CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School junior Trevor Vaughn appreciates a fine old car.

Though his 1971 Mustang Fastback is well known on campus, he was drawn to Holt resident Jerry Cunningham's newest acquisition.

Last fall, Cunningham bought a 1951 Buick Eight Special on eBay, sight unseen. It joined his fleet of 1940s Buicks and a 1941 Dodge pickup truck. He exhibited some of them March 15 during the Okaloosa School Nutrition Association's second annual car show at Crestview High.

See photos from the Crestview High car show here>>

Despite occasional rain, organizers of the scholarship benefit were pleased that 59 vehicles — 14 more than last year — registered.

"Even though with the bad weather and all, we had a good time and everybody else had a good time," Crestview High cafeteria manager Lynn Rogers said. "It turned out pretty good, I think."

Total tallies weren't available as of press time, but Rogers said the group expects to at least match if not exceed last year's $1,200 totaltoward its annual scholarship.

Vehicles of all shapes and sizes

Charlie Beck, a Pleasant Home School sixth-grader who lives in Laurel Hill, escaped a drizzle behind the wheel of the '51 Buick.

"It's real comfortable," the 12-year-old said. "I like the seats."

Nearby, Clyde Fahie's 1955 Volkswagen Beetle attracted appreciative looks. The bubblegum pink — it's not "Pepto Bismal pink," Fahie said emphatically — makes the car unique.

"I thought about changing the color three times but everybody told me, 'No, it'll just be another VW,'" Fahie said.

Fahie, an Air Force veteran from the U.S. Virgin Islands, said the car "was my retirement present to myself. It's my pride and joy."

Vehicles ranged from a 1920s Ford hot rod, classic 1940s and '50s cars and pickup trucks to several monster trucks so towering that Justin Hall, 9, and his family could, and did, shelter from the rain beneath one.

Also displayed was a 1966 Mustang Coupéto be raffled off April 27 during Pandora's Annual Children's Invitational golf tournament.

Raffle ticket sales benefit Okaloosa County special education schools, Richbourg E.S.E. School teacher Karen Wooten said.

"One hundred percent of our ticket sales go back to Richbourg School," she said. "We get a portion of the grand total sales, too."

Raffle tickets may be purchased at the school for $1 each or 6 for $5, Wooten said.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Car buffs admire classic vehicles at CHS car show fund-raiser

CRESTVIEW — Promoting financial stability is key to the United Way of Okaloosa and Walton Counties' mission.

That's why the local office — along with the  University of Florida's Okaloosa County Extension Office and Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast — offers free income tax preparation assistance, said Rhonda Davenport, the nonprofit's vice president of campaign marketing.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program serves households with an average income of $52,000 or less. Eligible Crestview residents can schedule an appointment to have 2013 taxes prepared and filed at the First Presbyterian Church in Crestview.

Residents should bring photo identification, Social Security cards of everyone on the tax return, documentation of deductions and credits, and W-2 and 1099 forms. Those wanting tax refunds directly deposited should have their bank account numbers on hand.

Like the VITA program, the AARP Tax Aide program has trained volunteers working to assist low- to middle-income residents.

Volunteers help residents four days a week at the Crestview Public Library.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Free income tax preparation assistance

WHEN: AARP courtesy service available 2-6 p.m. Mondays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; first come, first served

WHERE: Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview

NOTE: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, courtesy of the United Way of Okaloosa and Walton Counties, the University of Florida's Okaloosa County Extension Office and Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast, is available for Crestview residents by appointment by calling 420-9775.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article stated that AARP Tax Aide service is available 2-5 p.m. Mondays. In fact, the service is available until 6 p.m. that day.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Free last-minute tax preparation assistance available

CRESTVIEW —  The next USDA Food Giveaway is March 22 at Raymond Williams Missions Center, 404 W. James Lee Blvd., Crestview.

Participants may sign in from 6 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Pick up time begins at 9 a.m. and continues until the monthly food allowance has been distributed. For details contact Jimmy Smith, 398-6760 or 689-2988.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Next USDA Food Giveaway is Saturday in Crestview

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Pregnancy Center is raising funds and collecting items for the 6th Annual Pregnancy Center 5K/10K Run.

The April 5 event, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., includes a silent auction and door prizes, and is one of the non-profit organization's main fundraisers, center director Sue Carrigan said.

"Last year, we asked race participants to bring a box of diapers in for an additional raffle ticket to boost the inventory for the center," and that opportunity will continue this year, race coordinator Holly Fitzwater said.

Registered participants who bring one or more bags of diapers are eligible for the chance to win gift cards and gift certificates.

Silent auction items include area cruise packages and a free round of golf at Foxwood Country Club.

Several area churches, businesses and residents support the North Pearl Street center, which offers free pregnancy tests along with unplanned pregnancy and post-abortion counseling.

Volunteers offer referrals for area obstetrics, gynecology specialists and adoption services and the chance to earn donated supplies like a crib.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Crestview Pregnancy Center 5K/10K Run

WHEN: 8:30 a.m. April 5

WHERE: Old Spanish Trail Park on Stillwell Boulevard, Crestview

COST: Early entry fees are $25 for adults and $10 for children at http://bit.ly/1kJIhZQ. Online registration ends April 2. Event-day registration costs $30 for adults and $15 for children.   

