Dec 3 2015 inweekly issue

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Independent News | December 3, 2015 | Volume 16 | Number 48 | inweekly.net

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winners & losers

outtakes

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news

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They deserve to have answers.

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cover story

calendar

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publisher Rick Outzen

art director Richard Humphreys

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Jason Leger, Jennifer Leigh, Emily Richey, Chuck Shepherd, Shelby Smithey

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Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2015 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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winners & losers

Brittany Hockey

winners

losers

BRITTANY HOCKEY The Florida Campus

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA The university

FILL THE MAYFLOWER MANNA Food

RICK SCOTT While his 2017 budget proposal pleased the business community, it did not deal with the biggest issues facing the state. No raises were included for state workers. No funds for much-needed staffing for the state’s mental hospitals and only barely enough to cover half of the correction officers that the Department of Corrections requested. Despite having a backlog of 10,000 untested rape kits, the proposed budget only paid lip service to getting them tested.

Compact honored the Pensacola State College sophomore with its Student Excellence in Service Award. During her freshman year, Hockey amassed 352 service hours while maintaining a 3.85 GPA, making the Dean’s List, serving as president of the Student Veterans Association and working with the Student Government Association’s Volunteer Activity Board. In addition, Hockey, a Navy wife, was honored last spring with bronze and silver U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Awards and the PSC 2015 Individual Volunteer Service Award.

Pantries concluded their 8th annual Fill the Mayflower food drive, collecting enough food to provide over 60,000 meals to the hungry in the greater Pensacola area. The food will be distributed through MANNA’s four pantries, the Santa Rosa Backpack4Teens Program and Monthly Healthy Senior Food Program in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Sponsored by Coastal Moving and Storage, the longtime event is the single most important food drive for MANNA.

CHARLES BARE On Nov. 24, the Pen-

sacola City Council elected its only remaining at-large councilman as its president. The position has typically gone to the member whom Mayor Ashton Hayward has thrown his support, but that didn’t happen this time.

Bare has a Master of Public Administration degree, which should come in handy as he builds the council’s staff over the next year.

agreed to pay the United States $19.875 million to settle allegations that it improperly charged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for salary and administrative costs on hundreds of federal grants. The grants in question were administered from the UF campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville.

The university receives millions of dollars in grant funding each year. The settlement resolved the alleged misuse of grant funds awarded by HHS to UF between 2005 and December 2010. BTW, Florida State beat them 27-2 last Saturday.

GARY F. CLARK Apparently, adminis-

trative jobs in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection don’t require any environmental experience. Clark, a co-owner of a dozen Subway locations, has been hired as deputy administrator at DEP. He holds a bachelor’s degree from an online university in business administration.

Clark also owns and operates a bobwhite quail hunting preserve.

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inweekly.net

outtakes

by Rick Outzen

TOO MANY JAIL DEATHS Rodney Berry died in the Escambia County Jail on May 27. The official statement from the county was the inmate, who was awaiting trial for two car burglaries during which he allegedly stole property valued at less than $100, had been found unresponsive at 6:30 a.m. and was pronounced deceased shortly after the discovery.

Medical Examiner Andrea Minyard determined the cause of his death was coronary atherosclerosis—in other words, a heart attack.

Case closed. Sick people are in the county jail. Sometimes they die.

However, Berry’s death is one of six over the past 13 months and of eight since in the jail that has been run by the Board of County Commissioners.

Despite what county leadership wants us to believe, deaths in county jails are rare.

Less than seven percent of all jails run by local jurisdictions have two or more deaths annually.

After Sheriff David Morgan had taken jail medical services in-house, the jail infirmary averaged one death a year over the four years before the county took over the facility on Oct. 1, 2013.

What the county statement didn’t tell the public was Rodney Berry’s last hours were horrible. He finally died because his heart gave out, but the symptoms he displayed are not usually those attributed to a normal heart attack.

For nearly seven hours, he vomited and battled diarrhea, which was so bad that

he repeatedly defecated on himself. His stomach was bloated, he was shaking and having difficulty breathing, and he could only grunt and moan near the end. The correction officers and his fellow inmates tried to get medical help for Berry. The stench in the Orange Pod was overpowering, making one officer nauseous when he checked on the inmate.

The infirmary nurse evaluated Berry.

He was returned to his bunk and placed on the sick call list. As the vomiting and defecation continued, the infirmary offered him diapers.

In the end, Berry was found sitting upright in his bunk.

There he died as the county statement said “unresponsive.”

After seven hours of vomiting and defecation, his heart stopped beating.

The jail infirmary killed him.

I realize that is a harsh statement, but Berry was denied the medical care he needed. It’s clear that the infirmary should have requested that he be transported to a local hospital. His condition was misdiagnosed. Would a doctor have made a difference? That we will never know, but we do know that not getting the proper medical care led to his death.

The Board of County Commissioners needs to quit burying their heads in the sand and deal with the jail infirmary. Six deaths are too many. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Despite what county leadership wants us to believe, deaths in county jails are rare.

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JAIL DEATHS REQUIRE SCRUTINY

By Rick Outzen Since Nov. 1, 2014, the Escambia Board of County Commissioners has had six deaths in its county jail, three of which were suicides.

Nationally, around 80 percent of all local jails have no deaths in a year, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Less than seven percent have two or more deaths. If a death happens in a city or county jail in Florida, there is a one-in-ten chance it will happen in Escambia County.

Why? The report of the May 27, 2015 death of inmate Rodney Jamel Berry, 53, appears to point to the jail infirmary.

Berry was arrested on Feb. 14 and was awaiting trial for two car burglaries in motel parking lots on Pace Boulevard. In each incident, he stole tools and other property valued less than $100. His trial was set for June.

Records that Inweekly obtained, via a public record request, give the details of Berry’s last hours.

The correction officers and his fellow inmates tried to get medical help for Berry, but the infirmary would only place him on a sick call list for later in the day. He died having vomited and defecated on himself repeatedly for nearly seven hours.

Jason S. Slusser, Green Three Module Operator, reported that at 11:50 p.m. he heard banging from the Orange Pod. An

inmate told him that he needed a mop and bucket because another inmate was vomiting. Officer Bo Nesmith toured the pod 10 minutes later. He took Berry to the jail infirmary to be evaluated by medical staff. At 2:30 p.m., Nesmith told Slusser and Field Training Officer Lonnie Pugh that Nurse Ashley Palmer had cleared Berry.

Slusser and Pugh went to medical triage to pick up Berry. When Slusser asked the inmate how he was doing, Berry did not respond.

At 3:58 a.m., Pugh called Nurse Palmer and notified her that Berry was vomiting again.

At 4:12 a.m., inmates notified Slusser and Pugh that Berry had defecated on himself. Pugh called Nurse Palmer again, who transferred the call to the Infirmary Nurse.

Nurse Debbie Smiley told him that Nurse Palmer had already seen the inmate and there was nothing more that could be done.

At 4:35 a.m., Pugh called Nurse Palmer again and asked if she would check on the inmate. The nurse said she had to pass out medications and would stop in and check Berry after that.

Pugh then notified Sgt. Martin Wolff of the problem.

Sgt. Wolff came to Orange Pod, was briefed by Pugh, and talked with Berry and other inmates. Wolff reported that inmates told him that the area stunk badly and that Berry needed to be removed from the pod. He said that Berry was sitting at a table making grunting noises. Wolff left

“I pled my case about Inmate Berry and the difficult time he appeared to be having.” Sgt. Martin Wolff

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the pod after about 20 minutes.

