FORT WALTON BEACH — The 2nd Annual Thrive Music Fest, benefiting Covenant Hospice, is 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, June 20 in downtown Fort Walton Beach.

The event will feature live music in multiple venues including The Fort Walton Beach Landing, KC’s Sandbar & Grille, The Green Door, Downtown Cinema Plus and Coasters.

Organizers said the initial line-up of local and regional performing artists will include:

•Austin Jennings, Cadillac Willy and Hotel Oscar, all of Destin

•New Earth Army, Nik Flagstar & His Dirty Mangy Dogs, Something to Yield, and The Wide Open, all of Fort Walton Beach

•The Owsley Brothers, Freeport

Organizers seek additional artists interested in performing at the benefit, as well as volunteers for the planning committee and event day.

“In recognizing a flourishing downtown Fort Walton Beach with increased energy and a dynamic local music scene, we felt like Thrive Music Fest was a natural fit both to celebrate a growing community and to ensure that Covenant’s compassionate care is available to anyone in need of our services, regardless of financial status or their ability to pay,” development manager Rachel Mayew said.

“Our goal at Covenant Hospice is to give patients the gift of quality time; to allow them to live as fully as possible; to thrive in whatever means possible — mind, body, spirit — during their final chapter of life,” she said. “Through community support of events like Thrive Music Fest, we are able to help our patients and their loved ones make the most of every moment.”

Corporate sponsorships and underwriting opportunities are available, and participating organizations will receive benefits including promotional recognition, complimentary admission and preferred seating.

Contact Rachel Mayew, 428-0605 or rachel.mayew@covenanthospice.org, for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: April concert to benefit Covenant Hospice

CRESTVIEW — Florida Telecommunications Relay Inc., the non-profit distributor of amplified telephones for people with hearing loss and speech challenges, is offering a new amplified telephone at no cost to Okaloosa County residents with hearing loss.

The XLC3.4, developed by Clarity, is a cordless phone with talking Caller ID and boosts incoming sounds up to 50 decibels. The XLC3.4 is designed to meet varying degrees of hearing loss — from moderate to severe.

Permanent Florida residents certified as having hearing loss can complete an application here or call 1-800-222-3448 to get the phone.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Free phone available for Okaloosa residents with hearing loss

A beekeeping short course is scheduled through March in Milton and Cantonment. Classes, as follows, are  6-8 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday:

•March 9: Honey Bee Biology, Anatomy & Hive Structure         

•March 16: Bee Nutrition and Bee Botany (identification of nectar plants)

•March 21: Bee-Yard field day

•March 23: Important Pest and Diseases — Identification and Management

Sessions are by interactive video, except for the March 21 field day.

Registration for all classes — presented by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Panhandle Agriculture Team — is $20 per person, or $30 per family. The fee covers course materials and refreshments.

Contact the Escambia County office — 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment, 475-5230 — or Santa Rosa office — 6263 Dogwood Drive, Milton, 623-3868 — to register. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Beekeeping course available next month in Cantonment, Milton

It's no coincidence that the United States has one of the safest food supplies.

Plenty of work has been put into developing rules that producers, processors and distributors must follow to keep food safe.

Even so, there are plenty of instances when something goes wrong and people fall ill.

On Feb. 12, for example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared an end to a recent outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial pathogen.

Since October, 35 people in 12 states have fallen ill, and at least three have died, because of contaminated prepackaged caramel apples. Outbreaks such as this can catch the public’s attention — and can cause people to think twice about purchasing similar products, whatever the source.

Listeria — just one pathogen that can cause illness — is most severe when it affects pregnant women or people with weakened immune systems.

As modern medical science allows people to live longer and helps those who are immuno-compromised to survive, it becomes increasingly important to protect our food's quality.

Disease-causing organisms or chemicals may come into contact with food a variety of ways. These include using improperly composted manure, employees practicing poor hygiene, or allowing contaminants to spread to crops from nearby areas.

In 2010, Congress passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This legislation — which attempts to update food safety laws — is still being implemented. The final rules will be in place by October, though it is still unclear when enforcement will begin.

When it does, farms may be required to have a farm safety plan and undergo inspections, depending on farm size.

A farm safety plan includes a set of standard operating procedures that a farm must follow. These cover topics such as animal husbandry and grazing, water use and quality control, adjacent land use, fertilization, employee hygiene and training, and food security.

LEARN MORE

Visit the Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises team's website to learn more about food safety.

A Food Safety Plan Workshop will be held Feb. 26 at the Duval County Extension Office in Jacksonville.

Contact Dilcia Toro, 386-362-1725, ext. 102, for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Here's why food safety should concern North Okaloosa farmers