Southern Vacation
Rentals Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence
Southern Vacation Rentals – a proud member of the Southern
family of companies - is celebrating its 20 years of excellence in the Gulf
Coast real estate, hospitality, and property management industries. Founded in
1995 by two sets of brothers, Mike and Brad Shoults and Kevin and Kerry Veach,
Southern has quickly grown to become one of the largest locally owned companies
in the area, garnered with a reputation of integrity, experience, and knowledge
of the industry.
Southern will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a variety
of exciting promotions throughout 2015. This includes everything from special
sales on vacation homes and condo rentals in Destin, Perdido Key, Gulf Shores,
and other areas along the Gulf Coast to social media giveaways and employee
appreciation events. Other festivities to mark the momentous year will include
local celebrations, recognition of loyal Southern guests, and an exclusive
three-night stay in a condo presented to two winners during the year. Learn
more about the Southern family of companies, their services and properties at
GoSouthern.com.
ABC Fine Wine &
Spirits Debuts in Destin
ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, one of the largest independent
retailers of wine and spirits in the U.S., announced the opening of a new
location in Destin. Opening in early April at 34715 Emerald Coast Parkway, the
new location will be the first in Destin and the second west of Tallahassee.
The new ABC Fine Wine & Spirits will occupy a developing
space located in front of The Home Depot. At 13,000-square-feet, the new store
will be bigger than the average ABC store, and it will feature an 18-door beer
cooler and offer more than 500 beers, 5,000 wines, 2,000 rare and popular
spirits, 400 cigars, gourmet foods, custom gift baskets, glassware, and other
related items. Locally brewed craft beers sold at the Destin store will include
Pensacola Bay Brewery.
Free Tax Preparation
Free Tax Preparation is available through the United Way of
Okaloosa & Walton Counties Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
If you are in need of assistance and earned less than $52,000 in 2014, contact
the following sites:
- Goodwill Easter Seals, Ft. Walton Beach, by appointment
only, call (251) 433-4900
- First Presbyterian Church, Crestview, first come-first
serve assistance from 3 – 5 p.m., only on Friday, March 27, and Friday, April
10
For a list of required documents that must be brought to
your appointment, visit United-Way.org/VITA.htm. To volunteer for VITA, call
(850) 598-4945.
Pre-Game Activities
Promote Reading at Wahoos’ Stadium
Families are invited to “Hit a Home Run for Early Literacy”
during a pre-game WSRE Imagination Station event at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium
on Sunday, April 12, from 2 – 4 p.m. The first 100 families in attendance will
receive a free “Bats at the Ballgame” book. Activities are themed around the
popular children’s book by Brian Lies and include meet and greet with Pensacola
Blue Wahoos baseball players from 2:30 – 3 p.m.; appearances by Kazoo,
“Readmore” The Dolphin, and the PBS KIDS characters; signup for free membership
to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos Kids Club; and access to Imagination Station games
and more. After the 4 p.m. game, kids can enjoy a “Fun Run for Reading” around
the bases and a special jumbotron presentation of “Bats at the Ballgame” read
by local dignitaries and familiar personalities.
All Types of Vendor
Openings for 39th Saturday in the Park Festival
The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida has openings for
all types of vendors at the 39th Saturday in the Park Heritage Festival on
April 25. Vendor spaces are available for art/craft/antique,
non-profit/government agencies and clubs, community sponsors, re-enactors, and
traditional craft demonstrators. Fees vary. For information, visit
Heritage-Museum.org or call (850) 678-2615.
Destin Bay House
Completes Renovations
The Destin Bay House – Northwest Florida’s premier event
venue – is pleased to announce the completion of a redesigned space just in
time for the spring season. Although the Bay House opened four short years ago,
it has quickly emerged as a forerunner in the event industry, hosting
everything from family reunions and corporate event to rehearsal dinners and
weddings. The renovations, which include major overhauls and minor refinishes,
will help to create a space that sets the Bay House further apart from the
competition.
Improvements to the iconic 1950s home can be seen in the
converted storage space that adds another outlet to personalize the layout, the
refinished bar, and additions to onsite amenities. With these features, the Bay
House will be better suited to cater to individual needs and create memories that
will last a lifetime. For more information about the Destin Bay House and
hosting an event, visit the DestinBayHouse.com.
4th Annual Food For
Thought Golf Tournament
Thursday, April 9
Presented by Sunburst Beach Vacations and A Superior Air
Conditioning Company
Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club
We've still got spots left for teams and sponsorship
opportunities are available. To register a team or to become a sponsor, click
here.
Students to Restore
Dunes
As the school year begins to draw to an end, students across
Okaloosa and Walton counties are also wrapping up a year-long restoration
project. Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, around 500 students at four
middle schools participated in Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s (CBA) Dunes in
Schools Program.
Dunes in Schools encourages students to develop an interest
in the local coastal environment by growing sea oats at their school.
Throughout April, these students will see the hands-on, science program full
circle by taking a field trip to the beach to plant their sea oats. Rotating
through stations, students will not only explore the habitat they learned about
all year, but will also plant their sea oats at a state park restoration site.
Together, students at Emerald Coast Middle School, Destin Middle School, Shoal
River Middle School and Seaside Neighborhood School will help to restore the
dunes at three state parks by planting more than 1,000 sea oats. For more
information, please contact Brittany Tate at (850)217-5382 or tateb@nwfsc.edu.
