue to provide this feedback to those sitting on the bench. Televising court proceedings would, at least, let citizens see which judges preside over their cases and better understand the rulings made. "Of course, there're some proceedings that are inappropriate for public viewings, especially dealing with juveniles and such, but all the criminal proceedings, in my view, should be televised," said Judge Dannheisser. "I think around the nation, a number of them are, and it would be a good education for the public, and it would be good for the system itself." Our courtrooms are set up to televise proceeds. Judges became accustomed to holding court proceedings virtually during the pandemic. Why not expand access to the general public? This past April, the Florida Supreme Court has launched its Virtual Courtroom Directory—courtrooms.flcourts.org—to expand public access to court proceedings. The directory has links to courtrooms across the state and lets
the public find virtual hearings and court live streams of trials and oral arguments. "Florida's courts continue to meet the ongoing challenges of the pandemic," said Chief Justice Charles Canady in the press release. "The Virtual Courtroom Directory offers safe access to proceedings statewide. People have a front-row seat into our courts from wherever they are, and they can see that justice continues even in challenging circumstances." Users can search courts and sort by judge or hearing officer and proceeding type. Actively streaming courts display as "Live Now," and users can click on "Watch" to access each court's streaming service. Proceeding types vary by court but can include first appearances, arraignments, criminal pre-trial hearings, violation of probation, criminal and civil trials, and oral arguments. Escambia County doesn't participate, but the state's district courts, supreme court and several other counties do. Several use the Zoom to YouTube feature for live streaming. Recent advancements have made live captioning possible to provide greater access to persons with disabilities. The improvements in digital technology in courthouses in all 67 Florida counties have been made due to the pandemic. Chief Justice Canady's administrative orders expanded the authority of judicial officers to conduct proceedings remotely. According to the Florida Supreme Court, more than 1,700 Zoom licenses for judges, court officers and staff have been installed across the state. Between March and December 2020, judges and court personnel held more than 400,000 Zoom hearings and other events involving 2.6 million participants. When Chief Justice Canady announced the Virtual Courtroom Directory, trial courts in Florida were on track to dispose of a projected 2.8 million cases in fiscal year 2020–2021, mainly through remote proceedings. Let the public watch them. Televising courtroom proceedings will usher in a new era of openness and transparency in our judicial system. Let's make it a goal for 2022. {in} rick@inweekly.net
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PENSACOLA 2030 BLUEPRINT
By Rick Outzen At its 131st annual meeting in late October, the Greater Pensacola Chamber introduced its Pensacola 2030 Blueprint— its road map for preparing for the region's projected growth in the next eight years. The blueprint is very different than past chamber initiatives. Twenty years ago, the Pensacola chamber focused on goals that primarily helped attract and grow businesses, such as improving transportation and infrastructure. It stumbled when it tried to shift to improving public education, community health and the environment. In a community struggling with a recession and dealing with the BP oil spill, the chamber announced Vision 2015 to spur economic development in the region. The aggressive fi ve-year campaign aimed to create 3,000 new jobs by 2015. The area's economic future was at stake. The Economic Strategy Center in Atlanta projected the 3,000 jobs would generate $148 million in the local spending annually. "I'm proud to say this is a new day for the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce," said outgoing Chairman Blaise Adams at the annual meeting in September 2010. "Hold tight; this is going to be an exciting journey." Gulf Power's Bentina Terry and Region Bank's Jim Donatelli chaired the effort to raise $6.5 million from the private sector and local government to be spent on attracting new businesses to Escambia County. They had pledges exceeding $7.3 million in less than four months from the city, county and 67 local businesses. The journey was indeed exciting, as Adams predicted. The chamber reached its job goal in 2013. By 2015, the region had created 8,962 new jobs with an average salary of $53,898. The estimated average annual payroll was more than $426 million, with a total capital investment of $779 million. The unemployment rate dropped from 10.4% in 2009 to 5% in 2015. The Pensacola 2030 Blueprint has goals for the entire community, not just the chamber. It's built on the model used by 66
the Florida Chamber Foundation. In 2016, then executive vice president of the Florida Chamber Foundation, Tony Carvajal, led a town hall in Pensacola on how his organization was planning for Florida's growth in the next decade. Fifty citizens, including State Rep. Clay Ingram, County Commissioners Grover Robinson and Wilson Robertson, Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas and FloridaWest CEO Scott Luth, attended the town hall. Carvajal pointed out that Florida was projected to grow by six million more people, meaning it must create two million more jobs by 2030. The state's population would reach 26 million people. He told the crowd, "We didn't get it right for the last six million people. We need to have a better plan. We need to have a vision for tomorrow." He returned to Pensacola three years later and revealed the Florida 2030 Blueprint and the Florida Scorecard to track the state's progress. The Florida 2030 Blueprint had six pillars: •Improving Florida's talent pipeline for a better workforce, •Creating good jobs by diversifying Florida's economy, •Preparing Florida's infrastructure for smart growth and development, •Building the perfect climate for business, •Making government and civics more efficient and effective and •Championing Florida's quality of life.
FOLLOWING THE BLUEPRINT MODEL
Pensacola Chamber President/CEO Todd Thomson wanted to adopt the same template, but then the pandemic intervened and delayed the process. "Starting this year, we restructured our policy committee to where we have four subcommittees now and an overall policy committee, and they really dove into this model," Thomson told Inweekly. "We modified it, so we have five areas of focus instead of six." The Pensacola Chamber's five focus
areas are Economic Growth and Sustainability, Community Health, Economic Wellbeing, Workforce and Military. Thomson made Sara Lefevers, his director of external affairs, the first executive director of the Greater Pensacola Foundation to bring people together to create the Pensacola 2030 Blueprint and execute it. "COVID allowed us the opportunity to stop and do research and have conversations with people—virtually, of course," Lefevers shared. "We started this new structure with the issue-driven subcommittees and sent out a survey to our business members that asked what they felt the chamber should be advocating for on behalf of the business community." She continued, "The conversations were then around getting the people who are doing the work in the room to figure out using the Florida Chamber blueprint as a kind of guiding document, what can we take that we should really focus on. What is the existing data? And then what are some kind of generalized schools we can create to create our blueprint for our community? So that's what we did." Here are the goals in Escambia County for each of the five focus areas. The current statistic is in parenthesis after the goal, when available. UNDER ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY: •10+ new minority-owned businesses per year, •15,482+ new jobs needed and •Increase per capita income by 26.7% to meet the national average of $56,200 ($46,349). UNDER COMMUNITY HEALTH: •Escambia County ranked top 20 in the state for community health (#47), •Cut youth obesity in half to < 7% and •Clear paths to access mental health resources for 100% of our residents (#44). UNDER ECONOMIC WELLBEING: •Less than 12% of children living in poverty (23.1%), •Cut food insecurity to under 25,000 people (46,240), •100% access to broadband internet (96.2%), •Transportation, Water Quality and Wastewater rating = A (C, C+, C) and •Less than 10% of Escambia County residents mortgage-cost burdened (47.76%). UNDER WORKFORCE: •100% of kindergarteners are ready for K5 (48%), •100% of third graders are at or above third grade (53%), •100% of eighth-grade students perform at or above an eighth-grade math level (50%), •95% high school graduation rate (86.5%) and
•Greater than 80% of workforce with employability skills (63.7%). UNDER MILITARY: •100% Participation in Purple Star Program from our schools, •Obtain funding to employ one military health liaison for all area hospitals, •Facilitate a robust, aggregate database to track military member impact year over year, •DOD A Ranking for education (C-), •Improve support for the unique educational needs of military children and •Reduce barriers for military spouses to continue professional careers. Each goal has collaborative and chamber tactics. For example, the collaborative tactic for creating 10+ new minority-owned businesses per year is to "connect aspiring and existing minority business owners to entrepreneurial centers and resources." The chamber tactic is to "facilitate Business Bootcamp annually to help educate and build networks, capital and opportunity for minority-owned businesses." "Some of the goals … like you'll see with the really lofty goals under where we want to get 100% of our kids ready for kindergarten, 100% of our kids at third-grade reading levels or beyond," Lefevers admitted. "That is obviously a goal that we're probably not going to hit, but we're also not okay with setting anything less than 100%." She continued, "We followed the Florida Chamber's path in setting those audacious goals, knowing that we'll at least continue to move the needle on that. Even if we never get to 100%, whether it's 2030, 2040, or 2050, we know we're going to try until we get to 100%. That was kind of our mindset with those goals." What gives the Pensacola chamber the position to set such ambitious goals for the community? "We have 1,100 members roughly, which is a large chamber for a community our size," said Thomson. "And we've got members from Navy Federal, Gulf Power and the hospitals—from our largest employers to the mom-and-pop and sole-proprietorship businesses. But we also have government; we have education; we have nonprofits; we have all of these organizations that are members of the chamber, and we've really touched all of the community." He continued, "We can serve as that convenor that brings everyone together to have these conversations. And as we move forward, this is not just for chamber members to be a part of; we are inviting the entire community. If people are doing work in any of these spaces, we want them to have a seat at the table, to have a voice and to be a part of growing the community." Lefevers added, "You look at our board, and it's anywhere from health care to education, to military, to workforce, to hospitality. And so having all of those sectors come to us and say, 'These are our needs,' I feel like inweekly.net
positions us in a unique place to be able to, like Todd said, convene everybody together but then also to build on that and not just convene but bring in resources."
