CRESTVIEW — Pack up the kiddos, the blankets and folding chairs and head to the Spanish Trail Park amphitheatre Crestview Family Movie Night.

Up on the screen will be a PG-rated computer animated Disney feature that was released earlier this year.

The movie starts 8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the Old Spanish Trail Park amphitheatre, located on Stillwell Boulevard in Crestview. Enter the park from the gate on Stillwell Boulevard.

A program of the Mayor’s Cultural Series, the free film screening is sponsored by community business partner Keller Williams Emerald Coast Realty of Crestview.

The story in a nutshell: Once upon a time, dragons and humans lived happily together in a fantasy world called Kumandra. Evil monsters called Druun tried to spoil that harmony, but the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, the bad critters are back, and a lone warrior named Raya must find the sole remaining dragon to put an end to the Druun once and for all.

Due to licensing restrictions, the city of Crestview can’t announce the name of the film. Visit the city’s Facebook page or website for details.

“We’ve been getting a wide variety of great films for our families this year,” Crestview Mayor JB Whitten said. “and it’s all possible thanks to community business partners like Keller Williams. We thank them all for making this family movie program possible.”

Featured food vendors Love and Tacos, Sports to Geaux and Retro Snow will offer a variety of cuisine and sweets to choose from. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Next family movie night features Disney animated adventure

CRESTVIEW — Drones are definitely a useful tool in many professions these days. Industries such as agriculture, engineering, utilities, military, and real estate use drones to collect data and images.

Drones can also be a lot of fun to fly as a hobby, but there are rules to drone flying that we all must follow in order to safely share the airspace. Drones are regulated by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

If you are flying purely for fun and enjoyment, you are considered a recreational pilot. As such, there are rules that you must abide by.

First, you must register your drones at FAA Drone Zone. Any drone weighing between 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds must be registered and marked with the FAA registration number. The cost is $5 and is valid for three years.

The FAA has recently launched The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST). The FAA selected 16 organizations to provide education and testing for recreational pilots.

Our very own HSU Educational Foundation is one of the selected organizations. You can receive your TRUST certificate at https://aaollc.com/recreational-uas-safety-course/.

If you fly for any other purpose than just fun or enjoyment, you fall under Part 107 and need a Remote Pilot Certificate. To be eligible to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate, you must be at least 16 years old, able to read, speak and understand English, and be mentally and physically able to safely fly a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System).

To obtain the certificate, you must pass the initial aeronautical knowledge exam: "Unmanned Aircraft General – Small.”

Once you receive your certificate, you must complete online recurrent training every 24 months in order to maintain your certification. Certified Remote Pilots must also register their drones at the FAA Drone Zone and mark each drone with the FAA Registration number. This costs $5 each drone and is valid for three years.

Drones are a great tool for many industries, as well as just fun to fly, but you need to know and follow the rules before you fly.

If you have any questions regarding drones, you can visit the FAA website (www.faa.gov/uas/) or you can contact me at bearden@ufl.edu.

Jennifer Bearden 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: Drones can be used for work and recreation

CRESTVIEW — This past weekend, we celebrated the 245th birthday of the United States of America. How did you and your family celebrate? Did you participate in the activities at Twin Hills Park?

I enjoy fireworks and love to see a big display. It is nice that things like our festivities weren't cancelled and that we could celebrate as a community here in Crestview.

What does our country mean to you? Do you value your freedom and the independence we have in this country? The fact that we can travel from state to state and even leave the country? Are you happy with your state? If not, you are free to find a job in a different state and move.

Sometimes we take our freedom for granted. We are very blessed to live in a country where we can worship at the church of our choice, work in the profession we choose, attend the schools of our choice and drive the cars we like. We are blessed that we have the freedom to make our own choices.

There are those that say we have too many choices, but I disagree. That is part of what makes our country wonderful, our freedoms, our liberty and the ability to make our own choices.

Here is the definition of liberty (http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Liberty): "Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions."

As you can see, freedom and liberty are words that can be used interchangeably and we need to cherish our liberty and freedom.

The Pledge of Allegiance states: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." These are good words to remember not only during our celebration of Independence Day, but every day.

I hope that you and your family took some time to reflect on the lives that were lost when our country broke away from Britain, and the hardships and danger that accompanied that war for our independence.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our founding fathers and those who wrote our Constitution and paved the way for our freedom!