At 5:01 a.m., Nurse Palmer visited Orange Pod and talked with Berry. She didn’t talk with Pugh or Slusser before returning to the infirmary.

At 5:07 a.m., Sgt. Wolff went to the nurse supervisor’s station.

“I pled my case about Inmate Berry and the difficult time he appeared to be having,” he later reported. Sgt. Wolff told Nurse Smiley that Berry had defecated himself and the pod reeked. The sergeant told the nurse that Berry’s stomach was bloated. He was grunting and shaking.

Nurse Smiley told the sergeant that Berry would be given diapers, and there was nothing more that she could do for him. Berry was being placed on the sick call list and would be seen later in the day.

At 5:17 a.m., Sgt. Wolff called Pugh that he had contacted medical staff and had been told Berry would be seen in sick call by the ARNP that day. The sergeant told Pugh to document the information in the logbook and to continue to monitor Berry.

At 6:25 a.m., Officer Nesmith began the distribution of breakfast. Inmates told him that an inmate in Bunk 3, Berry, was vomiting and having difficulty breathing.

When he entered Orange Pod, he saw Berry sitting upright on his bunk. Nesmith said Berry’s name several times as he approached him, but the inmate was unresponsive. As the corrections officer got closer to him, he smelled feces, which he described as an “intense and disturbing stench.” The smell was so overwhelming the officer became nauseous.

After he regained his composure, Nesmith tried to check Berry’s vital signs.

He was unable to detect a pulse on Berry’s carotid artery. He did detect a slight movement in his upper sternum and a slight flare in his nostrils. Nesmith made the call “Medical Emergency Green 3 Orange Pod.” He continued to try to communicate with

Berry until the medical staff arrived, which was approximately 6:30 a.m.

Garland M. Lee, Orange 2 escort officer, responded to the medical emergency. He arrived with nurses Palmer, Deborah North, Shari Gulley, Stacy Taylor, Trudy Fortune and Catherine Harrison. All inmates had been removed from the pod, except for Berry, who was still sitting upright in his bunk. Medical staff moved him to the floor and detected no pulse, so they began CPR. They hooked Berry to the AED and started chest compressions.

Lee relieved Nurse Gulley for the fourth round of chest compressions. Then Gulley replaced him after Berry aspirated and cleared his mouth to open his air way.

Lee watched the nurses continue to work on the inmate until EMS arrived. Berry was pronounced dead at 6:47 am.

At 6:48 a.m., Sgt. Wolff contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Officer about the inmate death. Berry’s family was notified at 9:07 a.m.

At 11:59 a.m., the Escambia County Public Information Office issued this statement: “A 53-year-old black male was found unresponsive at the Escambia County Main Jail at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27. The inmate was pronounced deceased a short time after being found unresponsive.”

The medical examiner later ruled the cause of Berry’s death was coronary atherosclerosis, in other words, a heart attack.

Not The Same

When asked about the rise of suicides and other deaths in the county jail, Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown and some of the county commissioners have had a standard reply: the jail is run about the same as the people who ran it before it was transferred from the sheriff ’s office to the county in 2013.

The implication is that the problems at the jail—2014 explosion that killed two inmates and the three suicides and three other deaths over the past 13 months—would have happened if the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office still supervised the facility.

Sheriff David Morgan told Inweekly that is a false assumption, and it has been a mistake to isolate the infirmary and medical decisions from a chain of command that holds the medical staff accountable.

He said that David Benoit, his Health Services Administrator, reported directly to his administrative commander and chief deputy.

His command staff was kept apprised of health issues on a daily basis.

“...if we had an inmate that had a significant medical issue, we were kept updated on that daily.” Sheriff David Morgan

inweekly.net

“Benoit reported directly to the command staff,” said Morgan. “There were daily updates and briefings on jail medical (issues). If we had a spike in anything at the jail, if we had any attempted suicides, any inmate on inmate issues, if we had an inmate that had a significant medical issue, we were kept updated on that daily.”

He said that his chief financial officer, risk manager, human resources and his commanders weighed in on the exceptional health problems. The jail infirmary staff had to answer to them, which he believed made a difference.

Sheriff Morgan recalled a meeting with one of his jail commanders.

“My first meeting with her was not pleasant. We had a lady in the jail that should have been taken to the hospital, and I was given the song and dance, well under the old administration ... I said ‘stop,’ it's not the old administration. If we've got these folks, I'll find the money to transport them wherever.

From then on, she was really good about telling me about any medical issue in the jail. “ When Sheriff Morgan took office in 2009, Armor Correctional Health Services had the contract for the infirmary at the county jail.

Morgan’s predecessor, Ron McNebsy, awarded the infirmary contract three years earlier after Prison Health Services had two inmates die in the infirmary in less than a year—Robert Boggan and Jerry Preyer.

On Aug. 1. 2009, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office took control of the Escambia County Jail infirmary from Armor. The projected savings was $1.8 million annually.

“Our complaint with Armor was not about the quality of service, it was about the cost,” said Sheriff Morgan in a recent interview. The county wanted the sheriff to cut his budget by $6 million. His staff didn’t make that target, but did reduce its budget about $4 million. Taking over the jail infirmary from Armor made it possible.

“Armor wouldn't negotiate with us,” recalled the sheriff. “They basically walked away from the table and never came back.

They said, ‘We can't reduce the cost of jail medical,’ and they just never returned.”

Morgan had his staff visit four sheriff’s offices within the state and figure out how to take jail medical in-house. He hired David Benoit as his health services administrator. Benoit had worked nine years in health services with the Florida Department of Corrections, rising to the level of Regional Health Services Manager.

Under Benoit’s tenure, the jail had no suicides.

From August 2009 through September 2013, the jail had three deaths due to natural causes and one death due to inmate-on-inmate violence— an average of one death a year. There were two other deaths due to terminal illnesses.

Benoit stayed with the jail infirmary after the county took over in October 2013.

He left in July 2014, two months after the jail explosion. Four months later, the county jail had its first suicide.

Call To Action

Only one Escambia County commissioner voted against transferring the county jail away from the sheriff’s office—Lumon May. Commissioner May was the only board member to tour the county jail in the weeks before the 2013 vote to take over the facility. The county had received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice listing changes that needed to be made to the county jail. Sheriff Morgan had requested $6.3 million to hire 83 detention deputies and 12 detention assistants to respond to the DOJ findings. When negotiations between the sheriff’s office and the commission fell apart, the commissioners voted to take control of the jail.

“I voted against the move, because we were still in the midst of figuring out how to resolve the DOJ findings,” said May. “We knew they were going to take additional resources, but we hadn't worked that out.”

He added, “I didn't think that in the middle of a DOJ investigation that we should take away the jail. I believed the sheriff was best equipped to handle the issues at the jail.”

As the suicide and other jail deaths have mounted over the past 13 months, the commissioner has become increasingly frustrated.

“Our citizens deserve to have transparency and an open government that tells them exactly what happened.”

Commissioner Lumon May

“My heart hurts for these people and their families,” said May. “Mr. Berry was in jail for stealing less than an hundred dollars of tools. Mr. Jordan was being held for stealing a candy, according to what I was told by staff.”

He said, “When I look at this from a position of county commissioner, I look at all six of these deaths, that they have a mother, they have a father, they have a sister, they have a daughter, they deserve to have a full and open investigation. They deserve to have answers.”

Commissioner May said he wants answers to what is happening in the jail infirmary and how these deaths could have been prevented.

