CRESTVIEW — A group of Crestview kids will head to Houston next month to compete against robotics teams from around the world.

The Hub City Robotics team was named champions of the Northwest Florida FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament, which was held in Panama City on March 3. The team advances to both the State Championship in Jacksonville on April 8 and the World Championship in Houston April 18 to 21.

It will be the second trip to the World Championship for most of the team. Last year, three of the four team members went to Houston as part of the Bob Sikes Elementary School team. They each went to different schools this year, but decided to stay together as an independent team – a move that paid off.

Elizabeth Vander Kooy is one of the returning members from that Bob Sikes team. She is excited to be going back to the World Championship for a second year.

“It feels really good,” she said. “Last year we were going a little more for the experience at Worlds, but this year we are going and we actually feel a little bit more competitive. We have a little more to give, and we know what we’re expecting.”

Crestview was well-represented at the regional competition this year, sending a total of six teams, including the Hub City Robotics team. Three of the teams were from Davidson Middle School. One was from Shoal River Middle School and another was from Walker Elementary School. Two of those teams, the DMS LabRatz and SRMS Lethal LEGOs, also received bids to the State Championship.

“I was just so proud of Crestview,” team coach Emily Vander Kooy said. “I’m a local. I grew up here, so it just makes my heart happy to see so many teams from Crestview representing this robotics community. I think if more people were aware of it, there would be a lot more involvement.”

The theme of this year’s competition was Hydro Dynamics. Teams had to identify and solve a real-world water-related problem using technology. The Hub City team developed an idea for a temperature-sensitive sticker for water bottles that warns consumers of potentially harmful levels of bisphenol A, a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic bottles that has been linked to cancer.

Another event in the competition was the Robot Game, about building and programming an autonomous robot to perform specific tasks. The robot navigates a board with different stations and performs tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. The theme of the tasks was also water-related.

The trip to the World Championship comes with a price tag, though. Emily Vander Kooy estimates that the trip will cost around $10,000. Team members do a lot of the fundraising work, but the team is also looking for sponsors.

“If you’re interested in supporting science and technology, and expanding their minds for the future, it’s just unreal what these kids have learned through this program and what they’ll experience at the World Festival,” Vander Kooy said.

The team will be holding a fundraising event at Marquis Cinema 10 the evening of March 24. They will have their robot game table on display for demonstrations and will be announcing raffle winners and taking donations for the upcoming trips to Houston and Jacksonville.

For more information on sponsorship, visit the Hub City Robotics Facebook page, or email the team at hubcityrobotics@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview robotics team wins regional tournament

CRESTVIEW — Just how long does it take to get from one end of Crestview to the other in the afternoon?

We drove from the overpass at Duke Field to Airport Road along State Road 85 at the north end of town at two different times on a weekday afternoon. The first trip started at 2:10 p.m. and ended at 2:28 p.m., while the second trip took twice as long, starting at 4:40 p.m. and ending at 5:16 p.m.

Crestview resident Donna Simpler has been commuting to her job in Fort Walton Beach from the north end of Crestview since 1985. Her commute, which she says can be up to an hour and 15 minutes, used to be much shorter.

“The most aggravating part is when you get to Duke Field, all the way to Walmart, and you’re stuck,” she said. “When I was a kid, I rode my bicycle all over Crestview. There was no traffic.”

Simpler has tried using alternate routes, such as taking 285 from Niceville, or taking PJ Adams to go around the southern end of Highway 85. But she found that neither route shortened her commute.

Solutions to the traffic problem in Crestview have been discussed for years with little to show for it. One idea that’s been discussed at length is a bypass around the city.

But a project of that scope can be difficult to get approved. It’s not only the city that has to agree to the project, but the Okaloosa County Commission and Florida Department of Transportation as well.

“That’s the number one topic that’s been on my radar since even before I came into office,” City Council President J.B. Whitten said. “The biggest problem we have is our north-south road is a state road, so we can’t do anything without FDOT.”

