CRESTVIEW — Strawberries are coming to downtown Crestview next weekend.

The 2nd annual Strawberry Festival will take place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 28 on Woodruff Avenue between Main Street and Wilson Street.

“We’re really excited. We have over 30 vendors already,” Sandra Wilson, Main Street Crestview Association program manager, said.

Wilson said they are only taking vendor applications for those who make their products locally, to try to highlight local vendors.

“We have a lot of fun stuff,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot of different things, handmade soaps, birdhouses, jewelry, purses. There’s a big variety.”

There will also be live music and activities for kids such as balloon twisting and face painting. And of course, there will be strawberries.

Wilson said the event serves as a way to get people into the downtown area to check it out.

“We want people to kind of discover downtown at the same time,” Wilson said. “We want them to go to Tom’s Ice Cream Place and to our restaurants downtown and to Main Street Eats, to those food trucks.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Strawberry festival returns to Crestview

CRESTVIEW — James Lewis was due for a midlife crisis.

The former Crestview resident – who now lives in the Tallahassee area – was approaching 50 and starting to think about things to check off his bucket list.

“I started warning my family that one of the things I had always wanted to do was run into the woods with virtually nothing, maybe just a knife, and be like Rambo,” Lewis said. “It was going to be my planned mid-life crisis. I’m too busy to have a mid-life crisis, so I’d have to plan it out.”

It was around that time Lewis became aware of a new show on The Discovery Channel called Naked and Afraid. The show takes two people, one male and one female, drops them into a harsh environment without clothing and challenges them to survive for 21 days. It was the perfect opportunity.

“As soon as I saw it, I was like, ‘Gosh, they have been watching my dreams.’ That is the challenge I’ve been wanting to do for 30-plus years.”

Lewis began training for the show shortly after that. He hiked a total of more than 500 miles barefoot through gravel, dirt and hot asphalt to prepare his feet for what they would endure. He practiced starting friction fires, more than 600 by his count, using hand drills and bow drills.

“I was just bound and determined I was going to go.”

In 2017, when Hurricane Hermine was barreling toward Tallahassee and his office shut down, he jumped at the opportunity to put his survival skills into practice.

“I immediately stripped down to my shorts, ran into the woods, and I acted as if I was on the show. I spent the next four days building a shelter and looking for food. I own 20 acres in a rural area, so a lot of the time I literally did strip down and reenact the show.

“I can tell you what, when you’re laying in a shelter and the wind is blowing at 80 miles an hour and trees are crashing down around you, and you’re cold and laying in the mud, wow that was challenging.”

Local roots

Lewis came to Crestview in 1978 when his father was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. He spent his middle and high school years here and received a scholarship from the Crestview News Bulletin in 1985.

“Coming up from a farming community and a farming family, money to go to college was not readily available. So when the scholarship was awarded to me, it was just that little help, that little spark to get me started on a college career.”

Lewis used the scholarship to spend a year at Okaloosa-Walton Community College, now Northwest Florida State College, before moving to Alabama to study architecture at Auburn University. It was not an easy move to make.

“I didn’t have money when I went up there, did not have a place to live. I just drove the truck over to a spot in the woods and set up camp. For the first couple weeks of school, I was actually living out of the woods.”

It was during those couple of weeks that Lewis learned some of the survivalist skills that he would put to use years later when training for Naked and Afraid.

“In the evenings, I was running down to the creek, no fishing pole, just cut a spear and chased fish down and speared them. Growing up on a farm and learning to make things work turned out to be valuable my first few weeks at Auburn.”

Eventually, he was taken in by a fraternity that found out about his unusual living arrangements. He eventually found work and his own place and graduated in 1991 with degrees in architecture and building sciences. He took a job with an architectural firm in Tallahassee where he was worked ever since.

Confronting nature au naturale

Lewis made the cut for Naked and Afraid, and will appear in a 2-hour episode airing at 9 p.m. Sunday on The Discovery Channel.

For his episode, Lewis was dropped into the rainforests of Nicaragua, a Central American country dotted with lakes and volcanoes. It’s also home to a variety of potentially dangerous wildlife.

“There was more than one occasion where predators were so close you could reach out and touch them. That’s when reality hits home.”

Participants on the show have the option to “tap” if they can no longer handle the stresses of the environment and wish to end the challenge prematurely.