“Our citizens deserve to have transparency and an open government that tells them exactly what happened,” said May. “I think that is what we should be seeking. We need a full and independent investigation to find out exactly what happened.”{in}

RISE IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY JAIL DEATHS 1. 11/02/14—James Brumley, 48, suicide 2. 01/21/15—Chad Day, 43, suicide 3. 05/27/15—Rodney Berry, 53 4. 09/01/15—Shawn Jordan, 45 5. 09/23/15—Cedrick Henderson, 29, suicide 6. 11/15/15—Samuel Averheart, 21

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State Rep. Matt Gaetz / Courtesy Photo MORE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ON THE HORIZON The Florida Department

of Health recently announced the five dispensing organizations approved to provide

patients with intractable epilepsy and people with advanced cancer access to lowTHC cannabis.

State Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach), who sponsored the law to make it legal, told Inweekly that he was happy to see the state agency’s action.

“I'm disappointed that it took so long, but I'm grateful that finally we've issued licenses for people to legally grow cannabis in the state of Florida,” he said. “It should not have taken as long as it did, but I guess it's better to measure twice and cut once. At the end of the day, the important thing is that in Florida we're going to be able to get some medical cannabis to those in need.”

“I'm disappointed that it took so long, but I'm grateful that finally we've issued licenses for people to legally grow cannabis in the state of Florida.” State Rep. Matt Gaetz Rep. Gaetz predicted that more forms of medical cannabis would be made available in the near future.

“Look medical marijuana reform is a journey, it's not a single step,” he said, “I think that we ought to do more to make sure that cannabis is available to doctors, where there are patients who are critically ill or dying. That's why this year I've offered more legislation so that people who are at the end life, in their last year, tested by at least two physicians can access medical marijuana at any strength that the doctor deems appropriate.”

He added, “I know we've got a lot of people in the state of Florida who die just unnecessarily painful deaths. And rather than have a family member pumped full of morphine in their final

days, if they could receive treatment for their pain with a cannabis lozenge or pill and have more meaningful time at the end of life with family members.”

Rep. Gaetz said, “I think that's a virtuous thing to pursue.”

PRESERVATION OF BP FUNDS Rep.

Gaetz also said that he is concerned about the BP settlement funds the state of Florida will be receiving.

“The number one priority for Northwest Florida in the upcoming legislative session is the preservation of economic development funds flowing from the BP settlement,” he told Inweekly. “Triumph Gulf Coast will receive dollars, not from the federal settlement, but from the Florida settlement; $300 million will be arriving this year.”

He said, “If Rep. Clay Ingram (RPensacola), Rep. Doug Broxson (R-Gulf Breeze), and Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker), Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville), Rep. Mike Hill (R-Pensacola Beach), and I do our jobs in protecting that funding, three

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hundred million dollars is a lot of money to diversify our economy. I want that benefit to come the people of Northwest Florida.”

He is concerned about the funds being diverted to other parts of the state.

“I don't want it to be frittered around all over the state,” said Rep. Gaetz. “I don't want it to be spent for every person in local government to hire every cousin they have within a hundred mile radius, so that's why we've put some pretty strong protocols in place, and that's going to be the top priority.”

importance to the country and to protect the people’s rights because the opposite of that, something that would restrict the freedom of speech, would have a limiting effect on the full and unfettered expression of opinion in the marketplace of ideas.”

He added, “Given the choice between full and fair expression versus the Courts being the final word on what is true and what is not and what is sayable, and the chilling effect that would have on free speech, the forefathers chose freedom of speech, and the Courts have consistently proceeded accordingly.”

Judge Goodman wrote that he had read the article several times looking for defamatory statements. He found none. He also did not find the article had an overall tenor that could be viewed as defamatory.

“The Court notes that the article contains Plaintiff’s (Valentino’s) positions on all of the issues discussed in the article and ends by giving the Plaintiff the last word,” wrote the judge. “None of the specific statements identified by Plaintiff at the hearing as defamatory are actionable.”

Judge Goodman conceded that Valentino may not have found all the article flattering, but he did not see it as an attack on the county commissioner.

He wrote, “It is typical of articles published by the media about public discourse on public issues regarding a public official and his constituents.”

Judge Goodman found nothing inconsistent with the “free expression to enable robust exchange of ideas” that is protected by the First Amendment.

He also found, “No set of facts could be alleged that would give rise to a claim of defamation based on any statements in the article or the article taken as a whole.” {in}

"I don't want it to be spent for every person in local government to hire every cousin they have within a hundred mile radius...” Gaetz

VALENTINO STRIKES OUT AGAIN A circuit court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino against Inweekly, publisher Rick Outzen, reporter Jeremy Morrison and Doug Underhill.

On April 10, Valentino filed the complaint alleging the defendants had defamed him in the article “Finding The Lost Key,” which was published on Apr. 11, 2013.

Inweekly’s attorneys, Scott Remington and James Green, Jr. of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse, argued that the article was a balanced presentation of the commissioner’s positions on various issues before the Board of County Commissioners at the time, as well as the positions of some of his constituents, which included Underhill.

The defendants moved to have the complaint dismissed. Circuit Judge Ross Goodman heard arguments in his chambers on Oct. 28 and ruled in favor of Inweekly and the other defendants.

In his order granting the motion to dismiss with prejudice, Judge Goodman wrote, “The purpose of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, in terms of the speech clause, is to nurture robust debate on politics and issues of

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The Capitol Steps in Concert Friday, January 15, 2016, 7:30 p.m.

Pensacola Saenger Theatre Tickets available beginning December 1 through Ticketmaster 800.745.3000.

wuwf.org • 88.1 FM • 850.474.2787

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the christmas classics

a guide to arts and culture-based holiday events

December 3, 2015

11

Christmas on the Coast / Courtesy Photo

by Jennifer Leigh

S

ometimes it's hard to tell that Christmas is coming in Florida.

There’s no snow-covered landscape—instead, we wrap lights around palm trees.

But there are some traditions that put you in the holiday spirit no matter where you are.

During this time of year, Pensacola has a calendar full of events that showcase the stories, songs and overall feel of the holidays.

The Pensacola Children's Chorus has been performing its popular Christmas on the Coast program for 26 years. The chorus—made up of 212 students, ranging in age from third grade to 12th grade—have been preparing since September.

“Is it ever too early to start singing Christmas songs?” said Mary Henriques, executive director of Pensacola Children’s Chorus.

The show might have the central theme of Christmas but also explores other cultures including Jewish, Spanish and African songs in the program.

There are also the traditional tunes and a medley arranged by Allen Pote. Allen and his wife, Susan, founded the Pensacola Children’s Chorus and served as artistic directors. In June 2016, they will be retiring, making this season’s performance a special one.

“Everyone’s favorite [part of the program] comes at the end of the first act, when the entire chorus, each holding a

“We have a grand surprise planned that will bring audience members to their feet.” Mary Henriques

candle, comes together on stage to sing ‘One Flame,’” said Henriques. “It’s an incredibly moving and powerful song. At the end of the evening, we have a grand surprise planned that will bring audience members to their feet. Let’s just say, Santa will appear, when and where you least expect him.”

Music is such an important part of the holidays. In fact, most of the seasonal events are shaped around holiday music.

“Holidays for a lot of people are based on traditions,” said Bret Barrow, executive director of Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. “There are some songs you grow up with…it’s only once a year, but when you hear them, it gives you that warm feeling. It helps you connect with some really powerful emotions.”