Once a project like that does get approved by all of the government agencies involved, it can still take years to get completed. So for now, the city is working on smaller measures that can get easier approval, such as expanding roads that run parallel to Highway 85, and connecting Raspberry Road to PJ Adams Parkway, a project that is estimated to cost $8 million.

Crestview’s growth over the years has been a driving factor in exacerbating the traffic situation, but Simpler says there’s more to it than just growth.

“There are no jobs here,” she said. “I’ve been working in Fort Walton since 1985. There’s nothing here, so we all have to travel.”

People that commute from the southern end of the county end up in the same traffic as Eglin Air Force Base and Duke Field employees who have found that housing in Crestview is cheaper than in the surrounding areas. Simpler said the traffic is noticeably worse on her way home.

“Going in the morning is fine,” she said. “But in the afternoon, you don’t feel good. You just want to get home. And if there’s an accident, you’re stuck.”

Whitten says the work being discussed along PJ Adams, which includes widening the road, may not be enough to solve the larger traffic problem.

“The bottleneck doesn’t start there,” he said. “It’s too late at PJ Adams. It starts way back, coming off from 123.”

But solutions to that problem, including a potential bypass starting well south of the city around Rattlesnake Bluff Road, could be even more difficult because of another government agency that can veto the project – Eglin Air Force Base.

“My understanding is it doesn’t actually infringe on Eglin property, but it’s close enough it infringes on their mission, so they don’t want that kind of traffic over there by their reservation,” Whitten said.

Any solution on the south side of town that runs close to Eglin property would require the signoff of the base’s commanding officer. Despite that, the city and county continue to work on solutions that will keep pace with Crestview’s growth.

“Previous city councils have not ignored this. Previous mayors have not ignored this. They haven’t made any headway,” Whitten said. “And I can’t guarantee anybody I’ll make any headway, but I sure spend a lot of time on it.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Stuck in traffic

CRESTVIEW — We know that Crestview is home to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), that it can take a good bit of time to make it from one end to the other and that the Crestview High School Bulldogs tear it up on the football field and basketball court.

Here are 10 things you might not know about the city that has been the county seat for just over 100 years. The list was compiled with a lot of help from the Baker Block Museum staff.

1. Crestview High School’s first mascot was the “Red Jackets.” During one of the earliest recorded football games in 1930, the Red Jackets played Milton to a tie in a scoreless game. By 1938, when the school’s first band was formed, Crestview was known as the Bulldogs.

2. Crestview became the county seat of Okaloosa County in an election held April 3, 1917, beating out Baker by just 85 votes with a total of 1,389 votes cast.

3. Crestview’s oldest business that is still operating is Mack Brooks Barber Shop on Main Street, which originally opened in 1917 in the same location as Keel’s Barber Shop, which was owned by James Henry Keel.

4. Crestview was home to the first factory in Okaloosa County — and the first industry to offer employment to women. The Smith-Johnson Garment Factory, later known as Alatex opened in September 1937 and was referred to as Crestview’s new city hall since government offices occupied one corner of the ground floor. The building now houses the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy.

5. Crestview was at times declared “off limits” to airmen from Eglin Field during the late 1940s and into the 1950s due to numerous liquor and gambling establishments, which were perceived to take advantage of the young airmen.

6. The Fox Theater and the Eglin Theater, both located on Crestview’s Main Street, hosted a premiere showing of “Twelve O’Clock High” in 1949. Movie star Gregory Peck was in town for the premiere of the movie about a World War II bomber unit. The 20th Century Fox movie was filmed at Duke Field, Eglin Field and north of Crestview.

7. In the 1920s, Moses A. Sapp domesticated the wild blueberry, turning it into a profitable commercial crop at Crestview. Many acres of blueberries were transplanted and cultivated in the Crestview area. The 1929 harvest yielded 15 train boxcars that went to northern markets.

