CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County's University of Florida Extension is celebrating 100 years of helping people farm, garden and live better.

Over the years, with evolving technology, the local office has used various communication methods, from radio parties to (soon) smart phones.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: COVER STORY: County extension celebrates 100 years of home, farming advice

CRESTVIEW — A chance meeting at a coffee shop was the final impetus playwright and Crestview resident Mike Smith needed to make the dream of producing his musical come true.

Initially, Smith envisioned a show that pays homage to the 20th century's influential black music. He produced a forerunner of "Generations: A Collection of Black American Music" while he was a Texas student performing with a group called The Legacy Singers.

"We were invited to do a show for Black History Month in college and it was 'Generations,'" he said. "The campus and community took … to the show and it was so well received that I thought, 'We may have something here.'"

Back home in Crestview, at his favorite Starbucks table, Smith mulled ways to polish, improve and tighten the show.

At a nearby table, Paul Hinton, First United Methodist Church's contemporary worship music minister, was wrestling with creative challenges as he polished his historical novel.

Mutual encouragement

Hinton and Smith got to chatting and, with each other's encouragement, the book and musical progressed.

"I told him, 'Man, you should do something here,'" Hinton said.

Smith and Dr. Cliff Herron, the Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center's executive director, discussed bringing "Generations" to the Mainstage at Northwest Florida State College.

"Mattie Kelly decided to bring us onboard in July, so we've been practicing for quite some time now," Smith said. "It's been a lot of work. It's been a little more work than I anticipated."

In 10 acts, beginning with the early 1900s, "Generations" brings each decade's music, history and culture to the stage, starting with what Smith called a "soul-stirring Negro spiritual."

Each member of the 10-actor cast respectively introduces each decade.

"It is 10 monologues of what was going on in black history, entertainment, sports (and) politics," Mike said. "After each monologue, the band strikes up and the cast comes out and performs the music of the most popular artists of that decade."

Historic influences

Historic events often influenced selections, Smith said.

"You can hear how the music was real relevant and how the music started to evoke what was going on in black history," he said.

"In the 1960s, as the fire hoses were being turned on and the dogs were being released, you hear Aretha Franklin singing 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T.' Yeah, it was about a man, but it had hidden meaning.

"In the '70s you hear Earth Wind and Fire singing, 'We made it, but we have a ways to go.'

"In the '80s you had black-on-black crime, and you had Michael Jackson singing, 'I'm starting with the man in the mirror; I'm trying to make a change.'"

"Generations" runs Feb. 28 at the Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center, with a Feb. 1 sneak preview for the Democratic Black Caucus' Okaloosa County chapter.

Smith said response to sneak preview showcases has surpassed his expectations. He said he was gratified to see "Generations" had, as he hoped, touched audiences' emotions.

"You’ll smile, you’ll cry, you’ll sing out loud, you’ll dance, you’ll reminisce," Mike said. "You’ll shout 'amen!'"

WANT TO GO?

WHAT:"Generations: A Collection of Black American Music"

WHEN:7:30 p.m. Feb 28

WHERE:Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center, Northwest Florida State College, Niceville

TICKETS: Advance: $20 from producers, 499-3627; $25 in person, at the door or by phone from the Mattie Kelly Center box office, 729-6000

Email News Bulletin Arts and Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local playwright's musical traces music through the 'Generations'

CRESTVIEW — Lincoln Sayger's "Quixotic Reference" is an interactive textile work crocheted in acrylic yarn.

The artwork is also a QR, or "quick response" code, which the piece's title plays off of. When scanned with a smart phone, it becomes a digital link to a crocheting advice website.

The piece is among works by local artists on exhibit at Journey Java Connection, 269 N. Main St., Crestview.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Art exhibit features interactive textile

Imagine for a minute you are out to sea, line wet, with about 150 feet of water separating boat from the bottom. You feel a tug. Instinct kicks in and you want to yank up to set the hook, but you remember that doesn’t work with circle hooks, a required gear when fishing for reef fish like snapper and grouper in all Gulf waters and in federal waters of the Atlantic south of 28 degrees north latitude. So you gently start reeling it in, hoping nothing eats your catch before you can get it to the boat.

Alas, the fish surfaces, but it is too small to keep and it seems to be experiencing barotrauma, a condition that occurs when the gases in the swim bladder expand after being brought to the surface from depth.

STOP! The choices you make from here on can greatly impact whether or not that fish you are about to release survives to be caught another day. Do you know what to do?

Post-release fish survival should be important to all anglers. The more fish that survive being caught and subsequently released, the more fish there will be in general. This can eventually mean extension of open seasons, increases in bag limits and more successful fishing trips.

While every situation is different, there are plenty of things you can do to help maximize the survival of fish you plan on releasing, from using wet hands when touching a fish to holding your catch horizontally. Matching your gear to the size fish you are targeting can help shorten the time it takes to get the fish to the boat, which can help a fish survive if released because it will be less exhausted.

