CRESTVIEW— November is almost upon us, and that means National Novel Writing Month!

National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) began 22 years ago with a simple premise: to write a minimum of 50,000 words in one month. Now hundreds of thousands of writers from around the world participate each year, with nanowrimo.org as the central hub of support from published authors, mentors, and peers.

At the Crestview Public Library, you can find guidance on your literary adventure at one of our two writer’s groups!

We host a Youth Writer’s Group for ages up to 17 on the first Monday of every month and an Adult Writer’s Group for 18 and above on the last Monday.

Don’t miss this opportunity to write a new chapter in your journey, and join us next month:

• Youth Writer’s Group: 6 p.m. Nov. 1
• Adult Writer’s Group: 6 p.m. Nov. 22

Both groups meet at the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive. We hope to see you there!

If you would like to learn more about all the programs offered at the Crestview Public Library, visit www.cityofcrestview.org/178/library.

Bryan Sarrasin is a clerk at the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: November is National Novel Writing Month

CRESTVIEW — Kindness and compassion never go out of style.

No matter what the latest fashion might be, being thoughtful, polite and compassionate is always the latest "fashion." Since no one knows what tomorrow holds, always be nice to others.

We can't predict the future, so we need to use our time wisely, helping others and sharing our talents. Instead of complaining about each other, let's encourage one another and be thankful for the time we get to spend with them.

One thing that the lockdowns have taught us all is that we may not get to see someone again for a long time and should the Lord call them home, we may not see them again this side of heaven. I have lost many family members and close friends over the past few years and sometimes it is difficult to realize that I will never see nor speak to them again while on this earth.

This got me thinking that while we can, we need to use our time wisely and help others. Here are some constructive ways to help that we can share with others.

• Donate to your church's benevolence fund, so those in need have food and their essential utility bills can be paid.
• Be a supporter of Crestview's homeless shelter. For information call 850-398-5670. They can always use food, clothing, cleaning supplies and other items. Winter is coming, jackets and warm clothing will be needed.
• Foster homeless dogs or cats. Our shelters are full and there are still pets that need food, medical care and a safe place to live until they find a lasting home.
• SOCKS (Save Our Cats and Kittens) and PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society) always need volunteers, pet food, cleaning supplies, and money is always needed for medical care for these sweet pets. Call SOCKS, 850-863-5756; or PAWS, 850-243-1525.

You may also wish to:

• Make and send cards to elderly and home-bound friends, relatives, and church members. A card will cheer up their day and let them know they are remembered and loved.
• Have your children make thank you cards for our firefighters, police officers and sheriff's deputies.
• Make cards with your children to send to a local nursing home or rehab center. There are several here in Crestview.
• Pay a bill for someone you know is struggling financially.
• Make or buy dinner for a single parent who could use a night off from cooking. It doesn't have to be fancy, just plenty of nutritious food for the family. Our local grocery stores have wonderful foods on their deli counters.

These are just some of the ways that we, as residents of Crestview, can reach out and help others in our community and churches.

I have said before that a smile goes a long way when one meets a stranger in a store or other place of business. Say hello and wish them a good day. Many people need a positive word and smile.

Have a great week, and be friendly and gracious.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Kindness and compassion are always in fashion

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Public Library has come a long way since Bertha Henry started loaning books to the public out of her East Pine Avenue home in the 1940s.

Now, several buildings and locations around the city later, the library’s current 19-year-old home on Commerce Drive has received some technological and physical upgrades.

And — at last — it even has a café.

“People have asked us for a café for years,” Director Jean McCarthy said. “We’re not at the stage where we have a barista and a selection of baked goods, but we have a place where patrons can bring their own snacks and beverages.”

Located near the Sandra Dreaden Gallery Wall, the Quiet Café offers a spot to sip a coffee, enjoy a treat, and peruse a book.

“But food and drinks have to stay in the café,” McCarthy said.

