As I was writing this column on Monday (the day we go to print), the intersection of Andorra Street and Lucena Street had a shelter in place order issued due to a gas main break. As I was typing, however, the order was lifted.
I went to the post office last week and they were telling people to buy Forever Stamps because the price was going up in a few days. The price actually went up Monday to 78 cents for an up to 1 oz. letter. I went to the counter with “Priority Mail” and they told me it was expected to be delivered three days later. I asked why it wouldn’t be there in two days, hence, “Priority Mail?” The response was, “Priority Mail isn’t what it used to be, but at least it comes with tracking.”
We love watching the “kids” of Navarre grow up, graduate, go to college – and decide to come back home to establish themselves. In this case, I’m talking about Grady and Eliana Kelly. Grady played for the Navarre Raiders and is a superstar football player in his last year at Michigan State – he may even have a shot at the NFL. He and his wife (also an alum of Navarre High School) are expecting a baby in October and have come home to open a business. Brian Lester reached out to them to do a story (page 1B). They talk about their faith being a driving force and wanting to pour back into a community that means so much to them. We are glad to have them home and wish them great success!
Don’t miss the story on 2B about one of our few remaining independent veterinarians in Navarre, Natalie Dyson of St. Francis Veterinary Center. Dr. Dyson was given a plaque from the Navarre Beach Fire Department and the Lifeguard Ambulance Service for her life saving efforts after opening up her office after hours to help save Sydney, the rottweiler. We featured Sydney’s ordeal on the cover of the July 12 issue of Navarre Press.
As far as I could tell, everyone had good time at the Centennial Ball Saturday. I want to give a shoutout to some people that made the event happen. I was just one person on the committee, and I started going to committee meetings regularly just a few months ago. The Centennial Ball was made possible by Frankie and Barbara Gibbs, Mike and Nancy Sandler, Andy Epstein and Craig Born. Also, shoutout to the volunteers from Risen Savior Lutheran Church that helped clean up after the event, and to St. Michael’s for making a commemorative beer named “1925” for this special year in Navarre.
I have been going through old issues of newspapers this past week and I wish I had more time. I should go through a volume of old newspapers a week, and I also should clean my house for one hour a week, but I don’t do either. What do I find the time to do? A lot! I have a huge number of priorities and interests. Someone told me this week they were worried about me and wondered how I find time to do everything.
You may have read the following before or in the paper, but it needs to be repeated because there are still tickets available to the party of the century, the Navarre Centennial Ball. If you miss it, there won’t be another one for one hundred years. The Centennial Committee is selling the tickets on the sales platform, Eventbrite, and Eventbrite let us know this morning that 61% of ticket sales are usually done in the last two weeks before an event. That might work for a fishing rodeo, but not an event with a plated dinner. We have about 56 tickets left to sell, but truth be told, we could add a few more if needed. I’ve heard from a few people that they don’t want to dress up. I didn’t pick the dress code, but there are people that like to dress up and there are those that do not. Feel free to wear whatever you would feel comfortable in going to a wedding or church. You don’t have to own a ballgown, but if you want to wear a tux or ballgown, you will not be in the minority. I do know a few men who have told me they are going to wear a tux with flip flops.
I’m starting to feel “up there” in age – but only because of events and not because of how I feel. As we discovered a few weeks ago, I founded this newspaper 25 years ago. Since that time, I’ve seen a lot, and when I talk about “I remember when,” I sound like people that looked much older when I was younger and sat around a picnic table and recounted times past. I noticed that Patrick Moore is on our cover this week and I remember when he owned my favorite sandwich shop 30 years ago – named Dagwoods. The fact that I know who Dagwood Bumstead is dates me. He had the cartoons with his wife Blondie, and the central theme was that he liked sandwiches piled high – taller than his head. The wife’s character really caught on and she later had her own strip called, “Blondie.” I remember when (here I go again) Patrick had to change the name of his shop because of possible “copyright infringement.” He decided to rename his sandwich shop, All-American Heroes. I think he gave the creators of the cartoon an idea because shortly after the name change, I saw a franchise called Dagwoods, named for the comic strip. Apparently, the creators started licensing the name and I believe (I could be wrong) that they got the idea from Patrick. My favorite sandwich that Patrick made was the Cashew Chicken and I could only eat half of it. We wish Patrick well on his next adventure in California.
As you can tell by the content of this issue, we are celebrating the Navarre High School Graduating Class of 2025. The transition into adulthood can sometimes be daunting for parents and their children. It is a time of excitement, the culmination of years of hard work on behalf of the students, teachers and parents alike. There is a lot of pressure put on everyone to have it all figured out by the time the graduate crosses the stage, but it is my experience and opinion that that is a false narrative and can lead to a lot of disappointment. Even after college – or at anytime in life, there is no way to know what the rest of your life is going to look like. It is best to have some very basic foundational principles and beliefs and move forward being open to the path that life/God has in store for you. Personally, I turn to the Bible and test that against the proven experience of others.
When I first came to Navarre in June of 1993, I was pregnant with our daughter, Claire. John was in Albuquerque, New Mexico receiving training and I moved us from Fort Worth, Texas to Navarre.