Remember, that freedom isn't free. It always has a price. Thank you to the men and women who sacrificed so much to make us a free nation.

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: Celebrating our freedom and Independence Day

CRESTVIEW — Folks visit the Crestview Public Library for many different reasons.

Some go to check out books and movies. Others attend youth, teen and adult programs. Some just love the atmosphere, being surrounded by great thoughts, concepts and stories.

And some seek inspiration for literary works of their own.

“A gentleman came in and used our computers to write a book of poetry,” Crestview Public Library Director Jean McCarthy said. “Then he recently returned and donated several copies of the published book to the library!”

Hugh A. Parker II published “The World’s Greatest Poems,” a slim volume of reflections that reflect his spirituality and connectivity with nature. Published by Page Publishing, the work is sumptuously and colorfully illustrated by Melissa Santiago.

“As a man of this world and of God’s Spirit, it is my soul’s duty to stand up for this world and all of our people,” Parker wrote in a letter inserted in the front of one of the copies of the book.

Pieces the poet composed at the library include the whimsical “A Frog named Moe,” the heartfelt “The Color of Love,” the hopeful “The Flower of Summer and Spring,” the spiritual “The Raindrop,” and the reflective “Brighter than Gold.”

The dedication in the back of the volume says in part, “To my World with Love.”

For a quick summer read, pop by the Crestview Public Library and relish the poetry — and world — of Hugh A. Parker’s “The World’s Greatest Poems.”

To learn what else your library has to offer, including books of poetry, visit www.cityofcrestview.org/178/Library, call 850-682-4432, and follow the library on Facebook and Instagram.

Brian Hughes is the city of Crestview's public Information officer. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Check It Out: Poetry collection written at library now available there

CRESTVIEW — As kids enjoy the Allen Park playground’s splashpad on a hot summery day, Crestview’s Citizen of the Year, Felton Barnes, and Dr. Cathy Ward, founder of the Common Ground Community Garden, plant flowers in a community garden being established near the park’s Fairview Center.

“We want people to get involved in their community,” Barnes said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Community garden being planted in Crestview

"The animals are coming two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo!" So begins a really fun song I sang in college with our choir. 

I don’t think we’ll have an elephant, or a kangaroo, or that they’ll come two by two, but animals are coming to the Crestview Community Center. on Friday, July 30! 

Animal Tales will bring animal ambassadors and will teach us how they use their tails, starting 6 p.m. July 30 at the Crestview Community Center, 1446 Commerce Drive.

For more information about Animal Tales, visit www.animaledzoocation.com. 

This event is free to all (because your library is awesome)!

At 6 p.m. we’ll start the evening by awarding prizes to teens and certificates to children who participated in the Summer Reading Challenge (children received their brag tags throughout the summer). 

Right after that, we’ll meet the animals. Please come to meet the animals even if you didn’t participate in the Summer Reading Challenge.

Call 850-682-4432 with questions.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Animal Tales event scheduled in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Let me introduce your 2021 intermediate State Champion Retail Meat ID team!

Back in April, the team of Cayson Barreto, Cate Breda, Anthony Barnett, Anabelle Brush, and Ella Brush represented Okaloosa County at the 2021 State 4-H Meat Judging Contest held at the University of Florida In Gainesville.

This team of first timers worked hard and won several awards, including Reserve champion (2nd) overall meat judging team in the state. Ella Brush won Highest Scorer in the State Meat Judging Competition! Cayson Barreto won third and Ella Brush won second highest scorer on Meat ID alone!

 What a great accomplishment for the kids and Okaloosa County! Please help me congratulate them on a wonderful year.

If you want be part of something great, join Okaloosa 4-H!

Meat judging is very cold. When practicing for a contest or competing, contestants put on an extra layer of clothing and a coat as they step into the coolers of a meat laboratory, business or processing plant.

Food safety has to be the first priority in this project area, because there is a consumable, uncooked product being judged. Beyond the cold, contestants move in a certain order from class to class to evaluate the meat products.

This project area helps youths improve life skills, such as decision making, communications skills and confidence, but it also provides them a very practical skill they can use every time they visit the grocery store or butcher shop.

