Tallahassee Magazine - January/February 2015

URGENT REMEDIES: New HOPE FOR THE HOMELESS p. 120

My Funny Valentine

Tales of relationships with a romantic comedy-worthy start

Bacon Goes Way Beyond Breakfast

Losing Pounds Isn’t All About the Weight

What Can Coconut Oil Do For You?

JODY SPENCER, SURVIVOR

NOW THAT I’M CANCER FREE.

Start your journey now at TMH.org/Freedom

TMH is the only hospital between New Orleans and Jacksonville to offer it.

Most hospitals have limited treatment options for strokes and brain aneurysms. Tallahassee Memorial is one of a few hospitals in the country with neurosurgeons who perform endovascular neurosurgery.

These revolutionary endovascular treatments allow our neurosurgeons to remove blood clots and repair brain aneurysms without opening the skull.

Hear from patients at TMH.org/revolutionary.

T. Adam Oliver, MD Endovascular Neurosurgeon THESE TINY DEVICES HELP OUR NEUROSURGEONS SAVE LIVES

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»contents VOLUME 38, number 1

features

114 My Funny Valentine Just in time for the day dedicated to love, local couples reminisce about how their relationships got started — in the most amusing ways.

120 Homeless in Tallahassee

Scott Holstein

On any given day, there are more than 800 homeless people living in Tallahassee, each with unique needs.

In this feature package, we explore how local groups are working together to help people of all ages and circumstances find a place they can call home.

The Shelter, in Downtown Tallahassee and shown in this photo from 2007, will soon close and help for the homeless will be moved to a newly constructed facility on West Pensacola Street.

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»contents VOLUME 38, number 1

departments

132

life

style

culture

24

SNAPSHOT A community erased by urban renewal.

68 HABITAT Touring antique

27

CHAT This couple has hisand-hers television shows.

75

29

THE NUMERATOR The newly improved Civic Center.

79

31

PARENTHOOD Science education takes to the road.

85

35 CLICK Are video games

89

DÉCOR Techniques for dressing up your mantel.

37

90

Style Feature Science meets fashion.

good for your brain?

GREAT OUTDOORS The beauty and drama of wildlife is all around us.

41

PERSONALITY Overcoming obstacles is Ann Holt’s specialty.

47

HERE TO HELP Dressing women for success.

53

LOOKING BACK The Civil War battles over salt.

56

LIFE FEATURE Rod Durham’s high-profile, life-changing weight loss.

65

AGENDA What’s new in business.

10 January–February 2015

182 food

131

SPOTLIGHT Camellia lovers come to town.

176

FLAVOR Bacon isn’t just for breakfast anymore.

A BETTER YOU Crazy

132

182

MIND AND BODY “Looping in” the hearing impaired.

THE ARTS So many delights during Opening Nights.

ON THE MENU Beer plus mixers equals great cocktails.

137

ON THE TOWN Hop on the bus for a fun night out.

185

ON YOUR TABLE Your honey could come from in-town bees.

shops in the area.

for coconut oil.

MS. GROW-IT-ALL DIY dirt

with composting.

104 GETAWAYS The beauty and romance of Croatia.

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140 CALENDAR Resolve to have fun in 2015.

157 SOCIAL STUDIES ’Twas the season for parties and fundraisers.

169 THE BUZZ Going to events and taking names.

189 DINING GUIDE May we recommend ... .

in every issue 18 Publisher’s Letter 20 Editor’s Letter 23 Contributors 194 The Last Word

On the Cover

Bryan Honhart was a musician passing through town for a gig.

But he returned to Tallahassee to find love, marriage, a baby and a successful photography business with his wife, Kelly.

Photo by Red Fly Studio.

Photos by Matt Burke (56, 182) and Mika Fowler (89) and Courtesy Opening Nights Performing Arts (132)

89

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»contents VOLUME 38, number 1

special sections 61 Fitness Section

If living a healthier lifestyle is on your resolution list for 2015, these businesses are ready to help you reach your fitness goals.

96 Deal Estate

A look at the quiet, affordable Camelot Park neighborhood and predictions about the housing market in 2015.

110 Top Salon

Meet the 13 salon crews who will be vying for the title of 2015 Tallahassee Top Salon when they unveil their model makeovers at Tallahassee Magazine’s high-energy event Jan. 24.

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TMH Foundation

148

Forgotten Coast Map

After a stellar medical career, Dr. Charlotte Edwards Maguire is honored for her generosity as a philanthropist.

155 Uptown Map

There’s so much to do when you head up Thomasville Road and discover Tallahassee’s newest hot spot.

Find your way along the coast. We’ve highlighted great places to play, shop, dine and stay.

next issue Springtime Tallahassee Women’s History Month SPECIAL PROMOTION

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Aloft Tallahassee Downtown is just steps from everything you need in the historic capital of Tallahassee, Florida. Located in Downtown Tallahassee, the hotel is home to loft-inspired rooms featuring signature beds, oversized shower heads and custom amenities by Bliss Spa. Whether you are in town for business or pleasure, the Tallahassee hotel has everything you need when traveling. Stay fit in the 24/7 gym, socialize at the Re:mix lounge, or enjoy treats at Re:fuel, the onsite bistro. There’s always something to do at the W xyz Bar, which plays host to live music and nightly drink specials. At Aloft Tallahassee Downtown, the worries of travel fade away.

