Inweekly April 25 2024 Issue

THE CHARMING ART OF DEEP ECOLOGY

WITH KELLY ANNE MUELLER

Night at the Museum Gala

FRIDAY • MAY 17

Guest Speaker Admiral Harry Harris USN (Ret.)

$150 per person

Black Tie/Service Mess Dress

6:30pm Cocktails

7:30pm Dinner

8:30pm Dancing

SPONSORED BY

winners & losers winners losers

Tickets Available at PensacolaNavyDays.com

ADAM BRYAN The Blue Angels announced that Cmdr. Adam "Gilligan" Bryan will succeed Cmdr. Alex Armatas and assume command of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, following the end of the 2024 show season in November. Bryan joins the Blue Angels after serving as the commanding officer of the "Kestrels" of VFA-137. He will serve as Commanding Officer and Flight Leader for the 2025 and 2026 Blue Angels air show seasons. The Blue Angels perform for 11 million people annually across the U.S.

MUTTS WITH A MISSION The National Naval Aviation Museum hosted a special meet and greet event in collaboration with Mutts With a Mission, a nonprofit dedicated to training service dogs for disabled veterans, first responders and law enforcement. Catalina, a spirited young female yellow Labrador retriever, was introduced to WWII veteran, retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Cash Barber. The service dog was named in honor of the legendary amphibious aircraft (PBY-5) that Lt. Cmdr. Barber flew. At 99, Lt. Cmdr. Barber continues to actively provide tours of his amphibious aircraft at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

TREVOR SCHAETTLE Florida Politics' INFLUENCE magazine named Rep. Alex Andrade's legislative aide, Trevor Schaettle, to its "30 Under 30 Rising Stars of Florida Politics." Schaettle was recognized for his diligence, effectiveness and tenacity in helping his boss, who chaired the vital House Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee. Rep. Andrade praised his aide's work helping Pensacola residents with their unemployment claims during the pandemic. Schaettle was also named an Inweekly Rising Star in February.

ANN & GUS FELL A $150,000 gift to the University of West Florida from the late Ann Fell established the David Gus Fell Memorial Scholarship Endowment to benefit undergraduate engineering majors in UWF's Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering. The scholarship is in memory of Ann Fell's husband of 55 years, David "Gus" Fell, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from UWF in 1983, after serving in the U.S. Navy for 20 years.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General has determined the EPA's plan for the clean-up of the American Creosote Works Inc. Superfund site on J Street near the Pensacola Yacht Club and Sanders Beach did not have sufficient oversight and controls to prevent potential exposure to contamination. In a report released April 15, the Inspector General wrote, "Without strong institutional controls and effective communication, the public remains at risk of exposure to residual contamination in the groundwater and soil from the ACW Superfund site." This is very disappointing, because EPA placed the site on the Superfund program's National Priorities List in 1983.

DAKOTA JONES & KIRA ENDERS

The DeFuniak Springs couple faces multiple felonies after allegedly trying to claim a forged $1 million lottery ticket at the Pensacola Florida Lottery. They were charged with presenting a forged state lottery ticket, forging a lottery ticket with the intent to defraud and grand theft of $100,000 or more. According to the police report, Enders and Jones carefully pieced together pieces of two "500X The Cash" Florida lottery scratch-off tickets to create what appeared to be a single winning ticket. Enders tried to present the fake ticket to three retailers, who told her it wouldn't scan. She then took the ticket to the Florida Lottery office in Pensacola, which didn't go well.

CENTURY TOWN COUNCIL Northescambia.com reports the council voted unanimously to allow Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. to hire Clear Water Solutions for a period not to exceed one year for a monthly fee of $19,464 — up to $233,568 in one year — to take over the operations of the town's water and wastewater departments. The vote took place during the final minutes of the council meeting without providing the public an opportunity to review and comment on the agreement. Hiring the vendor was not on the meeting's agenda. Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. handed out a document at the meeting. The council voted after less than seven minutes of discussion.

Adam Bryan / Photo by Crayton Agnew

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

THE BALLPARK'S BLESSINGS

On April 18, we broadcasted WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" on the concourse behind home plate at Blue Wahoos Stadium. A light breeze drifted off Pensacola Bay, and I marveled at the park so many of us fought for 18 years ago.

The passage of the referendum for the Community Maritime Park took the perseverance of Quint and Rishy Studer, an upstart weekly newspaper with a blog, a pollster who understood how to win referendum campaigns and an army of people without much political experience. Many people sat on the sidelines while Save Our City, WCOA's Luke McCoy bashed the initiative and misled voters. And though wellknown leaders like Adm. Jack Fetterman, Mayor Emeritus Vince Whibbs, Mort O'Sullivan, Ellis Bullock, Miller Caldwell and Dick Appleyard backed the initiative, the success depended on the countless hours everyday people put into the effort.

major mailers that went out to every citizen in Pensacola that told them what was going on in the park."

Jeff also mentioned the volunteers. "We attacked the City of Pensacola with the nicest people I have ever spent time with—doctors, nurses and just people that wanted the city to be better than it was. We walked the neighborhoods and went door to door."

He continued, "I had a chart for every district in the city with yellow, green or red, as to how that person was leaning. And then, if they were a yellow or red, we made sure they got more information."

Inweekly saw the park as a catalyst for economic development and downtown's renaissance.

Jeff talked about Quint Studer's ability to mobilize people to see that they and their city can be better. "Quint has always been in it for all the right reasons. It's infectious when you're around him."

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Inweekly saw the park as a catalyst for economic development and downtown's renaissance. The referendum campaign spurred the growth of the Pensacola Young Professionals and sparked the political careers of Maren DeWeese, Larry Johnson, Ashton Hayward and Lumon May.

Jeff DeWeese and his young family had moved back to Pensacola, and he worked tirelessly for the Community Maritime Park. I couldn't broadcast from the ballpark without interviewing him. Jeff showed up with T-shirts and the round car magnets from the 2006 campaign, emblazoned with our slogan, "I'm For the Waterfront Park. Vote Yes!"

"The biggest reason the opponents gave against the park was that it was a baseball field, and we always referred to it as a 'multi-use facility,'" Jeff said. "They kept saying, 'Oh, it's a baseball field for a millionaire.'"

He admitted he was not a political person before the referendum. "But I joined the team and learned under Bruce Barcelo from over in Jacksonville, who went around the state and the country running referendums. He kept saying, 'You need to listen to the people, and then you need to give them the information.' We had five

He added the park has been a blessing. "Both of my boys played high school baseball on this field, and my daughter graduated from UWF right out there. It's been an integral part of my life here."

Lumon May was one of the volunteers knock ing on doors. "When Quint came up with the idea of bringing baseball downtown, (I thought) it would be great for Pensacola and the African American community."

He continued, "We were just being activists in trying to get this done. The African American community overwhelmingly supported this ref erendum. I think it's been a win-win for Pensaco la. A lot of local construction guys who never had much experience helped build the stadium. We have brought the Soul Bowl here with Jonathan Griffin and Quint Studer's help. Once a year, we get kids who never come to their downtown to play on this field before their families."

New wetland survey April 2023!

