Island party unveils ‘Salty Boots Songwriter Festival’
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Island party unveils ‘Salty Boots Songwriter Festival’

Jennifer Stradtman has a dream, to create the Sandy Boots Songwriters Festival of St. George Island in the spring. To help awaken it, she hosted a launch party at her West Gorrie Drive home Saturday, featuring two of the best songwriters in Nashville, to help generate interest and whet the appetite for the spring festival….

Christmas cookie crumbles
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Christmas cookie crumbles

Forget your fruit cake and your figgy pudding. If there’s one sweet delight that best symbolizes Christmas, it’s a cookie, and area school kids, from Wewahitchka to Apalachicola and parts in between, got in the spirit of cookie decorating last week. In Apalachicola, it was a chance for Head Start kids and pre-kindergarteners from the…

‘Hurley Play’ is not what you think
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‘Hurley Play’ is not what you think

Jerry Hurley has been a local playwright for a long enough time that audiences have come to expect that he’ll come up with something worthy of a night out. He’s mastered cornball, he revels in raunch, and he’s skillful at bringing out just enough poignancy to not strain the heart muscles. He keeps ‘em laughing,…

Crooked River shows off new stage at Lantern Fest
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Crooked River shows off new stage at Lantern Fest

Scores of hanging lanterns cast a colorful glow over the Crooked River Lighthouse Nov. 11 for Lantern Fest, held each year in honor of the lighthouse’s birthday, now over 127 years old. None more impressive in that mystic light was the enormous wooden boat that will serve as the new sound stage and playground. The…

A day to celebrate service to country
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A day to celebrate service to country

In three separate ceremonies over two days, the county paid tribute to its veterans. The first Veterans Day program was at the First Baptist Christian School on Friday morning, in the church sanctuary where the students there presented a traditional program of songs and readings, blending historical passages like the Gettysburg Address, the preamble to…

Seafood Festival has visitors ‘feelin’ alright’
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Seafood Festival has visitors ‘feelin’ alright’

The 60th annual Florida Seafood Festival last weekend is in the record books, and while it didn’t break any attendance records, the turnout was pretty respectable. “Attendance was up from last year,” said John Solomon, president of the all-volunteer board of directors. “Many vendors I spoke to said they had a very awesome year.” At…

Chasing Shadows: The Forgotten Coast, birthplace of Florida
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Chasing Shadows: The Forgotten Coast, birthplace of Florida

Sandra Cole Guest Columnist Let’s talk about some history of the area. You might remember in a previous article I mentioned Old Shell Road and part of Treasure Road in the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve. We will talk about it some more in this article.This week will feature pictures of Henry Drake, family…

Apalachicola homes get their fright on
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Apalachicola homes get their fright on

During the height of the COVID epidemic, Apalachicola hosted trick-or-treat with costumed kids making the rounds in the center of the downtown.. This year, though, the city got back to one of its most cherished traditions, a Beggar’s Night in which little ghosts and goblins, and Snow Whites and Sleeping Beauties, went from door-to-door and…

Get ready for the Florida Seafood Festival!
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Get ready for the Florida Seafood Festival!

Get ready for the biggest weekend of the year, as thousands of visitors will flock to Franklin County for the 60th annual Florida Seafood Festival. The weather is expected to be in the mid to high 70s, with no rain in sight, just plates full of oysters and shrimp and fair food. The festival, organized…