ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Former Coffee Springs High School attendees are invited to a reunion 6 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Coffee Springs gym.

A live band and covered dish meal are part of the festivities. Bring your favorite dish to share and a 2-liter drink.

Contact Randy and Darlene Halcomb, 1-334-393-2376, for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Coffee Springs school reunion planned

The Crestview Public Library is proud to introduce… Playaway bookpacks!

Each bookpack has an mp3-type player loaded with audio content that corresponds with a couple of paperback books also included.

The library has recently invested in this new format for books with our beginner readers in mind, although other children will also enjoy them.

Playaways are easy to use and harder to damage than cassettes and compact discs, but please handle them with care; some cost as much as $140 to replace.

You may check out one Playaway bookpack per card, or bring your headphones and enjoy them in the library. We ask that you replace the AAA battery (if needed).

I chose some of my favorite children’s books that I consider timeless, so you’ll find familiar characters like Clifford, Curious George, and fun titles like “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type ” by Doreen Cronin.

Come check them out!

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Library offers new feature for beginning readers

CRESTVIEW — You've probably never met Daniel or Mary. They keep to themselves, out of the public eye.

They are homeless. And often misunderstood, as people may not grasp the challenges they face, homeless advocate Judy Christopher said.

“These people live a whole different life than us,” she said.

Everyday tasks many people take for granted — such as charging a cell phone or obtaining needed medication and health care — are difficult, Daniel said. 

Mary, who has dissociative identity disorder — "one minute she's Mary and the next she sounds like a sailor," Christopher said — needs help with her multiple personalities. But with cumbersome paperwork, the system isn't working for her, Christopher said.

The same is true for one homeless person who needed a birth certificate to get state identification, but would have needed a photo ID to obtain the birth certificate, she said.

Christopher, a street worker who volunteers with Crestview's HOPE Network, sees these kinds of situations all the time.

And, knowing what she does, laments the stigma and stereotypes associated with homelessness.

“If homeless get arrested, it’s for trespassing, because they need a place to stay until HUD (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) gets an opening for them,” Christopher said. “It’s not for burglaries or molesting children. The homeless just want to be left alone.”

Crestview Police Officer Sam Kimmons confirmed that much of homeless people's crime is minor.

"The biggest thing we still get is panhandling around the entrance to Wal-Mart," he said. "We get calls from people traveling down the road when someone approaches their window … You don’t really see the panhandling occurring at the north end of the city…

"A lot of the transients down by the interstate just are trying to get enough money to buy whatever provisions they need before they move on to the next town."

Daniel said he and other homeless avoid transients who abuse drugs and alcohol, steal from the homeless, and give them a bad reputation.

“There’s no drugs or nothing,” he said in a Feb. 3 interview at his camp near Cabana Way. “We don’t put up with anything bad.”

SHELTER NEEDED

Crestview lacks a shelter where the homeless can stay while administrative processes to establish benefits such as Medicaid, Social Security and veterans’ care are processed and approved, Christopher said.

And because some who are homeless lack internet access, and Crestview lacks a public transit system, using the library’s computers is not possible.

So Christopher helps homeless people file their applications, and deals with government bureaucracy to establish their benefits.

Mayor David Cadle is helping homeless advocates identify available properties that could be acquired for a homeless shelter facility.

Meanwhile, “right now, our only choice is to work with them (the homeless) while they stay in the woods," Christopher said.

When the weather cools, there is a place to stay. Community of Christ, New Beginnings Church, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church and Lifepoint Church regularly offer cold weather shelters in Crestview.

"Our only relief is the local churches that put them up if it’s below 40 (degrees Fahrenheit)," Christopher said. But God forbid if it’s 41 and raining."

HAND UP, NOT OUT

In addition to cold weather shelters, free meals are available. Central Baptist Church, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lifepoint, Community of Christ, First Presbyterian and First UMC are among nonprofits that operate soup kitchens.

But nonprofits like the HOPE Network and Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless do not provide just hand outs; rather, they offer a "hand up," Christopher said.

Most of the homeless don’t want to depend on charity; they simply want to get back on their feet and into an affordable home, she said.

Before that time comes, they tend to keep a low profile, Kimmons said.

"Based on my experience, most of the people who live in the woods … try to stay out of sight until they get on their feet," he said.

For people like Daniel, medical care is also a priority. Cancer has eaten into his ear; after Christopher took him to a pro-bono doctor’s appointment, he learned he will likely lose it.

Add a bum leg, and much as Daniel would like to work while awaiting his Section 8 housing application's approval, he physically can't handle much labor, Christopher said.

HOW TO HELP

Homeless advocates counted between 30 and 50 homeless people at local soup kitchens and encampments.

Ignoring them won’t make them go away, Christopher said. The solution is helping them get the health care they need and finding them a permanent home.

“They’ve been here and they always will be,” she said. “The question is how to help them. I think we could cut our numbers in half with just a little bit of help from the community.”