3283 Gulf Breeze Pkwy by Publix at Tiger Point and Tiger Point Park Drive. Access from Hwy 98 and Tiger

After the referendum passed, Ed Spears became the Community Maritime Park's executive director and oversaw the park's construction. He believes the park changed the city's inner monologue. He said, "The park's story is a masterclass in patience and perseverance, committing to a vision, respecting those with other opinions, but holding on to your values and your beliefs." {in} rick@inweekly.net

CONTINUUM OF CARE REBOOTS

executive director, including finding shelter for a 59-year-old woman on the autism spectrum.

"She can't use the bathroom on her own," she said. "We don't have enough resources. We need more shelter, more houses, more landlords to help us. We can't keep piling people up in these shelters with nowhere to go."

The 2023 Point-in-Time count showed Escambia and Santa Rosa counties had 1180 homeless individuals, and 742 were unsheltered when the count was done in January 2023. The unsheltered was the highest since the Point-inTime counts began in 2007.

Keiek believes the actual number of unsheltered homeless is in the thousands. Walter Arrington, unhoused care and CORE social worker at Community Health Northwest Florida, estimated there are up to six homeless people for every shelter bed in the region. The 2024 Point-in-Time count has yet to be finalized.

BETTER GOVERNANCE

Opening Doors shoulders a significant burden in reducing homelessness as the lead agency for Continuum of Care for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Continuum of Care (CoC) is a local geographic area designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A local planning body, in this case, Opening Doors, is responsible for organizing and delivering housing and services for the homeless

City Councilwoman Allison Patton told Inweekly her takeaway was that CoC, providers, local governments and the community needed to collaborate more.

"The more aligned we are with the federal strategic plan, the more federal dollars will flow to this community," Patton said.

Savage expressed concern that Opening Doors was both a provider and the CoC.

John Johnson, the organization's executive director, was reluctant to provide many details about the CoC membership and board. Savage offered to help facilitate a separate CoC governance board to oversee the strategic plan for our area, and Johnson appeared to be open to HUD helping.

In August, Mayor Reeves and County Administrator Wes Moreno jointly recommended individuals for the new CoC governance board. Instead, Johnson created an advisory committee to revamp the CoC's structure, bylaws and charter. Some of the city and county's suggested leaders were included on the committee.

COC 2.0

In November, Johnson resigned due to health and family considerations. Keiek, the organization's community director, was named interim executive director. She has worked with HUD and the advisory committee to better align the CoC with federal guidelines.

The committee has been meeting for six

the homeless population. However, that care is limited by the need for more affordable housing in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

"At the end of the day, where are they going to live?" Keiek said.

The median listing home price in Escambia County tops $330,000. Santa Rosa County is close to $390,000. The cost to rent is just as pricey when the average monthly rent for a Pensacola apartment tops $1,500. Neither low nor very-low-income individuals earn enough to buy or rent in this market. Thus, the homeless population continues to surge.

"Our housing stock for individuals who don't have a lot of income has really gone down in the last 10 years," said Dr. David Josephs, Opening Doors board president.

Josephs noted that individuals dependent solely on social security only pocket $700$1,000 a month. Their only living arrangement option is to find roommates.

And what if the homeless individual is mentally ill? In 2023, 31% of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness, and 24% reported conditions related to chronic substance abuse.

"Landlords aren't going to have people in their homes or places if they're agitated or using substances," Josephs said.

Patton said a new law signed last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis presents further challenges for the homeless population. The law bans the homeless from camping in public spaces.

visit last May, Keiek said his evaluation only confirmed what the organization already knew.

"We went through a period of time when memberships subsided," she said. "People were not paying membership dues. … I'm looking forward to having more people involved in the Continuum of Care on an actionable level. We're going to tell you what it means to be a member, tell you about the CoC, what its responsibilities are, how you can be involved, and with what committee."

Savage further recommended that Opening Doors split its nonprofit service from its role in administering federal money. He said that would increase its odds of securing federal funding and allow the organization to better align with the federal strategic plan.

Keiek said meeting federal guidelines is a "work in progress," but the CoC has already passed multiple audits and received additional funding for rehousing and temporary funding to keep the Max-Well Respite Center, a transitional housing program, open.

The next few months will be extremely busy as Opening Door plans to complete the charter revision, fill board seats, assign members to committees, hire a full-time director and hold an initial leadership council meeting by early July.

BETTER CARE

All of the actionable items will need to be implemented for the CoC to improve care for

"It's obviously increased the urgency, even though I think the urgency was already there," Patton said. "We have to make sure resources are already in place."

The shortage of shelter beds, too few qualified case managers and limited community buy-in make reducing homelessness difficult. Josephs commended the city and county for their support, but he urged churches and other organizations to take up the cause and share their expertise.

A strategic plan to reduce homelessness starts with identifying who qualifies as homeless. HUD breaks homelessness down into four categories that range from those sleeping in cars, at imminent risk of homelessness, younger than 25 without safe living arrangements and attempting to flee domestic violence. Escambia County consistently averages around 2,000 arrests a year for domestic violence, according to flhealthcharts.gov.

"There is a perception that folks who are homeless are either drug addicts or mentally ill," Patton said. "Certainly, a percentage falls into one of those categories and in some cases both, but there are families who are homeless, scraping by living in a car."

She continued, "There's a whole segment of the homeless population that is invisible and is more than what we see on the streets every day. That population has often had that one last bad luck event happen to them, and they wind up on the street."

To follow the CoC reboot, visit openingdoorsnwfl.org. {in}

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placed under the consent agenda an amendment to the city's lease agreement with Port Warehouse 4, LLC, to expand its footprint at the Port of Pensacola and add more amenities.

Last August, the City of Pensacola and Port Warehouse 4, LLC, entered into a lease agreement for the port's existing Warehouse #4 that would be renovated to accommodate indoor court sports, conferences, concerts and other specific uses outlined in the agreement.

The lease grants Port Warehouse 4 access to the area formerly leased by Pensacola Bay Oyster, an outdoor area southwest of Warehouse #4.

Rob Fabbro of Port Warehouse 4 said, "What happened was Pensacola Bay oysters found a permanent home on Garcon Point, which left that little kind of no man's land space, that's not accessible by ships or by the water, open."

The proposed amendment not only allows Fabbro's group to relocate the indoor facility's entrance to the warehouse's south side, but also significantly enhances public access to Commendencia Slip.

This expansion will allow for the development of an outdoor area with an unobstructed view of the water. The existing sidewalk will be extended to the property's southern edge, creating a pedestrian-friendly connection. The west side of the leased premises will receive landscaping upgrades. The developer will bear all the costs and be responsible for the maintenance.

"We're going to double the length of the promenade and build a hangout space for the public to enjoy while they wait on the ferry," Fabbro said. "It can also be a place for big events like basketball or volleyball tournaments, where families can hang out between the games and have a meeting point."

Port Warehouse 4 will pay an increased lease rate of $36,000—the previous lease rate was $26,000 annually. Annual CPI increases are capped at 5%, and reimbursement to the City for the cost of maintaining property insurance on the building remains per the original lease.