Drama and Musical
Theater Summer Camps for Kids
Summertime means letting your heart sing. Emerald Coast
Theatre Company (ECTC), a not-for-profit professional theater company based in
Miramar Beach, has launched its 2015 summer theater camps series designed with
kids in mind. ECTC’s third annual children’s theater summer series, presented
with support from the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, features three exciting
programs. Dates and locations are as follows:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
June 15–20, South Walton Campus of Northwest Florida State
College, Santa Rosa Beach
June 22–27, Destin Elementary School, Destin
July 6-–11, A Class Act Studios, 80 Miracle Strip Parkway
S.E., Unit 5, Fort Walton Beach
Camp Broadway
July 6–10, Seaside Neighborhood School
Disney’s “Peter Pan Jr.” Musical Theater Camp in partnership
with Rise Dance Studios
July 13–25 at Rise Dance Center, 4489 AB Commons Drive West,
Destin (in shopping center near The Fresh Market)
For more information, visit EmeraldCoastTheatre.org.
Fundraising Event For
Local Nonprofit
The 360 Blue Foundation will be hosting These Boots Are Made
For Giving - its premiere fundraising event at Arnett's Gulfside Stables in
Santa Rosa Beach on the evening of May 9. Come out for a delicious dinner and
stay for the fabulous live entertainment provided by the extremely talented
Daphne Willis, who recently co-wrote a song with Megan Trainor. Daphne and her
band will be performing original music, as well as a variety of classic cover
songs. Don't forget to check out the awesome silent auction items! All proceeds
benefit the 360 Blue Foundation and its goal of contributing to the end of
extreme poverty worldwide by providing the resources needed for success to
those who need it the most - especially those living on less than $1.25 a day.
In 2015, the Foundation partnered with buildOn and committed
to building two (three, funds permitting) schools in Burkina Faso, Africa. In
February, a small number of 360 Bue staff traveled to the country and began
construction on the first school of the year in the small village of Roure.
If you or your business would like to donate something to be
auctioned off at the event, please contact sarah@360blue.com. Tickets to the
event are currently on sale and may be purchased here.
Sacred Heart Hospital
on the Emerald Coast Launches Interactive Patient Care System
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast will launch the
GetWellNetwork® interactive patient care system on March 31, to help educate,
engage, and empower patients in its care. The system helps patients and their
families take an active role in their health care, which results in improved
patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.
The GetWellNetwork will be installed in all inpatient rooms.
Utilizing an in-room television, patients will receive customized education on
their condition and medications, learn about various patient safety and
infection control initiatives, and provide feedback on pain management
measures. A direct link to various hospital services, such as ordering a meal
or making a service request, are also available at the click of a button.
Entertainment options, such as movies, shows, and games, round out the patient
experience system.
Property Tax
Installment Plan Available
Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson is pleased to
announce that taxpayers can now register for the Property Tax Installment Plan
online. By utilizing the Installment Plan option, taxpayers receive a 3.375%
discount, and payments may be divided into four payments over a one year
period. To participate in the Tax Installment Plan, complete an Installment
Application located on the Tax Collector’s website at OkaloosaTax.com. Click on
the green “Taxes” link on the right side of the webpage. You will be directed
to search for your account/property. Once you have located your account, select
the green button labeled “Apply for the 2015 Installment Plan.” The application
must be submitted no later than April 30.
Emerald Coast
Magazine Presents 2015 Emerald Coast Top Salon Competition
One of the Emerald Coast’s most highly-anticipated charity
events is back for its fourth year. Emerald Coast Top Salon gathers a who’s who
of the salon industry for a night of makeovers, music, food, and fun. This
year’s event is Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. at the newly remodeled Hilton
Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.
This year’s event, presented by Emerald Coast magazine, is
made possible by presenting sponsor Dr. Dennis Lichorwic and The Center for
Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. Additional sponsors include BluePrint Health
Studio, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Marsha Doll Models, and
Emerald Coast Functional Family Medicine.
The 11 top salons selected to compete for the 2015 title and
their chosen charity include: Avantgarde Salon (Emerald Coast Advocacy Center);
C’est La Vie (Taylor Haugen Foundation); Euphoria (Rescued Rescuers: Dachsunds
& Friends); Fushion Spa Salon Sandestin (Shelter House); La Renaissance
(Sacred Heart Cancer Center); Pure & Couture (Fisher House Emerald Coast);
Rollands Beauty Bar (Impact 100 NW Florida); Sanabella Spa and Salon (E.O.
Wilson Biophili Center); Serenity by the sea (Bay Area Foodbank); Cutting Room
Salon & Spa (Wounded Warrior Project); and The Kat House (Autism Speaks).
For more information about the 2015 Emerald Coast Top Salon
competition, visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com.
RE/MAX Southern
Celebrates Annual Awards
RE/MAX Southern Realty – one of the largest teams providing
real estate services in Northwest Florida – held its annual awards celebrating another
successful year and honoring its many well-regarded agents. Longtime RE/MAX
Southern agent Susie Kirkland ranked as the firm’s Top Sales Volume and
Transactions leader for 2014, as well as the Destin Team’s Top Listing Agent
and Top Sales Transactions. The Individual Top Listing Awards were presented to
Matt Williams of the Destin office and Jim Murphy of Panama City Beach.
Rounding out the awards is RE/MAX Southern agent Carole Pleasants, who in
addition to receiving the brand’s Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year,
ranked high among agents in 2014 for Top Sales Commission Earned. RE/MAX
Southern congratulates its top earning agents who have strived to uphold the
greatest service, courtesy and professionalism that firm can offer. For more information
about RE/MAX Southern Realty and their outstanding agents, visit
REMAXSouthern.com.
