Inweekly November 3 2022 Issue

12-day

nov. 3-14, 2022

PENSACOLA, FL

Featured Events BUBBLE ALLEY

Presented by Friends of Downtown | Nov. 3-14

UNREQUITED Presented by Pensacola Little Theatre | Nov. 4-9

VANDALS TO VANGUARDS Presented by Pensacola Museum of Art | Nov. 4-14

SCHUMANN SYMPHONY NO. 3 Presented by the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra | Nov. 5

BÉLA FLECK MY BLUEGRASS HEART Presented by Great GulfCoast Arts Festival | Nov. 5

KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE Presented by Jazz Pensacola | Nov. 7

THE SONGS, THEIR STORIES, A SYMPHONY Presented by UWF & Frank Brown Int’l Foundation for Music | Nov. 8

THE SECOND CITY COMEDY “OUT OF THE HOUSE PARTY” Presented by PSC | Nov. 9

BORN TO HAND JIVE, A GREASE SING A LONG Presented by Choral Society of Pensacola | Nov. 10

STAMPED: LBGTQIA+ FILM FESTIVAL Nov. 10-13

FORTY FORWARD: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF OPERA IN PENSACOLA Presented by Pensacola Opera | Nov. 12

JAZZ FOR JUSTICE Presented by Legal Services of North Florida | Nov. 13

Scan to see all events

More Events Added Weekly!

winners & losers

winners losers

DRS. MUHAMMAD AND FATEMA RASHID

The Rashids continue a legacy of giving to the Uni versity of West Florida through a $1 million gift to name the Department of Electrical and Comput er Engineering in the Hal Marcus College of Sci ence and Engineering. The UWF Board of Trust ees approved the department name change to the Dr. Muhammad Harunur Rashid Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at its Sep tember meeting. The Rashids have the most estab lished endowments to UWF by a donor. The en dowments established by the Rashids in the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering in clude the Dr. Faeza Rashid Kazmier STEM Schol arship Endowment, Dr. Muhammad H. Rashid En gineering Research and Projects Endowment, Drs. Muhammad and Fatema Rashid Female Engineer ing Scholarship Endowmen and Drs. Muhammad and Fatema Rashid Future Generation Engineering Scholarship Endowment.

CARL MADISON On Friday, Oct. 28, Tate High School dedicated its football field to legendary coach Carl Madison, who coached at the school from 1971-1982 and won the state championship with the Aggies in 1980. Madison led Pine For est High School to two state championships in 1987 and 1988. The 1988 Eagle team was named as mythical national champions by USA Today, and Madison earned the title of the High School Coach of the Year. He also coached at Milton, Ernest Ward and Jackson (Ala.) Academy. Madison is en shrined in the Florida High School Athletic Associ ation's Hall of Fame.

HCA FLORIDA WEST HOSPITAL In recogni tion of the World Stroke Organization proclaim ing World Stroke Day, HCA Florida West Hospi tal announced it has been designated by DNV GL Healthcare as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, a prestigious designation that reflects the highest level of competence for treatment of patients who have experienced a stroke. The designation means the facility has a designated neuro-intensive care unit or designated beds for complex stroke pa tients, advanced screening capabilities, including 24/7 CT scanning and angiography, as well as mag netic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic reso nance angiography (MRA), and successfully per forms a set number of various procedures.

META Facebook's parent company, Meta, was fined $24.7 million after King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North ruled the company had deliberately violated the state of Washington's campaign finance disclosure laws 822 times. The penalty is the largest campaign finance-related fine ever issued in the U.S., according to Washing ton Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Each violation of the state's Fair Campaign Practices Act carries a $30,000 penalty. The law requires campaign ad vertisers and platforms like Meta that host political ads to make information about Washington politi cal ads available for public inspection.

JACKIE TOLEDO Tampa state lawmaker last week filed a lawsuit accusing her campaign manag er Fred Piccolo, a former spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis and one-time House Speaker Richard Corcoran, of sending her "unwanted, unsolicited, inappropriate and grossly offensive harassing text messages and images." Piccolo managed Toledo's unsuccessful congressional bid for the GOP nomi nation. The lawsuit accuses Piccolo of sending the graphic messages that included "images of a sex ual and inappropriate nature" to goad her into fir ing him "to collect no less than $100,000" pursuant to a "termination penalty" included in his campaign contract. Piccolo told The News Service of Florida that his messages were friendly "banter" and that Toledo never complained to him about them. He accused the state lawmaker of filing the lawsuit to avoid paying him a $25,000 "bonus" fee if she lost the race. You can't make up this stuff.

WOLVERINE WATCHMEN Three members of a far-right group known as the Wolverine Watch men were found guilty of their efforts to aid the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Joe Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar were convicted on charges of providing material sup port for a terrorist act, gang membership felonies and felony firearm. Gov. Whitmer said in a written statement, "This trial is another stark reminder that we must take an honest look at the state of our politics. Politically motivated plots, threats and vio lence are increasingly common against public offi cials as well as everyday citizens. They are the log ical, disturbing extension of radicalization, hatred and conspiratorial thinking that festers in America, threatening the foundation of our republic."

Drs. Muhammad and Fatema Rashid / Courtesy of UWF

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

A unique feature of the Florida Constitu tion is the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), which convenes every 20 years. The CRC has 37 members appointed by the governor, Florida House Speaker, Flor ida Senate president and the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Florida is the only state with this feature, and lawmakers want it to go away.

The CRC process lets citizens suggest changes for any part of the state constitution, except for issues related to taxation and the budgetary process. In 1988, voters approved a constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature to create a Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC). Like the Constitution Revision Commission, the TBRC meets every 20 years and has the power to re fer constitutional amendments to voters.

The CRC started slowly but has gained popularity. In 1978, voters rejected all eight constitutional amendments presented by the CRC. In 1998, the CRC proposed nine consti tutional amendments, and voters passed eight of them, including one that required the state to make adequate provision for the education of children. In 2018, voters approved all sev en CRC proposals, including ones that banned greyhound racing, tightened rules concern ing public officials lobbying and abusing their power, and prohibited offshore drilling.

The TBRC had mixed results in 2008. Of the seven amendments proposed, the Florida Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling, struck down three measures, including two involving school vouchers. The voters rejected one con cerning local option funding for community colleges and three concerning property taxes passed. The TBRC will convene again in 2028.

Despite its success, the Florida Legisla ture wants to abolish the CRC so that it can't meet in 2037, but the lawmakers can't do it un less voters approve Amendment 2 on the Nov. 8 ballot. State lawmakers proposed a similar amendment in 1980, and voters rejected it by nearly 350,000 votes.

Former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz served on the 2017-18 CRC and opposes Amend ment 2 because he believes, as I do, that the pas sage of Amendment 2 would eliminate the op

portunity for a grassroots way of changing the Florida Constitution.

"We don't have offshore oil drilling because the voters of Florida made a decision during the last CRC process that they didn't want it," Gaetz told me. "We have the highest ethical standards in the country because they passed an amend ment that I wrote and sponsored that said that politicians can no longer use their public office to benefit themselves and their friends with a disproportionate benefit or they're subject to serious penalties."

Never one to mince words, he called out the state lawmakers. "They want the Legis lature to be the only ones who can propose amendments to the constitution. Banning off shore oil drilling, higher ethical standards—a variety of other things like that—over the past 20 years have been proposed in the Legislature but have never even been considered. It was only the citizens through the CRC who could make those things happen."

Supporters of Amendment 2 argue that if it passes, there are still four ways for constitu tional amendments to be placed on the ballot— through the Florida Legislature, a citizen-led initiative, a constitutional convention or the Tax ation and Budget Reform Commission. Of those four options, the lawmakers have the advantage.

A citizen-led initiative requires propo nents to collect signatures equal to 8% of the total number of votes cast in the last presi dential election. In 2024, a citizen-led amend ment will require 891,589 signatures. To con vene a constitutional convention, it will take 1,671,728 signatures. For a lawmaker to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot, he only needs majority votes of the Florida House and Senate.

The Republican Party has dominated state government for nearly 25 years. The Legislature has been less willing to challenge the gover nor's office since Rick Scott took office. We've seen one state attorney removed from office for disagreeing with Gov. DeSantis' political agen da, and few state judges appear willing to rule against him.

The CRC is the last place that gives citizens a voice that state officials can't stifle. Please vote "No" on Amendment 2. {in} rick@inweekly.net

KEEPING SCORE IN D4

a potentially lower pension percentage with Childers, but in the end, he disagreed with the clerk's position not to authorize the contributions.

"She said she was going to bring a lower amount, and I said, 'I'm fine with that; you know, go ahead and bring it,' and instead, she came out and said it was illegal, which I don't think it was," Bender said. "That's what at least I'm standing up for—that I didn't think it was illegal. In terms of the amount, all that is set by the state. The state sets our salary; the state sets the amount, so we'll see what happens with the litigation."

Plus, the commissioner notes, it's difficult to overlook the irony in Childers' position, cit ing the clerk's own retirement plan with the county—"I will also point out that 57% of her salary goes toward retirement, and her salary is nearly double ours."

PARTY TIME

Commissioner Bender is a Republican. Van Hoose is running as a Democrat. Do these party affiliations matter at the local county level? May be, depending on whom you ask.

"I think it exhibits your beliefs a little bit," Bender said, drawing partisan contrasts between himself and his opponent. "Clearly, we would dif fer on some things … It just talks a little bit to our beliefs and how we view the government and maybe where we are on certain issues."

Van Hoose disagrees. She doesn't want vot ers to read anything into that big D beside her name on the ballot.

"Unequivocally, no," Van Hoose said. "Abso lutely, there should not be partisan politics at the local level because we need to talk about issues and work together to get those issues addressed."

Escambia County's District 4 stretches from downtown Pensacola to the University of West Florida, encompassing historic neigh borhoods, suburbs and all that lies between. This November, voters in the district will be go ing to the polls, deciding whether they would like to stick with their current representative, Escam bia County Commissioner Robert Bender, or give a newcomer a chance and elect Myra Van Hoose. Bender, just finishing up his first term, is feel ing confident he'll be sticking around. Based on the feedback he's heard during the campaign, the commissioner believes voters are pleased with what they've seen these past four years.

"I think they want somebody who's respon sive and listens, and I have the ability to do that, not just because I do it full time but because I in vest a lot of time in it," Bender said. "I think they know I do my research; I do my due diligence; I make informed decisions."

Meanwhile, Van Hoose believes her previous experience as a certified public accountant and time spent working with local nonprofits equips her to take up the mantle of District 4.

"I'm not trying to build a career," Van Hoose said. "I'm just trying to make sure that the pol icies we need in this community are adhered to and that we have a strategic plan to create

THE ISSUE

Early in the campaign season, Van Hoose ran into Bender at a town hall event. The candidate had just entered the race, and she recalls a brief aside with the commissioner that evening.

"The day I qualified I ran into him at a town hall, and he's like, 'Why are you doing this to me?' And I said, 'It's not about you, and it's not about me. It's about discussing the issues,'" Van Hoose said.

The candidates, however, strike similar chords on several issues. Each lists public safety concerns and infrastructure needs among their top priori ties, and each embraces acknowledged hotspots such as affordable housing and homelessness.

The commissioner's pension is the big issue that defines this contest and divides the candi dates. Escambia County has a local retirement plan, a 401(a), that senior-level managers and commissioners can opt into instead of the Flori da Retirement System Plan. Last year, Escambia County Clerk of Court Pam Childers raised con cerns over the local plan. Since. Jan. 1, she has re fused to authorize any contribution, leading to an ongoing legal showdown between the clerk and the county.

Van Hoose said that the voters she has talk ed to are aghast at the high-dollar pension plan.

people's jaws drop."

The candidate has identified this retirement plan issue as the item that solidified her decision to challenge Bender.

"That's where I drew the line, and I said, 'No, I'm not gonna let a county commissioner self-en rich to this outrageous degree and not do any thing about it.' So that is why I'm running for county commissioner," Van Hoose said. "I think that the dollar amount is irresponsible. To be a commissioner and say, 'It's not illegal as far as I know, so I'll take it, even though it's too much,' it's clear that greed and self-enrichment are the motivating force instead of putting the best in terest of the community forward."