Christopher said it is touching when well-meaning people try to help the homeless, but she advises leaving assistance to local nonprofit organizations.

Kimmons also advised not giving hand-outs.

"If you give them money, a large amount could be spent on alcohol," he said.

Christopher advises against it for a different reason.

“If people stop giving them handouts, then they’ll come to us,” she said. “There is an option to giving handouts.”

These options include volunteering at the HOPE Network’s soup kitchens and cold weather shelters, and donating to the Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless fund at any Regions Bank.

But that requires a certain compassion.  

“Some homeless will tell you they don’t want help, they’re just fine, but what they’re saying is they don’t trust you. It takes a relationship and them knowing that you really, really, care.”

So if someone volunteers to help the homeless, they must remain dedicated, Christopher said.

“People meant well and started working with these people and then they quit,” she said. “If you’re going to start it, you need to finish it.”

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's misunderstood homeless face 'a whole different life'

CRESTVIEW — In New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., folks are saying, “Laissez les bons temps rouler” — let the good times roll.

Mardi Gras doesn't roll in Crestview, but it could in the future.

“At the last committee meeting we had for the Crestview Centennial, we discussed doing a Mardi Gras parade,” Main Street Crestview Association member Cal Zethmayr said. “It takes a lot of time to put a Mardi Gras parade together. If we can do that in 2016, that could be the start of it going forward."

'NICE, FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE'

It won’t be the first time a local organization has floated the idea. In 2011, Main Street Crestview proposed a Mardi Gras parade among new events to attract people downtown.

Main Street President Ellis Conner said it’d be the perfect antidote for a dreary midwinter when little festivity occurs between the Christmas parade and the Triple B Cookoff.

“I thought it would be a great thing for coming out of a long winter, to get out and have a festive event where everybody can cut loose and catch their Moon Pies or beads or teddy bears or whatever,” Conner said. “It’s just a nice, festive atmosphere. It makes people feel better when they’re laughing and having a good time.”

While communities as close as Fort Walton Beach are celebrating Mardi Gras, family-friendly revelry is noticeably absent here even as some Carnival traditions, such as king cake, have come to town.

“A customer asked me, ‘Why is it that all the cities around Crestview do Mardi Gras but we don’t?’” News Bulletin account relations specialist Sherrie Stanley said. 

“Newcomers expect us to have the same celebrations neighboring communities have.”

Mistaking the drunken, bosom-bearing revelry that occurs in a small section of the New Orleans French Quarter for what is mostly a family-friendly holiday, a few people once criticized Main Street’s suggestion and the proposal went nowhere.

Conner said he understands the concerns.

“I could see where some people would be a little offended by the event’s reputation, based on their beliefs,” he said.

Still, if Mardi Gras comes to Crestview, it won't be anything like the stereotypes.

"…It’s more of a kids and family event," Conner said. "They want those Moon Pies, teddy bears and beads.”

MARDI GRAS

The pre-Lenten festival that became Mardi Gras — literally “Fat Tuesday" — originated in medieval Rome and Venice before the French House of Bourbon (the noble family, not the beverage) embraced it.

Mardi Gras started in colonial America’s two most French of cities, New Orleans and Mobile, where by the early 1700s, Frenchmen and Creoles — French residents born in the colonies — observed the tradition of carnival “masques,” or elaborate balls.

By the 1830s, maskers in secret clubs and societies, the forerunners of today’s “krewes,” took to the streets in decorated carriages, their ways lit by “flambeaux,” servants carrying gas torches.

The holiday evolved into street festivals for the less genteel, making Mardi Gras a holiday that could truly appeal to all strata of society, as it does today.

Comus, the first New Orleans krewes, formed in 1856. By 1870, krewes began creating increasingly elaborate floats, called “tableaux cars,” from which trinkets and small-denomination coins were showered on throngs of eager parade-goers.

In 1875, by gubernatorial proclamation, Mardi Gras was declared a state holiday in Louisiana.

Mardi Gras officially begins on Twelfth Night, the last day of Christmas, and culminates at midnight on Fat Tuesday when Rex and Comus, the kings of their respective krewes, meet and toast.

Suddenly the joy and revelry come to a halt, as residents prepare for Ash Wednesday and the observance of Lent.

KING CAKE

The tradition of a pre-Lenten pastry is practiced all over the world. In Gulf Coast communities, including Crestview, the typical oval pastry is an oval cinnamon bread sprinkled with festive purple, green and gold-colored sugar.

Hidden within a king cake is a plastic baby, which traditionally represents the Baby Jesus. The person who gets the slice of king cake with the baby is considered blessed.

Traditionally, the blessed person must share their blessing by buying the next week’s king cake for their family or organization.

COLORS

Mardi Gras' official colors are purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. King Rex established them in 1872 to honor visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff, whose House of Romanoff used the same colors.

