lifestyle | Crestview News Bulletin

An elegant evening gets an elegant setting

Written by archive on September 2, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — The north county’s most elegant community event just got even more elegant thanks to a fortuitous scheduling conflict.

Originally planned for a pavilion on the lawn in front of the Community Center, the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Moonlight and Melodies Wine Gala has had a change of venue.

The Robert F. Sikes Education Center overlooking Twin Hills Park will resound with the music of jazz singer Dr. Cheryl Jones, the tinkly splash of wine pouring into goblets and the burble of residents happily enjoying gourmet cuisine and socializing with friends.

Organizers said Northwest Florida State College enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to host the annual soiree at its Crestview campus

“The college is really excited to host the Wine Gala there,” event chairwoman Rachel Neighbors of North Okaloosa Medical Center said.

Neighbors said Moonlight and Melodies, which this year is themed “A Taste of France,” will take full advantage of the former Crestview Public Library’s stately Greek revival portico, landscaped multi-level forecourt, elegant foyer and sweeping curved staircase.

The French theme features a toast to the Crestview Area Sister City Program. Displays will include information about Noirmoutier and its 19-year relationship with Crestview, and about upcoming 2015 exchanges between the two communities.

This year, wine will be provided by Epi-Cure Fine Wines and Spirits of Niceville, which will conduct classes in wine culture for the gala’s volunteer sommeliers, Neighbors said.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: “A Taste of France” Moonlight & Melodies Wine Gala

WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Nov. 1

WHERE: Northwest Florida State College Bob Sikes Education Center, Twin Hills Park

COST: $40 per person

NOTES: Admission includes wine samplings by Epi-Cure Fine Wine & Spirits, live music by jazz vocalist Dr. Cheryl Jones and gourmet food.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: An elegant evening gets an elegant setting

Next Look Good, Feel Better programs are Sept. 8, 15

Written by archive on August 29, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

FORT WALTON BEACH — Look Good Feel Better's next session is 1-3 p.m. Sept. 8 at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Classroom B, third floor, 1000 Mar-Walt Drive, Fort Walton Beach.

A session also is planned 5-7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast, Olson’s Women’s Diagnostic Center, 7800 U.S. Highway 98 W., Miramar Beach.

Advance registration is required to provide cosmetics that match your skin tone.

This group program is open to all women with cancer who receive chemotherapy, radiation or other treatments.

Call the American Cancer Society, 1-800-227-2345, for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Next Look Good, Feel Better programs are Sept. 8, 15

Crestview chamber seeks sponsors, vendors for Oct. 18 health fair

Written by archive on August 29, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce seeks sponsors and vendors for its 8th Annual Crestview Chamber Community Health Fair.

The event, presented by the chamber's Health and Wellness Committee, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Crestview Community Center, 1446 Commerce Drive.

Health screenings, education, information and promotional items and entertainment for all age groups will be available.

For more information, contact the chamber office at 682-3212 or visit its website.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview chamber seeks sponsors, vendors for Oct. 18 health fair

T-shirt, gift card offer for Crestview area blood donors

Written by archive on August 29, 2014. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

OneBlood, your local blood center, is holding a Labor Day event at all donor center locations. Blood donors who donate at center locations through Monday, September 1 will receive a limited edition Heroes T-shirt and a $10 eGift card.

Crestview's donation center is at 2400 S. Ferdon Blvd., Suite B. Find out more details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: T-shirt, gift card offer for Crestview area blood donors

Fifth Sunday Sing features Dixie Echoes in concert

Written by archive on August 29, 2014. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Live Oak Baptist Church hosts a "5th Sunday Sing with the Dixie Echoes," 11 a.m. Aug. 31 at 4565 Live Oak Church Road, Crestview.

Admission is free but a love offering will be accepted.