PSO is slightly breaking its own tradition this year with a holiday show. Typically, the orchestra doesn’t do a Christmas program. However, this year they made an exception Ashley Brown / Courtesy Photo to perform the one-nightonly Home for the Holidays with a holiday tradition in our community, and Broadway talent Ashley Brown. people return year after year to create new “There’s a lot of holiday music with holiday memories for their family.” everything from the Pensacola Civic Band Summerlin said unique events such to the Choral Society singing ‘Messiah’,” as the boat parade in Pensacola Beach, Barrow explained. “We tend to have more watching the Christmas parade march on of a presence on New Year’s Eve. It was a by as the chilspecial opportunity, dren’s chorus and we wanted to bring prepares for her down.”

Christmas on the Brown grew up in Coast, and the Gulf Breeze and sang lighting of the in the Pensacola trees in downtown Children’s Choir, Pensacola are which is how Home fun ways to get in for the Holidays became the name of the the spirit. But she has a hard and fast rule show. After graduating college, she was about Christmas music. chosen to play Belle in the Broadway “I have a rule that I will not listen to production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Christmas music until after Thanksgiving,” She was also selected to originate the she said. “But on Black Friday — bring it role of Mary Poppins for the stage. on.” {in} Currently she’s on tour with “The Sound of Music.”

“The show will be all holiday music— all your favorites,” Barrow said. “Ashley WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 & Saturhas done this show in New York at day, Dec. 12; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 Carnegie Hall. The desk conductor that WHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox night will be Ashley’s music director, Brad COST: $23-$39 Haack, who will also sing ‘Baby, It’s Cold DETAILS: pensacolachildrenschorus.com Outside’ with her. We’re lucky to have them; it’s a neat partnership.”

The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the historic Saenger Theatre where most of performances take place. This year, the venue WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 was booked solid, said Marketing DirecWHERE: Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox tor, Kathy Summerlin.

COST: $32-$100 “The Saenger Theatre holds a special DETAILS: pensacolasymphony.com place in many people’s hearts,” she said.

“Christmas on the Coast and Ballet Pensacola’s ‘Nutcracker’ have become

“Ashley has done this show in New York at Carnegie Hall.”

Bret Barrow

CHRISTMAS ON THE COAST

PSO’S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH ASHLEY BROWN

Christmas on the Coast / Courtesy Photo 212 1

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holiday arts happenings It’s hard to not get excited about the holidays when you hear a classic carol done beautifully or see “The Nutcracker” in all its twirling glory. Here’s a round-up of some festive events to help you get in the spirit.

NOW–DEC. 19

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

The annual Victorian Holiday Traditions once again bring the Victorian Era to life as the Lear-Rocheblave home will be decorated to welcome guests as they learn how families celebrated the holidays in the late 19th century. The tour includes admission to Historic Pensacola with tours beginning at 2:30 p.m. near the Lear-Rocheblave home.

Details: historicpensacola.org

NOW–JAN. 4

CHRISTMAS MEMBER SHOW

View works by local artists and perhaps pick up a few presents for the art connoisseurs on your list.

Details: quaysidegallery.com

NOW-DEC. 26

ALL MEMBER HOLIDAY GIFT EXHIBIT Blue Morning Gallery is inviting the public to come and view the All Member Holiday Gift Exhibit and purchase a one-of-a-kind gift. The Exhibit will showcase holiday works from the gallery’s artists, from paintings and pottery, to ornaments, tile, wood and more.

Artists’ works are all priced at $100 or less.

Details: bluemorninggallery.com

DEC. 3

HOLIDAY CONCERT

Pensacola State College concert chorale and jazz choir will present an evening of holiday tunes at the Ashmore Stadium.

Details: pensacolastate.edu

DEC. 4

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Vocalist Ashley Brown is “Home for the Holidays” and joins the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and guest Conductor Brad Haak for a night of renditions of the most popular holiday songs.

Details: pensacolasymphony.org

DEC. 4-6 & DEC. 11-13

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL—A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS”

The University of West Florida is bringing the classic tale to the stage beginning Dec. 4.

Details: uwf.edu

DEC. 5

SANTA’S WORKSHOP

Come and visit Santa’s Workshop on Dec. 5 for free activities like face painting, arts

December 3, 2015

and crafts for the kids, as well as free refreshments.

Details: bluemorninggallery.com

DEC. 5

HANDEL’S “MESSIAH”

The Choral Society of Pensacola is celebrating its 80th season with the presentation of Handel’s “Messiah” at the Saenger Theatre.

Take pleasure in experiencing Handel’s oratorio with soloists and the voice choir accompanied by an orchestra directed by Xiaolun Chen.

Details: pensacolasaenger.com

DEC. 7

JINGLE JAZZ

The Jazz Society of Pensacola is inviting the public to come out and enjoy Jingle Jazz.

This free event features four vocalists who will be sure to help you get in the holiday spirit. Listen to seasonal songs performed by Donna Blackmon, Rosie Butler, Kathy Lyon and Isobel Peterson who will be accompanied by the Joe Occhipinti Combo.

Details: jazzpensacola.com

DEC. 11-12

HOLIDAY ART SALE

Local artists are constantly creating one-ofa-kind pieces inside the studios at First City Art Center. This holiday season you can pick up some of the locally-crafted works at the center’s Holiday Art Sale. The sale will also being going on during the Dec. 11 Hot Glass Cold Brew—it’s not every day you can drink beer and shop.

Details: firstcityart.org

DEC. 11-13

CHRISTMAS ON THE COAST

Pensacola Children’s Chorus’ annual Christmas on the Coast event is as entertaining as it is endearing. Children take the stage sharing talent and season’s greetings with familiar tunes and a little bit of Christmas magic.

Details: pensacolachildrenschorus.com

DEC. 11-20

IRVING BERLIN'S “WHITE CHRISTMAS”: A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Experience the fun and excitement of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” presented by the Pensacola Little Theatre. The musical follows two gentlemen who take their musical act to Vermont in search of love after meeting a singing sister duo.

Details: pensacolalittletheatre.com

DEC. 12

CHRIS THOMAS KING CHRISTMAS SHOW

Have a blue Christmas with Chris Thomas King at Vinyl Music Hall. The American blues musician and actor is a regular on the Vinyl stage. This season, the Louisi-

Ballet Pensacola’s “The Nutcracker” / Courtesy Photo ana native will bring a seasonal spin to his show with the Nashville-based band The Delta Saints.

Details: vinylmusichall.com

DEC. 12

DECK THE HALLS: A HOLIDAY LUNCH EVENT

Cheery carolers will wander from table to table inside Jackson’s Steakhouse singing traditional Christmas standards we all know and love. Seating times for this event are 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Details: greatsouthernrestaurants.com

DEC. 14-15

CHRISTMAS AT THE COLLEGE

The Pensacola Civic Band’s annual holiday concert will get your toes tapping with old-fashioned sing-a-longs and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas”, as well as other holiday traditions. Ticket sales benefit scholarship funds for high school students to attend summer music camps.

Details: pensacolastate.edu

DEC. 18-20

BALLET PENSACOLA’S “THE NUTCRACKER”

It’s the quintessential holiday stage event and for good reason.

Details: balletpensacola.com

DEC. 21

“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”

The Saenger Theatre will be transformed into Victorian England for the one-night performance of “A Christmas Carol.” Timeless carols including “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Away in the Manger,” and “Here We Come A-Wassailing” are also incorporated into the production.

