Out and About
This weekend is the 28th Juana Good Time Regatta on Navarre Beach. Come out to Juana’s Pagodas and watch sailboat racing and listen to live music. See their ad in this issue and visit juanaspagodas.com for more details.
We just hit September and we are already talking about October in this issue of Navarre Press. October is a very busy month for Santa Rosa County with all of the Beaches to Woodlands events, some of which start in September and conclude after October including – but not limited to Take a Kid Fishing, Fish Free Weekend, Navarre Fishing Rodeo, Octoberfest, Monarch Madness Butterfly Festival, Oktoberfest, Bands on the Blackwater and a new festival in Milton “Rhythm and Ribs Festival.” Each week Navarre Press will be updating events on our events calendar so stay tuned or you just might miss something.
The Zoo is growing by leaps and bounds – externally and internally. Zoo babies are featured on our community page along with information about the Gulf Breeze Zoo’s future expansion after acquiring 35 additional acres increasing the total property of the Zoo by 70 percent. Our community is very fortunate to have an asset like The Zoo as our neighbor and we are privileged they are investing in themselves and in-turn their community. Read all about it on 1B.
Hopefully you have already seen the breakdown of the numbers for the Aug. 28 primary election that we put together. It was held just a week ago Tuesday – the day I’m writing my column. It seems like a year ago in some ways. In others, like yesterday. The results are what seems like a year ago and a natural ending. The ugliness of a very few in our community feels like an hour ago. I’d like to think that I’m mature enough to know that the haters only hurt themselves, but when they spew such ugliness over and over and then the day after the election want to just “get along” then it is a little hard to stomach. I’m all about forgiveness, but that doesn’t always take away the consequences. And, there needs to be an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. To date – there hasn’t been any acknowledgement that calling ladies in our community the vilest of names not once, not twice, not three times – but maybe less than 50 times – maybe. And the comparison to “Mean Girls” a movie that I’ve never seen though I’ve been texted dates and showtimes this week – in case I want to catch-up, so I can know how I’m supposed to act. Thankfully I have a firm foundation of my Christian faith, an awesome family, a mutually supportive Navarre Press team and friends that don’t know how I do it. Let’s just say – I do have my moments of weakness, but in the end, I can overcome after a good workout while listening to uplifting songs.
There are a lot of awesome people in our community. I really appreciate everyone that had our backs during the last few weeks of the election and picked up the signs, sent texts, made calls and sent letters of encouragement.
However, all of this has made me more aware of adult bullies in our community that want us and you to come down to their level. The level where they want to exist is not a comfortable level for me and I choose to ignore them. Apparently, I make them uncomfortable and instead of just ignoring me and moving about their life, they are insistent that I pay attention to them. I don’t have time or energy and our community doesn’t either. These are exciting times and we don’t need the friction because it will just hold everyone back. What I do know is that good people need to stand up for what is right and good. Silence is permission. What you permit, you promote. Arguing with those that are just looking out for their own self-interest and have emotional immaturity – isn’t your responsibility – it is theirs and theirs alone.
“It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance.” – Thomas Sowell (1930-) an American economist and social theorist.