Jerry Alford, the new fire chief in Sumatra, shows a goat to 2-year-old Waylon Sims, who was on hand with his mom Kayla, a medical assistant at Weems, and dad Blake, a diesel mechanic with the Franklin County Schools. [ David Adlerstein | The Times ]
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Weems catches the wellness wave

There were goats and glucose meters, ice cream and blood pressure tests, as Franklin County’s array of health services, both for the mind and for the body, were put on full display May 18 in front of Weems Memorial Hospital.

The hospital’s foundation, using the theme “Catch The Wellness Wave,” held its second annual Community Health Fair on the hospital grounds at 135 Avenue G in Apalachicola.

Health and wellness partners from across the Forgotten Coast were onsite as well as representatives from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, local fire and police departments.

 The event featured health and wellness screenings, demonstrations, loads of information and giveaways for all members of the family. Kids got to enjoy seeing and holding Nigerian dwarf goats, courtesy of Jerry Alford, who operates Double JJ Ranch in Sumatra, which also has a flock of sheep and a variety of horses.



Kids could take part in an obstacle course, have their faces painted, and win games and prizes. There was live music with Tommy Cooper. Blue Bell ice cream and a pair of food trucks, Tamara’s On the Go and A Train Stop.

“Despite the threatening rain, there was a good representation of young families and other community members,” said Colleen Zester, the foundation’s acting chair. “We’ve gotten feedback that ‘this is wonderful, we love getting to know one another and more people in Franklin County. This was just what we were hoping this event would be.”



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Meet the Editor

David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.

Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.

Wendy Weitzel The Star Digital Editor

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