BAKER — The Gator Cafe will celebrate its 20th anniversary in March.

The cafe, located next to Baker School, opened in 2000. It‘s owned and operated by Eugene Mayhew along with his wife Amy and daughter Gina. Mayhew’s son, Josh, also used to work at there.

“I have been in the restaurant business since I was 17 years old,” Eugene Mayhew said. “I found out that this building was about to be available for lease, so I asked my wife about it. I didn’t really know where Baker was; I lived in Fort Walton and worked in Destin.”

After sending his wife to check out the area and seeing how close it would be to their young children’s school, the Mayhews decided to lease the building. They have been serving loyal Baker customers ever since.

“Customer support has been really good,” Mayhew said. “I see some customers that come in twice a day. Some of the same customers come in every day and sit at the same tables. It’s like a meeting place to see people you have not seen in awhile.”

When customers come in, they will hear country music playing at a low volume and feel as if they are going back to the 1950s or 1960s with rustic decorations.

Throughout the day, customers can choose from food such as hamburgers, chicken, steak and seafood. During lunch, the cafe offers a blue plate special with the customer’s choice of meat and three vegetables. It also serves drinks such as sweet tea, soda and milkshakes.

Jamie and Heather Sneed, who have been dining at Gator Cafe for four years with their daughter Amber, said they enjoy it because of the value for fresh food, friendly service and the hometown feel.

With 20 years under their belt, the Mayhews are excited about the future.

“We gave it a try and the years have just went on and here we are today,” Mayhew said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Looking for good eats? Gator Cafe marks 20 years

CRESTVIEW — Ignited Life, a whole person fitness coaching company, will hold a grand opening on Feb. 1.

The gym is located at 928 N. Ferdon Ave.

A cardio dance party will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. as a fun activity prior to the grand opening event. The grand opening celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with door prizes and giveaways. Prize winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m.

There will also be opportunities to meet with the trainers.

Gym owner Jenny MacGregor-Fite will commemorate the celebration with a welcome speech.

“I want to create a place where people not only have fun with fitness, but also one where they feel at home and part of something,” MacGregor-Fite said.

Ignited Life incorporates fitness, nutrition and mindset coaching in order to help people feel and look their best. Their goal is to understand the importance of treating each person as an individual, addressing their specific needs and goals.

The gym’s mission is to provide a kind of training that leads people to feel more confident, stronger, live with less pain and have more energy.

Members of the gym will have full access to group fitness classes like POUND, Cardio Dance Party, Buti Yoga, & Pilates, as well as personal training, to include specialty coaching in Pre and Post Natal Fitness, Senior Fitness and individual Pilates sessions.

For class and membership information, call the gym at 850-331-3407 or visit www.ignited-life.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Ignited Life Whole Person Fitness announces grand opening

Gainesville Regional Airport’s cake that celebrated the opening of routes from Gainesville to Dallas has won the Anna Aero Magazine’s 2019 “Cake of the Year” contest.

The cake won over 11 over international competitors in the public-vote contest.

Newberry bakery “Sugar, Refined” created the confection, which featured almond and chocolate sheet cake covered in sky blue fondant. The airport’s dog, Beamer, was featured along with an American Airlines jet floating on a cloud. The cake featured Florida Gators and Dallas Cowboys’ imagery and the world.

When airports and airlines hold inaugural celebrations for new routes, over-the-top cake designs are the rule, Gainesville Regional Airport officials say.

Direct flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Gainesville began in March.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Airport cake takes top prize

FORT WALTON BEACH — The HSU Educational Foundation is donating five drones and $20,000 to the Saint Mary Catholic School.

The donations are part of a new partnership to enhance the school’s STEM program and begin a new drone program at the school.

RELATED: NWFSC announces ambitious new aerospace program

“We’re trying to partner with educational institutes to grow their participation in programs like this,” Amanda Negron, executive director of the HSU Educational Foundation said. “(St. Mary has) a multi-use facility where they can hold their own flight operations.”

RELATED: SCHOOL SCOOPS: Hsu Foundation sponsors CHS students

The school is excited about the opportunity to enhance their student’s skill sets.

“We’re thrilled to have started this relationship with Dr. (Paul) Hsu and his foundation,” said Saint Mary principal Amy Akins. “We will work with them on exactly what we’ll be doing.”

The donations and partnership is a part of a larger project that the foundation is working on.

