Tallahassee May/June 2021

A VISIT WITH THE VET | THE DANCING PROFESSOR | THE VIRTUES OF GOLF

Best of Tallahassee

Details inside on how to cast your votes

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TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Beautiful Pearls for Beautiful Girls

GEMCOLLECTION.COM TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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3501 Thomasville Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32309 (850) 893-4171

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Contents

MAY/JUN 2021

FEATURES

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ABUSED PUP IS NOW A COVER GIRL

Had this year’s Tally Top Pet competition been seeded, Alice almost certainly would have been an underdog. A year ago, she was spending days and nights ignored by her owners and tethered outside to a cinder block. But when she was rescued and given a good home, her spirit was unleashed. Plus Alice, a pitbull, gained companions in a Boston terrier and a French bulldog that she loves to playfully dominate.

by HANNAH BURKE

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KEEPING FLUFFY PURRFECT AND FIDO PERFECT

Proper care for a pet ultimately results from compassion, commitment and common sense. Preventive health measures and regular trips to a veterinarian help ensure that pets live their lives to the fullest. Proper maintenance can forestall 90 percent of issues that might otherwise develop. Exercise enables pets to burn calories and stimulates their minds.

It also may discourage digging, chewing and chasing behaviors. And those long walks — they help keep humans healthy, too.

by KAREN MURPHY

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PETS AND PEOPLE ENJOY SYMBIOSIS

In the months since the COVID-19 pandemic began to command headlines, pet adoptions in the U.S. have increased dramatically. Newly homebound people find that they are less depressed when there is an unconditionally loving dog, cat or even parrot around the house. Therapists in clinical settings have found that dogs can help people through a grieving process, identify the person in a group who most needs attention and reduce anxiety levels.

Alzheimer’s patients are seen to perk up when a pet therapy animal arrives.

by ROCHELLE KOFF

photography by ROSS OBLEY

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Contents

MAY/JUN 2021

30 ABODES

109 INTERIORS A good

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Book survived years of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a nanny and went on to become a state senator, a prominent advocate for children and a proponent of gun-control measures.

a longtime professor of communication courses at Florida State University, Dr. Sandra Halvorson exuded contagious enthusiasm.

That ebullience extends to her passions for acting and dancing. cool cuts — the bob, the pixie, crops and more — that provide edgy looks and eliminate the need to constantly be putting hair up during the hot summer months.

93 ART Nancy Jefferson,

98 BOOKS In a slender

52 WHAT’S IN STORE

Organics from Coton Colors, sunscreens from Southern Pines, swimwear from Narcissus.

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parties, long a tradition in the South, these days provide an alternative for COVID-conscious hosts and are more easily kept safe than indoor gatherings.

Caterers are good about observing pandemic protocols.

62 LIBATIONS At Ology

in Tallahassee, every new product release is cause for a spirited celebration. To its craft beers, Ology has added distilled spirits, including a white rum and potato vodka.

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the ceramics instructor at the LeMoyne Museum, is a master of raku, a Japanese potteryfiring technique that crackles.

volume of 18 chapters, writer Jay Revell discusses golf lessons — that is, lessons that the sport has taught him. HIs book, The Nine Virtues of Golf, reminds us that, for some, the game is more than just a game.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER EDITOR’S COLUMN FEEDBACK SOCIAL STUDIES DINING GUIDE POSTSCRIPT

A VISIT WITH THE VET | THE DANCING PROFESSOR | THE VIRTUES OF GOLF

Best of Tallahassee

Details inside on how to cast your votes

TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM

May-June 2021

57 DINING IN Garden

» LAUREN BOOK » OLOGY DISTILLING » GARDEN PARTIES

EXTERIORS Termites create paths to destruction.

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IN EVERY ISSUE

ALTHEA VALLE

Valle, Leon County’s Teacher of the Year, discovered a passion for languages while working at the Jamaican embassy in Belgium. As a teacher of English for students of other languages, she uses various approaches to engage her students.

EXPRESSION

is the time to plant veggies that will thrive in the heat. June is the time to prune early blooming shrubs.

MAY–JUN 2021

36 EDUCATION Althea

GASTRO & GUSTO

48 FASHION We examine

30 PERSONALITY

Veterinary surgeon Kevin Drygas arrives early and stays late at his Tallahassee clinic.

His efforts prolong the lives of pets and their relationships with the people who love them.

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41 CITIZEN OF STYLE As

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE

23 CHAMPION Lauren

PANACHE

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ON THE COVER:

Alice, a pitbull rescued from neglect, strikes a pose that suggests she somehow knows she is the Tally Top Pet winner for 2021. Readers, with their votes, benefited the animal welfare charity Be The Solution, and winnowed an adorable field of dogs and cats down to the Final Fur and, finally, our winner. Photo by Dave Barfield and handlettering by Lindsey Masterson

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY BROOKE (57), ALICIA OSBORNE (93) AND ALEX WORKMAN (30) AND ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: PHOKIN (116)

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night’s sleep on the mattress that is right for you can spell the difference between a grumpy, halting start to the day and a productive morning.

“We miss you, too!”

In 2020, many of our clients who had enjoyed frequent lobby visits instead made another choice. They elected to use our diverse set of remote products to do their banking electronically: mobile banking app, mobile deposit, online banking, bill pay, remote deposit capture and more. We took great care of them.

There was one thing, however, that could not be replicated virtually: the glorious aroma of fresh-baked cookies wafting through our lobbies. Recently, our cookies—chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and more—asked us to reach out and let you know they miss you, too. Our lobbies and drive thrus are always open during regular hours. When you are ready, we look forward to serving you again, in person. Virtual cookies are just not the same.

MAIN OFFICE 1471 Timberlane Rd.

CAPITAL CIRCLE 1897 Capital Circle NE

CRAWFORDVILLE 2201 Crawfordville Hwy.

LAKELAND 3340 South Florida Ave.

ONLINE TryMyBank.com

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Contents

MAY/JUN 2021

SPECIAL SECTIONS AND PROMOTIONS

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SPRING TRAINING Esposito Lawn & Garden Center answers your most frequently asked gardening questions.

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FOUR SEASONS

When planting in the spring, Tallahassee Nurseries encourages you to consider flowers and plants that will bloom year-round and bring color and beauty to every season.

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DEAL ESTATE A 1960s vintage home is for sale in Midtown. If you love a Downtown view, a justlisted high-rise condo is sure to interest you.

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UNITED IN HEALTH

↑ BEST OF TALLAHASSEE BALLOT Vote for your favorite businesses by participating in the Best of Tallahassee balloting. This year especially, your vote will come as an encouraging pat on the back to small businesses that have been through a lot.

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SHAPE & SCULPT

UnitedHealthcare helps small businesses find affordable, essential health insurance coverage of their employees.

Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Center views body contouring as an art, helping patients to reshape their body for desired results.

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SPRING GIFT GUIDE

Put a spring in someone’s step with a gift of self-care products available from a bouquet of local businesses.

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THRIFTY SOLUTIONS

Be The Solution works to combat the pet overpopulation problem by making low-cost spay and neuter vouchers available to the community.

VETS & PETS Meet trusted Tallahassee veterinarians who dedicate themselves to looking after the health of precious companions.

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↑ DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS Rowland Publishing’s custom publishing team highlights what makes your company’s story unique in ways that will appeal to prospective customers.

PROMOTION

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After a year’s absence, Springtime Tallahassee is back, but the venue is changed. Events will be conducted at the North Florida Fairgrounds.

Make your “forever” proposal all the more memorable with a ring from The Gem Collection; they have the perfect band for your partner.

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↑ SPRINGTIME RETURNS

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

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CALENDAR

We introduce you to experienced professionals who are expertly equipped to assist you with needs and issues related to both home and business.

Fill your spring calendar with events including Springtime Tallahassee, outdoor festivals and musical performances.

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS (50), SEAN PAVONE / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (102) AND COURTESY OF SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE (127)

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B I G B E N D | E M E R A L D C OA ST | F O R G OT T E N C OA ST | W E L L- C O N N E C T E D. H I G H LY E F F E C T I V E .

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multiple offers In a competitive market, finding the perfect home is never easy. When life presents your family with multiples, the challenge multiplies. At Hill Spooner & Elliott, we uncover what’s in your head AND your heart to find that one special place where your wants and needs align.

Live your best life.

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TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE VOL. 44, NO. 3

MAY-JUNE 2021

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MCKENZIE BURLEIGH

EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Price CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marina Brown, Hannah Burke, Bob Ferrante, Les Harrison, Rochelle Koff, Tim Linafelt, Karen Murphy, Rebecca Padgett, Audrey Post, Jay Revell

CREATIVE VICE PRESIDENT / PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lindsey Masterson SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Shruti Shah PUBLICATION DESIGNER Jordan Harrison GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ashley Brooke, Dave Barfield, Adam Cohen, Scott Holstein, Mike Fender, Raj Naik, Ross Obley, Alicia Osborne, Saige Roberts, Alex Workman

SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker ADVERTISING SERVICES SPECIALIST Tracy Mulligan ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES David Doll, Julie Dorr, Darla Harrison MARKETING MANAGER Kate Pierson SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett SENIOR INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Javis Ogden ADMINISTRATIVE & CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST Renee Johnson

OPERATIONS CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan STAFF BOOKKEEPER Amber Dennard

DIGITAL SERVICES DIGITAL EDITOR Janecia Britt

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE tallahasseemagazine.com facebook.com/tallahasseemag twitter.com/tallahasseemag instagram.com/tallahasseemag pinterest.com/tallahasseemag youtube.com/user/tallahasseemag ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com

EDITORIAL OFFICE 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. (850) 878-0554 SUBSCRIPTIONS One year (6 issues) is $30. Call (850) 878-0554 or go online to tallahasseemagazine.com.

Single copies are $3.95. Purchase at Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble and at our Miccosukee Road office.

CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUBMISSIONS Tallahassee Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. Tallahassee Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor.

Copyright May 2021 Tallahassee Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Partners of Visit Tallahassee and Member, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

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from the publisher

THE TIME IS RIGHT

Fourteen years ago, I encountered a young woman at Rowland Publishing’s “Best of Tallahassee” event and immediately was impressed by her enthusiasm for life and her infectious energy. I soon would discover that she had a strong desire to succeed professionally in the world of publishing.

She was prepared to begin at the entry level, and I brought her on board as a parttime accounting department employee responsible for collecting past-due amounts from slow-paying customers. I was certain that she would quickly advance beyond that role.

Within a week, she saw to it that many accounts had been made current or that customers had agreed to payment plans — plans that she closely monitored.

Upon her graduation from Florida State, she came to me seeking more responsibility. I was delighted.

Without hesitation, I moved her into a full-time customer service position and soon discovered that she had a knack for sales, a field of endeavor that is in many ways an extension of customer service.

As years passed and Rowland Publishing grew, she grew with the company and became a key employee. I made her sales manager, and she helped our outstanding team of sales professionals achieve new levels of success while establishing herself as a company leader and lending me invaluable administrative support.

If I-10 or State Highway 20 between Tallahassee and points west need resurfacing, she is a big part of the reason. While a Tallahassee resident, she made countless trips between the capital city and the Emerald Coast, where she hosted events, got to know community leaders and so immersed herself in the community that many people assumed she lived there.

In Tallahassee, many of her mornings began at 5. She led classes at a fitness studio before arriving at the office to do

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all that she could to support fellow employees and advance the interests of the company. She devoted many evenings to attending events sponsored by Rowland Publishing or helping to stage our own events, including Top Salons and Top Singles. She traveled to wedding shows as a representative of our Northwest Florida Weddings Magazine.

Never have I seen her in a bad mood.

Our relationship always has been grounded in respect and professionalism. Several years ago, I promoted her to vice president/corporate development.

In that role, she developed and launched our digital marketing department and assembled numerous integrated marketing packages for clients, including the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation/Guy Harvey Enterprises. We are especially proud of our association with Guy Harvey, and she was an indispensable part of bringing that relationship about.

No matter the calamity that befalls us, be it a hurricane, recession, oil spill or pandemic, she is an unwavering pillar at Rowland Publishing who always sees the glass as half full. Especially over the past year, she has worked to stay in touch with our customers and to extend them the understanding they needed when their businesses were dramatically affected by COVID-19. She genuinely cares for each member of our team and all of our clients.

Like countless other businesses, we have been buffeted by the worst pandemic our country has experienced in more than 100 years, and throughout, she more than anyone else has kept our ship upright and on course.

At all levels, she has excelled — and she has more rungs to climb. She has developed and burnished a reputation as a woman of influence in the region. For many, she is the face of Rowland Publishing.

Rowland Publishing and I are immensely proud and honored to have

McKenzie Burleigh as a leader in our company and in the pivotal role as the integrator on our senior leadership team.

She is well on her way to mastering every aspect of the publishing business.

The time is right for Kenzie to become Rowland Publishing’s associate publisher and to assume an even greater role in shaping each issue of our magazines.

Without question, Rowland Publishing would not be the company it is today without the efforts of McKenzie Burleigh. Her future and the future of the company are bright, and the Northwest Florida will be a better place to live because of her passion and dedication.

Take good care,

BRIAN ROWLAND PUBLISHER browland@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN / ROWLAND PUBLISHING FILE PHOTO

A trusted and valued employee earns more responsibility

For more than forty years, the BMW 5 Series stood for uncompromising performance and dynamic driving. Now it takes its place as one of the most interactive and innovative vehicles in the BMW lineup. Gorgeous design and luxurious comfort make the 5 Series more than a statement piece – it’s a work of art. Special lease and finance offers available by Capital BMW through BMW Financial Services.

Capital BMW 3701 W. Tennessee St. Tallahassee, FL 32304 (855) 314-6658 Capital-BMW.com TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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from the editor

MORE ADOPTIONS, FEWER ARRIVALS Foundation collars unwanted pet problem

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by adopted animals. It supplies the shelter with toys and other distractions that improve the quality of life for animals for as long as they are shelter residents. It offers low-cost Doggie Manners classes. And, it cooperates with like-minded organizations including Big Dog Rescue, Be The Solution and the Leon County Humane Society.

In February, the foundation announced the construction of a low-cost, same-day spay/ neuter clinic to be called Tally Spay and intended to be helpful to people in Leon and surrounding counties who are unable to afford veterinary services. Completion of the project had been projected for late spring. The foundation estimates that the clinic, with a staff of six and located at 5021 W. Tennessee St., will perform more than 6,000 procedures per year.

Perlman, as it happens, is a dog person — but she has a brother who is a cat guy. She fosters dogs and owns two rescue Staffordshire terries, Annie and Penelope. She was fostering Penelope and didn’t intend to keep her, but Annie took to her as something of a mentor who helped Penelope overcome a bad case of shyness. They became inseparable.

“They are the best of pals, and they are a joy,” Perlman said of her terriers.

Perlman encourages all who share her passion for animals to contribute to the foundation — you may do so at animalshelterfoundation.org — or by participating in foundation fundraisers, including Tails and

↑ PICTURES OF CONTENTMENT Staffordshire terriers Annie and Penelope take it easy at the home of Lauren Perlman. She owned one and was fostering the other, but they soon became inseparable.

Trails runs. And the shelter, itself, is always looking for volunteers.

At present, the shelter does not qualify for “no-kill” status. To get there, its live release rate must exceed 90 percent. A continuing community effort and the good works of the foundation just might get it there.

I asked Perlman for a favorite animal story. She couldn’t single one out.

“Each dog is different,” she said.

“They always amaze me with their personalities. It is fun to figure out what motivates them.

“They are very giving and loving, and they can come back from an awful lot.”

Be kind,

STEVE BORNHOFT sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN PERLMAN

When animals arrive at the municipal Tallahassee Animal Services shelter, they may be malnourished, flea-bitten, infected with heartworms and afraid.

They are unwashed.

They are in survival mode.

They are not the selves they will reveal themselves to be if given the chance.

Most get that chance. More than 80 percent will leave the shelter alive and with their health restored.

That percentage used to be much lower than it is today. But in the 14 years since the fundraising Animal Shelter Foundation was established in support of the shelter, dramatic progress has been made.

In 2010, animals entered the shelter at the rate of more than 10,000 per year. Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, that figure was down to 4,000, and it has fallen further during the pandemic to approximately 2,500.

Foundation president Lauren Perlman says a community-wide effort has contributed to the improvement. People have responded well, she said, to foundation-sponsored initiatives aimed at increasing adoptions and decreasing the number of stray and surrendered animals taken in at the shelter.

“People may need help with training or provided with crates or financial assistance,” said Perlman, who has been a shelter volunteer for 12 years. “We have spay and neuter vouchers redeemable for free surgeries which limits accidental litters.”

Remarkably, the foundation covers the cost of expensive heartworm medications that may be required

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PROMOTION

TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM GIVEAWAY

Springtime Tallahassee is back, scheduled this year for May 15 at the North Florida Fairgrounds. Visit TallahasseeMagazine.com/giveaways to register for your chance to take in Springtime’s Music Festival in style. The winner will enjoy access to the exclusive Music Fest VIP Lounge, offering a primo view of the festival and complimentary food, beer and wine.

Refresh Your Skin As summer approaches, it’s time to make investing in your skin a priority.

Learn more about how to achieve your best look at TallahasseeMagazine.com/ beauty-links.

GROW VEGETABLES HYDROPONICALLY IN INDOOR SPACES

THE GIFT THAT SAYS LOVE Jewelry is a gift that can be (nearly) as extraordinary as your most special relationship. Visit TallahasseeMagazine.com/ style-links and check out our recommended gift ideas.

Foodies, retirees, apartment dwellers and others are employing hydroponic gardening as a way to take control over what they eat and take a step toward self-sustainability. Learn more by visiting TallahasseeMagazine.com/ home-garden-links.

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BEST OF TALLAHASSEE 2021 Best of Tallahassee balloting for 2021 is underway! Vote by using the ballot found on page 102 of this edition of Tallahassee Magazine, or vote online at TallahasseeMagazine.com/ best-of-tallahassee-2021ballot. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by May 20, and online ballots must be submitted by May 30.

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: HOLUBENKO NATALIIA (BEAUTY), MAKSYM BELCHENKO (STYLE) ANDCOURTESY OF ESPOSITO GARDEN CENTER (HOME & GARDEN) ANDSPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE (GIVEAWAY)

Win Two Tickets to Springtime Tallahassee’s Music Festival at the Fairgrounds

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Feedback

Additional Key COCA Players Deserve Plaudits One of the reasons I love my job is because of the people I get to do it with. Though the recent Tallahassee Magazine article “COCA’s Art Warriors Dream Big” captured my passion for supporting the arts, I want to additionally recognize two co-workers whose expertise, intellect and enthusiasm are critical to COCA’s success.

Erica Thaler has overseen COCA’s marketing means programs for more than a decade. In that time, she has developed innovative offerings and expanded COCA’s reach beyond measure. She keeps our constituents informed, shares their stories, teaches them to amplify their own voices and cheers them on. Her job is to spotlight others, which means she doesn’t always get the recognition she deserves.

Nick Pavlovik is COCA’s business manager and logistically, we could not function without him.

Aside from the unenviable tasks of crunching numbers, facilitating annual independent audits, • 1405 Centerville Road, and processing payroll and grant payouts, he’s Suite 5400 also our de facto IT specialist.

As a native Tallahasseean, I am proud of • 2625 MitchamourDrive area’s vibrant cultural community, and I’m deeply grateful to work beside such dedicated colleagues. COCA’s staff members, along with dozens of devoted freelancers, intern, and volunteers, work collaboratively to serve, support, promote and advocate for arts and culture.

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Two locations | 1405 Centerville Road #5400 | 2625 Mitcham Drive TallahasseeHearingHelp.com

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GOLDEN GALA XXXVII IS BACK! SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

After several postponements due to COVID-19, we are thrilled

by Grammy nominated OneRepublic. Golden Gala XXXVII benefits

to bring Tallahassee’s premier black-tie event back on Thursday,

the Walker Breast Program at TMH.

September 16, 2021. Hosted by the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) Foundation, The Golden Gala supports the

Sponsorship opportunities are available. 100% of all sponsorships

TMH mission of transforming care, advancing health and improving

will support the Walker Breast Program. Contact Nigel Allen,

lives. Enjoy an evening of good company, dinner and entertainment

President and Chief Advancement Officer, 850-431-5752.

PURCHASE YOUR TABLE AT TMH.ORG/GALA. TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

May–June 2020

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PROFILING THE PURSUITS, PASSIONS AND PERSONALITIES AMONG US

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CHAMPION

WOUNDED AND STRONG Lauren Book combats the ‘terrible awful’ of sexual abuse

by ROCHELLE KOFF

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN’S KIDS

↗

Lauren Book, a state senator and children’s advocate, spoke at a Child Mind Institute event in New York after being honored with a Change Maker Award.

PERSONALITY

Dog’s Best Friend

|| EDUCATION

Spanning DividesYams

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hile Lauren Book is talking on the phone, a little girl giggles in the background. This is Book’s 4-year-old Kennedy Grace, the twin of Hudson Lee, and they’re clearly a joyful duo.

“They’re so funny and cute,” said Book, and you can hear the smile in her voice.

But this mom — a state senator, author, child advocate and educator — doesn’t take the carefree giggles of her young children for granted.

Book is one of 42 million survivors of sexual abuse living in the United States.

“My greatest achievement is that I have two kids who feel safe and happy at home,” she said.

“They know they have a mom they can talk to about anything.”

Book, 36, has become practically a household name, a champion for children, her dedication rooted in her own experiences. She suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse for six years at the hands of a live-in nanny, starting at age 11.

That revelation, and the ensuing prosecution of her tormentor, didn’t solve all her problems. She suffered from anorexia, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder and credits years of counseling with certified trauma therapists for helping her confront the “terrible awfuls” she had endured.

“Without them, I probably wouldn’t be alive,” Book said.

“Today, I am not a victim,” she wrote in an online column in 2017. “I am a thriving survivor. But I know that I will be recovering for the rest of my life.”

As part of her journey toward recovery, Book realized that she wasn’t alone and wanted to help others in similar circumstances gain control “in a very out-of-control existence.”

In 2007, during her senior year at the University of Miami, she formed the nonprofit organization Lauren’s Kids with her

GETTING WELL

father, prominent lobbyist Ron Book. Then, from 2010 to 2018, she led the annual 1,500mile “Walk in My Shoes” trek from Key West to Tallahassee to promote awareness and education and empower survivors.

Now juggling a family as well as a career, Book has changed the statewide trek to a walk for 42-plus consecutive hours in the rotunda of the Florida Capitol, symbolic of the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse.

“Lauren has put a face on an issue that for so long has lived in the shadows,” said Claire VanSusteren, Book’s communication director.

“She has helped turn the tide to make it OK for people to talk about sexual abuse.”

Book’s openness has encouraged victims of abuse to approach her about their fears, the pain and the shame “that were kept bottled up all that time,” said Michelle Ubben, president of Sachs Media, which collaborated with Lauren’s Kids on several educational and advocacy projects plus award-winning public information campaigns.

“Before she created Lauren’s Kids, I remember sitting in a conference room and being introduced to her for the first time, hearing her personal story and her personal vision for the foundation,” said Ubben. “She was at the very beginning of her journey.

“To see how, over the course of years, her voice has grown, her strength and confidence have grown — she’s inspirational,” added Ubben, who worked with the Lauren Kids Foundation on the development and promotion of a sexual abuse prevention curriculum for students in kindergarten through high school.

The curriculum is now being used in 39 states and has helped educate more than 5 million children annually about a problem that’s pervasive regardless of socio-economic status.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in four girls and one in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse at some

“I went to several private sector counselors before I got help at the Broward County Sexual Assault Treatment Center, which was a free agency. You know, they saved my life, literally, in all senses of the word. I was very, very thin at that point — 65, 70 pounds, organs shut down. … I was burning my skin. You know, I was in a very, very dark place. And it took a very, very long time for me to actually sit down and do the work, to go through that process.”

— Lauren Book, from an interview with NPR about her book, It’s OK to Tell.

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PHOTO BY DAVE BARFIELD

← State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Broward County, took a turn on a treadmill as part of a “42 Hours for the 42 Million” event held at the Capitol rotunda in Tallahassee to honor survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

point in childhood and that 91 percent of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone the child or child’s family knows.