The Dixie Echoes Quartet features Randy Shelnut singing lead, Alex Utech singing bass, Junior Shelton singing tenor, and Randy Shelnut Jr. singing baritone. The quartet is accompanied by award winning pianist Ben Hart. For more information, visit www.dixieechoes.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fifth Sunday Sing features Dixie Echoes in concert

'COME WHEN YOU CAN': Crestview mission offers flexible schedule

Written by archive on August 27, 2014. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — While the morning sun climbs in the sky, Gene Stanton and Lonny Fuller work hard, loading hundreds of pounds of food and produce into their trailer.

The men volunteer with Brother Raymond Williams’ New Beginnings Baptist Ministries Missions. The food — from Crestview's Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie — is just past its last date of sale, but still fresh.

And a bargain at 2 cents a pound.

The mission, in partnership with the Bay Area Food Bank in Milton, buys food from the grocery stores, Missions Director Jimmy Smith said. Church members’ weekly tithes and offerings help fund the food's purchase. The mission also receives donations of government commodities.

Almost 1,100 needy people monthly rely on the mission’s food bank, so the organization established a daily two-hour distribution schedule, parceling out food and clothing between 10 a.m. and noon Mondays through Fridays.

“We let people come the day or week that’s convenient to them,” Smith said.

The mission daily serves between 50 and 60 people. For the homeless, volunteers prepare bags of ready-to-eat food that doesn’t require cooking.

The purpose is to help others at no charge, organizers said.

“We provide food and clothes here,” Smith said. “Nothing costs nobody anything.”

NEED HELP?

WHAT: Free food and clothes available through New Beginnings Baptist Ministries Missions

WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon weekdays except fifth Fridays

WHERE: Brother Raymond Williams’ New Beginnings Ministries, 404 W. James Lee Blvd., Crestview

NOTES: Visit or call the mission to volunteer or sign up for a distribution time, 398-6760

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'COME WHEN YOU CAN': Crestview mission offers flexible schedule

REVIEW: 'What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best' by Laura Numeroff

Written by archive on August 26, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

Grandparents Day is the first Sunday in September after Labor Day. This year, it falls on Sept. 7, so you have plenty of time to get a card off in the mail!

If you have little ones, I’m sure they’d be delighted with a homemade picture. We are honoring grandparents in Lap Sit and Story Time, and one of the stories we read is “What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best” by Laura Numeroff.

It celebrates grandparents, and the everyday things they do, in a fun book design that has two fronts instead of a front and a back.

Heather Nitzel is the Crestview Public Library's youth services librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: 'What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best' by Laura Numeroff

EXTENSION CONNECTION: Hunters, here's how to attract more wildlife

Written by archive on August 26, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

It’s time to start planning cool-season wildlife food plots. (These attract deer and other wildlife to your property, and they provide some nutrition.)

First, choose an appropriate location. Remember: Wildlife like to stay close to cover, but plants need sunlight. Cool-season food plots are generally smaller than warm-season food plots. (About an acre or so is sufficient.)

Next, have your soil tested. Soil test results provide important information like pH, phosphorus levels and potassium levels. Perform the soil test now so you have more time to adjust the pH. Adjust pH if necessary with lime applications.

Finally, choose from cool-season forage options as follows.

•Legumes: arrowleaf clover, crimson clover, ball clover, red clover, white clover, vetch and winter peas, to name a few.

Legumes need to be inoculated with a rhizobium bacteria before planting. This allows the plant to manufacture nitrogen and eliminate the need for extra nitrogen application.

•Grasses: ryegrass, oats, wheat, rye, and triticale (a human-made cross of wheat and rye).

•Brassicas like kale, turnips and tillage radish

•Forage chicory

Most of these plants' pH range will be between 5.5 and 7.0. I recommend planting a mixture of these forages. One mixture that had a lot of success in our research plots in Quincy included arrowleaf clover, red clover, crimson clover, white clover, buck forage oats and tillage radish. The target pH for that mixture would be 6.0.

Learn more about cool-season wildlife food plots at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag139 or email your questions to me at bearden@ufl.edu.