Bender has an entirely different take on this issue. While he also feels that the pension amount is too high, he also believes that the commission ers were in the legal right and that the county's pension plan was in place before his arrival.

"When I signed up for it, that was not the percentage that I was told," Bender explained. "I was told that I would be at the senior manage ment rate. When I found out I wasn't, I called the clerk's office and asked them about it because it was a higher percentage than I was told when I signed up. I was told that that was what had been voted on by commissioners in years previous and that FRS sets the rate."

Also, the commissioner said he had discussed

In fact, the candidate said that she's only running as a Democrat due to a state law requir ing candidates to run with the party they have been affiliated with for the past year.

"I was going to run as an Independent be cause I believe that the parties are the divisive problem in the country," Van Hoose said, draw ing parallels between her and her Republican husband and diluting any liberal inferences vot ers may be making.

"My husband's a Republican, and we agree on every issue," she said.

So, aside from the pension issue, how would a Van Hoose tenure compare to a second term for Bender? Well, there is one obvious difference.

"The board should be more diverse. There hasn't been a woman there for years," Van Hoose asserts, contending that the presence of a fe male commissioner would automatically raise the decorum of the commission meetings, mak ing for "more polite behavior."

Bender said he's not concerned with the per sonalities of individual commissioners but rather the issues that come before the board. He said, "I try to focus more on the policies than the per sonalities. It's more about the issues."

On Nov. 8, District 4 voters will decide which candidate is more aligned with their leanings and which they prefer to represent them for the next four years. {in}

a better future instead of the way we're doing

PORT SUCCESS On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the Port of Pensacola celebrated Maritime Com merce Day with a luncheon and media tour. Five years ago, Inweekly wrote about the declining rev enue at the port. The FY 2018 proposed budget estimated port revenues would drop 21.4%, down $803,000 since FY 2012.

At the outdoor luncheon, Mayor Grover Rob inson proclaimed, "We've gone from being in the red a few years ago to being in the black … I'm very proud of what we've been able to do here at the port. We are very proud of what the future indi cates because we can grow this even more, but it doesn't have to be traditional port stuff. Our goal is not to be the same port that everybody else has. Our goal is to be the Port of Pensacola, do what we do here."

He also pointed out that downtown Pensac ola's growth and the Port's rebirth have happened concurrently. "The best thing about it is, all the re cords we've been able to set, the things that we're able to do right now, we're able to do them at the same time as downtown has never had more vi brancy, greater value, more people living and coming and wanting to be a part of it."

The mayor continued, "So these two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they actually synergistically feed off each other."

The media tour, sponsored by CEMEX, Pro peller Club, Pensacola Navy League and the Port of Pensacola, provided an opportunity for tenants to give an overview of their operations and share insight into the future of the Port of Pensacola.

Port Director Clark Merritt said, "Our ten ants are working hard every day to provide goods and services to a variety of industries, and the port continues to see cargo tonnage increases and business growth every year. I am very excited to keep the momentum going strong as the port con tinues to develop and remain an economic driver for the Pensacola community."

Overall, the port's vessel traffic has increased by 77% this fiscal year.

"So some of what I talked about with our in crease in vessel traffic is a direct result of that car go coming in here versus going to Houston, Mo

bile or Mississippi," Merritt said. "So it saves GE money for transportation costs by having it come on a vessel—a vessel is the most cost-effective way to move any type of cargo. So it's working out for everybody."

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT D.C. Reeves' may oral transition team has held over a dozen public meetings as it works to deliver its recommenda tions to the mayor-elect in December.

"We are knee-deep, so to speak, in the throes of trying to give Mayor-elect D.C. Reeves a good direction for his strategic vision," team chairman Tim Kinsella told Inweekly. "All the team members really have been spending a lot of time getting into the weeds of their focus area and on how to make our city a better place for all citizens."

He continued, "We've only got one meeting left, and that'll be on Nov. 16th. And then all the members will have to have their reports due to me and the transition team staff, so we can pile it to gether and get it to the mayor within a couple of weeks after he swears in."

One priority that has popped up is citizen en gagement. Kinsella said, "How do we engage our citizens in a way that the citizens feel like they have a voice? The 311 program is great, but if somebody writes to the mayor, how do we hold the system accountable for answering each and every one of those citizens to ensure that their voice is heard?"

Kinsella would like the city to make citizen-in put sessions like those done for the transition re peated at the beginning of every four-year term.

"How can we take the things that we've learned here, the processes that we are doing and we have learned, and make them more of a regu lar occurrence," he said. "This is something that the city should do every four years to ensure that we're staying fresh and to ensure that we really are doing a deep dive into our citizen's concerns."

ETHICS IN FLORIDA Don Gaetz, former Flor ida Senate president, has served on the Florida Commission on Ethics since 2020. While in the Florida Legislature, he pushed for stronger eth ics laws, and since joining the ethics commission,

he has advocated for not letting parties drag out the proceedings. Gaetz is the commissioner that made the motion that recommended Gov. De Santis remove Doug Underhill from the Escambia County Commission for the District 2 commis sioner's numerous ethics violations.

Inweekly asked Gaetz about the importance of Florida's ethics laws.

"Well, it just seems to me—and I don't mean this to sound like a bumper sticker, but it seems to me that Florida deserves to have its pub lic business done honestly and openly," he said. "And I think when we do that when we do hon est and open public business, whether we agree or disagree, whether Democrats are in charge or Re publicans are in charge, we have better policies, and people have an interest in and support of and belief in their government."

Gaetz added, "Here in Florida, we want high standards. We want our government to be as good as its people, and it can be."

He also talked about giving the ethics com mission "more teeth" and not letting cases drag on for years. Underhill's case had numerous delays and postponements and took almost two years to conclude.

"I've worked with the other ethics commis sioners and now with our new executive director to move ethics complaints and cases along quick ly and to give everybody due process, but to give everybody their day in court," the former senate president said. "We're moving more expeditious ly, and that's the case, I think, with the Underhill matter and other matters that frankly, people feel as though if they can drag it out and drag it out, then maybe it'll go away or maybe events will oc cur that will make certain penalties moot. But I don't think that's the way the people want it."

MAMA'S BOY Beloved comedian actor Leslie Jordan, 67, died on Monday, Oct. 24, in a car crash in Hollywood, Calif. He was probably most known for his role as Beverley Leslie on "Will & Grace." In 2012, Jordan brought his one-person show, "Fruit Fly," to the Pensacola Little Theatre. Beej Da vis interviewed him for our newspaper (Inweekly, "Leslie Jordan is a Mama's Boy," 5/24/12).

When asked how shows like "Will & Grace" helped bring homosexuality into the mainstream, Jordan said, "When I won that Emmy, I was hap py to have been a part of a show that did so much for my tribe. America welcomed those characters into their homes. Progress, honey, progress. There are two ways to combat homophobia—put a face on it and humor. You can get your message across that way."

He later added, "I'm so honored to have been a small part of it. When I started 'Will & Grace,' guys were coming to me saying, 'My wife watches that show,' and 'My girlfriend watched that show.' It was never them who said they watched the show. By the end, I had construction workers yelling at me, 'Hey, you're on that show!' That was progress."

BROADBAND BOOST Last month, the FloridaAlabama Transportation Planning Organization approved a $1.6 million request from the Florida Department of Transportation for the design of a new Regional Traffic Management Center that will be built next to the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center on W Street.

Escambia County Commissioner Steven Bar ry told Inweekly that the county's efforts to ex pand broadband throughout the county helped snag the project.

"About 18 months ago, we knew that FDOT was going to build a traffic management cen ter in our region, but we weren't very sure where," said Barry. "But they got excited about Escambia County's commitment to the broadband project, countywide, and really started to take a look at some sites here, finally settling on the public safe ty property at Highway 29 and W Street."

The commissioner said that the advanced traffic management system for Northwest Florida had been Florida-Alabama TPO's top priority for years, but it's a very expensive project.

"Well, now going forward, there's a lot of broadband and technology money coming through the state and through the federal gov ernment, so it was the perfect time from FDOT's point of view to tie into the Escambia County broadband commitment," Barry said, "Now every

light in Escambia County that FDOT controls is going to now end up on this advanced traffic man agement system, which will reduce travel time."

objective employee evaluation system. The mayor took Quint Studer's advice and implemented an employee satisfaction survey.

2022 GENERAL ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS

By Hale Morissette

SUPPORTING POLL WORKERS

The Com bined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola, an informal or ganization comprised of representatives of the 12 Rotary Clubs in Escambia and Santa Rosa coun ties, doesn't take political positions, but the group last week did issue a joint statement in support of election workers because of their recognition that well-functioning elections are essential to a wellfunctioning democracy and civil society.

The statement read, "The first element of Ro tary's Four-Way Test is, 'Is it the truth?' The sec ond is, 'Is it fair to all concerned?' We are con cerned that the tenor of some public commentary on elections fails those tests."

"Elections would be impossible without the support of both the full-time employees of our two counties' Supervisors of Elections and the numerous part-time workers to supplement the Supervisors' resources during elections, partic ularly at individual polling locations. These poll workers are our civic-minded neighbors whose only goal is to facilitate the voting process. However, in recent years, criticisms that are not 'fair to all concerned' and are often untrue have been leveled at these neighbors and friends by persons seeking to undermine confidence in the results of elections."

"Florida's election laws have multiple safe guards built in to ensure confidence in the voting processes, including multiple steps in the process requiring the simultaneous involvement, verifica tion and confirmation by election officers of dif ferent parties. And everyone working in the sys tem undergoes substantial training and education in the legal requirements, and everything they do occurs transparently and observably."

"Our Clubs support those who work hard and diligently to make our local elections work effi ciently and properly. We particularly recognize that the universal motivation for poll workers is a sense of civic duty and a desire to continue and further the vision and aspirations of our nation. We wholeheartedly and enthusiastically encour age courtesy and respect for those who have de voted their careers to the elections system and those who are only part-time election workers. They deserve that courtesy and respect. If one respects the foundational values of the Unit ed States, one must respect those who embody those values by working to ensure those values are maintained."

"The third element of our Four-Way Test is, 'Will it build goodwill and better friendships?' So when you vote, give those you encounter a smile and tell them that you appreciate their work."

INVESTING IN CULTURE When he took over Pensacola City Hall in 2018, Mayor Grover Robin son had to deal with an HR department that had seen the former city administrator, Eric Olson, abolish the employee handbook to avoid com plaints filed by his subordinates and without an

The results of the most recent survey found that employee engagement rose from the 39th percentile in 2019 to the 67th percentile in 2022 when compared to other organizations nation wide. The 2022 survey showed that 69% of em ployees are satisfied to work for the city, and 60% of employees are highly engaged in their work.

"When you look at the private sector, those businesses that succeed best have employees who understand the mission of what they're do ing, and they go accomplish it. And not only do they go accomplish it, but they also engage," May or Robinson told Inweekly. "It's built into their DNA, and they're out there wanting to succeed as much as possible, and they're buying into what you're doing."

The HR department has gone from being a weakness to being a strength. Mayor Robinson pointed out a recent health fair for employees. He said, "Yes, improving our employees' health helps us manage our cost as a city, but at the end of the day, we're about our employees and investing in our employees, and when we have win-wins to gether, that's good stuff."

The mayor added, "We are investing in our people and our culture."

CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to get ahead of the New York Times story that math and reading scores plunged across the country due to COVID as per the latest report card from the National Assessment of Ed ucational Progress (NAEP). In the first NAEP re port since 2019, just 26% of eighth graders were considered proficient in math, down from 34% at the last test. Only 36% of fourth graders were pro ficient in math, a drop from 41%.

At 4 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, DeSantis an nounced the NAEP report showed Florida stu dents were "well ahead of their peers, especial ly with younger and educationally at-risk students who were harmed the most from distance learning in other states."

While the scores may have been the "high est ever" for the state, Florida's math scores for eighth graders, 23%, were actually three percent age points below the national average, 26%. Read ing scores for Florida eighth graders, 29%, were two points below the national average, 31%.

Florida's fourth graders fared much better. Scores were higher than the national average— Math, Florida 41% to national 36%; Reading, Flori da 39% to national 33%.