To address the many issues facing victims of child sexual abuse, Book and her father successfully advocated for the passage of two dozen bills even before she became a state senator in 2016.

Those bills included the right to get 48hour access to predators’ HIV test results (prompted by her own frustrated efforts); a ban on molesters from ever contacting their victims or families; creating a statewide network of sexual assault treatment centers; and the controversial act that barred predators from living closer than 2,500 feet from public places where children gather, such as schools, parks and playgrounds.

“Life dealt her a pretty serious blow,” said former Florida Sen. Bill Montford, who supported Book’s bills before and after she took office. “But she got up, dusted herself off and with the support of her family, rose to the occasion. Thousands of people around the state have benefited from the fact that she rose to the occasion.”

Savannah Parvu, a victim of human trafficking, is one of them. Parvu said she was “inspired by Lauren being a survivor, helping survivors. If I had known about Lauren earlier, I think the work she’s doing would have helped me, kept me from being trafficked for so long.”

Parvu was 11 years old when her mother, a drug addict, began prostituting her. She was being sold out of hotels in Central Florida.

“People would be lined up to buy me and the staff at the hotel would end up letting people into the room while the trafficker was gone.”

Parvu has been working with Book on a bill to crack down on hotels that ignore the signs of human and sex trafficking. “I think if people realized what was happening and the trauma it does to somebody, they might be more likely to report it instead of turning a blind eye,” she said.

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Since Book began her legislative career, she “has really focused on legislation to help vulnerable populations,” said VanSusteren.

Book also had to focus on her own family right from the get-go. She and her husband, Blair Byrnes, had their twins on Feb. 16, 2017, just weeks before session began. Book brought Kennedy and Hudson with her to the Capital, and they stayed with her in Tallahassee. In Book’s new office, she made room for a changing table and cribs. An adjoining room had a sign that read: “Senate babies.”

“Some of those days, I was a mess,” said Book, a Democrat who represents District 32 in Broward County. “I had to pump between committee meetings.”

Nevertheless, Book held steadfast to her determination to right injustices.

Having children only intensified her ambitious agenda.

“When you have children, you have a different perspective in a thousand ways,” said Book. “What I do now is more focused and driven. And I want to show my daughter, especially, that anything is possible.”

Book is an example of that. Despite the challenges at the outset, being in the minority party in Florida, she has been named to several committees, including the Appropriations Committee, Rules Committee and Health Policy Committee, and she’s the chair of the critical Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs, a post Montford said “is perfect for her.”

“She’s taken on a lot of different issues with grace and a lot of intelligence,” noted Montford, who said he has known Lauren all her life. “If you look at this state, we need bright young people with the skills that she has. She has the characteristics and the commitment and the work effort that you need to survive the political arena.”

As a senator, Book has ushered the passage of several bills, among them measures focusing on reproductive

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↑ Demonstrators championed gun-control measures at a Walk for Our Lives rally held in Parkland, site of a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. State Sen. Lauren Book took steps to ensure that 100 students from the school had the opportunity to address the state legislature.

health; prohibiting a pelvic exam for a woman, even if under anesthesia, without prior consent; strengthening human trafficking laws; bolstering child welfare and Baker Act requirements.

Book was an active voice for students after the 2018 shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and sponsored the bill creating “Alyssa’s Law,” named after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who was one of the 17 people killed during the attack. The bill requires

schools to implement a mobile panic alert system.

After the shooting, Book ensured 100 Marjory Stoneman Douglas students could board a bus to Tallahassee so their voices could be heard in the legislature.

Mary Ellen Klas, Miami Herald Capital Bureau Chief, wrote that Book “had been a constant resource for the students, attending funerals in Parkland, meeting with parents, spending a sleepless night with them in the Tallahassee civic center and helping the angry

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD

survivors find a way to turn their tragedy into change.”

It’s the type of issue that hits Book personally and professionally.

She is aiming to pass legislation to prevent actions taken against students with disabilities.

“I’ve been working on it for many years,” said Book. “Children are being secluded and restrained with straight jackets and different devices. They can’t go home and tell their parents ‘I was locked in a room by myself for four hours.’”

Among her efforts is legislation that strikes close to home. Book recently learned that her twins’ pediatrician in South Florida was accused of taking pornographic photos of children. He was allowed to keep holding himself out as a doctor for months because Florida’s law is slow to discipline medical workers accused of crimes.

For a woman who has suffered sexual abuse, who is dedicated to protecting her own children from harm, the news was horrifying.

“My children’s pediatrician is a pedophile,” said Book. “You’re handing naked children to a pedophile. He had videos of young children, child porn. Immediately you’re crazed, and you come to realize that there is not an automatic revocation of his license.

“I’m going to go to the statutes to make sure that this is a crime for which a pediatrician will lose his license,” she said. “It’s a problem that raises a lot of alarms for a parent.

“I’m very much aware that it can happen to anyone,” Book said. “You can do all that you can to keep kids safe, but the danger is there. It’s lurking, and you have to stay ahead of it.”

To the outside world, a young Lauren Book lived an enviable life, the eldest of three children who appeared to have it all. But in her 2011 book, It’s OK to Tell: A Story of Hope and Recovery, she details the story of how she came to be abused and why she never said anything. It started when the family’s nanny, Waldina, put her tongue in Book’s mouth, scolding her for chewing her gum too loudly. She froze. And the abuse worsened. She was beaten, sexually assaulted, violated with objects.

Book wrote she was caught between two opposing fears — “Fear one was that I was doing something perverted and dirty, for which I’d be heavily punished. Fear two was that if I stopped her, she’d leave me and I’d be really lonely again.”

Jennifer Dritt, executive director of the Florida

↑ State Sen. Lauren Book posed for a photograph with Sgt. Mike Keller of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, which was called upon to provide security at a March for Our Lives event held in Parkland. The Sheriff’s Office aided Book’s recovery from the ravages of childhood sexual abuse.

Council Against Sexual Violence, called “It’s Ok to Tell “really the most authentic book, the most honest book by a survivor. It shows the attachment between the victim and offender. People we love can do bad things.”

Book also published a colorful children’s book called Lauren’s Kingdom with the message that if something doesn’t feel right to you, speak up and don’t be ashamed.

“Lauren’s impact has been tremendous,” said Dritt. “She encourages people not to be afraid to talk, that recovery and healing are possible.”

Book was a classroom teacher when her father suggested she might make a bigger impact by serving on the school board. But Book ended up aiming higher, running unopposed for the seat of former Sen. Eleanor Sobel.

“She grew up in a house that’s very politically involved,” said Dritt. “She understands politics can make good things happen. I don’t think she’s naive about the challenges. I think she’s effective.

She’s up to it.”

As for her political future, Book’s been approached to run as a candidate for governor, but she said that right now she’s focused on her re-election to the Senate. “If an opportunity would come my way, I would never close the door,” she added.

While joking that she’s an “open book,” the senator acknowledges people know “a part of me, but not all of me.” TM

→

SO HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT LAUREN BOOK. ➸ She loves Dave Matthews. “I know the words to all his songs.

I go to all the concerts when he’s in Florida.” ➸ “I’m a homebody at heart.” ➸ “I’m very, very, very introverted, which I think people are surprised about.” ➸ “I’m an avid crafter.

I like to have an artistic way to express myself, so I have an art studio in the garage where I make picture frames with stones, because otherwise I’ll go crazy.” ➸ And, she has a tattoo, the Serenity prayer — God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change …

— on her side.

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PERSONALITY

Dog’s Best Friend Dr. Kevin Drygas fixes pets and preserves bonds

by TIM LINAFELT

I

t’s 4:15 a.m., and Kevin Drygas’ alarm clock is demanding attention.

Never mind that 4:15 is typically offlimits for early birds and night owls alike, or that the sun isn’t due to rise for another three hours.

Drygas has things to do, and he needs all day to do them.

A board-certified veterinary surgeon at Capital Veterinary Specialists on Mahan Drive, Drygas spends most of his time at his clinic, where he performs the oh-soimportant duty of fixing up sick or injured pets and returning them good as new to their concerned owners.

But it’s 4:15 a.m., and Drygas isn’t scheduled to arrive in his office until 7.

Drygas gets started by preparing for the workday ahead, hitting the gym for an hour or more and then grabbing breakfast before putting on his lab coat and greeting his first round of patients.

All of this before most offices open their doors for the day. And Drygas will be there, performing surgeries, setting bones or repairing ligaments until 6, 7, 8 or 9 p.m., depending on what needs to be done. Recently, he didn’t close up shop until after 11.

It’s a head-spinning schedule, but Drygas doesn’t mind.

“It’s a rhythm and a balance,” Drygas said.

“It seems like a lot, but it really is not. When you love what you do, it’s easy. It doesn’t seem like work to be there.”

Being in Tallahassee helps, too.

A University of Florida graduate who grew

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up in Jacksonville, Virginia, South Carolina and St. Augustine, Drygas had never set foot in the capital city before visiting with his wife Amber, who had attended Florida State. The two were married in 2005 and have two children, Liliana and Will.

Rolling hills, canopy roads and a strong sense of community — as well as the obvious need for a veterinary specialist in the area — convinced Drygas that Tallahassee was a place he could put down roots both personally and professionally.

“After finishing my residency, I knew I wanted to do my own thing,” Drygas said.

“And Tallahassee was underserved as an area.

It seemed to make the most the sense.”

He was right.

After arriving in Tallahassee and starting out with a team of two doctors and four nurses, Drygas has seen Capital Veterinary Specialists expand to 14 doctors, 90 nurses, and thousands of happy pets and pet owners.

“I love it,” Drygas said. “This is a phenomenal place to be.”

Success didn’t happen overnight. Drygas said his first two years in business involved a “lot of shaking hands” and finding ways to connect with both pet owners and the surrounding veterinary community.

But after a few years of pounding the pavement and making friends and believers with both his engaging personality and his work in the clinic, things started to click.

These days, Capital Veterinary Specialists has locations in Tallahassee and Santa Rosa Beach — Drygas visits the coast every photography by ALEX WORKMAN

↙

Veterinarian Kevin Drygas connects with Planet Earth along with wife Amber; children Will and Liliana; and dogs Ford, Boss and Roma.

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↖ ON BOARD Kevin Drygas takes to

the streets with his kids Liliana and Will, both of whom also enjoy hanging out at Dad’s veterinary clinic.

other Friday, making for more early mornings — and serves patients from throughout the Panhandle and South Georgia.

“It was a lot of work,” Drygas said. “Really from the ground up.”

Drygas owns three dogs — Ford, Boss and Roma, all of them rescues — and often knows pets and their families for the entire duration of a pet’s life.

When he was just 12 years old, he came into possession of a pair of rabbits with painful ear infections. Their owner couldn’t take care of them anymore and couldn’t find anyone who could.

In a sense, those rabbits would become Dr. Drygas’ first two patients.

“She gave them to me, but I had to take care of them,” Drygas remembers. “In that instant, I

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realized it was very cool to be able to make a real difference in an animal’s life.”

And that, Drygas said, is the most satisfying part of his job.

“The absolute biggest reward is being able to restore the bond between people and their fur baby,” he said. “We have pets to give us fulfillment and enrich our lives.

And when our pets are sick, we stress about them like a loved one.

“So, to be able to take a sick or injured pet and turn them around, not only are you helping that pet and restoring its health and comfort and quality of life, but at the same time, you are enhancing the owner’s quality of life by restoring that bond.”

By his own admission, Drygas does only four things in his life:

work, sleep, work out and spend time with Amber, Liliana and Will.

If Drygas is away from the office, Liliana and Will, ages 9 and 7, are likely with him. They run, ride bikes, skateboard and visit area parks together.

More than anything, though, they love to cook together. The Drygas family specialty is homemade pizza.

Drygas sometimes spends nights or weekends at work, but it turns out that a veterinary clinic can be a pretty cool place — Dr. Kevin Drygas for a kid to hang out.

“They love coming to work,” Drygas said of his kids.

“They love to help the nurses. So that’s what we do.” TM

“The absolute biggest reward is being able to restore the bond between people and their fur baby.”

photography by ALEX WORKMAN

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EDUCATION

SPANNING DIVIDES Teacher Althea Valle builds bridges with language

by MARINA BROWN

“T

he first things they all want to learn are the cuss words,” Althea Valle laughed in describing her students.

Well, doesn’t everybody? But for young non-speakers of English, knowledge of a few “naughties” can mean acceptance and perhaps the beginning of belonging in a new culture and its different ways of communicating.

Valle should know. For nearly 20 years, the 2020 Leon County Schools Teacher of the Year has taught English to speakers of other languages. An instructor at Godby High School for 15 years, she previously worked at the elementary school level in Gadsden County before graduating to the secondary school arena and becoming Godby’s English for Students of Other Languages (ESOL) Coordinator.

The diminutive Valle has lived an exciting life and seen much of the world.

She was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and majored in economics at the University of the West Indies, graduating with honors.

Her degree made her attractive to the Jamaican foreign service’s trade mission and, fresh out of college, she became “second secretary” at the Jamaican embassy

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in Belgium. There, Valle collaborated with a variety of countries’ representatives and became fluent in French.

After four years, she decided to join her mother, then living in New York City, and eyeing plans to change professions, made plans to earn a master’s degree.

But on a trip back to Jamaica, Valle met her husband-to-be, an American on holiday, and those plans shifted dramatically.

The couple married, set up a home in the United States, and began a family that would grow to include twin girls, now 32, and two sons, 28 and 25. Valle resumed pursuit of a master’s degree in English. She was determined to become a teacher.

“When I had worked in Belgium, learning French had piqued my interest in languages,” she said. “Even now, I don’t consider myself a linguist, although I’ve become a poor Spanish speaker along the way.”

Cherith Sivyer became a great inspiration and mentor to Valle, helping her to see “what young people not born here can contribute to our society and how we, in turn, can join together to build bridges between cultures.”

Such bridge building isn’t easy.

↗

Althea Valle, Leon County’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, employs several teaching modalities in working in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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“These children work so hard to fit in,” Valle said.

“And some come without literacy skills — they can’t read in their own language.

“We use everything. There may be lots of gesturing and body language cues. We draw, we write words out.

There are picture cards. And FSU provides us with a number of online modalities.”

Valle teaches classes of 12 to 15 students comprising speakers of Farsi, Spanish, a number of Asian languages and other languages.

“Communicating is always a moving target,” she said, but one she happily pursues.

She finds that social media help her students acquire lan“They also, I think, guage skills. are happier. Now, “They must write more in a they can easily social context, using idioms and phrases used by their peers,” communicate Valle said. “They also, I think, with those back are happier. Now, they can eashome, and in ily communicate with those back home, and in that atmothat atmosphere, sphere, take the chances that take the chances come with expressing yourself that come with when you’re not sure if you’re doing it right.” expressing yourself Valle tries to keep track of when you’re not the progress her students make sure if you’re through life.

“I stay in touch with some of doing it right.” my very first students,” she said.

— Althea Valle “One of them I had in middle school is now a physician.

Another one became a pharmacist. Not everyone takes up such a profession, but each one who succeeds in this land of English speakers brings me hope.” TM

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PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

↑ Althea Valle reviews student projects at her classroom at Godby High School. Her interest in languages was piqued when she worked at the Jamaican embassy in Belgium.

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panache MAY/JUN 2021

REGARDING MATTERS OF ALL THINGS STYLISH

CITIZEN OF STYLE

↗

No slave to convention, Sandra Halvorson likes to mix and match separates, sometimes making it necessary to shop several stores in assembling the “perfect outfit.”

FOR THE SAKE OF APPEARANCES

On the stage and on the street, Dr. H is well put-together

by STEVE BORNHOFT

FASHION Short Cuts || WHAT’S IN STORE Retail Roundup photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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panache

←

When guests go to visit Dr. H’s place, she warns them that they will be staying in her costume room, which is chock-a-block with pieces and ensembles from around the world and many eras.

A

t 15, Sandra Halvorson was among the dancing girls who performed with the legendary actor and showman Jimmy Durante in whose estimation she had the best wiggle of them all — better, he said, than a milkshake.

Having won that distinction, Halvorson was the dancer who, as part of summer shows staged in Chicago and Kansas City, went literally nose to nose with Durante.

She helped dress the headliner, too, as part of a “Clothes Make the Man” number.

While far from a clotheshorse herself, Halvorson always is mindful of the importance and the impact of appearances.

As a professor of communication at Florida State University for 22 years before retiring, she dressed in ways that exuded professionalism. As an actor at the Mickee Faust Club in Tallahassee, she takes care to assemble costumes that perfectly reflect the personae she adopts.

“You should always look put together,”

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she advises. “Older women should avoid dressing like they did in high school, but you don’t want to dress like your grandmother did. Wear makeup, but not too much.”

Halvorson harrumphs as she describes a granddaughter’s strict allegiance to brands including lululemon and says about herself that she is not into designer clothes.

“But I am into copying them,” she said.

“I may see a picture and say, ‘I can emulate that model.’ If you can create a look and people will still give you the compliment, why pay more?”

As it happens, Halvorson will visit high-end boutiques like Narcissus from time to time and does not always succeed in confining herself to the clearance rack.

“Sometimes, I am swept off my feet,” she said. “It may be far too expensive for me, but I look soooo good.”

She once splurged on an outfit at Narcissus and later wore it while teaching

abroad as part of FSU’s International Studies program. Lots of people remarked about her look — in Florence, Italy, no less.

So, there is that Sandra Halvorson, looking the professional part in outfits that are carefully coordinated. And, then, there is the “Dr. H,” as she encouraged students to call her, who took a loop around Lake Ella in January dressed as Bernie Sanders and feeding the birds as she went. The requisite mittens she had at hand. That is, she knew they were somewhere in a room in her home that houses most everything she has ever worn, on the street and on the stage.

“People came up to me and wanted a picture with me,” Halvorson said.

“They said things like ‘we know you are somebody famous.’”

Halvorson never has achieved widespread fame, but she impresses one as someone who could have. She is inherently an entertainer with a perennially photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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SHE’S AN ISLANDER WHEN SHE CHOOSES TO BE Thespian, dancer and professor Sandra Halvorson purchased the Cuban rumba dress at left at the Magic & Fun Shop. A trip to Hawaii yielded an authentic grass skirt and uli uli, feathered gourd rattles that proved to be a tough item to pack.

youthful energy about her. Her smooth, unblemished face looks like it has been maintained with expensive regimens, but in truth it receives nothing more than twice-daily applications of Clinique lotion.

While a student at Colorado State University, Halvorson approached a graduate student, seeking help with her math homework. A relationship developed and she married at 18 a man who collected rocks and once built a 14-foot fiberglass boat.

After earning his doctorate in mathematical statistics — is there any other kind? — Wade Halvorson weighed job offers in four states and opted to go to work for Control Data in his home state of Minnesota. There, Dr. H attended Normandale Community College for 10 years, taking one class per semester, and becoming a member of the school’s dance line, the Dandylions, at age 26.

Their outfits included underpants with a smiley face on them.

The senior-most Dandylion attracted the attention of a newspaper reporter, MayBelle Wright, and told her that she wasn’t sold on women’s liberation.

“I don’t even mind being a sex object,” she said at the time. “In fact, I rather like it.”

That was then, and there were MayBelles about.

Halvorson started dancing at the age of 2 and took classes as a child in tap, jazz and ballet. In Minnesota, she discovered a liking for belly dancing upon taking a class from the author of a book on the subject at a Dayton’s department store. She went on to teach belly dancing at the Betty Crocker Creative Learning Center, an adult education initiative of the General Mills Corp.

Not long ago, at the urging of one of her nine grandchildren, she taught herself the Savage Dance, a Tik Tok phenomenon.

She is thinking about offering belly dancing lessons via Zoom.

Halvorson and Wade moved to Tallahassee after he accepted a job with ETA Systems that involved installing a supercomputer at FSU. That gig fizzled after the computer proved to be less than super, but at that point, Halvorson was on a roll as a student at FSU, where she would earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate in communication.

Wade, who died in 2008, eventually went back to work with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Through recent years, Halvorson has enjoyed life with her dear companion Delray Miller, whom she met at Mickee Faust, where he, too, is a member of the company.

Born in Kansas, Halvorson lived in Colorado for 24 years before moving to Minnesota, where her two children remain, and then to Florida.

A Florida resident now for decades, she has never much visited its beaches.

“They’re so sandy,” she said. “I used to love to go to the mountains, but when I look out over the water, I can’t help but think of all the dead sailors out there.”

“In Colorado, you never thought about all the dead miners or the perished members of the Donner Party?” I asked.

“No, I never did, but I will now,” Dr. H replied. “Thank you for that.”

Wherever she travels, Halvorson is surely to go lightly afoot.

“Dancing is my true love,” she said. TM TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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The Art of

Body Contouring

E

very aspect of plastic surgery incorporates some form of body contouring, which is to reshape.

However, the surgery most commonly titled “body contouring” is liposuction.

Dr. Larry Harper of Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic suggests liposuction would be best titled as liposculpture because it involves resculpting the fat of the body and making it more shapely. It’s much like an artist forming clay into a finished work.

Liposuction involves making areas of the body more contoured, shapely and smaller rather than making the body smaller globally. This procedure is most often done to address problem areas by reshaping or sculpting them.

It is not suggested as an overall body weight reduction practice.

Most commonly, this is for candidates that have tried diet and exercise but still can’t seem to shed that extra weight in areas such as their midsection, hips or lower abdomen.

Harper always suggests patients try weight loss on their own, but some weight loss goals may be unachievable due to heredity and biology, therefore liposuction might be the best option.

Liposuction is not an alternative to weight loss; it’s used to slim certain parts of the body. Liposuction does not change your weight, but it will change DR. LARRY HARPER your shape.

To undergo the surgery, patients need to have good overall health and a BMI less than 30. People with systemic illnesses and major health concerns are not candidates for elective surgeries.

During a consultation, the doctor will assess the benefits and risks of the surgery and be able to proceed with scheduling.

The surgery is low risk for infection and bleeding. Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic specializes in low volume procedures, six liters or less, ensuring the safest surgical option.

Patients are typically back to work or school within three to four days, but soreness and bruising may occur for up to two weeks. A compression garment must be worn for four to six weeks before most patients return to normal activity.

As the body adapts to change, naturally occurring cellulite may appear after surgery. Should this occur, a non-invasive procedure called endermologie can be performed to smooth out the skin.

Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic has three board-certified plastic surgeons trained in the latest techniques and using the best technology available in their on-site outpatient surgery center. The on-site surgery center and boardcertified anesthesiologist set them apart as an exemplary option — not just locally but also regionally.

“I encourage potential patients to seek the highesttrained surgeons and to do their research on the surgery beforehand,” said Harper. “When you set up a consultation, you should feel comfortable and informed after meeting the surgeon. Our surgeons and our staff have the credentials to guarantee you that.”

TALLAHASSEE PLASTIC SURGERY CLINIC

2452 MAHAN DRIVE, SUITE 101 | (850) 877-2126 | TLHPLASTICSURGERY.COM Larry L. Harper, M.D. • Alfredo A. Paredes, Jr., M.D. • Jeffrey M. Rawlings, M.D. • Sue Anne Pearce, Licensed Esthetician

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FASHION

SHORT CUTS

Get the weight off your shoulders with a summer haircut

by REBECCA PADGETT

S

leeves transition to straps, jeans become shorts and sweaters are traded for swimsuits.

We make wardrobe adjustments as summer heat envelops us, and the same mindset can apply to your hair.

Beat the heat with one of many trending short styles, including shags, pixies, bobs, lobs, mohawks and even the shaggy mullet. Before you balk at the last option, think Scarlett Johansson, Zendaya and Miley Cyrus, who have experimented with this style.

Kevin Hamilton, owner and stylist at Salon IQ, and Sherrie Clark, owner and stylist at FuelA-Salon, both suggest consulting with your stylist on the best option for you. Some questions to ask include: Are you ready for this change? How much maintenance will this style require?

What products will you need to use? Considering your hair’s texture, what will it do if it’s short?

“Hairstylists are there to tailor the haircut to the individual,” said Clark. “When you have a consult with us, we take into account your face shape, head shape, fashion style, your lifestyle, how long you want to spend styling your hair, your hair texture and more in order to choose a style that aligns.”

Whether your hair is long, short or somewhere in between, Hamilton advises adding layers or texturizing as ways to shed some weight and add airy movement without doing a complete hairstyle overhaul.