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»all access ONLINE

tallahasseemagazine.com Top Salon Takes the Stage

Thirteen salons, 13 deserving models and one fierce competition will take place on January 24, all benefiting a local charity chosen by the winning salon. The event features Tallahassee salons, nominated by the community, giving deserving models a head-to-toe makeover as they compete for the title of Top Salon. This exciting event allows you to see the hard work of Tallahassee’s most talented hair stylists. To get your ticket go to: tallahasseemagazine.com/top-salon

Jennifer Ireland

EXTRA CONTENT ONLINE ONLY

video » Funny Valentine …

Love often comes to us in unexpected ways — such as via Facebook. Couple Sarah Coakley and David Holtz send each other love letters and go on dates once a month, but the majority of their relationship happens online. Watch their unique love story in action through our video.

Text TMAG to 20673. Or visit tallahasseemagazine.com and look for the Top of the Town logo to sign up for special promotions, events and exclusive offers. (Text STOP any time to opt out.)

Check our website to see how you can sign up for promotions and offers from these local businesses: ▪ Aloft ▪ Benson’s Heating & Air Conditioning ▪ Bob’s Auto Repair & Collision Center ▪ BurgerFi ▪ Capital City Hyundai ▪ The Front Porch

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▪ ResortQuest by Wyndham ▪ Sparkle by Madison ▪ Tallahassee Downtown ▪ Tallahassee Museum ▪ Walter Green ▪ Weston Trawick

SPECIAL PROMOTION

Matt Burke

Join the Club!

Photos » Something Old not Something New

One man’s trash can very literally be another man’s treasure when it comes to antiquing.

Many people have made the hunt for antiques a hobby, a way to decorate their home or just something fun to do for the weekend. Check out our gallery of local antique shops. Maybe you’ll find some treasures of your own.

the 2015

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tallahasseemagazine President/Publisher

Turn heads this season.

Brian E. Rowland EDITORIAL Director of Editorial Services Linda Kleindienst Editor Rosanne Dunkelberger Senior Staff Writer Jason Dehart

Contributing Writers Lazaro Aleman Rebecca Beitsch Lynda Belcher Laura Bradle y Paul Garrison Tisha Crews Keller Kristen Scarola Kirk Kathleen Laufenberg Mikaela McShane Audrey Post Megan Williams Zandra Wolfgram

Advertising Services Coordinator Lisa Sostre

CREATIVE Creative Director Lawrence Davidson Production Manager/ Network Administrator Daniel Vitter Senior Art Director Saige Roberts Art Director Jennifer Ekrut Publication Designers Shruti Shah Rebecca Sumerall Advertising Designers Jillian Fry Amanda Hartsfield Staff Photographer Matt Burke Contributing Photographers Black and Hue Photography Mika Fowler Paul Garrison Angel Garten Shannon Griffin Gabriel Hanway Scott Holstein Jennifer Ireland Tristin Kroening

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Director of Marketing and Sales Mckenzie Burleigh Director of New Business Daniel Parisi

Production Specialist MElinda lanigan

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SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS

Staff Writer chay D. baxley

Editorial Interns Brianna Dixon Alexia Gonzalez Matthew Hooper

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Randolph Maphis Kay Meyer Frank Ockenfels Mark Wallheiser Lydia Warren Red Fly Studio

Account Executives Tanya Heath Lori Magee Linda Powell Paula Sconiers Chuck Simpson Alice watts Drew Gregg westling Marketing and Sales Assistant Christie Green Events and Special Projects Coordinator Leigha Inman Special Projects Client Projects Coordinator Caroline Miller OPERATIONS Staff Accountant Josh Faulds Accounting Assistant Tabby Hamilton Receptionist Tristin Kroening WEB Digital Services Manager carlin trammel Digital Services Coordinators Jennifer Ireland Rebecca Padgett Digital Services Producer Chelsea Moore SUBSCRIPTIONS One Year (6 issues) is $30 Call (850) 878-0554 or go online to Tallahasseemagazine.Com Single copies are $3.95 purchase at Barnes & Noble, Costco, Books-A-Million, Walgreens and at our Miccosukee Road office

Tallahassee Magazine is published bimonthly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. 850/878-0554. Tallahassee Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. Tallahassee Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright January 2015 Tallahassee Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Partners of Visit Tallahassee and Member, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

