Bands on the Blackwater is a free outdoor spring and fall concert series held Friday nights in downtown Milton at 5158 Willings St. Pull up your boat or bring a lawn chair and relax while listening to great live music! The band for Sept. 24 is The Flavors and music starts at 7 p.m. For more information visit www.facebook.com/BandsOnTheBlackwater or call the City of Milton at 850-983-5400.

Dickey’s Barbecue in Tiger Point will be hosting their quarterly blood drive with One Blood Saturday, Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to whenever.  One Blood is giving a pair of socks and a T-shirt and Dickey’s is giving a free sandwich coupon to each donor.  They’ll also have a pet adoption with Road Dogg Rescue, a bouncy house, and a DJ at this parking lot party.

The Pink Pirates Sale will be on September 25, 2021 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Centennial Bank parking lot. The proceeds from this sale fund our annual administrative costs.

They are looking for donations of gently used and loved items that we can put in this sale and are happy to come pick up items at your convenience. Just call or text Brenda Barre’ at 850-281-7456

Items may also be dropped off at the Century 21 office at 8510 Navarre Parkway, this is just west of the Navarre Beach Bridge and next door to Centennial Bank.

Please donate only gently used and loved items and items that have been tested to make sure that they work. 

If you have any questions please call or text Brenda Barre’ at 850-281-7456. 

Help protect sea turtles and other imperiled species through a citizen science program that allows volunteers to take an active role in the war against marine debris. Volunteers collect trash from different areas along the 4.5 miles of Navarre Beach from 8 to 10 a.m. and record data that is forwarded to state and federal agencies. Meet in the main Navarre Beach parking lot near the Sand Crab Pavilion. Limited supplies of gloves, buckets and pickers are provided, or bring your own. For more information, visit www.navarrebeachseaturtles.org or call 850-684-3347.

UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County 4-H will hold an open house at the new 4-H Field Education Facility, 6263 Dogwood Drive in Milton, on Sat., Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hotdogs will be served during the open house and visitors will be able to tour the new facility.

For more information about Santa Rosa County 4-H, visit their website or call 850-623-3868.

Santa Rosa Republican Women’s Club meets the 4th Tuesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. at St. Sylvester Catholic Church in Conference Room 1 in the two-story brick building. This group aims to unite Republican woman across the county and everyone is invited to join, both young and old.

The Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of Taste of Gulf Breeze, a culinary festival celebrating local restaurants, bars, and businesses. This event will be held outdoors at the Gulf Breeze Community Center located at 800 Shoreline Drive on October 1, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Ticketholders will be able to sample from dozens of vendors and food trucks, receive a chance to win raffle prizes, and vote on their favorite dish of the evening. For guests wanting to beat the crowd, choose the VIP experience to get access to vendors an hour before general entry begins and sneak away to a private lounge with complimentary beer and wine.

Tickets start at $15 and may be purchased online at www.gulfbreezechamber.com/taste-of-gulf-breeze. This event is 21+ only, valid ID required upon check in.

The 29th annual Soul Bowl will be played at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 2. The full-day youth football festival pits the crosstown rival SYSA Tigers against the East Pensacola-Magee Field Rattlers in five different age-division games.

The fun-filled day at the ballpark will begin with the kickoff of the first game at 9:00 AM with subsequent games following at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM, and 4:00 PM. Age divisions include 6-under, 8-under, 10-under, 12-under, and 14-under.

Gates will open at 8:00 AM. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 ($10 day of) and include access to all five games. Tickets are available now at BlueWahoos.com.

Outside of the ballpark, a family-fun tailgate experience will be set up, offering a variety of Soul Food, food trucks, and vendors to guests. Stadium concessions will also be open and available inside the stadium. Food and beverage purchased from the event vendors may be brought into the stadium, but other outside food drink is prohibited.

Main Street DeFuniak Springs has announced its inaugural Oktoberfest. Taking place on Saturday, October 2, 2021, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has planned a day of outdoor events including a Run/SUP around Lake DeFuniak, the Oktoberfest beer festival, and an evening of live music.

The day’s festivities will kick off at 9:00 a.m. with a casual fitness competition combining running and stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding on Circle Drive. Participants in the Run/SUP, produced in partnership with local company, RUN/SUP®, will complete a roughly 1.3-mile run around Circle Drive, immediately followed by a 1-mile stand-up paddleboard race in Lake DeFuniak. Prizes from area businesses will be awarded for the fastest male, female, and youth (14 and under). Participants are encouraged to bring their own 12’ Recreational-Style board. Limited rentals will be available onsite for those wanting to participate who do not currently own a board. All ages are invited to attend. Cost to participate is $30.00. Participants are encouraged to sign-up in advance.