8. Crestview boasted the first hospital in Okaloosa County — and the only one between Marianna and Pensacola — when Dr. Olin Enzor and his brother, Dr. Jut Enzor, built the Enzor Brothers Hospital in 1926 on Highway 90 West.

9. In 1929, Crestview’s first airfield was located on Highway 85 South at the former site of Savage Turpentine Still, the current site of Beall’s Outlet and Day’s Tires.

10. Crestview was home to a Rosenwald School for black students in 1926 on Ratcliff Street. Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish man who was part owner and President of Sears Roebuck & Company, partnered with Booker T. Washington to build many of the schools across the south during the early 20th century. 

Ann Span is the director of the Baker Block Museum.

The Baker Block Museum features exhibits on the turpentine and timber industry, Native American artifacts, the Baker Mercantile Store, a military display and much more. Visitors can stroll through an 1860s log cabin and an 1880s dog-trout style log cabin in the heritage park. The museum’s local history library is home to a large collection of pioneer family genealogies, community, church and school histories, along with online access for genealogy enthusiasts.

The museum is housed in a turn-of-the-century general store building which served as the hub of Baker’s business district with a history all it’s own. The museum is located at the intersection of State Road 4 and Highway 189 in Baker. It is open from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and the third Saturday of each month. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/y6vkq9gb or call 850-537-5714.

Baker Block Museum

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 10 things you didn't know about Crestview

CRESTVIEW — The American Youth Soccer Organization in Crestview is registering players ages 3-18.

Registration ends March 10 and games begin March 31. Cost is $85 per person.

Visit www.ayso1603.org to register, and call 850-783-0650 for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview American Youth Soccer registering players

CRESTVIEW — Foxwood Country Club mysteriously closed at the end of October, with no notice apparently given to club members or residents of Crestview.

Almost four months later, the golf course shows no signs of reopening, and members are left wondering what happened.

A sign taped near the entrance reads, "Effective Close of Business 29 October 2017 Foxwood Country Club will be closed until further notice." A sign taped near the club's bar area reads, "We sincerely regret that as of October 24 we will no longer be selling alcoholic beverages. We no longer have a liquor license."

The statement continues, "New ownership is in the process of obtaining a license and the lounge should reopen in the near future."

If there are new owners, they would be the latest in a long line that was recently led by former golf pro Brandon Martin. However, the venue shows no indication of new ownership.

Okaloosa County officials said they were not aware that the club had closed and they did not require it to be maintained, according to county code.

"Maintenance is at the discretion of the property owner," Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert said.

The 2017 property taxes were paid, he said.

Next to an unkempt tennis court was a pile of debris in the parking lot. Around back, piles of trash and recyclables were left behind.

The phone line listed for the golf course is out of order and the website has been taken down.

Click to listen:

LISTEN: From the Newsroom

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: What happened to Crestview's Foxwood Country Club?

The sweetly scented, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers on the cascading, fine textured foliage of Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) covering fences and trees in open woodlands and along roadsides from late January to early April makes it one of the most beautiful vines throughout the Southeast.

Carolina jessamine’s growth rate is moderate, reaching 20 feet or more when maintained as a vine. It can also be grown as a ground cover by cutting yearly in the late spring after flowering.

This vine is very adaptable and will grow in a variety of conditions. Carolina jessamine tolerates either full sun or partial shade.

Flowering is more prolific and foliage growth is denser in full sun. For best results, plant it in rich, well-drained soil. Over-fertilization can reduce flowering, so fertilize only while the plant is actively growing with moderate amounts of a balanced fertilizer. 

Insects or diseases rarely trouble Carolina jessamine. Deer will not eat it.

However, all parts of this plant are toxic. The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. People, especially children, can be poisoned by sucking the nectar from the flowers. This should be considered when choosing a location for installing Carolina jessamine. 

Sheila Dunning is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Consider Carolina jessamine for an easy-to-grow vine

VALPARAISO — Make a musical instrument and learn to play a few tunes. The the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 21 offers the "Make a Musical Instrument" class for $105.

