“Half Shell’s” Fully Open

New Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar Opens In Marianna
By Sid Riley

Oysters on the half shell, frog legs, crab legs, scallops, fresh shrimp, catfish, fried mullet, fried oysters, crab claws, fried or grilled tilapia, grouper fingers, great salads, Cajun seasoned and baked oysters, cheese baked oysters, even fried green tomatoes…are you.hungry by now?

Half Shell’s is a full menu restaurant with reasonably priced oysters on the half shell. What more could a seafood lover desire? The Oysters are especially reasonable on Tuesdays, when they are sold for only twenty five cents each. Full meals are served during evenings, while a great lunch menu is available for that noon break from work.

This new addition for hungry diners in our area is owned and operated by Colin Hutchinson and Javier Valdovinos. You might know Javier, he has owned and operated “Cancun’s” in Chipley for over seven years, with the help of his lovely wife, Emily. They are now expanding their business into Jackson County.

Colin Hutchinson and his beautiful wife Stephanie, have owned and operated “Hutch’s Oyster Bar” in Chipley for over four years. They are both native Floridians. Stephanie is currently employed as a detention deputy at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

These two Chipley restaurateurs have combined their talents to bring a great seafood offering to the people of Jackson County. All of their seafood is fresh, unfrozen, cleaned and prepared in-house. Oysters are always available, by the tray at the bar, pints to take home, or by the bag. Don’t forget the specials on Tuesday nights.

All menu offerings are available dine-in or carry-out. They will even deliver to your business. Half Shell’s is located at 2914 Pennsylvania Avenue. They open Sunday thru Thursday from 11AM until 9PM, and from 11AM until 10PM Friday and Saturday. Call 482-6800 to order.

“Thursday In The Park” Makes a Great Evening

Approximately 500 attend free concert at Citizens Lodge Park

By Sid Riley

What a great family evening last Thursday was for approximately five hundred local citizens! The temperature was perfect, there were no mosquito’s, the music played by the local group “Twenty on Red” drew resounding applause after each song, all indications of the level of enjoyment attendees were experiencing.

The musicians did a great job, and the lead singer Carol Dunaway filled the night air with smooth, soothing sounds. Most of the crowd stayed until the music ended at 9:00 PM. It certainly was better than another evening watching the same old things on the “boob tube”.

Most people had brought a cooler filled with favorite libations, many had their family dog on a leash, and they sat in their lawn chairs and socialized with friends and neighbors between songs. It was a relaxing, enjoyable evening of family involvement….all for free, thanks to our Jackson County Commission and Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

This week “Thursday In the Park” will feature two great Bluegrass groups, “Dry Creek” and “The Dixie Ramblers”. You won’t want to miss it. Foot stompin’ starts at 6:00 PM.

Dale Guthrie, Clerk of the Courts, Celebrates 4th of July With Jackson County Citizens

Over 800 attend Dale Guthrie’s annual 4th of July Picnic
By Sid Riley

It has been said that if you ever want to draw a crowd of Jackson County citizens, all you have to do is give away some free food. The truth of that idiom was never more apparent than last Friday at noon, when Dale Guthrie and her crew of volunteers cooked about 1200 hot dogs, made arrangements to use the Farmers Market Pavilion, and welcomed everyone to come for a “down home” Forth of July community picnic.

That was all it took to entice over 800 locals to come to the festivities. Great choral music was provided by Janie Nolin and her Golson Summer Enrichment Program Choir. At the beginning of the event Chastity Tharp did a wonderful job of getting everyone into the Forth of July spirit when she sang the National Anthem. The patriotism of the crowd swelled to an even higher level when they were thrilled with the stirring rendition of “God Bless America” delivered by Flora Davis.

The host of the party, Dale Guthrie, welcomed the crowd, introduced all of the elected officials who were present (just about all of the local politicians), the area beauty queens who adorned the proceedings, and all of those who were entertaining.

While all of this was going on the never ending line of hungry hot dog eaters passed through the serving lines. All in all, it was a great local event, filled with patriotism and community spirit.
Thanks, Dale!

Covenant Hospice Gala Event Equals Last Years Record

Event raises over $50,000 for this worthwhile organization.