Fabbro said his company has received the necessary city permits to begin construction on

EPA FAILS INSPECTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General has determined the EPA's oversight and implementation of institutional controls for the clean-up of the American Creosote Works (ACW) Superfund site on J Street near the Pensacola Yacht Club are not sufficient to prevent potential exposure to contamination. The EPA allocated approximately $40 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds for the final remediation of this site.

In the report issued April 15, the Inspector General wrote, "Without strong institutional controls and effective communication, the public remains at risk of exposure to residual contamination in the groundwater and soil from the ACW Superfund site."

The controls failed to prevent well drilling or require groundwater well plugging and abandonment. EPA did not plan to secure private property owners' permission from private property owners to plug and abandon any wells that it encountered during remediation. The plan had no controls to prevent potential exposure to soil contamination on nearby properties or prevent disturbance of unremediated soil.

The Inspector General also criticized EPA's communication of risks on off-facility parcels and its failure to provide accurate and assessable information on the site's webpage.

To read the report, visit bit.ly/3vwqrws.

DEFENSE COMMUNITIES SUMMIT

Earlier this month, Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh and other leaders from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties attended the 2024 Defense Communities Summit in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Association of Defense Communities, the summit brought together the top Defense Department (DOD) and Congressional decision makers and diverse experts from all sectors to discuss the big issues that will define defense policy for the next decade and what defense communities need to know to remain mission-ready.

"Growing up in a military family, with two of

my three kids serving in the military, the military is very close to my heart," Bergosh said. "I worked at NAS supporting that mission for 18 years as a contractor employee. Growing up in Pensacola, we just realized how important the defense community is locally to our economy and our way of life. It's very, very intertwined with the entire Pensacola community."

He continued, "There are concerns that some of the missions we support here in the Pensacola area could be ripe for the picking. And so, we were up there trying to defend against that."

The Pensacola delegation aimed to spotlight critical needs at NAS Pensacola and Whiting Field, such as child development centers on both bases and a new hangar for the Blue Angels.

"We desperately need it because it's something that will allow us to keep the Blue Angels going here," Bergosh said. "And there was the issue with the traffic. We discussed that with the commander of Naval Installations Command, Admiral Scott Gray. He gave us a private audience and listened to our concerns."

The commissioner said that the DOD personnel are experiencing nationwide and worldwide some of the same issues we have in our communities, such as housing, education, child care and health care access.

"Affordable housing is a big issue for junior military personnel, and it's a big issue for our citizens, too, as they're coming up and joining the workforce," Bergosh said. "If we can solve that for the military, we can solve that for our citizens."

Another issue is access to mental health care. He said, "Over 50% of the military were saying they were having a hard time getting their juvenile dependents mental health care. That's an issue in our community as well."

BOOK BAN BOOGIE

On April 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a media event at Warrington Preparatory School highlighting parts of HB 1285 that limited book challenges. The next day, he signed the bill, which will be effective July 1.

The Escambia County School District and School Board are defendants in the federal lawsuit regarding books they have removed from school libraries. Pen America, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, has reported that more than 1,600 books have been challenged and removed from schools in Escambia County.

Gov. DeSantis didn't mention the lawsuit but said the new law will curb book challenges. He blamed "political activists" for the logjam of book challenges statewide. He said, "The idea that someone can use the parents' rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is wrong."

In Escambia County, the first book challenges were made by Northview High teacher Vicki Baggett, who doesn't have children in the school system. She has challenged over 100 books. Baggett has since traveled to school board meetings in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, preaching the need for more book challenges. Under the

new law, Baggett would be limited to only one monthly challenge per district.

"If you don't have kids in the school district, you still are a citizen. You still can be interested in education, but you're going to be limited to what you can be objecting to," DeSantis explained. "You can raise an objection, and these are limited to one a month because what we found is you have activists that are going in there, and they're objecting to everything under the sun, and it's from all ends of the political spectrum."

The governor said that not all the books under review in Escambia County should have been removed from school libraries. "I know Escambia had a lot of books that should not have been under review that somehow were—you got to use some common sense on this," DeSantis said.

He defended a section of HB 1285 that protects a parent's right to read aloud sections of books that offend them during school board meetings. Under the law, if a school board member denies a parent the right to read a passage, then the school district must discontinue the use of the material throughout the school district.

"Some of the books that are objectionable when if you put it on the screen, the news will not put it on the newscast because it's too inappropriate to put over the airwaves. I mean, that's a pretty good test. If they're not willing to do that, then it's probably not something that should be in sixth grade," the governor said.

However, he hinted that some literature should be given a pass. DeSantis said, "But on the other hand, you have so many things that have been part of education for so long, the idea that somehow Florida law is trying to spark challenges to that is absurd."

He issued a warning: "If you are trying to be an activist, if you're trying to withdraw valid materials as a way to basically lodge a protest, you're going to be held accountable for that because you're depriving the students of their right to be able to have a good education."

GHOSTING FLORIDIANS

Pen America Florida's Katie Blankenship isn't impressed by the new law or DeSantis rhetoric. She accuses the governor of misleading Floridians while he has continued to allow books to be removed from school libraries.

"This is all the same things we've seen from DeSantis before," she told Inweekly. "All of this rhetoric of recognizing that book bans are a problem is the shifting blame directly from his shoulders. He and our legislature have made this possible, and none of his arguments are valid. The problem isn't book bans."

According to a new report by Pen America, Florida led the nation in book bans during the last six months of 2023 with 3,135 bans across 11 school districts, which accounted for 72% of the books banned nationwide.

Blankenship asserted that HB 1069 created a statutory process for school systems to remove any books with sexual content without looking at context or accessing cultural, literary, scientific or educational value.

"Before HB 1069 was passed last year, three people in the state of Florida were irresponsible for about 85% of the book bans, and they were for discriminatory purposes," Blankenship said, adding that Vicki English is one of the three. "They are not sitting there going through these and thinking about these texts. It's a strategy to undermine our public education and silence viewpoints and perspectives that make a very, very few small group of people uncomfortable."

Blankenship believes DeSantis is gaslighting Floridians into thinking he cares about the huge number of book challenges while a Florida Department of Education advisory working group works to implement HB 1069. "Three of its members are Moms for Liberty members, with no credentials or expertise. They have no intention of doing anything to curb the harm what's happening."

However, she is encouraged by how citizens have pushed against the book removals. She said, "What's changing is Floridians are just saying 'absolutely not.' And we just have to keep pushing because it's making a difference."

REMEMBER BOB GRAHAM On April 16, surrounded by his family, former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham passed away at the age of 87.

In January 2018, Graham came to Pensacola

to speak at CivicCon and give the UWF's inaugural Seligman First Amendment lecture. Graham's Center for Public Service at the University of Florida was a model for the Studer Community Institute's Center for Civic Engagement.

At the Seligman Lecture, he spoke about his family and citizenship. When he left the U.S. Senate in 2005, Graham said his first commitment was to be with his 11 grandchildren, and his second priority was citizenship.

"I was concerned with some of the things I saw in terms of a decline in some of the essential values of America," Graham said. "In terms of citizens seeing it was their responsibility not just to sit in the stands and watch democracy being played, not just devote every other year (to an election), but to actually be a participant in our democracy."

