Eastpoint, island open Halloween season
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Eastpoint, island open Halloween season

Friday night festivities kicked off a vivid Halloween 2023, with lots more on Tuesday night, when the ghosts and goblins came out to haunt the county. In the afternoon, it was time for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Fall-O-Ween event, where kids got a chance to carve their own pumpkins, play games and of course…

Butts & Clucks on national TV July 31
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Butts & Clucks on national TV July 31

In January 2023, when the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce hosted the Florida BBQ Association Butts & Clucks Cook-Off on the Bay at Battery Park, there were more than just competitors on hand. Food Network and Iron Chef Michael Symon, a popular Food Network personality was there, part of a journey begun in September 2022…

Carrabelle plans to loosen downtown alcohol rule
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Carrabelle plans to loosen downtown alcohol rule

Carrabelle city commissioners have set in motion a revision of a city ordinance that, if adopted, would make it more likely beer and wine could be offered at establishments downtown. The proposal, made by Commissioner Bill Gray at the July 6 regular meeting, would change the way the distance, which would remain set at 500…

Izzy opens her cafe
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Izzy opens her cafe

Following a whirlwind soft opening last month, the new Izzy’s Cafe, owned by Isabel Pateritsas, marked a grand opening June 5 with a ribbon cutting by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce. A descendent of the Nichols’ family, known for their stewardship of the Owl Cafe in its early years, Pateritsas, shown snipping the ribbon…

Cold day, hot ribs, warm hearts
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Cold day, hot ribs, warm hearts

It was cold, a little rainy, not the best day for an outdoor event. But that didn’t stop the backers of the Eastpoint Volunteer Fire Department from coming out Saturday for the 23rd annual charity rib cookoff. And it didn’t stop the nine competing teams from taking their tastiest shot at the $1,000 top prize,…

Black history festival outdoes itself
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Black history festival outdoes itself

By most every measure, the 20th African-American History Festival lived up to its anniversary status last weekend. Blessed by sunny skies, and running like clockwork in the hands of organizers H’COLA (Hillside Coalition of Laborers for Apalachicola), the festival brought out a huge crowd and a robust number of booths.  The local nonprofits and government…

Chef Sampler celebrates changing dining scene
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Chef Sampler celebrates changing dining scene

There’s been a lot of changes in the dining scene on the Forgotten Coast in the three years since the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce last hosted the Chef Sampler. Since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first put a serious crimp in the styles of dining spots, and shuttered the Sampler, there’s been closures and…