CRESTVIEW — Two area artists draw on nature for exhibits on display at the Crestview Public Library.

In the lobby display cases, Carolyn Stewart combines miniature hand-bound books and textured papers with natural elements including sticks, seashells, sand, gravel and logs.

Her whimsical, dimensional art includes “Tiny Thoughts,” which is composed of miniature cloth-bound books hanging from the branches of stout twigs set in a log.

“Atlas” is a miniature made of cut-up maps perched in the crook of a tree-like branch, while “A Song on the Wind” is a tiny book of sheet music set on a branch trimmed to look like a wind-blown old tree.

On the north display wall, photographer Opal Westmoreland shares images grounded primarily in nature: a leaf floating in a still pond — or is it a puddle? There’s a sheen that could be drops of oil.

Westmoreland finds beauty in city parks and local forests and gardens. Close-ups of flowers in bloom reveal details the eye commonly skims over.

And then there are rustic scenes the photographer’s eye sees in ways others’ don’t. An orange antique car, for example, turns out to be art someone else painted on a weathered metal roll-up garage door.

Both exhibits will be up through April.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Two area artists draw on nature for current exhibits

As the ant and termite swarm season begins, beware of this species.

Formosan subterranean termite — first described in Taiwan in the early 1900s — is the most widely distributed and economically important wood-destroying insect.

In New Orleans, where this termite species was introduced in the 1950s, the annual control and repair costs due to FST are estimated at $300 million.

A single FST colony may contain several million termites (versus several hundred thousand termites for native subterranean termite species) that forage up to 300 feet in soil.

Because of its population size and foraging range, FST colonies' presence pose serious threats to nearby structures. The FST, which generally invades structures from the ground, commonly enters through expansion joints, cracks and utility conduits in slabs. Any wood-to-ground contact is an inviting entrance for FST infestations.

Studies also found that the termite attacks many species of living plants. It attacks structural lumbers and living plants because they are cellulose sources.

However, this termite is also known to attack non-cellulose materials such as plaster, plastic, asphalt and thin sheets of soft metal (lead or copper) in search of food and moisture.

The combination of water and wood or other cellulose materials provides attractive conditions for the termite. Leaky plumbing, air conditioning condensate and any portion of the building that may collect excessive amounts of moisture should be corrected to maintain an environment less attractive to the termite.

Conventional method for control of subterranean termites, including the FST, is to place a chemical barrier between termites and the structure.

Because of an FST colony's large size, application of soil termiticide beneath a structure may not affect the overall population. Bait stations containing a monitoring device can be first installed in soil surrounding a home.

When termites are found in the station, the monitoring device is replaced with a tube containing pesticide bait. Termites feeding in the stations then carry baits to other colony members, leading to the entire colony population's demise. Trained pest control professionals should apply all baits.

Efficacy and claims of these commercial bait products may differ from one another. Read the fine print and ask questions. Many new Florida residents are unfamiliar with homeowner insurance related to Formosan termite damage.

 Sheila Dunning is a Commercial Horticulture Extension agent at the Okaloosa County Extension office in Crestview.

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LEARN MORE

Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties are known hot spots for Formosan subterranean termites. Florida’s temperate climate provides a perfect environment for termites, but signs of structural damage to a home may go undetected for long periods.

Learn more about the pest and how you can protect your home during a public meeting 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 at Niceville Community Center, 204 Partin Drive, Niceville. Contact Sheila Dunning, sdunning@ufl.edu or 689-5850, to register.

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UPCOMING

'CONTROLLING TOMATO PESTS IN THE HOME GARDEN' SEMINAR: 9 a.m. to noon, April 2,  Okaloosa County Extension Office, 3098 Airport Road, Crestview. Register: 689-5850.

LAWN CARE IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA SEMINAR: 10:30 a.m. April 7, Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview. Coffee and cookies served starting at 10 a.m. 682-4432 or  689-5850.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: This pest can cause plenty of damage in Northwest Florida

NICEVILLE — Richard Blanco, the first Latino immigrant poet chosen to read at a presidential inauguration, will be the featured distinguished author at Northwest Florida State College's annual NWFSC Reads.

Blanco will present readings from his works at 7 p.m. April 20  in the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Sprint Theater on the NWFSC Niceville campus. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

Immediately preceding Blanco's reading, additional events will take place from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. in the adjoining Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries. These include a welcome reception, student readings and the unveiling of the student art selected for the cover of the college’s literary and arts journal, "Blackwater Review.”