Details: pensacolasaenger.com

DEC. 23

TIDINGS OF COMFORT & JOY

The 17th Annual Tidings of Comfort & Joy will fill the historic Old Christ Church in Seville Square with music as concert performers perform holiday music both religious and secular, traditional and contemporary chosen by WUWF’s Dale Riegle.

Details: wuwf.org

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WEEK OF DECEMBER 3-10

Arts & Entertainment art, film, music, stage, books and other signs of civilization...

Women Creating

by Jennifer Leigh

said Alexis Leader, director of curatorial affairs for PMA. “This exhibit places women artists into the spotlight and showcases O’Keefe’s attitude in that these are not simply the museum’s best works by women, rather some of the museum’s best works.”

The installation is anchored by artists such as Miriam Schapiro, Louise Nevelson, May Stevens and Vivian Maier. Leader dug into the 600-plus piece permanent collection to find the woman artists acquired during PMA’s 61-year history.

“I have been digging in the museum’s Permanent Collection for well over a decade,” Leader said.

“For this project, I have enjoyed working with old favorites coupled with new acquisitions—seven are being featured for the first time in this exhibition.”

“Women Creating” has been something Leader wanted to do since she returned to the museum as chief curator in 2013. The exhibition goes beyond gallery walls with a lecture from Barbara Larson, PhD, professor at University of West Florida, and a screening of the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier.”

“I am thrilled to finally have an opportunity to share it, and its accompanying exhibition-related programming, with our members and community,” said Leader.

While piecing the exhibit together, Leader said she wasn’t confined by categories — periods of art history, cultures, geographic

regions or even mediums. Since the museum collection has grown to include artists such as Kathe Kollwitz, Juane Quick-to-SeeSmith, Clementine Hunter, Emery Clark and Diana Kan to name a few, she had a lot to choose from.

“There was a freedom in organizing this exhibition,” she said. “Although these women have very different styles and ideas, they have all established themselves as prominent artists in a field usually dominated by men. I have pulled every work from the first woman artist purchased by the PMA, Louise Nevelson, to the most recent work acquired by the contemporary painter, Eleanor Ray.” As a female art historian and curator, Leader has spent her career advocating for women artists.

“It is important to celebrate these artists, from all time periods and nationalities, to combat the gender bias that so often has swept these women’s achievements and talents beneath a rug of male-dominated art history,” she said.

This isn’t the first time PMA has produced an exhibit solely on female artists, but it is the first time the work has been plucked from the permanent collection, which is comprised of nationally and internationally recognized artists.

“I am proud to say that the museum has highlighted women artists in previous exhibitions,” said Leader. “However, certain works

“...these are not simply the museum’s best works by women, rather some of the museum’s best works.” Alexis Leader

"Time Cycle" by Helen Gerardia Since ancient time, women have contributed in some form to the visual art; however, their work was largely excluded from art history. They were regarded as inferior to their male counterparts.

It wasn’t until the modern age, specifically the wave of feminism in the 1960s that the art world started to rework its thinking. And it’s only made the study of art and artists more interesting and diverse as feminist artists often embraced non-traditional mediums, broaden-

ing the definition of fine arts.

At Pensacola Museum of Art, the latest exhibit explores its permanent collection, showcasing modern and postmodern female artists. “Collection in Context: Women Creating” explores the artwork of women through various mediums including photography, oil on canvas and etchings.

“Artist Georgia O’Keefe once stated, ‘The men liked to put me down as the best woman painter. I think I’m one of the best painters,’”

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of the PMA’s collection have been featured in exhibitions, such as the museum’s 2003 ‘Divas: A Selection of Women Artists of the 20th Century,’ a remarkable exhibition curated by the PMA that paired collection pieces by artists such as Miriam Schapiro and Kathe

Kollwitz with works on loan by artists such as Judy Chicago and Helen Frankenthaller.”

The PMA has also showcased solo exhibitions by notable artists such as Annie Leibovitz, Janet Fish, Jayne Holsinger and Lin Emery, Leader added.

According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, women run about 42 percent of the museums in the United States, although they are typically the ones with the smallest budgets. In Pensacola, several local galleries are led by women.

Suzanne Robbert, president of the board at Artel Gallery, says the number of women submitting their artwork has even grown in the six years she’s volunteered as president.

“If anything, the number of female artists that enter our shows is slightly higher,” she said. “Our current exhibition, ‘Cinco Banderas,’ has 33 female artists and 27 male artists.”

While Artel blindly selects works, Robbert said recognizing female artists and exhibits such as “Women Creating” is important “to keep our historical record accurate.”

“Art is a snapshot in time capturing the

culture and people,” she continued. “It is essential to recognize women in the art community; otherwise we are erasing or ignoring a part of history. What sense does it make to snub any artist based on sex, sexual orientation, race or physical or mental ability?

Recognizing women artists of today is ensuring that future generations are viewing a complete history, not a censored one.”

Leader said “Women Creating” won’t correct the gender imbalance in the art world. It still does exist — only 27 women are represented in the current edition of H.W. Janson’s survey “History of Art,” which is up from zero in the 1980s. But it is a step forward — a beautiful one at that.

“It is an important step in a progressive shift through museums worldwide in educating and inspiring their visitors to make note of these women and the part, whether large or small, that they played within the timeline of the arts,” she said. {in}

CONTEXT IN COLLECTION: WOMEN CREATING

WHAT: An exhibition presenting the diversity and growing strength of the Pensacola Museum of Art’s Permanent Collection, highlighting female modern and postmodern artists through a variety of media including photography, oil on canvas and etchings.

WHEN: Now- Feb. 27 COST: $5-$7; Children under six and museum members are free WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. DETAIL: pensacolamuseum.org

ACCOMPANYING EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMMING: PMA PRESENTS: FINDING VIVIAN MAIER

WHAT: Screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary about a mysterious nanny who secretly took more than 100,000 photographs that she kept hidden in storage.

This event is hosted by the Feminist Society of Pensacola.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 COST: $5; Free for museum members

WOMEN IN THE ARTS WITH BARBARA LARSON WHAT: A lecture from Barbara Larson, PhD, professor at University of West Florida WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 COST: Free

DECEMBER 18 DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA Sponsored by:

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ZAYSZLY ARTZ

CHRISTMAS Open House

Ears & Fingers

by Jason Leger

Parquet Courts “Monastic Living”

If nothing else could ever be said of Parquet Courts, the band has a very impressive work ethic. After releasing “Sunbathing Animal,” their third full length, last year and then a few months later releasing “Content Nausea” under the name “Parkay Quarts,” they apparently weren’t finished quite yet. “Monastic Living” is a new mini-LP full of short ragers, winding instrumentals and brazen experimentation. It’s actually quite a departure from the band’s previous work, and the reasons are obvious. The record’s first song is ‘No No No!’ which clocks in at 1:12. The track has fluidity, a cohesive beat, and its last words are “Or perhaps silence is purity of spirit?” From that point on, there are no more words for the entirety of the LP. As the title suggests, front man Andrew Savage takes a vow of silence.

Parquet Courts take other avenues to get their points and ideas across, usually in the form of screeching guitars and departures

FRIDAY 12.4

WINE TASTING 5-7 p.m. Out

and about in East Hill on Friday night? Stop by City Grocery for their free weekly wine tasting before settling in or heading out for the night. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. LATIN DANCING 6:30 p.m.

Learn the basics of salsa dancing. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com ICE HOCKEY 7:05 p.m. Come out and support Pensacola’s Ice Flyers against the Macon Mayhem. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. This weekend only all tickets are $5, except glass. pensacolaiceflyers.com ZACH DEPUTY 8 p.m. With December 3, 2015

into brash noise rock. In an effort to never be pigeonholed, it seems as though the band is telling its audience to take what they know or expect and forget it all.