Styling is often key. Gels, pastes and waxes provide volume and a textured yet tousled look that appears effortlessly, perfectly windblown. It’s as if you spent the day at the beach or rolled out of bed looking good.

Clark suggests short hair wearers should invest in products such as spray wax by Wax Blast 10 to accentuate textured cuts, Short Sculpt 19 texturizing

PIXIE

Style Guide SHAG ➸ Made popular in the ’70s and ’80s, this style is characterized by layers with the shortest lengths at the top and the longest length at the bottom.

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PIXIE ➸ Inspired by mythical creatures, this style is short on the back and sides and slightly longer on top with short bangs.

BOB ➸ The hair is cut straight around the head at jaw-level with a fringe at the front. The standard bob falls between or below the tips of the ears, well above the shoulders.

LOB ➸ An A-lined variation of the bob, longer in the front and shorter in the back.

gel for adding attitude to a pixie cut or a cream paste like Mess Around 10, which gives soft definition to layers.

By using a protective or rebuilding shampoo and conditioner and UV and heat protection anti-humidity spray, you can protect your hair from the sun’s rays as well as heated hair tools.

You can enjoy the short and long of hair with extensions. They have come a long way and are available with clip-in, glue-in and sew-in options. Clark suggests HALO extensions, which are removable hair extensions that add length and fullness.

If you’re not committed to going the distance for short hair, consider utilizing up-dos.

“A simple power pony or top knot are quick up-dos that can become your best friend in those hot summer months,” Hamilton said. “Adding some teasing to a sleek high pony can make all the difference.”

We all know the women with the carefully coiffed “messy bun.” With some texturizing, teasing and practice you, too, can rock an upward do. Braids are especially popular in the summer months, allowing you to channel your inner mermaid or Bo Derek. Or compromise with a half-up/half-down style that removes some weight from your neck while still framing your face.

Summer seems the ideal time to try something new and get away with it. Lighten, loosen and love a new length with the help of a trusted stylist. TM

SHAGGY MULLET ➸ A tousled style with short sides and long in the back and layers throughout.

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The Joy of FOREVER It’s spring, and love is in the air. When that happens, we start to think about the future — about forever. This year, our thoughts may turn to those who helped us through some seriously chaotic times during the past year. This support may have come from romantic relationships or even friendships that turned romantic. When you start looking for that “forever” ring to go with your forever relationship, here are some trends to look for that are bold, stylish and well-crafted enough to last for generations.

While round diamonds are still the most popular, ovals and emerald cuts are close seconds. It doesn’t hurt that elongated diamond shapes tend to look larger than rounds.

Halo designs — diamond halos surrounding a larger center diamond — have become a tradition, but the look is diversifying to three- or five-stone halo rings with center diamonds and diamonds running down the sides.

Even diamond bands are trending away from straight-set lines of diamonds. They are now incorporating designs such as tiny beaded edges called milgrain, or shapes such as the double helix representing eternity, or incorporating colored stones such as blue sapphire and pink sapphire to add a pop of color to white-diamond bands.

If you find yourself needing more ideas or a custom order for that forever ring, please call one of our romance experts, or stop by The Gem Collection or GemCollection.com to see a beautiful selection.

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PROMOTION

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ring and contoured band with 1.15 carat total diamond weight, featuring a 0.60 carat melee H-I SI round diamond center $3,990

2. ANNIVERSARY RING

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3. COAST SEMI-MOUNT RING 14kw ring with a 1.00 carat round CZ center. Accented with two rows of 0.70 carat total diamond weight

$2,490

4. GENTLEMAN’S DIAMOND BAND 14kw channel set band with

0.50 carat total diamond weight and milgrain edge detail $1,590

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5. CENTER OF MY UNIVERSE RING 18kw 0.95 carat total diamond

weight, 3-Stone Halo Forevermark ring featuring a stunning 0.40 carat H SI2 round center diamond $4,550

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6. OVAL HALO RING Platinum Forevermark ring with a 0.70 carat E SI1 oval diamond center. Surrounded by 0.38 carat melee $5,400 7. STACKING BANDS (from left to right) 14kw 0.12 carat melee total diamond weight milgrain edge band $590; 14kw 0.26 carat melee blue sapphire and 0.09 carat melee total diamond weight band $1,550; 14kw 0.20 carat melee total diamond weight infinity twist coast band $750; 18kw 0.24 carat melee pink sapphire and 0.16 carat melee total diamond weight band $1,850

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Coton Colors ➸ One of Tallahassee’s most beloved brands, Coton Colors has released an exclusive collection with ZESTT ORGANICS, an organic, fair and ethical cotton goods company. Free of harsh dyes and harmful pesticides, this cloud-soft collection includes rattles, blankets, swaddles and loveys. Both you and your baby will coo over the calming hues and cuddle-up softness of this beautiful collection.

Southern Pines Finds

↓ What’s In Store?

➸ The days are hot, but your cocktail should remain cold. The COCKTAIL CANTEEN is an insulated cocktail shaker filled with all of the tools you need to make delicious drinks anytime, anywhere.

Containing a collapsible jigger/shot glass, a telescoping bar spoon, a mini funnel, a glass dropper bottle and a combo peeler/ zester, this pack of portable tools is a must-have for committed cocktail enthusiasts.

A roundup of retail happenings throughout Tallahassee

by REBECCA PADGETT

Narcissus’ swim buyer Marina Gorman has selected and stocked the trends that will add sizzle this season, including many happy colors.

High-waisted and high-leg bikini bottoms are back for another year, offering a transitional look that is both sporty and retro while embracing all shapes and sizes. Swimwear confidence is always in style! Happy hues and playful prints adorn swimwear, with an emphasis on subtle neon, every blue under the sea and fierce animal prints. Swim tops echo the ready-to-wear trends of ruffles, sleeves, one-shoulder and crop-top shapes. Stray from your usual style and try a trendy top that’s sure to make you feel fashion-forward.

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➸ Nothing is more attractive in the summer than safe and healthy skin. LUCKY BASTARD SUNSCREEN is organically crafted and environmentally safe.

Non-nano zinc oxide, aloe, sunflower and jojoba oils are infused with the organic essential oils of chamomile and lavender. This SPF 30

➸ In search of a summertime scent?

Bestselling MOONSHINE RESERVE COLOGNE boasts the highest legal concentration of essences of moonshine.

With long-lasting woodsy spices and notes of fresh-cracked pepper, linen, tobacco, aged leather and Appalachian gin, Moonshine Reserve is an aged, more refined version of its predecessor Moonshine.

➸ Shade yourself from the sun with a store staple, the Southern Pines “WORK HARD GET LUCKY” LEATHER PATCH RICHARDSON TRUCKER HAT. Share this encouraging message while creating your own luck.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NARCISSUS, COTON COLORS AND SOUTHERN PINES GOODS

sunscreen effectively provides full- spectrum protection without the unwanted chemicals, and it smells heavenly.

Changing lives one Patient at a time Dr. James Walton III & Dr. David Cardman General & Cosmetic Dentistry | Implants | Crowns & Bridgework | Invisalign | Sealants | Whitening 1280 Timberlane Rd (850) 893-2136

drswaltonandcardman.com

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Spring Gift Guide

Spring summons a sense of fresh starts and internal and external growth. In this season of renewal, you might feel inclined to give a friend a gift or gift yourself with some self-care. Whether you’re celebrating Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, sending kindness to a friend or treating yourself, our Spring Gift Guide highlights local products that promote wellness and well-being.

YOGA POWER TALLAHASSEE Give the gift of healing, growth, movement and community. With over 20 classes a week and many exciting workshops every month, we offer something to fit everyone’s busy schedule. Gift certificates available for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

MISSY GUNNELS FLOWERS A beautifully curated, hand-tied bouquet of locally sourced flowers is the perfect choice for every occasion. Celebrate her this Mother’s Day with fresh spring blooms, available now for daily delivery.

(850) 228-0354 | MissyGunnelsFlowers.com

2030 Thomasville Road, Suite 5 (850) 597-8998 | YogaPowerTallahassee.com

Come spend the evening with us in our candle bar, where you peruse essential oils and find the perfect blend for you. We guide you step-by-step through the process of making your very own candle. Perfect for a date night, private party or even solo — come on in, and give it a try!

3427 Bannerman Road, Suite 103 | (850) 354-8969 SouthernPinesGoods.com

STRESS LESS, ACCOMPLISH MORE

BY EMILY FLETCHER The book Stress Less, Accomplish More by Ziva Meditation founder Emily Fletcher teaches you how to unlock the most powerful tools to eradicate stress and discover the little-known secret to make more time by doing less.

To purchase, visit ZivaMeditation.com/slam

TALLAHASSEE SMILELABS

SOUTHEASTERN PLASTIC SURGERY, P.A.

Please come see us at Tallahassee SmileLabs Teeth Whitening and see how much brighter your smile can be in only 20 minutes! Gift cards available.

Treat that special someone to luxurious medical spa services with the Southeastern Plastic Surgery Gift Card.

Services are given by highly trained, licensed aestheticians who combine spa luxury with state-of-the-art equipment and the latest technology. Contact us to learn more.

2536 Capital Medical Blvd. | (850) UR SMILE (877-6453) | TallahasseeSmileLabs.com

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2030 Fleischmann Road | (850) 713-4183 | Se-PlasticSurgery.com/gift-cards

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (TALLAHASSEE SMILELABS) AND WOODLAND FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY (MISSY GUNNELS FLOWERS)

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LIBATIONS

A Spirited Business

gastro&gusto MAY/JUN 2021

FROM THE SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE TO THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE

DINING IN

Garden Parties Warm-weather gatherings can be safe and fun

by AUDREY POST

↓

photography by ASHLEY BROOKE

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W

hen the coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 forced Diane Hines to postpone her daughter’s engagement party set for April 2020, she, like many people, thought things would be back to normal fairly soon. She rescheduled the rental venue for June.

When it became apparent that nothing was going to change over the summer, she rescheduled for October.

As fall approached, life was still anything but normal and there was no end in sight. The family stuck with the October date and devised a plan to introduce daughter Alicia’s fiancé, Chad Koons, safely to a small group of family and friends.

“We had all become very proficient at avoiding crowds, wearing masks and practicing social distancing, so we figured out how to make it work,” Diane said.

They were blessed with a beautiful fall day for their outdoor party. Guests had been told masks were required; they sat at tables spaced about 10 feet apart. Hand sanitizer and gloves were available. The Rustic Eats food truck provided the food, with guests ordering from a limited menu that owner Suzy Phipps and Hines had agreed on. Hines bought biodegradable eating utensils for serving the food. Cans and bottles of beverages were on ice in a washtub.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, they did everything right. And no one got sick.

Human nature The initial advice on staying safe in the era of COVID remains relevant: Stay home if you don’t feel well; wear a mask when you go out; avoid crowds; stay at least 6 feet from other people; wash your hands often.

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photography by ASHLEY BROOKE

↖

Garden party hosts can promote social distancing and limit the size of groupings by pre-setting chairs and small tables.

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Let’s face it: Even with vaccines, it’s going to be a long time before things get back to what we used to call “normal.” But barring another lockdown, life can go on — with adjustments. We need it to.

“Research has shown we are hardwired to connect,” Dr. Joanna Love Gross, a Tallahassee psychotherapist, said. “There is a deep evolutionary basis. We were not meant to live isolated on the planet.”

Her clients who have not been able to connect with others are having trouble with depression and anxiety, she said. Practicing “safe socializing” can promote better health and well-being.

Getting creative, with caution A “garden party,” in your own garden or in a public space, can be just as fun and festive as an indoor event.

Back to alcohol: If you don’t want to hire a bartender or do all the pouring yourself, serve beverages in cans and bottles. You can package the food containers and a split of wine in a festive tote bag that guests can keep.

You can also take cues from the hospitality industry on how to throw an outdoor party. John Gandy, proprietor of John Gandy Events, said there have been a lot of strategic changes to events, particularly weddings. “The day of self-serve charcuterie stations and buffets is gone,” he said.

Goodwood Museum and Gardens’ signature fundraising event, Pigmania, also ditched the traditional buffet this year in favor of prepackaged meals of its traditional dishes.

“We also moved it outside to the old skating rink, which has been refurbished, lighted and made accessible with a ramp,” said Jennifer Humayun, co-executive director.

Gandy said the guest count is crucial to get people to feel comfortable at your event.

“You might feel comfortable being around 400 people,” he said, “but are those 400 going to feel comfortable being around each other?” TM

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photography by ASHLEY BROOKE

The CDC and several major health institutions, including Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic, offer these recommendations: ➸ Keep your party small,

with 10 people or fewer.

➸ Unless you want

your soiree to be forever known as a superspreader event, tell guests on the invitation that masks are required, and anyone who refuses will be shown the garden gate.

➸ Limit the party to two

hours. The longer people stay, the more relaxed they will become and the more likely safe socializing will slip. This is particularly true if you’re serving alcohol.

➸ Have chairs and small

tables set up at a safe distance apart. Encourage people to sit instead of milling about; people tend to lean in when standing and there goes your social distancing. ➸ Have bottles of

hand-sanitizer and gloves available to guests who want them.

➸ Designate one

bathroom in your home for guests. Have disinfectant wipes available and ask guests to wipe down the toilet handle and the lavatory handles when finished, and the doorknob as they leave. (Smart guests will do it both before and after.)

➸ Prepare a container

of whatever food you’re serving for each of your guests. There are lots of cute, biodegradable containers on the market, such as bamboo singleuse plates or cardboard takeout cartons.

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↖

TEAM OLOGY From left: Co-founder Paul Woodward; David Arendt, special operations; Nick Walker, head brewer; Aleks Alexander, lead distiller; Jason Grant, head distiller.

T A SPIRITED LIBATIONS

BUSINESS Ology is expanding its product line

by BOB FERRANTE

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he potato is a versatile crop, producing kid-friendly items like french fries, tater tots, hash browns and mashed potatoes. It is also sure to put a smile on adults’ faces, a warm one, when distilled to make vodka.

Owners and distillers at Ology took on what was certainly a fun experiment.

They spent four months messing around with different vodka recipes to produce their Potato Vodka.

“We had a corn vodka, a potato vodka, we had a wheat and a rye,” said Ology’s lead distiller, Jason Grant.

“And among all of those, we listed what we liked, what we didn’t like. The corn

seemed a little too sweet. The rye and the wheat were a little too heavy on the alcohol taste.”

The “appeal” of the potato — sorry, one dad joke and we’ll stop there — with vodka?

“It was cleaner than everything else,” Grant said. “The potato came off really nice and smooth. And it had a clean finish. It didn’t linger around the palate.”

Grant and his colleagues at Ology, a three-year-old business in Tallahassee that began with a focus on craft beers and coffee, were immediately on to something with their first distilled product. photography by ALEX WORKMAN

↙ Ology Distilling is turning out spirits including a New World gin; a potato vodka; and a smallbatch white rum.

At Ology, each new product release is a cause for spirited celebration.

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Ology has not been a crawl, walk, run company — it has been in sprint formation from the start. Beer still makes up most of the business, more than 80 percent, but vodka has positioned itself as a star on the rise because of its taste and affordable price. Ology’s vodka will set you back just $22 for a tall, sleek 750 ml bottle.

This was part of the vision of Paul Woodward, Brian Clark and Nick Walker, who have been friends since middle school in Tallahassee. After college, they reunited, brought on David Arendt to lead operations and special projects and started Ology. Grant soon joined in, seeing that the group had the financial backing and infrastructure to make the dream of opening a distillery a reality.

After months of planning and with distilling license in hand just a week,

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Ology’s staff was ready to expand its product offerings. But like nearly every other business, the coronavirus pandemic complicated their efforts.

“COVID changed a lot of things,” Woodward said. “One of the first products from the distillery was hand sanitizer. COVID started hitting and people were desperate for hand sanitizer. We were able to just crank out a bunch of that for the local market and for the state.”

Once the mad dash to produce hand sanitizer subdued, Grant and Aleks Alexander, who had a decade of experience at distilleries in Colorado and the Caribbean, were able to refocus on vodka. Ology was then able to fill online orders and offer pick-up of vodka at its location off Powermill Court.

↑ HO, HO, HO AND A BOTTLE … Ology’s production facility yields products, including a white rum (inset).

photography by ALEX WORKMAN

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Woodward says only 1 percent of vodka produced is derived from potatoes. A smooth, distinctive flavor at an attractive price has made Ology’s vodka stand out, with orders shipping across the nation.

“I’m ecstatic that the vodka is doing well,” Grant said. “One of my goals was to have a brand that’s locally inclusive. A lot of people, whenever they hear ‘craft,’ they just kind of shudder, hoping that when they look at the price tag, it’s under $60.”

The success of the vodka release was encouraging and prompted an attempt at producing rum, which Ology launched in late February. After a few months of experimentation, Grant had the right flavors.

“For ours, it is simply molasses, water and yeast,” Grant said. “There are fruity flavors that come through.

A little bit of pear, a little bit of green apple, and then that deep molasses character comes in at the end. None of us had really had rum that tasted that good.”

White rum isn’t your traditional offering in the growing beer and distilled spirits scene. It serves to further set Ology and its growing staff of 21 employees apart, while also putting Tallahassee on the map.

“Our white rum is the kind of product that I look at and say you can’t get anywhere else,” Woodward said. “It’s something I think Tallahassee will be able to take pride in knowing that we’re one of the few

PHOTO BY ALEX WORKMAN

↘ Customers sample fermented malt beverages at the Ology Power Mill beer garden. Sales of spirits are by the bottle, only.

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First vodka and now, rum.

Grant said he is also working on a gin that blends in flavors from satsumas. Grant, who has multiple degrees in biochemistry, has enjoyed the experimentation and sampling the results.

“It’s definitely a stretch from one lab setting to another lab setting,” Grant said. “You’re in the biochemistry lab, you definitely don’t want to drink what you’re working with. It might turn out poorly for you.

“You keep on talking about it and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do this one day.’ And now here we are doing this.

And it’s happening — there’s a product on the shelf that I can walk in and say, ‘Hey, I made that.’ And it’s just a cool place to be. It’s surreal.” TM

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ASSISTING THE STATE’S PANDEMIC RESPONSE When the pandemic became a grim reality, Ology was among the first companies to devote time and facilities to the production of hand sanitizer. In April 2020, it sent its first truckload of 2,500 gallons of FDA-approved sanitizer to the State of Florida for distribution. Bar and production staff participated in the sanitizer project — Ology’s contribution to helping Florida keep its residents safe from infection.

End users of the sanitizer thanked Ology for its hard work and generosity.

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PROMOTION

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Masa Asian Fusion

estled in the heart of Tallahassee’s Midtown, Masa is a restaurant experience that will transport you to Asia with its culturally inspired atmosphere and a dynamic menu that blends Eastern and Western cuisines. The Asian-fusion selection serves up sushi, seafood, Thai and Chinese dishes that range from familiar to unique and align with any occasion or visit, making it a beloved spot for many regulars.

Masa opened in 2005 as the creation of one of Tallahassee’s most prominent and inspirational restaurateurs, Lucy Ho. In 2015, the restaurant relocated to its new location on North Monroe to better serve customers with more space, a full bar and an outdoor patio.

Masa manager Sarah Kuta credits the relaxing and fun — yet upscale — atmosphere for much of the restaurant’s success.

“Your experience at Masa can be as fancy or as laid back as you want it to be,” said Kuta. “Many couples come in for our Wednesday Date Night specials for a quiet, romantic evening where they can try unique and experimental dishes. Others bring a big group and sit on our patio with their children for Kids-Eat-Free Sundays. We love to cater to the experience you want.”

MASA 1650 N MONROE

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The menu is expansive and impressive. The sushi selection attracts a lot of attention for its dynamic and flavorful variety of rolls and pieces. The signature Grilled Miso Chilean Sea Bass is locally sourced and is a favorite for many dinnertime diners.

Comfort food classics include sesame chicken, chili chicken, lo mein and more.

The kitchen goes beyond creative flavors to cater to all dietary needs, including vegan and gluten-free menus.

“We pride ourselves in food quality, an inviting atmosphere and excellent service,” said Kuta. “Many of our customers have been coming here for years because of the reliability of these aspects, stemming from our staff, which is highly trained to answer questions, make recommendations and know our menu extensively.”

Much of the staff, Kuta included, has been with Masa for 10 or more years, which creates a familial sense that extends to the customers.

Whether you gather around a table of savory steaming noodles with your own family, lounge at the bar with drinks and appetizers, or want to celebrate a special moment over sushi, Masa welcomes you to experience the best of both worlds — Eastern and Western.

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time to And then there were fur.

STORY BY HANNAH BURKE PHOTGRAPHY BY DAVE BARFIELD

SPONSORED BY: NORTH FLORIDA ANIMAL HOSPITAL BENEFITING: BE THE SOLUTION

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Last September, hundreds of Tallahassee pet owners submitted snaps of their favorite fur babies and submitted them to our annual Tally Top Pet Photo Contest, benefitting Be The Solution. Through the process of elimination, the bracketed, NCAA March Madness-style competition ultimately arrives at one lucky contestant who is awarded a Tallahassee Magazine cover spot.

Readers’ votes determined the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight and finally the four fine felines and canines you see here. And, those votes, cast for $1 apiece, helped advance Be The Solution’s mission to combat pet overpopulation by making available low-cost spay and neuter vouchers in our community.

Our champion, Alice, at one time owned by people unprepared to care for her, represents well Be The Solution’s animal welfare efforts.

Check out her story, as well as those of the other members of the Final Fur who, of course, are all winners in our hearts.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

r A s u r v ivo of pu p p y th is ab us e is ly l y ear ’ s T a T o p P et

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Meet ALICE

You’d never guess from looking at our Top Pet cover girl, with her wide smile and sparkly brown eyes, that she had a rough start in life.

But one year ago, Alice, a pitbull, spent her days and nights chained to a cinder block beneath a tree. By the time Jane Holmes-Cain and her daughter rescued Alice from her abusive owners, she was covered in fleas, suffering skin problems and had not been spayed.

Things quickly turned around, said Holmes-Cain.

Today, Alice (formerly) in chains is a spirited, happy-golucky pup who loves nothing more than cuddles and chasing birds and squirrels in her backyard. She is like a younger sister to Holmes-Cain’s elderly Boston terrier and French bulldog and frequently delights in (lovingly) terrorizing them.

“Alice doesn’t realize she’s this big pitbull,” Holmes-Cain said. “If you sit down, she’ll want to sit right on top of you.

If you lay down in bed, she’ll want to come snuggle.”

Often, Alice will deliver her toy rope to a human, looking for a round of her favorite game, tug-of-war. For her, there’s nothing better than chewing on Nylabones or licking the peanut butter out of a stuffed Kong toy.

To watch her go from the product of an abusive home to the happiest girl in the world has been inspiring.

“She is my best friend and favorite fur child,” said Holmes-Cain, adding, “maybe my favorite out of all of my children, including my real ones!”

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Meet PIDGE

When Shannon Nee contacted It’s Meow or Never for Ferals (IMON) in Tallahassee, she was looking for a cat with two things: long hair and a couch-potato personality.

While Nee’s match, Pidge, was a long-haired calico, she was full of puppy-like energy and playfulness.

IMON president Jo Ann Hulls gave Nee a 10-day trial period with Pidge, and by then it was clear the rambunctious, chinscratch-loving kitten was the companion for her.

“My favorite thing about Pidge is how goofy she is,” said Nee. “Her favorite thing in the world is eating potato chips. If she so much as hears a bag crinkling in our house, she’ll come running in from the other room.”

Initially shy with strangers, Pidge is most easily won over by an offer of her favorite Hint of Lime Tostitos or a good toe tickle.

But, Pidge is not shy about letting you know when it’s time to play.

Beneath Nee’s bed is where Pidge hoards her treasures, the most prized of which seems to be her obnoxious crinkle toys and mouse on a stick.

“She’s just the sweetest,” said Nee. “Sometimes, when you’re scratching her face, she’ll reach up and stroke my chin to show me where she actually wants to be petted.”

And, of course, Pidge gets her way.

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Meet TANK

When Holly Meuth lost the dog she’d had for the last 14 years, Tank the Bulldog entered her life to heal her heart.

Turns out Tank, the heartworm-positive pup adopted from the Tallahassee Animal Service Center, has a knack for that.

