It was a beautiful day for a Mardi Gras Parade Feb. 22 on Navarre Beach. The sun was shining with temps in the 60s for the 39th annual Navarre Mardi Gras Parade last weekend. The theme this year was “Celebrating 100 Years of Navarre,” where floats took a trip down memory lane and reminisced on the last century of our beach town.

Night to Shine is a remarkable global celebration, centered on God’s love, with the mission to honor and value people with special needs. Local churches from all around the world host a prom on the same night for anyone living with disabilities, ages 14 and older. Started by the Tim Tebow Foundation, Night to Shine is free for all attendees, thanks to the generous donations of the community.

After a cold front moves through the area this weekend, some wintery precipitation is very likely Tuesday in Northwest Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile. Saturday is projected to be the warmest day we’ve had in a while with highs close to 70, followed by cold precipitation on Tuesday. Whether that will be snow, freezing rain or sleet all depends on the vertical temperature profile and how far away from the warm Gulf of Mexico you are.

The Gulf Breeze Zoo is proud to announce its newest member, a baby Nile hippopotamus. Cleopatra gave birth to a healthy male calf weighing approximately 75 pounds on September 23 after an 8-month pregnancy. Both mother and Chibuzo are in excellent condition and are on exhibit for viewing.

Out with the old and in with the new at the Gulf Breeze Zoo. The team is always working to improve their facility and make it more enjoyable for its animals and its guests.

It’s been two decades since graduation, but the Navarre High School Class of 2004 picked up right where they left off at their 20-year reunion Sept. 20 and 21.

More than 200 dogs and even more humans gathered at Pik-itz on April 13 for a day full of peace, love, music, and pups at the Navarre Chamber’s Inaugural WOOFSTOCK 2024. The costume contest was competitive, with golden doodles dressed as hippies, bulldogs in wigs, Terriers in overalls, and golden retrievers with scrunchies on their paws.

Homeschool teenagers from all over Santa Rosa County gathered in the gymnasium of Gulf Pointe Latin School on East Bay Blvd. for the Navarre Homeschool Prom April 6. This event is put together by Santa Rosa County parents from Navarre to Milton every year.

An excited crowd gathered Friday morning around Kenya, a 16-year-old reticulated giraffe resident at Gulf Breeze Zoo, to watch her predict the future.

Feb. 2, or Groundhog Day as it’s called everywhere else, will now be referred to as Giraffe Day in Santa Rosa County, according to county commissioner Colton Wright who read an official declaration at the celebration Friday morning.

Congratulations to Navarre Primary Care on their Grand Opening and Navarre Chamber Ribbon Cutting Jan. 20. Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Sherrie Koenigseder, APRN, is an Autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and has been caring for Navarre since 2017. She also offers monthly health memberships and group discounts. For more info, visit their website: navarreprimarycareclinic.com