He felt like government had drifted away from citizen involvement, and he wanted to do what he could to bring back that spirit because democracy was never intended to be passive.

"Before you can be involved, you have to be aware that there is either a missed opportunity, something that my community could be doing to make this a better place, or a problem that is keeping us from being a better place."

Graham said for a long time Pensacola was a missed opportunity. He believed its metamorpho-

sis began with public dialogue. He said, "Somebody had a dialogue about Pensacola, and somebody through that dialogue reached the conclusion that Pensacola could be an even better place if a number of steps were taken, and then they committed themselves to taking those steps."

He added that for ideas to become a reality, citizens must have the same commitment, persistence and skills to make it happen. "Pensacola has clearly gone through that process and is continuing to do it today."

Graham worried about the decline of civic organizations, noting that civic clubs once were great places for dialogue to identify opportunities and problems and chart the path toward reform.

"Nationally today, less than 6% of Americans belong to any organization that has a civic mission, and unfortunately, in Florida, less than 4% of any Floridians belong to an organization that has a civic commitment," Graham said.

The growing number of Americans believing our democracy might only last another 20 years also bothered him. Graham said, "If that is anywhere close to reality, we don't have much time to waste in getting people involved in democratic activities."

NO MORE CHASING Mayor D.C. Reeves wants to hire a consultant to assess the status of all city

parks and buildings and develop a priority list. He has recommended that the Pensacola City Council reallocate $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act for the study.

"Instead of us guessing about which things look to be in the worst shape, which has kind of been our policy for a while around here, we're going to start to have something where we're, going to have an outside expert come in and assess everything we own," Reeves said at his weekly presser conference. "We've got a list of everything we own. We can now take the next step and say, 'We know that number's going to come back enormous. And we know that's in a number that we're never going to have enough money in one year or in five years to take on at one time."

He continued, "But we now can make informed decisions, not district by district, not as something breaks, and then we have to shut it down. Now we can start to say, 'Hey, we can all agree as a council, as a city, that we've had someone come in and say our problem number one is this building, problem number two is this park, et cetera.'"

Later, Mayor Reeves gave the best line of the presser: "We're trying to get out of this habit of major maintenance problems finding me; I'd like to find them." {in}

THE CHARMING ART OF DEEP ECOLOGY

WITH KELLY ANNE MUELLER

By Sydney Robinson

of ourselves as part of that nature rather than apart from it.

Artist Kelly Anne Mueller is an educator and artist whose multi-decade career has centered around questions of environmentalism and ecology, with a loving focus on mutualism and reciprocity.

"That's something that's always really, really fascinated me. I love to go out into nature," Mueller said. "I think in today's climate, I'm also looking to nature as an example of how easily features really work together to make the larger system whole and functioning."

"We seem to not be able to grasp the concept that gratitude paid forward is gratitude paid back. It's a system of reciprocity."

The exhibition title "Love Letters to Ursa Major: A Multimedia Meditation on Environmental Reciprocity" reads as a bit of a thank you and apology all at the same time. With it, Mueller is expressing gratitude for the gifts of Mother Nature (represented in the show as the fabled Ursa Major bear-shaped constellation), while also apologizing for the role humanity has played in harming her through pollution and environmental destruction.

"I was trying to decide whether to call it 'Love Letters to Ursa Major' or 'Apologies to Ursa Major,' just because I was trying to figure out which track to take from a human point of view, where we're doing terrible things to the planets," Mueller said. "But I decided to go with gratitude, because it just had a little bit more of a positive note to it."

Mother Earth, where she's caring and motherly and nurturing. But also, I kind of figured that eventually, if we don't keep taking care, there's going to be some repercussions," Mueller said.

One of the first things viewers will notice about "Love Letters to Ursa Major" is the eclectic collection of materials and mediums. Mueller prefers not to limit herself to just one way of creating, a habit that only intensified during COVID.

"Things kind of went wild over the pandemic and I haven't been able to re-harness that—and I don't know that I want to," Mueller said.

The exhibition includes marionettes, engraved cyanotypes, ceramics and more. The pieces also play with scale and space to dramatic effect.

"I really love kinetic art," Mueller said. "When I started college, I was kind of studying to do either animation or I had a really interesting puppetry and spectacle art teacher at the Art Institute and I ended up dropping that when I went in for my education degree."

"Then during the pandemic, I just started picking that up again and playing with it. I guess just because I had a little extra time to experiment. So I made some mixed media marionettes and a weird rolling boar that kind of wandered the room. Then I did this giant bear thing."

Mueller also works as a teacher at The Willow School in New Orleans and said she is inspired by her students.

"Teaching really makes me kind of push outside of getting stale," Mueller said. "I get jealous

which provided her the opportunity for this solo exhibition, as well as serving as the juror for this year's Members Show.

"I was offered a show, and I was so excited because it's such a unique, quirky, fabulous space," Mueller said. "This show is allowing me to come and explore Pensacola a little bit more, which has been really wonderful."

Both Mueller's exhibition and the current Member's Show are on view at the museum through Saturday, May 25. As part of her show's programming, Mueller will have an artist talk and all-ages workshop this weekend. At the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to construct their own sea creature-shaped paper lantern to take home.

"This is a project that I do with my students," Mueller said. "This year, we did them with reeds, and then we covered them with tissue paper. It's a skin and structure exercise for 3D studies."

Thinking like a teacher, Mueller planned the workshop with all skill levels in mind.

"We're focusing on sea creatures—and those can be very easy, or they can also be really complex. If we've got a couple of youngsters coming, I'll have a few different very simple designs that I'll urge them to use. We can also kind of troubleshoot and maybe make something that sounds very complex very simple with just a few reeds," said Mueller. {in}

KELLY ANNE MUELLER

kellyannemueller.com

@kellyannepics

Environmental Reciprocity

WHAT: Solo Exhibition by Kelly Anne Mueller

WHEN: On display through Saturday, May 25

WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.

COST: $12 (for adults; for more information and qualifying discounts visit pensacolamuseum.org/plan-your-visit/museum-info)

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

SUPPORTING EVENTS

ARTIST TALK

WHAT: Mueller will discuss the artistic process behind her solo exhibition

WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday, April 26

WHERE: Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St.

COST: Free

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

ALL AGES WORKSHOP

WHAT: Mueller will lead attendees in making sculptural paper lanterns using natural reed and tissue paper

WHEN: 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 27

WHERE: Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, 117 E. Government St.

COST: $45 PMA members and children, $50 non-members

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

Photo by Tim Bednarczyk

Arts & Entertainment

Making Something with Maynagerie

Forget cheap imitations. There's only one BEST OF list you need to know: This one. So, find a pen that actually works and fill this baby out.

By Sydney Robinson

Night, featuring a banner that reads, "Unique creations for her, him or them," a subtle nod to the LGBTQ+ community.

Young started Maynagerie in 2021 (then under a different name) specializing in clay earrings that she describes as "groovy, fun and bright."

"I was really into big earrings at the time because my hair was so short, and I just had a lot of space between what I felt like was my head and my shoulders," Young said. "I was like why pay for earrings when I can just make my own?"

