Bountiful BBQ: Butts & Clucks crowns state champ
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Bountiful BBQ: Butts & Clucks crowns state champ

When Kenny Nadeau woke up at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning, he was surprised to learn that the temperature in the smoker that was cooking his barbecue had dropped 100 degrees, from the optimal 240 degrees, a change that could impact his entry in the day’s Butts and Clucks competition. Whatever effect it may have had…

Chasing Shadows: The ‘mostly forgotten’ story of the Semmeses 
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Chasing Shadows: The ‘mostly forgotten’ story of the Semmeses 

By Pam Richardson Guest Columnist On a recent bright, but chilly afternoon I had the pleasure of riding around Apalachicola with local realtor Shaun Donahoe. The purpose of our jaunt was to look at real estate, but not with an eye to my purchasing any of it.  instead, I was picking Donahoe’s brain about people…

Savor some oysters at Saturday’s cook-off
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Savor some oysters at Saturday’s cook-off

It’s been 14 years since a fire in the historic district of Apalachicola completely burned down a vintage century-old home, a tragedy that spared anyone injury but one compounded by glaring deficiencies in the firefighting equipment the city’s volunteer fire department had to rely on. This Saturday, at an event sure to attract a vintage…

The Secret Lives of Words: Florida’s flamboyant flamingos
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The Secret Lives of Words: Florida’s flamboyant flamingos

If you’re a senior citizen like me (there’re plenty in Apalach), you may recall “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” the chartbuster hit first recorded by The Ink Spots in 1940, and later by Glenn Miller, Pat Boone, and even, in an at-home private session, Elvis (they’re all on YouTube). I was reminded of…

Buddy Wayne Butler celebrates 80th
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Buddy Wayne Butler celebrates 80th

At a small dinner party Dec. 28 at the Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar in Eastpoint, the family of Apalachicola’s Buddy Wayne Butler celebrated his 80th birthday. Atop the cake was emblazoned a photo of Buddy Wayne and his late wife Carolyn, working together in Apalachicola Bay on the oyster boat that they…

Documentary on oyster ecosystems wins Emmy
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Documentary on oyster ecosystems wins Emmy

A documentary film that focuses on the environmental pressures confronting oyster reefs worldwide, with a particular emphasis on Apalachicola Bay, has won its second Emmy award as it continues to gather both heightened attention and critical acclaim. At a ceremony held Dec. 2 in Hollywood, Florida, “UNFILTERED: The Truth About Oysters” won a Suncoast Emmy…

Margaret Cain celebrates her century
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Margaret Cain celebrates her century

At her 100th birthday party Friday afternoon in Apalachicola, Margaret Cain offered some advice on longevity to her granddaughter Jessica Scott. “Just marry a man who loves you,” she told her. “And live with the Lord.” Cain has been fortunate to have enjoyed both of those things, and while her body is frail and her…

Laser show climaxes Carrabelle holiday festival
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Laser show climaxes Carrabelle holiday festival

Carrabelle celebrated the Christmas season under the glow of harbor lights and the dazzle of laser beams Saturday with the Holiday on the Harbor Street Festival and Boat Parade of Lights. “The festival was a great success and we could not have asked for more perfect weather,” said Lori Dougherty, director of the Carrabelle Chamber…

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….