While this move is respectable and to some extent warranted, it doesn’t make the album necessarily good or exciting. I’m all for experimentation and ambition. I want musicians to find themselves outside where they live and feel comfortable. “Monastic Living” may be too much of an exercise in resistance. The band resists catchiness, structure and cohesion to the point that, a majority of the time, there is nothing to cling to. More often than not, people listen to music to connect to it, but Parquet Courts seem to have made an album that doesn’t allow it.

A bright point right in the middle is ‘Vow of Silence,’ a maddening song with static, organ, a confounding drum pattern and seeming mayhem. I can’t explain why, but this is the song that stuck with me. I don’t like to be so ambiguous, but there’s nothing about it necessarily that I can even begin to put my finger on liking; it just rose above the rest for me.

If you’re a PC fan, I think you should get the album, though be ready to forget what you know about the band. If you aren’t a PC fan already, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of “Light Up Gold” and work your way to this one. “Monastic Living” is out now via Rough Trade.

had announced their return. The Virginia band announced the imminence of its third full-length album, “Life of Pause,” and released two very dreamy tracks, ‘TV Queen’ and ‘To Know You.’ The songs were released together in the form of a nine-minute video clip revealing the album cover art in motion. In the announcement’s press release, Tatum explained his new work. “I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me. I’m terrified by the idea of being any one thing or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent.

That reinvention doesn't need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before.”

Considering the two songs we have heard so far, this new album will absolutely have its own identity, while progressing from past LPs. “Life of Pause” is out Feb. 19 via Captured Tracks. {in}

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FREE Tree Ornament with Purchase

S U N D A Y December 6, 2015 11am - 5pm

TRACK OF THE WEEK:

Wild Nothing ‘To Know You’ Last week, I wanted to scream from the mountaintops that Wild Nothing

Post Pluto. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. $10. vinylmusichall. com

SATURDAY 12.5

SANTA ROSA FARMERS MARKET

8 a.m.-1 p.m. Fresh local produce, honey, baked goods, and live music. Pace Presbyterian Church, Woodbine Road, Pace.

PALAFOX MARKET 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fresh produce, live plants, baked goods, fine art and antiques are just a few of the items offered at the weekly Palafox Market. Items originate directly from participating vendors, including dozens of local farmers, home gardeners and area artists. Martin Luther King

Wild Nothing / Photo by Shawn Brackbill

Jr. Plaza, N. Palafox. palafoxmarket.com ICE HOCKEY 7:05 p.m. Come out and support Pensacola’s Ice Flyers against the Fayetteville Antz. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. This weekend only all tickets are $5, except glass. pensacolaiceflyers.com AN EVENING WITH MACHINE HEAD 8 p.m. Vinyl Music Hall, 2

S. Palafox. $20. vinylmusichall. com

SUNDAY 12.6

F**K THE FACTS 9:30 p.m.

Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. $8. pensacolahandlebar.com ICE ZONE 1:30-5:30 p.m. Grab your skates and hit the rink!

Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. $12. pensacolabaycenter.com

MONDAY 12.7

COUNTRY & WESTERN DANCING 6:30 p.m. Learn the country

two-step at this weekly class, which is followed by a social dance at 8 p.m. DanceCraft, 8618 Pensacola Blvd. $10. dancecraftfl.com

TUESDAY 12.8

TUESDAY NIGHT POETRY NIGHT

7 p.m. Free open mic poetry event every Tuesday. Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 101 S. Jefferson St. facebook.com/ TNPN

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calendar

“P-51C Mustang” by Katrice Johnson, PSC graphic design senior

arts & culture

≥Exhibits

PSC GRAPHIC DESIGN EXHIBIT Pensacola

State College graphic design students are displaying their senior exhibit as part of the

70th year commemoration of World War II. The exhibit showcases the students’ multifaceted interests in photography, graphic design, typography, digital art, multimedia art, book arts and fine art.

On display until December 31. Museum hours and location: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. every day. National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd. navalaviationmuseum.org

CHRISTMAS MEMBER SHOW On display

through January 4.

Museum hours and location: MondayFriday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 1-5 p.m.

Quayside Gallery, 17 E. Zarragossa St. quaysidegallery.com ALL MEMBER HOLIDAY GIFT EXHIBIT On

display through December 26. This popular annual holiday exhibit includes special holiday works from the Gallery’s member artists… all priced at $100 and under! Artistic works include paintings, pottery, wood, tile, photography, ornaments and much more.

Gallery hours and location: MondayWednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sunday 12:30-4 p.m. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox Place. bluemorninggallery. com LIFE FORMS Local Artist Don Manderson uses the term “Simultaneity” to encapsulate the body of work displayed within this exhibition.

Simultaneity refers to the simultaneous and insistent nature of the daily sensory experience in an increasingly technical society.

On display through Jan 2. Museum hours and location: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org ISAAC BURNS MURPHY: PRINCE OF JOCKEYS The African

American Heritage Society will host a traveling exhibit about the life of Isaac Burns Murphy: Prince of Jockeys. Born during slavery and coming to prominence at the end of the Reconstruction, Murphy was an example of African American success and achievement.

The exhibit explores the life and career of Murphy, as well

as the significance of African American men in general, to the development of horse racing as America’s first spectator sport.

On display until Dec. 15. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Coulson House, Historic Pensacola Village, 200 E. Church St.

COLLECTION IN CONTEXT: WOMEN CREATING On display

through Feb. 27, this exhibition presents the diversity and growing strength of the Pensacola Museum of Art’s Permanent Collection, highlighting female Modern and Postmodern artists through a variety of media including photography, oil on canvas and etchings. Engaging public programs, including a lecture on the history of women in the arts and a film

screening, accompany this exhibition.

Museum hours and location: TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org MUCHA: MASTER ARTIST OF ART NOUVEAU On dis-

play through Jan. 2.

Museum hours and location: TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. pensacolamuseum.org SYNTHESIS The Art Gallery at the University of West Florida presents “Synthesis, A Group BFA Exit Exhibition,” featuring work by graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students Andrew Adamson, Evan Glenny, Elizabeth Guerry, Abigail Harrell, Colleen Jennings and Ken-

Tobias Jesso Jr.

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calendar neth Jordan. Their work incorporates a variety of media, including illustration, painting, photography, ceramics and sculptural installation. On through Dec 12. Museum hours: TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The Art Gallery, Center for Fine and Performing Art, Building 82, 11000 University Pkwy. uwf. edu

Classes & Workshops “MAKE-YOUROWN-GLASS” CLASS 10a.m.-3

p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday Dec. 5. Held weekly on Friday and Saturday, First City Art Center offers “MakeYour-Own-Glass” classes; no previous glassblowing skills necessary. The

classes are open to anyone age 8 and older and range in price from $25-$45.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required and can be made by calling 429-1222. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.org INTRODUCTION TO POTTERY ON THE WHEEL 6-8:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 7.

During this weekly workshop held on Monday evenings at First City Art Center, instructor Pearl VanHoove works individually with students to develop consistency in throwing on the wheel.