“When things are so close that you can reach out and touch them, it really gets to your psyche. Emotionally, that alone can make you tap. There’s nothing you can do.”

But fear is only half of the show’s premise. Being naked presents its own set of challenges.

“Being stripped of clothes, it’s amazing how much it exposes you. And I don’t mean just your skin. It exposes who you are as a person. It removes the clothes. It removes the status. It removes the money. You’re going into nature and nature doesn’t care what your background is. It’s going to treat you exactly the same, and if you’re not prepared, it’s going to beat you up.”

Then there’s the initial awkwardness of being naked in front of a complete stranger, not to mention the camera crew and viewers all over the world.

“You gotta get over it and move on,” Lewis said. “Not to say that I’m comfortable and used to being naked. I’m not. I’ve never been naked outside the house.”

A new perspective

For people accustomed to modern amenities, it may be hard to imagine spending three weeks in a hostile environment without them, let alone basic needs like shelter and a reliable source of food. It’s easy to see how that kind of experience can change a person’s perspective.

“Going through a challenge like that changes your view on certain things, and one of them may be just how you look at your environment, your surroundings. It also affects how you may look at people.”

He said it particularly affects the way he now views people here at home who don’t have those basic needs.

“There’s true empathy there. You can feel their suffering because you’ve experienced it, at least the discomfort of being where you’re at.”

Overall, the experience was a positive one for Lewis, an opportunity to look inside himself without the distractions of modern day life.

“For me, it was everything I wanted it to be. I like things that really push your limits, test you, and it gave me all of that and more. Even though there were times where it was absolutely brutal, painful, miserable, we also had those times where it was enjoyable, it was pleasant.

“It was an adventure of a lifetime.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'It was an adventure of a lifetime'

CRESTVIEW — A longtime member of the home medical care community has moved to a new location.

Gulf Coast Home Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at its new location at 2207 South Ferdon Boulevard in Court Plaza. It was previously located on Pine Street behind CVS.

The company, which was previously known as Okaloosa Regional, merged with LHC Group, Inc. earlier this month.

“We’ve been in the community for a long time,” administrator Tammy Suggs said. “Some of the nurses have been working here for 14 years. We’ve had three different names, so we felt like we needed to reintroduce ourselves to everybody.”

The company is going through a two-year transition into the LHC family, but will retain the Gulf Coast Home Health Care name. GCHH serves the four westernmost counties in Florida.

The open house showcased the different ways in which GCHH fills the needs of the community, including occupational and physical therapy, nurse care and other educational services.

Office manager Brandi Churchill talked about some of the important roles the nurses play.

“They teach you about all your medications, how to take them properly, how to fill your med box,” Churchill said. “They teach you if you have heart failure, don’t eat certain things, don’t do certain things. A lot of the nursing is educational.”

Another benefit GCHH offers is an on-site medical social worker. Kendall McDonald helps link patients with programs and resources the may not even know they qualify for.

“A lot of people don’t think they’re eligible for anything, even home health,” McDonald said.

She assists patients with safety issues, financial resources, insurance concerns and other areas that may be difficult to navigate, all while trying to keep the cost to the patient as low as possible.

“With home health, you really want the patient as independent as possible. That’s the goal, to make them safe in their homes so they don’t have to go to a facility somewhere,” Churchill said. “That’s what we’re here for is just to help anybody that we can.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Home health care service holds open house

CRESTVIEW — If you have an event you would like to submit, send your first and last name and information about the event to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this week in Northwest Florida

Nonie’s Ark sails into Crestview Public Library at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 28.

Nonie’s Ark Animal Encounters provide a wildly educating and entertaining Family Library Time. Nonie’s Ark is a hands-on show. That means you can touch the animals! If you love animals and like to be up close and personal with them, Nonie’s Ark is perfect for you!

Who is Nonie? An edutainer. She’s part educator and part entertainer. She has an extensive background in Zoo Animal Technology and Wildlife Education, and her fondest joy is helping children learn about wildlife.

This free event is sponsored by the Okaloosa County Recycling Office.

Attendees must be age four or older. Registration is recommended due to limited seating.

Call 682-4432 or come to the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive, to register or ask questions.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: Nonie's Ark provides hands-on entertainment

CRESTVIEW — North Okaloosa Medical Center celebrates National Donate Life Month, a celebration commemorating those who have given the gift of llfe through organ, eye and tissue donation. For those whose lives have been saved or healed by a transplant, National Donate Life Month provides a chance to share their story to encourage more people to register as donors.

