Community Happenings 11-16
All area codes are 850 unless noted.
Applications for Christmas Parade
Entry applications for the Destin Christmas Parade are available at cityofdestin.com and at the Destin Community Center. The deadline to apply is Nov. 29. In lieu of an entry fee, participants are asked to make toy and/or non-perishable food donations.
The parade will be held at 10 a.m. Dec.14 along Harbor Boulevard between Main Street and Stahlman Avenue.
Main Street Market
Destin’s Main Street Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday in the parking lot of the Destin Water Users Building, 218 Main Street, with fresh local produce, baked goods, jams and jellies, jewelry, soap, farm fresh eggs, milk, local roasted coffee, tacos, Crust artisan bakers, fresh gyros and salads. Call 855-6384.
Christmas Bazaar
Harvest House will host its fifth annual Christmas Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 16 at 300 Mountain Drive in Destin. Waffle House will provide free food for the outdoor event. Christmas items that have been collected throughout the year will be on sale at discounted prices. Proceeds from the thrift store sales are used to stock the food pantry and provide area families turkeys, hams, fresh vegetables and all of the trimmings for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
Event in the Tent
Feline Friends of Destin will participate in the PetSmart Charities-sponsored “Event in the Tent” Adoption Weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17 in the parking lot of the PetSmart store in Destin. Adoption goal is 40 cats and dogs. There will be a bake sale, gourmet hot dogs, carnival tent games and lots of rescue pets for adoption. Call 837-3869 or visit the PetSmart Destin Adoption Center.
Teen Takeover
Teen Takeover at the Destin Library starts at 5 p.m. Nov. 21 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new teen space. Other activities include refreshments, Silent Library, Name the Space Contest, a Catching Fire Party and a showing of “The Hunger Games” at 6:30 p.m. Call 837-8572.
Blood Drive
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast will host the Oneblood mobile unit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at the main entrance of the hospital. All donors will receive a free T-shirt and a meal ticket to the hospital’s café.
Fund raiser
GRACE Rides, equine-assisted therapeutic ministry for special needs individuals, will host a fundraising event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 23 at Camp Timpoochee in Niceville. The day features horses, kids, food and fun with riding demonstrations, animals to pet, a bouncy house, hay rides and carnival games. Admission is free. Participation in carnival activities is by small donation. Silent auction and a chance to win a pot of money through our “Road Apple Bingo” will also be available until 1 p.m. Call 259-9195.
Chocoholic Frenzy
The Fort Walton Beach Woman’s Club hosts Chocoholic Frenzy plus a Market and Silent Auction from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at Westwood Atrium. Tickets are $10 from club members or at P.S. Gifts, Bayou Books or Connect With Flowers. Proceeds benefit the club’s many charities.Call 240-2814.
Midnight Madness
The After-Thanksgiving sale at Silver Sands Premium Outlets kicks off at midnight as Thanksgiving ends and runs through Dec. 1 with a wide range of extraordinary savings, early-bird offers and more. Nov. 29 hours are midnight to 10 p.m.; Nov. 30, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Dec. 1, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Color Me Cured
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s inaugural Color Me Cured 5K/10K Fun Run will be held at 9 a.m. Nov. 30 at Fort Walton Beach Landing. Along the route you will be drenched in an array of vibrant colors. Food and entertainment follows. Register at 8 a.m. Call 830-7126 or email fwblisa@embarqmail.com for fees and registration.
Choctawhatchee Audubon Society
• Dec. 5: Monthly meeting and program at 6:30 p.m. in Room 130 of the new Student Services Building at NWFSC. Lan Knothe, biologist, presents pictorial survey of birds that are rare or difficult to identify during the Christmas bird count. Admission is free. Call 582-7461.
• Dec. 7: Bird Walk at the Okaloosa Landfill led by Alan Knothe. Bring binoculars, cameras, and spotting scopes, and wear good shoes. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Coach and Four Restaurant on North Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach. Call 862-3498.
Luminaria Run
The Third Annual Luminaria Run to End Domestic & Sexual Violence, a unique twilight run, will take place at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7 beginning at Destin City Hall Annex. The course will follow a path through the Indian Bayou neighborhood lined with more than 2,000 luminarias. The race includes 5k and 9k courses.
Early bird registration is available through Sept. 30 with cost adults, 5k — $25; 9k — $40. Children ages 3 through 12 are $10 for the 5k and $15 for the 10k.
To register, visit www.shelterhousenwfl.org or www.imathlete.com or call 243-1201.
Craft Show
Christmas in the Village Craft Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 7 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Destin Community Center. Cost is $40/residents and $50/non-residents. Visit cityofdestin.com for an application.
Feline Friends Fundraiser
Feline Friends of Destin will hold a fundraiser from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 12 at Chick-Fil-A on U.S. 98 in Destin next to Big Kahuna’s. Chick-Fil-A will donate 10 percent of sales on the second Thursday of each month. Call 837-3869.
Farmer’s Market
The merchants of Downtown Fort Walton Beach will hold a Farmer’s Market from 8 a.m. to noon March 8 in downtown Fort Walton Beach, 201 S.E. Miracle Strip Parkway in the grassy area behind Burrito Del Sol and Bella Day Spa & Hair Studio.
Future dates include April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12 and Aug. 9.
Spring Market
The Junior League of the Emerald Coast’s sixth annual Spring Market will be held April 26 and 27 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center on Okaloosa Island and will feature vendors from around the country selling unique gifts and quality merchandise.
Destin Library
The following events are held regularly at the Destin Library. Call 837-8572.
• Tai Chi: 9-10 a.m. Mondays. Cost is $5/class. Register by phone at 837-8572 or in person at the Library.
• Cuddlers & Toddlers Storytime: From 3-3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 9:30-10:15 a.m. Thursdays for ages 4 months to 4 years.
• Independent Film Series: Independent and foreign films shown at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month.
• Friends of the Destin Library: Monthly meeting held at 10 a.m. the second Friday of each month.
Destin Community Center
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 for information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
• Adult Open Gym: Monday from 6-9 p.m. for 17 and up to play full-court pickup basketball games. Destin residents are free and non-residents are $2.
• Brazilian Martial Arts: A Capoeira class that combines the elements of dance, acrobatics and music from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays.
• Cheerleading: Currently accepting registrations for Winter Destin Dolphin Cheerleading program for youth ages 5-12. Cost is $20/residents and $30/non-residents plus uniform costs. Practices begin early November and games start after Thanksgiving.
• Duplicate bridge: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. Entry fee: $6. No partner needed.
• Intermediate party bridge: Mondays and Tuesdays at 12:45 p.m. at Buck Destin Park. Call 837-1967. Beginning bridge class at 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays. $2/session.
• Kidz Klub: After-school program from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday for grades K-4.
• Low Impact Aerobics: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15 a.m. beginning Nov. 4. Bring water and a towel. Cost is $3/session.
• MMA Fitness: Class from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday for all ages. Cost is $7. Grappling bags and gloves provided.
• Pickleball: All levels, including first timers, welcome. Visit www.usapa.org to learn more. Cost is $2/resident and $3/non-resident.
• Walking Club: Walk with music from 8-9 a.m. Monday-Friday.
• Woodcarving: Fridays at 9 a.m. Fee is $2.
• Youth Basketball League: Practices begin the week of Nov. 4 with games starting after Thanksgiving for ages 3-15. Fees are $45/residents and $55/ non-residents. Team sponsorships needed. Registrations being accepted.
• Zumba gold: Thursday at 11 a.m. Cost is $6/class.