Participants receive an introduction to materials, equipment and throwing techniques. Each session begins with a brief demonstra-

tion followed by hands-on time at the wheel. The class is $40 and open to individuals age 14 and up.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required and can be made by calling 429-1222. Class is limited to two participants. First City Art Center, 1060 N. Guillemard St. firstcityart.org

bars& nightlife

≥bar games

Thursdays POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The

Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com Fridays DRAG BINGO 6-8

p.m. Ages 21 and over. Emerald City’s The Other Side, 406 E. Wright St. emeraldcitypensacola.com POOL TOURNAMENT 8 p.m. The

Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com Mondays

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM FOR FUN AND TRIVIA 7 p.m. The

Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker.com TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. wobusa.com/locations/Palafox BAR BINGO 8 p.m.

Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA 9:30-10:30

p.m. Mugs and Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway. facebook.com/

MugsJugs Tuesdays

TUESDAY TRIVIA 8

p.m. The Bridge Bar and Sunset Lounge, 33 Gulf Breeze Parkway. facebook. com/thebridgebargb

TICKET TEAM TRIVIA 8 p.m. The Ticket

1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar. com POKER 8 p.m. The Ticket 2, 2115 W. 9 Mile Rd., ticketsportsbar.com TEAM TRIVIA 9 p.m.

Hopjacks. 10 S. Palafox. hopjacks. com Wednesdays PUB TRIVIA NIGHT

7-9:30 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Road. facebook.com/ goatlipsdeli

WEDNESDAY QUIZ TRIVIA 8 p.m. The

Cabaret, 101 S. Jefferson St. cabaretpensacola.com

TICKET BAR BINGO

8 p.m. The Ticket 1, 7250 Plantation Rd., ticketsportsbar.com BAR BINGO 10 p.m.

Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200. iplaypensacola.com

≥karaoke

Thursdays Lili Marlene’s at Seville Quarter, 8 p.m.

130 E. Government St. sevillequarter. com The Sandshaker Lounge, 9 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker. com Mondays The Cabaret, 9 p.m.

101 S. Jefferson St. 607-2020 or cabaretpensacola.com Tuesdays The Sandshaker Lounge, 8 p.m. 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. sandshaker. com Play, 9 p.m. 16 S. Palafox, Suite 200.

iplaypensacola.com

≥live music

THURSDAY 12.3

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD

6 p.m. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola. com

MONDAY 12.7

PAPER STREET SOAP CO. 8 p.m. Seville

Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

TUESDAY 12.8

LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD

Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys. com

6 p.m. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola. com MIKE QUINN 9 p.m. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

WEDNESDAY 12.9

FRIDAY 12.4

KNEE DEEP 8:30 p.m.

THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m.

JOINER BRANCH

SATURDAY 12.5

THE BLENDERS 8:30 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com

THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. Se-

ville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. sevillequarter.com

7:00 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. hubstaceys.com LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD

9 p.m. The Deck, 600 S. Barracks St. fishhousepensacola. com MIKE QUINN 9 p.m.

Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St.

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19

Holiday Happenings Get in the holiday spirit with the help of this week’s round-up of festive events.

THURSDAY 12.3

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/ Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org PSC HOLIDAY CONCERT 7:30 p.m. The Pensacola State College Chorale and Jazz Choir, Entertainers present a free holiday concert.

Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium, Building 8, 1000 College Blvd. pensacolastate.edu

FRIDAY 12.4

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/

020 2

Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org ZOO LIGHTS 5-9 p.m. Enjoy the Gulf Breeze Zoo at night while it’s lit with thousands of holiday lights. Zoo Lights dates for this sesaon: Dec. 4-6; Dec. 11-24 and Dec. 26-27. Tickets are $10 for adults and children, half-off for members. Gulf Breeze Zoo, gulfbreezezoo.org.

WINTERFEST 5:30 p.m. The Winterfest tour features 16 performances along a 60-minute trolley trip through Downtown Pensacola. Singing guides will accompany you into a world of wonder with scenes from your favorite holiday memories.

Downtown, Palafox and Government Sts. $7-$10. pensacolawinterfest.org WINTER GALA DINNER 6:30 p.m. PensacolaPRIDE is excited to bring Winter Gala to Northwest Florida! Included in the ticket is a traditional gourmet buffet feast complete with wine. There will also be a Holiday décor and gift auction. Bay View Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St. $20.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL 7:30 p.m. Uni-

versity of West Florida, 11000 University Pkwy. uwf.edu HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 7:30 p.m.

Vocalist Ashley Brown will join the Pensacola Symphony for this fun event.

Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox Pl. $32$107. pensacolasymphony.com

SATURDAY 12.5

SANTA’S WORKSHOP 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Bring your children to Santa’s Workshop at Blue Morning Gallery. Santa’s elves will be on hand with free arts and crafts, face painting & refreshments for all the little ones. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox Place. bluemorninggallery.com VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/ Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org SANTA PUB CRAWL 3 p.m. What says

Christmas like hundreds of Santas on the street? Please bring a donation or toy for Toys 4 Tots. O’Riley’s Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox. orileysirishpub.convergelocal.com WINTERFEST 5:30 p.m. The Winterfest tour features 16 performances along a 60-minute trolley trip through Downtown Pensacola. Singing guides will accompany you into a world of wonder with scenes from your favorite holiday memories.

Downtown, Palafox and Government Sts. $7-$10. pensacolawinterfest.org PENSACOLA BEACH LIGHTED BOAT PARADE 6:30 p.m. The nautical parade, from Pensacola Beach Marina to Boardwalk, officially delivers Santa Claus to the island. 735 Pensacola Beach Blvd. pensacolabeachchamber.com HANDEL’A MESSIAH 7 p.m. In celebration of its 80th season, the Choral Society of Pensacola presents its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox Pl. $25-$30. pensacolasymphony.com A CHRISTMAS CAROL 7:30 p.m. Uni-

inweekly.net

versity of West Florida, 11000 University Pkwy. uwf.edu

SUNDAY 12.6

ZAYSZLY ARTZ CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Do your holiday shopping for the art lovers on your list this Sunday at Zayszly Artz’s Christmas Open House. In addition to that warm fuzzy feeling you get from shopping local, you’ll also receive a free ornament with any purchase. Zayszly Artz,2701 N. 12th Ave. SURFING SANTA BEACH PARADE 2 p.m. Holiday floats wind their way down Santa Rosa Island’s main street. Santa rides atop his red fire engine and visits with children. Via Deluna to Casino Beach, Pensacola Beach. pensacolabeachchamber.com A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2:30 p.m. University of West Florida, 11000 University Pkwy. uwf.edu VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org WINTERFEST 5 p.m. The Winterfest tour features 16 performances along a 60-minute trolley trip through Downtown Pensacola. Singing guides will accompany you into a world of wonder

December 3, 2015

with scenes from your favorite holiday memories. Downtown, Palafox and Government Sts. $7-$10. pensacolawinterfest.org

MONDAY 12.7

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org JINGLE JAZZ 6:30- 9 p.m. Featuring four lovely vocalists. Phineas Phogg’s, E. Government St. jazzpensacola.com

TUESDAY 12.8

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org

WEDNESDAY 12.9

VICTORIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONS 2:30 p.m. Visit the Lear/Rocheblave home as it is decorated with holiday cheer and learn how families celebrated the holiday season in the late 19th century. Lear/Rocheblave Home, 214 E. Zaragoza St. historicpensacola.org {in}

CH0501 CoC In News Ad.indd 1

21

11/23/15 12:09 PM

DIFFERENCE MAKERS USTA Florida Recognizes Roger Scott Tennis Center and Volunteers with Awards

Recently USTA Florida (United States Tennis Association-Florida Section) held their Annual Awards & Volunteer Celebration Weekend in Orlando, bringing together over 200 tennis professionals and organizations from around the state for educational sessions and to recognize Florida’s top tennis volunteers. Roger Scott Tennis Center along with two of the facility’s volunteers were recognized by USTA Florida’s Executive Committee for outstanding leadership and community outreach.