Hospital employees will have a National Donate Life Month observance. They will raise a flag in honor of donors and their families at 9 a.m. April 18 at the main entrance, 151 Redstone Ave. E, Crestview.

Approximately 1.5 million tissue transplants are performed each year. One tissue donor can help save and restore 150 lives. North Okaloosa Medical Center had a total of 13 donors in 2017, which equates to 1,950 lives impacted.

More than 120,000 people are currently awaiting a transplant, and sadly, an average of 18 patients die every day because the organ they needed was not donated in time.

Ninety-five percent of Americans are in favor being a donor but only 54 percent are registered.There are now approximately 112 million registered donors in the United States. Still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to outpace the supply of donated organs.

The solution to this problem is to continue educating the public about the lifesaving effects of donation and transplantation and encourage them to sign up through their state donor registery.

Visit www.donatelifeflorida.org to register to be a donor or for more information.

North Okaloosa Medical Center is a 110-bed facility with more than 600 employees and 150 physicians on staff. Visit http://www.northokaloosa.com for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa Medical center observes National Donate Life Month

Many years ago my two sons and I took a few days and traveled to Southern California. We enjoyed seeing some sights in Los Angeles and San Diego. It's was one of those fun things we did I'll always remember.

One thing not so fun was our decision to cross the border into Tijuana, Mexico. We had never been to Mexico and thought it would be interesting to visit and then we could say we had been there. We drove to a parking lot just on the border and left our car and took a designated walkway path that led us right into Mexico. We were greeted by lots of taxi drivers who offered us a ride. We climbed into a cab and got our ears full on into the town of Tijuana. The taxi driver was full of expletives about what Tijuana was all about which was mostly drunkenness and prostitution. It felt like the taxi ride from hell. I was embarrassed for our family and was glad when we could get out of the car.

I felt like we had stepped into a scum hole. There was nothing really worth seeing in Tijuana and every other building was a loud bar with lots of men on the street begging us to come in to see the prostitutes. We probably survived our visit maybe an hour hoping to see something worth seeing before we finally found a taxi to take us back to the border. The driver on the way back laughed and said, "We have nothing here worth seeing or losing. We are not like the United States. We have nothing to lose." When we got out of the taxi there was a long line of people waiting to get through customs back into the United States. What took only a minute to cross into Mexico took us almost two hours that day to get back into our country. We were so glad to cross back into California.

I don't have anything against Mexico. There are lots of beautiful vacation spots and lovely people in that country. I eat breakfast at a place in our town operated by wonderful people from Mexico. However, the taxi driver was right in one point of his comparison between Mexico and America. We are worth something and have plenty to lose in this country.

A friend of mine just moved from a Texas border community and was irritated because someone from Mexico came across the border and stole his motorcycle. "I'll never see it again," He said. He also told about families he knew close to the border who would never let their children play outside alone. "Those families are terrified of their children being kidnapped and taken across the border. They know if that happens they will never see their children again."

Utilize our national guard on the border. Drugs are flowing into our nation from Mexico. People are still crossing illegally. We need to protect our people. Our borders should be crossed legally and people should abide in our country legally. America is worth protecting.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author. 

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Troops on the Border

As Gulf Power and other utility companies across the country prepare to celebrate National Lineworker Appreciation Day Wednesday, April 18, the company recognizes the families who love and support their linemen as they keep the power flowing every day.

As a 34-year lineworker for Gulf Power, Rhett McSween has been on countless storm restoration trips and even more callouts at night and on weekends.

But the 60-day trip to Puerto Rico earlier this year to assist the residents there following Hurricane Maria was something entirely different for him and his wife, Cheryl.

As the nation celebrates Lineworker Appreciation Day on Wednesday, lineworkers like McSween, who is a Service technician at the Crestview office, appreciate the sacrifices that Cheryl and other spouses have made over the years.

“We talked a long time ago when I got in this business. Cheryl was always good with me going on storms,” he said. “I never have to ask her if it was OK. She had to handle the kids and the house.”

But the recently completed trip to Puerto Rico was different. Usually, a storm restoration trip lasts no more than two weeks. This was two months.

McSween said they performed line work they’ve never done before.

