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….

African-American Museum plans taking shape
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African-American Museum plans taking shape

It probably won’t be completed before fall 2025 at the earliest, but planning for a proposed Apalachicola Museum of African American Culture and History is now well underway. The two architects at work on the project – Bret D. Hammond of the Tallahassee-based Hammond Design Group, LLC, and Ruffin Rhodes, with the Orlando-based Rhodes+Brito Architects…

Off premise sign rule rankles gym
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Off premise sign rule rankles gym

The stricter enforcement of Apalachicola’s rules against posting signs outside of the premises of a business or facility has angered some within the city. And one of the most prominent of those who are upset are people in the physical condition to wrestle with the issue. Stephen Dykes, who manages the Forgotten Coast Fitness &…

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…

Commissioner Lockley dies at 72
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Commissioner Lockley dies at 72

Noah Lockley, Jr., who served for nearly two decades as county commissioner, passed away Tuesday afternoon at about 2 p.m. at his home in Apalachicola, surrounded by family, at the age of 72 A steady stream of friends, from the Hill neighborhood where he grew up, and from throughout the country, made visits over the…

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…

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…

Finding a Way atop the world
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Finding a Way atop the world

Ever the adventurer, Ethan Way has “walked up a couple hills in North Carolina” and “was on a snowmobile in Colorado a couple times.” So naturally it made sense to climb the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. Last month, the 51-year-old criminal defense attorney…