Tank participated in the HART program, a Wakulla Correctional Institution inmate-led obedience course that helps dogs recover from heartworm treatment. Inmates loved the bully so much, they even painted him into one of the institution’s murals.

Too, he is a certified Animal Therapy pet through Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s animal therapy program. He has visited patients of the Children’s Home Society and has greeted young students at Woodville School.

For a big dog, he is serene. Meuth can count on one hand the times she’s heard Tank bark in the past 3½ years he’s lived with her.

“Tank is also the best big brother to the puppies we foster,” said Meuth. “He’ll just roll over on his back and let them climb all over him.”

When off duty, Tank is as carefree and content a dog as any other. He loves playtime and chowing down on cheese and peanut butter.

“When I look at Tank, I swear he has human eyes,” said Meuth. “He just wants to be anywhere I am, and I love how loving he is.”

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Meet ANDY

For Mairym Castro, rescuing Andy from the Tallahassee Animal Shelter was the best decision she’s ever made.

Castro, a volunteer for the shelter, first spotted Andy in a kennel. “He immediately came up and started wagging his tail,” she recalled. “I volunteered to take him out and he was so excited, he knocked me off my feet. I knew then he was my dog.”

Andy, a chocolate Labrador mix, is a big ’Noles fan. He can often be found lazing on the couch with his dad while watching an FSU game or traveling to Poor Paul’s to catch happy hour.

Visiting restaurants, Castro said, is one of Andy’s favorite pastimes.

A bigger fan of the destination than the journey (Andy experiences carsickness,) Andy knows he will inevitably get some chicken tenders.

The food-oriented fella also loves a plain cheese pie from Blaze Pizza, followed by a muchneeded cuddle session back home.

“My favorite thing about Andy is he always knows what kind of day you’re having,” said Castro. “There have been times when I’ve felt down, and he’d just come up and lay his head on me. He’s such a good boy.

“Coming home to him is the best thing in the world because he’s always so happy to see you. It’s hard to get mad at him about anything.”

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Born to

Having a pet is a long-term commitment. That wiggling ball of fur you bring home as a puppy or kitten will most likely spend its entire life, up to 15 or 16 years depending on the breed, with you.

It’s your responsibility to give that pet the best life possible.

Veterinarian Shane Burkhead at North Florida Animal Hospital said, “Preventive health care is not a lot different for dogs and cats than it is for people.

It’s all about being proactive — having them examined on a routine basis by a doctor.

Pet owners are doing a better job of noticing things and bringing them to our attention, and we’re doing a better job of doing blood work and searching for issues.

I think all of that gives today’s pets a real shot at a long, active life.”

STORY BY KAREN MURPHY // PHOTO BY ROSS OBLEY

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Exercise makes for healthy cats and dogs

← BOUNDLESS ENERGY Roxy, owned by Rowland Publishing’s Daniel Vitter, thrives on exercise.

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↑ Regular wellness visits to a veterinarian help maintain pet health and may result in the early detection and treatment of issues before serious problems develop.

A visit to the vet, at least annually, also ensures the pet is getting the vaccines and parasite screenings it needs and sets pet owners up to provide proper flea, tick and heartworm prevention.

But what you do at home is as important as routine vet visits.

Dogs and cats need exercise to burn calories, stimulate their minds and stay healthy. Exercise also helps pets avoid boredom, which can lead to destructive behaviors and anxiety issues. Supervised fun and games will satisfy many of your pet’s instinctual urges to dig, scratch, herd, chew, retrieve and chase.

Bradfordville Animal Hospital’s Margaret Hankley, DVM, said, “Even cats, to keep them from turning into Garfield, you always want to make sure they’re getting proper exercise.

Just like with us, if you’re just sitting in the same spot day in and day out, it’s not good for your body. It’s not good for your mind.”

“Dogs require a lot more exercise than we would expect because they have the stamina to go for a long time,” Burkhead said. “When they’re in shape, they can cover a lot of ground, and it’s probably more than we would ever want to try to tackle on a normal walk.

“You take a hunting dog or working dog, for instance, that is out in the field every day running back and forth, covering maybe six or seven miles in a single hunt. That’s the kind of distance we’re talking about to keep them in shape.”

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Added Burkhead, “Your average dog sitting in the house on the couch gets excited and runs around the backyard when you come home, and you maybe throw the ball a few times. That’s just not enough.”

The other half of keeping a pet at a healthy weight is proper nutrition.

“One of the biggest issues we run into is people overfeeding their pets,” Hankley said. “Pet obesity is almost the norm now.

I see more overweight or obese pets than I do pets that are the appropriate weight.”

Burkhead said people feed their pets recommended amounts and think it doesn’t look like enough. But, he said, sedentary house pets don’t need a lot of food.

Hankley said to be careful about the type of food you buy.

She says there is a lot of trendy food being marketed that’s not always in your pet’s best interests. She suggests asking your vet for recommendations based on the pet’s needs and your budget.

And then there’s grooming. Most dogs don’t need to be bathed more than a few times a year. Hankley said if you bathe your pet more often, make sure the shampoo doesn’t contain harsh chemicals. Frequent brushing also keeps your pet clean and reduces shedding. Check for fleas and ticks daily.

Veterinarians also now recommend brushing your pet’s teeth.

That can be challenging when you’re looking at the long, sharp teeth of an unwilling German Shepard, but Burkhead said the trick is to start them young.

“Dental hygiene is hugely important because the older they get, the worse their teeth get, which leads to trouble,” he said. “It’s a constant source of bacteria in their mouth. The area between the gum and the tooth is the most biologically active area in the entire body. Whenever they chew their food, they crunch and disrupt vessels in the gums. Bacteria gets in the bloodstream and circulates throughout the body, which, over time, can cause kidney failure or heart murmurs.”

He suggests that when you’re cuddling with your pet at night, get in the habit of grabbing the toothbrush and pet toothpaste — it’s flavored and supposedly tastes good. Over time, Burkhead said, pets start looking at brushing sessions as a treat and a bonding time.

“If you can do it even once a week, anything to help get rid of some of the plaque in the mouth, it’s going to be hugely beneficial,” Burkhead said.

Hankley summarized things. “Proper maintenance,” she said, “will eliminate 90 percent of the health issues your pet would otherwise face.” TM

PHOTOS BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: VASYL DOLMATOV (CAT) AND OLEKSANDRA POLISHCHUK (DOG)

“Proper maintenance will eliminate 90 percent of the health issues your pet would otherwise face.” — Margaret Hankley, DVM

Pet Maintenance Components in regimens that promote good health differ little between humans and pets.

Routine vet visits

Exercise

Proper nutrition

↖ COMB OUT While dogs don't often need a bath — unless they venture into the kinds of places that, you know, dogs love — frequent brushing helps keep them clean and reduces shedding.

Grooming

Dental hygiene ILLUSTRATIONS BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: VERA CHEREDOVA (VET VISITS), BONEZBOYZ (EXERCISING), SVETLANA SHAMSHURINA (NUTRITION), IRINA CHEREMISINOVA (GROOMING) AND SIBERIANART (DENTAL)

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Dear Companions In a host of ways, pets make life better STORY BY ROCHELLE KOFF // ILLUSTRATIONS BY LINDSEY MASTERSON

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened,” wrote the poet Anatole France.

If you’ve ever cherished an animal, you understand what France is talking about.

Animal lovers know they do not imagine this emotional bond, and so do scientists. Experts studying the relationship between people and pets find that positive human-animal interaction reduces stress, fear and anxiety and sparks an increase of oxytocin, the so-called love hormone.

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The findings are not a surprise to Kristy Montee.

She and her husband Dan Norman share their Tallahassee home with rescue critters, Phoebe, a petite 12-year-old terrier mix, and Archie, a sassy 2-year-old long-haired chihuahua.

“There’s nothing like coming home and seeing that little face in the window,” said Montee. “They miss you, and they’re always so happy to see you.”

As a side benefit, “They force you to get off your butt and walk,” she said.

Pet owners talk about companionship and comfort as prime benefits of having a pet, especially important during the pandemic.

“Adoptions have gone up” since COVD-19 hit, said Nicholas Petryk, a duty officer for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It’s been found that people become less depressed when there’s an animal in the house.”

A survey by the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute backs that up, determining that “80 percent of pet owners said their pets made them feel less lonely.”

Petryk himself has 14 animals at home — two cats, two dogs, an African grey “When I’m parrot, a hedgehog, four Australian sugar home alone, gliders and four flying squirrels.

“I have a passion for animals,” said he keeps me Petryk, who is also an after-hours company. And wildlife rescuer at the St. Francis after a long Wildlife Association and a volunteer for day, I’ll sit the Florida Wild Mammal Association.

“They’re good company, and they give down and me joy.” there will Dogs get a lot of credit as a human’s be a flying best friend, but don’t dismiss the appeal of other animals. squirrel in my “My parrot talks and whistles,” said pocket and Petryk. “When I’m home alone, he keeps a hedgehog me company. And after a long day, I’ll sit on my lap.” down and there will be a flying squirrel in my pocket and a hedgehog on my lap.”

— Nicholas Petryk Pet owners talk about the comfort they feel when they look into Fido or Fluffy’s big eyes. Somehow the world brightens. The value of that human-animal bond is at the heart of animal therapy initiatives.

The Animal Therapy Services Program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare oversees 200 teams and six species of animals — cats, dogs, parrots, rabbits, a standard horse and two dwarf horses.

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These animals and volunteers, who attend classes for eight weeks and are certified every two years, visit patients in hospitals, hospices, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, schools and libraries, said Stephanie Perkins, director of the TMH animal therapy program.

One of the most compelling roles for these therapy animals takes place in the courthouse. TMH provides animal therapy teams for victims of violent crimes.

The program emphasizes that therapy dogs in the courtroom can help calm traumatized victims so they can give statements and testimony that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for them to provide.

“They’re mainly used for children,” said Perkins.

“But anyone who is the victim of a violent offense can have a tough time testifying. The dog is with them, and it helps them reduce their anxiety.

Having a dog by their side makes them feel more comfortable.”

The teams work in child dependency courts as well as criminal courts, where the most stoic canines have the ability to lie still, providing a constant companion through an ordeal.

Children, in particular, “come out of the courtroom and they decompress, pet the dog, braid

Perkins recalls a case involving a young girl who resisted walking or going to speech therapy but “she could use her arm to throw a ball to get the dog to retrieve it, and they would walk down the hall together.”

The animals “are just there to make people feel better,” said Perkins.

Antidotes to depression

its hair or they just fall onto the dog and cry or relax,” said Perkins.

Therapy dogs also help children learn. They’re part of a program called R.E.A.D., which helps reluctant young readers by having them read books aloud to a dog, which is accompanied by a volunteer.

In the process, kids become more confident and improve their reading and speaking skills.

“There are so many benefits, emotional and physiological,” said Perkins. “Clinical studies have shown that being with an animal for five minutes decreases your blood pressure and helps with feelings of loneliness and isolation.”

Due to the pandemic, the program has made adjustments, switching to virtual visits for some of its programs and, in the hospital, connecting patients with pets and volunteers by ZOOM when possible.

In many settings, the dogs make a difference, she said. Perkins has seen Alzheimer’s patients sitting in a wheelchair with little interaction perk up when a pet therapy animal arrives.

Dogs can help with grieving, and they can often single out the person in a group who most needs help, she said. Animals have helped patients who have had surgery get up and exercise.

At Florida State University, researchers Dawn Carr, Miles Taylor and Natalie Sachs-Ericsson have been studying how pets shape our well-being in different circumstances like grieving.

They found that while all individuals who lost a spouse experienced higher levels of depression, people without a pet experienced more significant increases in depressive symptoms and loneliness than those who had pets.

Dogs, in particular, may help people in stressful events, said Carr, because they are getting exercise and more social interaction by walking the dog, they can talk to the dog, stick to a routine and they feel like they matter.

Psychologist Corine Samwel was so impressed by the therapeutic value of interacting with animals that she launched a practice called Red Hills Equine Therapy and Consulting, which follows the EAGALA or Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association model.

The idea is that horses can be beneficial in the treatment of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorders, autism, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues and family and relationship issues.

“Unlike dogs, which are predators, horses are prey animals and rather than aiming to please such as the typical dog would, react with honesty to what the client brings,” said Samwel. “Horses then become mirrors and reflect the client’s story in a nonverbal, nonjudgmental fashion.”

Clients can then work on their issues in a pastoral, peaceful setting on Samwel’s 5½ acres in eastern Leon County. Corine has three horses on her team as well as her human teammate equine specialist, Peggy Jordan.

Samwel calls the therapy experiential.

“We use the natural, highly intelligent sensory ability of the horses to react to the clients.” (continued on page 156) TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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PROMOTION

Judy Phipps and Dottie Hutchison

S

THE FIX THRIFT SHOP, the little shop that could …

ince its establishment in 2007, Be The Solution, Inc., has provided spays and neuters for over 40,000 animals in the Tallahassee area, resulting in a drastic decrease of animals in the Tallahassee Animal Service Center.

Much of this success can be attributed to the thrifty hearts and creative ideas of the two women who started The Fix Thrift Shop.

When Gerry Phipps, the president of Be The Solution, began the organization, she was handing out vouchers for spays and neuters at local pet stores. She quickly realized having her own storefront was necessary and rented a space within Tallahassee Mall.

Where Phipps used the space to distribute vouchers, her mother-in-law, Judy Phipps, and Judy’s best friend, Dottie Hutchison, had bigger plans for the 600 square feet.

Not thinking too much of it at the time, Phipps let the women begin setting up 8-foot tables lined with clothing, accessories, small appliances and furniture. Phipps described these two friends as “hard-selling, shoot-from-thehip amazing women making sales out of a bank bag.”

In the first year, they made $8,000, and thus the “BTS Boutique” was born. Soon, those who were buying also began donating their items to sell. The community was buying and donating all in the name of assisting animals in need.

Eventually, Be The Solution moved into their current location. With this came a renaming to The Fix Thrift Shop, complete with a real cash register that takes credit cards and an office space where the vouchers are distributed.

The Fix Thrift Shop accepts donations of gently used items so that community members can have a

two-for-one good feeling — shopping recycled and green while contributing to surgeries that prevent cat and dog overpopulation in Tallahassee.

“Those two women started something so meaningful and important that would later make a huge difference in the Tallahassee pet community,” said Phipps. “They sowed the seeds of the current Fix Thrift Shop that produces enough income to pay for 6,000 spay and neuter surgeries a year.”

The Fix Thrift Shop staff and volunteers

THE FIX THRIF T SHOP AND BE THE SOLUTION 1208 CAPITAL CIRCLE SE | (850) 545-2043 | BETHESOLUTION.US

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BE THE SOLUTION’S

TALLY TOP PET

TALLAHASSEE MAGA

A VISIT WIT

H THE VET

VIRTUE SOR | THE CING PROFES | THE DAN

S OF GOLF

ZINE MAY–JUN 2021

Best of Tallahassee ALTH EA VALLE

Details inside on how to cast your votes

» LAUREN BOOK

THANK YOU

» OLOGY DISTI

for participating in this year’s Tally Top Pet.

LLING

» GARDEN PARTI ES

TALLAHASS

Mark your calendar! Voting will begin this fall for the 2022 Tally Top Pet!

EEMAGAZIN E.COM

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SPEC IA L A DVERTISIN G SECTION

Vet Pet & Profiles Felines, canines, birds and bunnies are more than furry and feathered friends. They are family. You insist on only the best doctors for your loved ones, and the same standards apply when you seek a vet for your pet. In this special section, we profile veterinary specialists who are not only highly skilled and trained but also show care and compassion toward all creatures.

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Vet

Pet & Profiles

North Florida Animal Hospital

What makes you a “BEST OF” winner for over 10 years in a row?” We are counted among

What is a one unique benefit of a visit to NFAH?

We are one of the few hospitals in the region to achieve certification as a “Gold Standard Cat Friendly Hospital” with AAFP. We have been trained to focus on ways to reduce the stress and anxiety associated with visits to the doctor by our cat patient and parent. We have a feline-only entrance, feline-only exam rooms and feline-only boarding called Camp Catnip.

Cat Friendly Practice GOLD

®

By the American Association of Feline Practitioners

15% of small animal practices in the country that are AAHA certified. AAHA sets standards of care for our pet pals’ best health (see AAHA.org) by providing guidelines for everything — from customer service and safety to patient care and surgery. It also certifies we are achieving those goals every three years. We are proud of our 90% score.

How does NFAH engage with the community? One of many outreach

programs we support is a local 501(c)(3) organization, Be The Solution. All 10 of our veterinarians donate their time, skill, supplies and a large majority of fees to help support affordable spay and neuter services for over 1,000 pets a year. This valuable service enhances the ability of pet parents to not only control overpopulation in our community but also to help them enjoy healthier, happier pets for life.

“Thanks to all of our pet parents for their patience and trust during COVID Curbside service!” TALLY TOP PET

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Voted “Best Veterinary Clinic” 2006-2018 by the readers of Tallahassee Magazine

SPEC IA L SPEC IAGL A DVERTISIN A DVERTISIN G SECTION SECTION

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (CAPITAL VET) AND ALEX WORKMAN (NFLAH SIGN AND DOOR) AND JOHN HARRINGTON (NFLAH, DOG)

Capital Veterinary Specialists

Dr. Drygas and Boulder, a 200-pound Mastiff that tore his ACL. With corrective surgery it allowed him to run again.

P

et owners and pets alike find themselves grateful for the presence of Capital Veterinary Specialists as it is uniquely situated as the only clinic of its kind within a 300 mile radius of Tallahassee. By partnering with local veterinarians spanning North Florida and South Georgia, Capital Veterinary Specialists provides advanced specialty medicine and surgery.

Owners bring their fur babies to Capital Veterinary Specialists when they need specialized care and diagnostics in the areas of surgery, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology, neurology, radiology, internal medicine and critical care.

The facility has specialized equipment with oxygen support cages, ventilator support, fluoroscopy for minimally invasive surgery and CT/ MRI for advanced imaging.

With patients coming from Tallahassee, Thomasville, Wakulla, Panama City Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Live Oak, Tifton, Albany and more, the staff takes their position as the premier referral hospital in the region very seriously, ensuring that each doctor and team member is on the forefront of the latest in medicine, surgery and care.

“What’s most important to us is that pets and their owners know they are

Dr. Jehn and Kenny Donald performing minimally invasive surgery to repair a dislocated hip.

receiving the highest quality of care,” said Dr. Kevin Drygas, DVM, DACVS. “When clients come to us, our goals are to give them answers, ensure they are comfortable and confident in the diagnosis, and that they feel our compassion toward their pet.”

On staff, they have doctors that specialize in surgery, internal medicine, pathology, dermatology, radiology, critical care and urgent care. Throughout the year, they train interns and veterinary students as well as offering training to area veterinarians. This aids in fostering

relationships and encompassing all aspects of veterinary care to best serve your pet.

The staff treats every client like family and every pet as if it were their own, promising that the health plan is in everyone’s best interest.

“It feels great to fix a fractured leg, but it feels even better to witness the benefits of that surgery when a dog is able to run alongside their owner again,” said Dr. Drygas. “The best part of this job is being able to restore the human and animal bond, enriching the owner’s life.”

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Vet

Pet & Profiles

Oakwood Animal Hospital

M

uch like a human going to the doctor, pets don’t necessarily look forward to a visit with their vet. Oakwood Animal Hospital strives to change that stigma and does so by providing a space where your pets feel welcome, like visiting with extended family.

Oakwood Animal Hospital is a small and exotic animal practice that provides all amenities outside of emergencies. Whether your pet is in for a yearly visit, a surgery or boarding, the friendly staff greets each animal with a dietary friendly treat and welcomes them into a room catered to animal and human comfort.

The Oakwood staff agrees that the best part of the job is getting to know your pet and witness it through each stage of life, ensuring

that they maintain optimal health. In being such a close-knit environment, constant communication is key.

“Much like in human medicine, we work with you and your pet to find optimal health solutions,” said Dr. Jeanette Peterson. “We are here to speak for your pet since owners may not always know what pets are telling them. We educate owners, make everyone feel comfortable and ensure enough time is spent with the doctor so all parties leave happy and healthy.”

Amber Deese, DVM, Josh Goodson, DVM, Jeanette Peterson, DVM Oakwood believes all animals should have their voices heard as they work in close partnership with local organizations such as the Leon County Humane Society, Be The Solution and Animal Shelter Foundation.

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WE PUT THE TREAT IN TREATMENT

I

magine a vet visit from your pet’s perspective: You are not fed, you are put into a small crate, carried to a hot car and then driven to a strange hospital where nurses hold you still while they stick you with needles … terrifying.

Unfortunately, this is the veterinary experience many pets face. These veterinary visits are full of fear, anxiety and stress (FAS), but they do not have to be. Dr. Lauren Combs and Dr. Brewster and their team at Ox Bottom Animal Hospital have taken many steps to provide fear-free veterinary care.

The first step as a pet parent is learning to recognize FAS. Check out FearFreePets.com for great resources. What can you do to help

alleviate your pet’s fear? Call and request anxiety medicine, introduce the carrier a week before, heat or cool your car the day of and bring their favorite treats or toys with you. As a Fear-Free certified veterinarian, Dr. Combs and Dr. Brewster have trained their staff in proper handling techniques, creating quiet, calming environments and working with owners to reduce FAS. We are a Gold Standard Feline Friendly certified hospital and have had advanced training in reducing feline FAS. Reducing FAS in our patients and our pets is a huge passion of ours. Together we can “take the pet out of petrified” and “put the treat into treatment!”

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PHOTO BY DAVE BARFIELD (OAKWOOD ANIMAL HOSPITAL) AND JOHN HARRINGTON (CAPITAL VET)

Ox Bottom Animal Hospital

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NORTH FLORIDA ANIMAL HOSPITAL

OAKWOOD ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Thank you Tallahassee …

We love what we do at North Florida Animal Hospital, and we look forward to serving you as the “Best of Tallahassee” winner over 10 years in a row!

Founded in 1973, Oakwood holds the reputation of having loyal relationships with clients founded on their knowledge, compassion and service. Your furry family is part of our family when you step into Oakwood Animal Hospital.

2701 N. Monroe St. | ( 850) 385-5141 | nflah.com

2528 W. Tharpe St. | ( 850) 386-1138 OakwoodAnimal.com

FEAR FREE & FELINE FRIENDLY

CAPITAL VETERINARY SPECIALISTS

We are a locally owned, full-service companion animal hospital that provides fear free and feline friendly veterinary service to Tallahassee and surrounding areas. It is our goal to provide the highest quality and most up-to-date care.

Capital Veterinary Specialists provides exceptional specialty care to the pet owners of North Florida and South Georgia.

As the only specialty veterinary center in the Big Bend region, they provide solutions to complex medical and surgical diseases. They work with compassion to ensure the health of your family pet member.

2728 Ox Bottom Road ( 850) 329-7340 | OxBottomAH.com

1615 Mahan Center Blvd.

(850) 597-9764 CapVetSpecialists.com

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expression

MAY/JUN 2021

KEEPING TABS ON ALL THAT MUSES INSPIRE

→

WORK OF THE POTTER’S HAND A bas-relief “wall sculpture,” fired using a raku process, retains carbon and is characterized by a distinctive crackle.

ART

EARTH AND FIRE

Potter Nancy Jefferson finds inspiration in the world of nature

by MARINA BROWN

BOOKS photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

Agonizing and Joyful

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expression

I

t happens to the lucky ones, those who are tapped on the shoulder or slapped upside the head with an announcement by a muse that they’ve been selected to make music. Or to string together beautiful words. Or perhaps, as in the case of Nancy Jefferson, to fashion art by working with her hands.

Jefferson would not escape shaping clay and reaching into fires, and she would be inspired by the glories of nature all around her. She had been chosen by the Muse of Ceramics to become a potter.

Some 50 years later, Jefferson, whose work appears in galleries all over Florida

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and not infrequently in museums and outdoor art exhibitions in Tallahassee, continues to create art that is cherished for its elegance and whimsy. Since 2012, she has been the sought-after ceramics teacher at the LeMoyne Museum where she supports the vision of a wide range of students.

Jefferson lives in Wakulla County on a wooded property owned by dear friends Adrian Fogelin and Craig Reeder, who tempted Jefferson from the Keys by building her a working studio. She said that, long ago, her parents would never have believed she would enjoy a productive and gratifying career doing what she does.