For younger patrons, the library has added three new early literacy computers and an after-school learning computer for older kids. For smaller patrons, a new reading nook near the story room features kid-sized furniture.

A newly designed circulation desk includes a high-tech check-out system and features a self-check-out kiosk. Behind the scenes, new state-of-the-art technology allows library staff to work more efficiently and provides more information at their fingertips.

More than 160 patrons got a sneak peek at the new facilities Sept. 17. During the hour-long preview, kids enjoyed skewering marshmallows on pretzel sticks and “roasting” them over a tissue paper “campfire” while Youth Librarian Heather Nitzel told stories.

“Public libraries have been around since our country was founded,” McCarthy said. “Our foundation is built on books and service. We may be going high-tech, but we’ll never change what we’re built on.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview library upgrades check-out, adds café

CRESTVIEW — Some years ago, I read a little pamphlet entitled "Missing Heaven by 18 Inches."

The title conjured up an image of someone jumping on a trampoline trying to reach up to heaven’s gate, but who was not able to attain quite enough altitude to reach heaven. Of course, that was not the pamphlet’s message.

How does one miss heaven by 18 inches? If you stop to think about it, the distance from our head to our heart is about 18 inches. 

You can know the entire content of the Bible. You can know a great deal about Jesus Christ, God, and God’s Holy Spirit. You may be able to memorize scripture and recite it word for word. You can have all kinds of facts and figures neatly tucked away in your memory.

But unless you write the word of God on your heart and live it, unless you let the scriptures guide your decisions and actions, your thoughts and beliefs, you will miss heaven by 18 inches. 

The letter of James says, “Those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.” (James 1:25) 

It can be very easy to forget something we hear because we don’t take it into ourselves and engage it. We don’t listen.

Living the word of God in every circumstance brings about God’s blessings in our lives. It may be frightening to follow where God leads. It may be confusing to do as he says instead of what we would sometimes rather do. Yet, when we remain faithful to God, we understand God’s faithfulness more clearly.

James doesn’t mince his words. He comes flat out and says in James 1:26, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”

If we say we are disciples of Jesus Christ but live like we’re not, we become liars.

We may be able to talk the talk, but are we able to walk the talk? Are we able to live what we declare? If we don’t live God’s word, we gain absolutely nothing.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to rise above what the world says. We are called to rise above natural instincts that may want to drive us. We are called to live what God says. 

There is a phrase we all know: “Put your money where your mouth is.” A turn of that phrase might be, “Put your actions where God’s word is.” As a believer in Jesus Christ, don’t let your words of the faith be empty words. Actually live them.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Do not miss heaven by 18 inches

CRESTVIEW — The Concerned Citizens Group of Crestview will have a clothing and shoes give away.

Everything must go, and everything is free!

"Please come and get whatever you may need," a CCGC spokesperson said.

The give away is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9 at 247 S. Booker St., Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Clothing and shoes giveaway scheduled in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Instead of working, unscrupulous people dream up scams to part the unsuspecting from their money.

Here are some scams — some old, and some new — that are currently making the rounds. I experienced the first one last week.

I received five text messages supposedly from Hancock-Whitney Bank that said: "FRM: Hancock-Whitney Bank-ALERTS. SUBJ: Call: (858)751-7636 #Now ID: 848. MSG: Your card is restricted! srnp."

Now this is all very interesting, except for one major flaw — we don't have any type of card with Hancock-Whitney Bank.

Please don't ever call a number from an unsolicited text message as this is a scam and someone is looking to steal your hard earned money.

If you suspect there is a problem with your debit or credit card, call the bank or credit card company from a printed statement you received from them.

The second scam is for a "free" pair of Apple Air Pods. You receive a text message  stating you just won a free pair of Air Pods from Amazon, and just click on the link embedded in the text message or call the phone number.

Of course, on the other end of the phone is a demand for your Amazon account information and password. In some instances, they request your credit card number. If you click instead of call, your device may be infected with malware.