People who do not mask — wear a costume — on Mardi Gras day are expected by etiquette to wear purple, green and gold.

THROWS

The tradition of tossing trinkets to the crowd started when Rex tossed medallions in 1884, the forerunner of today’s doubloons. Today, throws also include beads, which New Orleans tourists wear year-round, though locals know they should only be worn during Carnival.

Other throws include cups emblazoned with the krewe’s crest and parade theme art — called “Cajun crystal” by some — toys, stuffed animals, Moon Pies and even panties.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: MARDI GRAS: No good times roll through Crestview — yet

FORT WALTON BEACH — The United Way of Okaloosa-Walton Counties' board of directors unanimously approved the Fund Distribution Committee's recommendations to help 40 nonprofit organizations.

The nonprofits funded fall within three focus areas: 

•children and education

•financial stability and disaster preparedness

•health and prevention.

Allocations are as follows: 2-1-1 of Florida Panhandle, $3,000; Covenant Alzheimer's Services, $8,525; American Red Cross NWFL, $25,509; AMIkids Emerald Coast, $10,663; Arc of Walton County, $12,484; Bay Area Food Bank, $11,576; Big Brothers Big Sisters, $10,162; Boy Scouts Gulf Coast, $15,074; Boys & Girls Clubs Emerald Coast, $32,480; Bridgeway Center, $9,105; Catholic Charities NWFL, $23,709; Children in Crisis, $47,490; Children's Advocacy Center of Emerald Coast, $35,342.

Also: Children's Home Society, $19,018; Children's Volunteer Health Network, $13,628; COPE — Chautaqua Therapy & Evaluation, $16,430; Council on Aging Okaloosa & Walton, $18,606; Covenant Hospice, $45,734; Crossroads Medical Center, $20,687; Early Learning Coalition of Okaloosa and Walton, $22,107; Elder Services Okaloosa, $14,783; Eleanor J. Johnson Youth Center, $26,982; Emerald Coast Science Center, $2,559; Family Life Ministries NWFL, $7,642; Fresh Start for Families & Children, $17,054; Girl Scouts Florida Panhandle, $4,099; Habitat for Humanity Okaloosa, $21,512; Habitat for Humanity Walton, $2,217.

Also: Harvest House, $11,688; Horizons, $28,899; Independence for the Blind, $5,229; Judge Gordon/Friends of Families, $13,300; Mental Health Association, $18,136; OASIS — Okaloosa AIDS Support, $10,462; Public School Foundation of Okaloosa, $1,055; Public School Foundation of Walton, $14,432; Ronald McDonald House, $16,061; S4P Synergy, $20,977; Salvation Army Okaloosa Walton, $16,114; Sharing and Caring Okaloosa, $38,277; and Shelter House, $48,843.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 40 United Way partner agencies receive funds

CRESTVIEW — For Young Marine Sgts. Ashton Normand and Michaela Cantwell, each time they carry Old Glory or escort it in the organization’s color guard renews their love of country.

“To be able to carry the flag and call the commands and hold the American flag up high, it shows our national pride,” Ashton said. “It’s a great feeling and a great experience.”

Michaela, who bore the American flag in Monday’s “Stand Up and Say the Pledge” ceremony, said, "To me, it’s feels like a sense of pride. We’re lucky to be able to carry the flag. Some people can’t do that.”

Mayor David Cadle hosted the annual ceremony, which the Exchange Club of Crestview presents each Presidents’ Day at the Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial.

About 30 residents — including city leaders, Exchange Club members, Cub Scouts, mayoral candidates, teachers and veterans —  paused under leaden, blustery skies for the 12-minute ceremony.

During his invocation, City Council President Shannon Hayes said, “Today we’re here thanking you, God, for our flag, a flag that unites all Americans as one.”

Southside Center teacher Cassie Johnson sang “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Emerald Coast Young Marines adviser Lynn Dominique recited Joanna Fuchs’ poem, “Our Flag Flies High,” and Cadle read her “Old Glory” before the assembly solemnly placed their right hands over their hearts and recited the familiar Pledge of Allegiance.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pledge ceremony renews Crestview residents’ American spirit

CRESTVIEW — Common Ground Community Garden has an additional plant to grow downtown.

The Dogwood Garden Club donated a Fuyu persimmon tree in honor of Florida's Arbor Day.

Club members and community garden supporters planted the gift Feb. 3 at 157 S. Main St.

John Bouton, one of  Common Ground Community Garden's founding directors, led the festivities and instructed attendees on cultivar and site selection, root pruning, orientation of the tree, the planting process, soil amendment, mulching, watering, and final pruning of the branches, among other lessons.

MORE INFORMATION

Learn more about Crestview's community garden at www.CrestviewCommunityGarden.org.

See more photos from the Arbor Day donation at http://sugg.smugmug.com/Crestview-Community-Gardens/.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Garden club donates tree for Arbor Day