“We were working in mountains. Driving along the edges of ravines was the most dangerous aspect,” he said. “We cut down a lot of trees. You had to be careful in everything you did. You had to take more time. There was more planning involved because a lot more can go wrong when you’re doing that type of work.”

He and Cheryl talked with each other by phone for 10-15 minutes each night. It’s much better than earlier in his career before cell phones. Then, lineworkers would have to call the radio room to have them relay messages to their spouses.

Despite all of Rhett’s storm trips Cheryl has lived through, the trip to Puerto Rico was different for her because she had fewer distractions to keep her from missing Rhett. Her grown children live elsewhere, but taking care of her granddaughter several days a week helps.

“The Puerto Rico trip was pretty tough, especially at night when I was by myself,” she said. “I knew what type of environment he was working in so there was some concern.”

Cheryl did fly to Spain for a week to spend time with her daughter to take her mind off Rhett being gone. She dreaded spending a few more days alone before he returned.

What she didn’t know was that the team was being released two days earlier and on the same day she was flying back from Spain. Rhett kept it a secret. His plane landed in Montgomery, Ala., he hopped in the van, drove to the Crestview office, then immediately went to the airport to surprise her.

“I knew she was going to be in Spain so I figured I could get away with it,” he laughed.

He arrived 30 seconds before she came out of the terminal.

“The thought of going back to an empty home was depressing so it was surprising to see him,” she said. “It was very sweet. I was pretty giddy.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Lineworker families sacrifice and stand behind their unsung heroes

CRESTVIEW — Another Citizen’s Police Academy class is getting ready to graduate.

Citizens participating in the Crestview Police Department program will complete the course in a ceremony April 24 at 6 pm at Warrior’s Hall in Crestview. This will be the sixth graduating class.

The program is held each spring and is open to anyone who is at least 17 years of age, has no felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions within one year, and either lives or works in the Crestview area. The program is provided free of charge.

Attendees learn about many aspects of what officers go through on a daily basis. Some of the topics they learn about include patrol operations, crime scene investigation and firearms safety. They also learn about other public safety departments like the fire department and EMS.

“You learn a lot. You get close to the police … you learn some of the things that they go through,” Michael Dunn, a member of the current class, said. “It’s exciting, definitely.”

The attendees have met each Tuesday night for the past nine weeks. The final class prior to graduation was Tuesday.

Graduates receive the option to join the Crestview Police Academy Alumni association, a non-profit group that helps with administrative support and fundraising for the police department.

Members can also serve as school zone crossing guards after completing state-mandated training and certification.

Dunn said he plans to be active in the alumni association after he graduates from the academy.

“I think it’s wonderful. It brings the community closer together by having interaction with the police,” he said.

The Citizen’s Police Academy program will start classes again in February 2019.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview citizens learn about police, emergency services

CRESTVIEW — There’s a new place in town to get everything you need for your pets, and maybe to bring home a new furry friend.

Petsense held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting event April 14 at their new Crestview Crossing location.

The store carries a wide range of pet supplies including natural pet foods, grooming supplies and toys. It also offers salon grooming and bathing services to pets.

“For the future, we’re going to have a VIP clinic that will come through and offer reduced prices on basic services for dogs for some of our local veterinarians,” store manager Nancy Pruitt said. The clinic will offer basic examinations, spaying and neutering, and flea and tick prevention, she said.

At the grand opening, a crowd of people filled the aisles inside the store, as well as at a large adoption event in the parking lot.

“It is going fabulous,” Pruitt said. “We couldn’t ask for a better grand opening. The community is very involved and supportive, and I think we’re going to do well here.”

Saving with Soul Pet Rescue organized the adoption event, which featured cats and dogs rescued from shelters around Okaloosa County.

Jennifer Hagedorn, president and founder of Saving with Soul, said it was nice to finally have a place to hold regular adoption events in Crestview.

“So many of us live in Crestview, so this is awesome,” Hagedorn said. “There really haven’t been a lot of great venues here to do events. It’s really nice to have a Crestview location.”

The organization found new homes for more than a dozen animals at Saturdays event. Hagedorn said she hopes to hold adoption events at Petsense once a month. Many of Saving with Soul’s events feature 20 or more pets looking for homes.

The next adoption will be held May 5 at Petsense.

The store is located at 2200 S Ferdon Blvd. It is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Petsense hosts grand opening, adoption event