A NEW DIFFERENCE-MAKER
She believes that getting diverse groups aligned behind a set of goals has been a problem in the past. The Greater Pensacola Foundation could be the difference-maker this time. "We have so many people doing so many great things in our community but in silos, or maybe they don't get out of their circles or their neighborhoods or their communities and talk to other communities," said Lefevers. "I feel like being that organization that can bring everybody together and says we can support each other," she said. "We have an abundance mentality; there's enough to go around for all of us, but if we can aggregate our data, we can show the real story and the real progression of how great Pensacola has become but then also what the opportunity is for Pensacola to be by 2030." The chamber foundation has hired a consultant to develop a community scorecard. Lefevers said, "We will use the annual scorecard to measure our success in these areas and then also show us where we're not and where we need to be in some of these areas. And then we'll be reporting that out annually at our December foundation gala, which the first one will be December 2022." The community scoreboard is a crowded field. The Studer Community Institute has been doing one for several years now. Achieve Escambia created one. What will make the chamber's scoreboard different? "We're approaching this as the business community," said Thomson. "We are the voice of the business community, so these are the priorities that are important to us." However, the chamber doesn't want to duplicate what others are doing. He added, "We are not moving in on anyone's territory. We are doing this to bring the community together, highlight work that's being done that people may not know about again and bring those resources together to be effective as a community. And that's really what I think the chamber should be—that one place where you can go and be a part of solving problems in our community." Lefevers pointed out the chamber will partner with the UWF Haas Center to create the local scorecard. The Florida Chamber will embed the scorecards for Escambia County and other Florida counties on the Pensacola Chamber Foundation's website. She said, "Then any additional goals that we may be tracking that they're not, we will go and see who is tracking that and just try to create a partnership with them to get that data every year." The next step is for the chamber foundation to bring the community together to determine the next steps. "We sent out a survey to everybody that we could identify in our community that is conducting any services or programming in any of these areas," said Lefevers. "We've invited them to an all-day info session on Thursday, Nov. 18. With our consultant, we have an hour and a half session scheduled for each of these siloed focused areas." November 18, 2021
She continued, "And the goal is with the help of the facilitator, say, 'OK, these are the goals. These are our general tactics. What is our first 90-day plan? What are the next action steps? Who's doing what?' Because that will help us identify what's not being done, where the gaps are, where maybe the chamber could step in those roles and help create those opportunities and resources—how can we, as the chamber, get the business community to support that work, build capacity, get more resources, more funding and so forth to be able to promote and move those initiatives along to get us to these goals." The group will reconvene every quarter to check on the progress and create the next 90day plan. Lefever said, "We will fulfill our role as a chamber, which we believe is to convene and build capacity and bring in resources." With the chamber's foundation running the Pensacola 2030 Blueprint, what will be the chamber's role? "It's really a collaborative effort," said Thomson. "We're bringing our membership and being that organization that convenes and brings everyone together and does the work. The foundation, as a 501(c)(3) organization, can go after grants, funds and things like that could potentially be used … whether it's scholarships or programs or things that may not be happening right now." The chamber will still provide day-to-day support to the business community, Thomson said, "Whether that is through all of our events that we'll continue to hold, through policy, and if there are issues that come forward that we need to support or oppose, we'll still be there doing that, bringing resources to the community as needed. We want to continue to be that source of information for the business community that we've tried to fill over the last 18 months with COVID and everything that's gone on there." The success of the blueprint requires clarity and transparency, according to the chamber CEO. "It's critical that people understand what we're trying to do and that we are transparent in what we are doing," said Thomson. "And that's one of the reasons that we are going to share this data and do an update every year, so we can see where are we succeeding, where are we failing and where are we stagnating." Lefevers is excited to be in charge of the blueprint and its potential impact on the community. "The next year is going to be getting all of this kind of off the ground together," she said. "It's going to be a lot of work. The blueprint was a lot of work, but that's kind of just the beginning. And now it's time to actually say what we're going to do." Lefevers continued, "When you're asking everybody to come to the table, and everybody has their own unique struggles and things that they're working on, it's a different mindset, I believe, for our community. But I think that as long as we stay authentic to the mission of this project, I think that people will continue to come on. Maybe not all at the same time, but we'll be able to move forward." To review the Pensacola 2030 Blueprint, visit pensacolachamber.com/pensacola-2030. {in}
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HELP FOR MILITARY SPOUSES Navy
Federal Credit Union, Pentagon Federal Credit Union and USAA have partnered to find solutions for portable and flexible career opportunities for military spouses. The three financial services companies have committed $1 million to Blue Star Families to conduct research over the next three years that builds upon previous research and helps identify root causes of unemployment and underemployment. "Military spouses are critical to the community and family unit," said the chief executive officers of Navy Federal, PenFed and USAA in a first-ever joint statement. "It is well known that military spouses face unique employment challenges compared to their civilian counterparts, which hinders their careers, family livelihood and the broader military community. Our companies are committed to helping address this critical issue and support the livelihood of our military families and their communities." According to the Department of Defense, 22% of military spouses were unemployed in 2019. The figure has not significantly improved since 2012. Since the pandemic's start in March 2020, the situation worsened for military families, with 42% of military spouse respondents who had been working before the pandemic reporting that they had stopped working at some point. The research phase of the initiative will kick off in January 2022 and continue through 2024. The results will be released at critical points over the next three years, which will help to direct and inform the next phase of work to help close critical gaps in programs and resources in support of military spouse employment. This effort will build upon initiatives that the three companies, respectively, have supported, engaged with and led to help remove significant barriers to military spouse hiring. For more information, visit bluestarfam. org/careers.
SKANSKA UPDATE Last week, the attor-
neys in the Skanska USA trial submitted their
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post-trial briefs to Federal Judge Lacey Collier, who will decide if the bridge contractor is liable for the damages done by its barges in Pensacola Bay during Hurricane Sally. Aylstock Witkin attorney Sam Geisler told Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on 1370 WCOA, "A lot of what we saw at trial was what we've heard. It was everybody else's fault. 'The Coast Guard didn't tell us to do something different. FDOT didn't tell us that we did anything wrong or should have done things differently. And the National Weather Service was just bad, and their predictions were wrong, and everybody else's fault.' But the evidence just totally tells a different story." According to Geisler, the most consequential moment at the trial was the last witness to testify—the Coast Guard's lead officer overseeing Pensacola Bay, who testified that Skanska should not have moored its barges in the middle of the bay a couple of hundred feet off the bridge. Skanska should have moved them to safe harbor; that's their responsibility. "The Coast Guard is saving lives," said Geisler. "They're making sure they don't have hazardous cargo breaking free during a storm. They can't come behind Skanska and do the job for them and retie the knots or move the barges for them. Ultimately, that's Skanska's responsibility." He continued, "And that was kind of a moment where we finally heard from a disinterested party to say, 'Look, the sky isn't green.' What they did was totally irresponsible." Geisler was uncertain when Judge Collier would issue his ruling. "I expect the next couple weeks he'll issue an opinion, but it's tough to say. It could be next week; it could be next month."
NO VAX MANDATE FOR CITY At his Monday, Nov. 8, presser, Mayor Grover Robinson said that it remains to be seen if city employees will be impacted by the federal vaccine mandate for, among others, government workers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is challenging the mandate in court.
"You tell me. I mean, you know, we'll see what happens. I guess until we have that court case that kinda tells us what to do, we're sorta stuck," Mayor Robinson said. Currently, the city is offering one more month of financial incentives for employees to get vaccinated. Nearly 60% of municipal workers are fully vaccinated. "I can tell you from a state mandate; the state says we pretty much can't do anything," Robinson explained. "So we will continue to work as best we can to encourage people."
ANDRADE ON FP&L State Rep. Alex Andrade has concerns about the Pensacola City Council doing a feasibility study regarding the possible takeover of the city's electricity infrastructure (Inweekly, "City Power Play, 11/11/21). Andrade told Inweekly, "FP&L (Florida Power & Light) charge the lowest rates of any company in the state, and they're required to bring Gulf Power's rates down to match theirs over time now that they're part of the same system." He argued that FP&L, whose parent company, NextGen, bought Gulf Power in 2019, is Florida's most efficient power generator. "They beat everybody. They're an incredible company. They focus on green, renewable energy, and they're making investments in Northwest Florida now that they are required to do, to actually bring our rates down," said the state lawmaker. "The feasibility study being proposed is not due diligence in the framework of how the city's going to continue with their partnership with Gulf Power," said Andrade. "It would just give you an inventory of all the equipment that Gulf Power currently owns and the city would have to take to start their own company." He asserted that the Public Service Commission is the judge in Florida regarding privately held utility companies. The advocate for the people of Florida is the Office of Public Counsel, which sues power companies on behalf of the people of Florida. "If we want to do due diligence, I've
offered and Senator Broxson has offered to go coordinate communication between those agencies so that the city can be as well informed and as prepared as possible for those negotiations on a potential franchise agreement in the future," said Andrade. "But conflating the franchise agreement and the proposal to start our own power company, I think that confused the issue a little bit." He argued being a part of FP&L would give city users greater economies of scale since improvement costs would be spread over the utility's customers across the state. Andrade said. "I'm perfectly happy with the concept of letting the millions of ratepayers that NextEra and FP&L have in their system helping subsidize the investments in our community. I don't know why anybody would want to levy that on the 50,000 people solely that live in the city."
HOMELESS SOLUTIONS DELAYED At
its Wednesday, Nov. 10, special meeting, the Pensacola City Council voted to postpone its decision on the recommendations from the Homelessness Reduction Task Force of Northwest Florida and how to spend $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds (Inweekly, "Find a Home for $3 Million," 11/11/21). "Homelessness is obviously a complex issue, no simple solutions to it, so it's taking a little more time," Council President Jared Moore shared with Inweekly, "so measuring twice, maybe measuring three times before we cut is probably not a bad idea." Moore praised the efforts of the task force's co-chairs, John Johnson and Connie Bookman, who assembled over 200 individuals who serve the county's homeless population. He said, "There's no shortage of goodwill. They've put together a really great plan to try and bridge all the gaps." A recommendation to create campsites for the homeless received some criticism from those who attended the five-hour meeting. "A lot of complaints or concerns that
inweekly.net
we heard were where do you put these safe outdoor spaces," said Moore. "We got some sites identified that are close to churches, close to schools, close to very vibrant residential neighborhoods." He continued, "Many years ago, I was an educator. I worked in the classroom, so understanding what a volatile time this is and certainly not wanting to put our young people in any sort of risk, I think my words to one of the proposers were, 'We can't afford to have any mistakes.' We've got to have a fail-proof system, so what are we going to do to mitigate that before we can move forward."
