All area codes are 850 unless specified.
Bridgeway Senior Program
Bridgeway Senior Program will deliver the following meals the week of Jan. 24- 28:
•Monday: Turkey breast.
•Tuesday: Country fried steak.
•Wednesday: Smoked sausage.
•Thursday: Savory chicken.
•Friday: Sloppy Joe.
Florida Trail Association
The Florida Trail Association will hold the following events. Visit http://westgate.floridatrail.org or call the listed number.
•Jan. 25: Monthly meeting at Ed’s Hometown Seafood Steaks in Niceville. Visitors welcome. Call 682-6098.
•Jan. 29: A 4-mile night hike around Bear Lake at 5 p.m. with dinner and malts afterwards at the Gator Cafe. Call 682-6098.
•Feb. 5: Volunteers needed for trail maintenance on Eglin reservation at 8 a.m. Call 492-8258.
•Feb. 20: Annual awards banquet at Red Barn BBQ Restaurant in Milton at 5 p.m. Call 932-2557.
•Feb. 22: Monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at Ed’s Hometown Seafood Steaks in Niceville. Visitors welcome. Call 682-6098.
•Feb 25-27: Three day two night 19-mile backpacking trip at 8 a.m. on
the Nokuse section in Walton County. Call 492-8258.
•Feb. 26: Ten-mile hike on Eglin in the Alaqua section at 9 a.m. Eglin
recreation permit required. Call 682-6098.
Media auction
Emerald Coast Advertising Federation presents the 2011 Media Auction from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 27 at Tuscany Italian Bistro, 36178 Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin. There will be silent auction items and a 50/50 raffle. Pre-bid at www.emeraldcoastadfed.com.
Computer Tech Expo
The fifth annual Computer Tech Expo will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 29 at Northwest Florida State College Niceville campus in the College Mall, Building K. The free event focuses on the home computer user and will feature 25 free How-To workshops, vendor displays and door prizes. Visit www.nwfacug.org for a complete schedule.
Boating course
America’s safe Boating Course will be held at 8:15 a.m. Jan. 29 at Coast Guard Station Destin on Okaloosa Island. Registration begins at 8 a.m. There is a $45 charge. Pre-register at 267-2527 or 985-237-8738.
Open house
The public is invited to an open house at Arbor Wealth Management to welcome Dawn Paul to the firm from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 1. Guests are asked to RSVP at 608-6121. Lunch fare, soft drinks and other refreshments will be served. To celebrate this new integration of professional services, Paul is offering a complimentary tax analysis in conjunction with Arbor Wealth’s no-cost, no–obligation portfolio analysis. To take advantage of the offers, call Arbor Wealth.
Choctawhatchee Audubon Society
Basic Bird Identification Techniques will be presented by Lenny Fenimore Feb. 3 at Northwest Florida State College. Call 678-1461.
AARP income tax help
Volunteers from AARP will provide free individual federal tax assistance by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays Feb. 3-April 14 at the Destin Library. Individuals seeking 2010 federal tax preparation help are required to telephone the library at 837â8572 and make an appointment.
Art classes
Join artist Nan Cunningham in a two-day workshop from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 4 and 5 at Signature Studios, 36062 Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin. Cost is $225/person and includes lunch. Reservations required at 654-4322.
Eco-Nomic Living Expo
The Eco-Nomic Living Expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center on Okaloosa Island. To reserve booth space, hold a piggy bank pageant or be a part of this
event, call 689-5855.
Civil War Speaker series
The City of Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park Cultural Center will host a free public speaker series, “Civil War Sesquicentennial Speaker Series” in honor of the upcoming 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Local historians and archaeologists will give talks on different Civil War topics inside the Indian Temple Mound Museum Lazarus Education Center. Call 833-9595.
The speaker schedule includes:
•Feb. 16: Dr. Derek Zumbro, “Civil War Battlefield Photography”, 1 p.m.
•March 4: Dale Cox, “Asboth’s 1864 Northwest Florida Raid”, 1 p.m.
•March 12: Dr. Matthew Clavin, “The American Civil War: The Promise and Peril of a Second Haitian Revolution”, 1 p.m.
•April 2: Brian Mabelitini, “Archaeology of Hammock Landing Battery and the Confederate Fortifications at Apalachicola”, 1 p.m.
•May 7: Dr. Richard Lewis, “Women and Slavery”, 1 p.m.
•June 11: David Ogden, “Pensacola Forts and the Civil War”, 1 p.m.