When something appears to be too good to be true, unfortunately, it is.

We have also personally received this scam. You receive an email or text stating that the company (it could be UPS, the post office, Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc.) is holding your delivery until you verify your purchase. Again, it will come by either a text message with an embedded link to click or an email with a phone number.

The embedded link will take you to a fake website and ask for all sorts of personal information, such as your credit card number, password, address and so on and may infect your device with malware. If you call the fraudulent phone number in the email, it will undoubtedly be a person that wants all of your personal information, including your home address, credit card number, password, etc.

This could potentially set one up for a home invasion, as well as credit card fraud.

Please don't fall for these scams. Don't click links in emails or text messages.

If you feel the message may be legitimate, please look on your statement from the store or financial institution and call that phone number.

To be safe, never give out your credit card number over the phone unless you initiated the call and are entirely certain you have reached the bank or credit card company. No one needs the aggravation of credit card fraud or identity theft.

Please stay safe and be discerning so you can thwart these would-be thieves!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Protect yourself, your personal information from scammers

CRESTVIEW — Peanut butter is often thought of as a simple staple for a kitchen pantry, something always to have on hand to make a PB&J for the kids when you need a quick meal, a delicious treat applied to celery, or a yummy addition to a breakfast smoothie.

Peanut butter can be taken for granted. This tasty spread provides a load of nutrition to the consumer of this shelf-stable staple.

Just one ounce of peanut butter, about 1 tablespoon, is packed with about 7 grams of protein. Protein helps our bodies in too many ways to list. Still, just a few include building muscle, keeping your bodily systems functioning (such as your immune system) and providing energy. In addition to being a good source of protein, peanut butter also contains vitamin E, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, and monounsaturated (good) fats. 

With all these benefits, one may think that eating a large amount of peanut butter may benefit their regular meal plan. Peanut butter is also high in saturated fat and calories, so moderation is key.

Because of the versatility, overall nutritional value, cost, and ease of storage, peanut butter can be especially beneficial to people who struggle with food insecurity. These people may need assistance keeping their homes stocked with food for themselves and their families.

To help fight food insecurity in our own community, the University of Florida/Institute of Fool and Agricultural  Sciences Extension is once again hosting the annual Peanut Butter Challenge now through Nov. 24.

We ask that those able donate new (unopened) and unexpired jars of peanut butter to the Okaloosa County Extension office at 3098 Airport Road. Crestview. An additional collection site is the Florida Farm Bureau, 921 W James Lee Blvd. Crestview.

After the challenge end date, our partnering agency, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA), will match the total amount of donated peanut butter. All donations and matched products collected in Okaloosa will be distributed to food pantries and events held within the county to provide a nutritious food option to residents in need.

In 2020, the challenge collected 1,243 jars totaling 1542.7 pounds for Okaloosa County; this year, we are hungry for more! On your next shopping trip, please consider helping out by grabbing an extra jar.

Contact Jill Breslawski, Family and Consumer Science Agent, or Jennifer Bearden, Agriculture Agent with the UF/IFAS Okaloosa County Extension at 850-689-5850 for more information about the Peanut Butter Challenge or donation arrangements.

Jill Breslawski is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: We're accepting Peanut Butter Challenge donations

NOIRMOUTIER-EN-L’ÎLE, France — The 19 French students who will visit Crestview in April 2022 recently held a successful flea market in one of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île’s central downtown parking lots and netted more than $2,500 toward their travel expenses.

“The weather was nice, sunny but not too hot, perfect for this event,” Noirmoutier Sister City Committee President Stéphanie Gallais reported.

Many of the island’s 10,000 summer visitors were still at their summer homes or campers, assuring a steady flow of browsers at the event, she said.

The students, who will stay with Crestview High School student hosts when they visit, did most of the work, Gallais said.

“It was a long day for us, arriving at 6:30 and finishing at 19:30 (7:30 p.m.),” she said.