FDOH VAX FOR KIDS The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County (FDOH-Escambia) is continuing to offer their COVID-19 vaccine clinic located at 1295 W. Fairfield Drive. In keeping with CDC guidance, COVID-19 pediatric vaccines are recommended for children 5-11 years old. FDOH-Escambia will offer the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine to children 5-11 years beginning Monday, Nov. 15. FDOH-Escambia continues to provide three authorized vaccines to eligible persons—Pfizer for ages 5 and up and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for ages 18 and up. Walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, are available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Questions can be directed to FDOH-Escambia's COVID-19 phone line at (850) 595-6500, option 6. For information about FDOH-Escambia and COVID-19, visit escambiahealth.com.
November 18, 2021
GAETZ SLIPPING A recent Listener Group poll of 532 likely Florida Congressional District 1 voters found political incumbent Congressman Matt Gaetz only has a 7.9-point lead over newcomer Rebekah Jones (41.7%33.8%), with 24.4% undecided. In its press release, the Listener Group stated that Jones, who created the heralded Florida COVID Dashboard, leads Gaetz in two counties. Additionally, the poll showed Gaetz's favorability had dropped 30 points to 49.6% favorable and very favorable. The persons sampled were Florida likely voters in the Florida First Congressional District with a voting score of 100% for the primary and general election cycles. The voters called were those with cell phones and landlines using Live Operators during the hours of 1-8 p.m., Oct. 8-28, 2021. The margin of error for this study was +/- 4.25%, with a confidence level of 95%. NEW BOARD MEMBERS The WSRE-TV
Foundation has announced the appointment of new officers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year as follows—Lusharon Wiley, Ed.D., chair; John Adams, vice chair; Jarrod Dawson, secretary; Laura Shaud, treasurer; Hal George, past chair; and Jill Hubbs, executive director. Joining the board this year are Karyn M. Combs, Ed.D.; Zack Suggs; Tiffany Washington; Alea Williams; and P.C. Wu, Ph.D. Returning board members are Mary Lou Donaldson, Aimee Dumas, James Fitzpatrick, Dr. Paul Glisson, Cameron Townes Gore, Tyler Kercher, Barbara Little, Kim Parker, Dr. Troy Tippett and Dr. Brent Videau.
WSRE-TV Foundation, Inc. was established in 1991 as a direct support organization of Pensacola State College to support the activities and capital and operating needs of WSRE, a Public Broadcast Service (PBS) member station licensed to the Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees.
hours this season to daily morning patrols, nest monitoring and community outreach. Patrol and ambassador volunteers also responded to hooked and stranded turtles and continued "Leave Only Footprints" and "Lights Out" education efforts on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key.
HONORING VOLUNTEERS At the
HEALTH AND HOPE Health and Hope
Escambia Board of County Commissioners meeting on Thursday, Nov. 4, the county recognized volunteers of the 2021 Sea Turtle Conservation Program for their hard work and conservation efforts for marine life in Escambia County. "Our efforts would not be possible without our volunteers," said Marine Resources Manager Captain Robert Turpin. "Every year, our county staff works with an enthusiastic group of volunteers who are just as dedicated to protecting and preserving sea turtles as we are. Sea turtle season runs through November, and we look forward to our continued efforts next year." The volunteers recognized were Stephanie Allen, Connie Bednar, Jay Bonanno, Jon Brandon, Christine Brewster, Kim Carmody, Jenny Diamond, Tonya Duke, Holly Forrester, Kelly Gontarski, Monica Hardin, Emily Hoeflich, Wendy Hoeflich, Jodi Hofer, Bonnie Kershaw, Brian Kershaw, Cindy Marvel, Kitsie Biggerstaff-Mott, Jennifer Polus, John Powanda, Terry Preston, Sean Rogan, Trish Robertson, Brenda Sexton, Lisa Sheehy, Rick Sheehy, Melanie Waite and DJ Zemenick. Volunteers contributed over 1,000
Clinic's annual fundraiser, Christmas at the Clinic Gala, will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Pensacola Country Club, 1500 Bayshore Drive. Proceeds from the gala benefit the Health and Hope Clinic, a volunteer and donor-driven medical and dental clinic that provides free health care with free wrap-around services to help meet the needs of the underserved and uninsured in Pensacola and surrounding areas. The cost to attend the gala is $50 per person. Purchase tickets online by following the link on their website at healthandhopeclinic.org. The event will display beautifully decorated Christmas trees and wreaths donated by area decorators, florists and businesses. The evening will include a silent auction of the trees and wreaths with gift cards/certificates from Pensacola businesses. Sponsorships, both personal and corporate, are essential to the success of Christmas at the Clinic. The opportunities to support Christmas at the Clinic Gala are nearly endless, from in-kind sponsorships of goods or services to monetary sponsorships. For a sponsorship packet or more info, email sbergosh@healthandhopeclinic.org. {in}
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YOUR HOMEGROWN REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE KUHNREALTY.COM
THANK YOU PENSACOLA FROM ALL OUR AGENTS! OVER 100 MILLION IN CLOSED TRANSACTIONS IN 2021
LARRY KUHN OWNER/BROKER 850.384.9707
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TONE MAZZURCO 352.875.4235
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ALYCE REAMES 256.648.6555
CONTACT A KUHN REALTY AGENT TODAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT UPCOMING DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENTS ANDREW ROTHFEDER 850.232.3003
RALPH SCHOFIELD 850.739.2742
COLE SMITH 850.497.3916
THE TURNER TEAM JARRETT 850.292.7977 JAMIE 850.261.8416
850.266.7557
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2021 ENTRECON AWARDS
All Photos by Phil Salzman of Salz Studio
presented by
Studer Community Institute with Cox Business The 2021 EntreCon Awards presented by Cox Business are meant to recognize the achievements and economic impact leaders and businesses have on a community. The categories aim to honor businesses at every stage in their life cycle, from start-ups to family businesses that span multiple generations.
EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Rising Minds Learning Owner: Karyn Scarbrough
What does your company do? Rising Minds enhances K-12 students' education through private tutoring, weekly homework support, education consulting services, student advocacy, small group lessons and so much more. What makes your company special? Rising Minds was founded on the principle that not all students are alike. Our onboarding process for parents allows us to meet students where they are and work within their curriculum, rather than try to apply the same approach to all students.
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Focus on value. We strive to bring value to the lives of everyone involved in Rising Minds—our tutors, our students and our families. What keeps you in Pensacola? Our connections in the community are deep. We have former Escambia County teachers on staff, and we regularly work with local nonprofits, private schools and faith-based organizations to identify and fill needs where we can.
EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Grayson Bay Oyster Co. •Runner Up: Glow Paddle
FEMALE-OWNED BUSINESS & MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
East Hill Pizza
Owner: Darlyne Zoltak What does your company do? Our mission is to uphold the highest level of quality and integrity in all we do, while always providing a great and inviting atmosphere where everyone feels like family, and being the brand that gives back to the community. What makes your company special? We strive to provide amazing pizza and give back to our local community any way we can.
MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
(TIE)
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Success comes to those that work hard. What keeps you in Pensacola? Pensacola is my hometown and will always have my heart.
FEMALE-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Vivid Bridge Studios •Runner Up: Global Business Solutions, Inc (GBSI)
(TIE)
Elite Endodontics Owner: Dr. Josh Todd
What does your company do? We are a dental specialty office treating patients who need root canals. What makes your company special? We put a huge emphasis on our employees' well-being and extending excellent customer service to our patients. We believe in giving back to the community both financially and through donated dental services.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Treat your staff well and reward them for their hard work and they will in turn treat your customers well. Also, make sure to take time off to recharge your batteries. What keeps you in Pensacola? Family, weather, community and plenty of things to do for fun!
MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Ride More Bicycles •Runner Up: Sisters of Hope Corporation
Bear General Contractors
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Hire the best people, and get out of their way.
What does your company do? We build commercial buildings and manage construction projects.
What keeps you in Pensacola? The people! Our community is awesome, welcoming, kind, fun, ambitious, loving and grateful. Pensacola is a hidden gem and a gift to everyone who discovers it. Our town is growing organically and tremendously thanks to the pioneers of downtown and everyone involved.
Owners: Luke Pittman, Josh Sitton, Chris Jaubert
What makes your company special? The people! Our team, our clients, and our subcontractors and suppliers make us special and successful. We set ourselves apart by committing to excellence in the construction experience and the processes we practice to decrease our clients' anxiety and risk during the construction process.
November 18, 2021
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Arco Marine •Runner Up: Schmidt’s Music
Special section created in partnership with Studer Community Institute
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PRESENTED BY
2021 AWARDS MEDIUM-LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Children's Home Society
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Be bold; be brilliant. Never duplicate others. Work in partnership to fill the gaps for those in need.
What does your company do? We provide services to at-risk families and youth through evidence-based service solutions that create opportunities to bring brighter futures to those we serve and our community.
What keeps you in Pensacola? The community is supportive and family-oriented. These qualities are very present in our team at CHS, our board of directors, donors and funders. When looking for a place to work, it is unequivocally CHS, as the culture of our organization mirrors those same qualities.
Executive Director: Lindsey B. Cannon
What makes your company special? CHS delivers the right services at the right time to help children and families through the most difficult times of their lives. We work to help keep more kids safe at home with their families, giving parents confidence and opportunities to build upon their strengths.
