Crawl picks up as island’s chili cook-off slows
| | | | |

Crawl picks up as island’s chili cook-off slows

For 41 years, the St. George Island Regional Charity Cook-off and Auction has been among Franklin County’s biggest events, with the first weekend of March featuring  dozens of “professional” International Chili Society chili cooks vying for a shot at the world championships. But a lot has changed in recent years, so that this Saturday, there…

Live music Friday in downtown Carrabelle
| | | | |

Live music Friday in downtown Carrabelle

The Downtown Carrabelle business community has joined forces with Rio Carrabelle Art Gallery to host the next First Friday event from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 1 in Carrabelle. This month both Rio Carrabelle and Taste of Korea will host live music. Taste of Korea will feature Gene Zone and Rio Carrabelle will host…

Owl Cafe reopens with new look
| | |

Owl Cafe reopens with new look

Apalachicola’s famed Owl Cafe, which dates back to around 1914 with its founding by a pair of Greek immigrant brothers, has gotten a facelift. After closing for remodeling Jan. 1, the restaurant had a soft reopening Monday, after completing in fewer than two months a whirlwind set of renovations by owner Forgotten Coast Hospitality Group,…

ShrimpFest serves up succulent celebration
| | | |

ShrimpFest serves up succulent celebration

The St. George Island Lighthouse and Museum this year moved the third annual ShrimpFest from May to the second Saturday in February. Based on how well the Feb. 10 event went, that’s when it’s going to be from here on out. Amy Hodson, executive director of the St. George Lighthouse Association, which oversees the event,…

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

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…

Eastpoint, island open Halloween season
| |

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
| | |

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
| | |

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
|

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…