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Or vote online at inweekly.net now-July 31

community, media & culture

Best Non-Profit

Best Charity Event

Best Place to Work

Best Boss

Best Community Leader

Best Rising Leader

Best Politician

Best Person to Have on Your Side

Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests

Best Day Trip

Best Annual Event

Best Pub Crawl

Best Food Event

Best Parade

Best Regular/Reoccurring Event

Best Free Event

Best Neighborhood

Best Pensacola Landmark

Best Public Park

Best Pet-Friendly Park

Best Playground Outdoor Market services

Best Hair Salon

Best Hair Stylist

Best Hair Colorist

Best Barber Shop

Best Men's Hair Stylist

Best Day Spa

Best Massage

Best Massage Therapist

Best Pedicure

Best Manicure

Best Waxing

Best Facial

"It has already become a small community of people being like, 'Please do more of these, like I'm struggling to make friends, and this was perfect.'"

Having hosted a small number of events already this year, Young is delighted with the reception.

•Only one ballot per envelope.

•No photocopies or faxes will be accepted.

Inspired by other local makers, Young found

•Vote in at least 25 categories. Ballots with fewer than 25 will not be counted.

"I saw a space where more eclectic and bright, vibrant, unique colors were needed."

•Ballots must be postmarked by July 31, 2019.

Young has had a maker's spirit beginning as far back as middle school when she made phone cases for friends and spent hours playing "The

"I totally did not expect it to go the way it did," Young said. "I wound up originally thinking I was just going to have like four or five people to then having 11 people—and that same day still having people messaging me or showing up and being like, 'Hey, you have any more space available?'"

▶mail your ballot to

Best of the Coast c/o Inweekly, PO Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591

▶required info

"I guess by education, I should be doing press releases and, you know, mass communications and things like that," Young said. "But through it all, I've just always been kind of mak-

Name E-mail

Young's goal during the summer and fall months is to host two events a month, providing a fresh and engaging schedule of activities to fit everyone's taste.

"I definitely just have been trying to find ways to bring my personal passions and skills and think 'How can I turn this into an event?'" {in}

MAYNAGERIE

This commitment to diverse groups extends

Best Esthetician

Best Skin Care Overall

Best Bank

Best Credit Union

Best Financial Advisor

Best Accounting Firm

Since 2021, Young has expanded to a whole array of products from accessories like hair clips to art like wall-hangings and fake cakes. And now, she's hosting events to teach you how to make your own art.

maynagerie.com, @maynagerie

Best Green Business

Best New Business health & wellness

"I really believe in childlike wonder, and I feel like doing craft events is a perfect way to mesh those things together," Young said. "It's kind of hard to make friends, get out of the house, meet new people and just do something fun."

Best Gym

Best Personal Trainer

The events feature a rotating selection of crafts and activities. Sometimes, you'll create a living plant terrarium; other times you'll make a forever bouquet or wall-hanging.

UPCOMING MAYNAGERIE EVENTS

WHAT: DIY Terrariums and Custom Canvas Totes Workshops

WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 (terrariums); 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 15 (totes)

Best Boutique Fitness Studio

Best Yoga

Best Yoga Instructor

Best Pilates

Best Fitness Classes

WHERE: Alga Beer Company, 2435 N. 12th Ave.

COST: $30 (advance tickets are required)

DETAILS: maynagerie.com/pages/events

Best Free/Community Fitness Classes

Best Fitness Instructor

Best Bootcamp

Best Weight Loss Program

Best Running Club

Best 5K

Best Place to Walk/Run

Best Place to Ride Your Bike

Best Hospital

Best General Care Physician

Best Residential Real Estate Agency

Best Commercial Real Estate Agency

Best Real Estate Agent

Best Boutique Hotel/Inn

Best Hotel–Pensacola Beach

Best Hotel–PensacolaComplex

Best Chiropractor

Best Dentist

Best Orthodontist

Best Pediatrician

Best Psychiatrist/Therapist

Best OB/GYN

Best Optometrist

Best Dermatologist Plastic Surgeon

Michaela Young / Courtesy Photos

Come to Deluna Flowers for your Mother’s Day Floral needs … We Deliver!

3516 W. Navy Blvd. Pensacola, FL 32507

(The former Sleepy Hollow Florist ... Just inside the city limits)

Phone: 850-466-5315

Email: delunaflowerspensacola@gmail.com www.delunaflowers.com

INWEEKLY + PLAY HANGOUT MUSIC FEST 2024 TICKET GIVEAWAY

If you're anything like us, every time you hear "Good Luck, Babe!" you start daydreaming about Hangout Music Fest 2024.

In addition to everyone's favorite Midwest princess Chappell Roan, this year's lineup includes Lana Del Rey, Zach Bryan, ODESZA, Cage The Elephant, Dominic Fike, Renée Rapp and about a dozen more acts we're excited about.

If that stacked lineup alone isn't enough to get you packing up and heading to Gulf Shores, Inweekly is partnering with our friends at Play to give away a pair of general admission, three-day passes.

To enter, just visit Play 7-11 p.m. Friday, April 26 and/or Friday, May 3. Tell your bartender you want to enter the Hangout Music Fest Ticket Giveaway when you close out and you'll get a raffle ticket. (And yes, you can enter two times if you stop by Play both Fridays.)

Play will hold a live drawing just after the contest closes at 11 p.m. Friday, May 3, to an-

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

MEWVIE NIGHT AT COASTAL CAT CAFÉ

Visit the Coastal Cat Café, 1508 W. Garden St., 7 p.m. Friday, April 26 for a movie date with kitties. Movie is TBD. Admission includes popcorn, coffee or hot tea and cat cuddles. Visit coastalcatpcola.com for tickets.

UNITED WAY OF WEST FLORIDA GLITZ & GALLOP GALA

Celebrate 100 years of United Way 4-7 p.m. Saturday, May 5 at Pensacola State College, Building 27 located at 1000 College Blvd. The gala will be a Kentucky Derby watch party with two drink tickets, 10 betting tickets, heavy hors d'oeuvres and live music from String Farm Band included in ticket price. Tickets are $100. Additional betting tickets, 50/50 raffle will also be

CARING & SHARING MINISTRY FOOD

DRIVE

The Gloria Green Caring & Sharing Ministry is attached to the Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, 140 W. Government St. The ministry feeds the homeless at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. The ministry's food pantry opens at 10 a.m. and has clothing. Food donations needed are pop-top canned goods, Beanie Weenies, Vienna sausage, potted meat, cans of tuna and chicken and soups. Clothing donations needed include tennis shoes for men and women as well as sweatshirts and new underwear for men in sizes small, medium and large. Call DeeDee Green at (850) 723-3390 for details.

CALL TO ARTISTS

PENSACOLA MURAL FEST

The Pensacola Mural Fest committee has released the 2024 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the 2024 Pensacola Mural Fest. Muralists will begin painting Oct. 19, and the festival is Nov. 2. Interested artists can find the RFQ at pensacolamuralfest.com or contact Kelly Gunther at kellyegunther@gmail. com for more information. Submissions are due no later than May 1.