Florida: Then and Now lecture series
The Niceville Public Library Friends of the Library group and Northwest Florida State College, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council, will host a series of free public lectures by state and local experts who will explore various aspects of the recent Gulf oil spill from metaphysical, to environmental and economic perspectives. For information, call 678-5484 or e-mail pamsmith2@cox.net. Seminars include:
•Feb. 17: Dr. Rick Harper, director of the Haas Center at the University of West Florida, will speak at 7 p.m. at the Niceville Community Center. He will discuss the UWF Haas Center’s efforts to quantify the size and distribution of the effects of the oil spill, and what the residual damage will be.
•March 17: Dr. Fritz Davis, professor of history at FSU, will speak at 7 p.m. at the Niceville Community Center. He will discuss “Archie Carr: The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles” which tells the story of Archie Carr who was the world’s authority on the ecology, migrations and conservation of sea turtles. Davis will offer information about the oil spill’s short-term and lasting effects on the Gulf’s sea turtles.
Cooking demonstration
The Fresh Market’s Fresh Flavors free cooking demo featuring Balsamic Glazed Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Bruschetta with Sun Dried Tomato Rice Pilaf will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 at Fresh Market on Commons Drive in Destin.
Camellia Workshop/Open House
The 12th Annual Camellia Workshop/Open House will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 19 at the Okaloosa County Extension Service Building, 127 Hollywood Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach. Attendees will receive one-on-one, hands-on instruction from local camellia society members and plants will be available for purchase. Call 862-4526 or e-mail camelliafwb@cox.net.
Craft show
The Fourth Annual Spring Craft Show will be held Feb. 25-26 at the Destin Community Center. There will be more than 50 vendors with items such as watercolor artwork, hand crafted jewelry, woodcarving and more. Admission is free. Call 654-5184.
History Rocks!
Heritage Museum, 115 Westview Ave. in Valparaiso, presents the following programs from 9:30 to 11 a.m. for children ages 5 – 10. Cost is $7/child or $5/Museum members with Family Membership. Parents and chaperones are free. Receive one class registration free with a new Family Membership. Pre-registration required at 678-2615.
•Feb. 26: Trash or Treasure
•March 26: How’d They Say It?
ACT/SAT workshop
A workshop to assist students in Okaloosa County High Schools who will take the April 9 ACT and the March 12 and may 7 SAT will be held from 2:15 to 5:15 p.m. March 8, 9, 14 and 15 at Fort Walton Beach High School and from 2 to 5 p.m. March 10, 11, 16 and 17 at Niceville High School. All materials, snacks and drinks are furnished. Students need to bring calculators. Registration deadline is Feb. 22. For information, contact Alice Hart at 615-585-2401, e-mail Amhart1966@aol.com or contact your high school Guidance Department.
JobsPlus
The JobsPlus Mobile One Stop will be at the Destin Community Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third Thursday of each month beginning in January. Services include unemployment compensation, job search assistance and Employ Florida Marketplace registration.
Destin Library
The following events are held regularly at the Destin Library. Call 837-8572
•Tai Chi for Arthritis: At 7 a.m. Wednesdays. Cost is $5/class.
•Cuddlers Toddlers Storytime: From 3 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Thursdays for ages 4 months to 4 years.
•Independent Film Series: Independent and foreign films shown at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month.
•Friends of the Destin Library: Monthly meeting held at 10 a.m. the second Friday of each month.
Destin Community Center
All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. Call 654-5184 for information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to notify the center 48 hours in advance.
•Chair yoga: At 10 a.m. Thursdays. Cost: $3/class.
•Duplicate bridge: At 9:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays and 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Entry fee: $6. No partner needed.
•Game room: Open to children 10 and older and under 10 accompanied by adult from 1 to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday.
•Intermediate party bridge: Mondays and Tuesdays at Buck Destin Park. Call 837-1967.
•Jazzercise class: 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
•Line dancing: For beginners and intermediate from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. Cost is $5/class.
•Low impact aerobics: 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Bring water and a towel. Cost: $3/session.
•Open gym: Adult Full Court, 5 to 9 p.m. Monday; all ages, 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, pending special events.
•Table tennis: 8 to 11 a.m. Thursdays.
•Volleyball: From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call ahead.
•Walk to music: From 7 to 7:45 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8 to 8:45 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
•Woodcarving: Coastal Wood Carvers meet at 9 a.m. Fridays.
•Yoga: Class at 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays. Cost is $6/session.
•Zumba: Gold dance fitness class from 11 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 6. Cost is $6/session.