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
(TIE)
Baptist Health Care CEO/President: Mark Faulkner
What does your company do? Baptist is the area's only not-for-profit, locally based health care organization and is honored to have served our growing community for over 70 years. Baptist includes three hospitals, four medical parks, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine and a network of primary and specialty care providers located throughout the region. What makes your company special? Baptist's culture, team members and history of providing groundbreaking health care set us apart. Governed by representatives of this community, 100% of margin is reinvested directly into this community. Baptist is making the single largest
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Baptist Health Care •Runner Up: ESA South, Inc.
health care investment in the history of Northwest Florida by building a $636 million modern health care campus. What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? We remain guided by the bold vision of our founders and continue their legacy. They have been noted as a group of citizens who saw a star and possessed too much zeal and compassion for their fellow men to realize that their goal was impossible—and so they reached it. What keeps you in Pensacola? Born of and deeply rooted in Northwest Florida, Baptist will be here for generations to come. We are dedicated to providing quality care, employing a diverse group of team members and partnering with local organizations to fulfill our vision of being the trusted partner for improving quality of life.
(TIE)
Levin Rinke Realty
organization is separating what is critical vs. urgent. It can be very easy to be distracted with what is urgent and in turn you never end up accomplishing what is critical.
What does your company do? Real Estate
What keeps you in Pensacola? There are many beautiful places around the world, and Pensacola is one of them. What separates our area is the combination of natural beauty and the hospitality of the people. That is what intrigued me in the first place and has kept me here all of these years.
Owners: Robert Rinke, Abby Rinke, Teri Levin, Evan Levin and Rhys Rinke
What makes your company special? What makes Levin Rinke Realty so special is its unique mission combined with unmatched resources. Having a full-service brokerage in today's day and age is very unique. When we provide this level of support to our real estate agents, it equates to better service for our clients. What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? A reoccurring theme in our
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Larry Kuhn, Kuhn Realty
What does your company do? Kuhn Realty is your home-grown real estate company. We strive to provide our agents opportunities to cultivate their passion for real estate and community service in order to help serve their clients with the highest level of integrity and expertise. What makes your company special? Our agents strive to help clients not only find homes they love but help find a retiree a place to downsize, a family a place to grow and make memories and help investors find opportunity to expand their financial goals and freedom. What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Inspire young people, instill 212 1
MEDIUM-LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Children's Home Society •Runner Up: Gulf Coast Kid's House
a little confidence in them, make them feel good about one little thing and it will go a long way. As a broker, I try to inspire my agents and give them confidence to help grow their business. What keeps you in Pensacola? My family, my friends and the proximity to the water. There is something very special about the community of Pensacola. Every time I leave, I'm reminded how lucky I am to live here, and I always seem to find myself telling people about what Pensacola has to offer.
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Brian Arnold •Runner Up: Ke'Andre Beasley
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PRESENTED BY
2021 AWARDS NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR
Pensacola Humane Society
Executive Director: Jan Castillo; Director of Development: Manda Moore
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Always make certain the mission statement resonates within your heart or you will fail to convince others to feel.
What does your company do? Pensacola Humane Society supports the community and the animals that reside within through rescue, adoptions, medical care and programs to assist pet owners in need to retain their beloved pets.
What keeps you in Pensacola? Pensacola Humane Society has been an integral part of this community for over 78 years and will continue to support those that reside within!
What makes your company special? Pensacola Humane Society strives to serve the underserved within our community by creating innovative programs to fill the void where resources are not readily available for pet owners.
NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Epps Christian Center •Runner Up: Pensacola Little Theatre •Runner Up: Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition
MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Something Old Salvage
Owners: Anthony and Sabrina Simpson What does your company do? Something Old Salvage offers full-service junk removal and cleaning services to residents in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. We make the process as efficient and seamless as possible. Our teams are experienced, dedicated, hardworking and focused on providing our clients amazing service. What makes your company special? Something Old Salvage's approach to junk removal and cleaning services is to give each job professional attention and focus on providing a stellar customer experience in tackling often daunting tasks, which is why our motto is "Stressed with Mess? Call S.O.S." What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Quint Studer's advice to go deeper in
your business instead of wider has helped us tremendously. In growing our business, we have focused on constantly improving our core offerings of junk removal and cleaning services to increase revenue within our current markets. What keeps you in Pensacola? Anthony is a native Pensacolian, and the area has embraced and nurtured our small business journey. We are committed to continue to grow in a place we call home and strengthen the relationships with our existing clients while broadening our reach with new customers throughout the panhandle for many years.
MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Nail Company Wholesale Supply •Runner Up: Signature Event Lounge •Runner Up: Wade Cakes and Weddings
VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Hixardt Technologies CEO/President: Michael E. Hicks Jr.
What does your company do? Hixardt Technologies is an IT services provider, headquartered in Pensacola, that provides professional network management, public and private cloud virtualization, compliance management and disaster recovery services to meet the demanding needs of government and commercial organizations. Established in 2001, Hixardt is a service-disabled, veteran-owned, minority-owned company. What makes your company special? We are fanatical about our team and our clients. We are always working on ways to help them both grow and achieve their career or business goals. This comes first. What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Take care of your employees and
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Felicia D. Rabb, Felicia By Design What does your company do? We are a full-service luxury wedding planning company and event designers. We create bespoke weddings and magical experiences for the most memorable event of a lifetime. We strive to serve others humbly, in ways that honor God in everything that we do. What makes your company special? This company is the result of a dream come true. This company came from a little girl who started planning weddings with her Barbies when she was just 6 years old, and now she gets to do it for a career.
November 18, 2021
your customers. Let your passion for helping others shine through; be a giver. Create a strong, differentiated brand. Seek out mentors and become a mentor for others. Be active in the community; the relationships you establish are critical to your stability and growth. What keeps you in Pensacola? Gulf Coast living is wonderful, people are nice, you can talk to anyone, and as a veteran, I love that it's a military town. From a business perspective, providing technology services to professional organizations on the Gulf Coast is much easier than the hustle and bustle of our DC market.
VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Running Wild •Runner Up: ESA South, Inc.
(TIE)
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? You have to wake up every single day and believe in yourself. Every single day, you start over. You can either drown in your doubts or swim harder than you ever have in your whole life. What keeps you in Pensacola? It's such a community-based, collaborative city. I can't imagine doing business anywhere else. I feel like I know everyone here. There's this tightness to Pensacola while it still feels big. I may have grown up in N.C., but Pensacola is also home.
Special section created in partnership with Studer Community Institute
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PRESENTED BY
2021 AWARDS YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Kyle McGee, Sunchase Construction What does your company do? Sunchase Construction builds residential and commercial projects in the Panhandle area. What makes your company special? Sunchase Construction is a small, passionate group of individuals focused on growth and enhancing the communities we work and live in. What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Surround yourself with great
SMART BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
GBSI
CEO: Terri Ramos What does your company do? GBSI is an IT services and training company focused on government contracts in Pensacola and across the country. Our ongoing success is a direct result of keeping our customers' current technological needs aligned with future challenges in key areas such as information technology, information assurance, cyber security and remote training. What makes your company special? With the visionary purpose of resolving issues associated with increasing workforce competency and closing the skilled workforce vacancy gap, GBSI created Acceletrain. Acceletrain focuses on fixing issues including: •Technology changes that impact academia •Teacher shortages •Teacher professional development •Removing barriers to education
(TIE)
people. I'm blessed to have great mentors, business partners and a team that is positive and all committed to getting better every day. Without a great team, nothing is possible. What keeps you in Pensacola? Pensacola is home for life. I grew up here, my family is here and I plan on raising my family here. I truly love where I live and am extremely bullish on the growth of our area for many years to come.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR •Runner Up: Mariah Morrison
•Increasing learner retention •Changes in learning ecosystems What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? "A startup shouldn't expect growth every year." – Rex McKinney. These words surprised me but proved true over the next 25 years of growing a successful business. More growth means more support, inventory and supplies. If the business isn't ready to manage that, it grows too quickly, which can be disastrous. What keeps you in Pensacola? Community involvement. I'm involved in organizations that work together for the good of the community. This town has come alive with young professionals. I've witnessed industry, government agencies and entire banking institutions moving their workforce to Pensacola. Pensacola supports active lifestyles, community engagement, has beautiful beaches and the Blue Angels.
SMART BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
•Runner Up: Bear General Contractors •Runner Up: Snap Soccer
THE JOHN MYSLAK SERVANT LEADER AWARD
Lisa Long Lyter, Red Iron Design What does your company do? Creative design and strategy utilizing vision and mission planning, graphic design, social media and screen printing to tell your story. What makes your company special? We live faith filled, which cascades through honoring those we serve. We solve problems and relieve stress for our clients. We lead with giving back, and our clients join us in doing so. We have a ridiculous amount of fun and laugh a whole bunch.
EXCELLENCE IN MENTORSHIP
What keeps you in Pensacola? Love for the people, my clients and my husband and the role that he plays in keeping our community safe. Pensacola EggFest and the fact that we get to raise money for charities we care about. Love for the glorious beauty in nature here, which we all need in large and daily doses.
Julie Sheppard, Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition
ing researchers and scientists to innovate and perform transformative scientific research that helps humans extend their physical and cognitive capabilities.
What does your company do? The Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC) is a not-for-profit research institute of the State University System of Florida that collaborates extensively with industry and government to develop science and technology that can be enabling with respect to society's broader goals.
What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? Create a positive working environment that avoids unnecessary rules and regulations and hire professionals who love their work.
What makes your company special? Interdisciplinary flat organization that focuses on culture and empower-
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What's the best advice you were given when you started your business? "Lead with your why." –Quint Studer "Remember that people want to be seen, heard and loved." –My dad, Ron Long
What keeps you in Pensacola? Pensacola offers the best qualities of small town living with stunning natural beauty and the art, food and music scene often found only in large cities.