Pensacola Mural Fest operates under the umbrella of First City Art Center. To learn more about the event, go to pensacolamuralfest.com or follow Pensacola Mural Fest on Facebook or Instagram.

ARTS & CULTURE

BUTTERFLIES IN MOTION

nounce the winning number. That number will be posted on their socials, so you don't have to be present to win. But you do have to show your winning ticket when you come to pick up your prize, so don't lose it.

INWEEKLY + PLAY HANGOUT MUSIC FEST 2024 TICKET GIVEAWAY

WHEN: 7-11 p.m. Friday, April 26 and Friday, May 3

WHERE: Play, 16 S. Palafox St., Ste. 200 DETAILS: iplaypensacola.com, @playpensacola

HANGOUT MUSIC FEST 2024

WHEN: Friday, May 17-Sunday, May 19

WHERE: Gulf Shores, Ala.

DETAILS: hangoutmusicfest.com

Additional Contest Rules: Tickets are non-transferable, and winners must provide their own travel and accommodations.

available to purchase. For more information, visit uwwf.org/gala.

ANIMAL ALLIES FLORIDA BINGO Animal

Allies Florida hosts bingo twice monthly at Scenic Hills Country Club, 8891 Burning Tree Road. The cost is 10 rounds of bingo for $10, with cash prizes for winners. Food and drinks are also available for purchase. The full bar and restaurant offer special adult beverages just for bingo nights. You must be 18 to play. For more information, visit facebook. com/animalalliesflorida.

ANIMAL ALLIES CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTION

Visit Pet Supermarket 11 a.m.-3 p.m. every first and third Saturday of the month at 6857 N. Ninth Ave. to meet your furever friend. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

Learn about Florida's native butterflies and visit the mobile butterfly house at Santa Rosa County Libraries. Dates include 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, April 25 at Gulf Breeze Library and 1-3 p.m. Thursday, April 25 at Navarre Library, 10 a.m.-noon Friday, April 26 at Jay Library and 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at Milton Library.

SYNTHESIS BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS

EXHIBITION Exit show for UWF Department of Art and Design is 5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 25 at The Art Gallery, 11000 University Parkway in Building 82. The show will be on display through May 10.

ARTIST TALK WITH KELLY ANNE

MUELLER Event is 6-7 p.m. Friday, April 26 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Details are at pensacolamuseum.org.

WEST FLORIDA PUBLIC LIBRARIES

SPRING BOOK SALE

The WFPL spring book sale 3-7 p.m. Friday, April 26 is $5 admission, but free to members; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 27 with half-off books and no admission fee; and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, April 28 with the $7 bag sale and no admission fee. Sale takes place at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.

'THE OUTSIDERS' SCREENING WITH C. THOMAS HOWELL Film star C. Thomas Howell will do a live commentary and Q&A, as well as perform original music at a screening of "The Outsiders," 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 at American Legion Post #33, 1401 W. Intendencia St. Tickets and information are available at post33.org. VIP meet and greet tickets available at tommyhowellmusic.com.

ALL AGES WORKSHOP: SCULPTURAL PAPER LANTERNS Class is 1-3 p.m. Saturday,

Photo Courtesy of Hangout Music Fest

a&e happenings

April 27 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Learn to make your own lantern using natural reed and tissue paper. Cost is $45 for PMA members and $50 for non-members. Register at pensacolamuseum.org.

PLANT-A-PLOOZA WITH PENSACOLA

HOYA LOVERS Celebrate the Northwest Florida plant community noon-5 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at Gary's Brewery, 208 Newman Ave. Many vendors will be set up for plant sales of all kinds. All things plants will be here, so come out to learn, purchase and socialize. Grab a glass of beer, seltzer, wine or cider from the brewpub, and then take a stroll through the beautiful garden filled with vendors. Come hungry; the event will feature four food trucks, and the brewery kitchen serving all day. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

FLOHMARKT AT ODD COLONY Enjoy Odd Colony's first ever flea market complete with food trucks and on the spot poetry from Lachlan Woodson. Event is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Details are at facebook.com/oddcolony.

SPRING BOUQUET WORKSHOP

Bring Spring blooms home with you with the Oyster Bay Spring Bouquet Workshop 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1. This hands-on workshop at Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel, 400 Bayfront Parkway, brought to you by Carlstedt, will be an introduction to professional flower arrangement techniques to create a variety of spring blooms, buds and leaves to gather into a bouquet for the home or as a gift. Spots are limited so be sure to book your spot now on stayoysterbay.com/events.

5 LESBIANS EATING QUICHE Performances

are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, Fridays, May 3 and 10, Saturdays, May 4 and 11, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, May 5 and 12. Tickets are $18-$25 and available at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

BALLET PENSACOLA PRESENTS: 'THE SLEEPING BEAUTY' Ballet performance featuring the music of Tchaikovsky. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5 at Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Tickets are available at pensacolasaenger.com.

IMPROVABLE CAUSE Pensacola professional improv troupe performs 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are available at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

UWF COMMENCEMENT UWF Commencement is Saturday, May 4 at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Undergraduate students of Hal Marcus Science and Engineering and Usha Kundo College of Health are at 9:30 a.m., College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, College of Business, and School of Education are at 1:30 p.m. Graduate schools are at 5:30 p.m.

SILENT BOOK CLUB AT BODACIOUS Sundays are for quietly reading at Bodacious Bookstore & Café, 110 E. Intendencia St. Join the Silent Book Club 10-11 a.m. every Sunday. Details are at facebook.com/bodaciousbookstore.

PENSACOLA ROSE SOCIETY Monthly meetings are normally 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Pensacola Garden Center, 1850 N. Ninth Ave. Visit pensacolarosesociety.org for more information.

BTB COMEDY Watch live standup comedy in open mic style 7 p.m. Mondays at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox. Follow BTB Comedy on Facebook for updates.

COMEDY SHOWCASE AT SUBCULTURE

BTB Comedy presents a comedy showcase the first Thursday monthly at Subculture Art Gallery, 701 N. V St. Follow facebook.com/pensacolasubculture for updates.

SCRIPTEASERS Join writers at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St., for Scripteasers every month. Visit pensacolalittletheatre.com for details.

PALAFOX MARKET Enjoy Palafox Market 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. The event features local farmers, artists and crafters on North and South Palafox Street at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand. For updates, visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola.

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret Drag Showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors open at 8 p.m. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information, contact show director Taize Sinclair-Santi at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST

TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours are held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 2-4 p.m. Sundays. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER

DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM AND MYSTERY TOUR

AND DINNER After Dark Paranormal Investigation and Dinner happens inside one of Pensacola's most haunted restaurants with actual ghost-hunting equipment 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more related to Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. Following your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E. Government St. Reservations are required. Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets are available at pensacolaghostevents.com.

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET

Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market 11 a.m.-4 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids' crafts and games. This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave.

a&e happenings

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN

Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more come together 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month at Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. This is a free indoor and outdoor event with door prizes, entertainment and children's activities. For a vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

PHOTO SHOPPE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION View Quayside Gallery exhibition, featuring work from seven different artists. The exhibit is on view through May 12 at Quayside, 17 E. Zaragoza St. A reception will take place 2:304:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28.

