Community Happenings Jan. 17

All area codes are 850 unless noted.

Financial Seminar

Medicare rights and protection is topic at 10 a.m. Jan. 19in the The Family Birth Place, second-floor education room, at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach. Make reservation at 416-1620 or 877-416-1620.

Support group

The breast cancer support group meets at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Olson Women’s Diagnostic Center at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. Call 278-3980.This meeting will feature an art activity through the hospital’s Arts In Medicine program.

Historical presentation

The next presentation by H. C. “Hank” Klein, writer of History Mystery articles that appear monthly in The Log, is Leonard Destin: Destin’s Founding Father at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Destin Library, 150 Sibert Ave. Make reservations at 837-5248.

• Feb. 12: The long lost history of Miramar Beach Was Once Shoals, Florida at 7:30 a.m. at the Rotary Club of South Walton County, Embassy Suites in Miramar Beach.

• Feb. 19: Review of Destin History Mysteries published in Log at 5:30 p.m. at the Destin Library. Make reservations at 837-5248.

Snowbird Movie

The Destin Library will hold a Snowbird Movie Matinee at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 featuring “Get On Up.”

• Jan. 28: The Judge

Square dancing

The Sand Spurs Square & Line Dance Club will hold open houses from 7-9 p.m. Jan. 22 and 29 at Pasarda Hall, 17 Industrial St. in Fort Walton Beach. Cost is $5 person and refreshments are welcomed. Dress is casual and comfortable shoes. Instructor/Caller is Miriam Merriwether. Classes begin Feb. 5. Call 974-0091 for information.

Story Hour

Every Thursday, Starbucks at HarborWalk Village will host StoryHour@Starbucks at 3:30 p.m. There will be hot chocolate available for the kids, and all parents get 20 percent off their purchase.

Photo competition

The Crestview Photo Club’s online photo competition will be held Jan. 1-31. The required topic will be “Street Life.” To enter, upload any number of titled photographs depicting street life compositions to the club’s Facebook page. For each submission there is a $2 donation request. Forward your name, phone number, email address, photograph title/s, and payment to Crestview Photo Club, P.O. Box 1573, Crestview FL 32536. Photographs will be voted on by the public through the Facebook page. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners.

Farmers Market

The WaterColor Coastal Farmers Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays at Cerulean Park. The Market will have an array of items and holiday goodies to choose from with over 30 participating vendors. Traditional Farmers Market items such as local farm fresh produce, eggs, and dairy products will be available. There will also be a large variety of organic and homemade items such as Greek gourmet foods, hot and jerk sauces, grass fed beef, chicken, and pork. The WCFM will also include crafts and holiday gift baskets along with blown glass art and pottery.

Florida Chautauqua

Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise will be the featured keynote speaker at the 2015 Florida Chautauqua Assembly themed “From the River to the Rocket: A Journey into the World of Transportation.” He will speak at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 23 at Walton High School, 449 Walton Road in DeFuniak Springs. Tickets are available for $15 at 892-7613.

Caregiver seminar

An educational workshop, “Family Caregivers Seminar; Taking Care of a Loved One at Home,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 24 at The Meridian at Westwood, 1001 Mar Walt Drive in Fort Walton Beach. Topics will be presented by speakers from Home Instead Senior Care, Magnolia Manor, Covenant Alzheimer’s Services and Emerald Coast Estate Law PL. Admission is $8 with an RSVP by Jan. 19 or $10 for later RSVP’s and at the door.  Admission includes lunch. RSVP at 243-6464 or tammyfeora@homeinstead.com. All money raised from the event will be donated to Covenant Alzheimer’s Services.

Choctawhatchee Audubon Society

Bird walk on the shorelines of Niceville and Valparaiso Jan. 24 with bird photographer and photopaddler, Walt Spence, and see mergansers, loons, grebes, and buffleheads. Bring cameras and binoculars. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in front of Badcock Furniture in Bayou Plaza Shopping Center at the intersection of John Sims Parkway and Hwy. 85 South. Call 582-7064.

Public Hearing

Members of Okaloosa County state legislative delegation will hold a public hearing from 5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 26 at The Emerald Cost Association of Realtors, 10 Hollywood Blvd. NE in Fort Walton Beach. Public comments will be heard on proposals for the 2015 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature.  If you would like to be placed on the agenda or submit handouts, call 833-9328 or email Amanda.Neeld@myfloridahouse.govbefore 5 p.m. Jan. 21.

Lunch & Learn

The Friends Guild of the Destin Library will host a three-week Women’s Literature Circle Series with Dr. Patricia Moran from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 at the Destin Library. The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are required at 837‐8572. Registrants are reminded to bring a bag lunch during this series.

• Jan. 26: Women’s Literature & the “F” Word: Not Necessarily Synonymous

• Feb. 2: How to Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm: Stereotyping in Literature

• Feb. 9: I Shall Get Along Somehow: Women & Poetry

Alzheimer’s support group

Covenant Alzheimer’s Services will hold a free support group for family members or friends coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease at 2 p.m. Jan. 27 at Sacred Heart of the Emerald Coast, Suite 3 Conference Room. Call 866-478-7790. Meets last Tuesday of every month.

Seminars

Margaret R. McDowell, firm founder of Arbor Wealth Management, LLC, a “fee-only” registered investment advisory firm, will host “Opportunities and Risks in 2015 Capital Markets” at 10 a.m. Jan. 28 in the Arbor Wealth Conference Room in Miramar Beach. Another seminar will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in the dining room at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club at Wild Heron in Panama City Beach and will provide a current market analysis and discuss expectations for 2015 market trends. Call 608-6121 to reserve seating. Refreshments will be served.

