CRESTVIEW — When amateur and professional historians delve into North Okaloosa County’s past, one reference is consistently on their must-peruse list.

Betty Curenton and Claudia Patten’s regional and city history, “Crestview: The Forkland,” is a chronological guide of facts, figures, maps, pictures and stories of the people who formed the community. The timeline extends from the native Muskogee (Creek) through the 1990s.

“Those ladies published the book out of their dedication and love of local history,” Baker Block Museum Director Ann Spann said.

As the city prepared to observe its 100th birthday, the authors gifted “The Forkland” content to the Crestview Historic Preservation Board, of which Spann is chairman.

“This is their way of keeping the book alive and available for future generations,” Spann said

CENTENNIAL EDITION

The only change to the centennial edition is its cover, which features the original 1918 Okaloosa County courthouse and the 1955 courthouse, which will soon be demolished.

“We’re kind of proud that we got the first two courthouses on the cover,” Spann said.

Curenton and Patten, both of whom have long family roots in the area, took more than 10 years to gather and assemble “The Forkland,” including countless hours of recording and transcribing oral histories and memoirs.

That content is invaluable to researchers, from students doing local history reports to historians preparing regional history books or presentations, said Crestview Public Library research librarian Sandra Dreaden.

Patrons use the library’s copies, including one available for checking out and one permanently in the local history research stacks, for many reasons.

“Sometimes they’re looking for a particular family name. Sometimes they’re looking for pictures by the decades,” she said. “It’s everything: Family history, pictures of buildings and history by the decades.”

BRISK SALES

“The Forkland” reprint has been selling briskly, Spann said.

Buyers include members of long-time area families as well as newcomers eager to learn about their new hometown.

Copies are available in the Baker Block Museum’s reference library, where “people look at it all the time,” Spann said.

The book may also be purchased for $65, and Spann said the museum can arrange delivery of “The Forkland” to buyers who can’t get to the museum.

“The Crestview Historic Preservation Board is grateful to Mrs. Curenton and Mrs. Patten for their incredible gift,” Spann said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview history book reprinted for city centennial

NICEVILLE — CHELCO is taking member appreciation on the road.

Members are invited to enjoy food and fun from 9-11 a.m. Aug. 27 at Bluewater Bay Elementary School, 4545 Range Road in Niceville.

Free food, Kona Ice, a member gift, bounce houses and local vendors will be available. CHELCO’s new Live Line Safety Demonstration Trailer will also be onsite to educate the community about power line safety and dangers.

Local vendors include Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, Mid-Bay Rotary Club, Hurricane Grill and Wings, Okaloosa Sheriff’s Department, Panhandle Warriors, and the United Way of Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

North Bay Fire District will also bring fire trucks to the event. Twin Cities Hospital will offer free blood pressure screenings. In addition, CHELCO will have information on payment options, its Electric Newsletter, Co-op Connections and Switch to Save programs.

“Our territory is quite large, and we know many members cannot the attend annual meeting, which features fun, food and prizes,” said Vice President of Member Services Steve Wolfrom. “We decided to start having a member appreciation event at other locations. We will rotate it around the area to bring CHELCO to the members in other parts of Okaloosa and Walton counties.”

CHELCO is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving more than 48,000 accounts in Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHELCO Member Appreciation Day scheduled

CRESTVIEW — The Renalus Center for Kidney Care has set a grand opening celebration for their new Crestview practice location.

It's "a new state-of-the-art nephrology facility that delivers expansive kidney health services and education to the Pace community and surrounding areas," the center said in a media release.

The public may attend the event which is 4:30-6:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at 221 E. Redstone Ave., Crestview.

The center's medical team consists of Drs. Christopher Reid, Nicholas Nagrani, James Martin, Derek Jimenez, F. Duncan Scott and nurse practitioners Misty Willis, Amy Dugger and Kathy Curry.

For a complete list of services, treatments, and locations, visit www.renalus.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Nephrology practice plans Crestview open house

CRESTVIEW — Many high school athletes dream of making it to the professional leagues, but few succeed.

One who attained that lofty professional athlete pinnacle is Crestview High School 2012 alumna Hannah Day, who today plays catcher for the Akron (Ohio) Racers women’s softball team.

The path from middle school sports to Firestone Stadium was long and hard, but the Racers’ No. 15 was determined, surprising even her own dad, Crestview High Principal Dexter Day, a former football coach and professional baseball player.

“When I saw her playing in middle school, I was thinking I was going to have to break it to her that her career would be over by high school,” he said. “But she was committed, and committed to being the best.”

‘HIGHER STANDARDS’

Hannah started her high school career playing both volleyball and softball before shifting her concentration to the latter.

“Being at Crestview, and my dad helping me out, got me ready for pro ball,” Hannah said. “I always held myself to higher standards than most of the others did. That helped me get from college to pro.”