CORRECTION In our 2022 Election Guide, we incorrectly noted on Question 4 of the proposed city charter amendments that it would increase the council salaries to $44,693. Councilwom an Jennifer Brahier pointed out that the salary will be adjusted for the city's population, which would raise it from $21,486 to $31,800. If the char ter amendment passes, the new salary will not be come effective until 2024. {in}

Inweekly Note: When the time came to make endorsements for the Nov. 8 mid-term election, we decided that would be the perfect opportunity for us to pass the mic and let someone we respect, who puts in the work every day as an activist and organizer, tell us who they are voting for. We knew ex actly who we wanted to ask, too, and thank fully, she said yes.

Hale Morrissette is a human rights ac tivist and DJ in Pensacola. She has bach elor's and master's degrees in social work from the University of West Florida and is the Deputy Organizing Director of the Dream Defenders. You may remember Hale from organizing the Pensacola Wom en's March, #FromPensacola, as a found ing member of the Pensacola chapter of the Dream Defenders and the graffiti bridge blockage in 2020.

As we all get ready to head to the polls, some folks may still have some questions about who they should vote for. Hale has us covered. Here is who she will be voting for:

FLORIDA SENATE DISTRICT 1 CHARLIE NICHOLS

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Nich ols is a native of Pensacola and has spent a big chunk of time focusing on the next gen erations' access to education and freedom from abuse. Nichols understands what it means to invest into our communities in or der to create a free Florida for all.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 1 FRANSCINE MATHIS

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Mathis is a longtime friend of the Pensacola Dream De fenders. Advocating on behalf of those that have been wrongfully incarcerated and the rights of those that suffer from poor con ditions while incarcerated is how we met. Mathis also has early involvement with the issues of one of our most overlooked areas in Wedgewood and Rolling Hills where they are facing environmental racism.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 2 CAROLLYN TAYLOR

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Taylor has longtime involvement with progres sive political planning and has even given us some pointers on being more impact ful. Her belief in health care for all makes her our pick.

SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 2

RAY GUILLORY

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Guillory has always put the children first. He knows the issues and has been vocal for years. As we fight against violence, for livable wages for teachers and access to better education, Guillory fights for the same thing.

CITY OF PENSACOLA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2

CHARLETHA POWELL

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Powell is interested in what keeps us safe and what grows our community. She wants more col laborative efforts with citizens' voices and protection agencies.

CITY OF PENSACOLA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

ANN HILL

Here's why this is Hale's decision: Hill is also a longtime friend of the Pensacola Dream Defenders. She was there lending an ear as we came up with some of the most ef fective ways to work with the city after the murder of Tymar Crawford and showing up to community events to listen and learn, rather than make a platform for herself. Her plans align with our "Free Pensacola for All" plans—affordable housing, investment in culture and community safety. Hill has done the work to be our pick.

HALE'S NATIONAL PICKS

•U.S. SENATE: Val Demings

•GOVERNOR: Charlie Crist

•ATTORNEY GENERAL: Aramis Ayala

•CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Adam Hattersley

•COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES: Naomi Esther Blemur

•JUDGES: Jorge Labarga (the only judge Hale is voting to retain)

FOOFOO

Foo Foo Fest • Nov. 3-14

In case you're new to these parts or just need a refresher, Foo Foo Fest is a 12-day celebration of arts and culture that happens every fall in Pensacola. Some of the events are generously funded through grants by Art, Culture, Entertainment, Inc. (ACE). Others are what they call "Friends of Foo" and are basically just other events happening during the same timeframe.

For our annual Foo Foo Fest guide, we featured a mix of both—touching on everything from art exhibitions to film premieres to live music. We also included a festival calendar to help you maximize your Foo Foo experience over the next two weeks. {in}

"Sight Unseen" by Lara Sophie Benjamin Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival 2022 Invited International Artist

REBELLING FOR A CAUSE

By Savannah Evanoff

Lumar LeBlanc's first performance was as a kindergartner in front of a large audience, playing the conga drums for some type of African performance his mother had roped him into.

And while the memories are foggy because he was so young, LeBlanc remembers something clicked. From there, he started beating on pots and pans, the bed—really anything wood that produced a sound.

"My mom and dad were like, 'We gotta get him a drum because he's tearing up stuff in the house,'" LeBlanc said. "Once they got the drums, they felt a little crazy, because I was making big noise. Back in those days, especially the ghet to that I grew up in, it was no problem, so I could go outside and play. But in the house, I could as sume it was challenging, but my parents were so loving and supportive, they let me beat them drums all night."

Next, they bought him a guitar. And LeBlanc isn't ashamed to say he used to sit on the porch pretending he was Elvis Presley or B.B. King.

"I couldn't imagine how I looked as a child

doing that," LeBlanc said. "Everybody likes drums, but a guitar in the ghetto."

Music became his driving force. LeBlanc went on to symphony band in elementary school then marching band and received a music schol arship to Texas Southern University. Then came The Soul Rebels.

But the founding member and snare drum mer for The Soul Rebels still remembers when they were a band without name. Tucked into New Orleans’ storied history of brass band and jazz music, The Soul Rebels started out as some thing of a "junior band" to Dejan's Olympia Brass Band in the early 1990s—doing European tours, playing for parades and private festivals in New Orleans and, of course, at Jazz Fest.

When the unnamed group started playing for The Neville Brothers through a family connec tion, doors began opening.

"The Soul Rebels is different from your tra ditional brass band," LeBlanc said. "We were into the funk and the hip-hop and reggae and gospel and all that. So we were really more or less a hy brid of the New Orleans brass band scene. At the

time, we were like the outlaws, the true rebels, because everybody felt when we would do The Soul Rebel music that we were kind of disrespecting the tradition."

After one of their shows, Cyr il Neville asked if they finally had a name. And if not, he had a sugges tion—The Soul Rebels.

"We were like, 'Wow, that's an awe some name,'" LeBlanc said. "He was like, 'It basically comes from Bob Mar ley.' It symbolizes a more in-depth pur pose. It's a real name that has real pur pose. It symbolizes freedom and justice and music for rebelling for a cause rath er than rebelling for negativity. So we enjoy that name. We celebrated it."

The journey from there is nothing short of marvelous. The Soul Rebels ac cidentally had one of its first collabora tions with Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.

"Robert Plant came into one of these New Orleans music clubs, and he happened to see us playing," LeBlanc said. "And for some reason, he jumps out the limousine and gets on stage with us and starts singing. The majori ty of people in the club didn't know who he was. We, definitely as being authentic musi cians, we knew who he was."

They discovered something there, LeBlanc said.

"We found out, our music, even though it's organic with sousaphones, two separate drum mers, trumpets, trombones and a tenor saxo phone, we have the ability to transpose just like a regular band that has guitars and a drum set and keyboards and all the other standard equip ment," LeBlanc said.

And since then, they've performed with the likes of Katy Perry, Nas, DMX, G-Eazy, Robin Thicke, Portugal. The Man, Metallica and Mari lyn Manson. The Soul Rebels' 2019 album, "Po etry in Motion," features PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty and Alfred Banks.

Making new music is a constant journey, LeBlanc said.

"You have eight different members with eight different personalities and styles," LeBlanc said. "The home base is the marching bands and the jazz. All of us participated in that kind of setting coming from New Orleans … The last album, or

CD, was a great success, but we're always creat ing constantly. Even while we're on stage, we're creating. I guess that's the jazz in us."

LeBlanc looks forward to putting their music in more commercial settings, but he's a fashion guy at heart, he said.

"I love tennis shoes and fashion," LeBlanc said. "I always look forward to that part of our journey. Each member is very stylish, so I always look forward to seeing what they're wearing for each show."

Audience members should expect not only stylish fits but also a high-energy, jazz, hip-hop type of environment, he said.

Julian Gosin, the trumpet player for the past 13 years, has loved of every second of exploring with the band.

"Learning a lot of things, having the chance to travel the world and experience different cul tures and be around a plethora of different musi cians has been a great experience," Gosin said.

Gosin looks forward to performing again in Florida.

"Pensacola is our neighbor; I get there a lot just to hang out at the beach because it's so close to New Orleans," Gosin said. "And I'm just ec static to be back performing in front of fans. We're just a year removed from the pandem ic. We're still kinda getting back in the hang of things, so any chance we get to perform in front of people, especially our local Floridians, is al ways a great time."

"I just want to send a shout-out to Pensaco la, Florida," LeBlanc said. "Soul Rebels are on the way. We comin' and we gon’ bring it to you."

THE SOUL REBELS

DETAILS: thesoulrebels.com

JAZZ FOR JUSTICE

WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13

WHERE: Museum Plaza, 120 Church St.

COST: General admission is free; VIP tickets are $60

DETAILS: jazz.lsnf.org

JAZZ FOR JUSTICE MUSIC SCHEDULE

•1:30 p.m. 9th Ave Brass Band

•2:30 p.m. Tuba Skinny

•4:30 p.m. The Soul Rebels

The Soul Rebels / Photo by Louis Browne

details of the performance.

But what the Lyceum Series Director re members clearly is the swarm of smiles ear to ear on people's faces as they exited the venue.

He's excited to bring back the improvisa tional comedy enterprise's touring company for their "Out of the House Party" presented by Pen sacola State College at this year's Foo Foo Fest.

"We have a yearly series, our Lyceum Series, where we try and bring different types of art and culture to our students and our local com munity," Barbero said. "We were planning on bringing Second City again in 2020, but COVID

to be able to use resources somewhere else to have more events as well."

Barbero knows people will love the comedy. Before their 2018 performance, Second City picked his brain for some local references to incorporate into their show.

"I wasn't quite sure what they were getting at with all of it, and then I got to see how they worked all of that into their bit, and I thought that was really awesome," Barbero said. "They made some funny jokes about the Fish House and the vitamin store, right there on Ninth over by the mall, which had just been built. One of

them made a joke—he was like, 'I was gonna go check out the vitamin store, but I didn't have the energy.' Just some slapstick humor."

They also recruited audience members for participation. Many of Barbero's history students were chosen.

"One of my favorite students that I've ever had, she's really shy, and she got picked to be one of the improv people they interact with," Barbero said. "Just watching her come out of her shell and watching the impact that these kinds of events can have on regular people."

Seeing that is why Barbero does what he does, he said.

"So many people who come to our events for the Lyceum Series, they've never been to a con cert before; they've never been to a play before," Barbero said. "They've definitely never seen im prov or anything like that before. So this is just an amazing opportunity to provide new experiences for people."

Proceeds from the event will go back into the college's performing arts scholarship fund. The event sold out last time, he said.

"It's really wonderful because for this part of town, especially over by the airport, we don't always get the same types of cultural activities that we get in the downtown area," Barbero said. "This is really awesome because not only is this an opportunity to bring people from other parts of the city, or from other parts of the state or the South to Pensacola, but we're also providing new

opportunities for people in this community. And for many of them, $40 or $50 tickets to one of the other places in town is just out of their reach. This is something that's really accessible and af fordable because it's free for students and $11 for the general public."

Barbero is equal parts excited to see Second City again and Béla Fleck for the 30th time on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival—another Foo Foo Fest event.

"I've been seeing him since I was 15 years old—and it's on my birthday nonetheless," Bar bero said. "And it's free."

He can't wait for Foo Foo Fest.

"The college is absolutely thrilled to be part of this," Barbero said. "It's a huge event every year. It provides a really affordable good time for our community and for our students."

SECOND CITY'S "OUT OF THE HOUSE PARTY"

WHAT: An improv comedy show featuring Second City's touring company

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9

WHERE: Ashmore Auditorium at Pensacola State College, Bldg. 8

COST: $7-$11; free for PSC students

DETAILS: performingarts.pensacolastate. edu/upcoming-events

PAINTING THE TOWN

By Jeremy Morrison

crease the city's inventory of murals and result in many associated benefits of a more beauti fied community.

"Other cities across the country and around the world have started mural festivals, created beautiful art, attracted tourists and revitalized neighborhoods," she said.

This past summer, a class of artists from the University of West Florida were provided space to create murals at Shoreline Foods Internation al Market and Deli. Owner Maia Vatsolakis is a big believer in the benefit of such art, which is why she decided to jump on board with this initial mu ral fest as a sponsor of the event.