“If you can imagine the life lived by the people in the Mad Men show — money, ambition, a society life, that was the environment I grew up in,” Jefferson said. “Everyone was accomplished.

My great, great, great grandfather was Thomas Jefferson. There is a concert pianist in the family, and we would wake up to my father playing on his own baby grand.”

↑ Nancy Jefferson, left, with a student, Linda Vannoy. ↙ Pieces loaded into a

kiln are ready for firing; a propane flame generates heat.

Jefferson said her mother was worried she would become a “flower child” if she pursued the life of a potter.

“What she didn’t realize was that I was already one.”

Jefferson attended the University of Kentucky and majored in art with an emphasis in ceramics. Then came the shift to the locale she called home for the next 24 years, Islamorada, in the Florida Keys.

“There was a wonderful atmosphere there in the ’70s — artists helping artists, a real community.” She apprenticed for two years with famed potters Dorothy and Lee Shank, and after attending the Penland School of Crafts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, she became the center’s resident potter. Her reputation grew.

Today, as she discusses the kinds of pottery she teaches and favors, Jefferson’s voice lights up. photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

WHAT IS RAKU? Raku is a style of firing developed in the early 16th century in connection with a Japanese Tea Ceremony that celebrates the human spirit. Forms are based on the idea of the beauty of imperfection as found in patterns of nature. After the kiln reaches around 2,250 degrees Fahrenheit, pieces are pulled out with tongs and placed in a reduction can containing combustible material, such as newspaper and sawdust, which ignites. The bucket is then tightly closed so the work can cool slowly in carbon-rich smoke that infuses the bare clay and the glaze, producing a crackle effect. The whole process takes about an hour.

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←↑ Jefferson makes all of her glazes, including a startlingly blue one. She favors porcelain clay because it yields a bright, vibrant look. Her pieces are marked with a signature red dot that was inspired by a pre-dawn sky. To others, the dot suggests a red fish or a ladybug.

“Well, I like fish,” she laughed.

Many of her plates, vases and platters are formed into fishy bodies with perky fins, their coloration ranging from pastel to variegated, pixelated hues.

↑ The crescent moon with the bas relief figure is made of porcelain and will be finished by Raku.

photography by ALICIA OSBORNE

“I teach raku,” Jefferson said, “a 16thcentury Japanese style, in which the piece is heated until the glaze is molten, then placed in a sawdust-filled trash can that catches fire. When brought out, you’ll see a beautiful crackled surface.” She described “smoke-firing” involving an open pit, fire, leaves and a pottery surface rubbed and burnished with a stone. And, she employs “saggar firing,” in which a piece is placed inside another container before firing. She uses more traditional kilns, as well.

With so much fire and heat, there are bound to be surprises.

“It was a big mistake,” Jefferson recounted. “I put a birdbath that had been outside in the rain and needed refiring into a kiln with about 100 other pieces ready to be fired. The explosion was huge.

The pieces that survived had these huge burn marks on them. I had a ‘fire sale,’ and oddly, people came back wanting more!”

Jefferson doesn’t only deal in dinnerware and vases. Her larger pieces

include 16-foot murals that portray creatures from the sea in bas-relief.

They are so large that she has to set up sawhorses and a wooden table in her yard to handle the massive clay “canvas.”

She has created a piece that surrounds a fireplace opening.

Today, Nancy Jefferson sees her pottery evolving, but as always, attached to nature.

“Recently I was stopped by this beautiful seed pod that inside cradled something precious,” she said.

About 10 years ago, Jefferson’s signature mark was born — a small red dot that now appears on everything she does.

“We were kayaking early, just before the sun rose over the horizon,” she said.

“And there it was, that one beautiful red circle when everything else was dark.

Some see a red fish, others a ladybug.”

But for Nancy Jefferson, the dot surely represents a sunrise personally sent to her by her muse. TM TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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BOOKS

AGONIZING AND JOYFUL In golf, writer finds a complex life partner

by STEVE BORNHOFT

T

allahassean Jay Revell’s 18-chapter golf book is more than an appreciation for the game. It is an homage, but as sincere as it is, the tribute is not overdone.

Understand that for Revell, golf is not just a pastime or a competition — over time, he has come strongly to favor the former — but instead a lifesaving, wisdomimparting, restorative life partner with a strong connection to the player’s soul.

His clubs come to be as friends with whom he shares histories compiled from tee to green. He has a hard time letting them go.

Revell describes golf as “silly, agonizing, painstaking, excruciating and embarrassing,” but also “joyful, wondrous, exhilarating, life-changing and fulfilling.”

Ultimately, he gives the game a warm and unconditional embrace.

The book caused me to reflect on the best shots I have ever made, the best holes I have played, the most congenial foursomes I have been a part of versus nightmarish rounds easily recalled. In that, Revell has achieved a mean trick like stopping a bunker shot on a downslope.

“My relationship with golf is symbiotic,” Revell writes. “If you remove it from me, you remove part of me and I’m afraid of what I might seek to fill that void.”

Symbiosis implies a relationship of mutual benefit. What, then, has Revell done for the game? He is a virtuous player who has given his sport his book.

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↗

Golf enthusiast Jay Revell, seen here on a green at the Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee, respects his game of choice as a teacher of life lessons.

PHOTOS BY ALEX WORKMAN (JAY) AND MIKE FENDER (BOOK)

The Nine Virtues of Golf: Essays, Musings and Other Contemplations of the Game is a deeply personal 108-pager that includes, optimistically, a prescription for the game’s survival, one that relies in equal measure on preserving the sport’s traditions and demeanor and letting it breathe a little.

His relationship with the game got its start when Revell was a boy. “If golf is a drug, I was raised in an opium den,” he writes. He grew up in a tiny universe — Havana, Florida — and, for him, the community’s country club and its ninehole course were at its center. His grandfather was the pro at the club, and Revell grew up in a house located just off the fourth hole.

“I found myself drawn to the people who loved to play the game,” Revell reports. “The men who frequented the club were like living legends to a small boy who dreamed of playing like them someday.”

Those legends included some serious sticks, Revell assures us, including one David Touchton: “When he made a turn at the ball, it sounded like a candle being blown out.”

Revell would come to emulate the best. He has been a scratch golfer in stretches in his life, and his office is a storehouse of golf memorabilia, trophies and other prized possessions including a framed copy of a newspaper article that describes his victory with his brother Hilton in the “biggest two-man tournament” in Havana.

But Revell’s greatest round took place in South Carolina at the coast-hugging Ocean Course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. In Revell’s estimation, the course is the nation’s most difficult, one, he points out, that humbled participants in the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 PGA Championship held there.

When Revell played the course for the second time after struggling to get around the layout four years earlier, his outing was complicated by two factors: a fierce, two-club wind and a tortuous hangover. Revell takes his readers on a peristaltic ride as he recounts a round in which, unaccountably, he kept his score and the night before down while self-medicating with Gatorade, Aleve and CBD oil.

For 17 holes, he was immersed in a euphoric trip to that elusive “zone” where the diameters of holes generously expand and shots visualized are mystically converted to shots made. He entered the home hole at just one shot over par.

But reality and nerves broke the spell. Back in his body, Revell hit his approach shot to the green short and wound up tapping in for bogey.

This, then, was not Dock Ellis throwing a nohitter while on LSD, but it was close.

Revell’s 74 was cause for full-throated celebration.

Revell manages always to keep golf near. He fashions a golf hole in his backyard. He sneaks in a few holes at the Capital Country Club near his home after work. He makes golf part of business trip itineraries. He devotes vacation time to golf trips.

He is hopeful that municipal courses will be made more dimensional, that private clubs will grant more access, that greens fees for players 15 years old or younger will be made a thing of the past and that golf will flourish for generations to come.

For as long as it does, he believes, golf will shape players by insisting on nine virtues — accountability, integrity, patience, humility, gratitude, confidence, generosity, respect and wisdom — and, in so doing, make them better people. TM

PRAISE FOR ‘VIRTUES’

“We all share the same questions and curiosities; it’s the writer’s job to set them down somewhere and let a reader connect with them. And just as it’s easy work to connect with Jay as a golf partner, so it is to connect with his words, finding your golfing self in the questions he puts forth and the answers he discovers.” Tom Coyne, author of A Course Called Scotland TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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PROMOTION

Tell Your Story Your Way

T

hrough engaging writing, dynamic design and full-service project management, Rowland Publishing crafts custom solutions that vividly bring its customers’ publications to life.

Prior to working with RPI, The Clubs by JOE, a part of the St. Joe Company, produced an in-house magazine but increasingly realized that it required the services of a proven and reliable custom publisher.

Since 2017, RPI has saved them time and effort by supplying needed expertise in producing their publication and ensuring that it is well supported with advertising dollars. RPI has provided The Clubs by JOE with services, including advertising sales; consulting, editing and writing; photography coordination and art direction; print vendor management; project management; and publication design and redesign.

As a result of RPI’s efforts, Experience magazine has grown from 52 pages to 84 pages due to a steady influx of advertisers who have responded to RPI’s sales efforts. RPI added more photography to the magazine showcasing the Emerald Coast’s natural beauty while streamlining the production process. Editorial, advertising and design teams at RPI worked together to bring about a magazine that is well organized, attractive and delivers content of interest to club members.

» DO YOU NEED HELP WITH A CUSTOM PUBLISHING PROJECT? Contact us today to learn how Rowland Publishing can help make your upcoming project a success.

For more information, visit RowlandPublishing.com.

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“Rowland Publishing has been a great partner in creating our club member magazine, Experience. From layout, to copywriting, to advertiser solicitation, the team at Rowland consistently helps us to create a great product on time and on budget that aligns with our specific goals and objectives. We look forward to the continued evolution of the magazine with the professionalism and expertise of Rowland Publishing pushing the quality of the magazine forward.”

MIKE KERRIGAN, CORPORATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, THE ST. JOE COMPANY®

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2021

S E’

TA L

EE MAGA ASS ZI H N LA

BEST TA L

of

L A H A SSE

E

Our capital city is a resilient and enterprising place where parents raise children, students earn degrees, elected officials shape Florida’s course and men and women pursue business and professional success. We work and play together in a place we are proud to call home. Recent events may have slowed Tallahassee’s progress and its economy, but they have done nothing to curb its resolve. Express your appreciation for the businesses that you support and admire by casting your online ballot or by mail in the 2021 Best of Tallahassee reader’s choice awards.

CAST YOUR VOTE ONLINE TallahasseeMagazine.com/Best-of-Tallahassee-2021Ballot OR

Fill out the ballot on the adjoining page based on the rules for the printed ballot.

All online and paper ballot votes will be combined for final tabulations.

Voting periods

Online Ballots: May 1–30, 2021 | Paper Ballots: May 1–20, 2021

BENEFITING PRESENTING SPONSOR

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RULES To preserve the integrity of the voting process, the following contest rules must be observed in order to cast a ballot and ensure it is included in the voting tabulation process. These rules are for the printed ballot only, otherwise visit TallahasseeMagazine.com/Best-of-Tallahassee2021Ballot to vote online: • Only ballots printed on original Tallahassee Magazine pages will be accepted; no copies or facsimiles of the ballot will be counted as a vote.

• Ballots must have votes marked in at least 10 different categories in order to be counted.

• Each vote must list the name of a business/company.

Individual names alone will not be counted.

• All votes must be cast for locally owned businesses in and around Tallahassee. Votes for any business located outside of a 30-mile radius from the city limits will not be counted.

• Locally owned and operated companies are defined by the owner or a managing partner living in Tallahassee or within a 30 mile radius of the Tallahassee city limits.

2021

S E’

2021 OFFICIAL BEST OF TALLAHASSEE BALLOT

SSEE MAGAZ HA IN LA

TA L

PRESENTED BY

BEST TA L

of

L A H A SSE

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• Only ballots cast for locally owned and operated companies will be counted.

• Only one ballot per envelope is permitted.

• All ballots must be mailed directly to the Junior League of Tallahassee, a third-party organization responsible for processing the ballots. The firm’s address is: Junior League of Tallahassee C/O: Best of Tallahassee PO Box 13428 Tallahassee, FL 32317

• Ballots must be postmarked by May 20, 2021.

• Obvious attempts at ballot stuffing will be disqualified.

• Any winning business must be in good standing with Rowland Publishing, Inc. in order to be promoted as a “Best of” winner and still in operation by the date of the results printed in the magazine.

Once ballots are counted, all tabulations are final.

Tallahassee Magazine will recognize the results of the winners and honorable mentions for every category in the November/December 2021 issue.

Rules apply for winners and honorable mentions.

The business must offer the product or service the category states as “best,” otherwise that business will be disqualified from winning that category. A business can win the “Best of” award in no more than two categories. If a business is the leading vote-getter in more than two categories, that business will win only the “Best of” award for the two categories in which it received the most votes.

FOOD & BEVERAGE Appetizer_________________________________ Asian ___________________________________

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TO CAST YOUR VOTE ONLINE VISIT TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM/BEST-OF-TALLAHASSEE-2021BALLOT

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_______________________________________ Pediatric Practice____________________________ Pest Control Service__________________________ Photographer______________________________ Plumbing Service____________________________ Pool Repair/Service Company___________________ Printing/Copying Services______________________ Residential Builder/Contractor___________________ Residential Painter___________________________ Residential Real Estate Agency___________________ Roofing Repair/Services_______________________ Sign Company _____________________________ Speciality Fitness Studio (Yoga, Pilates, Group Fitness)___ _______________________________________ Surgical Practice____________________________ Tree Service_______________________________ Wedding Venue_____________________________

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BENSON’S HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING BEST AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING

AMWAT MOVING BEST WAREHOUSING STORAGE BEST MOVING COMPANY | 2 0 1 4 – 2 0 2 0

2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 7, 2 0 1 9 & 2 0 2 0

AMWAT is one of Florida’s most trusted moving companies with a global reach. We set the standard by providing efficient, reliable and cost-effective local, national and international awardwinning moving services. FL IM 1026

Benson’s Heating & Air Conditioning has proudly served the Tallahassee area for 40 years. For any heating and cooling service, from a minor repair to a major overhaul, connect with the professionals at Benson’s Heating & Air Conditioning today.

319 ROSS ROAD 8 5 0 . 8 7 7. 7 1 3 1 | A M W A T M O V E R S . C O M

5402 TOWER ROAD 8 5 0 . 5 6 2 . 3 1 32 | B E N SO N S H VAC .CO M

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We go out on a limb for you!

Quality tree care for residential and commercial clients. Our staff is knowledgeable in all areas of Arboriculture. By using the latest modern equipment and safety practices, Miller’s Tree Service sets the standard for tree care in Tallahassee.

Redwire is your local provider of expertly installed, monitored and serviced residential and commercial security solutions. Our team is proud to have been recognized by our neighbors as Tallahassee’s best for 5 years running.

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Thank you for voting Kiku as Tallahassee’s best. Please remember to vote for us in 2021.

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Feel great about your nails, and get the attention of others. Let the Royal Nail Spa team pamper you so you feel relaxed and beautiful.

Thank you for voting us Best Nail Salon for 2020.

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Looking for that perfect Alaskan wild salmon or mahi-mahi filet to throw on the grill? Or maybe some fresh stone crabs or Gulf shrimp? Boats of local fishermen are daily unloading the freshest finfish and shellfish in town. A perennial favorite, Southern Seafood has a wide variety of fresh seafood that will satisfy the most discriminating palate.

1 41 5 T I M B E R LA N E R OA D I N M A R K E T SQ UA R E 8 5 0 . 8 93 . 7 3 01 | SO U T H E R N S E A FO O D M A R K E T.CO M

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SUPERIOR PAINTING BEST PAINTER | 2 0 0 8 , 2 0 0 9 , 2 0 1 0 , 2 0 1 1 ,

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2007, 2011, 2012, 2014-2020

2 0 1 2 , 2 0 1 3 , 2 0 1 7, 2 0 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 & 2 0 2 0 Thank you all for voting Superior Painting as Tallahassee’s Best Painting Company. We take pride in being the area’s preferred painting company, and we couldn’t do it without all of your support. Please remember to vote for us in 2021, and thanks again.

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TURNER’S FINE FURNITURE BEST FURNITURE STORE | 2002, 2004, 2005,

Thank you for voting Tasty Pastry as Tallahassee’s best bakery. Tallahassee’s original cakery celebrating over 50 years! Stop by — ­ we have it all.

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BEST LOCAL RETAILER | 2003

For Tallahassee’s best furniture and mattress selection, come to Turner’s Fine Furniture.

Shop the area’s best brands with many unique looks you won’t find anywhere else. Plus, enjoy free interior design assistance and immediate delivery on in-stock items. Thanks for choosing Turner’s as your furniture destination!

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Your Patient-Centered Medical Home

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It is our mission to help parents become the advocates of good health for their children so they can grow up and achieve their fullest potential. Thank you to the many families who allow us to participate in the lives of their precious children.

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MAYS-MUNROE & the sleep center THE ONLY NAME YOU NEED TO KNOW!

(850) 385-9495

I

2791 CAPITAL CIRCLE NE

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TRENDS FROM FLOOR TO CEILING, FRONT TO BACK

INTERIORS

Catching ZZZZs Modern mattresses put people to sleep

Dr. Chris Idzikowski, a sleep specialist and director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service in London, once conducted a study that established a connection between the positions in which we sleep and our moods.

“If you sleep in a bad position, you’re more likely to be grumpy the next day,” he said.

↖ SIDE SLEEPER By finding a slumber posture that provides good rest, people greet the day with a positive attitude.

↓

PHOTO BY DEMAERRE / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

by HANNAH BURKE

EXTERIORS

A Gnawing Concern

|| GARDENING

Peppers and Peas and Yams

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Idzikowski analyzed six of the most popular sleeping positions among more than 1,000 subjects. I am a lifelong side-sleeper who prefers to curl my knees toward my body or around a pillow and thus fall in the “fetus” category, a position preferred among 41 percent of the study’s participants.

People who favor the fetal position are said by Idzikowski to be “tough on the outside but sensitive at heart.”

My hybrid memory foam/coil spring mattress adheres to my body as I toss and

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turn in the womb of my sheets. A more firm and unforgiving mattress that wouldn’t lend itself to my preferred position would likely result in post-slumber discomfort and, in Idzikowski’s opinion, add crabbiness to my already rigid exterior.

On the other hand, my father is a “free faller.” He prefers to snooze on his stomach, his arms wrapped around his pillow.

While not the best position for his persistent back pain and thunderously deafening snores, his mattress, I’ve

discovered, is just as much to blame for his chronic cantankerousness as his freefalling habit. Its squishy composition tends to swallow you like quicksand and trap heat, making it difficult for him to sleep throughout the night.

If, like him, you’re in the market for a new mattress, you may find the options overwhelming. Contemporary mattresses incorporate cooling technologies, are adjustable via remote control and may even come in a box. But your local sleep experts and mattress vendors are there to help you find the one that best fits your sleep style.

“You spend a third of your life in bed, so it’s important to invest in a mattress that suits your needs,” said Deena Areiqat, owner of Mattresses by Appointment in Tallahassee. “It’s important I get to know a client — what they’re currently sleeping on, how they sleep, if they’re having any problems or simply looking to upgrade.”

There is no “one size fits all,” she said.

Older folks may prefer the sturdy support of traditional box springs, but for the most part, people are opting for hybrids: layers of plush memory foam atop individual pocket coils or innerspring systems.

“Pure memory foam mattresses tend to sell the least,” added Jonathan Chery, assistant manager at American Freight Furniture & Mattress-Tallahassee.

Remember those old Tempur-Pedic commercials featuring a woman jumping on her mattress without disturbing the glass of wine that she, for some reason, placed at the foot of the bed? While the commercials were impressive, buyers found mattresses of dense foam did little to dispel heat and sagged over time.

Tempur-Pedic introduced its first line of hybrid mattresses in 2015, achieving an ideal marriage of pressure-relieving foam and the dynamic support of micro-coils. But, as our sleep styles and sleep-related complications differ, so, too, do our budgets.

Under normal conditions, mattresses should be replaced every 6 to 8 years. Generally speaking, you should replace your mattress if it’s negatively affecting your sleep; it’s noticeably saggy or damaged in certain areas; it’s making more noise than usual; you find that you sleep better at hotels, friends’ houses, etc.; you notice an increase in allergies and/or asthma; or you regularly wake up with muscle or joint stiffness. — Sleep Foundation TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTO BY IMAGE SOURCE / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

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The Nova Group Realty A Premier Real Estate Firm Redefining Real Estate

Nick Renaud CEO/Owner

Amber Renaud Broker/Owner

(850) 570-8242

Amber@tngrealty.com

WE’LL GO OUT ON A LIMB FOR YOU! 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE 5 CERTIFIED ARBORISTS ON STAFF RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL TREE SERVICE ASK US ABOUT TREE FERTILIZATION AND PINE BEETLE TREATMENTS Call us for a FREE NO CONTACT ESTIMATE. We are committed to following all CDC guidelines to keep you and our team safe.

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BUYING OR SELLING THIS SUMMER? CALL JOAN FOR EXPERT SERVICE!

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↑ Mattresses with layers of memory foam atop innerspring

Joan H. Raley, REALTOR® CRS, CDPE, SFR, e-PRO, GRI, ABR, CHMS, WCR | Home Economist, Broker/Owner

Mobile & Text: 850.545.9390 JOAN@JOANRALEY.COM | JoanRaley.com

We can repair broken doors and windows in your home or office. If you require any type of glass repair, please give us a call.

MILLERGLASSCO.COM | (850) 224-6030 | 1961 RAYMOND DIEHL RD.

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Tempur-Pedic products are relatively pricey, especially those that incorporate TEMPUR-Ergo Smart Base technology with its customized sleep reports and automatic adjustments to your position made when it senses snoring.

“I like to recommend brands such as Sealy, Beautyrest and Jamison Bedding,” said Chery, who has two hybrid Jamison mattresses at home. “Our mattresses can range from $300 to upwards of $2,000, so it all depends on what you’re looking for.”

Chery said pocketed coil mattresses, made with individually padded coils that isolate motion, are top sellers. These are ideal if you sleep with a partner or need additional support for problem areas such as your hips.

Most pocketed coil mattresses may be placed upon adjustable bases and differ in firmness to suit a variety of sleepers. Their cooling technology is ideal for combatting Florida summers.

For dorm life, Chery recommends the Stewart & Hamilton Elegance Euro Top mattress, an innerspring, foam-layered twin set priced at $200. Beds such as these are flippable, but Areiqat said that is no longer the case with most modern mattresses.

“It’s a common misconception that you have to flip your mattress every so often to get the most use out of it, but most mattresses aren’t made that way anymore,” said Areiqat. “Mattresses such as mine come with 10- or 20year warranties, so if you have an issue, you’re covered.”

Areiqat also advises investing in a liquid-proof mattress protector, a must for those who have children or frequently eat in bed.

“We sweat a lot when we sleep,” added Chery, “which can potentially be absorbed by your mattress and rust its coils. Microfleece, waterproof protectors are going to prevent that and help you get the most out of your mattress.” TM

PHOTO BY FOTODUETS / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

systems are proving to be a popular hybrid; pure memory foam mattresses are falling out of favor.

Tallahassee’s Best Gift Boutique for over 35 Years Specializing in gifts for the Home, Body and Family.

Gourmet Gift Baskets Personal services in Bridal Registry, Stationery & Invitations.

(850) 681-2824 | (800) 983-2266 1410 Market St, C3 | ShopMFT.com Follow us @shopmft

energy Efficient Upgrades offer long term savings CEILING INSULATION GRANTS

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ANSWERS TO

Your Top 10 Gardening Questions COURTESY OF THE EXPERTS AT ESPOSITO LAWN & GARDEN CENTER

1. My yard is full of weeds? No matter how many I pull, they always return. Is there any hope?

Absolutely! Effective weed-control requires a two-pronged approach, and most people are neglecting one of the two necessary steps. In order to truly eradicate lawn weeds, you’ll need to kill the weeds that have already sprouted (using WeedFreeZone) and kill the weed seeds that have been deposited in the soil (using Dimension).

Weed seeds can drop just a few days after blooming and last for many years buried in the soil, waiting to be unearthed the next time you dig a flower bed, disturb the soil, or as the lawn declines or thins. The only way

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to ensure these buried seeds don’t sprout is to kill the seeds using a pre-emergent weed control like Dimension. If you rely solely on post-emergent control after the weed is already growing, you’ll find yourself spraying for weeds constantly.