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»from the publisher

So True-isms » The consistent team player on the staff, who always is willing to jump in and help in any task, has a positive, “can do” attitude and is a pleasure to work with. » That one song that brings you back to the happiest, or maybe the saddest, time of your life. » The family member who, if he or she weren’t directly connected to you by DNA or marriage, you would have nothing to do with. » That pair of shoes you cannot part with because they are just so darn comfortable. » How about that TV ad when they scream at you to “buy now” because you’ll never be able to get it cheaper than this weekend. Really? » That one traffic light you pass through nearly every day that is red 99 percent of the time. » The clients who don’t think they should pay their bill until you have called them six times — and then make promises they never fulfill or are indignant you asked for “your” money. » That employee who, when you do the research, you find that 95 percent of their sick days occur on a Friday or Monday. Funny how weekends and illness coincide. » That one gas station you pull in to that never has receipt paper, and the flow of gas to your tank runs at the speed of a melting glacier. » That one charitable or political organization that just keeps calling for more and more, and you don’t have the gumption to say “enough” or aren’t wise enough to know it’s a sales call from a boiler room. » That one red ant colony that you’ve spent $50 to eradicate with “guaranteed” products — only to find the red posse raised its mound in another inconvenient location. » That business or community leader who always says the same thing when you run into them, like “good to see you” or “so, how is your business?” Do they really want to know?

18 January–February 2015

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» That friend or couple who when you are out to dinner suddenly develops arm paralysis when the server presents the check to the table.

Or, better yet, you’ve had them over for dinner or parties for years, and they have never reciprocated. » That friend who you have not seen in years but when you do, you start to talk and it suddenly seems like yesteryear. » You are standing by the casket at the funeral home and someone says, “Doesn’t she look good?” And you think, “She’s dead and looks awful,” but don’t say it. » You’re in the salad bar line and the person in front of you inspects every leaf of lettuce and associated condiment while they build their Taj Mahal. » You have an employee who finds it impossible to take responsibility for an error in job performance and always points the finger of blame at others. » When hosting dinner, your dining companions always order the most expensive meal and appetizer. (This is also known as being “surfed and turfed.”)

If you have any more of these you would like to share, drop me a line and we’ll print a list sometime in 2015.

Brian Rowland, Publisher browland@rowlandpublishing.com

Scott Holstein

Whether it be your business or personal life, situations and experiences often occur that can either bring a chuckle and smile to your face or a disappointed frown.

After running through many such experiences that have passed through my swing zone, I did a poll of friends and associates — ­­ who added many more. You may not relate to them all, however my bet would be that as you read most of them a name or situation will immediately flash across your personal radar screen.

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»from the editor

How They Met

Black and Hue Photography

I’ve known my husband 36 years now, and I’m sorry to say I don’t remember when we first met in 1978. I was interviewing for a job at the Ocala Star-Banner and got introduced around to the newsroom crew, including him. A few weeks later, I would return and actually begin to work closely with him, tag-teaming coverage of daylong county commission meetings.

Lloyd had a beard when we were dating, at our wedding and every day ever since. But he didn’t have a beard when we met. So I have seen him clean-shaven — I just don’t remember.

Our first encounter, I’m afraid, was not the thing — the meet-cute — of romantic comedies. (In my defense, I recall with great clarity when the chemistry revved up between us at a Super Bowl party and our exceptionally romantic first kiss. Also in my defense, he recalls me as “the girl with the afro.” Unfortunate disco-era perm, I’m afraid.) But I’ve always been tickled by people’s “how-we-met” stories, especially if there’s some humor involved.

Lucky for me, my daughter has provided me with an entertaining meet-cute and that other rom-com staple — the happiest of endings.

Here’s the story: It’s 2012, she’s in her senior year of college in Sarasota and has taken to the Internet to meet eligible young men using a website called OK Cupid. Her potential swains seem very happy to spend weeks messaging back and forth, but very few make the cut to actual “date,” which these days means meeting up somewhere and going Dutch. After a bad run of duds, she’s sworn off dating and come home for six weeks of Christmas holidays and independent study.

Bored, she returns to OK Cupid but insists she is only looking for friendship. After all, she was over men and was only going to be in Tallahassee a short time. And then, right around Christmas Day, a message popped up from a guy named Ben. He was from Tallahassee but visiting family in Chicago. He knew about the friend thing but wanted to take her on a date when he returned home. She was intrigued — and a little bit excited by this odd fellow who actually wanted to meet her face to face.

The date was on for Dec. 28. He’d meet her at a local sushi place.

He texted, saying he’d arrived. She texted, saying she was already seated. Flower bouquet in hand, Ben walked around Sakura looking for Veronica. She anxiously scanned the restaurant looking for him. Unfortunately, she got the restaurant wrong and was at Kiku.

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For a moment, Veronica considered this sushi mix-up a bad omen and considered bailing After a first-date out. But she took a deep breath and headed mixup, Ben Schultz and Veronica to the right restaurant.

And it was a good thing. There was some Dunkelberger will second-act drama, but this young couple fell be getting married in love. He re-created that first date a year in March. later and, at the end, got down on one knee and proposed. They’re getting married here in Tallahassee on the second day of spring, March 21, 2015. Happy ending, indeed.