Plus, he added, they're pretty good for busi ness and tend to spike on social media. "Cus tomers love 'em. I see people tag us, tens of times a day, just taking pictures of all the mu rals," said Cooper.

When Nadsady gives his talk at Mural Fest this year, he'll be speaking on the philosophy of murals, about how they can lead to the overall beautification of a community.

There's something surreal and beautiful about murals, about the presence of art . It seems to soothe the surrounding area, to bathe it in interest and curiosity.

"Murals kind of give right from the road, right from the sidewalk, kind of a signal that things are getting better, that we can focus on beauty and give inspiration to people there," reflects Pensac ola artist Dylan Nadsady.

Nadsady created the murals that have trans formed Emerald Republic Brewing into a giant canvas. Josh Cooper, the brewery's general man ager, considers them special and important.

"Here, we really believe that murals add to the breath of a space, down to human interaction," he said. "I think murals just complete the building."

During the inaugural First City Mural Festi val on Nov. 5, Nadsady, as well as fellow mural

ist Eniko Ujj, will be giving artist talks centered on public art. Additionally, a collective of local art ists will be creating murals on 4-by-8 panels, to be available for purchase in a silent auction.

"Murals have been appearing on walls all over Pensacola, and we saw a mural festival as a way to celebrate these existing murals and add to Pen sacola's extensive public art collection," said orga nizer Holly Benson.

While this inaugural festival will be based at Emerald Republic—an establishment that has ful ly embraced murals, inside and out—Benson said that in the coming years, she hopes to see the fes tival branch out across the city.

"Next year, we hope to have muralists paint ing the walls of buildings in the neighborhood," she said.

Such a festival, Benson said, should help in

"It's just a beautiful thing that gets recog nized and appreciated," she said, adding that she's hopeful that more space around town might be utilized for art.

Cooper said that he's noticed a significant up tick in murals around town.

"I see murals shooting up everywhere now," he said, noting that they, oftentimes, will relay some thing about the business or property that they adorn. That's how he feels about Emerald Repub lic's murals, anyway.

"The big mural on the outside," he said, "I mean, when you drive by and see it, my first thought, if it was me, would be, 'Wow, what is that? What is this place? That looks cool.' At least, that's how I view murals. It makes me more interested in what that business is and what they stand for, be cause the owner or someone with that company had to sign off on that mural being there, so to me, it really says something about the business itself."

"When people see a mural up and they can get inspired, they want to do their own hard work at bettering what they can themselves," he said. "And it's kind of that domino effect— any place in town that has a mural, you'll start seeing people trying to have healthy competi tion of beautification."

The artist is hopeful that murals will con tinue to be embraced in Pensacola, that more art will appear upon urban canvases.

"With all this new construction happening, there's a lot of walls; there's a lot of paint that can go on them," said Nadsady.

FIRST CITY MURAL FEST

WHAT: An event celebrating murals fea turing artist talks and a live art auction

WHEN: 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5

WHERE: Emerald Republic Brewing, 1414 W. Government St.

COST: Free

DETAILS : firstcitymuralfest.com

Photo Courtesy of Second City's Touring Company

Mural by Dylan Nadsady, located at Emerald Republic Brewing / Photo Courtesy of the Artist

VANDALS NO MORE

By Hunter Morrison

In conjunction with Foo Foo Fest, Pensacola Museum of Art is opening a new exhibition— "Vandals to Vanguards."

The exhibition explores the evolution of pop art and street art through the museum's collec tion and loans from local collectors. Occupying the museum's entire second floor, the exhibition will feature contemporary masterpieces from pop favorites like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, alongside notorious street artists like Banksy and Mr. Brainwash.

The exhibition, which will be on display through January, examines how several icons of modern art found success by rebelling against the prevailing sentiments of the art world and seek ing a more democratic form of artistic expression. Starting in the 1960s with pop art's radical use of commonplace images from advertising and enter tainment, "Vandals to Vanguards" illustrates how generations of artists have recycled and remixed themes and concepts to continually advance and question the boundaries of fine art.

"Warhol and the other pop artists of the 1960s began using commercial processes like screen printing to create multiples quickly and easily," said Anna Wall, chief curator at the Pensacola Muse um of Art. "Subsequent generations adopted these techniques to create artwork that reached an even greater audience through mass distribution."

The exhibit features about 45 pieces from a range of artists. On view are examples of Haring's poster art, Banksy's doctored British curren cy and Jeremy Novy's stencil work.

The majority of the pieces on display came from the collection of Lewis and Belle Bear, who fell in love with the colorful work of the pop and street art movements many years ago. A longtime supporter of local arts organizations, Mr. Bear always enjoyed collecting artwork but didn't have a strong direction until he dis covered the many-layered relation ships between artists like Warhol, Haring and Mr. Brainwash.

Former PMA Director Maria Goldberg dreamed up the concept of "Vandals to Vanguards" along side Mr. Bear as a way to showcase some of the amazing contempo rary artwork in local collections.

"His collection illustrates how generations of artists have recycled and appro priated concepts and themes to continually ad vance and question the boundaries of fine art," Wall said. "The exhibition lets you see these in tergenerational relationships up close. Iconic im ages like Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe appear throughout the galleries, remixed and rei magined over several decades by many different hands. The artists in the exhibition create a new visual language that has become an integral part of our mainstream culture and continues to be referenced and revered in new ways."

Wall added that Haring's 1986 silkscreen "Andy Mouse," which is part of the collection, encapsu lates the spirit of the exhibition. The print depicts a combination of Andy Warhol and Mickey Mouse, with Warhol's trademark silver wig splayed be tween mouse ears. The piece captures Warhol as an American pop icon standing in a pool of cash.

"Beyond the representation of the artist as a celebrity pop superstar, the print illustrates how Warhol, Haring and other artists of the time worked together and learned from each other as they navigated this new art world they created," Wall said. "You see a similar community amongst street artists in the early 21st century, with imag ery and processes being shared between genera tions and repeated."

Thanks to grant funding from Foo Foo Fest, the museum will bring "Vandals to Vanguards" to life with events and free admission during the festival.

Kicking things off on Friday, Nov. 4, PMA will host a block party outside the museum on Jeffer son Street. The event will also feature well-known stencil street artist Jeremy Novy, who will create two 6-foot koi stencil pieces for the occasion.

"I do my best to help people find everyday beauty and joy on their sidewalks—if only for a moment when they find a koi stencil," Novy said. "This is significant because who wants to litter or not pick up their pet's poop after seeing art under their feet."

PMA will also be hosting a stencil workshop with Novy on Saturday, Nov. 5. The event will highlight a brief, yet insightful, history of stencil ing, as well as offer an understanding of how to design, cut and spray your own stencil. Partici pants will be allowed to take their stencils home.

" I hope that I can inspire artists participating in my workshop to use stencils as a means to ex press their ideas and emotions," Novy said. "Since one of my pieces in the exhibition is a queer im age, I also hope to bring a greater awareness to the lack of queer visibility in murals."

For their Foo Foo programming finale, PMA will be taking over Vinyl Music Hall Thursday, Nov. 10, for an event inspired by infamous parties at Andy Warhol's Factory. In addition to art dem os and interactive artmaking opportunities, the event will also include performances by House Pencil Green and local drag queens.

As a connection to Warhol's well-known soup cans, the PMA will be collecting canned food donations to benefit Manna Food Pantries at the event.

The title "Vandals to Vanguards" can be in terpreted as a metaphor for how pop and street artists have broken through barriers and been accepted over the years. Once regarded by some as vandals, these artists have led the way in artistic development and are now recognized as vanguards.

"I hope visitors have a new appreciation of how pop and street artists looked outside the traditional gallery system to create new forms of art that have become so mainstream that their images are an integral part of our popular cul ture and continue to influence artists today," Wall said.

"VANDALS TO VANGUARDS" EXHIBITION INFORMATION AND PROGRAMMING

"VANDALS TO VANGUARDS"

WHAT: An exhibition featuring pop favor ites like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring and street artists like Banksy and Mr. Brainwash

WHEN: On view Nov. 4-Jan. 8

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

COST: In conjunction with Foo Foo Fest, museum admission will be free Nov. 4-11

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

"VANDALS TO VANGUARDS" OPENING RECEPTION AND BLOCK PARTY

WHAT: A night of art making, food, drink and festivity kicking off a week-long celebration of the exhibition

WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4

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

COST: Free with ticketing that is suggested, but not required

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

STENCIL WORKSHOP WITH JEREMY NOVY

WHAT: A workshop designed for adults and mature teenagers 15+ (because participants will be working with a sharp knife) with sten cil street artist Jeremy Novy

WHEN: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5

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

COST: $40 PMA members, $50 non-mem bers; all materials are included

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org

PMA ART FACTORY NIGHT AT VINYL MUSIC HALL

WHAT: An event that merges music, video projections, live street art demos and inter active art making

WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 WHERE: Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox COST: Free with ticketing that is suggested, but not required

DETAILS: pensacolamuseum.org, vinylmusichall.com

Keith Haring “Andy Mouse,” 1986, silkscreen Collection of Lewis Bear, Jr. © Keith Haring Foundation

Film Festival.

BUBBLE ALLEY Brought to life by the Friends of Downtown Pensacola and on view Nov. 3-14, Bubble Alley will offer a colorful and unique visu al experience for Pensacola to enjoy, share, pho tograph and be proud of. Visit facebook.com/ downtownpensacola for more information.

UNREQUITED Based on William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet," "Unrequit ed" is an immersive theatrical event at Pensaco la Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Dance with the Capulets in their grand ballroom, dodge the Montagues on the streets of Verona and be a part of a thrilling affair. Must be 21 to attend. Shows are at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. and run during Foo Foo Fest Nov. 4-6 and Nov. 8-9. More information avail able at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

VANDALS TO VANGUARDS The exhibi tion will be on view at the Pensacola Museum of Art, located at 407 S. Jefferson St., starting Fri day, Nov. 4. Admission is free during Foo Foo Fest (Nov. 4-11). The "Vandals to Vanguards" exhibi tion explores the evolution of pop art and street art through works from the museum's collec tion and loans from local collectors. The open ing reception and block party is Friday, Nov. 4. There will also be a special Factory Night party on Thursday, Nov. 10, at Vinyl Music Hall. Visit pen sacolamuseum.org for details.

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: SCHUMANN SYMPHONY NO. 3 Pensacola Symphony Orchestra presents

poser Senturia will also perform his work "Petra," inspired by the ancient sandstone city. Visit pen sacolasymphony.com.

BÉLA FLECK: MY BLUEGRASS HEART Join the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and Foo Foo Fest 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, for Béla Fleck in concert at Hunter Amphitheatre, 350 W. Cedar St. The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is hosting this concert to celebrate its 50th year.

JAZZ PENSACOLA PRESENTS: KARL DENSON'S TINY UNIVERSE Internationally re nowned Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (KDTU) will perform at 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 7, at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets are $25 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

MUSIC CITY HIT-MAKERS: THE SONGS, THEIR STORIES, A SYMPHONY On Tues day, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m., University of West Flor ida and The Frank Brown International Founda tion for Music present "Music City Hit-Makers: The Songs, Their Stories, A Symphony," featuring three hit Nashville songwriters—Jon Nite, Riv ers Rutherford and Brett James—at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $33-$68 and available at pensacolasaenger.com.

THE SECOND CITY'S TOURING COMPANY: OUT OF THE HOUSE PARTY Pensac ola State College is hosting The Second City Touring Company in "Out of the House Party," 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Ashmore Audito rium at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. Tickets are $7-$11 and free to PSC stu

7-9:30 p.m., at Rex Theatre, 18 N. Palafox. Tick ets are $20-$40 and available at choralsocietyof pensacola.org.

STAMPED: LGBTQIA+ FILM FESTIVAL STAMPED LGBTQIA+ is celebrating its 10th an niversary bigger and better than ever with film screenings from 5-9 p.m., Nov. 10-12. and 1-3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13, at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Film screenings are free. There are also special events including a writing workshop with Del Shores at 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11. Tickets are $30. On Saturday, Nov. 12, enjoy coffee and conversations with director Fiona Dawson at 11 a.m., and Tituss Burgess will give a keynote pre sentation and Q&A at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12. More information on movies and events is available at stampedfilmfest.com.