Save yourself some trouble, aggravation and money, and kill them before they sprout. Each application of post-emergent Dimension lasts up to four months.

2. What is causing the overnight damage to my lawn? Where do all of those holes come from? Armadillos.

You don’t need to kill them. Armadillos feed on underground grubs, and the best way to get them to leave your lawn alone is to eliminate their food source using GrubFreeZone. As soon as their food is eliminated, the armadillos will mosey on in search of grubbier pastures, which usually means the wooded lot next door.

In Year 1, reapply the GrubFreeZone every four to six months, then as needed.

Be sure to water in.

3. It looks like sheep are grazing my lawn in some spots, and other areas are discolored. No matter what I do, it doesn’t seem to grow properly.

What is causing this? Lawn pests such as spittle-bugs and sod webworms are very common in Florida. Adult spittlebugs have two orange stripes across their back. Every lawn has a few of them, but when their population gets too high, they cause the grass blades to become brown or discolored. Sod webworms chew the blades to nubs, which causes the grass to look like sheep have been grazing. They spread quickly and can be devastating to the lawn. To eliminate both of these pests, start by using Surrender and follow up with an application of Bug Blaster.

PROMOTION

twice a year — once in early spring around Valentine’s Day and again in August. You may cut them back by about 50% in spring, 20% in summer. Fertilize monthly with Espoma Rose Tone, water frequently, and keep weeds and grass away from the trunk.

Several applications will be necessary. Finally, feed your lawn with an application of Esposito’s Own 15-0-15 to help it bounce back

8. Are there any hanging baskets that don’t wilt in the summer heat? This can be tricky in the Sunshine State, but there are certainly varieties that require less water than others.

Our most sun-tolerant baskets are “supertunias,” geraniums, purslane, succulent baskets and mandevilla. Surprisingly, over-watering hanging baskets is almost as common as underwatering. The best way to determine if it is time to water — lift the basket and feel the weight. If it’s light and easy to lift, your plant is probably thirsty, but if it is heavy, it’s best to wait. Fertilize monthly with Espoma’s Flower-tone, and prune as needed.

4. What is the best all around fertilizer for my garden beds and ornamentals? We sell specialty fertilizers formulated for virtually any plant, but if you’d prefer to purchase just one fertilizer, choose the Esposito’s Own 13-6-6.

This is an all-around general purpose fertilizer that is great for gardeners on a budget, those with limited time, or anyone who is just starting out and wants to keep things as simple as possible. As you get more comfortable with gardening, you might want to branch out and try different formulas for different types of plants. In the meantime, the Esposito’s Own 13-6-6 is more than adequate, and you’ll see excellent results.

The key is to set a schedule and stick to it.

9. What is that wonderfully fragrant vine with the white flowers? That’s Confederate Jasmine. You can see a fabulous example over on the side of Tan’s Asian Bistro. This is one of the fastest growing vines around, and it is incredibly lowmaintenance. Because Confederate Jasmine is an evergreen which doesn’t lose its leaves in winter, it looks great year-round and makes a wonderful fence decoration or ground-cover. This plant is easy to wind through trellises or grow on pergolas, and with vines growing up to 20 feet in length, the sky truly is the limit to what you can do with this fabulously fragrant vine.

Plant in full sun, 3-5 feet apart and fertilize monthly with Espoma’s Garden-tone.

5. Do I need to prune my azaleas? If so, when should I do it and how often? Pruning your azaleas will promote a more uniform, bushy appearance with many more flowers.

Ideally, you should prune your azaleas as soon as they stop blooming, with the second pruning around Father’s Day, but no later than July 1. Apply Espoma’s azalea-tone (it’s organic) after both prunings and water in. Encore azaleas are rebloomers so, generally speaking, one trimming in spring after they bloom is sufficient.

10. I’ve noticed black, sooty mold on my gardenias, crepe myrtles and camellias. Should I be worried? Yes and no. You do want to eradicate the mold before it causes bigger problems, but there is no need to worry because there is an easy solution. Simply apply Fertilome’s Systemic Drench or Horticultural Oil Spray once every six months. The drench prevents future problems, and the Horticultural Oil controls existing mold. Fertilize in February, May and August with Espoma’s Azalea-tone.

6. I’m looking for the best, low-maintenance sod for my lawn. St. Augustine or Zoysia? Zoysia, Zoysia, Zoysia — hands down! Remove the St. Augustine and replace it with Zoysia; you can thank us later. Not only will Zoysia grow in wet spots, but it is also far more disease- and pestresistant. St. Augustine is very susceptible to chinch bugs and fungus infestations, but Zoysia is rarely plagued by such maladies.

For more information or to schedule an on-site evaluation, call (850) 386-2114.

7. My knock-out roses are growing way too tall. How do I encourage a better shape? Generally speaking, knockout roses and drift roses don’t require frequent pruning.

They bloom better (provide more color) when pruned perhaps

THE CITY’S LARGEST AND MOST PROGRESSIVE GARDEN CENTER 2 7 4 3 C A P I TA L C I R C L E N E | ( 8 5 0 ) 3 8 6 - 2 1 1 4 E S P O S I T O G A R D E N C E N T E R .C O M

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A GNAWING CONCERN Termites often escape detection

by TIM LINAFELT

There may be nothing that strikes more fear in the hearts of homeowners than one small, two-syllable word and the even smaller insect it represents: termites.

Termites are estimated to cause billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses in the United States each year, and the average bill to repair termite damage in a private residence can easily reach into the thousands.

In some rare cases, termites can completely destroy a home before a homeowner even knows they are there. Small pest.

Big problem. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Whether a home is decades old, currently under construction or anywhere in between, there are a few tried and true measures that homeowners can take to ensure their dwellings are protected. ➺ WATCH OUT FOR WATER. Termites of course eat wood, but wood that has been softened by water damage is an especially easy target. Leaky gutters or plumbing, like that trap under the sink, can create the type of environment in which termites thrive. The same goes for sprinklers, plants and mulch too close to a home’s foundation.

It may be more aesthetically pleasing to put shrubbery as close to siding as possible, but if those environments are damp, they can put termites at the gates. ➺ If there’s exposed wood around the home, it can be a good idea to TREAT IT WITH A TERMITE REPELLENT such as borate. Diluted with water, In concert, termites can become pests of mass destruction.

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these treatments pose minimal risk to people and pets but are toxic to termites. Even better, a treatment doesn’t affect the appearance or structure of the wood, and a single treatment can be effective for many years. ➺ CONSIDER PLACING PHYSICAL BARRIERS AROUND THE HOME’S FOUNDATION. Termites need only the smallest of openings to enter and wreak havoc on a home, so it’s important to seal off as many “gates” as possible.

Termite barriers are designed to do just that. Often installed during a home’s construction, these barriers are designed to keep termites out. There are several varieties, some that use chemicals and some that don’t. ➺ IF BUILDING A NEW HOME, CONSIDER USING WOODS THAT ARE NATURALLY RESISTANT TO TERMITES. These include white cypress, tea tree, redwoods and yellow cedar, among others. There’s also heartwood-grade lumber, which comes from the central portion of a tree and is darker and denser than other timber, making it less susceptible to termites.

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Even if proactive measures are in place, vigilance is still encouraged. And although a professional inspection might be required to examine every inch of a home, there are still things that homeowners can do to detect the presence of termites before their houses are compromised. ➺ CHECK THE WOOD Termites often eat wood from the inside out, which means wood will make a hollow sound when knocked or break apart when pressed. ➺ PEEL THE PAINT Bubbling or peeling paint can be a sign of moisture.

And moisture can be a sign of termites. And if termites have compromised the

wood of a painted structure, that paint can be peeled or cracked as there is nothing behind the paint to hold it in place. ➺ KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR LIGHTS Termites can see and will search for light sources after dark. If a termite colony has gathered near an outdoor light, it could be making its way toward the adjacent home.

Finally, homeowners might consider a termite bond,

which is offered by many pest control services and acts as something of an insurance policy against the pests and the damage they cause.

Termite bonds are not legally required in Florida, but the state’s humidity and climate can make it a good idea to have one. But make sure to read the fine print before signing a contract. Some bonds include damage repairs and treatment, while others only include treatment.

Another consideration: A transferable bond could make a home that much more attractive to a potential buyer.

Termites are a fact of life for homeowners, particularly in the South. But with a little bit of mindfulness and vigilance, they don’t have to cause the headaches that they once did. TM

PHOTO BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: PHOKIN (TERMITE NEST) AND APISITWILAIJIT (TERMITE)

EXTERIORS

CONVENIENCE AND CONTROL

Audio Video Connections PROFESSIONAL DESIGN & INSTALLATION Home Theater | Networking | Home Automation

MARK ICE, OWNER

(850) 251-4931 | MarkIce.net | Mark@MarkIce.net

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As we celebrate our 22nd year in business, we thank all of our customers for their continued support.

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GREEN SCENE

PEPPERS AND PEAS AND YAMS Time is now for heat-seeking plants and veggies by

M

ay is the time to plant heat-tolerant annuals, which add color to home landscapes. Ornamental peppers, wax begonias and salvia are all plants that will withstand the heat and humidity in months to come.

Proper preparation will offer the greatest prospects for colorful success in June and beyond. As with any gardening project, the preparation of the growing bed can make a tremendous difference in the yield of blooms.

Remove competing weed species from the cultivation site. In addition to being unsightly, the weeds will compete with the selected annuals for nutrients and water.

June is a great time to finish pruning many

early blooming shrubs. Azaleas, spiraea and gardenias should be pruned and shaped before July 4 if the homeowner wants to avoid reducing the following year’s bloom.

Monitor for nutrient deficiencies or environmental problems with palms and cycads. One common soil-nutrient shortage for both palms and cycads is magnesium.

The remedy for this situation is easy, inexpensive and simple to apply.

Epsom salt, a staple in drug stores and pharmacies worldwide for footbaths, is chemically known as magnesium sulfate.

Sprinkled in the root zone of palms and cycads, it can supply their need for this micronutrient.

Okra, Southern peas and sweet potatoes can all be started now. Clemson spineless VEGETABLE is the standard bearer for local okra production, with plants having the PRODUCTION potential to reach 8 feet in height. Other varieties are available, but yields will not equal those of Clemson spineless. Blackeyed peas, pinkeye-purple hull, Crowder and many other popular Southern pea cultivars will do well during the upcoming summer months. After heavy rains, monitor ripening tomatoes and melons closely. Too much moisture can cause skin-splitting in maturing crops, which leads to premature decay.

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OKRA

One of the first tasks of late spring is to check for destructive insects. It is important to remember a majority of insects are beneficial and should not automatically be killed.

Chewing insects are currently active in North Florida along with piercing and sucking pests. Each is highly effective at damaging a variety of ornamental and vegetable species.

The most common chewing insects are grasshoppers and caterpillars. There are many local species in each group and some can be quite destructive.

The armyworm, really the caterpillar stage for a blandARMYWORM colored moth, is likely the reigning champion for individual consumption of desirable plant material. It is not a finicky eater, so it may be seen on a wide variety of plants, LUBBER shrubs and even weeds.

GRASSHOPPER It is important to remember all caterpillars transform into butterflies and moths, some quite beautiful. If uncertain of the species, and if very few are present, leave them to develop.

STINKBUG As for the grasshoppers, the lubber species is the prince of pigging out. Also known as the Georgia Thumper, this eating machine is happy to dine wherever it lands.

The piercing and sucking insects include stinkbugs, leaf-footed bugs and aphids. Each uses its proboscis, a straw-like structure on the front of its head, to pierce a plant’s surface and suck its juices.

Les Harrison is a retired University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Wakulla County Extension Director.

PHOTOS BY ALTINOSMANAJ (OKRA), ONEPONY (WAX BEGONIA), REPTYROG (LUMBER GRASSHOPPER), SARATM (ARMYWORM) AND EPHOTOCORP (STINK BUGS)

Problem insects

Got a leak?

Let us take a peek.

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PROMOTION

Year-round Garden Color We’ll just say what everyone’s thinking: We love beautiful, bold colors in our garden year round! But you may also wonder how you can achieve that with the wide range of temperatures in our area from season to season. With changes in weather comes the need to refresh the plants in your garden, and with that change comes the opportunity to add new varieties that will flourish throughout the upcoming season.

It takes a little planning and a little prep work, but you’ll be rewarded big time. We asked Jonathan Burns from Tallahassee Nurseries what it takes to have color from season to season. He noted, “We’re so fortunate to live in a place where you can bridge the seasons with color with everything from summer-blooming hydrangeas to coldhardy camellias. It takes a hint of planning, but we’re here to help turn your garden into a wonderful home oasis all year round.”

Here are a few things to consider to capture 12 months of color!

BRIGHT BLOOMS At any time of year, our favorite way to add instant color to any garden is by planting colorful flowers directly into the landscape. Whether you add camellias, roses, snapdragons, petunias, daisies, geraniums, dahlias, pansies or other garden favorites, you’ll be able to find the perfect seasonal colors to add to your outdoor space.

TEXTURED FOLIAGE Foliage is another great way to add style to your garden. Favorites like caladiums and coleus, as well as a myriad of ferns and grasses can serve as accents in the garden or as groundcover in the landscape while adding texture to the space.

GARDEN ACCENTS Another way you can add dimension to your landscape is by adding structures.

A colorful water fountain not only adds beautiful color, it also adds an element of serenity. Picking out the perfect glazed container adds style to an area while allowing you to rotate the featured plants season after season to freshen the look.

Birdbaths and bird feeders add a beautiful aesthetic element while also welcoming our lively feathered friends to the garden.

If you have any questions, Jonathan assured us that the friendly faces over at Tallahassee Nurseries are available to help you achieve that stunning, year round garden color!

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COLOR FOR EVERY SEASON

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DEAL ESTATE

JUST LISTED

An Abode with a View Take in the sights from your balcony in Downtown Tallahassee! Watch the sun rise over treetops from the 10th floor of Tallahassee’s most sought-after downtown building, The Tennyson. Walk to Midtown or Downtown, and enjoy a seven-day concierge and covered parking.

Enjoy lots of light in your open kitchen and sizable dining space.

Separate bedroom has private balcony access.

LISTED PRICE: $168,500 ADDRESS: 121 N. Monroe, Unit 1002 SQUARE FOOTAGE: 896 BEDROOMS: 1 BATHROOMS: 1 FEATURES: Newer downtown highrise condo with concierge and eastern views.

APPEAL: Great for young professionals, retirees, government affiliates.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Christie Perkins Coldwell Banker Hartung (850) 321-2393

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF NANCY O’BRIEN

YEAR BUILT: 2006

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DEAL ESTATE

JUST LISTED

Mid-century Modern in Midtown This spectacular, one-of-a-kind, mid-century modern home is situated on over 2.8 acres in Midtown and boasts clean lines, asymmetrical profiles, a wide-open floor plan and expansive walls of glass marrying the interior and exterior living spaces.

The kitchen is a true time capsule with original, working appliances and amazing steel, wood veneer and glass cabinetry. The interior finishes are true to the 1960s and include terrazzo tile flooring, wood paneling and veneer, grasscloth and more.

This unique home was built with no expense spared and has been meticulously maintained through the years.

LISTED PRICE: $599,900 ADDRESS: 2520 N. Meridian Road SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,814 BEDROOMS: 3 BATHROOMS: 3.5 YEAR BUILT: 1961 FEATURES: Light and bright with tons of windows, open floor plan, amazing 1960s architectural details and finishes.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Hettie Spooner Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc hettie@hillspooner.com (850) 509-4337

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PHOTOS BY 323 MEDIA

APPEAL: Completely one of a kind in Tallahassee.

2020 Major Investors

Advocates for Private Property Rights & the Real Estate Industry CRYSTAL “R”

GOLDEN “R”

Mariela Bartens

Joy Blomeley

Leah Chapin

Debbie Kirkland

Lucretia Thomas Steven Louchheim

Courtney Roberts

Will Shepherd

STERLING “R”

Miranda Ard

Angie Avery

Jamie Bellamy

Wallisa Cobb

Jeff Doxsee

Mike Ferrie

Robby Hartsfield

Patti Ketcham

Nicholas Mihalich

Nathan Roberts

Trina Searcy

Carla Stephens

The Tallahassee Board of REALTORS Thanks the Dedicated Professionals Who Work Hard to Promote and Protect the American Dream of Homeownership. ®

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YOUR GUIDE TO THE 53RD ANNUAL

Springtime

2021

TALLAHASSEE FESTIVAL

WELCOME

INSIDE YOUR GUIDE Springtime Tallahassee Sponsors.....................4 Schedule of Events.................................................6 Open Hearts, Helping Hands ����������������������������� 9 Board of Directors.................................................10 Governor & First Lady �����������������������������������������12 Krewe Chiefs............................................................13 Belles & Gents.........................................................14

JOEL JARRETT, PRESIDENT, AND ANN MELDER, GENERAL CHAIR

PRESIDENT AND GENERAL CHAIR’S WELCOME PUBLISHED BY:

Rowland Publishing, Inc. PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY:

Ivory Fine Art Portraits

“CELEBRATE” LOGO DESIGN:

Tricia Wilham, Springtime Tallahassee Member

Springtime Tallahassee would like to thank Tallahassee Magazine for their time and effort while putting together this year’s Festival Guide. Thank you for your hard work!

2 Springtime Tallahassee 2021

W

elcome to the 53rd annual Springtime Tallahassee Festival! This year will look different than years past, but we are excited, nonetheless. Our celebration will be one day — Saturday, May 15 at the North Florida Fairgrounds. As always, our Jubilee will be filled with craft vendors, food trucks, two entertainment stages and a children’s park. Join us later that evening for MusicFest — a free concert showcasing a nationally acclaimed musician, food vendors and a beer garden.

Springtime Tallahassee would not be possible without our member volunteers who work tirelessly to present this festival as a gift to the city of Tallahassee. Our festival would also not be possible without the amazing support of our sponsors and community volunteers. We offer you our heartfelt thanks.

Springtime Tallahassee has been a family tradition for many years and will continue to provide a family-friendly celebration of our beautiful city. If you are interested in learning how you can become a member of our organization, please visit our website at SpringtimeTallahassee.com.

Let’s Celebrate the city “Where Spring Begins” — Tallahassee!

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The team, values, and service you know.

Now with expanded offerings, trusted worldwide.

Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance, a HUB International company 1117 Thomasville Road | Tallahassee,FL 32303 | 850-386-1111 Springtime Tallahassee 2021 3

2021 SPONSORS FESTIVAL PARTNERS

PREMIER MUSICFEST SPONSORS

PREMIER JUBILEE SPONSORS

CHAMPION SPONSORS

SIGNATURE SPONSORS

4 Springtime Tallahassee 2021

JUBILEE STAGE SPONSORS

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS ALLSTATE/THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION

BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

HYATT HOUSE

BRADY SQUIRES, CFP MERRILL LYNCH

HAMPTON INN AND SUITES CAPITOL-UNIVERSITY

JOHN WAMPLER, ALLSTATE FINANCIAL

Springtime Tallahassee 2021 5

2021 SCHEDULE OF SPRINGTIME FESTIVAL EVENTS

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9 a.m.–5 p.m.

With a tremendous number and variety of arts, craft and food vendors from around the country, this event is represented by some of the best. You can expect artists displaying original, handmade masterpieces, and find cuisine with international flavors to ignite anyone’s taste buds.

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JUBILEE MUSICAL GUESTS MAY 15

JUBILEE KICKOFF ENTERTAINMENT MAY 15 CHILDREN’S PARK

9 a.m.–5 p.m.

This magical area will be sure to unleash the imagination of all ages. Springtime Tallahassee and Tobacco Free Florida are working together to reduce your child’s exposure to secondhand smoke. The Children’s park is designated a TOBACCO-FREE ZONE.

MAY 15 MUSIC FESTIVAL

6–10:30 p.m.

North Florida Fairgrounds Featuring national entertainment! Unwind at the Beer Garden as we rock the fairgrounds for this free festival event. Beer, wine, Pepsi products and food will be available for purchase. Make sure to arrive early to enjoy the opening acts as this event will get packed quickly.

6 Springtime Tallahassee 2021

9:30–10:30 a.m.

Tallahassee Community College’s Capital City Band

COMMUNITY STAGE Noon–5 p.m.

Noon-12:15 p.m.

12:30-1:00 p.m.

1:15-1:30 p.m.

1:45-2:05 p.m.

2:20-2:50 p.m.

3:05-3:35 p.m.

3:55-4:20 p.m.

4:35-5:00 p.m.

Young Actors Theatre Drake Irish Dance Tallahassee Rock Star Raven Cheer Squad Fryson Drum Academy Killearn Kids Dance Troupe TBD Timberlane Arts and Dance Academy (TADA) Capital Celtic Dancers

ROCK, JAZZ & BLUES STAGE Noon–5 p.m.

Noon-12:30 p.m.

12:50-1:30 p.m.

1:50-2:50 p.m.

3:10-3:55 p.m.

4:15-5:00 p.m.

TBD TBD Lee C. Payton & the GangBusters TBD SMITH

2021

SPRINGTIME

MUS C F E S T I VA L TALL AHASSEE

NORTH FLORIDA

FA I R G R O U N D S SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021 NORTH FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS

VISIT SPRINGTIMETALLAHASSEE.COM FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION

Springtime Tallahassee 2021 7

Thompson, Crawford, Brown & Smiley is pleased to announce that Mallory Brown has been named a partner. Congratulations, Mallory!

Protecting our clients and promoting our community for over 25 years.

Divorce | Employment Law | Bankruptcy | Probate/Estate | Business Law Personal Injury | Family Law | Foreclosure Construction Law | Contracts Attorneys Admitted to Practice in Florida and Georgia | Offices in Tallahassee and Tampa 1330 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee | TallahasseeTrialLawyer.com | P: 850-386-5777 | F: 850-386-8507

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2021 OPEN HEARTS, HELPING HANDS

T

he past year has been chock-full of changes that have impacted all of us in ways we never imagined. As we moved into March, traditionally our festival season, we found ourselves still facing challenges and change.

While Springtime Tallahassee has always been involved in giving back to the community, this year giving back has taken on greater meaning and significance, which is why we launched our “Open Hearts, Helping Hands” initiative. During an average year, our organization raises approximately $20,000 that goes to local nonprofit organizations,

largely benefiting children and families. Our members provide support in other ways, such as building wheelchair ramps and bunk beds, painting fences, and decorating Christmas trees at nursing homes.

This year required us to put a twist on Breakfast in the Park — our festival season kickoff event. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved away from our traditional sit-down buffet breakfast in Lewis Park and turned to ready-to-go breakfast sandwiches available for curbside pickup at The Moon, one of our longtime community partners. The new breakfast sandwich consisted of a sausage-

cheese-egg sandwich on a jumbo biscuit with a blueberry muffin, grits, and apple slices.

Our 2021 Breakfast Out of the Park had another “twist” that we look forward to continuing — a focus on giving back. We were committed to providing breakfast sandwiches to our first responders — police, fire, and medical — and those experiencing homelessness and other challenges compounded by the pandemic. As part of our Open Hearts, Helping Hands initiative through Breakfast Out of the Park, we were able to provide 2,000 donated breakfast meals!

Springtime Tallahassee 2021 9

2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS • • • • • • • • • •

President, Joel Jarrett General Chair, Ann Melder President-Elect, Trey Faulkner General Chair-Elect, Becky Scaringe Secretary, Cristy Stout Treasurer, Matt Scaringe Governor, Don Wilham Immediate Past President, Marcia Deeb Thornberry Immediate Past General Chair, Cindy Martin Immediate Past Governor, Gary Fitzpatrick

Springtime Tallahassee Board of Directors

Krewe Chiefs: • • • • •

Spanish, Michele Lee American Territorial, Michell Mason Smith American Statehood, Sharon Bragg War & Reconstruction, David Hutcheson 20th Century, Nick Bailey

Krewe Representatives: • • • • •

Spanish, Kim Cramer American Territorial, Bonnie Fisher American Statehood, Fred Varn War & Reconstruction, Ken Martin 20th Century, Brian Flynn

Springtime Tallahassee Staff:

• Executive Director, Terri Sue Aldridge Lawson • Membership & Events Director, Marvetta Castle

Terri Sue Aldridge Lawson

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Thank you, Tallahassee!