If your fish is experiencing barotrauma, time is of the essence. Barotrauma can potentially cause injury to the internal organs as they are pushed out of the body (signs of this include stomach protruding from mouth, intestines protruding from the anus, eyes bulging out and bloated belly).

There are two main types of tools currently used to help relieve the effects of barotrauma. Venting tools are hollow, sharpened devices (think a syringe without the plunger) that can be used to release the expanded gases. Descending devices, which are used to send the fish back down to depth, also have promise.

Until recently, it has been required to have and use venting tools when fishing for reef fish in the Gulf, but this requirement was removed in federal waters last year and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to remove the requirement in state waters last November. The rule change should go in effect around the end of the month.

The removal of this rule will give anglers the ability to choose the best method to maximize survival of released fish.

For example, on a hot summer day, using a descending device might be a better option because you are quickly returning the fish to the cooler water at the bottom.

And while venting, when done correctly can help, not all fish need to be vented.

Both tools have advantages and disadvantages.

Hit a hot spot? It is possible to vent and release several fish in the same amount of time it would take to descend a single fish. Then again, not everyone feels confident on when, where and how to vent. Going too deep or venting in the wrong place can cause more damage than good.

But you also need to know what you are doing when using a descending device. If done incorrectly, the fish may come loose too soon. Descending devices also can require the dedication of a rod, which is used to bring the descending device down and back up again.

While both devices can be homemade or purchased and while both are inexpensive, descending devices can cost, on average, slightly more than venting tools. Both devices also come in various sizes, but venting tools tend to generally be smaller than descending devices and do not take up a lot of space in an already-crowded tackle box.

Either way, the choice is yours. So shop around, be sure to read the instructions thoroughly and, hopefully, take home a keeper or two.

Visit FWC.com for more on ensuring fish survival>>

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: GONE COASTAL: Helping your fish survive helps you

CRESTVIEW — The rest of the country may start planting trees in the spring, but Northwest Florida's tree planting season is now.

Tuesday, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticulture agent Sheila Dunning will conduct an Arbor Day program titled "Preventing Tree Failure." Three basic topics will be covered:

•"Proper species selection is number one," Dunning said. It's necessary to choose trees for storm resilience and branch structure appropriate for the region.

• When to plant. Planting now, in winter, is the region's best tree-planting season, Dunning said.

• Proper tree planting. "Planting too deep and not opening up the roots are the two most common problems we see," county extension Director Larry Williams said.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: "Preventing Tree Failure": Okaloosa County Arbor Day observance

WHEN: 9-10 a.m., Jan. 21

WHERE: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, 3098 Airport Road, Crestview

DETAILS: Presented by county horticulture agent Sheila Dunning. Free tree planting seminar and native species tree giveaway for first 100 registrants at event

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Arbor Day event includes planting tips, free saplings

CRESTVIEW — Area students will get a hands-on opportunity to learn and hone their stage skills in youth productions of William Shakespeare classics.

KidzAct acting classes begin the first week of February at Journey Java Connection on Main Street under experienced adult actors and instructors' tutelage.

Budding thespians, many of whom have learned acting techniques in previous classes, will now undertake actual productions, Journey Java owner and theatre arts instructor Sandra Peters said.

"This is a performance class," she said. "It's like an introduction to Shakespeare."

The classes will use a program called "Shakespeare Can be Fun," which introduces young actors to works of the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon in a fun way, Peters said.

The junior class of 6- to 9-year-olds will perform an abridged production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The 10- to 15-year-old students in the senior class will perform a shortened version of "Twelfth Night."

Journey Java's KidzArt classes, taught 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, will help design and construct sets and scenery for both productions.

A cookies-and-punch reception will follow the March 29 performances.

"It's going to be fun," Peters said. "I think they're ready to perform."

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: KidzAct theatre performance and KidzArt art classes

WHEN: Beginning the first week of February as follows:

• KidzAct Junior Class, 6-9 years old, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 1-3 p.m. Saturdays

• KidzAct Senior Class, 10-15 years old, 3:30-5 p.m. Fridays, 1-3 p.m. Saturdays

• KidzArt Class: 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays

PERFORMANCES: Juniors, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," 5 p.m. March 29; Seniors, "Twelfth Night," 6:30 p.m. March 29. Reception follows.

WHERE: Journey Java Connection, 269 N. Main St., Crestview

DETAILS: KidzAct tuition: Juniors, $100; Seniors, $125; includes materials and performance fees. Junior class members must be able to read. Space is limited; students must commit to attending all classes and performances. KidzArt tuition is $48 for eight classes, including materials.

CONTACT: Sandra Peters, 420-6723.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Children's acting classes teach performance skills, Shakespeare