Special section created in partnership with Studer Community Institute
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Friday–Sunday, Nov 26–28 4pm–8pm Fri | 1pm–8pm Sat & Sun Museum of Commerce Pensacola Historic District Free Admission Deck the halls and support public television! Trees and wreaths, decorated by local designers, will be available for purchase or online auction bidding with proceeds supporting the WSRE-TV Foundation. Online auction bidding begins Thanksgiving night at wsre.org!
Scan this code with your cell phone for event details and auction bidding. 60211-1121 Festival of Trees Inweekly ad.indd 1
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The holiday season is officially upon us—which means it's time to start making your lists and checking them twice. We know the pandemic hasn't been "easy" on anyone, but if you're fortunate enough to have a little extra money or time on your hands, we hope you make giving back part of your holiday agenda. To help you get started, here are some ideas on how to support local nonprofits and causes this season. And if you're one of those people in need, resources are just a call away. The 2-1-1 program from United Way Northwest Florida connects callers to the help they need, whether it's for financial assistance
GRAPHIC NOVELS
KIDS BOOKS
or a mental health crisis. Learn more at 211nwfl.communityos.org.
SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD PROGRAMS Food pantries and soup kitchens have been stretched ultra-thin during the pandemic. With Thanksgiving coming up, they could use your support right now in particular. Waterfront Mission recently posted that they are looking for volunteers for the week of Thanksgiving. They are in need of drivers, servers, runners and people to help
with meal prep. If you're interested, call their volunteer hotline at (850) 429-0656. •Manna Food Pantry mannahelps.org •Feeding the Gulf Coast feedingthegulfcoast.org •FoodRaising Friends, Inc. facebook.com/foodraisingfriends •Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen loavesandfishessoupkitchen.com •Waterfront Mission waterfrontmission.org •Food Not Bombs Pensacola facebook.com/pensacolafnb •Pensacola Caring Hearts facebook.com/pensacolacaringhearts
EVENTS THAT GIVE BACK Before your calendar completely fills up with holiday happenings, make sure you save the date for a few of these upcoming events that give you a chance to do good while having fun.
PANCAKES WITH SANTA AND HOLIDAY MARKET Join Gulf Coast
Kid's House and Cordova Rotary Saturday on Nov. 20 starting at 8 a.m. for this kid-friendly event. In addition to pancakes and vendors, there will be a photographer on hand taking holiday-card-worthy family
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photos. Cactus Flower Cafe will be hosting a mimosa station for the adults in attendance. Visit gulfcoastkidshouse.org for more information.
WSRE FESTIVAL OF TREES WSRE is
hosting a new fundraising event at the Museum of Commerce on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26-28. It will feature holiday trees and wreaths, decorated by local designers, that will be available for sale and online auction in support of the WSRE-TV Foundation. Admission is free, and auction bidding will take place on wsre.org beginning Thanksgiving night.
WREATHS OF JOY GALA Arc Gateway Foundation's Wreaths of Joy Gala is their largest annual fundraising event and it's happening this year on Thursday, Dec. 2. Visit arc-gateway.org for details.
CALLING ALL SANTAS! BEACH CLEANUP 'Tis the season to join Keep
Pensacola Beautiful for a holiday beach cleanup on Saturday, Dec. 4. All children in attendance will receive a book and custom-made coloring sheet while supplies last. Close-toed shoes are a must for all volunteers. Santa costumes and holiday outfits, however, aren't mandatory but are strongly encouraged. Email volunteer@ keeppensacolabeautiful.org or call (850) 438-1178 for more information.
HOLIDAYS AT THE HANGAR This holiday season, Hellcat Hangar is unveiling a new 4,000-square-foot production house by opening its doors for a holiday market on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 4-9 p.m. The event will feature over 20 local vendors, and all proceeds will benefit FavorHouse of Northwest Florida and Autism Pensacola. To buy a ticket, visit facebook.com/hellcathangar. JINGLE BELL WRAP Keep Pensacola Beautiful has partnered with Maker's Loft to host a wrapping paper workshop on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. Attendees will learn how to make sustainable wrapping paper from used paper bags provided by Ever'man. Tickets are $20 and are on sale now. Visit keeppensacolabeautiful.org to learn more. HOLIDAY SING-ALONG The Choral
Society of Pensacola is hosting their annual Holiday Sing-Along on Sunday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m. at the Rex Theatre. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for Manna Food Bank. The hour of family-friendly musical merriment will include carols and songs, led by Isabelle Peterson and the Choral Society's Women's Ensemble, plus performances by the ensemble, the Choral Society and special guests from the Gulf Coast Chorale, as well as refreshments and the opportunity to snap selfies with Santa. Visit choralsocietyofpensacola.org for more information.
KREWE OF AVANT GARDE HOLIDAY EVENT The Krewe of Avant Garde and
Pensacola Military Officers Association of America (PMOAA) are hosting their first combined holiday dinner event from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the PensacNovember 18, 2021
ola Yacht Club. The event will host a Toys for Tots drive as well as a silent auction. For more details and ticket information, visit facebook.com/avantgardekrewe.
GIVE A LITTLE BIT Whether it's a coat or toy or just a small monetary donation, a little bit goes a long way, especially this time of year when most nonprofits are trying to service as many people in need as possible.
CLASS FOR COATS From now until Dec. 9, every Thursday, bring in a coat and receive a free class at Disko Lemonade. Coats can be new or gently worn and will go to the Gulf Coast Kid's House. Visit facebook.com/diskolemonade for details. FRESH START BASKETS Opening Doors Northwest Florida is collecting items to put together Fresh Start Baskets. Suggested items include household basics like paper towels, toilet paper and light bulbs. The deadline for donations is Wednesday, Dec. 1. Items can be dropped off at Opening Doors Northwest Florida (1020 N. New Warrington Road) or CareerSource Escarosa (6913 N. Ninth Ave.). CHRISTMAS FOR SENIORS Senior citizens have had another rough year, especially those who are still living in isolation to avoid the risk of COVID exposure. Organizations such as Council on Aging of West Florida have been helping to make sure seniors have all their basic needs. During the holidays, they host the annual Christmas for Seniors initiative, asking for donations of gift cards to stores like Walmart, Dollar General, Target, etc. so seniors can purchase something for themselves that they need or want. You can send gift cards by mail to 875 Royce St., Pensacola, FL 32503, or drop it off in person by Friday, Dec. 10. For more information, visit coawfla.org.
WE CAN'T FORGET THE PETS You know we love our furry friends here at Inweekly, so we had to include some local shelters and rescues in this round-up. They are always accepting donations and looking for volunteers. •Pensacola Humane Society 5 N. Q St., pensacolahumane.org •Escambia County Animal Shelter 200 W. Fairfield Drive, ecasfriends.com •Pensacola Hotel for Dogs & Cats, 4110 Creighton Road, h4dc.org •Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter, ecasfriends.com •Animal Allies Florida, ecaafl.org •Santa Rosa County Animal Services, 4451 Pine Forest Road, Milton, facebook.com/ srcanimalservices •A Hope, 5755 Washington St., Milton, ahope4src.com *We plan to keep these events and fundraisers in our weekly calendar through the new year, so if you're a nonprofit and have something we should add, let us know by emailing info@inweekly.net. {in}
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH, 10AM-2PM Shop the studio for the holidays, the first 20 people who come in get a free ornament with purchase
First City Art Center 1060 N Guillemard St, Pensacola, FL 32501 | Gallery 1060 17
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WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18-24
Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...
PMA Exhibits a Wonderful Display of Creativity and Nihilism By C. Scott Satterwhite
Pieces from "We Are Not A Movement, We Are Motion Itself" / Photo courtesy of Pensacola Museum of Art
On exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of Art is a small pop show entitled "We Are Not A Movement, We Are Motion Itself." The artist, who goes by either AnArchivist or Sean Linezo, created the exhibit using gathered parts of the 309 Punk Project's historic archives, as well as various mediums from news articles and vinyl records to a record player, typewriter and wall of televisions. Enclosed in a glass case is a small sampling of the fanzine, or zine, collection of the 309 Punk Project. The zine exhibit reflects the diversity of the handmade magazines from Pensacola and showcases a number of fanzines from a "zine challenge" that took place exactly 20 years ago. As with much of the exhibit, Linezo uses the past to reflect the present. Director of the Pensacola Museum of Art Nicholas Croghan said, "As an artist, I find many layers to engage with in the exhibit … I'm immediately drawn to the handmade qualities of the over 80 zines on display and the vintage aesthetic of the typewriter, record player and other objects from the 309 archive." The various pieces surround viewers as they enter the exhibit through the staircase. "These components of the exhibit are visually complemented by multiple video outputs that feature a virtual tour of the 309 house combined with the film 'STAREMASTER 2000–2020,'" said Croghan. "The blend of analog and digital mediums create a dynamic art experience." To aid the audience, headphones are set November 18, 2021
beside the zine case, describing the exhibit in a haunting, distorted voice. The zine case reflects past works while motioning toward a 2021 zine challenge issued in connection with the exhibit, which ends later this month. "Sean's ability to weave multiple stories and viewpoints into one narrative exemplifies his revolutionary spirit of romantic idealism," said Croghan. "The many influences in his work range from Dada and the historical avant-garde to contemporary socio-politics and decolonialism." Croghan continued, "[Linezo's] endgame is not just to present these histories and concepts, but to inspire the community to action. This spark is achieved through the 'zine feud' challenge, as well as the call to symbolic acts of creative discontent." The 2021 zine challenge allows for people of all walks of life, in Pensacola and beyond, to participate in the exhibit. Since the challenge was issued, several zine workshops have taken place, including one at 309 itself. A few zines have trickled in ahead of deadline, including one from as far away as Asheville, N.C. "I believe the community has responded with enthusiasm to this challenge," said Croghan, "even going as far as creating unique elements that were added to the installation on the opening night." "As a hub for the Pensacola art scene, we are excited by the playful participation and encourage the poetic, positive energy the exhibit has engendered," said Croghan.