Now a rising Troy University senior, Hannah was named an outfielder in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association South Third Team All-Region.

She was spotted by a Florida State assistant coach while playing for Troy in the Sun Belt Conference, Dexter Day said.

30TH PICK

As the pro teams in the National Pro Fastpitch league did their 2016 draft rounds, Hannah was the fourth pick in the fifth round.

“She was the 30th pick overall in the nation out of all the college seniors,” Dexter Day said. “It’s an honor, but an honor that has been worked for.”

“It’s really exciting,” Hannah said from Akron. “It’s a very good experience getting to play on this type of level with these types of athletes. The experience I’m getting here is unlike any place I’ve ever played.”

One drawback, she said, is she doesn’t get home much. But her proud parents follow her progress from home, watching Racers games on TV.

“We get all the live streams on DirectTV,” Dexter Day said. “We watched the draft from home.”

‘WORK HARD’

If her success can inspire other Crestview High girls to succeed in the big leagues, “that would be awesome,” Hannah said.

Her advice?

“Work hard for it,” she said. “It’s not going to be given to you. You have to work hard.”

Hannah knows from experience that only the athlete can decide if he or she is going to succeed.

“She was tiny and weak,” her dad said. “A lot of people didn’t buy into it, but she bought in.”

“At the beginning I didn’t have the pros in my vision,” Hannah said. “I set goals for myself out on the field and it ended up working out.”

Hannah has one more year to go at Troy University as she works on her exercise science major.

Then before she settles into a career, perhaps as a personal trainer or a coach, she looks forward to more years with the pros.

“I’m proud I can represent Crestview in this kind of way,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview High alumna rising as pro softball player (PHOTOS)

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida — Members of the 33rd Fighter Wing are at a two-week-long training session at Volk Field, Wisconsin. They departed Eglin Aug. 19.

Exercise Northern Lightning is a total force exercise where Air National Guard, Air Force and Navy aircraft simulate deployment and mission execution in a contested environment.

Instructor pilots, student pilots and professional maintainers from the 33rd FW will take part in the large force exercise to develop and demonstrate the ability to deploy and sustain an F-35A squadron in its intended threat environment alongside legacy aircraft.

“The lessons learned from this exercise, as from previous exercises, will be developed into the future real-world deployment of F-35A squadrons,” said Col. Lance Pilch, 33rd FW commander. “This wing has been and will continue to be integral in building battle-ready F-35 pilots and maintainers capable of employing this weapons system against elevated threats.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Eglin's 33rd Fighter Wing attends training exercise

CRESTVIEW  — Creating a  team’s identity  is a recurring theme in  North Okaloosa football,  and Shoal River Middle  School’s team is no  exception.

Coach Ryan Gillis said  he doesn’t look backward  between seasons.

“We’re a new team. Last year’s team, we were  really fortunate, but, guess  what? That will equate to  zero wins this year,” he  said.

Gillis starts every  season with new players  — who have never  competed at the Pee  Wee or Pop Warner level  — by laying down mental  ground  work.

“We  start with  ‘This is a  football,’”  Gillis said.  “This is my  18th year  of coaching  football,  and I’ve learned over  the years that you don’t  assume that they know  anything.”

This year the Mustangs  must take a few steps  back with the influx of new  players.

Even with coaching  experience spanning two  decades, Gillis always  learns something new  from his peers, he said.

“I try not to have an  ego when it comes to  coaching,” Gillis said. “I  will use anything from  anybody.”

Gillis believes that  at the middle school  level, with teaching  fundamentals, a player’s  mistakes can be traced  back to what he was  taught.

“It’s hard to get onto a  kid if you haven’t taught  them how to block and  they’re not blocking,”  he said.

However, mental  mistakes and running  too many plays can make  or break a middle school  team.

Our philosophy is, don’t  bend, don’t break,” Gillis  said. “I’ve told every team  I’ve coached that if you  can make a middle school  team run 10 plays before  they score, you’re going to  win every time.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Mustangs regroup for new season

CRESTVIEW — In coaching middle school football, it’s important  to first establish a work ethic for players to understand the  standards they should strive to achieve.

Davidson Panthers coach Chris Small said that  starts in the classroom: “Do your homework,” he said.

“With student athletes, school comes first and we’re  second.” 

Other dos and don’ts?

●”Do the right thing.” A student athlete is an  ambassador to the school for which they play.

●”Do work hard.” Effort is crucial in a physical sport.  In middle school, players learn as they go, so their effort  flows through each tackle and run.

●”Do expect to win.” Attitude is everything in  football. Who expects to lose? 

That leads to:

●”Don’t ever quit; don’t ever give up; don’t ever lose hope,” Small  said. “You fight through it, and whatever goes on, you don’t quit.”