By Sid Riley

From the onset let this writer state that I am favorably biased about the Hospice organization and the services they provide. Several years ago when my mother passed away at the age of 92, at the moment she died I was holding one of her hands, and a hospice care giver was holding the other. I have never forgotten the gratitude I felt for the presence of Hospice at that moment.

The trained Hospice staff and their hard working volunteers are there (if you want them to be) at those unforgettable moments of deep family grief, helping you cope with the pain and realization of loss. The manner in which they enter these tender, emotional moments with a family requires a special level of empathy and love.

As a result of the level of service they provide to bereaved families, when the call for support is made, through participation in fund raising events such as the recent “Hospice Garden Gala”, the public responds…especially those who have benefited from their presence to help their family through the death of a loved one. On Saturday evening, the citizens of Jackson and neighboring counties responded to the call for support at this Garden Gala event.

This event has grown into the largest fund raising activity of the year for Covenant Hospice. This year the Gala was attended by over 300 people, as well as over 50 volunteers. Last year the event shattered all previous fund raising records by raising over $50,000, and it equaled that record again this year. Jennifer Griffin, Development Manager, was overjoyed with the results of the evening. “I want to personally express my gratitude for the overwhelming support from the entire area community, our staff and volunteers. Everyone was eager to help us in our mission of providing compassionate, comprehensive services to patients and loved ones during times of life-limiting illnesses.”

Hundreds of companies and individuals donated money, time, and support to make the event so successful. Tickets for a seat cost $40 each, with the fine meal catered by “Something Special”… and the event was sold out. Great musical entertainment was provided by “The Sauce”, and musical star Shane Owens also entertained. They all donated their talents for the event.

The silent auction was a huge success, with almost everyone participating. Local artists donated their talents to adorning the assortment of wooden swings and chairs which were auctioned off during either the silent auction or the live auction portion of the program. One of the auction items which generated the most attention and funds was a “Backyard Bash” which consisted of a catered Louisiana Shrimp Boil by Mr. Tommy Anderson at a special private party with Shane Owens entertaining for the evening. This special prize went for $1725.00. Another big fund raiser was a full weeks stay at a huge condo in Destin Florida, donated by Mr. Roy Mohon. Tickets were sold in advance and that night for a drawing for this prize which was won during the evening.

If you missed this event this year, you will need to watch for the scheduling next year. The Covenant Hospice Garden Gala offers a wonderful evening for you and your family, while it simultaneously helps support a wonderful organization.

City of Marianna Hopes to “Go Green”

Applying for grant to replace downtown street lighting and lighting in City Hall

By Sid Riley

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Marianna City Commission the Commissioners approved allowing the City Manager, Jim Dean, and staff to submit an application for a grant from the Department of Energy for $165,100 which would be used to replace the existing mercury-vapor street lights in Marianna, and the lighting in the City Hall facility, to more energy efficient lighting systems.

The change is anticipated to save $8,000-$9,000 per year in electrical cost for the city.

Job Upgrade in Police Department - At the request of Chief Hayes Baggett and City Manager Jim Dean, the Commissioners approved upgrading the number two job in the police department to the title “Administrative Assistant to the Police Chief”, and increase the pay grade from a #13 to a #16, thus significantly increasing the salary and grade of the job.

Discussion on Personnel Policies - City Manager Jim Dean presented several changes in the existing personnel policies contained in a newly edited Personnel Manual for City Employees. These changes deal primarily with the accrual of vacation days and sick days for employees, and the procedures for the City to “buy back” some of these accruals when the employee wishes.

Several long time city employees were at the meeting to participate in these discussions. Some of the more controversial elements of the new plan relate to the policies on “sick days” accrual and buy back. Commissioner Jim Wise expressed his opinion that the purpose of the sick days was to provide an element of job and income security to an employee if and when they were sick, especially for an extended problem. “It is not intended to be extra days of vacation or time off, it is for sickness. If you are not sick you should not use them”, Wise stated. Commissioner Roger Clay voiced his dissent to this approach. “These days belong to the workers, if they are about to lose them, then they should take the time off. They are a benefit and belong to the workers,” Clay argued.