On a more serious note, please take the time to read the feature package we’ve pulled together about homelessness here. It’s a serious, difficult and intractable social problem — or rather, problems, because every homeless person’s story is different. Many of Tallahassee’s government, social and church organizations have banded together to try and find solutions, and the efforts seem to be paying off in a way that will serve as a model for other cities to follow. I hope you’ll find the stories as enlightening as I did.

Rosanne Dunkelberger rdunkelberger@rowlandpublishing.com

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tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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GET HIM BACK TO

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SLAYING DRAGON

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Kids will be kids. And when the bed turns into a fortress, accidents can happen.

So when that inevitable break, cut or bruise occurs, bring them to the ER at Capital Regional Medical Center. Our dedicated pediatric ER is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So we will have him back to protecting the castle in no time.

For more information about when to take your child to the ER, talk with our nurses 24/7 by calling 850-325-3627 or visit us at www.CapitalRegionalMedicalCenter.com.

Check our current average ER wait time by texting ER to 23000.

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Pediatric Emergency Care, 24/7

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»contributors Chay D. Baxley, From intern, to editorial coordinator to staff writer, over the last couple of years Chay’s dedication to telling the tales of people living around our region has added a little extra heart to Tallahassee Magazine. Away from the office, Chay’s sweet on her chef-of-a-fiancé, Sean, the couple’s two somewhat eccentric Cocker Spaniels, Stetson and Bailey, binge watching TV shows and becoming an amateur alchemist.

▪ In this issue, the ever-versatile Chay writes no less than six stories on a wide variety of subjects.

Matt Burke

writer

Brianna Dickson, writer

▪ In this issue, Brianna shares the story of the MoLab, the traveling science education vehicle, as well as searching throughout Tallahassee to find unique bacon-inspired novelties and foods.

Matt Burke

Brianna is a 22-year-old senior broadcast journalism student at Florida A&M University and an intern during the fall semester of 2014. Hailing from Stuart, Florida, she will graduate after the spring 2015 semester.

After college, she hopes to write lifestyle stories for magazines and one day branch out into broadcast journalism.

Paul Garrison,

writer and photographer

▪ In this issue, Garrison was responsible for both the words and photos in the “Dance of Suburbia” photo essay.

Gift ft Store

courtesy Paul Garrison

Forty-five hundred miles, six months, a thousand useless photos later, Paul Garrison stood in a photo lab in Jackson Hole. The poor stranger listened as he told a sad story of despair. Turns out, he was an empathetic professional photographer and invited Paul to join him on the Snake River overlooking the Tetons for a sunrise photo shoot. Studying, using the pro’s tripod and his rigid critiques, the images, as Paul saw them, began appearing on film.

He would spend the summer of ’99 working on a dude ranch and learning photography. The large sweeping landscapes drew him morning and evening.

The wildlife that was out that time of day also became part of his collection from across the nation. But Paul didn’t need epic views and rare species to create beautiful images. All the photos — and his story — occurred around his property here in Tallahassee.

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life

24 January–February 2015

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People » places » info

CHAT / Personality HERE TO HELP / GREAT OUTDOORS THE NUMERATOR / PARENTHOOD / LOOKING BACK Click / Feature / AGENDA

Snapshot The Spirit of Smokey Hollow

Saige Roberts

Saige Roberts

The houses? Quaint and tiny. The property values? Not Tallahassee’s highest. But the streets and corridors of Smokey Hollow were once characterized by something far more valuable — a sense of community.

Smokey Hollow, the neighborhood that once stood where Cascades Park is now positioned, was a vibrant AfricanAmerican community that flourished from the days following the Civil War until the 1960s. Many residents worked in the municipal utilities that were located nearby. Its narrow, shotgun-style homes and bustling small businesses were demolished during the age of “urban renewal.” For many years, a parking lot and wasteland stood in its place with only a few houses from the neighborhood remaining off Lafayette Street near Myers Park Lane. Former residents looked on in disbelief.

In homage to the residents and to honor the rich past of this previously pulsating neighborhood, the city has created a living exhibit headlined by historic panels and skeletal “spirit houses” that follow the footprint of homes formerly found in this downtown corridor.

“What we wanted to do was recognize the importance that Smokey Hollow had to our community and acknowledge its presence in the current Cascades Park,” said Autumn Calder, the senior planner at Blueprint 2000, the organization that took the lead on the award-winning project. “We worked with the former Smokey Hollow community members and other interested groups, like the John J. Riley House, to develop a commemoration that could be embraced by all.”

The final phase to the memorial, located just north of where Apalachee Parkway crosses Franklin Boulevard, was kicked off this past fall. When complete, it will feature community gardens true to the fruit trees and vegetables grown by the residents, interpretive panels, a pavilion and a restored version of the historic Smokey Hollow barbershop. // Chay D. Baxley

“Spirit Houses” are the centerpiece of the Smokey Hollow community commemoration that is part of Cascades Park.

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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next you’ll be saying #IHEARTTALLY too.