“We’re an outreach to the community in different areas,” Negron said. “We are expanding our drone team program to reach more schools in our community.”

Negron added that she anticipates the foundation’s partnership with the school growing in other areas, such as in cybersecurity.

“The students are going to learn a whole lot of assets,” Negron said. “They will also learn about mentoring skills.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HSU Foundation donates drones, $20K to Saint Mary Catholic School

BAKER — A home in Baker was destroyed by a fire on Friday afternoon.

Firefighters from the Crestview, Holt and Baker fire departments responded to a call about 1 p.m. to a home on fire at the corner of State Road 4 and New York Street. Okaloosa County EMS and Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputies were also on the scene.

Sarah Jordan, who lives at the residence, said her 91-year-old grandmother was home alone at the time.

Jordan had gone to run an errand and left her grandmother at home to take a nap. She was on her way back home when she received a call about the fire.

“She (my grandmother) said she was in her room lying down and she heard something on the back porch, so she got up to see what it was,” Jordan said. “When she walked to the kitchen, she saw the fire coming in from the back porch.”

Jordan’s grandmother then grabbed her phone and went outside to call 911.

No one was injured in the fire, but the family believes a dog was trapped in the home.

Firefighters were still on the scene at 2:20 p.m. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 91-year-old escapes Baker fire

VALPARAISO — A recent study has ranked Valparaiso as one of the top 50 safest cities across the state of Florida.

Security Baron uses crime statistics from the FBI to determine which cities are the safest.

This year, Valparaiso comes in at number 12, with an average safety score of 84.37 and a citizen-to-officer ratio of 2.36 per 1,000 people.

Valparaiso mayor Brent Smith, who was ecstatic about the news, credits much of the ranking to the Valparaiso Police Department.

“We certainly have a great police department,” Smith said. “When they get a call, they generally have a response time of three minutes and we have good street lighting for at night.”

According to Valparaiso Police Chief Joseph Hart, the small town atmosphere has a lot to do with crime staying so low.

“We have always been a close knit group,” Hart said. “We go out of our way to give our citizens service.”

Hart said they don’t see violent crimes in the city very often, but if numbers start to rise, the department is quick to jump into action.

“We look at our numbers constantly,” Hart said. “We try to determine why there might be an increase and apply appropriate actions to solve the issue and bring those numbers down.”

Valparaiso Police officers are expected to constantly check on things and are held to a very high standard.

“We work as a team to try to do what is right for our citizens and provide a good, safe place for them,” Hart said. “A police officer here is more than an officer, he is a community servant. I expect my officers to offer citizens service or a solution no matter the issue. That is how we operate.”

Also on the list of top 50 safest cities were: Niceville at 31, Gulf Breeze at 47 and Milton at 50.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Study names Valparaiso 12th safest Florida city

CRESTVIEW — Two firefighters with a combined 24 years of Crestview firefighting experience between them were promoted July 31 to officer ranks and assigned new duties in the Crestview Fire Department.

Noting the department prides itself on promoting from within, the agency’s spokesman, Capt. Corey Winkler, said the knowledge and expertise newly promoted Capt. Dennis Folkerts and Lt. Nicholas Stowell bring to their new positions will be invaluable assets for the citizens of Crestview.

Folkerts brings 13 years of Crestview experience to his position, while Stowell has been with CFD for 11 years.

“Fellow firefighters were on hand to support and welcome the newly promoted officers as they were ‘pinned’ with collar pins that represent their new rank,” Winkler said.

Both officers will be assigned to A-shift to fill recent vacancies. Folkerts will serve at Station 3 on Brookmeade Avenue, where he will manage one of the station’s fire crews. Lt. Stowell will serve at Station 1, the main firehouse on Woodruff Avenue, as driver and operator of various firefighting apparatuses.

City manager Tim Bolduc, who was in attendance as Mayor JB Whitten swore the officers to their new ranks, said he admired the dedication and service Folkerts and Stowell have provided to the people of Crestview.

“These are hardworking, top professionals, and I am proud to see their efforts recognized with their promotions,” Bolduc said.

“We wish Captain Folkerts and Lieutenant Stowell the best of luck in their new positions,” Winkler said. “Our organization looks forward to their leadership as it moves forward.”

Even as the new officers were being sworn in, three rookie Crestview firefighters began training and evaluation as they entered their one-year probation period.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 2 Crestview firemen promoted