The primary problem area is in how the new policies impact several long time employees. There is little complaint relating to the adoption of the new system for new employees. The changes would save the city approximately $40,000 per year in costs not spent in buying back accrued vacation and sick days. “These changes are budget driven”, Dean explained.

Engineering Services for Stimulus funded road project- It appears the City is running into problems with the Federal bureaucracy as it prepares to utilize available stimulus funding to complete “Phase Five” of the Kelson Avenue reworking plan. These funds are scheduled to enable revamping of the west end of Kelson, from the point where the street intersects with Lafayette, near McDonalds, to the beginning point of the resurfacing which has already been accomplished.

The problem relates to requirements for certification and policies required by the Feds for the project engineering firm. Meeting these requirements would present a problem for the engineering firm which has been in charge of the Kelson project thus far. Thus the City must now execute a RFP for a new engineering firm to manage this last part of the project.

“Century Plant Festival” Set for Saturday July 11 at Russ House

Proceeds to Benefit Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and The Artists Guild of Northwest Florida have joined together to create a unique one-time community festival on Saturday, July 11th at the Historic Russ House. This festival celebrates the rare, extraordinary “once in its lifetime” blooming of the Century Plant located in front of the Russ House, while raising funds for The Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation.

The Russ House Century Plant started its blooming process in early April, and now just three months later is over 30 feet tall. The “flower stalk” of the plant grew over 6 inches per day and is expected to be in full bloom around the weekend of the festival.

Local artists will be doing a “Quick Draw” of scenes of the Century plant and Russ House from 9:30am – 11:30am, followed by a live auction of their “Quick Draw” paintings between noon and 1:00pm. A silent auction of other works of local art will also take place in the upstairs banquet room from 9:30am till 1:00pm. Half of all proceeds from the sale of artwork will go to the Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation to help preserve this icon of Jackson County.

About a dozen harvested “babies” (or “pups” as they are often called) of the Russ House Century Plant will also be available for purchase at the live auction, with all proceeds going to the Foundation. Take home a live souvenir from the Russ House to plant in your own yard and watch grow over the years. A certificate of authenticity will be provided with each baby century Plant sold.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon slices, boiled peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, sodas, water, and other food and refreshments will be available for sale throughout the event, and a popular local band will provide entertainment. Net proceeds of all food and refreshment sales will also go to the Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation.

For a $5 donation to the Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation, people can visit the upstairs veranda of the Russ House and have their picture taken with the blooms of the Century Plant just inches away in the background.

Come early and watch the artists in action from 9:30am to 11:30am. Enjoy food, refreshments, and entertainment from 10:30am till 1:00pm. Plan to buy one of the artist’s original creations and take home a one-of-a-kind original souvenir of the event. Don’t miss this unique and special festival, while helping support the upkeep of the beautiful Historic Russ House.

Century Plant Facts:
The myth, and thus the name, implies that the Century Plant blooms only once a century. The truth is that it blooms only once in its lifetime, and the lifetime of the plant is 10-35 years, with an average blooming cycle of 25-28 years. The bloom grows so fast, about 5” to 6” per day to a height of up to 35 feet, that it saps the life out of the mother plant and will ultimately kill it.

The Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation, Inc.
The Historic Russ House Endowment Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)3 tax exempt public charity whose purpose is to promote, sponsor, support, and implement the provision of long term sustainable funding for the maintenance of the Historic Russ House located in Marianna, Florida in perpetuity. For more information, contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 850-482-8060, or email info@jacksoncounty.com.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit membership association of over 450 members that is organized to advance the general welfare and prosperity of Jackson County, Florida, so that its citizens and its business community shall prosper. The Chamber seeks to ensure a strong economic climate and a thriving economy that will provide economic stability in our community and quality of life for all Jackson County citizens. For more information, contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 850-482-8060, or email info@jacksoncounty.com.

The Artists Guild of Northwest Florida, Inc.
The Artist’s Guild of Northwest Florida is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization that seeks to enrich the cultural and artistic life of Northwest Florida and the surrounding area through educational programs and opportunities in the visual, performing and literary arts. For more information, contact The Artist Guild of Northwest Florida at 850-557-0655, or email mtk4art@embarqmail.com.