March 6-8th Red Hills Horse Trials • March 28th Springtime Tallahassee April 11-12th Word of South Festival • April 11th FSU Spring Game • TBD FAMU Spring Game April 17-19th Southern Shakespeare Festival • April 18-19th LeMoyne Chain of Parks Art Festival

VisitTallahassee.com 800.628.2866

26 January–February 2015

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»life CHAT

His-and-Hers Television Married Show Hosts Support, Critique and Encourage Each Other

Matt Burke

Gary Yordon and Berneice Cox aren’t your typical Tallahassee power couple. Sure, both are successful movers and shakers in the political arena — she’s a longtime lobbyist and he’s a campaign consultant and former Leon County commissioner — but there’s another dynamic at work here: Each has their own television show.

Hers is titled “Our Issues Tallahassee” and airs Saturdays at 5:30 a.m. and Sundays at 7:30 a.m. on the local NBC affiliate station, WTWC. His show, “The Usual Suspects,” airs on the local CBS affiliate, WCTV, at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on its sister stations. “Usual Suspects” has been a weekend staple for 14 years on CBS affiliates in 28 counties across North Florida and 10 counties in South Georgia and Alabama. Overall, Yordon has worked four decades in the television business; Cox, the newbie, is just wrapping up her first year as a TV host. The couple have been married for 25 years.

“I’m brand new to television, so it’s been a bit of a learning curve for me,” said Cox, who co-produces, writes for and hosts the NBC show. “It was totally outside my comfort zone. I’m a behindthe-scenes, off-the-radar kind of person for the most part. It’s been extremely helpful that Gary has had 40 year’s experience and that he’s been able to lend his guidance and give me advice.”

The two shows don’t really compete against one another in a ratings sense because each has its own purpose and subject matter. The other thing that’s different is how the pair do their jobs. Yordon likens their approach to how they go grocery shopping as a married couple.

“She’s more thoughtful about checking out ingredients and thinking it through, when I’m running down the aisle grabbing stuff and throwing it in the basket,” he said. “I think our shows take on our personalities.”

Cox profiles local nonprofit organizations on her show, and most of her work is done on location after an intense process of research, fact-finding and planning. By contrast, her husband’s show is a politically themed roundtable discussion with guest pundits filmed in the studio. His show’s subject matter is taken from the day’s headlines and requires very little “show prep.”

“There’s very little planning that goes into my show,” Yordon said.

“Hers is, she’s got to do all kinds of research, she’s got to track people down, and mine is, ‘Let’s show up and what do you want to talk about?’ My show prep is just watching the news. It’s symbolic of how we are in our lives. Berneice is thoughtful about things. She does

Matt Burke

By Jason Dehart

a lot of homework, does her research and looks at all the layers. I’m the kind of guy trying to catch a “Touch that dial” on balloon on the edge of a cliff. I would have trouble any given weekend doing her show. It would be a chore for me. It would and you might find a program hosted by be actual work.”

At home, the couple often rely on each other for either Gary Yordon or his wife, Berneice Cox. supportive feedback.

“And it’s always incredibly well received,” Yordon said with a chuckle. “It’s the same dynamic you would have in any relationship. I think the same way we kind of operate in our marriage (is how) we sort of operate in our mutual critiques of each other’s product. And you know, that’s kind of fun, really.”

Cox said she tends to take it more personally when her husband is critiquing her than if it was coming from some other source with the same experience he has.

“I don’t take it as personally whenever they’re trying to critique me,” she said. “Vice versa, when I critique him, a lot of it for me is from having been involved in state politics for 25-plus years.”

And that’s something he has learned to appreciate. Yordon said his wife’s political experience comes in handy when he’s lining up guests for his show. She helps him avoid “minefields,” he said.

“More times than I can count, I’ve told her who my guest was coming up and she will warn me about something or guide me through,” he said. n

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

27

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Managing Shareholder

Make your next step count.

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»life The Numerator

92,000

Total annual attendance for FSU men’s and women’s basketball games

The Numbers Behind ‘The Tuck’ 18,000 square feet

Arena dimensions

10,702 Number of

arena seats after renovation

1981 Year the Civic

Tristin Kroening

Center opened

54,000 square feet

Overall meeting and exhibition space available

62,150

Annual concert attendance

452,579 Total annual attendance

34

Number of Center Suites

27 X 27 Approximate

dimensions (in feet) of the center scoreboard

468

Number of Club Seats

6

Number of meeting rooms

200+ Number of vendors

22

Number of Tallahassee Broadway Series seasons

It’s made sports fans cheer and concert attendees rock the house for more than 30 years, and now new life is being

breathed in the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Florida State University now owns the hot property (nicknamed “The Tuck”), which is now a part of the university’s CollegeTown district. And once a $16 million renovation program is finished, the arena will proudly shout out its FSU identity to all visitors, just like Doak Campbell Stadium.