The Roger Scott Tennis Center received the 2015 Member Organization of the Year Award which is given to the member organization that best exemplifies service to the community, service to its members through junior and adult programs, and service to the game of tennis.

In addition to running a full slate of USTA programs and tournaments for juniors and adults, the Roger Scott Tennis Center helps to raise over $100,000 each year through charity tennis tournaments and events for organizations benefitting citizens in Pensacola. Just in the past year Roger Scott Tennis Center has hosted numerous events to benefit breast cancer support, autism, inner-city schools, foster children, and developmentally-delayed children and adults in the community. Their community outreach program, Tennis-4-Everyone, provides tennis instruction and academic tutoring throughout the school year and at summer camps in inner-city communities.

Roger Scott Tennis Center is also a strong supporter of local high school tennis teams which benefit from court time for practices and matches, availability for hosting district and regional high school tournaments, and training camps during the off season.

Also a recipient of the same award from USTA Florida in 2007, Roger Scott Tennis Center received the Tennis Industry Association National Municipal Tennis Facility of the Year Award in 2011 for its excellence in service to the tennis community. In essence you could say that the Roger Scott Tennis Center was recognized again by USTA Florida this year, not just for growing tennis in Pensacola, but for lifting up the Pensacola community.

In addition to the Roger Scott Tennis Center, USTA Florida recognized two of Pensacola’s own volunteers, Terry Thrash, USTA Florida Volunteer of the Year and Tara Dominguez, USTA Florida Junior Team Tennis Volunteer of the Year for their commitment to building a thriving tennis community in Pensacola.

Thrash, serves as the current president of the Greater Pensacola Tennis Association, USTA Florida’s Escambia County community representative, and a USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) certified volunteer on-court instructor at 10 and under events, working primarily with children from low-income families. As Escambia County’s USTA representative, Thrash keeps a local database to inform local players about play opportunities, events, and news from the professional side of tennis. In May, Thrash headed up a local USTA Florida Team-Up event to introduce new players to the sport and give returning players the opportunity to re-enter the game through the lower levels of USTA league play.

Dominguez, known as “The Tennis Lady” to kids in Pensacola has been taking team tennis to a new level here in the Florida panhandle. She coordinates the 10 and Under Tennis program for the region. Working with multiple schools and facilities over the past six seasons, Dominguez is reaching over 150 kids each session of Junior Team Tennis. It was not even one of her job requirements to organize a junior team tennis league but seeing the lack of opportunities drove her to push for an organized program for teams in junior tennis. Now Dominguez organizes two 6-8 week seasons annually by recruiting school and facility teams, overseeing the selection of players and team captains, and supporting teams at their matches.

For more information about the Roger Scott Tennis Center and programs visit them online at www.rogerscotttennis.com or call 850-912-4103.

Sponsored by Quint and Rishy Studer 222 2

inweekly.net

news of the weird WAIT, WHAT? After certain takeoffs and landings were delayed on Nov. 7 at Paris' Orly airport (several days before the terrorist attacks), a back trace on the problem forced the airport to disclose that its crucial "DECOR" computer system still runs on Windows 3.1 software (introduced in 1992). DECOR's function is to estimate the spacing between aircraft on fog-bound, visually impossible runways, and apparently it must shut down whenever the airport scrambles to find an available 3.1-qualified technician.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY Weird Japan (continued): Sony manufactured a robot dog ("Aibo") from 1996 to 2006 for a legion of pet-fanciers, but now that supplies of spare parts and specialized repairers are dwindling, many of the beloved family "canines" are "dying" off. Not to worry, though, for many "surviving" owners are conducting elaborate, expensive—and even religious—burials with widely attended funerals for their Aibos. (A March 2015 Newsweek report offered a dazzling photographic array of Aibo funerals.) Aibo support groups proliferate online because, said one repair service director, "(W)e think that somehow, (Aibos) really have souls."

LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS Art Basel, the annual weeklong festival for "OnePercenters" in Miami Beach, is scheduled for Dec. 1 to Dec. 6, and among the many excesses is the sale of on-demand caviar, available by text message, to be delivered in person within the hour, at $275 for a 125-gram tin. Miami New Times calls Art Basel "ComicCon for the world's moneyed elite," and among the extravaganzas is an "exotic dance club sheltered inside a greenhouse." Four thousand artists, from 32 countries, are participating.

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION Charles Smith, 62, is set to drive municipal buses for Broward County, Florida, until he retires in 2020, even though his record includes 14 accidents in a recent five-year period (not enough for discipline, in that, according to contract rules, not more than four were labeled "preventable" in any two consecutive years). The bus drivers' union president told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he "can't figure out why" some drivers just get into more accidents than others. Elsewhere in transit news, notorious serial New York "joydriver" Darius McCollum, 50, commandeered yet another bus and was arrested on Nov. 11. He faces jail time, just as he has already served for more than two dozen bus- and train-"borrowing" incidents. (Based on news reports of McCollum over the years, he nonetheless might be a better bus driver than Charles Smith.)

MORE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT (1) Carrie Pernula, 38, was arrested in Champlin, Minnesota, in October after a perhaps too-aggressive strategy for quieting raucous neighbor kids. According to the police report, Pernula,

by Chuck Shepherd

at wit's end, apparently, wrote the kids' parents by mail: "(Your) children look delicious. May I have a taste?" (2) Robinson Pinilla-Bolivar, 24, was arrested in Midland, Texas, in November, accused of threatening a woman at knifepoint because (according to the police report) she would not "smell his arm pit."

PEOPLE WITH ISSUES Author Richard Brittain, 28 (and a former champion at the popular British Scrabble-like "Countdown" TV show), pleaded guilty in Scotland's Glasgow Sheriff Court in November for his 2014 response to an unfavorable literary review by an 18-year-old supermarket worker posting on an Internet site. Brittain had acknowledged some criticisms of his book "The World Rose" in a blog, but said other critics had compared him to Dickens, Shakespeare and Rowling. However, he confessed, when he read the clerk's review, he searched for her online, found where she worked, traveled 500 miles to the store and knocked her out with a wine bottle to the back of the head. (She was treated and released at a hospital.)

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS Recurring Theme: The job market in Wayne County, Michigan, is apparently tough to crack, which led John Rose, 25, to the county sheriff's office looking for a job. He finished the paper application in November and was awaiting his interview when deputies called him back. As he walked through the door, he was arrested, since a routine check had turned up numerous outstanding charges in Kentucky including multiple counts of rape, sexual abuse and sodomy.

RECURRING THEMES Inexplicable: He was a "well-traveled professional with close to seven figures in the bank," according to a November New York Times profile, who had recently, gradually given $718,000 to two Manhattan psychics who had vowed to help reunite him with a former love (even though she is dead and, said one, reachable only if he built an 80mile bridge of gold past her "reincarnation portal"). Though the psychics have been identified, a private investigator said the very personality problems that made the man a victim will also make him a "terrible witness" in court.

A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (APRIL 2011) At a George Washington University men's basketball game on March 5 (2011), accounting department professor Robert Kasmir was honored at halftime for being one of the elite financial donors to the university, but he failed to make it to the end of the game. He was ejected from the Smith Center arena in the second half for harassing a referee. {in}

From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird © 2015 Chuck Shepherd

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com December 3, 2015

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