In a sport that at its best is physically demanding, and at its worst is  overall exhausting, tenacity creates the difference between wins and  losses.

The message that Small wants to instill in all his players when it’s  time for them to move on after eighth grade is that they are “Always a  Panther.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Davidson football team's 5 do's and don'ts

CRESTVIEW — Anyone who has  visited Jack Foster Stadium in the  past few football seasons has seen  a show coming from the sidelines.

The star of that show is Crestview  Bulldogs Head Coach Tim Hatten.  “It’s always been a comical thing,  especially as you get excited,” Hatten  said, referring to the unique way he calls  signals to his no-huddle offense. “It can  be very funny to someone who really  doesn’t like football because they can just  watch the theatrics that go on the  sidelines.”

The method to the madness is clear  to players, especially seniors who have  been with Hatten their entire high school  careers. The Bulldogs always want  to do something different from their  competition, and that requires a fastpaced,  yet clear, play-calling style.

Hatten’s motto for this season is “Stay  hungry,” because he wants his players to  always have the desire to know more.

“You’ve got to come to practice every  day ready to learn something new; to  figure something out,” he said.  The Bulldogs avoid high school football  standards, and challenge their skill  players with a run-pass option to keep  opposing defenses guessing.

Crestview’s defense also works on  reads that makes their backs, corners  and safeties dig deep into their football  know-how.

Hatten said his defense is “handling it  really well. We have high expectations for  them and we’re happy about it.”

The Bulldogs belong to the challenging  Class 6A, District 3, which includes their  rival, the Niceville Eagles, but the team  must establish their own identity in  Okaloosa County, Hatten said.

“We’re not where we want to be, but  we don’t want to be like Niceville,” he said.

“We want to be like Crestview.  “We want to make a name for ourselves  with our kids from Crestview.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bulldogs challenge themselves in tough district

BAKER — Baker coach  Matt Brunson must  replace a dozen starters,  on both sides of the ball, from  his 2015 district title team.

“We graduate good players  every year but our guys have  worked hard,” Brunson said.

“We don’t rebuild. I think we  reload.”

With a big senior class  coming through for the 2016  season, the Gators have a full  magazine with which to work.

Here’s Baker’s dozen ways  to defend their district title:

1. Win the line of scrimmage.  Of the 12 seniors the Gators  must replace, five are on the  offensive line. Therefore, Baker  must continue to dominate on  both sides of the neutral zone  by being relentlessly physical.

2. Establish the run. Baker  must use the offensive line to  open holes for their running  backs so they can later set up  for play-action passing.

3. Stop the run. High school  football is run-dominant.  Getting the Gator defense off  the field quickly is essential.

4. Improve quarterback  communication. With an uptempo  offense, it’s up to junior  quarterback Kalee Ciurleo to  run the offense from behind the  center.

5. Pay attention to blocking.  Fullbacks are the wrecking ball  of the spread-option offense,  and senior Oakley Kimbrel has  that responsibility.

6. Rotate running backs.  Baker will have three tailbacks,  including freshman Junior  Mclaughlin, to keep their  running game fresh.

7. Let receivers block, too.  Brunson says wide-outs “have  to block on the perimeter to  play for us.”

8. Note that tight ends must  catch. The bootleg is a staple in  any play-action playbook.  9. Consider size. When  replacing all but one starter on  your line, it helps if they are big  enough to fill those proverbial  shoes.

10. Keep it third and  long. Other spread-option  offenses have fewer  options at third and  seven.

11. Focus man coverage.  Corners and safeties must  plant their flag on their  own island and defend it.

12. Build leadership.  The Gator seniors must  emphasize a sense of  urgency in up-tempo play.

13. Be jacks-of-alltrades.  With a small  school, players must  play well on both sides  of the ball.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker’s dozen ways to defend district title

BAKER — Baker Middle  School’s football coach,  Steve Combest,  knows he must  teach the basics to  his players.

“We understand  that some of them  haven’t played,”  Combest said.

“Our job is to teach  fundamentals and  try to get them  more mentally  tough.”

Skills like blocking  and tackling look easy  when professionals do it.

However, for someone who  has never played the game  with pads or a helmet  that they have to grow  into, everything must be  learned step by step.

One thing that makes  Combest different from  other middle school  football coaches  is the fact that he  doesn’t technically  coach at a middle  school.

With Baker  being a K through  12 school, and a  small school at  that, depth on  the bench is a  luxury found east of the  Yellow River, and south  of the Eglin Reservation.

Combest is tasked with  grooming the future of  the defending district  champions.

However, being at the  same school for an entire  football career has its  advantages.

“The kids stay together  longer, so you have a  chance to create more of  a team camaraderie,” he  said.

This gives Baker a  better chance to prepare  for those whom they must  coach in the future.

They get to see what’s  coming.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker Middle works on blocking, tackling and trying hard