FORTY FORWARD: CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES OF OPERA IN PENSACOLA Pen sacola Opera proudly presents "Forty Forward: Celebrating Four Decades of Opera in Pensaco la" on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m., at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. During the performance, 16 thrilling vocalists will take center stage along side the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra to pres ent an unparalleled one-night-only gala concert. Tickets are $25-$75 and $50 for the reception. Visit pensacolaopera.com for details.

JAZZ FOR JUSTICE PRESENTED BY LEGAL SERVICES OF NORTH FLORIDA This year's Jazz for Justice is Sunday, Nov. 13, starting at 1 p.m. at Museum Plaza, featuring The Soul Reb els, Tuba Skinny and the 9th Avenue Brass Band.

Admission is free to the general public, with VIP tickets available for $60. Visit jazz.lsnf.org for more information.

FRIEND OF FOO EVENTS

In addition to the grant-funded events, Foo Foo Fest also invites local nonprofits and for-prof it businesses who are hosting events during the festival to apply for their "Friend of Foo" program. This allows those events to benefit from the fes tival's marketing efforts and be listed on their calendar, which is regularly updated when new events apply, so make sure you bookmark it dur ing the next 12 days—foofoofest.com/events.

PENSACOLA OPERA PRESENTS: MODA Pensacola Opera's first ever high-end fash ion event, MODA brings models to the catwalk Thursday, Nov. 3, at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. The event starts at 6 p.m. Visit pensacolaopera. com for details.

AMERICAN MARIACHI Set in the 1970s, "Amer ican Mariachi" is the story of a young woman who wants to play mariachi music for her mother, who is slipping into early onset dementia. The story comes to life from PenArts at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 3-5, and 2:30 p.m., Nov. 6, at The Gordon Community Art Center, 306 N. DeVilliers St. Tickets are $15 and up. For more information, visit penarts.org.

MULTIMEDIA ARTWORK BY TRA BOUS CAREN Artist Tra Bouscaren is creating a mul timedia artwork specifically constructed for the Lamar Studio in the Anna Lamar Switzer Cen ter for Visual Arts at PSC, 1000 College Blvd. On view throughout Foo Foo Fest. Admission is free.

ART & HISTORY SCAVENGER HUNT PRESENTED BY QUAYSIDE GALLERY Quayside Art Gallery will showcase its 80 artists through an art and history scavenger hunt, which takes place Nov. 4-14 during normal business hours at Quayside Gallery, 17 Zaragoza St. Admission is free.

38TH ANNUAL FRANK BROWN SONG

WRITERS' FESTIVAL The 38th annual Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival will fea ture nationally acclaimed songwriters in venues along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast from Nov. 3-13 at various locations. For more information, visit frankbrownsongwriters.com.

SIR RICHARD'S ART EXHIBITION Visit Sir Richard's Public House, 2719 E. Cervantes, Nov. 3-10 for an art exhibit featuring creations from some of our local artists. An opening reception will be Thursday, Nov. 3, from 5-7 p.m. Visit sir richardslounge.com for details.

ATLAS BEVERAGE CLASS The November ABC features whiskey from around the world with classes at 5 and 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3, at At las Beverage Oyster House, 600 S. Barracks St. Classes are $25 per person. Reservations are re quired and can be made by emailing taylor@ goodgrits.com or calling (850) 287-0200.

50TH GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTI

VAL The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is a three-

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra Guest Artist Rachel Lee Priday / Photo by Dario Acosta

day juried art show that draws more than 200 of the nation's best painters, potters, sculptors, jew elers, graphic artists and other artists. This year's event is Nov. 3-5 at Seville Square. See a lineup of artists and musicians at ggaf.org.

LIVE MUSIC AT BAMBOO WILLIE'S Watch

Unfortunate Sons on Friday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m., Thin Ice at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, and Tyler Liv ingston at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at Bamboo Wil lie's 400 Quietwater Beach Road. All shows are free admission.

THIRD ANNUAL ZARZAUR LAW PING PONG ON PALAFOX "Ping Pong on Palafox," hosted by Zarzaur Law, will include a table ten nis "ping pong" tournament for all ages and levels, games, refreshments for players and more. A free table tennis clinic for kids will be from 9-10 a.m. The official party begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, and continues until 5 p.m. at 100 S. Palafox. Visit zarzaurlaw.com/ppop2022 for details.

SIMON SAYS RUN CHARITY BIKE RAFFLE

EVENT Buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win an O'Riley's-themed bike. The winner will be drawn Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. All proceeds for this event go toward the charity Simon Says RUN! For more information, visit orileyspub.com.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market brings some of the best vendors to MLK Jr. Plaza every Saturday. For more information, visit facebook. com/downtownpensacola.

O'RILEY'S STELLA ARTOIS CHALICE

PAINTING Each participant will receive two (2) Stella Artois chalices and will have access to all the supplies to paint the chalice to their liking. Guests will choose one to take home and one to leave behind to be judged by a local celebrity or politician. All contestants will receive a free Tshirt and a free Stella Artois if they are of the le gal drinking age (21 years). This event is Satur day, Nov. 5, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., is open to anyone who would like to participate and is hosted on the front patio of O'Riley's Irish Pub, 321 S. Palafox. For more information, visit orileyspub.com.

FIRST CITY MURAL FEST Enjoy the inaugural First City Mural Festival Saturday, Nov. 5, starting at 10 a.m., at Emerald Republic Brewing Co., 1414 W. Government St. Local muralists will be creating 4-by-8 panels that showcase the hidden treasures of Pensacola, and at the end of the day, their mu rals will be available for purchase in a silent auc tion. During the day, there will be two artist talks featuring Dylan Nadsady and Eniko Ujj, live music from Goldmine,and food from A Rustyc Spoon. Visit firstcitymuralfest.com for details.

SONGWRITERS IN THE GARDEN Songwrit ers in the Garden, presented by Frank Brown In ternational Songwriters' Festival, will be at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6. Hosted by Katie Dineen with Love Brynnevere, Faithe, Raleigh Eli and Madeline Earth at From the Ground Up Com munity Garden, 501 N. Hayne St. Admission is $5. For more information, visit facebook.com/ fromthegroundupgarden.

SACRED: THE MOVIE Watch the premiere of "Sacred," a locally filmed movie at Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St., Sunday, Nov. 6, 4-9 p.m. Tickets are $10, and more information can be found at manageroftheyear.net.

THE FLORIDA TABLE: A STATE OF TASTE

Join the team at Jackson's Steakhouse, 400 S. Palafox, for a special food and wine event. The five-course food and wine pairing will be held on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $90 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (850) 469-9898 or visiting jack sonsrestaurant.com.

PENSACOLA ELITE DANCE TRAP WALTZ

Join Friend of Foo Pensacola Elite Dance for their presentation of Trap Waltz, Nov. 11, 7– 11 p.m., at UWF Conference Center, 11000 University Park way. Tickets are $50. More information at pen sacolaelitedance.com.

NAS PENSACOLA BLUE ANGELS HOME COMING AIR SHOW NAS Pensacola is pleased to announce the NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, Nov. 11-12, with the theme of "100 Years of Carrier Aviation." Gates open at 8 a.m., and the show begins at 9:30 a.m. both days. Free and open to the public. Visit naspensacolaairshow.com/seating-tickets.

PENSACOLA MAKER FAIRE A free gathering for fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do, 10 a.m.4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12, at multiple locations. Event is free, but registration is required. Visit pensacola.makerfaire.com/tickets for details.

BOURBON, BACON, BREWS & CIGARS

O'Riley's Irish Pub, located at 321 S. Palafox, will host "Bourbon, Bacon, Brews & Cigars," a special event on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 2-4 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a flight with one cigar and one brew. Call (850) 912-4001 for reservations.

WINTER BREW FEST Warm up and sample some of the best "wintery" craft beers avail able during Winter Brewfest at O'Riley's Irish Pub on Nov. 12 from 5-7 p.m., featuring beer from local Pensacola breweries. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Details at ori leyspub.com.

MAHABHUTA YOGA EVENT The 11th Ma habhuta Yoga VegFest on Nov. 12 celebrates vegan food, yoga, dance, breath, meditation, nature, music, art and community from 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. at Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road. For more details, visit ma habhutayogavegfest.com.

PENSACOLA BIG GREEN FESTIVAL Pen sacola Big Green EggFest is a BBQ event that welcomes more than 50 BBQ teams and back yard cooks from all over the United States. The event is noon-3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13, at Pen sacola Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St. Tickets are $35 and available through a link at foofoofest.com.

2022 PENSACOLA BEACH AND WINE FES-

TIVAL On Sunday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk becomes the Pensacola Beach Art and Wine Festival. Enjoy the fall air while sampling wines and perusing the works of art. The event is free to attend.

LITTLE FRENCH MARKET Visit Wild Lemon, 3000 N. 12th Ave., for a French-themed market Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit wildle monstudios.com for more information, including a vendor list.

50 YEARS OF ART, MUSIC AND FUN

ty to purchase handmade gifts for your loved ones.

"In addition to being one of Pensaco la's favorite hometown events and a great fall outing, Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival at tracts many people to the city," said Bryan McCall, public relations director for Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. "With attendees contributing $15 million to the local econ omy, Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival has es tablished itself as an economic driver."

Along with the juried art show in Se ville Square, the festival also showcases various musical and dance performanc es. The main stage will feature new names, as well as favorites like Tanya Gallagh er, Holly Shelton and the Pensacola Sym phony Orchestra. The lineup continues on the Museum Plaza Stage and includes performances from the Pensacola Op era, Pensacola Little Theatre, college mu sical groups and a gospel group. Music will range from nuevo-flamenco to bluegrass to classical.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, and in conjunction with Foo Foo Festival, GGAF will also be hosting a free concert with Grammy award-winning bluegrass musician Béla Fleck on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Hunter Amphitheater in the Commu nity Maritime Park.

Benjamin is known for painting subject mat ter from her everyday surroundings and finds sig nificant resonance in ordinary sights and spaces. She is interested in their experiential nature, sub jective and selective readings, and the light and forms created within them.

"Windows and doorways are of particular in terest, with their liminal associations," Benjamin said. "They are transitional places, where time and action are suspended, where both the out side and inside are present. They also create a frame allowing you to glimpse what's on the oth er side, but it's a partially obstructed view, creat ing ambiguity and drawing you in."

Benjamin believes that her creative process is a personal reaction to the world, with the outer and inner worlds coming together on canvas.

"The activity of painting itself is an impor tant drive for me," Benjamin said. "I work intui tively and find painting to be an unending process of exploration and discovery based on formal and aesthetic qualities and the infinite possibilities of what you can do with paint."

In an effort to advance the arts, GGAF, in partnership with Artel Gallery, offers a grant op portunity for emerging artists. The purpose is to provide support and exposure for one or two new artists each year to launch them into a viable ca reer pursuing their passion.

cal business sponsors. Over the years, it has be come a staple on annual calendars, with many locals treating the first Friday in November (which is always the first day of the festival) as a Pensacola holiday.

"Many people come to Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival year after year, and even people who have moved away plan trips to Pensacola around the festival," McCall said. "My children, for exam ple, first came to the festival in strollers and try to come back every year."

In recognition of the 50-year milestone, the Pensacola Museum of History is presenting an exhibit on the history of the festival. The festi val has always been an all-volunteer effort, and the exhibit tells its story through the people who have made it happen. The exhibit runs through February 2023.

McCall says that without the support of vol unteers, GGAF would not be possible. He thanks them for their support and invites all who are in terested to help continue this tradition.

"We want to keep it going for another 50 years," McCall said. "The festival is very fortunate to have dedicated volunteers, some of whom have been a part of it since the very beginning. Even with this strong legacy of volunteers, new people are always needed and welcomed."

one of the most established and well-regarded arts festivals in the country, and 2022 marks its 50th anniversary.

This year, the three-day juried show will fea ture more than 200 sculptors, potters, painters, jewelers, photographers, woodworkers and more, plus a very special anniversary concert.