The most visible changes in the arena are the new garnet-colored seats that feature convenient cup holders; the massive new four-screened Jumbotron scoreboard mounted mid-ceiling, and an LED “ribbon board” that will run along all four walls. In addition, the new FSU logo will grace the floor of the arena.

“I think the main vision is for opponents to come in the arena and have them know it’s FSU,” said Erin Kelsh, marketing manager for the venue, which is now being managed by Global Spectrum. // Compiled by Jason Dehart

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

29

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»life Parenthood

Rolling for Science MoLab, aka Mobile Science Lab, Takes to the Road for Fun and Education

Matt Burke

Call it an RV with a mission. MoLab, the undertaking of former Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science employees Trish Hanson and Aimee Hills, is bringing the world of science to kids all over Tallahassee.

Due to their experience and passion for education and science, Hanson and Hills didn’t want exploration to be confined by a museum’s walls. It was time to actively reach out and open up kids’ imagination and wonder.

MoLab is not the first of its kind, but it’s the first roving lab in this town, Hanson said.

“There are mobile laboratories all over the country and other parts of the world,” she said. “We are a part of the Mobile Laboratory Coalition, which is a fantastic resource for us as far as curriculum and how to outfit your unit.”

MoLab’s main purpose is education, and any money earned is used to support its programming. As a nonprofit organization, MoLab also receives grants to provide free programming for students.

Hanson and Hills have more than 27 years’ combined experience in informal science education settings.

MoLab’s mission is to make science education more available to students who need it the most.

“When you look at the community of Tallahassee and the surrounding areas, those are some of the most economically and culturally underserved populations — and we can go anywhere,” Hanson said.

The lab’s mobility provides a great opportunity to positively affect the lives of more students and helps foster STEAM education — the traditional science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, with art added in.

For Hanson and Hills, it’s all Top: Aimee Hills (left) about creating those “aha!” and Trish Hanson moments for kids. pose with educational “Science is everything. If equipment in front of their RV, Bottom: A Blue you don’t have science, you Death Feigning Beetle. won’t have a world to move

Matt Burke

By Brianna Dickson

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

31

»life Personality

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forward with. Being able to provide hands-on, project-based interactive curricula is key. Kids learn by getting hands-on and creating,” Hanson said.

Making STEAM more accessible isn’t MoLab’s only mission.

It’s also about doing away with the misguided notion that science isn’t for everyone.

“You can learn science. We want to provide real-life experiences so kids know that they can actually get a career in this,” Hanson said.

MoLab is currently offering education opportunities such as Camp Spark, StarLabs, TechLabs, a “Get Moving: Energize” workshop and other investigative workshops designed to stir the imagination of future scientists.

MoLab will truly come into its own when Hanson and Hills complete upgrades to their conventional recreational vehicle to make it a cutting-edge “MoBus.” The environmentally friendly bus will be home to robotic and microscopic stations, “Being able to televisions and an provide hands-on, entomology area.

“We want to project-based launch a crowd fundraising through interactive an Indiegogo curricula is key. campaign to help us with the funds Kids learn by we will need to getting hands-on complete the bus’s transformation, and creating.” and also partner with universities — Trish Hanson, to help us outfit Mobile Science Lab the bus,” Hills said.

“MoBus can poseducator sibly be finished by next fall.”

MoLab will work with the city of Tallahassee in the fall to provide an environmental-science afterschool program on the city’s south side. It will also offer an afterschool program at Holy Comforter Episcopal School once a week and a Camp Spark program available during school breaks. Meanwhile, Hanson and Hills will continue to retrofit their MoBus and create more partnerships.

When asked what their favorite parts of MoLab are, the pair of innovators agreed that they love every aspect, as well as the challenge MoLab provides to them — from the business side to their interactions with kids.

“I love what we have achieved and created, and all the learning opportunities, as an entrepreneur working in the nonprofit world,” Hills said. “As well as the good that MoLab does, why we exist — to educate children.”

Hanson said that kids are constantly looking to learn and gain knowledge, but the MoLab gives her the chance to grow as well.

“I am learning new things in the field of science that we can then provide to the students. It’s awesome,” she said.

Nationwide, there is a shortage of science educators. There is also a need for more kids and women to enter the STEAM fields of study.

“The most valuable aspect of MoLab is the kids, as well as our experiences and workshops with them and our mobility. There are no limits,” Hanson said. n

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

33

COLLEGETOWN’S PREMIER EVENT SPACE The Gathering at CollegeTown is a private event and entertainment space for up to 250 of your closest friends, family and colleagues. Located above famed Madison Social, the 4,000 square foot open-concept interior space boasts unobstructed views of Doak Campbell Stadium and is equipped with an audio-visual system and five large-screen HDTV’s. Guests will enjoy the attached 2,500 square foot outdoor deck overlooking CollegeTown’s T-Alley. Great for any occasion, party or tailgating experience, The Gathering is the place in CollegeTown to be.

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»life Click

Lumosity

Video Games: The Real Brain Trainers?