The exhibit's use of archived work helps to create an atmosphere that consistently reflects upon the past while projecting a future inspired by artistically minded antecedents. For example, a poster displayed on the wall next to a wall of television is a sign that reads 'TV smashing party.' The hand-drawn image shows an arm holding a hammer next to a smashed television. The poster is from a 2007 TV-smashing party at 309, "Pensacola's oldest punk house," according to the 14-year-old flyer. Below the title are the lyrics of the Black Flag song "TV Party" on the wall—"We're gonna have a TV party tonight, alright! We've got nothing better to do…" Beside the poster was a sledgehammer placed near the wall of televisions. On the handle of the sledgehammer, the phrase "Long Live Poetry" was written, a reference to a mid1950s Dadaist exhibit. Sometime during the exhibit, a few overzealous eventgoers took the 14-year-old flyer as a call to action. Early in the event's grand opening, an anonymous person scattered leaflets using an early computer font with a somewhat cryptic message—"FIND EACH OTHER—MAKE SECRET PLANS—SMASH INDESTRUCTIBLE OBJECTS—GIVE UP LONELINESS." The image accompanying the list was a grainy black-and-white photo of a child jumping from a cliff. In an instance of life imitating art, the official opening came to a dramatic conclusion when a few of the evening's eventgoers took the sledgehammer and recreated the image in the "TV Smashing Party" poster. "It was so weird," said Georgia Clarkson, a witness to the event. "Some fucking woman smashed the TVs," she said, "like some middle-aged white woman … I thought maybe I had dropped acid." After the anonymous women smashed a television, a small group ran upstairs and gathered around, including the artist. As the broken television fizzled, the remaining functional TVs continued to show an image of a metronome with an eyeball ticking. As people gathered to see the commotion, Linezo stood beside the smashed television in awe. "I believe someone read the article, and they did it," said the artist. The 1957 Time Magazine article Linezo referred to was posted on the wall as part of the exhibit. Describing a similar chaotic scene at a Dadaist retrospective in Paris, the article read, "But the show was less than a week old
when something like the excitement of the '20s erupted. Storming the gallery, a band of young, self-styled 'reactionary nihilist intellectuals' who called themselves the 'Jarvistes' flung handbills riotously into the gallery." The Time Magazine article, "Battle of the Nihilists," described how the young "reactionary nihilist intellectuals" stole a Man Ray painting, "Object to Destroy," as the artist chased them down. The young nihilists stopped as Ray screamed, "They're stealing my painting," and they shot the work of art with a pistol, baffling Parisian police. The nihilists were never caught. After hearing of the commotion, the Dadaist artist Tristan Tzara was said to be "delighted" by the spectacle. When asked what his thoughts were on the event, he was reported to have remarked simply, "Isn't it wonderful?" Moments after the middle-aged vandals destroyed the televisions in the PMA, the flabbergasted Linezo said, "It was a recreation." Reflecting on Tzara's line from over 60 years ago, and searching for words, Linezo simply remarked, "All I can say is, 'Isn't it wonderful?' "We better go." After the commotion, PMA staff cleared the exhibit for the safety of the eventgoers. Linezo and museum staff helped clean up the broken glass and restored the exhibit. The sledgehammer and broken TVs are no longer part of "We Are Not A Movement, We Are Motion Itself," but the zines and functional non-smashed TVs are still on full display. {in}
"WE ARE NOT A MOVEMENT, WE ARE MOTION ITSELF"
WHAT: A multimedia exhibit blending Dadaist Historical work with punk aesthetic WHEN: On view through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org 6:30 p.m., Monday Nov. 15
ZINE CHALLENGE 2021
WHAT: 309 Punk Project issued a global challenge to make a zine Deadline: Friday, Nov. 26 Drop Off: 309 N. Sixth Ave. DETAILS: 309punkproject.org 19
a&e happenings Pensacola's take on the haunting and legendary tale is now available to stream. Cost is $25 per view. For more information, visit showtix4u.com/event-details/57601.
ANTARCTICA: SEASONS OF WATER AND ICE Antarctica: Seasons of Water
and Ice is on exhibit on the second floor of UWF's John C. Pace Library, Room 215, through Dec. 12. For more information on the exhibit and presenting partners, visit uwf.edu/tag.
WHAT'S SHOWING AT PENSACOLA CINEMA ART On Tuesday, Nov. 23, PCA
Gabe Stillman / Photo Courtesy of gabestillman.com
NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS
CALL TO ARTISTS
mal Allies will be at Pet Supermarket, 6857 N. Ninth Ave. in Pensacola, Saturday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Everett Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart on N. Davis Highway every Saturday in November, noon-4 p.m. If you can't adopt, talk to someone about opportunities to donate, foster or volunteer. All cats are up to date on shots, and adoption fee includes spay or neuter with microchip. Visit aaflorida.com for more information.
Pensacola Museum of Art is now accepting exhibit proposals from artists interested in showing new bodies of work in the stairwell gallery spaces starting in 2022. Selected exhibits typically range from eight-12 weeks in duration and are scheduled in consultation with the chief curator. Successful applicants will thoughtfully consider the space of the stairwell galleries when developing their proposal. Each artist selected to exhibit will receive a $300 exhibition stipend. Applications must be received by midnight on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Visit pensacolamuseum.org/ arts/call-for-artists for more information.
CAT ADOPTIONS IN NOVEMBER Ani-
WSRE'S FESTIVAL OF TREES WSRE is
bringing its Festival of Trees to the Museum of Commerce in Downtown Pensacola on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26-28. Holiday trees and wreaths, decorated by local designers, will be on display and available for sale and online auction bidding in support of the WSRE-TV Foundation. Hours are 4-8 p.m. Friday and 1-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. Auction bidding will take place on an online shop at wsre.org beginning Thanksgiving night. The Festival of Trees has been scheduled in conjunction with the kickoff of Pensacola Winterfest and will be located next to the Cajun Christmas performance in Historic Pensacola Village. For more information, visit wsre.org.
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PMA CALL FOR STAIRWELL ART The
309 ZINE CHALLENGE Take part in one
of PMA's latest exhibits from AnArchivist by submitting your own zine to be donated to the 309 Archive and exhibited in the 2021 Zine Challenge installation. Zines must have a minimum count of 16 pages and a minimum print run of 15. Send or deliver at least one copy of your zine before 6 p.m. Nov. 26, to 309 N. Sixth Ave., Pensacola, FL 32501. Visit pensacolamuseum. org for more details.
ARTS & CULTURE
BALLET PENSACOLA'S DRACULA AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING Ballet
will have a special holiday screening of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" at 7 p.m. at REX Theatre, 18 N. Palafox. Tickets are $5 cash only. Reserve your seats by emailing jpncinema@gmail.com or texting (863) 446-7300. PCA is located at 220 W. Garden St. Now streaming—"On Broadway" and the SXSW Short Film Festival.
ENTRECON 2021: BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE The next
EntreCon event continues Thursday, Nov. 18, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Pensacola Little Theatre, located at 400 S. Jefferson St. For tickets and information, visit entreconpensacola.com.
GALLERY NIGHT CELEBRATES "FRIENDSGIVING" The next Gallery
Night is 5-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19. This month's theme celebrates "Friendsgiving," and the event will kick off the holiday season with a focus on shopping local, the art of gift giving, and coming together with friends and family. Gallery Night's November featured artist is CeCe Hines. For more information, visit gallerynightpensacola.org.
THE ANIMAL BALL DRAG SHOW Ter-
rah Card hosts a night of drag performances Friday, Nov. 19, at Alga Beer Co., located at 2435 N. 12th Ave. Doors open at 8 p.m. Dress in your best animal-inspired costume for a chance to win a trophy and chance to lip sync.
TERRENCE K. WILLIAMS: LAUGH AT YOUR OWN RISK Comedian Terrence K.
Williams will be performing at Saenger Theatre, located at 118 S. Palafox, Friday, Nov. 19
at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45-$181. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for more information.
CREEK INDIAN FEST Creek Indian Fest will take place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 20 and 21, from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Creek Tribe, located at 4750 Willard Norris Road in Milton. There will be live native flute music, food, arts and crafts and more. ALYSSA'S GIFT MARKET Visit Alyssa's
on Saturday, Nov. 20, for an outdoor gift market on the porch. Alyssa's is located at 4586 Chumuckla Highway. Visit shopalyssas.com for more information.
ANIME TOWN PENSACOLA Anime fans can meet top voice actors in the industry, amazing artists and more at the Anime Town convention on Monday, Nov. 22, from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Passes are $15-$45. Visit animetowncons.com for more information. OPEN BOOKS $1 BOOK SALE Stock
up on books with the Open Books $1 Book Sale Friday, Nov. 26-Sunday, Nov. 28. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Open Books is located at 1040 N. Guillemard St. Visit openbookspcola.org for more information.
PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Enjoy
shopping for a variety of handcrafted wares at Pensacola Arts Market on Saturday, Nov. 27. Pensacola Arts Market will be located in the courtyard of Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St., from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/pensacolaartsmarket.
EASY GOING GALLERY ART MARKET
Every Sunday, Easy Going Gallery and Carter J Studios present a weekly art market Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Easy Going Gallery, located at 701 N. V St. Enjoy art, espresso, vintage goods, baked treats, handcrafted unique gifts and more. Vendors can participate for a $20 fee. For more information, contact easygoinggalleryart@gmail.com.
WE SEE YOU Presented by the HER Foundation and Kate Treick Photography is
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November 18, 2021
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a&e happenings an exhibit saluting female veterans in Pensacola and the Florida Panhandle on view through Nov. 28 at Cordova Mall, located at 5100 N. Ninth Ave.
spiracy in Cuba in 1812. The exhibit is on view at Pensacola Museum of Art through March 27, 2022. Visit pensacolamuseum. org for more information.