Although artists compete for a total of $25,000 in prize money, they also compete for the attention of festivalgoers with a wide variety of art for sale. With the holidays just around the corner, it's an excellent opportuni

"Over the last four decades, Béla Fleck has made a point of boldly going where no banjo play er has gone before, a musical journey that has earned him 16 Grammys in nine different fields," McCall said.

Another notable event happening at this year's GGAF is the return of their invited internation al featured artist program. Due to the pandem ic, they were unable to host visiting artists the last two years.

This year's invited artist is Lara Sophie Benja min, an oil painter from Cyprus.

The festival also awards grants to local non profit organizations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for community art projects. Past recipi ents include First City Art Center, Pensacola Op era, Santa Rosa Arts and Culture Foundation and West Florida Historic Preservation.

"Our mission is to promote art in the region, and the grants are an extension of that, allowing us to support arts-related endeavors by other commu nity organizations," McCall said. "We typically give $10,000 in grants each year, but the amount has varied depending on how much money we take in."

GGAF has no paid staff and is run by a dedi cated group of volunteers and supported by lo

GREAT GULFCOAST ARTS FESTIVAL

WHAT: A three-day juried art show featuring more than 200 artists, plus live entertainment on multiple stages and an interactive kids' art area

WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 and Sat urday, Nov. 5; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6

WHERE: Seville Square, 311 E. Govern ment St.

COST: Free

DETAILS: ggaf.org

"SACRED" PENSACOLA

By Rick Outzen

Pensacola promoter and filmmaker Elrico Tunstall will debut his film "Sacred" during the first weekend of Foo Foo Fest at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

For the Army veteran who served over two tours in combat zones, the film lets him show off his creative talent and hometown.

The medical drama tells the story of wid ower Dr. Darin Brooks and his adult children as they battle to keep their legacy and hospi

"The family has so much to lose as the fa ther pits the children against each other and outside influences try to stop them," Tun stall told Inweekly. "Yet, on the opposite end of the coin, there is so much to gain if Dr.

The press releases have described "Sa cred" as a mash-up of "Grey's Anatomy," "Power" and "Empire." Tunstall explained, "From 'Empire,' we pulled in the family dynam ic of a sociopath father, who's making his kids

achieve to be the best they can be. The 'Grey's Anatomy' tie is the love stories of the relationships between the spouses, girlfriends and everybody that's involved in that world."

He continued, "And then I would say for 'Pow er,' just the whole dynamic of people trying to stop you from achieving your goal and having to out smart all the other players. There's also a little bit of 'Game of Thrones' because anybody can get it at any time."

Tunstall used several Pensacola locations dur ing filming, including the old Sacred Heart Hospi tal on 12th Avenue, Englewood Baptist Church's All in One Kitchen, First Baptist Church in War rington, Belmont-DeVilliers, Pace Boulevard and Pensacola Beach.

"We tried to go everywhere we could to re ally show our city to the world because this is go ing to be shown to the world," Tunstall shared. "We didn't want to just dress it up and make pre tend. When we actually went to Englewood, our prop masters wanted to put white tablecloths on

the tables. I was like, 'No, no, no.' See, when peo ple come into All in One, I want them to see the Aaron Watson napkin holder sitting there with a hot sauce bottle. Don't put flowers and roses out. I want people to really know our city."

He added, "The talented cast takes on reallife issues such as family, love and, most impor tantly, corruption. The movie will feel both famil iar and unique to audiences." {in}

"SACRED" MOVIE PREMIERE

WHAT: The premiere of a locally filmed movie by filmmaker Elrico Tunstall

WHEN: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6 (gates open at 4 p.m.)

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St.

COST: $10

DETAILS: manageroftheyear.net

Elrico Tunstall / Courtesy Photo

Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival 2022 Poster Design

NONPROFITS & FUNDRAISERS

PENSACOLA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SECOND ANNUAL GALA Pensacola Habi tat for Humanity is hosting its Second Annual Gala at the National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd., on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. The formal event will feature a cocktail hour where guests can mingle with like-mind ed organizations and community stakehold ers while touring the exhibits and historical aircrafts within the Naval Aviation Museum, which remains closed to the majority of the public. The evening will include a three-course meal, silent and live auctions, live entertain ment and a cash bar. Tickets are $150 and are available at pensacolahabitat.org.

ANIMAL ALLIES BINGO Animal Allies Florida is hosting Bingo at two locations. Dates are 7 p.m., Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and 20, at Scenic Hills Country Club, located at 8891 Burning Tree Road. $10 for 30 cards. At The 5 Barrel Brewery, 121 S. Palafox, dates are 6 p.m. Oct. 11 and 25, Nov. 15 and 29, and Dec. 13 and 27. $10 for $10 rounds. Proceeds go to help local animals. You must be 18 years old to play. Visit aaflorida.org for details.

CALL TO ARTISTS

EASY GOLNG GALLERY OPEN CALL TO THE ARTISTS Easy Going Gallery is looking for artists for a juried exhibition. There is no theme, open call for original and raw art. Exhibition will be Nov. 17-Dec. 14 with a reception on Dec. 1. Entry fee is $25 and is nonrefundable. Drop off art Wednesday, Nov. 16, from noon-6 p.m., at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. Pick up work not se lected for the show by Nov. 17 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Artists may submit up to two pieces. Works must be wired and ready for hanging or presen tation and easy to exhibit with clear instructions. Artwork without hardware, wet paintings and craft art will not be accepted. Come prepared with title, media, dimensions and price for each art.

FOOD + DRINKS

BOURBON ON THE BASES A brand-new Bourbon on The Bases interactive dinner will be held under the lights at Blue Wahoos Stadium, 651 W. Cedar St., 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4. Awardwinning Executive Chef Travis Wilson will prepare a gourmet dinner menu for guests, serving cuisine with perfectly paired bourbon cocktails. Tickets are $150 and available soon at bluewahoos.com.

VINO MAGNIFICO The next Vino Magnifico is Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. Sample five wines and socialize with other wine lovers at V. Paul's, 29 S. Palafox. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased at vpauls.com.

FALL SUPPER SERIES WITH KINGFISHER

Join Amanda and Brian Kaderavek of Kingfisher for a multi-course menu focused on fresh Gulf seafood and autumn flavors joined by Emerald Coast Oyster Co. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased at peatandpearls.com.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAYS Support your favorite college football teams at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Wear your game day gear and get 15% off your beer tab. Visit facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

SAINTS SUNDAYS Deck out in your game day gear and watch your team on the big screen at Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St. Get 15% off your tab when dressed in Saint's game day gear. Sundays Aug. 13-Jan. 8. Visit facebook.com/ perfectplainbrewingco for details.

MONTHLY WINE TASTING IN AGAPI GAR

DEN Visit Agapi Garden, at 555 Scenic Highway, from 5-7 p.m., to sample five wines for $10. For more information, call (850) 813-5683.

SUNDAY FUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE WELL

The Well, located at 42 E. Garden St., has ex panded its offerings with a Sunday Funday Brunch cocktail menu including items such as Spicy Paloma made with Mezcal, a cold brew cocktail with Irish whiskey, a cucumber-infused spritz and a Bloody Mary spiced with house-made hot sauce and garnished with fresh pickled vegetables. Price range is $9-$12. Brunch hours are Sundays from noon-4 p.m. Other small plate offerings are avail able Thursday-Saturday from 4 p.m.-one hour before closing. For more information, visit face book.com/thewellpensacola.

BAYOU BUZZ COFFEE TASTING TOUR

Seville Savories Food Tour will host a coffee tour of downtown Pensacola Tuesdays-Fridays from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Tickets are available online at se villesavoriesfoodtour.com.

WINE WEDNESDAY Visit The Nest General Store at 11 S. Palafox, Ste. C, every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. for a wine happy hour. Deals include $1 off listed by-the-glass wines, a waived corking fee, charcuterie plates and a $15 'wine flight' op tion. Visit thenestgeneralstore.com/events for more information.

WEEKNIGHT HAPPY HOUR Every weeknight before 6 p.m. at The 5 Barrel, get $1 off all The 5 Barrel pints, $2 wine by the glass and half off hummus plates when you buy a pint of beer. Visit the5barrel.com for more information.

TABLETOP TUESDAYS AT THE 5 BARREL

Join The 5 Barrel for a special Tabletop Tuesday event at 6 p.m. every Tuesday in March. A wide variety of games ranging from the classic chess to the crowd favorite Catan will be available. Players are welcome to bring their own games.

ARAGON WINE TASTINGS Wine tastings at Aragon Wine Market are back every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in store at 27 S. Ninth Ave. For more information, visit aragonwinemarket.com.

THURSDAY TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE 5 BAR

REL Gather a group for a weekly Thursday Trivia Night Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. at The 5 Barrel. There will be prizes for every round and select drafts for $3. Find out more at facebook.com/ the5barrel.

THURSDAY BIERGARTEN TRIVIA NIGHT

Gary's Brewery Trivia Night is back by popular demand. Thursdays from 7-9 p.m., test your trivia skills with a glass of beer or wine. Arrive early to grab a spot. Gary's Brewery is located at 208 New man Ave. For more information, visit facebook. com/garysbrew.

FINE WINE FRIDAY Visit The Nest General Store the first Friday of every month for a wine tasting from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and includes charcuterie and the opportunity to try our monthly Wine Club offerings. Visit thenestgen eralstore.com/events for more information.

PALAFOX MARKET Palafox Market is host to local vendors and crafters at MLK Jr. Plaza. For more information, visit facebook.com/down townpensacola.

EVER'MARKET AT NINE MILE ROAD Visit Ever'Man at 1000 E. Nine Mile Road on the fourth Saturday of each month for the Ever'Market with food, music, giveaways, activities and more. Visit everman.org for more information.

200 SOUTH SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Every first Saturday of the month, the businesses at 200 South will host Small Business Saturday to show support for local businesses. Bring a receipt from a purchase from any other downtown busi ness and receive 10% off your bill at Graffiti Pizza, World of Beer, Taco Agave and Blend Lounge.

PENSACOLA POSITIVITY'S SUNDAY MAR KETS Sunday Markets on Palafox Street happen each Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in MLK Plaza on Palafox. Local makers, growers and creators gather each under the oak trees to sell their goods to the community. Interested vendors can request an application by emailing requeaskmikellah@ gmail.com. For more information, visit facebook. com/palafoxmarkets.

SATURDAYS AT THE MARKET OUTDOOR

VENDOR EVENT Located at 5300 Berryhill Road, the outdoor market features artisans and crafters alike from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect. For more information, email saturdaysatthemarket@ gmail.com.

PENSACOLA POP-UP FARMERS MARKET

Check out fresh and organic produce, milk, eggs, meat, fresh-baked bread, mushrooms, lumber, grits, cornmeal, pies and plants Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at East Hill Market, located at 1216 N. Ninth Ave. For a list of vendors, visit facebook. com/easthillmarket.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA MARKET Check out local vendors of art, produce and other local trea sures every Saturday at 7201 N. Ninth Ave. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit facebook. com/uptownmarketpensacola.

TWILIGHT THREE-COURSE SPECIAL The District's Twilight Three-Course special is back Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:306 p.m. Guests enjoy three courses for $35 per person. Diners must be seated by 6 p.m. for offer to be valid. To make a reservation, call (850) 3325224, or go to districtstreaks.com. The District is located at 123 E. Government St.

LIVE MUSIC

BUMPIN UGLIES Show is Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox. Tickets are $17 and available at vinylmusichall.com.

BRETT BENTON, VICTROLAS, JUSTIN LEE

HESTER Campfire Fund Benefit show at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St., 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. Tickets are $15 and available at thehandle bar850.com.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Blues Society of Northwest Florida and Seville Quarter present Monday Night Blues, the longest running weekly Blues Jam in Florida, starting at 7 p.m. with an opening and followed by the Blues Jam at 9 p.m. Seville Quarter is located

Unclaimed artwork will become property of Easy Going Gallery after seven days.

at 130 E. Government St. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

PENSACOLA PICK NIGHT AT ODD COLO NY Music pickers of all levels are invited to play at Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, from 7-9 p.m. every last Monday of the month. Visit facebook.com/ oddcolony for details.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT PERFECT PLAIN Head to Perfect Plain Brewing Co., 50 E. Garden St., on Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. through September. Visit facebook.com/perfectplain brewingco for more information.

