Fans dressed in black and yellow filled the streets of downtown Pensacola May 6 as Keyla Richardson made her way back through her hometown as American Idol film crews followed her. A top three finalist in the national singing competition, Richardson claimed she felt blessed and honored to be given this platform and to represent Pensacola on such a huge stage.

She appreciates the support she has been receiving from her hometown on this journey.

“Shoutout to the Keyhive. That means everybody that’s supporting me, that’s been loving on me, praying for me,” she said.

Believers from at least four different Navarre congregations gathered at Navarre Park May 7 to lift their prayers to God in celebration of National Day of Prayer. The goal is not to only pray on this day, but to use this as a catalyst to encourage us to pray more for our community and our leaders, said Pastor Greg Love of First Baptist Church of Navarre who organized the event.

Stage Crafters Community Theatre put on an excellent production of “RENT” with a live band last weekend and the show continues this weekend, March 20-22.

Not a seat was empty, or a ticket unsold for the presentation of “The Sound of Music” by Gulf Pointe Latin School Thespian Society Feb. 27 and 28. The hardworking students ranging from 7th to 12th grade not only devote themselves to musical theatre, but all of them are plugged into many other sports and extracurricular activities.

First Baptist Church of Navarre held their annual Christmas musical Dec. 13 and 14. This year’s musical was entitled “Shepherds and Kings.”

Navarre local David Biggar has always been fascinated by weather. Since he was a young boy, you could say his head was “in the clouds” – in a good way, daydreaming about studying weather for the rest of his life. And that’s exactly what he did, retiring this year after working 40 years as a meteorologist.

Under the direction of Jan Savage, the Navarre High Theatre Department received a standing ovation for their spring production, “Footloose the Musical” April 4 and 5. After months of rehearsals, practicing lines, choreography, body language and portraying emotion, the cast gave it their all last weekend and put on a superb production both nights.

Many seniors plan to chase their dreams of careers in acting and music after graduation.

First Baptist Church of Navarre (FBCN) was blessed with a visit from a mission team of young adults from Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri March 17-19. During these college-aged students’ Spring Break, they choose to come to Florida and serve others and spread the love of Christ. The church is calling this week “Love Navarre Week.”

March typically means Spring Break for Florida colleges and universities, as well as countless other schools across the U.S. Students are putting down their books and putting on their bathing suits to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. Here are the dates for the upcoming spring breaks.

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.