Diabetes classes

Jenny Stuckey, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator, andAnne Townley, registered dietician and certified diabetes educator,  will host self-management classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 29 in the Resource Center Suite 1 education building at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. Pre-registration required and a physician referral is needed to attend. Call 278-3683.

Computer Tech

Northwest Florida State College will host Computer Tech 2015 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 31 in the Student Services Center on the Niceville campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Library movies

The Destin Library will host Early Release School Day Movies from 1:15-3:15 p.m. Feb. 5, March 5 and April 2, aimed at those in grades 3-5. The program is designed to connect popular children’s movies with available themed reading materials on the same topic or genre at the library. Movie selections will be announced prior to the scheduled movie date. Pre-registration is required at wrogers@cityofdestin.com. Refreshments will be provided.

Audubon Society

The Choctawhatchee Audubon Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in Room 130 of the new Student Services Building at NWFSC. Program will be “A Green Fire Presentation of Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic” by Professor Emeritus Don Baltz, Louisiana State. Admission is free and open to the interested public. Call 678-1461.

• Feb. 13-15: Annual Retreat to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge at Ellisville, Miss. Meet this rare and magnificent bird on a guided tour of the refuge, and then engage in general birding in this ecologically interesting location. For more information call 678-6665.

• 28 Feb:Join local ornithologist, Alan Knothe, for a bird walk to the Okaloosa County Landfill and FWB Spray Fields. Expect to see raptors, waders, ducks, and wintering songbirds. Bring binoculars, good walking shoes, water, and sunscreen. Meet at the parking lot of the Coach and 4 Restaurant, 1313 N. Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach at 7:30 a.m. Call 208-1780.

Driver Safety Class

An AARP Driver Safety Class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at Sacred Heart on the Emerald Coast Resource Center, Suite 3. Cost is $15/AARP members and $20/non-members. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.

Look Good, Feel Better

The American Cancer Society “Look Good, Feel Better” workshop for women currently undergoing treatment for cancer will be held from 5-7 p.m. Feb. 9 at Sacred Heart Cancer Center adjacent to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. Register at 800-227-2345.

Author reception

The Okaloosa County Republican Executive Committee will host an afternoon reception with Trevor Loudon, author of “The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress,” from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Magnolia Grill, 157 Brooks Street SE in Fort Walton Beach, Tickets are $20 and include light hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks. Tickets available at 863-2301 or www.OkaloosaGOP.com.

Grand Boulevard Farmers’ Market

The market will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays in Grand Park in Miramar Beach between Cantina Laredo and Tommy Bahama’s.Vendors will offer locally sourced food-based items including produce, eggs, milk, butter, grass-fed beef, chicken, lamb, and pork, honey, pickled vegetables and gourmet jams. 

Bridge

Duplicate Bridge, ACBL, will be held at 9:50 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 307 Harbor Blvd. in Destin.  Cost is $7. No partner necessary. For more information e-mail halsyst@aol.com

Destin Life Center

Recreation and fitness activities at Destin Life Center at Destin United Methodist Church, 200 Beach Drive, include the following. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday visit the Soul Café for lunch. Call ahead for dine in or pick up. For information, call the DLC at 837-2021.

• Adult Open Soccer:  From 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays. Fee is $2/player.

• Adult Open Volleyball: From 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays. Fee is $2/player. • Indoor Soccer Clinic w/Coach Carlos: Elementary, 3-4 p.m., and Middle School, 4-5:30 p.m. Thursdays. Fee is $90/child for 6 week session. 

• Indoor Soccer League (Youth):  Register for elementary and middle school ages to begin in January.  Practice will begin Dec 5 and 11.• Pickleball: For all skill levels from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

• Youth Basketball: Gym Rats with Coach Susie meets from 4-5 p.m. for ages 5 to 9 and 5-6 p.m. for ages 10 to 12 Fridays.

• Travelers’ Walking Club: Walk indoors for fitness, fellowship and fun from 7-8 a.m. Monday through Friday. 17 laps = 1 mile.

• DLC Fitness Cardio/Weight Room:  Nautilus equipment, three treadmills, two ellipticals and one recumbent bike. Memberships are $40/calendar quarter; $30/month; $20/week; and $10/day.

• Community Fitness Classes: Indoor cycling, Zumba, Rise and Stretch, PIYO, Cardio Dance, Forever Young (senior aerobics) and more. Costs are $40/month; $7/class; $20/month Forever Young, fitness for seniors; and $3/individual Forever Young.

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.

• Chair Yoga: Class will be held at 10 a.m. Monday and Thursday beginning Jan. 5. Cost is $4/class.

• Game Room: Open to children age 10 and older from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• Line Dancing: Class for beginners will be at 12:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Jan. 8. Intermediate lessons are held at 1:30. Open dance is from 1:15-1:30 p.m. The class is $6.

• Low impact aerobics: From 9-10 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Cost is $3/session. Bring water and a towel.

• Pickleball: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. for all levels. Cost is $2/resident and $3/non-resident.

• Senior Pilates: Class will be h eld from 9-10 a.m. Mondays beginning Jan. 5. Cost is $6/class.

• Table Tennis: Tuesdays from 2-5 p.m. and Thursdays from 8-11 a.m.

• Yoga: Class will be held Thursdays at noon beginning Jan. 8. Open to all yoga enthusiasts of any level. Cost is $6/class. Please bring a mat and towel.

• Zumba Gold: Thursdays at 11 a.m. Cost is $6/class.