Community Archive

Retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Clyde “Cash” Barber celebrated his 101st birthday May 6 at the National Naval Aviation Museum (NNAM) onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola.

American Legion Post 378 has moved to a new location.

Known as the Little Legion, Post 378 had been looking for a new space for several years and eventually found their way to 4656 Gulf Breeze Parkway. The Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce joined Legionnaires for the post’s grand opening, which was marked by a ribbon cutting.

The Holley-Navarre Senior Center is always looking for new ways to raise money.

Standing at 6’7”, it’s hard to miss Akok Chan (pronounced shawn) when you see him on or off the basketball court. Originally from Sudan, he first arrived in the U.S. in 2020 on a student visa and became a scholar-ship athlete at Lighthouse Private Christian Academy, a school in Midway. He was 16 at the time.

Navarre High School welcomed family members and friends of students to the annual NHS Art Show. Set up in the school’s media center/library, the show presented works from students across skill and grade levels in a variety of genres. 

Caterpillars of the rare frosted elfin butterfly were released earlier this month as part of an experimental program to reintroduce the species across north Florida. The reintroduction of this small butterfly within Ichetucknee Springs State Park comes after three years of organization and preparation by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Tall Timbers, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Florida Park Service.

Family, friends and firefighters across Northwest Florida gathered Sunday, May 4, to honor the life of Dave Stone, 78, who devoted much of his life to the fire service.  Held at The Club at Hidden Creek, the Celebration of Life featured speeches from Dave’s sons, Shannon and DJ, his pastor, Jack Kale, and others. Stone was a Commissioner for Holley Navarre Fire District and a Retired Assistant Chief with Ocean City Wright Fire Control District. Stone passed away April 14. 

Ahead of Mother’s Day, Ignite Church is holding a car wash to raise funds for Pregnancy Resource Center of Navarre. “Clean Cars, Safe Starts” will take place Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Ignite Church (8173 East Bay Blvd. Unit B) in Navarre. The fundraiser is being done through donations.

CareerSource EscaRosa, a regional nonprofit employment services agency, has been assisting both employers and people seeking employment for well over a decade. Among the agency’s top focuses is veterans affairs. In 2024, veteran unemployment in the U.S. was lower than (3%) nonveteran unemployment (3.9%). While the unemployment rate for veterans is lower, agencies like CareerSource EscaRosa say it just shows the kind of impact employment services can have.

In an unexpected turn during routine training exercises at Midway Station 37, members of Midway Fire District sprang into action to save four stray kittens trapped beneath a training prop roof.