Portal 2

A New FSU Study Finds Portal 2 Improves Problem-Solving Skills, Spatial Abilities and Persistence More Than Lumosity By Laura Bradley One of the most dreaded sights for parents in the 21st century: a child, flopped on the couch, game controller in hand, eyes glazed over as the TV flickers. The perception of gamers as hypnotized, passive zombies has spurred debates about violence, sedentary lifestyles and the cultural value of game content.

But a new study from Florida State University suggests that there might be more to some video games than meets the eye — they might, in fact, be effective tools for boosting brain function.

The study, published in the journal Computers & Education, divided 77 student participants into two groups. The experimental group played eight hours of the popular video game Portal 2, while the control group used Lumosity, a set of online interactive activities marketed toward those who want to train their brains. Participants were given a pre-test and post-test to evaluate their progress, and the results were clear: Portal 2 participants outperformed the Lumosity group in all three categories tested — problem solving, spatial ability and persistence.

Valerie Shute, the study’s lead author, was not surprised by the Portal players’ high performance.

“You can’t succeed in the games without solving problems and being creative, too,” Shute said, later adding, “Lumosity does make the claim that it improves problem solving and flexibility, and all these things, so my position was, ‘OK, talk is cheap; how about

a commercial game that has no pretenses of doing any of that stuff?’”

Shute, an FSU professor of education, is fascinated by video games and their potential for learning. After her first gaming experience, trying out a game called Doom in the early 1990s, she was hooked — and over time, she realized the engaging aspect of video games could mean big things for teaching and assessment. Contrary to what some might see on the surface, Shute says gamers immerse themselves in a world that requires them to apply rules and solve problems to make progress.

Doom is a first-person shooter game, and, like many games, it gets harder as you go along.

“In order to succeed in the game, as it ratchets up and increases in its difficulty, you have to persist,” she said.

Persistence was one of the measures in which Portal 2 players vastly outperformed the Lumosity control group.

Games like Portal 2, where players to apply rules and tools in strategic ways, require considerable persistence and mental flexibility. In Portal 2 specifically, players use a portal gun to fire one entry portal and one exit portal anywhere in the environment. Players use these portals to move their character and objects through different areas. For instance, firing an entrance into a wall and an exit at the top of stairs above would allow a player to walk through the wall and exit onto the top of the staircase.

Shute and her colleagues chose Lumosity as their control condition because it is widely

marketed as a way to strengthen brain While the Lumosity company claims its function. They games improve brain hoped Lumosity function, FSU researchers would engage a discovered the video game placebo effect, so Portal 2 did a better job. that both groups, experimental and control, would have similar expectations of improvement. This way, expectations would not be seen as having affected the outcome.

“In many aspects I am quite liberal,” Shute said with a laugh. “But when it comes to my research design and my statistics, I’m very conservative, and I have to be so that my data are credible.”

The widest post-test performance gap was in spatial abilities; Portal 2 players significantly improved in both small- and large-scale spatial abilities.

“Some of the other studies in the literature have 10, 20, 30 hours of gameplay before they find effect, so finding that was really a big deal,” Shute noted. “And for the Lumosity condition, none of the spatial tests showed any kind of significant improvement at all.”

The results were pretty clear, but the study was not without limitations. Shute explained that, ideally, the study would have involved more participants and spanned more time, allowing more hours of gameplay. But Shute believes further research with more time and participants would actually enhance the results, rather than negate them. n

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

35

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»life Great Outdoors

The Dance of

Suburbia With Patience and Perseverance, It’s Possible to Watch the Neighborhood’s Wildlife Photos and Story by Paul Garrison

In the darkness of night I take my carefully plannedout position and wait. Suddenly, she appears, dividing evening and dawn. It is as if a curtain between us has been raised ... darkness on one side, dawn pushing through on the other. She stands motionless, eyes and ears alert, looking beyond me at something I cannot see. She decides it is safe.

Though my cramped, bent-over stance is painful, movement is my greatest enemy. If I let the slightest motion escape, she will disappear into the struggling light of early morn ... the dance over ... leaving me without her mystical image.

She must not know I’m here, if I am to be with her beyond a fleeting glimpse. The sight of her captivates me.

She fears me, as do other animals that stealthily move through our woods, across our yards, lakes and roads. Such is her mostly invisible life in suburbia. Though we fail to see her, she sees us. And so, she has developed a life in our neighborhoods that allows her to flourish, while she remains wary of us.

Though the red fox roams much of the eastern U.S., the gray is domGrey foxes live inant in areas they share. The gray among us, but fox population also flourishes from it took a lot of southern Canada to northern South determination America. Considered to be among for the author to the most primitive of the dog-like capture this image early one morning. mammals but having curved claws,

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

37

»life Great Outdoors

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the fox can climb trees to escape predators and to eat fruit and berries. Fifteen pounds is a typical weight.

Dens are made in hollow trees (30 feet above the ground), in stumps or ground burrows. The female is monogamous and usually births her kits once a year in early spring. As autumn paints the cooling ground with her favorite colors, the young foxes reach sexual maturity and the family disperses. But the music that drives the “Dance of Suburbia” never ends.

