Community Happenings Jan. 24
All area codes are 850 unless noted.
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 $10 for at the door and includes lunch. 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 WomenÂ’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 837â€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.
Snowbird Movie
The Destin Library will hold a Snowbird Movie Matinee at 2 p.m. Jan. 28 featuring “The Judge.”
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.
Square dancing
The Sand Spurs Square & Line Dance Club will hold an open house from 7-9 p.m. Jan. 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.
Blessing of the Fleet
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast will hold a Blessing of the Fleet at 10 a.m. Jan. 30 to celebrate the addition of new ground-transport vehicles and AIRHeart air ambulance. The blessing and celebration will be held in a parking area near the Family Birth Place entrance of the hospital, west of the main entrance.
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.
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.
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.
State of the City
Mayor Mel Ponder presents the Annual State of the City Address at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Destin United Methodist Church Life Center.
Historical presentation
The next presentation by H. C. “Hank” Klein, writer of History Mystery articles that appear monthly in The Log, is the long lost history of Miramar Beach Was Once Shoals, Florida at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 12 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.
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 or email recreation@cityofdestin.com 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. Cost is $4/class.
• Essential Oils: A free class at 11 a.m. Feb. 4 and 18 and March 4 and 18 for those who desire a more natural route to promote heart health and to manage pain anywhere, from a mosquito bite to arthritis.
• 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. 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. Stretch bands are available for $2.
• Pickleball: Mondays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for all levels. Cost is $2/resident and $3/non-resident.
• Senior Pilates: Class will be held from 9-10 a.m. Mondays. Cost is $6/class.
• Table Tennis: Tuesdays from 2-5 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Woodcarving: Class for men and women meets from 9 a.m. to noon Fridays. Cost is $2/class.
• Yoga: Class will be held Thursdays at noon. Open to all yoga enthusiasts of any level. Cost is $6/class. Please bring a mat and towel.
• Zumba Gold: Mondays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. Cost is $6/class.