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PEN SACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish Blue Fish for live performances from local bands all day on Fridays and Saturdays. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.

JOE OCCHIPINTI JAZZABOUTS Catch Joe Occhipinti and guests at Alice's Restaurant & Wine Bar, 1504 W. Intendencia St., Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and at Calvert's Restaurant & Bar, 670 Scenic Highway, Sundays from noon-3 p.m.

SAXOPHONIST JIM ANDREWS AT ALICE'S RESTAURANT Saxophonist Jim Andrews will be performing at Alice's Restaurant, located at 1504 W. Intendencia St., on the first Friday of every month from 6-9:30 p.m.

JAZZ BY THE BOOK Join Joe Occhipinti and

the Jazzabouts at the Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St., Tuesdays, Nov. 8 and 22, from 1-3 p.m., for classic jazz favorites.

RAY COLEY AT CAZADORES MEXICAN RESTAURANT Ray Coley performs oldies mix with jazz and blues every weekend with keyboard, horn and flute. Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m. and a jazz set on Sundays from 12-3 p.m. on the patio at Cazadores Mexican restaurant, lo cated at 8183 W. Fairfield Dr. Weather permitting.

CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET Visit Five Sisters Blues Café, located at 421 W. Belmont St., Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and listen to Curt Bol Jazz Quar tet. Visit curtbolband.com for more information.

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel Gal lery is open from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Music Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Sce nic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs.

LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS AT THE WELL Visit The Well, 42 E. Garden St., on Saturdays from 4-7 p.m. for live music. Visit facebook.com/thewellpen sacola for more information.

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full cal endar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues Society of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District, located at 130 E. Government St. ev ery Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit seville quarter.com.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE

QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

FITNESS + RECREATION

38TH ANNUAL GREAT PUMPKIN 5K AND FUN RUN The Great Pumpkin 5K run/ walk will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Sacred Heart Cathedral School, located on the corner of 12th Avenue and Moreno Street. Participants will race a 3.5-mile course through Old East Hill. To view the course map, please visit bit.ly/SHCSRaceCourse. On race day, late registration and packet pick-up will be open from 6:30-7:45 a.m. The 1-mile fun run will begin at 9 a.m. More information available at pensacolapumpkinrun.com.

CELEBRATE THE GULF Join Healthy Gulf for hands-on education about local beaches at Red Fish Blue Fish, 5 Via De Luna Drive, noon-7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. Check out displays of popular shells and other items that wash ashore on lo cal beaches, as well as some live fish and other marine life from Santa Rosa Sound. A portion of proceeds from restaurant sales at Red Fish Blue Fish will be donated to Healthy Gulf.

ISLAND FLIGHTS Don't miss Island Fights 75 live on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m., at the Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Fights to be an nounced and subject to change. For more infor mation, visit pensacolabaycenter.com.

PENSACOLA ICE FLYERS Games are played at Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are available at iceflyers.com. Upcoming home games:

7:05 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11

7:05 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19

PUBLIC SKATE Pensacola Bay Center hosts public ice-skating sessions October-April. All public skate sessions last one hour. Sessions typi cally occur on the weekends and after Ice Flyers Home games. Capacity is limited for each session, so get your tickets early.

Upcoming times:

9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11

9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12

3, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13

A common-sense, proven leader working for you.

MAIL,

VOTE

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Robert Bender, Republican, for Escambia County Commission, District 4.

happenings

YOGA SATURDAZE AT ODD COLONY Join Odd Colony, 260 N. Palafox, with Rachel Beck every first and third Saturday for Yoga Saturdaze. Spaces are limited. Cost is $20 per person and includes a drink ticket. Visit facebook.com/odd colony for details.

INAUGURAL BLUE WAHOOS KICKBALL

LEAGUE Join the Fall 2022 Blue Wahoos Kickball League. The co-ed adult league (for ages 18 and up) will play on Tuesday and Thursdays evenings at the ballpark weekly from September-Novem ber. Fall 2022 registration is available now. Contact sreeves@bluewahoos.com to sign up your team.

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK SCHEDULE RE

LEASED FOR 2022 Breathe Yoga and Wellness Center in partnership with the City of Pensacola will offer free one-hour yoga classes to citizens on the first Sunday of every month at 9:30 a.m. in Bayview Park, located at 2001 E. Lloyd St., and Community Maritime Park, located at 301 W. Main St. The next date is Nov. 6 at Community Maritime Park.

All ages and levels of experience are wel come. Participants must bring their own mat and other accessories they would like to use. Partici pants are asked to bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated, as water will not be provided.

FREE PILATES IN THE PARK Join Pure Pilates for a free one-hour outdoor Pilates class at Com munity Maritime Park, 351 W. Cedar St. Classes are 10:30 a.m. on the third Sunday of the month. Bring your own mat and water. The next date is Nov. 20.

CHESS CLUB Learn how to play one of the old est games in the world with West Florida Public Libraries. Whether you are a beginner or a master chess player, this is a chance to learn new skills, practice your moves and improve your game in a friendly environment. The library will provide all the chessboards and pieces. Visit mywfpl.com for dates and locations.

F3 NATION FREE WORKOUTS FOR MEN

F3, a national network of free, peer-led workouts for all men, has expanded its outdoor workouts to Pensacola. The three Fs stand for Fitness, Fel lowship and Faith. Classes are free of charge to all men 18 and older or 16 with an adult guardian. Each class ends with a circle of trust. Class times are 7-8 a.m. Saturdays and 5:30-6:15 a.m. Tues days and Thursdays at Maritime Park, located at 351 W. Cedar St. Visit f3pensacola.com.

OVER 50 DANCE CLUB Take part in the Over 50 Dance Club at Sanders Beach Resource Cen ter, located at 913 S. I St., Tuesdays from 6:30-9 p.m. The dress code is dressy; cover is $5-$10. This club is tobacco- and alcohol-free. For more infor mation, call (850) 623-5013.

PENSACOLA PEGGERS CRIBBAGE CLUB

Pensacola Peggers Cribbage Club 396, the local Grass Roots Club affiliated with American Con gress of Cribbage, is seeking new cribbage players for the group. The club meets weekly on Wednes days at 6:30 p.m. at Sonny's BBQ, located at 6702 N. Ninth Ave., to play six games of cribbage.

WEEKLY FRIDAY DANCE Get moving every Friday night with a dance sponsored by the Fra ternal Order of Eagles. Enjoy food from 6-7 p.m. Dancing is from 7-10 p.m. A variety of bands and music provide the tunes. Cost of admission is $6. Dances are located at 105 Kenmore Ave. in Pen sacola. For more information, call (850) 476-5696.

PENSACOLA PARKRUN The Pensacola Rec Plex North parkrun is 7:30 a.m. Saturdays. The weekly timed 5K run or walk takes place at the University of West Florida and is open to every one, regardless of fitness level. For more infor mation, visit facebook.com/rpnparkrun or email recplexnorth@parkrun.com.

WFPL MOLINO TRACK CHALLENGE Put on your walking shoes and join the walking chal lenge at the Molino library. Just visit Molino's track, turn on your favorite fitness tracker app to log your progress, dial up your tunes or an audiobook and start walking. When you fin ish, come into the library and log your progress with staff on our track challenge board. The top walker in this program will win The Coldest Wa ter Bottle. The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A. For more information, visit mywfpl.com.

RELEASE & RENEW AT FITNESS IMPACT

TRAINING At 8:15 a.m. on Mondays, Wednes days and Fridays, release into a yin yoga flow cen tered around low-stress training for high-stress in dividuals. The focus will be on the basics of breath and openness in the shoulders, hips and spine. For more info, go to mindandmetta.online. Cost is $12 per class, and the location is 375 N. Ninth Ave., Ste. B. Limited space available. Ask about mem bership pricing.

GULF COAST BREWERY RUN Thursdays at 6 p.m., join Pensacola Runners Association for a 5K fun run. Enjoy a free beer after the run and com plimentary games such as cornhole, ping pong and more. Gulf Coast Brewery is located at 500 E. Heinberg St. For more information, visit facebook. com/gulfcoastbrewery.

BEER GARDEN YOGA Join Coastal County Brewing Company Saturdays at 9 a.m. for the new Yoga in the Garden Series. Classes will be led by Tara Taylor, a highly experienced in structor from Breathe Pensacola. All skill levels are welcome. Cost is $10 and includes a pint of beer after the class. Coastal County Brewing Company is located at 3041 E. Olive Road. For more information, visit facebook.com/coast alcounty.

SOUL FLOW YOGA AT BEAUTIFUL YOU

STUDIO Every Tuesday at 7 a.m., flow and vibe with some soulful music to start the day. This hour-long class will center around engaging the core through smooth yet strong yoga sequences. Cost is $10 per class or $99 for an unlimited 30-day pass. Located at 513 W. Intendencia St. For more info, go to mind andmetta.online.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

Thank you for helping turn on a light in our community to focus on building an Early Learning City

Photos courtesy of Gulf Coast Panorama & Stephanie Howard

Only 42% of children in Escambia County are ready for kindergarten

Children who are not ready for kindergarten start behind and many stay behind, even dropping out of school. It’s difficult for the children and their families; it puts pressure on public school teachers to bring children up to grade level; it feeds a cycle of generational poverty in our community.

We are changing that. But we still need your help.

The money raised at Light Up Learning fuels our mission to build a brain, build a life, and build a community by working with parents to make sure every child is ready for kindergarten.

Together, we made a difference for more than 6,000 parents last year! They heard the message about early brain development and obtained the tools, coaching, and support needed to make the most of their child’s first three years.

The light has been turned on for these moms and dads.

CINDI BONNER

Director, Pensacola Rally

TOSH BELSINGER President and Founder, Catalyst HRE

RICK BYARS

Regional Manager, Corporate External Affairs, Florida Power & Light

WILL DUNAWAY

Shareholder, Clark Partington

THOMAS GREEK

Vice President of Learning & Development, Navy Federal Credit Union

CHAD HENDERSON Founder and CEO, Catalyst HRE

JULES KARIHER Chief Advocacy Officer, Ascension Sacred Heart

VAN MANSKER

Retired, Regional Vice President of Lowe’s

JEAN-PIERRE N’DIONE Co-Owner, Five Sisters Blues Cafe & Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano

LISA NELLESSEN SAVAGE Executive Editor, Pensacola News Journal

MORT O’SULLIVAN III

Retired Managing Member of the Gulf Coast Region Warren Averett, LLC CPAs & Advisors

TIA ROBBINS Entrepreneur, Co-founder Mr. Robbins Neighborhood

KATHY SANDSTROM Retired, Heitman LLC

JOY SHARP Director of Community Health Programs, Baptist Healthcare

JOSH SITTON

Former NFL Super Bowl Champion and Co-Owner, Bear General Contractors

MICHELLE SNOW Product Management at Nike, Inc., Entrepreneur and Retired WNBA Player

BERT THORNTON

Retired, Chief Operating Officer, Waffle House

BRUCE WATSON Executive Director, Escambia County Early Learning Coalition

PRESENTING SPONSOR

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

THANK YOU

• Aaron Erskine

• Andrew Rothfeder

• April Davidson

• Carver Darden

• Fred & Tia Robbins

• Hanto

YOU

The Hive Foundation INNISFREE HOTELS

KATIE BALLARD Director of Development and Fundraising kballard@studeri.org

KARA DIECK Entrepreneurship and Business Growth Program Coordinator kdieck@studeri.org

JERI JO FISHER Leadership Certification and Events Manager jjfisher@studeri.org

RACHAEL GILLETTE President rgillette@studeri.org (850) 748-5656

FRIENDS OF LUL

• Lisa & Tommy Lyter

• Michelle Salzman

• Rachael Whibbs

• Red Iron Design

• Sabrina Simpson

• Woodlands Medical

Thank you for printing the Light Up Learning program

TERRY HORNE CivicCon Executive Director thorne@civicconversations.org

EDUARDO LARA CivicCon Communications Director elara@civicconversations.org

FRENCY MOORE Early Brain Development Advocate fmoore@studeri.org

STEVE NISSIM Chief Storyteller snissim@quintstuder.com

GRACIE PRICE Entrepreneurial Manager gprice@studeri.org

DONTE SHEPPARD Early Brain Development Program Manager dsheppard@studeri.org

QUINT STUDER Founder Quint@quintstuder.com (850) 232 4648

Facebook StuderInstitute 350 W. Cedar St., Suite 300, Pensacola, FL 32502 Web studeri.org

Madrina Ciano

McWilliams

Lynette Bledsoe

Delayna Blankenship Krish Raish

Sabrina Shaw

Christy Stifflemire Kate Henson

Lassiter Mitzi Schafer Wendy Singh Libby Baer

Reagan Pommier Hassan Hills

Bolado Ashlee Simpson Heather Moore

Delores Sheevers Megan Todd Stephanie Hoffman Sydney Dawson Alejandra Ryan

Courtney Price Lea Howard Amy Zoech Tommy & Lisa Lyter Pensacola Firefighters

AMI Kids Stephanie Howard Mallory Studer Abagail Bella

NOVEMBER

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): In the com ing weeks, I encourage you to work as hard as you have ever worked. Work smart, too. Work with flair and aplomb and relish. You now have a sur prisingly fertile opportunity to reinvent how you do your work and how you feel about your work. To take maximum advantage of this potential breakthrough, you should inspire yourself to give more of your heart and soul to your work than you have previously imagined possible. (P.S. By "work," I mean your job and any crucial activity that is both challenging and rewarding.)