EmailNews Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitteror call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Pregnancy Center presents 5K/10K run on April 5

Even the smallest home improvement project can be daunting, but with the Crestview Public Library's collection of home improvement focused titles, hobbyists and professional carpenters will immediately put their projects on more solid foundation.

Coverage includes such topics as architectural techniques, tool and material selection and zoning requirements. With your library card you have free access to this resource.  Visit our home page and click on "Electronic Resources." 

Once you have clicked on the Home Improvement Collection icon, you will be asked to type in your library card number. You can then search what you are looking for by subject, magazine title and date. 

If you need help navigating our electronic resources, please feel free to call or visit the library.

Marie Garcia is the Crestview Public Library's assistant director.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Library offers electronic home improvement section

If you’re in the mood for spring cleaning, why not start by donating books and movies to the library? If we can’t use them in our collection, we’ll donate them to the Friends of the Library, who will sell them at their upcoming book sale.

First pick is available for Friends members (or a $2 entry fee for non-members) 5-8 p.m. April 4. Or shop free from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 5 and 6. This is a great opportunity to build your personal library, especially for children! 

•••

On March 29, The Pelican Pickers play Appalachian, old-time and gospel music with Appalachian mountain lap dulcimers. They augment their sound with banjo, mandolin, guitar, Irish penny whistles, fiddle, harmonica, Native American flute, recorder and silver flute. The songs, most of which come from the 1800s or earlier and from the early 1900s, start at 10 a.m. and will end around 11:30 a.m. Registration is not required.

 We’d like to thank Cub Scout Pack 799, Webelo Den 11 and Wolf Den 4 and our Friends for providing refreshments!

Please call 682-4432 for more details on library services.

•••

On Early Release Thursdays, when you have a bit more time between school and after-school activities, come to the Crestview Public Library! Sasha Lipscomb prepares fun stories and activities for kindergartners and older children. Sign-in is 1:45-2 p.m. Please drop your child off and enjoy the library until pick-up time at 2:45 p.m.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Friends prepare for book sale; Pelican Pickers to perform

CRESTVIEW — Stucco chipping off a Main Street business' original brick north wall has revealed a hand-painted Coca-Cola advertisement that may date back to the 1920s.

The one-story building at 337 N. Main St., which houses Granny's Attic, is typical of the historic district's early-20th-century architecture.

The building housed Gertrude Martin Ellis's Artistic Beauty Shop for more than 50 years, according to Ann Spann, the city's Historic Preservation Board chairman. During renovation, its brick walls were covered in stucco, which often is less expensive than repointing bricks. In this case, the stucco sealed in and protected the Coke ad for decades.

Granny's Attic owner Lorine Johnson, who rents the building from owners Kathleen Bowman and her son, Phil, said she had no idea what lay beneath the stucco.

"Well, I was surprised," she said.

When some of the stucco chipped off in a recent downpour, Main Street attorney Nathan Boyles was the first to notice part of a Coke sign being revealed and notified the owner.

"I said, 'Hey Phil, I think there's an old Coke sign under the plaster on your wall,'" Boyles said.

"I didn't know it was under there," Bowman said. "I'm going to talk to the city about historic preservation."

He and his mother want to remove the stucco and restore the sign, he said. They are applying for a Community Redevelopment Agency façade improvement grant to help fund the process.

Bowman was surprised by the sign's good condition, crediting it to a combination of the protective stucco and the quality of paint used in early Coca-Cola signs.

"That was real good paint," he said.

Boyles, a champion of downtown restoration, praised the Bowmans' intent to restore the old sign.

"It is authentic, it is original, it adds to the authenticity of downtown," he said. "That Coke sign would've been painted many, many years ago. It could be 1920s."

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'The real thing' revealed: Old Coke sign found under stucco

CRESTVIEW — While many college students head to the beach for spring break, students from Thomas More College in Kentucky are volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.   

The Okaloosa County office invited students from the school's Business Society to help construct two Crestview homes.  

PHOTOS: See 12 photos from the event>>

This week, students, under chaperons and Habitat volunteers' supervision, worked on building the wooden frame for two homes on Lee and Cobb Avenues.

Nitzi Bennett, the Okaloosa organization's president and chief executive officer, said the college and Habitat have a great working relationship. The college donated $2,500 upon arrival, she said.

Volunteers, including 21 students and four chaperons, hammered nails, sawed boards and moved mounds of clay dirt.

Each 1,600-square-foot home will have four bedrooms, Bennett said. Both locations also have occupants waiting to move in upon completion.

Joe Hageman, a junior, had no problem taking up manual labor for spring break.

"For me, the most gratifying thing is that we are providing one of the most basic needs for people," Hageman said."After food and water, housing and shelter is the most basic need for people. It feels good to help an organization, like Habitat, in helping people get back on their feet."  

Many Thomas More students continue to spend spring break volunteering for Habitat for Humanity offices across the Gulf Coast, said Joe's father, John Hageman, a biology professor at the college.  

This is the second straight year the college students have traveled to Okaloosa County. Last year, students helped build a home in Fort Walton Beach.   

During their weeklong visit, students are staying at St. Simon's Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach. The volunteers can visit area beaches and other attractions during their visit, John Hageman said.

"It's a combination of work and tourism, but it's spring break with a purpose," he said.

EmailNews Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitteror call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kentucky college students build Habitat for Humanity homes in Crestview (PHOTOS)