Because last year’s COVID-19 outbreak on Noirmoutier island was largely attributed to an influx of visitors from Paris and other cities who fled to their summer homes as the country went into lockdown, the organizers took plenty of health precautions at their flea market.

“We organized social distancing and created pathways (between booths) to avoid problems between visitors, and we wore masks, had bottles of hand sanitizer, and put up health safety information signs,” Gallais, who is a nurse, said.

As vendors hawked arts, crafts and flea market wares, the students prepared and sold crêpes and accompanying soft drinks, tea and coffee.

For the signature French pancakes, students Louna Tourneux and Aurane Bidaud melted a dab of butter in a pan, swirled a ladle of batter around then flipped each crêpe to lightly brown the bottom. Then their classmate Hugo Bugeon put a healthy smear of Nutella on each, rolled it up and presented it to the customers. At times, lines formed for the delicacies.

“We had more than 3 kilograms of batter,” Gallais said, which was nearly 7 pounds. “But the results were good! Selling the (booth) places to exhibitors raised 1,330 euros (about $1,565), plus sales of drinks and crêpes brought 800 euros (about $941).”

The successful event meant a lot of hard work, but the results made it all worthwhile, she said.

“Our students were happy to work,” Gallais said. “They know that the money collected will be used to help us for the Easter trip to Crestview.”

ABOUT CRESTVIEW’S SISTER CITY PROGRAM

Through Sister Cities International, Crestview has partnered with the French island community of Noirmoutier, located off the west coast of France, since 1995.

Periodic exchanges between the communities include group travels (the next trip for Crestview residents is planned for May or June 2022), individual visits, student exchanges and performances on the island by Northwest Florida State College’s student show choirs. College level academic partnerships include student internships and a year of study through NWFSC’s business program.

Crestview’s program was selected by Sister Cities International as the best in its population category for 2020.

For information, contact program president Brian Hughes, 850-398-5459, hughesb@cityofcrestview.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Noirmoutrin flea market nets more than $2,500 for Crestview visit

A man walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So, she took down his name, address, medical insurance number, and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aide came out and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So, she took down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told him to wait in an examining room.

A half-hour later, a nurse came in and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So, she gave him a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, told him to take off all his clothes, and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” The doctor said, “Where?” He said, “Outside in the truck. Where do you want them?”

It seems as though there are times people are in such a hurry that time isn’t made to listen carefully to what someone is saying. Instead, assumptions are quickly made, and actions and responses are made on those assumptions. Unfortunately, those assumptions can be very harmful to our relationships with one another.

Most are aware that email and texting are now used most frequently to convey messages. Whereas texting and emails do have their place, I believe we are now two generations deep in people losing the art of verbal conversation, communication, and conflict resolution.

Because of the ease and anonymity of texting or using social media, people freely type out whatever is on their minds without any kind of filter. Facts are not taken into consideration. Human dignity is not respected. Much interaction is based on an emotional knee-jerk reaction. And once a person’s mind is made up, it becomes set in concrete.

This all comes about because we are losing the ability and willingness to listen, to think, to entertain different ideas, and to converse with civility.

I believe God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason – so we can listen twice as much as we speak. And to show how important it is to listen, the word “listen” is used almost 300 times in the Bible.

Our ears, minds, and hearts need to be open with the loving grace of God so we can truly listen to what another is saying to us. We need to be able to speak in such a way that the other will be able to listen to us, too.

The letter of James (1:19-20) says, “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.”

Are you listening carefully to what is being said? Are you asking questions for clarification? Be slow to anger, slow to speak, and quick to listen.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Library now has self-checkout! It’s almost like having another librarian. 

Use it to check out items and pay for copies and print jobs. It accepts coins, $1 bills and $5 bills. 

If you have a bill higher than $5 or don’t have your library card, your friendly librarians will be glad to help you at the front desk (which is brand new and beautiful!).

Heather Nitzel is the Youth Services Librarian at the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Crestview Library now has self-checkout station