All of the evening's events are free and open to the public.

NWFSC Reads is a free annual week-long event by the college English Department, with an emphasis on literary topics.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Richard Blanco featured author at NWFSC Reads event

CRESTVIEW — Myke V (last name, Van Ness) and Jarrod Rosenstock, a Destin duo who make up The Good Lookings, will perform around 3:20 p.m. March 28 at the Triple B Cookoff on Main Street.

Myke V, vocalist and guitarist, and Jarrod, vocalist, drummer and cajon player (a sort of drum box) —have played gigs for almost a year. They met when Myke hosted an open mic event at Funky Blues Shack in Destin. "Jarrod would come up there and play…he got a gig one Saturday night during the summer and asked if I'd like to come up and play." The gig was at a venue that normally takes bigger bands, and The Good Lookings sounds "bigger" than a duo, Myke said.

Their repertoire includes a mix of original songs, hits from the  1980's and 90's, and classics from Billy Joel and the Jackson 5.

Q&A

The Good Lookings is a good band name, but what other names did you consider?

"Bag of Hats or 6% Clown Parts. The Good Lookings is a terrible name, but my mom likes it," Myke said.

What's your favorite song to perform?

We agree on this one. While our originals are a lot of fun, and we're very proud of them, we really like to play "Gray Street" by Dave Matthews. Also, typically we'll be asked at a show to play a song we don't know but we'll try to pull it off. Those can get pretty fun.

Where's your favorite place to perform?

Any place that has an enthusiastic audience that appreciates live music. We love crowd interaction 🙂 

Beach or brew hall?

Brew hall. Definitely, brew hall.

If you've "been there, done that, and got the T-shirt," what would your T-shirt say?

"It's called a BLINKER!" (viral photo of a mad dog behind the wheel of a car)

What do you guys do off stage?

Go watch others perform. We really love live music, and are grateful to be a part of this robust musical community. 

So, what's on your barbecue grill?

Jarrod: Steak!

Myke: Chicken and cheese brats, usually. This spring, I'll be practicing my grilled salmon, though.

MORE INFORMATION

See The Good Lookings' photos, videos and scheduled bookings at www.facebook.com/thegoodlookingsband and www.reverbnation.com/thegoodlookings.

Editorial Assistant Renee Bell, follow her on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Triple B: Destin band trades brew halls for downtown this weekend

CRESTVIEW — To businessmen like Dale Henderson, a Lee Buick/GMC sales executive, the Triple B Cookoff is more than downtown’s premier spring festival.

It’s a giant sales opportunity.

For five or six years, the dealership has exhibited vehicles at the festival, and each year it’s sold every one of them. At last year’s festival, Lee displayed — and sold — eight cars and trucks.

The cookoff offers high visibility for the dealer that can't be beaten, Henderson said.

“You have 10- or 12,000 people walking by,” he said. “It’s hard to get 10- or 12,000 people walking into the dealership.”

People may not buy a new car or truck on the spot, but for two — and sometimes more — weeks after the Triple B, customers continue to walk into the State Road 85 dealership and inquire about vehicles they saw on display.

“They would come in and say they saw it at the festival,” Henderson said. “One guy came in and asked to see the truck he wanted but we’d already sold it. But he bought a similar one.”

‘PRETTY AWESOME’ SALES OPPORTUNITY

Nothing beats a potential customer who's at the cookoff, enjoying the food and already in a good mood, Henderson said.

“It’s better than seeing a picture on a piece of paper,” he said. “When they can see it (a vehicle) and touch it and sit inside of it and see the features and what it does, it makes it pretty awesome.”

Originally Henderson began as a barbecue judge, but soon he discovered there were so many people interested in his vehicles he had to devote more time to car sales.

“We thought during the judging we’d have a lot of people interested about the vehicles,” he said. “I was a judge for two years, but I had to stop because we had so many people interested in the cars.”

Being a festival sponsor turned out to be a shrewd business move as well as a good way to foster community relations, Henderson said.

“To get your word out and get your face out there and push your product out there, it helps tremendously,” he said. “Every vehicle we’ve ever had there we sold.”

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Triple B: Cookoff is a 12,000-person showroom for this Crestview car dealership