Youths learn how to examine a cut of meat to determine which will be of the highest quality and flavor. Whether they cook for themselves or others, this useful skill will be perfected over time.

Ronnie Cowan is the 4-H Director 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: 4-H wins State Retail Meat Identification Championship

CRESTVIEW — Looking at photographs of one's family and the places they have visited is a fun past time. Most people use their cell phones for their pictures, but a camera is still one's best choice for great photos.

A point and shoot camera, which are easy to use, start at around $50 and can run to well over $1,000.

To purchase a really good SLR camera can cost upwards of $6,000, plus lenses and other needed accessories.

SLR stands for "single lens reflex" and means that you can view the subject through a mirror system in the camera when looking through the view finder. This helps a photographer frame their subject.

Another advantage to an SLR camera versus a point and shoot is that the lenses are interchangeable. Generally, advanced and professional photographers use SLR cameras, and a point and shoot camera works well for the rest of us.

Another advantage that a point and shoot camera has over an SLR is weight. A small point and shoot camera is lightweight and can easily be in one's purse, backpack or even pocket.

To capture special moments, have your camera charged and available. There is nothing more frustrating that to have a dead battery pack when you are ready to photograph.

For years I kept a small point and shoot camera in my purse and always had it available when we went someplace and could take nice pictures with it.

We have gotten some beautiful beach and sunset photographs because I had a camera with me. I realize that many people think their cell phones take as nice pictures as a camera, but there is a difference.

Tips for photos

When one is going to take a photo, clean up the area and focus on the person, landscape or pet you want in the picture.

Get extraneous things out of the picture — don't photograph your mother holding her purse, set it to the side.

Focus on the subject of the photograph and center your subject, whether it is a person, landscape or an object.

My family takes lots of pictures at Walt Disney World and we make sure we set backpacks, packages and other items out of the picture. We want a memory of our day, not the junk we were carrying around.

Learn how to efficiently use your camera, know what the buttons, dials and settings do and how to use them properly.

Learn how to use the portrait, landscape and zoom settings. It doesn't help to have a great camera if you don't know how to use it to its fullest potential.

Read the manual and then look on YouTube and see if there are any videos that show insider tips for your specific camera.

One of the nice things with today's cameras is that you know instantly if your picture turned out or if you need to take a second one. Take lots of pictures. You can delete any that you don't want from your memory card.

Enjoy your summer and take pictures of the memories you and your family are making.

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: Camera types for capturing those summer photos

CRESTVIEW — In Crestview’s historic downtown distract, native Floridian wildflowers are sprouting on the side of a popular bakery café.

The mural on Back Home Bakery Café’s rear side wall is a collaborative effort between building owner Kimberley Howard; bakery owner (and Kimberley’s mom) Dorene Howard; local State Farm Insurance agent Tiffany Woodham; and muralist Christina Donahon.

Inspiration for the mural began when Crestview Police Department Chief Stephen McCosker, City Manager Tim Bolduc and Community Development Services staff began the current ongoing effort to address blight, including graffiti, a scourge that had hit the Back Home Bakery rear side wall.

“It started with graffiti we had to cover up,” Dorene Howard said. “Tiffany came to us a while back and asked if she could help.”

“I felt we should do a downtown beautification project of some sort,” Woodham added. “I want to help make downtown pretty. Kimberley and I met and we discussed what the design should be and Florida wildflowers came up. We wanted to do something that people would like and would want to take their pictures in front of.”

While the Howards painted over the graffiti, Woodham, who funded the project, engaged Donahon’s talents to realize their concept of a Florida wildflowers motif.

One of her main challenges, Donahon said, is the irregular brick surface she’s working on.

“I didn’t realize how much texture there is to this wall,” she said, indicating chinks in the mortar between bricks, plastered repairs, and utilities boxes and cables on the 1920s wall. But those flaws haven’t stopped admirers of the mural from pausing to watch the artist at work.

“It’s amazing how many people have stopped by to say how much they like having some color downtown,” Donahon said.

“We wanted to do something to help beautify Crestview,” Dorene Howard said. “We’re doing our part to make Crestview look good.”

Woodham said she hopes the idea of transforming blank walls into works of art catches on.

“We should all get together with other businesses and create murals,” she said. “It would bring everybody downtown to look at them.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ‘I want to make downtown pretty’