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2021 GOVERNOR AND FIRST LADY

GOVERNOR AND FIRST LADY/ GENTLEMAN HISTORY

GOVERNOR AND FIRST LADY DON WILHAM, GOVERNOR TRICIA WILHAM, FIRST LADY PHOTOS BY IVORY FINE ARTS

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12 Springtime Tallahassee 2021

To promote the rich history of our community, Springtime Tallahassee annually selects two members to portray the Governor and First Lady or First Gentleman, reflecting the role of government in Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee. They serve together with the President and General Chair as representatives of the organization.

The Governor’s Staff is composed of members of the five Krewes, having been selected by each Krewe for a five-year active term. The Staff is a marching unit and participates not only in the Springtime Parade, but also in several festivals throughout Florida and other states.

Governor Staff

First Lady Staff

2021 KREWE CHIEFS SPANISH KREWE The Spanish history of this area of Florida goes back 447 years. Panfilo de Narvaez, Spanish explorer, led his party into the Tallahassee area in 1528. They camped on the Wakulla River near St. Marks, built crude ships and set forth on a fateful trip to Mexico. The entire sea-going party was lost in a storm; however others reached Mexico by land and recorded the events of history.

During the next 100 years, the Spanish explorers in St. Augustine became familiar with the Apalachee region and began trade with the agriculturally efficient Indians here.

This trade arrangement was highly successful until Col. James Moore came through destroying the Christian missions, burning the villages, killing the braves and taking women and children as slaves.

Thus the Apalachee area was deserted for more than 100 years.

Chief Michele Lee AMERICAN TERRITORIAL KREWE

Chief Michell Mason Smith and husband Kenneth Smith

In 1821, Spain relinquished control of Florida, and the United States sent Andrew Jackson to be the military Governor. Tallahassee was deserted at that time, but after two years of crossing the wasteland of North Florida from Pensacola to St. Augustine and back again to conduct affairs of state, it was decreed that a central location be found for the capital of the new territory. The commissioners decided on the beautiful spot with rolling hills and fertile land which is now Tallahassee, and the first settlers arrived April 9, 1824.

Accounts of Tallahassee in those early years were wild and wooly. It is said that the yellow fever epidemic of 1841 helped clean up the town, and Francis Eppes, the first mayor, did the rest.

Tallahassee flourished with plantations, schools, banks, merchants, transportation and legislators.

AMERICAN STATEHOOD KREWE

Chief Sharon Bragg and husband Cecil Bragg

The people of Florida agreed to undertake the responsibilities of state­hood in 1837. Gov. Richard Keith Call was a strong advocate of statehood, and the vote in favor was by a substantial majority.

The Constitutional Convention was held in St. Joseph (now Port St. Joe), and on Jan. 11, 1839, the constitution was adopted and sent to Con­gress for admission into the union. It was a long wait, but on March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state and boasted a population of 66,500. The town enjoyed social and political development during this period. Even the nephew of Napoleon, Prince Achille Murat, and his wife, the grandniece of George Washington, settled on a plantation and became prominent citizens of this community. The stability of the community was in agriculture, as large and small landholders worked side by side.

WAR & RECONSTRUCTION KREWE The Ordinance of Secession was signed in Tallahassee on Jan. 11, 1861. Florida’s most effective contribution to the cause was food, as the ravages of war came no closer to the capital city than 20 miles south.

It was here at Natural Bridge that a small group of older men and cadets from West Florida Seminary (now Florida State University) successfully defended the capital against attack. It was this heroic effort that distinguished Tallahassee as the only Southern Capital east of the Missis­sippi River not to fall to the Union Army. It was only two months later, however, that the union leaders returned in victory and raised the Stars and Stripes again over the Capitol and sent couriers into the countryside to advise the slaves they were now free.

Chief David Hutcheson 20TH CENTURY KREWE The time from 1900 until 1999 has seen Tallahassee come from a sleepy Southern town to a bold and progressive metropolitan area. State government is still the primary industry, but education plays a very important role in the city’s economy.

Tallahassee is now the seat of learning for two major universities, a junior college, a vocational school, six tax-supported high schools and several private schools. Agriculture, timber and cattle take an important seat in the economic structure of the community. Beauty still abounds.

The people are aware and concerned about their heritage, they are friendly and still bear signs of the Southern charm read about in romantic novels … and the love affair continues.

Chief Nick Bailey and wife Roberta Courtney-Bailey

Springtime Tallahassee 2021 13

BELLES AND GENTS OF SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE 2021

BELLES AND GENTS

MR. & MISS SPRINGTIME

TALLAHASSEE SYDE LONG, MR. SPRINGTIME RILEY ROWE, MISS SPRINGTIME PHOTOS BY IVORY FINE ART

Springtime Tallahassee’s Belles and Gents program is made up of young men and women from grades 9 through 12. Throughout the year, the Belles and Gents, along with the Jr. Belles and Gents, grades 5 through 8, develop poise, proper etiquette and self-confidence while studying the history and traditions of Florida, Springtime Tallahassee, and the city of Tallahassee. Along with learning about our history, the Belles and Gents participate in several philanthropic projects that give back to our community.

Springtime Tallahassee is very proud of the Belles and Gents and the wonderful way they care about our community.

Miss Congeniality Lauren Bonney

Belles and Gents

You're Invited TO

JOIN

SPRINGTIME

TALLAHASSEE

Becoming a member means becoming a part of Tallahassee history.

For more information visit us at www.springtimetallahassee.com

14 Springtime Tallahassee 2021

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SPEC IA L A DVERTISIN G SECTION

PROFESSIONAL PROFILES Tallahassee is a wonderful place to live and work largely because of the businesses and companies that keep it thriving. We entrust the business professionals in our community with helping us make financial, health care, economic, personal and promotional decisions. Choosing the right company to trust is essential. In this special section of Tallahassee Magazine, we profile selected, highly regarded professionals who have proven accountable, dependable, trustworthy and dedicated to improving the lives of those they assist.

Turn the pages to meet them.

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

Coldwell Banker Hartung OUR HISTORY IN BRIEF For over a century, Coldwell Banker has stood for something unique in the world of real estate — a star shining bright and blazing with passion, integrity and a commitment to excellence. The North Star on our logo symbolizes two distinctive elements: a mark of excellence and a beacon that explorers have used to guide them to the place they cherish most — home. Look to our North Star for a future of brilliant possibilities.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We are a full-service real estate company servicing North Florida and South Georgia and specializing in residential sales, commercial sales and leasing, corporate relocation and investment property sales.

WHAT SETS YOUR BUSINESS APART? First and foremost — integrity. Chip Hartung, the broker/owner, and our agents have built our business on high standards and principles. Our success is due in large part to the relationships we’ve built with our customers and the reputation we have earned and maintained.

Secondly, we operate with only fulltime agents. This provides our company

with highly experienced agents that are both committed to their career and helping our customers, whether it’s selling their property or finding a place to call their own.

Lastly, our partnership with the Coldwell Banker brand gives our brokerage a national platform, which helps attract high-quality agents, clients and customers. Coldwell Banker is 114 years old, and their practices are tried and true.

Coldwell Banker Hartung has served the Tallahassee, North Florida and South Georgia area for over 40 years.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR COMPANY? Our mission has never wavered: to deliver the treasure of “home,” ethically and honestly. Home is one of the most important things in our lives. The place we long for at the end of the day, the place that holds all we love and everything we cherish.

And it is our mission to bring the joy of home to every one of our clients with unrivaled expertise, passion and energy.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE ON THE COMMUNITY? Working as a real estate agent, our community is our place of work. All of us at Coldwell Banker Hartung

hope to make Tallahassee a better place by giving back to the place we call home.

We are proud to participate in many community events, volunteer programs, organizations and fundraisers all over the Big Bend, such as: Adopt-A-Pet, Joanna Francis Living Well, Christmas Connection, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, The Kearney Center, United Way and many more.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF WORKING FOR YOUR COMPANY? We pride ourselves on our family atmosphere. Real estate is a competitive business, but at Coldwell Banker Hartung, we encourage collaboration and teamwork. Experienced agents are willing to share knowledge with newer agents, while Chip and our managing broker, Joy Blomeley, continue to offer support through all transactions.

When you join Coldwell Banker Hartung, you become family.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? According to broker/owner Chip Hartung, our success is measured by our reputation.

We at Coldwell Banker believe that if you are going to do something, you should be the best at what you do. Never settle for average. Always be exceptional.

3 3 0 3 T HO M A S V IL L E ROA D | ( 8 5 0 ) 3 8 6 - 6 1 6 0 | CB H A RTU N G. COM

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SPEC IA L A DVERTISIN G SECTION

RECON Restoration & Reconstruction, LLC STEVEN WRIGHT, OWNER/PRESIDENT & ASHLEY GILL, OWNER/VICE PRESIDENT

PHOTO BY JOHN HARRINGTON (RECON)

F

or years, Steven Wright and Ashley Gill have been involved in restoring properties...

All it took was seeing the devastation experienced throughout the Panhandle from Hurricane Michael in 2018 to realize they wanted to be on the frontlines of helping their neighbors.

They thought to themselves, we could be the ones to provide help, and they did, opening their business RECON Restoration & Reconstruction LLC. Since that day, they have assisted their neighbors throughout Northwest Florida in being a one-stop shop for all restoration and reconstruction needs.

The company specializes in mold remediation, fire/smoke damage, water mitigation, personal contents/ packouts, eviction cleanings, full-service cleanings, tarping, storm damage cleanup, reconstruction, rebuilds and soon, roofing. Their main focus is residential, condominiums, student housing and commercial spaces.

Whether it is a home damaged by a natural disaster or a fixer-upper, from years of pursuing their own rental properties, they discovered that most homes need some form of restoration or renovation, even if it’s just a dose of tender loving care.

Wright and Gill grew up in military families and have built their business around military values and expectations.

They define their own success based upon the satisfaction of both their customers and their employees.

“We offer a customer-focused experience — seamless communication, competitive and fair pricing, highly skilled, IICRC certified technicians who are available 24/7 providing quality work every time,” said Gill.

Their intention is that RECON is always synonymous with trust and quality work. To date, their copious five-star reviews reflect that. They are preferred vendors for the top insurance companies in Florida and are highly skilled in dealing with insurance claims.

Whether it’s the roof over your head or the contents inside that make a house your home, RECON Restoration & Reconstruction LLC is there to help you restore normalcy — with improvements.

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc.

J

ust as you invest in your home, Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc. invests in you. Since 2005, Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc. has worked hard to make their group of experienced professionals among the highest producing brokerage firms in the Tallahassee area. They are a boutique real estate firm with expertise in every aspect

of Tallahassee’s dynamic real estate market. Whether it’s marketing your home for sale or helping you find a new home, Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc. has the influence, savvy, resources and experience to personally guide you from contract to closing.

Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc. can find unexpected opportunities for you.

You can trust their team to answer your questions and make your real estate transaction an easy process.

You deserve and should expect your REALTOR® and your real estate office to pull all the elements together for a successful transaction.

With over 30 experienced real estate agents, Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc. is here for YOU.

1390 TIMBERLANE ROAD | (850) 907-2051 | HILLSPOONER.COM | WEBMAIL@HILLSPOONER.COM

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SPEC IA L A DVERTISIN G SECTION

From left to right: Kristi Holland, Service Specialist (Killearn); Alex Gonzalez, Service Center Manager (Governor’s Crossing); Traci Poucher, Regional Manager; Kendalyn Gordon, Service Center Manager (Mahan).

CAMPUS USA Credit Union

C

AMPUS USA Credit Union is a people helping people type of business. As a not-for-profit cooperative, they are owned by their members to best serve the interests of their members. With 18 service centers in North Central Florida, they serve over 100,000 member-owners as a full service financial cooperative offering a multitude of consumer and business services — such as checking and savings accounts, auto and home loans, credit cards, investment services and more. Their shared vision is to empower their employees to make a positive difference in the financial lives of their members and in the communities they serve.

What sets your business apart? At CAMPUS, you’re not just a member — you own the place. Profits are returned to member-owners in the form of noand low-fee financial services and bestof-market rates on deposits and loans.

Since our members own CAMPUS, we can never be bought, nor can we merge with another institution without our members’ approval.

What impact do you hope to make on the community? We want to be

seen as a committed partner in the communities we serve. CAMPUS invests hundreds of thousands of dollars every year — these funds are donated directly

to local organizations that impact the community in a positive way.

What do you hope customers gain from interacting with your company? Most members are surprised that when they bank with us, it feels more like being a part of a big family rather than just “banking.” We hope our members always call us first when making big financial decisions — that’s why we’re here.

Most people don’t know this but … CAMPUS started like many small businesses — by a group of people who wanted to make a difference. The Credit Union started with nine members who each bought a $5 share account, which is the same price as a “share” today when a member opens an account.

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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

Brooks Law

has practiced law for over 30 years; they now get to work together every day at the family-owned firm.

OLIVIA BROOKS, ATTORNEY As someone who is close with her own family, f you are seeking the services of a law firm, she understands the unique circumstances it is likely you want both a friendly face of each family. Brooks knows how and an experienced attorney on your side. complicated and emotional each individual With Olivia Brooks of Brooks Law, there are situation can be. no sacrifices to these qualifications.

“Clients need a lawyer they can trust to Brooks specializes in family law, including help them handle the legal aspects of their divorce, paternity, parenting plans, child divorce or family case and explain to them support, equitable distribution, spousal the law so that they can focus on their own support, modifications, domestic violence emotional well-being and the well-being of injunctions and appeals. their children,” said Brooks.

Brooks is a Tallahassee native who The firm offers free legal consultations attended the Florida State University College to assess if the firm is a good fit for the of Law. Much of Brooks’ career path was client’s needs and to ensure each client feels inspired by her father Joseph Brooks, who completely secure in their representation.

I

“We advise clients throughout the entire process so that they can be confident they are making the best personal legal decisions,” said Brooks.

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U-Vest Financial ®

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? Our experienced financial advisors at U-Vest® Financial help individuals and businesses with investments, retirement services, business services, education funding, legacy planning, planned giving and insurance.

WHAT SETS YOUR BUSINESS APART? We believe the key to a successful, long-term, investmentadvising relationship is finding an advising team that invests by making decisions focused on “U.” You deserve a financial-planning strategy that adapts to your needs and goals. It’s important to our team that you have confidence

in your planning and investments when working with U-Vest® Financial.

We strive to EMPOWER our clients by providing a comfortable and exciting atmosphere to invest, plan and manage their wealth.

THE BEST ADVICE WE HAVE TO OFFER: We believe strongly in investing for the short-, mid- and long-term, no matter one’s age or demographics.

The combination of your hard work and accumulation of assets, with an advising team that can guide on appropriate investment strategies for each of these timeframes, can lead to powerful results.

(L-R, Top) Nick Brinson, Michael P. Davino, CFP®, Glenn Lillibridge, CRPC, Tim Dean (L-R, Bottom) Gary Parsons, CFP®, Sheila Kelly Securities and investment products and services offered through Waddell & Reed, Inc. (WRI), member FINRA/SIPC. U-Vest® Financial is a separate entity from WRI. Insurance products are offered through insurance companies with which Waddell & Reed has sales arrangements. Investing involves risk and the potential to lose principal. (05/21)

1 6 7 3 M A H A N C E N T E R B LV D . , TA L L A H A S S E E | ( 8 5 0 ) 3 0 0 - 7 0 5 5 | U V E S T @ W R A D V I S O R S . C O M

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Setting the Standard for Beautiful Smiles.

Experience the transformation with a smile designed by Dr. Thomas Oppenheim.

“People compliment me. I’m more self confident. It’s worked wonders in my life!”

Before

After

William, actual patient of Dr. Oppenheim.

207 East Jackson Street, Thomasville, GA 31792

CALL: (229) 226-1631

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PROMOTION

JUNE 10

Veronica Swift

↓

At age 26, Veronica Swift is one of the world’s most soughtafter jazz talents.

Swift recorded her first album and began professionally touring at age 9. She has performed at the Telluride Jazz Festival and with Michael Feinstein, Benny Green, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

OpeningNights.fsu.edu/events/ veronica-swift

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calendar PROMOTION

MAY/JUN 2021 For more events in Tallahassee, visit TallahasseeMagazine.com. compiled by JAVIS OGDEN and REBECCA PADGETT

MAY 13

SPRING INTO THE SPIRIT PHOTOS BY RAJ NAIK COURTESY OF OPENING NIGHTS (VERONICA SWIFT), SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE, LEON COUNTY GOLDEN EAGLE DINNER, BIG BEND HOSPICE (SPRING INTO THE SPIRIT) AND EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY

→ Big Bend Hospice presents their fundraiser

“Spring into the Spirit,” an exquisite evening that includes delicious cuisine from Food Glorious Food; complimentary wine, courtesy of SKD Consulting Group and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits; music by renowned artist Leon Anderson; and more.

Visiting Angels of Tallahassee is the presenting sponsor of this important community event.

Please call (850) 878-5310 or visit BigBendHospice.org/spring_into_the_spirit.

REGIONAL

MAY 15

SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE → Get ready for fine food, entertainment and

fun as Springtime Tallahassee moves to the North Florida Fairgrounds. Enjoy all of the festivities as MusicFest, Jubilee in the Park and the Children’s Park return to what is sure to be a warm welcome after a year away. Pandemic protocols will be observed.

Visit SpringtimeTallahassee.com to learn more.

MAY 14–23

Treasure Island

→ The feared black spot, a dead Billy Bones and a

treasure map to Captain Flint’s gold — stow away on the Hispaniola with Long John Silver and the crew as they hunt for hidden treasure on a remote Island. Our young hero Emily finds mutiny, treason and doubledealings around every corner in this reinvented classic tale that promises twists at every turn.

Visit EmeraldCoastTheatre.org/on-stage for tickets and additional information.

MAY 25

Leon County Golden Eagle Dinner

→ The Golden Eagle event brings together Leon County’s top business, civic and political leaders to honor outstanding members of our community and to support scouting. Guests are invited to enjoy a fun-filled and entertaining presentation and the feeling that comes with philanthropic compassion. This year’s honorees are Althemese Barnes, Mark O’Bryant and Rick Kearney.

For more information, please contact Terry Whitaker at (850) 576-4146 ext. 102 or terry.whitaker@scouting.org.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Althemese Barnes

The COVID-19 pandemic may affect the events listed here.

Consult websites to obtain the latest information on their status.

Mark O’Bryant

Rick Kearney

HAVE AN EVENT YOU’D LIKE US TO CONSIDER? Send an email to sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com.

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calendar

beautiful

EDWIN MCCAIN TRIO MAY 2

BODY CONTOURING RESULTS

Edwin McCain, known for his romance songs and massive pop success, will bring his top tunes, including “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More,” to listeners during an Opening Nights performance.

His acoustic trio joins him in this evening that is sure to evolve into a singalong. openingnights.fsu.edu

‘TWELFTH NIGHT’

not actual patients

MAY 6–9

CELEBRATING

YE A R

S

CELEBRATING YE A R

S

where expertise matters

Achieve beautiful results with personalized body contouring procedures. Sometimes even with exercise and weight control, we aren’t able to achieve our goal. This is especially the case with excessive weight loss or after pregnancy. Discover the beauty of a strong, positive selfimage with the help of our board-certified plastic surgeons with services to help you reach your goal including: ~ Tummy Tuck ~ Arm Lift

~ Thigh Lift ~ Buttock Lift

~ Lower Body Lift ~ Breast Rejuvenation

~ Mommy Makeover ~ Liposuction

LEARN MORE AND WATCH PATIENT TESTIMONIALS ON OUR VIDEO GALLERY AT www.se-plasticsurgery.com

Ben J. Kirbo, M.D. ~ Laurence Z. Rosenberg, M.D. Chris DeRosier, M.D. CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY

850.219.2000

2030 Fleischmann Rd. ~ Tallahassee, FL

Southern Shakespeare Company brings its sixth free Shakespeare in the Park Festival to Cascades Park. This year’s play is one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, sure to muse all fans of the bard with its mistaken identities and mischievousness. southernshakespearefestival.org

MATTHEW WHITAKER MAY 8 Classically trained in the piano and drums, Matthew Whitaker is a student at the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York City, the only community music school for the blind and visually impaired in the United States. Following performances at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, he is coming to The Moon in Tallahassee. openingnights.fsu.edu

some of Thomasville’s beautiful Victorian and antebellum homes on the Historic Walking and Driving Tour. The self-guided tours wind throughout Thomasville’s historic districts where you will see a variety of architectural styles dating to the 1800s. thomasvillega.visitwidget.com/tours/ thomasville-self-guided-tour

O’CONNOR LEE MAY 21 Hailing from Tennessee, this Americana singer/songwriter duo is working on a debut album, which they will share with their Tallahassee audience. They have performed at the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry and venues and festivals throughout the country. openingnights.fsu.edu

OLD SALT UNION MAY 27 This high-energy quintet fuses a variety of musical influences to produce a modern string sound. The group includes Ryan Murphey (banjo), Justin Wallace (lead vocals and mandolin), John Brighton (violin), Jesse Farrar (lead vocals and bassist) and Graham Curry (guitar). openingnights.fsu.edu

AN EVENING WITH BILLY DEAN JUNE 17

MAY 11–31

An award-winning American troubadour, Dean is a singer, guitar player, songwriter and storyteller. His songs span the genres of classic country, folk, Southern rock and bluegrass.

Enjoy the outdoors while viewing

openingnights.fsu.edu

THOMASVILLE’S HISTORIC WALKING AND DRIVING TOUR

REGIONAL

JUNE 23–27

EMERALD COAST BLUE MARLIN CLASSIC → Located at the South’s No. 1-ranked resort destination, the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic at Sandestin coincides with the peak of the Gulf Coast’s blue marlin season.

Last year, Mollie, a Destinbased G&S custom sport fisher, took the top prize with a 660.4-pound marlin and over $500,000 in prize earnings.

Visit FishECBC.com for registration and tournament details.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF EMERALD COAST BLUE MARLIN CLASSIC

ACHIEVE

MAY/JUN 2021

PROMOTION

SOCIAL STUDIES Big Bend Hospice Fall Fling Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament Beautiful weather combined with fun and competitive tennis made this inaugural event a success. Held at Golden Eagle, the tournament surpassed its fundraising goal by a factor of three. Sponsors and players were also treated to a fabulous kickoff party at Blu Halo that included live music, food and a silent auction.

OCT. 2–4

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHELLE EUBANKS

1 Co-chairs: Sharon Dailey and Michelle Eubanks 2 8.0 Winners: Judge Terry Lewis and Julie Smith

1

Creative Solutions

2

Crushed Deadlines Amazing Outcomes WE'LL HELP YOU

STAY ON TARGET 850.671.6600

WWW. TA R GETPR INTMAIL.C OM

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PROMOTION

SOCIAL STUDIES Fast Cars & Mason Jars FEB. 20 Tree House of Tallahassee hosted a successful 2021 Fast Cars & Mason Jars fundraiser at The Phipps Farm. Tree House of Tallahassee is a nonprofit that serves thousands of children throughout Tallahassee and the surrounding nine counties by providing an emergency shelter and safe home during times of crisis. All the funds raised throughout the event will provide the necessary clothing, bedding, toys, food and more to the children brought through Tree House. Everyone enjoyed an exciting silent and live auction with dinner and an open bar. Then the night ended with a new twist to the Tupelo After Party — bonfires and live music. The night was a huge success thanks to the fundraising committee and the generosity of the presenting sponsor Fasig Brooks Law Offices, and other premier sponsors, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, Stand Up MRI, Florida Power and Light, Capital City Bank and Heyser Jordan Chiropractic.

1

PHOTOS COURTESY OF 2021 FAST CARS & MASON JARS CHAIR, LAURA WITTENBERG

1 Tree House of Tallahassee Board Members Rear: Louis Poskey, Ashley Chaney, Billy Giddens, Carlecia Collins, Allie Vanlandingham, Laura Wittenberg, Mark Yealdhall and Julian Smith Front: Allison Harrell and Melanie Black 2 Tupelo Live Music - Otha Allen and Kristi Lien

2

3 Presenting Sponsor - Fasig | Brooks Law Offices 4 Ally Chavez, Sarah Torledsky, Julianna Smith and Tricia Smith

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FCS remains open and dedicated to safely caring for patients during the pandemic.

