Walton County Snowbirds are still in full swing
The Walton County Snowbirds held their annual blood drive through OneBlood on Feb. 15. The Big Red Bus pulled into Faith Fellowship Hall in Miramar Beach at 8 a.m. and had a steady stream of snowbirds until 3 p.m. Denise Zimmerman of OneBlood reported that they surpassed their goal of 29 pints of blood by collecting 27 pints of whole blood and three double reds. This is an annual event coordinated by the Walton County Snowbirds.
The “senior prom” was held at South Walton High School by the school’s student government association. This is the 7th an annual event that the school holds for the snowbird seniors in the area during the season. Walton County Snowbirds Carlene and Ben Spohr were crowned king and queen of the ‘50s sock-hop themed prom.
The annual dolphin cruise was held on the Southern Star on Feb. 13. Coordinators of the event, Marty and Nancy Schmidtke, did a terrific job providing food and drinks for approximately 140 snowbirds. Kevin Carson, local musician from Santa Rosa Beach, provided the entertainment. The night was cool but clear which provided a beautiful sunset. The group saw many, many dolphins.
The singles group had several activities recently. They had a Super Bowl party hosted by Jan Miller on Feb. 12. Then they met for happy hour at Auston’s in Miramar Beach on Feb. 15. Auston’s has been a great partner with the Walton County Snowbirds this season, hosting several activities such as bridge and singles socials. The next singles social is Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. at Tailfins in Destin. For more information on the singles group, check our website or contact Tammy Stelling.
The 2nd session of beginner pickleball lessons wrapped up in February. Jim and Coleen Smith held sessions in January and February at the Destin Community Center to teach newbies the basics of pickleball. Both sessions were full with 24 players. A great time was had by all and they are ready to start playing some serious pickleball.
If you are interested in having some of your belongings stored for the summer so you don’t have to haul them back up north every year, the Walton County Snowbirds offer a storage option to our members. For only $40 per 18-gallon tub, or other items such as bikes, golf clubs, or beach chairs, you can keep your items in our storage units in Santa Rosa Beach. The last opportunity to pay for storage is on Feb. 23, from 9 to 10 a.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Destin. You must be a member of the Walton County Snowbirds to utilize the storage.
We have 694 members, over 100 more than last year, from 36 states. We have almost 160 new members. The state with the most snowbirds is Michigan with 103 and Minnesota with 74. Canadian membership is down this year at 92, mainly due to the low value of the Canadian dollar.
Our last meeting, which is our annual business meeting is on February 23 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Destin.
For more information on registration and all the activities and events the club has to offer, go to the website at www.waltoncountysnowbirds.com or join the group Facebook page “Walton County Snowbirds.”
Peg Breetz is the second vice-president of the Walton County Snowbirds.