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The Golf Ball Don’t miss the biggest golf party of the year...

Benefitting: For Tickets: 850-456-7010 or TheFirstTeeNWFlorida.org/the-golf-ball/ • $5,000 Indoor Putting Contest! • Masters-Inspired Cocktail Buffet • Top-Shelf Bar • Live Music from The Bay Bridge Band • 2020 Masters Tournament Coverage • Live & Silent Auctions • Contests for Creatively Dressed Golfers Friday, April 10, 2020 5:30 –10:30 p.m. The Grand Ballroom Skopelos at New World 600 S. Palafox Street, Pensacola

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DOWNTOWN CROWD is published by Ballinger Publishing. Offices located at 314 N Spring St., Ste. A, Pensacola Florida 32501 Published by Ballinger Publishing

Downtown Crowd is locally owned and operated. It is published monthly for distribution in Pensacola, Florida. All Right Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herein is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the publisher. This magazine accepts no responsibility for these opinions. The publisher reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsibility of the individual advertiser. Appearance in this magazine does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Ballinger Publishing. © 2020

Gina Castro, Editor Editor’s Letter

This past month has been a strange one. At first, it seemed like COVID-19 was a distant nightmare, but as we all know now, it’s not so distant anymore. It seems like the situation keeps escalating each day.

Despite this stressful situation, our community has shown it’s stronger than ever. When I heard that the government was temporarily closing all of the breweries and restaurants, I was scared for my community. My heart went out to Pensacola’s working class and business owners.

Instead, these local breweries, retail stores, physical trainers, restaurants and artists found creative ways to continue serving the Pensacola community. Restaurants and retail stores are doing curbside pickup, physical trainers are teaching at-home workouts, and artists are creating online galleries. You can read more about this moving story in this issue.

Although we probably won’t be able to hangout in groups or explore downtown for awhile, we included a story about a new addition to Pensacola: Interzone. It’s a new space for artists to showcase their work. Since April is National Poetry Month, we captured the ins and outs Pensacola’s poetry scene. Once it’s safe to be out and about, you can enjoy local poetry nights again. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m a social butterfly, so sitting at home the majority of the day has been a bit draining. As a pick me up, we’ve included lots and lots of pictures of dogs. We rounded up some of the best places for you to enjoy time with your dog, once COVID-19 blows over. Also, since we’re all feeling a little lonely these days, we did a feature about the perks of adopting a senior pet. The Pensacola Humane Society needs your help, so if you have love to give and time to spare, adopt or foster a senior pet. Lastly, if you're looking for some feel good stories, our Military Matters section has you covered. There are several service members from the local area achieving amazing things across the nation.

As for us at Downtown Crowd, we’re all working from the safety of our homes. We will continue to share uplifting stories about our amazing community each month. Even though we are practicing social distancing, we are doing our best to connect with our community more than ever before. So, please feel free to reach out to us with interesting stories or news to share. We would love to hear from you. Follow us on social media @DowntownCrowd for some daily humor.

8 The Blank Canvas: Interzone Art Center Goes Public 11 5 Questions with

Creatives: Morgan Walker 12 Dog-Friendly Downtown 15 The Perseverance of the Pensacola Poetry Scene 16 Beers and Frankfurts 20 Oldies but Goodies 22 Pensacola Businesses Adapt to COVID-19 24 Military Matters