THE ART GALLERY - BFA SYNTHESIS EXIT EXHIBITION The UWF BFA exit
2000 MEN: BLACK POLITICIANS DURING RECONSTRUCTION A new
exhibition will be on view at TAG Nov. 18-Dec. 11 in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, located at 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. For more information, visit facebook.com/tag82uwf.
UWF SINGERS PRESENT: "CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD" The Uni-
versity of West Florida's Dr. Grier Williams School of Music is proud to sponsor the UWF Singers as they present the Florida premiere of "Considering Matthew Shepard." Performances will be held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre at the Center for Fine and Performing Art, located at 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. This 90-minute concert work explores the Matthew Shepard story and its effects on modern culture. Tickets are free but must be reserved at uwf.edu/cfpa.
VISIONARY APONTE: ART AND BLACK FREEDOM Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom is from creator José Antonio Aponte, a free black carpenter, artist and former soldier who was also the leader of an ambitious antislavery con-
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exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of History shares the stories and histories of Black politicians during the Reconstruction period. The Pensacola Museum of History is located at 330 S. Jefferson St. For more information, visit historicpensacola.org.
UWF HISTORIC TRUST 9/11 EXHIBIT
An exhibit honoring victims lost and others impacted by the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, is now on display on the second floor of the Pensacola Museum of History. The University of West Florida Historic Trust curated the exhibit, 9/11 Remembered, which runs through January 2022, with items on loan from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York and the History Museum of Mobile. The gallery includes a section of the I-beam from one of the World Trade Center towers and a helmet and other items worn by first responders who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Visitors can also view a video of newsreels from 20 years ago on projectors and a video from NAS Pensacola that features military members who responded to the 9/11 attacks.
For more information on UWF's Historic Trust, visit historicpensacola.org.
FINDING 1821 Finding 1821 is part of the
UWF Historic Trust's Suddenly American exhibit. Using historic newspapers, maps and documents, it is possible to locate where businesses stood in the 1820s. From taverns to parasol shops, each site on the Finding 1821 trail reflects a local establishment that was near that location 200 years ago. Outside each business is a QR code that links to a corresponding advert from an early 1820s newspaper. Over a dozen sites have been identified so far. Take a stroll around town, visit local shops and explore the history of Pensacola through today's technology. Visit historicpensacola. org for more information.
WE ARE NOT A MOVEMENT. WE ARE MOTION ITSELF. Using source material
from the 309 Archives, AnArchivist transforms linear time into a cyclical dimension with the announcement of a new beginning, while also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the eight-week Zine Challenge of 2001 and the playful/poetic/participatory aesthetic of the Pensacola DIY scene. The exhibit is on view at PMA through Jan. 2. PMA is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays from noon-4 p.m. For more information about exhibitions, programming or support, visit pensacolamuseum.org.
THE KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD, REIMAGINED The Kingdom of This World,
Reimagined provides a new look at the real and imagined stories told in Alejo Carpentier's 1949 historical novel "The Kingdom of This World," which recounts the Haitian Revolution in his signature literary style—lo real maravilloso, or the marvelous real. This exhibit will be on view at the Pensacola Museum of Art through Jan. 9, 2022. The PMA is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays from noon-4 p.m. For more information about exhibitions, programming or support, visit pensacolamuseum.org.
SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteasers, Studio
400's and Pensacola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club invites you to monthly script readings at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night. Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook.com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.
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a&e happenings OPEN MIC AT THE GORDON Show off your talents on the second Thursday of every month at The Gordon's Open Mic showcase from 7-10 p.m. Admission is free. The Gordon is located at 306 N. DeVilliers St. Visit thegordon.org for more information. OPEN MIC COMEDY AT BIG TOP BREWERY Try out some new jokes or enjoy
some homegrown talent every Monday at 7 p.m. for Open Mic Comedy at Big Top Brewery, located at 21 W. Romano St. Everyone gets five minutes depending on the number of sign-ups. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m.
NEW CLASSES AT MIXON MAGIC PERFORMING ARTS Mixon Magic Performing
Arts (MMPA), a boutique performing arts studio located at 1010 N. 12th Ave., Ste. 238, will be offering a limited class schedule this fall. MMPA offers professional dance, fitness and "Mommy and Me" instruction for all ages and skill levels with weekly classes including, but not limited to, Creative Movement, Ballet/Jazz Combo, Broadway, Tap, Showstoppers, Acting and Voice. Classes will be provided for children as young as 2 years old (with a parent or guardian) through adult. MMPA is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students and families and has implemented protocols based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Masks are required for entry into the building and studio. More
information about Mixon Magic Performing Arts can be found at mixonmagic.com, by contacting hello@mixonmagic.com or emily@ mixonmagic.com or by calling (850) 221-7438.
GENDER PORTRAITS Gender Portraits is a project from artist Drew Riley of the Austin Creative Alliance. The nonprofit organization supports sex and gender minorities using art as a foundation for education, activism and advocacy. The exhibit is on view at Voices of Pensacola, located at 117 E. Government St., through January 2022. For more information, visit historicpensacola.org.
BLACK CITIZENSHIP IN THE AGE OF JIM CROW "Black Citizenship in the Age of
Jim Crow," a traveling exhibition from the New York Historical Society Museum & Library with additions from the African American Heritage Society of Pensacola, is now on view at Artel Gallery. To learn more about it, visit africanamericanheritagesociety.org. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.
CRAFT CLASSES AT STUDIO SOUTH ON NINE MILE Learn a new craft or meet
up with other makers at Studio South. Tuesday is Knit Night 4-7 p.m., and Sit & Stitch is Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Both classes are free. For a full calendar of events, visit studiosouthon9mileroad.com. Studio South is located at 955 E. Nine Mile Road.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AT FIRST CITY ART First City Art Center offers a wide
range of classes and workshops for artists of all levels. Classes include glass blowing, ceramics, painting and drawing, kiln-forming, stained glass and more. For a complete list of classes and times, visit firstcityart.org.
LIVE MUSIC
MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Blues Society of Northwest Flori-
da and Seville Quarter present Monday Night Blues, the longest running weekly Blues Jam in Florida, starting at 7 p.m. with an opening and followed by the Blues Jam at 9 p.m. Seville Quarter is located at 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.
NIRVANNA-TRIBUTE TO NIRVANA Nir-
urday, Nov. 20 for a trio of bands starting with Tribe Zion at 3 p.m., Ben Loftin & The Family at 4 p.m. and Qwiet Type at 5 p.m.
JAZZ ENSEMBLE & COMBO Enjoy music from UWF musicians Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. For tickets, visit uwf.edu/cfpa. GABE STILLMAN AT SEVILLE QUARTER National blues artist Gabe Stillman will perform 7:30 p.m. Monday. Nov. 22, at Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.
TECH N9NE'S STRANGE NEW WORLD TOUR Tech N9ne's Strange New World
vana tribute band Nirvanna will play at Vinyl Music Hall, located at 2 S. Palafox, Friday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available at vinylmusichall.com.
will play at Vinyl Music Hall, located at 2 S. Palafox, Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 and available at vinylmusichall.com.
PASS THE GOOD TRIBUTE CELEBRATION Celebrate the life of Pass the Good's
THE GATOR BOYS AT GARY'S BREWERY The Gator Boys will perform at Gary's
founder Steward Beck with music from his close friends Saturday, Nov. 20 at Vinyl Music Hall, located at 2 S. Palafox, Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 and available at vinylmusichall.com.
BEACH HITS RADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL Head to Casino Beach Boardwalk on Sat-
Brewery & Biergarten 6 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 27 and Dec. 18. Gary's is located at 208 Newman Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.
PENSACOLA SYMPHONY PRESENTS: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS FEATURING ASHLEY BROWN Join the festivities
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a&e happenings TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Me-
with PSO and Gulf Breeze native Ashley Brown for a special holiday concert. Pensacola Children's Chorus will also make a special appearance. The event is 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, at the Saenger Theatre, located at 118 S. Palafox. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for tickets.
lodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.
FOREIGNER-THE GREATEST HITS
FITNESS + RECREATION
Classic rock legends Foreigner will be at the Saenger Theatre, located at 118 S. Palafox, on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $49.50-$180. Visit penscolasaenger. com for more information.
LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PENSACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish
Blue Fish for live performances from local bands Fridays and Saturdays all day. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.
SAXOPHONIST JIM ANDREWS AT ALICE'S RESTAURANT Saxophonist
Jim Andrews will be performing at Alice's Restaurant, located at 1504 W. Intendencia St., on the first Friday of every month from 6-9:30 p.m.
RAY COLEY AT CAZADORES MEXICAN RESTAURANT Ray Coley performs oldies mix with jazz and blues every weekend with keyboard, horn and flute. Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m. and a jazz set on Sundays from 12-3 p.m. on the patio at Cazadores Mexican restaurant, located at 8183 W. Fairfield Dr. Weather permitting.
CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET Visit Five Sisters Blues Café, located at 421 W. Belmont St., Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and listen to Curt Bol Jazz Quartet. Visit curtbolband.com for more information.
OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel
Gallery is open from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Music Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.
KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs. LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back
with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.
MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues
Society of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District, located at 130 E. Government St. every Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com. November 18, 2021
COMMUTING BY BIKE: SAFETY TIPS AND MORE Bike Pensacola will host a
special informative session about safe and effective ways to commute by bike on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 10:30-11:45 a.m. at End of the Line Café, located at 610 E. Wright St. The class is free, but registration is required. Register at eventbrite.com or through the Facebook event at facebook.com/bikepensacola.
PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS GAMES The Pensacola Ice Flyers home games are at Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets start at $15. Purchase yours at pensacolabaycenter.com. UPCOMING HOME GAMES: •7:05 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 (Fan Friday) •7:05 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20 (25th Anniversary of Pensacola Hockey Night) OVER 50 DANCE CLUB Take part in the Over 50 Dance Club at Sanders Beach Resource Center, located at 913 S. I St., Tuesdays from 6:30-9 p.m. The dress code is dressy; cover is $5-$10. This club is tobacco- and alcohol-free. For more information, call (850) 623-5013. PENSACOLA PEGGERS CRIBBAGE CLUB LOOKING FOR MEMBERS Pen-
sacola Peggers Cribbage Club 396, the local Grass Roots Club affiliated with American Congress of Cribbage, is seeking new cribbage players for the group. The club meets weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at Sonny's BBQ, located at 6702 N. Ninth Ave., to play six games of cribbage.
WEEKLY FRIDAY DANCE Get moving every Friday night with a dance sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Enjoy food from 6-7 p.m. Dancing is from 7-10 p.m. A variety of bands and music provide the tunes. Cost of admission is $6. Dances are located at 105 Kenmore Ave. in Pensacola. For more information, call (850) 476-5696. WFPL MOLINO TRACK CHALLENGE
Put on your walking shoes and join the walking challenge at the Molino library. Just visit Molino's track, turn on your favorite fitness tracker app to log your progress, dial up your tunes or an audiobook and start walking. When you finish, come into the library and log your progress with staff on our track challenge board. The top walker in this program will win The Coldest Water Bottle. The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A. For more information, visit mywfpl.com. for more listings visit inweekly.net 25
free will astrology WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Aries poet and philosopher Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843) had many ups and downs. He was one of Germany's greatest poets and philosophers, but he also endured more emotional distress than most people. His biographer wrote, "Sometimes this genius goes dark and sinks down into the bitter well of his heart, but mostly his apocalyptic star glitters wondrously." You may have been flirting with a milder version of a "bitter well of the heart," Aries. But I foresee that you will soon return to a phase when your star glitters wondrously—and without the "apocalyptic" tinge that Hölderlin harbored. TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Author David Foster Wallace felt sad about how little of our mind's intense activity can be shared with others. So much of what goes on inside us seems impossible to express. Or if it is possible to express, few of our listeners are receptive to it or able to fully understand it. That's the bad news, Taurus. But here's the good news—In the coming weeks, I believe you will experience much less of this sad problem than usual. I'm guessing you'll be especially skilled at articulating your lush truth and will have an extra receptive audience for it. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): "I never
resist temptation," declared playwright George Bernard Shaw. Why did he dare to utter such an outlandish statement? "Because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me," he said. I propose that you aspire to embody his attitude during the next eight weeks, Gemini. Make it your aspiration to cultivate a state of mind wherein you will only be tempted to engage with influences that are healthy and educational and inspiring. You can do it! I know you can!
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): While still a teenager, Cancerian cowboy Slim Pickens (1919–1983) competed in the rodeo, a sporting event in which brave athletes tangle with aggressive broncos and bulls. When
By Rob Brezsny
America entered World War II, Pickens went to a recruiting office to sign up for the military. When asked about his profession, Pickens said "rodeo." The clerk misheard and instead wrote "radio." Pickens was assigned to work at an armed forces radio station in the American Midwest, where he spent the entire war. It was a safe and secure place for him to be. I foresee a lucky mistake like that in your near future, Cancerian. Maybe more than one lucky mistake. Be alert.
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): To create your horoscope, I've borrowed ideas from four famous Leos. They all address your current astrological needs. First, here's Leo author P. L. Travers—"More and more I've become convinced that the great treasure to possess is the unknown." Second, here's Leo author Sue Monk Kidd—"There is no place so awake and alive as the edge of becoming." Third, Leo poet Philip Larkin—"Originality is being different from oneself, not others." Finally, Leo author Susan Cheever—"There is no such thing as expecting too much." VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): I encourage you to adopt the perspective expressed by spiritual author Ann Voskamp. She wrote, "I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, the moments before I sleep." I understand that taking this assignment seriously could be a challenging exercise. Most of us are quick to spot flaws and awfulness, but few have been trained to be alert for elegance and splendor and wondrousness. Are you willing to try out this approach? Experiment with it. Treat it as an opportunity to reprogram your perceptual faculties. Three weeks from now, your eyes and ears could be attuned to marvels they had previously missed. LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Libran educator and anthropologist Johnnetta Cole wrote, "The first sign of an educated person is that she asks more questions than she delivers answers." I agree and would also say this—A prime attribute of an intelligent, eager-to-learn person is that she asks more questions than she delivers answers. I encourage you to be like that during the coming weeks, Libra. According to my astrologi-
cal estimation, you are scheduled to boost your intelligence and raise your curiosity. An excellent way to meet your appointments with destiny will be to have fun dreaming up interesting questions.
result in a total satisfaction of the longing, but who knows? Maybe it will. If there will ever be a time when such fulfillment could occur, it will be soon.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): "Some
article published in the journal Scientific American declared, "Most people don't know when to stop talking." Conversations between strangers and between friends typically go on too long. A mere two percent of all dialogs finish when both parties want them to. That's the bad news, Aquarius. The good news is that in the coming weeks, your sensitivity about this issue will be more acute than usual. As a result, your talk will be extra concise and effective—more persuasive, more interesting, and more influential. Take advantage of this subtle superpower! (Further info at tinyurl.com/whentostop)
people become so expert at reading between the lines they don't read the lines," wrote author Margaret Millar. That's not a common problem for you Scorpios. You are an expert at reading between the lines, but that doesn't cause you to miss the simple facts. Better than any other sign of the zodiac, you are skilled at seeing both secret and obvious things. Given the astrological omens that will be active for you during the rest of 2021, I suspect this skill of yours will be a virtual superpower. And even more than usual, the people in your life will benefit from your skill at naming the truth.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade believes that each of us has an inner indigenous person—a part of our psyche that can love and learn from nature, that's inclined to revere and commune with the ancestors, that seeks holiness in the familiar delights of the earth. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to cultivate your relationship with your inner indigenous person. What other experiences might be available to you as you align your personal rhythms with the rhythms of the earth? What joys might emerge as you strive to connect on deeper levels with animals and plants and natural forces? CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Capricorn novelist Haruki Murakami writes, "I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it—to be fed so much love I couldn't take any more. Just once." Most of us feel that longing, although few of us admit it. But I will urge you to place this desire in the front of your awareness during the next two weeks. I'll encourage you to treat your yearning for maximum love as a sacred strength, a virtue to nurture and be proud of. I'll even suggest you let people know that's what you want. Doing so may not
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): An
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Since
1996, Ira Glass has produced the renowned radio series This American Life. In 2013, as a reward for his excellence, he was offered a raise in his annual salary from $170,000 to $278,000. He accepted it for one year, but then asked that it be lowered to $146,000. He described the large increase in pay as "unseemly." What?! I appreciate his modesty, but I disapprove. I'm always rooting for Pisceans like Ira Glass to embrace the fullness of their worth and to be aggressive about gathering all the rewards they're offered. So I'm inclined, especially right now, to urge you NOT to be like Glass. Please swoop up all the kudos, benefits, and blessings you deserve. THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Tell how everyone in the world should be more like you— newsletter.freewillastrology.com.
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news of the weird AWESOME! Archaeologists in Israel have found a gold ring with a purple stone, believed to be amethyst, that they believe was used to ward off hangovers. The ring, dated to between the 3rd and 7th centuries, was discovered in the ruins of an ancient wine factory, United Press International reported. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the ring probably belonged to a wealthy person who may have worn the ring to counteract the "side effects" of wine. The winery was known for its white Gaza variety. 'TIS THE SEASON Cobb County (Georgia) Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard has, with tongue firmly in cheek, banned the Elf on the Shelf from his county, United Press International reported. Leonard said the elf poses "a risk to the emotional health and well-being of Cobb's young children." He tweeted that his order was a "gift to tired parents" because "When these Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress." But for those families who love their elves, carry on: There will be no charges. NEWS YOU CAN USE On Nov. 7, as four astronauts prepare to leave the International Space Station, they'll have an extra "load" to carry, the Associated Press reported. The SpaceX capsule that will bring them back to Earth has a broken toilet, so the two NASA astronauts and one each from France and Japan will be wearing what NASA calls "absorbent undergarments" for 20 hours. "Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges," said NASA astronaut Megan McArthur. "We're not too worried about it." SURPRISE! Emily Johnson of Vacaville, California, didn't think it was time to go to the hospital when her contractions were 10 minutes apart on Nov. 4—but then they quickly started coming faster, and as Emily and her husband headed to the car, she knew it was too late. "I'm going to be here.
By the Editors at Andrews McMeel
This is my spot," she said to her husband, Michael, according to KCRA-TV. Emily's mom, Kristy Sparks, was with the couple and helped Emily deliver baby Thomas on the lawn just as rescue crews pulled up to the scene. "By the time they walked up to me, I had a baby in my arms crying," Sparks said. "It was unreal." Bonus: Emily will always be able to relive the scene because the entire event was caught on her doorbell camera. (Fortunately, Emily noted, she was facing away from the camera.) COHABITATION Christopher Callen, 33, was charged with assaulting his roommate at the Monroe County Detention Center in Key West, Florida, on Nov. 4, The Smoking Gun reported. Callen told police that Amado Dominguez-Quevedo, 57, "farts too much, stinking up the cell" and doesn't do a "courtesy flush" after using the toilet. Plus, Callen added, he "speaks weird languages." The victim told police that he was cleaning the toilet when Callen started punching him in the face and ribs. As a result, he lost two teeth and had a broken rib and bruised left eye. INEXPLICABLE Firefighters in Syracuse, New York, were called to the Landmark Theatre on Nov. 5 after a person was heard calling for help inside the building, Fox News reported. An unidentified 39-yearold man was stuck behind a wall in the theater bathroom, completely naked, and was believed to have been there for two to three days. It was unclear how he managed to get behind the wall, but firefighters had to cut through several layers of drywall and structural tile to free him. Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief John Kane said the victim appeared to be uninjured and would probably be treated for dehydration. {in}
From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2021 Andrews McMeel
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