The event’s namesake, Oktoberfest, will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Baldwin Avenue between. S. 7^th St. and S. 8^th St. Adults 21 years of age and older are invited to enjoy seasonal beers, grilled bratwurst, axe throwing, and authentic German music, sponsored by Visit South Walton. Tickets are $25.00. Price includes beers and a commemorative Oktoberfest cup. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, along with axe throws can be purchased for an additional cost. Oktoberfest attendees are encouraged to bring a sober driver to the event. Sober drivers will attend for free.

Information on Run/SUP registration and Oktoberfest tickets is available at https://mainstreetdfs.org.

This bi-weekly outdoor market takes place on the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features farm-to-table vendors, arts and crafts and shopping inside Pik-Itz! Art & Antiques. For more information, visit www.pikitz.com or call 850-710-7128.

Tournament competition opens 12:01 a.m. Saturday – until 4 p.m. Sunday. Fish from the shore, a boat or kayak, or from the pier – you just can’t “fish” from the seafood market!  Prizes will be awarded in all divisions. Weigh-in is on the beach at Juana’s, close to Santa Rosa County Boat Ramp and parking.  Scales close promptly at 4 p.m. on both days. Up to two Junior anglers twelve and under can compete in the Junior Division for free with each paid rodeo admission.  Proceeds from this event will benefit the Navarre Chamber Foundation which in turn benefits the Navarre Beach Marine Park. Visit our event website to find discounts from our local lodging partners for the week of the Navarre Fishing Rodeo. For more information visit www.navarrefishingrodeo.com or contact Sandi Kemp 850-939-1900 or info@navarrefishingrodeo.com.

This kid’s fishing clinic is staged at Navarre Beach Fishing Pier and starts at 8 a.m. First 200 children (12 and under) receive a fishing pole, goodie bag and includes free bait and fishing instruction. This event usually fills up quickly. Proceeds go to Navarre Chamber Foundation, a 501C3.

For more information and to pre-register visit www.takeakidfishingnavarre.com or 

www.NavarreChamberFoundation.org.

Wreaths Across America (WAA) in Navarre has announced that the WAA Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE) National Tour will be at the Navarre United Methodist Church, 9474 Navarre Parkway, on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This free community event is presented by Emerald Coast Wreaths Across America FL0832 and co-hosted by the Navarre Chamber’s Military and Veteran Affairs Committee.

The MEE brings the local community, veterans, active-duty military and their families together through interactive exhibits, short films, and shared stories. The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam Veterans.

All veterans, active-duty military, their families, and the local community members are invited and encouraged to visit, take a tour and speak with WAA representatives and volunteers.

Jesus Cares is a worship night from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. the first Thursday of every month for anyone with special needs or cognitive impairments. The goal is to provide a welcoming, accepting, safe environment for families and individuals who feel left out of typical worship opportunities, are uncomfortable in crowds, or for whatever reason don’t feel the Sunday worship time is for them. We want to serve you! Worship will be highly visual, make use of rhythm instruments, and have a simplified Christ centered message. See www.risensaviorchurch.org/jesus-cares/ for more information or to let us know you’re coming.

The Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections Office will be conducting a candidate workshop for anyone interested in running for office.

The workshop will be held Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. in the county commissioners meeting room at 6495 Caroline St. in Milton.

Some of the topics covered will be offices up for election in 2022, requirements to run for office, qualifying, the petition process, political advertising, campaign finances and reporting requirements.

For more information or questions, call the Santa Rosa County Elections Office at 850-983-1900 or visit www.votesantarosa.com.

The Green Thumb Nursery on Hwy 399 just west of Hwy 87 is open every Saturday from 10-2. The nursery offers a wide variety of trees, shrubs, annuals & perennials. You will also find houseplants, succulents, native plants, pollinator plants etc. Most plants are coming from members’ yards. Since they have been grown here, you know that they will thrive in your yard. The site also hosts the club’s craft sales shop. Various crafts and yard art, made by club members, are offered for sale. Visit display gardens and shop their nursery and crafts. Members are happy to offer information and advice to help you achieve the look you want in your garden. For more information, call 850-396-5494 or email geisele@mchsi.com.