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Here's my weird suggestion, Taurus. Just for now, only for a week or two, experiment with dreaming about what you want but can't have. And just for now, only for a week or two, go in pursuit of what you want but can't have. I predict that these exercis es in quixotic futility will generate an unexpected benefit. They will motivate you to dream true and strong and deep about what you do want and can have. They will intensify and focus you to pursue what you do want and can have.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Your most suc cessful times in life usually come when all your various selves are involved. During these in terludes, none of them is neglected or shunt ed to the outskirts. In my astrological opinion, you will be wise to ensure this scenario is in full play during the coming weeks. In fact, I recom mend you throw a big Unity Party and invite all your various sub-personalities to come as they are. Have outrageous fun acting out the festivi ties. Set out a placemat and nametag on a table for each participant. Move around from seat to seat and speak from the heart on behalf of each one. Later, discuss a project you could all par ticipate in creating.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): A Cancerian reader named Joost Joring explained to me how he cultivates the art of being the best Cancerian he can be. He said, "I shape my psyche into a for tress, and I make people feel privileged when they are allowed inside. If I must sometimes instruct my allies to stay outside for a while, to camp out by the drawbridge as I work out my problems, I make sure they know they can still love me—and

By Rob Brezsny

that I still love them." I appreciate Joost's perspec tive. As a Cancerian myself, I can attest to its val ue. But I will also note that in the coming weeks, you will reap some nice benefits from having less of a fortress mentality. In my astrological opinion, it's PARTY TIME!

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Leo poet Antonio Machado wrote, "I thought my fire was out, and I stirred the ashes. I burnt my fingers." I'm tell ing you this so you won't make the same mistake, Leo. Your energy may be a bit less radiant and fer vent than usual right now, but that's only because you're in a recharging phase. Your deep reserves of fertility and power are regenerating. That's a good thing! Don't make the error of thinking it's a sign of reduced vitality. Don't overreact with a flurry of worry.

the history of your universe requires a commit ment to getting things done, even if they're untidy and incomplete. Here's your motto—"I improvise compromises in the midst of the interesting mess."

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): "Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured," said author Martha Beck. "Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave." I love that quote—and I especially love it as a guiding medi tation for you Scorpios right now. We usually think of fear as an unambiguously bad thing, a drain of our precious life force. But I suspect that for you, it will turn out to be useful in the coming days. You're going to find a way to transmute fear into boldness, bravery and even badassery.

with you may enjoy experimental collaborations they never imagined before engaging with you. They might be surprised at the creative poten tials unleashed in them because of their syner gy with you. In the coming weeks and months, you will have even more power than usual to generate such liaisons and connections. You might want to make a copy of this horoscope and use it as your calling card or business card.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Virgo author Siegfried Sassoon became renowned for the po etry he wrote about being a soldier in World War I. Having witnessed carnage firsthand, he became adept at focusing on what was truly important. "As long as I can go on living a rich inner life," he wrote, "I have no cause for complaint, and I wel come anything which helps me to simplify my life, which seems to be more and more a process of eliminating inessentials!" I suggest we make Sas soon your inspirational role model for the next three weeks. What inessentials can you eliminate? What could you do to enhance your appreciation for all the everyday miracles that life offers you?

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): You Libras have a talent that I consider a superpower—you can re move yourself from the heart of the chaos and de liver astute insights about how to tame the chaos. I like that about you. I have personally benefit ed from it on numerous occasions. But for the next few weeks, I will ask you to try something dif ferent. I'll encourage you to put an emphasis on practical action, however imperfect it might be, more than on in-depth analysis. This moment in

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): For de cades, the Canadian city of Sudbury hosted a ro bust mining industry. Deposits of nickel sulphide ore spawned a booming business. But these riches also brought terrible pollution. Sudbury's native vegetation was devastated. The land was stained with foul air produced by the smelting process. An effort to re-green the area began in the 1970s. To day, the air is among the cleanest in the province of Ontario. In the spirit of this transformation, I invite you to embark on a personal reclamation project. Now is a favorable time to detoxify and purify any parts of your life that have been spoiled or sullied.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): The liter al meaning of the ancient Greek word “aigílips” is "devoid of goats." It refers to a place on the earth that is so high and steep that not even sure-foot ed goats can climb it. There aren't many of those places. Similarly, there are very few metaphori cal peaks that a determined Capricorn can't reach. One of your specialties is the power to master seemingly improbable and impassable heights. But here's an unexpected twist in your destiny: In the coming months, your forte will be a talent for going very far down and in. Your agility at as cending, for a change, will be useful in descend ing—for exploring the depths. Now is a good time to get started!

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Evolved Aquarians are often blessed with unprecedent ed friendships and free-spirited intimacy and in novative alliances. People who align themselves

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I surveyed the history of literature to identify authors I consid er highly intuitive. Piscean-born Anais Nin was my top choice. She used language with fluidi ty and lyricism. She lived a colorful, unpredict able life. No one better deserves the title of Intu ition Champion. And yet she also had a discerning view of this faculty. She wrote, "I began to under stand that there were times when I must question my intuition and separate it from my anxieties or fears. I must think, observe, question, seek facts and not trust blindly to my intuition." I admire her caution. And I suspect it was one reason her intu ition was so potent. Your assignment, Pisces, is to apply her approach to your relationship with your intuition. The coming months will be a time when you can supercharge this key aspect of your in telligence and make it work for you better than it ever has before. {in}

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Imagine you have taken a particular consciousness-altering drug. Imagine how it affects you. newsletter.freewillas trology.com

Rob Brezsny

© Copyright 2022

In the coming

and months,

power than

generate such

news of the weird

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED Amou Haji, 94, of Dezhgah, Iran, also known as the World's Dirtiest Man, refused to bathe for more than 60 years be cause he was afraid doing so would make him sick, Fox News reported. Apparently, he was right: For the first time, "villagers had recently taken him to a bathroom to wash," the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. "Not long after, he fell ill and fi nally ... he gave up his life," the report went on. Haji had no family, but villagers had built him a cinderblock dwelling for shelter on the outskirts of town.

EVERYONE NEEDS A HOBBY Rosie Grant, 33, of Takoma Park, Maryland, stumbled upon a new hob by while finishing an internship at the Congressio nal Cemetery in Washington, D.C., a year ago, The Washington Post reported. Her studies revealed her own interest in cemeteries, and she found so cial media threads of other taphophiles like her. On one of those, Grant noticed a list of ingredients en graved on a headstone in Brooklyn, New York, and thought she'd give the spritz cookies a try. Naomi Odessa Miller-Dawson's recipe didn't include in structions, but even so, Grant said the results were heavenly. "Cooking these recipes has shown me an alternative side to death," Grant said. "What a cool gift (Miller-Dawson) put on her gravestone." Grant has found other gravestone recipes—several in the U.S. and two in Israel, all from women.

• Remember the scene in "The Empire Strikes Back" when Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite? Catherine Pervan and her daughter, Hanalee, own ers of One House Bakery in Benicia, California, have brought Solo back to life—in bread, The New York Times reported. The two worked together for more than a month to create the 6-foot-tall "Pan Solo" sculpture from bread dough; now he stands outside their store as part of downtown Benicia's scarecrow contest. "People are just super interest ed in it, and you see people smelling it and poking it," said Hanalee.

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO A woman known as Jahrah, 54, who worked at a rubber plantation on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, lost her life at work on Oct. 23 after being swallowed by a 22-foot-long python, the Guardian reported. Her husband reported her missing when she didn't re turn home from work; while searching for her, he found her sandals, headscarf, jacket and tools. Au thorities caught a python that had been spot ted nearby and found Jahrah's body in the snake's stomach, the local police chief said.

BACKTRACK The state of Maine is walking back a 2015 decision to eliminate its review process for vanity license plates, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 27. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has called the resulting vulgarities the "wild wild West," with about 400 offensive plates being subject to recall. "What I would say to those who want to en gage in objectionable or questionable speech: Get a bumper sticker," she said. Because the plates are technically the property of the state, new rules to stifle the nasty messages can be enforced, she said. Recall letters began hitting mailboxes this month.

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

IT'S A MYSTERY A huge, hollow metal object sat by the side of the road in New Brunswick, Cana da, for weeks, and no one seemed to know what it was or how it got there, the CBC reported on Oct. 21. Finally, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation had it hauled away. Canadian Forc es spokesperson Jamie Donovan said it likely is not connected to the military, and the DOT won't claim it, either. Lying on its side, it's about 10 feet tall and has a concrete base and a hatch. "At this point it really is a mystery we are looking into," said Alycia Bartlett of the DOT.

•A Florida neighborhood is on high alert after a se ries of overnight visits from a well-dressed man wielding a machete, WSVN-TV reported. On Oct. 17, around 5:30 a.m., residents heard a knock at the door and saw the man on their doorbell cam era, but he walked away after tapping the door with the machete. Other neighbors in Lauder hill had the same experience. "He didn't seem like someone lost or confused," one resident said. "He seemed very intentional, very businesslike, like he was dressed for business, just with a machete." Po lice have stepped up patrols of the area but say no crimes have been committed.

COMPELLING EXPLANATION After a "con sensual search" on Oct. 26 in Clearwater, Florida, Robert Lawson, 50, was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and a syringe, The Smok ing Gun reported. Pinellas County deputies ap proached Lawson as he loitered in a park; when they found the drugs and paraphernalia, Lawson demanded that they call the FBI and St. Petersburg Police because "he is allowed to carry metham phetamine," the police report noted. He was held in the county jail on $2,150 bond.

•An unnamed 64-year-old woman in Gastonia, North Carolina, was charged for firing a gun with in city limits on Oct. 24 after officers arrived to find her shooting at Mountain Dew cans in her back yard. Why? She told officers that she didn't ap prove of her father drinking the soda, Fox News re ported. "We totally understand that not everybody is a fan of the Dew but we can't stress enough how dangerous this is!" Gastonia police posted on their Facebook page.

OH, THE HUMANITY Marlies Gross of Foun tain, Colorado, was trapped in her home on Oct. 22—not by a menacing bear or a snowstorm, but by tumbleweeds that surrounded her house af ter a windstorm. "Horrible! Look at that from the deck!" Gross told KRDO-TV. "I opened the front door and ... it was full of tumbleweeds." When she tried to drive away, she said, "I almost ran into the neighbor's fence because I didn't know where I was. You know, you feel helpless. I thought it was a bad dream. I don't know what we're going to do, how we get rid of those tumbleweeds. Oh, it's horrible." {in}

From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird

2022 Andrews McMeel

F ind your

The Center serves as downtown Pensacola’s cultural and artistic hub.

n interior overhaul owntown. Creating the Cultural Center was visionary. The resurgence of The Center is a legacy. legacy