Using simple tools, students can make and customize a unique cigar box ukulele.

Attendees ages 12 to 16 can make this instrument with adult supervision. 

The cost includes the instructions and kit to make one ukulele

Pre-registration is necessary and space is limited. Call 678-2615 to make a reservation.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Make a cigar box ukelele

CRESTVIEW — This week's Bulletin Kid is able to recognize previous President Barack Obama after reading his mom's book.

Have a cute photo of your kids out and about? They could be our next The Bulletin Kid! Email a photo with your child's name, age, hometown and a description of the action to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Taking a look at history

CRESTVIEW — The Costa Enterprises’ McDonald’s restaurant on U.S. Highway 90 is the third Crestview location undergoing an extensive modernization remodel.

The renovation will be revealed at a grand re-opening, followed by a public McFamily celebration. The celebration starts 10 a.m. March 17 at 302 James Lee Blvd. W, Crestview.

Beginning from the exterior, and throughout the entire restaurant, there will be a great new look and feel with modern and sleek design, digital menu boards, digital self-ordering, free-standing kiosks, free Wi-Fi, comfortable seating areas and many more touches like added outdoor seating, activity tables and kidzpace gaming systems, according to a Costa Enterprises media release.

The self-ordering kiosks being put in all the modernized McDonald’s locations enable the restaurants to put a higher emphasis on hospitality and welcoming customers as table service and more customer service in the lobby is provided.

A space-age, indoor "Playplace" at that location will be "the only one of its kind," according to the release, and the restaurant, "like all the Costa Family restaurants continues to create a positive economic impact in the Crestview area, as the restaurant will employ approximately 80 people, with many new job opportunities anticipated.

Costa Enterprises owns and operates all three Crestview McDonald’s, and has 20 McDonald’s

restaurants in Northwest Florida. The organization has 22 years in business.

Call 897-3169, or visit costamcd.com or their Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter for more information.

This article was corrected May 9 to fix the McFamily Night date and time, and the number of Northwest Florida restaurants.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local McDonald's remodel features technology, space-related play area

CRESTVIEW — A Crestview business offering unique custom woodwork creations is celebrating its store opening in Northview Plaza.

DaGeo Art sells custom awards, shadow boxes, plaques and other specialty items. Owner George Lebron tailors much of his work to the military community, but creates specialty woodworked items for everyone.

Lebron began woodworking during a 26-year career in the Air Force. He was able to turn the hobby into a full-time business after retiring from the military.

“As a young man, I liked doing art work. I was always an artist of some kind,” he said. “I was able to fulfill more of my artistic goals because I had more time now, whereas when we were in the military I only did it part-time to satisfy some requests and also satisfy myself with some work I did.”

Lebron has made custom awards for various military units, which are on display in the new store. He gets requests from customers who have seen one of the awards and want him to recreate it for them, but he declines to sell the awards to those outside of the units for which they are intended.

“They’re exclusive to that unit," he said. "This way they always have something unique.”

When Lebron does get a request for an award specific to a military unit, he offers to make something that is similar while preserving the individual character of each award.

The custom aspect of Lebron’s creations is an important part of his process, he said. Each design is uniquely tailored to the customer’s specifications.

“When we say custom, we mean really custom,” he said. “We sit down with the person and they’ll explain everything they’re looking for, and we’ll draw it out completely for them in every detail.”

Lebron said one of the most important things to him is the relationship he builds with his customers. He said it's important to build trust in those relationships.

The name “DaGeo” is a combination of the owners’ names, Daisy and George. Lebron said he put his wife’s name first because of how much she means to the team.

“It came to mind because for one, I wouldn’t be halfway this far if it wasn’t for her, so her name is first on DaGeo,” he said. “She’s the one that got us to the store. She’s the one that got us doing bigger work at the house. I needed her to do all this.”

DaGeo Art is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 767 N Ferdon Blvd between Pizza Hut and New World Oriental Market in Northview Plaza.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DaGeo Art offers custom woodwork, specialty items