Your treatment.

Our Journey.

A cancer diagnosis can feel unexpected, leaving you questioning what to do next. But, within 72 hours, Florida Cancer Specialists gives you and your family the comfort of a personalized treatment plan.

Our experienced doctors and nurses provide immunotherapy, the latest technologies from clinical trials and targeted treatment based on your cancer’s genomic profile. And with world-class care that’s close to home, we’re always here to make treatment simple and clear.

NEWLY DIAGNOSED CANCER PATIENTS

SEEN WITHIN

By your side – every step of the way.

HOURS* Caring for patients at our NEW Tallahassee Cancer Center located at 2351 Phillips Road

Viralkumar Bhanderi, MD Paresh Patel, MD Scott Tetreault, MD Call: (850) 877-8166

ACCESS TO

NATIONAL

CLINICAL TRIALS

Gynecologic Oncology of Tallahassee, A Division of Florida Cancer Specialists: Margarett Ellison, MD Call: 1-888-GYNONC1

FLCancer.com May–June 2021 155

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1379 timberlane rd brushandpalettestudio.com info@brushandpalettestudio.com

893-1960

children‘s

(continued from page 83)

est 1975

Summer Art Camp painting drawing collage mixed media sculpture

Dear Companions In a host of ways, pets make life better STORY BY ROCHELLE KOFF // ILLUSTRATIONS BY LINDSEY MASTERSON

Accepting children who have completed Kindergarten-age 15.

Offering full and half-day camps.

See website for full camp listings.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened,” wrote the poet Anatole France.

If you’ve ever cherished an animal, you understand what France is talking about.

Animal lovers know they do not imagine this emotional bond, and so do scientists. Experts studying the relationship between people and pets find that positive human-animal interaction reduces stress, fear and anxiety and sparks an increase of oxytocin, the so-called love hormone.

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Business Insurance Specialists: Will Croley, Angie Hearl, Mary Katharine (Croley) Lawler, Doug Croley

We Focus on Your Insurance So You Can Focus on Your Business We Focus on Your Insurance So You Can Focus on YourGreen Business Circle 2814 Remington

• (850) 386-1922 • dougcroleyins.com

2814 Remington Green Circle, Tallahassee, FL 850-386-1922 • www.dougcroleyins.com

Tree Trimming PALMS • OAKS • PINES Ben Vasilinda 850.228.7208

Landscaping & Lawncare, LLC.

Licensed & Insured - Commercial & Residential

Lawn Maintenance . Tree Trimming . Debris Removal Roof & Gutter Clean-outs . Pressure Washing Overgrown Lot Clean-ups . 44-foot Bucket Truck

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She doesn’t reveal the horses’ names or genders, and while they interact with them on the ground, the clients don’t ride them.

How people interact with the horse can be a metaphor for other issues, like if someone says the horse is pushy, she can explore what pushy means to the client, said Samwel, whose own pets, besides the horses, include dogs, a cat and chickens.

“Horses, more than dogs, are so quiet,” she said.

“With their large, liquid eyes and big strength, they give people a sense of safety and serenity. They also are great teachers of being in the moment.”

Samwel’s current focus is to create half-day retreats for women “I’ve had pets working on mindfulness with all my life horses, with some help from the woodpeckers and all the other — dogs, cats, wildlife stopping by. horses. Every “You can sit in a peaceful time I’ve lost environment we create, invite the one, I’ve sworn horses to this peacefulness, and the horse may come and lay down to have no next to you,” she said. more. … But With the help of horses and so what — obstacles, her program also works on team building for businesses I always get to explore leadership styles, another pet. Or communication, creativity and several. Pets conflict resolution in a fun setting. just make But pet owners don’t need science or literature to convey life better.” what their animals mean to them.

— Phillip Koff On a walk with our three rescue dogs in Guyte P. McCord Park, my husband, Phillip, just smiled when talking about Lucy, Layla and Charlie.

“I’ve had pets all my life — dogs, cats, horses,” he said. “Every time I’ve lost one, I’ve sworn to have no more. Be free, avoid the heartbreak, I think. And, they’re time-consuming and expensive. But so what — I always get another pet. Or several. Pets just make life better.” TM

Guy Harvey’s

at Tropic Star Lodge Twenty-five anglers each trip will have the opportunity to join Guy and Jessica Harvey on a 5 day/5 night VIP experience at the world-famous Tropic Star Lodge in Piñas Bay, Panama.

Proceeds from the events will go to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation to support its marine conservation and research initiatives. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that the cost of participation in the adventure will be tax deductible to you.

Total Cost: $9,800 ■

■

■

■

■ ■

■ ■

■

Five day/five night all-inclusive stay at Tropic Star Lodge.

Five people each day will fish with Guy Harvey.

Four people each day will fish with Jessica Harvey and with a scientist from Guy Harvey Enterprises.

Additional fishing days will be standard trips on a Tropic Star boat with captain and a mate.

A personalized Guy Harvey print for each angler.

Welcome bag with Guy Harvey Tropic Star clothing and souvenir items.

Lifetime subscription to Guy Harvey Magazine.

Lifetime membership in the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Hammerhead Club.

Private dinners each night with Guy, Jessica Harvey and a scientist from Guy Harvey Enterprises.

■ ■

■ ■ ■

■

■

■

■

Two drinks per day and wine at dinner.

Personalized 30-minute video of your adventure.

Breakfast/lunch and happy hour snacks.

Lodging at Tropic Star, double occupancy.

During the week, Guy will paint an original piece to be auctioned off on the last night.

Two private “arrival” and “departure” cocktail parties at Tropic Star’s mountaintop Palace.

Round trip air charter from Panama City to Piñas Bay.

Ground transportation from airport to hotel and domestic/international airport.

VIP greeting by Tropic Star representative as you depart your flight and personal support while going through customs. While waiting for transfer, admission to airport VIP lounge pending COVID restrictions.

For available expedition dates, contact browland@GuyHarvey.com

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TA L

2020

S E’

SSEE MAGAZ HA IN LA

BEST TA L

our mission is the same as our passion: to serve the most delicious mexican cuisine at five great locations. we invite you to stop by for our world-famous fajitas.

southwood

727-0094 |

capital circle ne

385-9992 |

north monroe

878-0800 |

kerry forest

668-1002 |

crawfordville

926-4329

We only serve the

freshest!

Hibachi Tables • Sushi Bar • Happy Hour Private Dining • Large Parties Welcome

OPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH AND DINNER

BESTIN DESTIN VIP DESTIN MAGAZINE READER CHOICE AWARD

Hibachi

Asian Cuisine

2021

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DESTIN 34745 Emerald Coast Pkwy | (850) 650-4688 TALLAHASSEE 1489 Maclay Commerce Drive | (850) 900-5149 • (850) 531-0222 PANAMA CITY BEACH 15533 Panama City Beach Parkway | (850) 588-8403

WWW.OSAKAHIBACHIANDSUSHI.COM

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of

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dining guide AMERICAN ANDREW’S DOWNTOWN

After 40 years, Andrew’s is still an energetic, casual, see-and-be-seen spot.

House favorites include a popular lunch buffet, hamburgers, salads and pasta dishes. Downtown delivery.

2020 won’t serve you up greasy, fried wings; instead Island Wing bakes them fresh. 1370 Market St. (850) 692-3116. $ L

JUICY BLUE

Located in the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, this cool lobby restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Unique dishes include tapas with a twist, such as the Georgia peaches with caramel. 316 W. Tennessee St.

(850) 222-3444/Fax, (850) 222-2433. $$ B L D

(850) 422-0071. $ B L D

BACKWOODS CROSSING ★

KOOL BEANZ ★

Sit down at this 2020 Best of winner for fresh gourmet food at Tallahassee’s farm-to-table, destination concept restaurant featuring locally caught and produced soft-shell crabs, sausage, duck and blueberries. 6725 Mahan Dr.

(850) 765-3753. $$ L D

BUMPA’S LOCAL #349

Featuring burgers, sandwiches, pastas, fried ribs, tacos and wings, this new neighborhood bar and grill has something for everyone.

2738 Capital Circle NE. (850) 599-8652. $L D

DOG ET AL ★

Foot-long and veggie entrees alike grace this award-winning menu. Also ask about their incredibly valued family packs. 1456 S. Monroe St. (850) 222-4099. $L D

This relaxed fine dining establishment is equipped with a beer garden, wine cellar, casual café, open-air alternatives and a gorgeous view that has become a Tallahassee favorite. 470 Suwannee St. (850) 684-2117. $$/$$$

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD ★

The name says it all! This restaurant boasts a palate-pleasing combination of personalized service, eclectic ambiance and award-winning cuisine and is the Best Desserts winner for 2017–20. 1950 Thomasville Road.

(850) 224-9974. $$ L D

HOPKINS’ EATERY ★

A Best of 2020 winner, Hopkins’ provides favorites such as the Ultimate Turkey, the Linda Special and a variety of salads to keep customers coming back. Multiple locations. Hours vary. $

ISLAND WING COMPANY ★

Get baked! Tally’s Best Sports Bar for

★ 2020 Best

of Tallahassee Winner

Thomasville Rd. (850) 224-2466. $$ L D

LIBERTY BAR AND RESTAURANT ★

Carefully crafted unique cocktails mixed with a gourmet menu that features fresh, local produce. 1307 N. Monroe, Unit No. 2.

(850) 354-8277. $$ D

LOFTY PURSUITS ★

NEW LOCATION

COMING SOON

2226 N Monroe St 1241 Apalachee Parkway | (850) 671-2722

CraftyCrabRestaurant.com/location/tallahassee

This old-fashioned soda fountain serves ice cream, milkshakes and candy — plus brunch dishes and a selection of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. 1355 Market St.,

A11. (850) 521-0091. $ B

MADISON SOCIAL

THE EDISON

THE KEY

Eclectic and edgy, both in menu and atmosphere, Kool Beanz delights in art present both on the walls and your plates. This offbeat alternative won Best Casual Dining in Tallahassee. 921

Whether it’s for a social cocktail, a quick lunch or a place to gather before home football games, Madison Social offers something for everyone.

705 S. Woodward Ave. (850) 894‑6276. $$ B L D

MIDTOWN CABOOSE ★

Outrageous burgers in a laid-back atmosphere — Wells Bros. lives on at this burger joint, voted Tallahassee’s best for 2020. 1406 N. Meridian Road.

(850) 521-1933. $$ L D

OVERUNDER BAR ★

Two experiences under one roof, OverUnder features specialty cocktails plus curated food and drink pairings and is a 2020 Best Wine List/Wine Bar winner. 1240 Thomasville Rd. (850) 597-7552. $$

R&R EATERY

Located in Hotel Indigo, R&R Eatery is a modern American restaurant with fresh takes on classic dishes and a mix of signature craft cocktails. 826 W. Gaines St.

(850) 210-0008. $$ B D

The restaurants that appear in this guide are included as a service to readers and not as recommendations of the Tallahassee Magazine editorial department, except where noted. $$ Moderately B Breakfast/ Outdoor Dining L D

Brunch Lunch Dinner

Live Music Bar/Lounge $ Inexpensive

Expensive

$$$ Expensive

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ROOTSTOCK

With an ever-changing menu of unique flavors, Rootstock offers shareable plates, artisan cocktails and a selection of 25 wines by the glass. 228 South Adams. (850) 518-0201. $$$ D

SAGE RESTAURANT ★

Sage’s menu masterfully melds regional influences, including Southern and French. The setting is gorgeous but cozy, and the outdoor patio sets a charming, romantic tone for a relaxing evening. 3534 Maclay Blvd. (850) 270-9396.

$$$ B L D

SAVOUR

Downtown fine dining with a vision for seasonally inspired, regionally sourced and creatively prepared cuisine, such as bourbon-brined pork chops, Gulf Coast bouillabaisse or miso marinated grouper. 115 E. Park Ave.

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GREAT MOMS DESERVE THE BEST! CARRY OUT AVAILABLE Killearn Shopping Center (850) 222-5458

Ocala Corners (850) 575-5458

KIKUBOGO.COM

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SAFETY & QUALITY ARE PRIORITY

TABLE 23 ★

This “Southern porch, table and bar” is cozied up among oak trees on one of Tallahassee’s favorite street corners.

Lucky Goat coffee-rubbed ribeye and Schermer pecan-crusted chicken are among the regional offerings.

1215 Thomasville Rd. (850) 329-2261. $$$ L D

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE ★ At this 2020 Best Juice Bar/Smoothie restaurant, experience an array of flavorful and health-conscious smoothies paired with toasted wraps, sandwiches, grilled flatbreads and gourmet salads. Multiple locations. $L D

UPTOWN CAFÉ

Specialties at the bustling, family-run café include apricot-glazed smoked salmon, one-of-a-kind omelets, banana bread French toast and flavorful sandwiches. 1325 Miccosukee

Rd. (850) 219-9800. $ B L

ASIAN AZU LUCY HO’S

Enjoy an extensive array of classic dishes with a modern flare, including gyoza dumplings, crab rangoon, General Tso’s chicken and Szechuan beef, all in a relaxed setting. 3220 Apalachee Pkwy., Ste. 13. (850) 893-4112. L D

BORU BORU

A fast-casual eatery inspired by Japanese cuisine, featuring sushi bowls, poke bowls and sushi burritos. 1861 W. Tennessee St., #290.

(850) 270-9253. $$ L D

KIKU JAPANESE FUSION ★

From tempura to teriyaki and sushi to sashimi, Kiku Japanese Fusion, voted Best Sushi in 2020, fuses vibrant flavors with fresh ingredients.

800 Ocala Rd. (850) 575-5458, 3491 Thomasville Rd. (850) 222-5458. $$ L D

EVERYTHING FOR THE BACKYARD BIRDER BIRD FOOD | FEEDERS | GARDEN ACCENTS | UNIQUE GIFTS

2098 Thomasville Road | (850) 576-0002 Shop online at MyWBU.com/Tallahassee

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MASA ★

A 2020 Best Asian winner, Masa’s menu offers a creative blend of Eastern and Western cuisines.

1650 N. Monroe St. (850) 727-4183. $/$$

NAGOYA STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI Dine in or takeout, Nagoya offers a wide variety of authentic Japanese

cuisine, including hibachi, salads, sushi and sashimi. 1925 N. Monroe St. $/$$ L D

OSAKA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE AND SUSHI BAR ★ Rated Best Hibachi for 2020, Osaka provides dinner and a show, with the chefs seasoning and preparing your meal right in front of you. 1489 Maclay

Commerce Dr. (850) 900-5149. $$$ D

BBQ WILLIE JEWELL’S OLD SCHOOL BBQ ★

Platters, sandwiches or by the pound, Willie Jewell’s, the 2020 Best Barbecue winner, offers smoked brisket, pork, turkey, sausage, chicken and ribs with a bevy of Southern sides. 5442 Thomasville Rd.

(850) 629-4299. $ L D

BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH/BAKERY CANOPY ROAD CAFÉ ★

Traditional breakfasts, fluffy omelets, skillets, French toast and sweet potato pancakes keep customers coming back to this 2020 Best Breakfast winner. Canopy also goes all out on lunch favorites.

Multiple locations. (850) 668-6600. $ B L

THE EGG CAFÉ & EATERY

When you’re looking for breakfast favorites, even if it’s lunchtime, The Egg is the place to be. Second location now open in Kleman Plaza. Multiple

Locations. (850) 907-3447. $$ B L

TASTY PASTRY BAKERY ★

Tallahassee’s original cakery and 2020 Best Bakery winner features fresh breads, bagels, pies, cakes and catering.

Mon–Sat 6:45 am–6 pm. 1355 Market St., No. A-5. (850) 893-3752. $ B L D

TREVA’S PASTRIES AND FINE FOODS

Specializing in sweet treats, cakes, pastries and croissants, this bistro-style pastry shop and fine foods store also uses 100% natural ingredients to make savory sandwiches, salads and soups. 2766 Capital Circle NE. (850) 765-0811. $$ L

CAJUN COOSH’S BAYOU ROUGE ★

This Best Cajun Restaurant winner for 2020 brings a menu jam-packed with Louisiana-style dishes, including favorites like jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, po’boys and seafood gumbo. Multiple locations.

(850) 894‑4110. $$ B L D

CATERING SIMPLY ENTERTAINING ★

This 2020 Best of Tallahassee winner is ready to cater your next big event or intimate party with locally and organically grown ingredients; can accommodate vegan, gluten-free and other special dietary requests.

1355 A-10 Market St. (850) 668-1167.

CUBAN GORDOS

Tallahassee’s top Cuban spot for over 30 years, Gordos features favorites such as croquetas, papas rellenas, empanadas and pressed sandwiches like their classic Cubano. 1460 Market St. Suite #3-4. $L D

Restaurant, El Jalisco, where they do Mexican cuisine to perfection. Multiple

locations. $ L D

EL PATRON MEXICAN GRILL & CANTINA

Find all your authentic Mexican classics such as tacos, quesadillas, fajitas and burritos, or take a sip of a yardstick margarita. 1170 Apalachee

Pkwy. (850) 656-7264. $$ L D

FRENCH LITTLE PARIS RESTAURANT

Authentic French cuisine in a relaxing casual atmosphere; try classics such as escargot, foie gras, duck leg confit, beef burgundy, wild sea bass and so much more. Curbside available. 1355 Market St. (850) 765-7457. $$$ L D

ITALIAN/PIZZA BELLA BELLA ★

Voted Best Italian in 2020, this locally owned and operated restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and serves all the classics to satisfy your pasta cravings.

123 E. 5th Ave. (850) 412-1114. $$ L D

IL LUSSO ★

Homemade pasta, local seafood and a choice of prime steaks define this downtown fine dining experience. 201

E. Park Ave., Suite 100. (850) 765-8620. $$$ D

MOMO’S ★

After devouring a slice “as big as your head” at this 2020 Best Pizza winner, chain pizza simply is not gonna cut it.

SEAFOOD/STEAK THE BLU HALO ★

Blu Halo is a high-end culinary experience featuring dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood along with fine wines and a martini bar. A private dining room for up to 20 guests is available. 3431 Bannerman

Rd., #2 (850) 999-1696. $$$ L D

CRAFTY CRAB

Offering the freshest seafood and most authentic recipes in the area, including crab, crawfish, calamari, lobster, oysters, mussels, scallops and more. 1241

Apalachee Pkwy & 2226 N. Monroe St. (850) 671-2722. $$ L D

GEORGIO’S FINE FOOD & SPIRITS

George Koikos has over 50 years of experience in Tallahassee restaurants, and his hands-on commitment has made this upscale restaurant a local favorite featuring local seafood, prime steaks and banquet rooms for private parties. 2971

Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 877-3211. $$$ D

RICCARDO’S RESTAURANT

Located in Hotel Duval. Keep it light and casual with a premium Black Angus beef burger or a gourmet salad, or opt for one of their signature entrées — a “Shula Cut” steak.

Reservations suggested. 415 N. Monroe

MEDITERRANEAN SAHARA CAFE MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE ★

This 2020 Best Ethnic Restaurant winner is a family owned and operated restaurant. Sahara Cafe has been serving homemade Greek and Lebanese food to Tallahassee for 15 years. 1135 Apalachee Pkwy.

(850) 656-1800. $$ L D

3740 Austin Davis Ave. Tues-Sun 7am-2pm (850) 765-0703

Visit Our New Location Kleman Plaza Tues-Sun | 7am-2pm (850) 907-EGGS (3447)

Serving Southern, Cajun and Creole flavors in classic and modern dishes since 1987. Full bar is available at each location. 301 S. Bronough St., in Kleman

Plaza. (850) 222-3976. $$ L D

(850) 386-3988. $$ L D

Great Friends

HARRY’S SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL

Multiple locations. (850) 224‑9808. $L D

A Tallahassee tradition since 1999, Riccardo’s features savory Italian classics, from pasta and pizza to homemade subs and calzones — plus a wide-ranging selection of wines and craft brews. 1950 Thomasville Rd.

Great Food

SHULA’S 347

St. (850) 224-6005. $$$ L D

SOUTHERN SEAFOOD ★

Whether you’re looking for fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab or lobster, the 2020 Best Seafood Market winner brings the ocean’s freshest choices to Tallahassee. 1415 Timberlane Road.

(850) 668‑2203.

TALLY FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BAR

Locally owned seafood restaurant boasts a raw bar and a bevy of fresh seafood such as catfish, stuffed Gulf grouper, shrimp, red snapper and more. Takeout available.

6802 Thomasville Rd. (850) 900-5075. $$ L D

MEXICAN EL JALISCO ★

In the mood for sizzling enchiladas and frozen margaritas? Make your way to the 2020 Best Mexican/Latin American

WHARF CASUAL SEAFOOD ★

A Tallahassee institution, the Wharf will fill your need for the coast with fresh seafood, salads, seafood tacos and po’boys. Also available for catering. 3439 Bannerman Rd. and 4036 Lagniappe Way. (850) 765-1077 and (850) 668-1966. $$ L D

Visit our comprehensive, searchable dining guide online at TallahasseeMagazine.com/restaurants.

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postscript

A PLACE LIKE HOME

Tallahassee’s brand is buried in the stories we tell

by JAY REVELL

T

he debate over whether Tallahassee has a strong brand perennially stimulates conversation about logos, slogans and iconic images of our hometown.

We have some outstanding marketing minds in this city, but we’ve never arrived at a branding campaign with staying power.

The people behind the world’s strongest brands are consummate storytellers. The likes of Coca-Cola, Nike and Apple have found ways to communicate what they do through stories told by their customers. Some cities succeed at the same game. Mentions of San Francisco, New Orleans or even Orlando cause certain stories to leap to mind.

Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company with must-have products or a destination that people can’t stop talking about, having a brand means that people have a clear understanding of what you’re all about.

Tallahassee’s branding struggles have not persisted due to a lack of effort. The slogan “Florida with a Southern Accent” was once widely received as positive. An attempt was made to use a star like those that denote a capital city on a map for a logo.

Neither stuck.

In my view, there just wasn’t enough storytelling surrounding them. The most familiar brands did not result from an epiphany in a brainstorming session, but instead from years, if not decades, of non-stop storytelling.

A brand is a feeling. Coca-Cola connotes childhood summers, neighborhood cookouts, and bonds between family and friends. For Apple, it’s a feeling of being on the cutting edge. Nike’s brand is all about pushing limits and achieving personal goals. “San Francisco” captures the spirit of California, “New Orleans” sounds like jazz and tastes like Old Bay seasoning, “Orlando” invites people to escape routine.

How does Tallahassee make people feel?

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For me, Tallahassee is a feeling of home.

It’s a place that may be hard to fall in love with but one that nearly everyone finds difficult to leave. (And many who do leave come back.) Tallahassee is an ample front porch, a friendly smile, a soft gentle breeze in spring. We are woodsy trails and tall trees; government and education; festivals and football.

In many ways, Tallahassee is like being at Thanksgiving all year-round. Our streets, neighborhoods, parks and other special places are like the table with the extra leaf put in for a traditional gathering.

In 2024, Tallahassee will turn 200 years old. The bicentennial is the branding opportunity of two centuries.

It’s the sort of anniversary that a marketing wiz will salivate over. I recommend that we all start telling more stories in preparation for the celebration.

If we take the time to share what makes us feel the way we do about our town, then we just might reveal our true brand.

Think of it this way: If you were preparing a new romantic partner to meet members of your family, you wouldn’t use a logo or slogan to describe them. Instead, you’d tell stories about your brothers and sisters, mom and dad, cousins and pets, aunts and uncles. Those stories would make them more than just people around a table. They would describe a collection of souls worth sharing an experience with.

So, the next time you hear someone talk about Tallahassee’s brand or ask what makes this place special, tell them some stories about why you love it here. Talk about Tallahassee just like you would your family. And, be sure to ask them how they feel after hearing all about it.

In such a way, a brand emerges, becomes clear, gets shared and hangs around. TM Jay Revell of Tallahassee is a golf writer and public affairs professional.

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (JRALFORD GREENWAY), DAVE BARFIELD (SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE), ADAM COHEN / BLUEPRINT2000 (CASCADES) AND ALEX WORKMAN (REVELL)

↑ SCENES FROM TALLAHASSEE STORIES A J.R. Alford Greenway trail; Cascades Park at nightfall; the Springtime Tallahassee parade.

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