We have some great advertising to help you shop locally in our Holiday Happenings Gift Guide! We hope you will take the opportunity to visit their businesses and spend a little holiday cash. I l-o-v-e the cover that Dickie Williams’ designed for the guide. He took our new artificial reefs, turned one into a Christmas tree and then put the face of a Navarre “legend” on the scuba diver, which wasn’t a stretch since he is one of our most avid local divers and responsible for most of the reef footage that we have. Yes – it is Mike Sandler.
We are happy to have Stinky’s Fish Camp on our Neighborhood Favorite’s page. They will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. — 7 p.m., so if you don’t want to spend your entire day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning, make your reservations now! See their ad in this week’s issue for the menu.
We only have six more issues in 2013. I know – hard to believe. Soon there will be school and office parties, young adults returning home from college for a month of R&R and hopefully earning some money before they return. High School seniors are busy firming up their plans for college next year, scholarships will be announced, then we will have an awards ceremony, prom, figuring out what the kids are going to do this summer and what – if any – job will they have, figure out where we are going on vacation… and then the cycle continues. Of course that is if you have one or more children at your house. Everything has a season, including our lives. However, I can’t imagine ever being bored or not busy – nor do I want to. No matter how hard I try – I can’t get to a place where I can take any significant time off from work so that I can get “caught up at home.” However, it continues to be a goal of mine. Maybe next year since it is only six issues away.
Taco Bell has come down and I’m looking forward to having one of the more modern looking Taco Bell buildings like the ones in our neighboring communities. It will also be great to have more options for local employment. I met several of the young people that worked at the Navarre Taco Bell at the time of the fire and even though they were offered employment at other Taco Bells, they didn’t want to drive to Niceville and Crestview for minimum wage.
One of our long-time advertisers, Pet Nation, is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Saturday! Bring your dog to the store on Saturday at 3 p.m. for a costume contest with prizes! Pet Nation’s ad in this week’s issue gives more information. We know part of their success is advertising in Navarre Press, and we also know that Holly and Abdul put a lot of time, energy, effort and love into the store and the Navarre community. They have obviously discovered the key to staying in business – and keeping so many loyal customers.
Check out our local happenings page for some great Halloween/Fall activities taking place in and around Navarre. Samplings include the YMCA Trunk or Treat this Sunday from 4-6 p.m. The Navarre United Methodist Church ad has a schedule of activities taking place on Halloween, which happens to be the date of next week’s issue of Navarre Press. The Gulf Breeze Zoo has their second weekend of Boo at the Zoo this coming weekend. At the Zoo, you will find an extensive collection of animals, including their newest edition, Cooper, the Hippopotamus. Apparently it was a blast last weekend because I heard several people say they were going back again. You can buy tickets for this weekend ahead of time so you don’t have to wait in line. The lines were very long last weekend, and I’m sure they will be longer this weekend.
The Holley Navarre Senior Center Pancake Breakfast is this Saturday, October 12 from 7 – 10:30 a.m. at their building across from the Navarre Library. Eat up – because you can run or walk it off Sunday.
As of press time there was a weather system, Invest 97L, that is predicted to develop into Tropical Storm Karen by the end of the week. So… be sure you have your supplies ready and your indoor chores lined up. Suggested indoor chores: switch your summer clothes with your fall/winter clothes and get a bag ready for your local church or distribution center for anything you haven’t worn in two years. Do the same with your shoes, reorganize and clean the garage, go through your paperwork and file what needs to be filed, purge the rest, go through closets and put aside old winter coats for a future winter coat drive, start getting your taxes in order for 2013 because it will be January 1 before you know it, go through the books on your book shelves and take down the ones you want to donate to Friends of Navarre Library, organize your cookbooks in your cabinet, pick out your favorite recipes to rewrite neatly on fancy recipe cards, scan and send to family members at Christmas time. This could also be a handy idea list for those of you on furlough. Just cut it out and put it on your refrigerator for your furloughed spouse. That is what I’m going to do.
Navarre Beach Sand Sculpting Festival is this weekend, September 27-29 and it’s the 4th annual competition and Soft Pack National Championship on Navarre Beach. Amateur teams and individuals (limited to the first 20 applicants) will compete for prizes. Ten of the world’s top soft sand sculptors are coming to compete so there is sure to be some sand sculpting that will impress you.