THE FLUIDITY OF PERCEPTION

Enjoy an exhibit from Chris Gustin and Nancy Train Smith in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society. The show is on view through May 17 at the Switzer Gallery at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd.

LOVE LETTERS TO URSA MAJOR: WORK

BY KELLY ANNE MUELLER

Enjoy a solo show from Kelly Anne Mueller, Best in Show from the 2023 PMA Members Show. Exhibit is on view through May 25 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

PMA MEMBERS SHOW

The 70th annual Members Show is on view through May 25 at Pen-

sacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

CULTURES COOK: INDIAN DISHES Pensacola Cooks Class is 6-9 p.m. Thursday, April 25 at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $70 per student. Register through the link available at facebook.com/pensacolacooks.

SPANISH DINNER WITH CHEF EDWARD

Dinner is 6-9 p.m. Thursday, April 25 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Reservations are $85 and available at eventbrite.com.

PENSACOLA CRAWFISH FESTIVAL Thousands of pounds of seafood, along with traditional festival fare, encompass this event. Festival runs 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, April 26, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, April 27 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at Seville Square. Details are available at fiestapensacola.org/crawfish-festival.

ARTISAN PASTA CRAFTING WITH CHEF

ED Class is 6 p.m. Monday, April 29 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Cost is $80. Register on Eventbrite or through the link at facebook.com/ bodaciousshops.

'HAVANA NIGHTS' CLASSIC CITY CATERING SUPPER SERIES Visit Oyster Bay, 400 Bayfront Parkway, for its upcoming Supper Series this April brought to you by Oyster Bay x Classic City Catering. Chef Corbet Davis presents a four-

course dinner featuring Cuban inspired dishes bringing Havana to Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel in Downtown Pensacola. The next date is 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. Buy your tickets now on stayoysterbay.com/events.

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS This class features Herradura Tequila. Classes are 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Cost is $30 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (850) 287-0200 or email taylor@goodgrits.com.

STAR WARS DAY AT ODD COLONY Beer release, costume contest, cantina band and more 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox St. Details are at facebook.com/oddcolony.

MAY THE FOURTH

BE WITH YOU AT PERFECT PLAIN

Celebrate Star Wars Day on Saturday, May 4 with themed décor and drinks, Star Wars trivia 2-4 p.m., Galactic Rave from 8-11 p.m. and Cantina Band Try Outs 9 p.m.-midnight at Perfect Plain, 50 E. Garden St. Details are at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

CINCO DE MAYO WITH PERFECT PLAIN

El Camino Tacos, margarita crawl, live music and more starting at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 5 at Perfect Plain, 50 E. Garden St. Details are at facebook. com/perfectplainbrewingco.

SUSHI MAKING WITH CHEF SUMMER Bodacious cooking class is 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, May

7 at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox St. Tickets are $65. Register on Eventbrite or through the link at facebook.com/bodaciousshops.

GREEN THUMB WINE TASTINGS

Join Green Thumb Wines for a wine tasting 6-8 p.m. every first Friday of the month at 9 E. Gregory St. Cost is $15 which can be applied to a bottle purchase of your choice. For more information and tickets, visit greenthumbwines.com/collections/events.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAFÉ SINGLE FIN

Partake in brunch specials, full café menu, espressos and bottomless mimosas until 1 p.m. Sundays at Café Single Fin, 380 N. Ninth Ave. Live music begins at 10 a.m. Visit cafesinglefin. com for details.

SIPPIN' IN SUNDRESSES LADIES' NIGHT AT FELIX'S Pop-up shops, pink drink specials and live music is 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, 400 Quietwater Beach Drive.

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT ATLAS OYSTER HOUSE Sunday Brunch at Atlas Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. View menus at atlasoysterhouse.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

WEEK OF APRIL 25

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Have you ever gotten your mind, heart and soul in sweet alignment with the spiritual beauty of money? An opportunity to do that is available. During the next four weeks, you can cultivate an almost mystical communion with the archetype of well-earned wealth. What does that mean? Well, you could be the beneficiary of novel insights and hot tips about how best to conduct your finances. You might get intuitions about actions you could take to bring more riches into your life. Be alert for help from unexpected sources. You may notice that the more generous you are, the more the world's generosity will flow your way.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Bordering the Pacific Ocean for a thousand miles, Chile's Atacama Desert is a place of stark and startling beauty. Unfortunately, its pristine landscape is also a dumping ground for vast amounts of discarded clothes that people bought cheaply, wore out quickly and didn't want anymore. Is there any other place on earth that more poignantly symbolizes the overlap of sacred and profane? In the coming weeks, Taurus, you will possess a special aptitude for succeeding in situations with metaphorical resemblances to the Atacama. You will have an enhanced power to inject ingenious changes wherever messiness is mixed with elegance, wherever blemished beauty requires redemption and wherever lyrical truths need to be rescued from careless duplicity or pretense.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): My Gemini friend Alicia thrives on having a quick, acute, whirling-dervish-like intelligence. It's one of her strong points now, but it wasn't always. She says she used to be hyperactive. She thought of serenity as boring—"like some wan, bland floral tea." But after years of therapy, she is joyous to have discovered "a kind of serenity that's like sweet, frothy hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg." I'm guessing that many of you Geminis have been evolving in a similar direction in recent months—and will climax this excellent period of relaxing growth in the coming weeks.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): All Cancerians who read this oracle are automatically included on the Primal Prayer Power List. During the next

By Rob Brezsny

13 days, my team of 13 Prayer Warriors and I will sing incantations to nurture your vigor, sovereignty and clarity of purpose. We will envision your dormant potentials ripening. We will call on both human and divine allies to guide you in receiving and bestowing the love that gives your life supreme meaning. How should you prepare for this flood of blessings? Start by having a long talk with yourself in which you describe exactly why you deserve these gifts.

you can turn any potential breakdown into a breakthrough. If a spiritual emergency arises, I predict you will use it to rouse wisdom that sparks your emergence from numbness and apathy. Darkness will be your ally, because it will be the best place to access hidden strength and untapped resources. And here's the best news of all: Unripe and wounded parts of your psyche will get healing upgrades as you navigate your way through the intriguing mysteries.

events will soon occur for you, Capricorn. They may already be underway.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): A meme on Instagram said, "The day I stopped worrying about what other people think of me was the day I became free." This sentiment provokes mixed feelings in me. I agree it's liberating not to be obsessed with what people think of us. On the other hand, I believe we should indeed care about how we affect others. We are wise to learn from them about how we can be our best selves. Our "freedom" includes the discernment to know which ideas people have about us are worth paying attention to and which are best forgotten and ignored. In my opinion, Leo, these are important themes for you to ruminate on right now.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a holy place for Islam. Jerusalem is the equivalent for Judaism, and the Vatican is for Catholicism. Other spiritual traditions regard natural areas as numinous and exalting. For instance, the Yoruba people of Nigeria cherish Osun-Osogbo, a sacred grove of trees along the Osun River. I'd love it if there were equivalent sanctuaries for you, Virgo—where you could go to heal and recharge whenever you need to. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify power spots like these. If there are no such havens for you, find or create some.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In my astrological opinion, you are entering a period when

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): According to my astrological perspective, you are entering a phase when you could dramatically refine how relationships function in your life. To capitalize on the potential, you must figure out how to have fun while doing the hard work that such an effort will take. Here are three questions to get you started. 1 What can you do to foster a graceful balance between being too self-centered and giving too much of yourself? 2. Are there any stale patterns in your deep psyche that tend to undermine your love life? If so, how could you transform or dissolve them? 3. Given the fact that any close relationship inevitably provokes the dark sides of both allies, how can you cultivate healthy ways to deal with that?