Jennifer Bearden is an agent at the University of Florida's Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Hunters, here's how to attract more wildlife

FINANCIAL FOCUS: Work to become a better investor

Written by archive on August 26, 2014. Posted in lifestyle.

Next week, we observe Labor Day, a federal holiday since 1894 that celebrates American workers' achievements.

But to make progress toward your long-term financial goals, you need to do more than just earn money — you need to invest it wisely.

That takes work, too.

Fortunately, there’s no real mystery to the types of labor in which you’ll need to engage to become a good investor.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Work to make investing a priority. Many people delay investing until they “have a better handle” on their finances. But these good intentions frequently go unfulfilled because there will always be something else on which to spend one’s money.

To work toward your important goals, such as a comfortable retirement or a child's education, put away some money regularly. If you’re just starting out in your career, you might not be able to afford much, but even a small amount can help. And when your salary increases, so can your investment contributions.

To make it easier, consider arranging for your bank to automatically move money each month from your checking or savings account into an investment account.

• Work to understand what’s in your portfolio. Some investors aren’t certain about what investments they own — and this uncertainty can lead to poor decision-making if it becomes necessary to make changes. So make sure you know what’s in your portfolio — and why.

• Work to keep your portfolio current with your goals. Even if you know why you initially purchased certain investments and how they fit into your portfolio, you can’t put things on “autopilot.” Over time, your goals may evolve, which means you’ll need to be vigilant in working with your financial advisor to adjust your portfolio accordingly.

• Work to diversify your holdings. No matter where you are in life, you will still need to diversify your portfolio by owning a variety of investments — stocks, bonds, government securities and other vehicles. Consequently, you’ll need to review your portfolio regularly to ensure that it’s still properly diversified. Diversification is a strategy designed to help reduce the effects of volatility on your holdings, but keep in mind that even a diversified portfolio can’t guarantee profits or protect against loss.

• Work to maintain a long-term perspective. No matter what you might hear from anyone else, there’s no “shortcut” to investment success. Many people hope they will “hit” on that one investment that will make them rich quickly — but that’s pretty much a fantasy. To help achieve your goals, you will need to invest for many years, through good markets and bad. And during those inevitable downturns, you’ll need to focus on your long-term objectives and follow a consistent investment strategy, making only those adjustments that make sense for your situation.

You’ll need to work on many aspects of investing to stay on the road toward success. But you don’t have to work alone: Investing can be complex, so you may want to get help from a financial professional — someone who knows both the investment world and your individual needs, goals and risk tolerance.

Joe Faulk is a Crestview financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FINANCIAL FOCUS: Work to become a better investor

Niceville UMC opts out of Crestview's Northview Plaza

Written by archive on August 24, 2014. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Niceville United Methodist Church leaders have opted not to move into Northview Plaza.

Niceville UMC — which has a Crestview campus, St. Mark UMC on P.J. Adams Parkway — seeks to expand its ministry in the Hub City. But Jayme Nabors of NBI properties, which manages the North Ferdon boulevard plaza, said church officials decided not to lease 16,500 square feet in the plaza's south end.

“It couldn’t satisfy their needs with what they were looking for,” Nabors said.

Greg McKinnon, an executive pastor at Niceville UMC, said the decision to keep looking for a new location came after a church engineer noticed additional remodeling work would be necessary.

“It would have cost more than we planned,” McKinnon said.

Now, church officials are considering leasing 11 acres on Old Bethel Road. McKinnon said the church should reach a decision by the middle of next month.

NBI and the church parted on good terms, Nabors said. NBI will soon renovate the plaza's south wing — which includes the former Movies & More — into retail space.

Naybors estimated that the renovation, set to begin within the next 45 days, would give the plaza five additional retail spaces.

St. Mark recently finished a $1.25 million expansion project — adding more children’s ministry classrooms, additional parking, a children’s playground, and a larger sanctuary with additional seating — to the current building.

The campus regularly has 600 in attendance on Sundays, church officials said.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Niceville UMC opts out of Crestview's Northview Plaza

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