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I feel sad when I see my friends tangling with mediocre problems. The uninspiring dilemmas aren't very interesting and don't provoke much personal growth. They use up psychic energy that could be better allocated. Thankfully, I don't expect you to suffer this bland fate in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. You will entertain high-quality quandaries. They will call forth the best in you. They will stimulate your creativity and make you smarter and kinder and wilder. Congratulations on working diligently to drum up such rich challenges.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): In 1894, a modest Agave ferox plant began its life at a botanical garden in Oxford, England. By 1994, a hundred years later, it had grown to be six feet tall but had never bloomed. Then one December day, the greenhouse temperature accidentally climbed above 68 degrees F. During the next two weeks, the plant grew twice as tall. Six months later, it bloomed bright yellow flowers for the first time. I suspect metaphorically comparable

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Have you felt a longing to be nurtured? Have you fantasized about asking for support and encouragement and mentoring? If so, wonderful! Your intuition is working well. My astrological analysis suggests you would dramatically benefit from basking in the care and influence of people who can elevate and champion you; who can cherish and exalt you; who can feed and inspire you. My advice is to pursue the blessings of such helpers without inhibition or apology. You need and deserve to be treated like a vibrant treasure.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): In his book "Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception," Thom Hartmann theorizes that distractibility may have been an asset for our ancestors. Having a short attention span meant they were ever alert for possible dangers and opportunities in their environment. If they were out walking at night, being lost in thought could prevent them from tuning into warning signals from the bushes. Likewise, while hunting, they would benefit from being ultra-receptive to fleeting phenomena and ready to make snap decisions. I encourage you to be like a hunter in the coming weeks, Pisces—not for wild animals, but for wild clues, wild signs and wild help.

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: Is there any important situation where you're not giving your best? Fix that, please. {in}

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news of the weird

COMPELLING EXPLANATION Larry Doil Sanders, 55, of Allen, Oklahoma, was convicted on April 17 of first-degree murder in the killing of his friend, Jimmy Glenn Knighten, 52, in July 2022. The Ada News reported that Sanders and Knighten were fishing together when Sanders believed he saw three sasquatch-looking figures near the river. After strangling Knighten, who he thought had been acting suspiciously, Sanders told relatives that he believed Knighten was trying to summon the sasquatches so they could feast on Sanders, and he killed Knighten in self-defense. Witnesses said Sanders is a regular user of methamphetamine, which ramps up his Bigfoot rhetoric. His defense was that having used meth three or four days before the murder, he was in a druginduced psychosis. He'll be sentenced in June.

ANIMALS GOING ROGUE Butte, Montana, residents—no strangers to big animals—got a surprise on the morning of April 16 when they spotted an elephant strolling down Harrison Avenue, NBC Montana reported. "Pretty exciting," said Josh Hannifin, co-manager of the Civic Center Town Pump. "Man, they move fast when they just walk." The Jordan World Circus was in town, and surveillance cameras caught Viola escaping from her pen after being startled by a car backfiring during her bath time. Handlers were able to catch Viola with no trouble after about 20 minutes.

•Suburban residents in Cape Town, South Africa, had a close encounter with a hippopotamus in the wee hours of April 14, Independent Online reported. The hippo broke through a fence at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve after getting into a scuffle with a dominant male there. Resident Ashraff Schwartz said that when police cornered the animal, it ran into his yard. "My 74-year-old mom watched ... as the hippo came straight for our door. It then turned around and ran up the road, but before then, it broke my wall as it jumped over it." While no one was hurt in the incident, hippos "are responsible for more human fatalities in Africa than any other large animal," the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Wildlife Department noted.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED NASA revealed on April 17 that the object that crashed through the roof of a home in Naples, Florida, was indeed space trash—specifically, garbage jettisoned from the International Space Station in March 2021. United Press International reported that on March 8, a 1.6-pound, 4-inch-long cylindrical object came through Alejandro Otero's roof. NASA said the object was what remained of a 5,800-pound pallet of depleted nickel hydride batteries. "The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry into the Earth's atmosphere," NASA said. "However, a piece of hardware survived reentry."

IT'S A MYSTERY A 19th-century fortress in Antwerp, Belgium, undergoing archaeological excavation turned up a mysterious finding: a British train car from around 1930. United Press International

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

reported on April 16 that the wooden London North Eastern Railway car was originally used for "removals"—moving property from one residence to another. "It's a mystery as to how the carriage came to be in Antwerp," said consultant archaeologist Femke Martens. "Unfortunately there's very little left of the relic as it disintegrated while being excavated."

•Jessica Daley, a toll worker along the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey, called in sick to work on April 12 because she had "a gut feeling that something was going to happen. Like something terrible was going to happen," she said. She felt the premonition was about a car accident, NBC New York reported. Sure enough, about four hours later, a garbage collector's truck slammed into a tollbooth—the one Daley is usually in, she said. The toll collector and truck driver both suffered serious injuries. "I dropped to my knees and just started crying," she said. "I was praying for everybody involved." She was back at work the next day.

CRIME REPORT

On April 9, investigators caught their targets in a puzzling money-making scheme in Rochelle Park, New Jersey. NBC New York reported that Detective Nick Mercoun and his partner arrested 77-year-old Alfredo Rodriguez and 54-year-old Hector Cortes, whom they dubbed the Shopping Cart Bandits. The two had stolen at least 140 carts from the ShopRite grocery, which Mercoun believes they were selling for about $200 wholesale. "It was about $28,000 worth of shopping carts," he said. The Food Marketing Institute estimates that 2 million shopping carts are stolen each year. Who knew? Rodriguez and Cortes are rolling along at the Bergen County Jail.

HAUTE COUTURE

It wasn't an April Fools' joke: Independent Online reported on April 1 that fashion house Balenciaga has introduced a clear plastic bracelet that resembles a roll of packing tape, to the tune of about $3,000. The "Gaffer Bangle" includes an inside label that reads "Balenciaga Adhesive—Made in France." The company reportedly unveiled the bracelet at Paris Fashion Week, and reviews are sticky: One Reddit commenter noted, "When will people learn Balenciaga's schtick is to generally make a fool of its consumers?" Another said, "Rich people want to feel poor so bad."

IRONY Things got a little heated at the Good Will Fire Co. Station 69A in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on April 18, WFMZ-TV reported. The cabin of a fire engine parked in the station caught fire. Crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly, but smoke damaged two ambulances, a fire rehab unit and the truck bays. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Pottstown fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze. {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird

© 2024 Andrews McMeel