Our most-noticed neighborhood dwellers fly about the trees in our yards or hop along the ground just long enough to grab insects, worms or morsels we cast aside. Some prefer wading for food, their beaks pushing through the mud of ponds and lakes.

But the rarely seen winged suburbanite, the yellow-bellied Great Crested Flycatcher, holds a most precious place in my heart because, without asking and with great determination, a pair commandeered my newly painted yellow mailbox.

Colored in warm yellows, cool bluish gray hues and sporting a spiffy hair style that only some of us can pull off, they are extremely shy.

Upon discovering the beginnings of a nest in my mailbox, I promptly removed it. But each new day presented me new building material and, eventually, compassion and love for the unseen birds surfaced in my cold, hard heart. I now considered them my blessing and surrendered to the unseen couple determined to build their new home. It seemed the oddest place ... just three feet above the

an

k irad erryb erry p h otogr ap h y

sizzling pavement. Surely, that sun-baked tin can would be far too hot for them and their babies. Yet, they fought for it, day after day.

Why didn’t they build their nest in the cool of a tree? Why had they endured my unwillingness to share and the big white truck that once a day cast a sudden darkness on their “bird cave” while a giant hand shoved strange paper in their nest?

I never shut the door. That open door is what allowed all this to happen. Daily, they continued to repair the damage done by the giant hand.

Eventually, I met the mail carrier, asked for help, explained the need and offered a solution. A second mailbox (of sorts) would suffice. That very day ended with a five-gallon plastic bucket, laid on its side, nailed to the top of a new post beside the regulation mailbox. With an opening so large and no lid, the carrier could literally throw mail into the bucket without stopping. It was even rigged so he would know if there was outgoing mail. All this for a couple of unseen squatters. I laughed at myself. But now they They don’t show could custom build a nest to incubate those up very often, but “cookies and cream” colored eggs. when a pair of Great For weeks they had to keep the eggs just Crested Flycatchers decided to visit, they the right temperature to hatch, fend off made themselves at snakes and other birds while catching enough home in a mailbox, insects to feed both parents. A smallish bird, built a nest and they carry a large, heavy beak and are classiraised some babies. fied members of the tyrant group of birds.

The eggs hatched within weeks. Upon seeing the parents entering the mailbox with insects, then flying out only to return with more, I ran to the house. Grabbing the camera, tripod and a chair I returned to the mailbox, placed the chair in the street, set up the camera 10 feet away, then sat still and silent. Soon a flycatcher landed on a limb 30 feet away and wrestled mightily with my presence.

Ultimately surrendering to the drive to feed his babies, he flew to the mailbox door. He perched a short while, then entered his mansion (painted his favorite color).

The Flycatcher doesn’t gather food on the ground but perches on a tree limb to look for flying insects. Upon seeing one they fly off the limb, catch the insect with their beak and continue to the nest if they are feeding babies or a spouse. Because of their hunting technique, babies must be ready to fly when they leave the nest about 15 days after hatching. They do not fall to the ground but flutter immediately from tree limb to tree limb as the parents feed them, talk to them and encourage the strengthening of their wings and honing of their hunting skills.

They soon disappear. Being leery of people, 13 years would pass before I saw another pair. To find them, look among the lower limbs at the edge of open woods ... and in bright yellow mailboxes. n

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Matt Burke

»life Personality

Phooey on Old Age! Anne Holt’s Can-Do Spirit Has Led to a Lifetime of Achievement

By Lazaro Aleman Ask Anne Holt her age and she will tell you in plain-enough English, “It’s none of your damn business.”

Said with a beguiling smile, of course.

About all she will concede is that she is old enough to have eight grandchildren and a dozen great-grandchildren. Holt doesn’t allow age — or other obstacles, for that matter — to stand in the way of her goals or leading an extremely active, independent and productive life.

A high school dropout, Holt earned a Ph.D. in history at FSU as recently as 2005. And since 2003, she has had six novels published and is working on another four, with research and promotion of them entailing extensive travel.

In the last five years, meanwhile, Holt has secured more than $130,000 in funding for historic preservation projects and economic development efforts in Monticello, the small community 26 miles east of Tallahassee that she has called home since 2009.

Her crowning achievement thus far, in terms of Monticello, was organizAnne Holt, who describes herself as a “total optimist,” ing a multidisciplinary conference in is a scholar and author who 2012 that spotlighted North Florida’s currently devotes much rich archaeological history, particuof her time to the historic larly the artifacts and bone fragments preservation and economic being uncovered at the Aucilla River in development of her adopted Jefferson County — finds that are chalhometown, Monticello. lenging the long-held view of when and how the Americas were first populated.

Held at the Monticello Opera House, the three-day event featured leading authorities in anthropology, archaeology, paleontology and related disciplines, and drew national attention.

More recently, Holt organized a tri-state conference on water resources, population growth and the Floridan Aquifer at the Monticello

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

41

Matt Burke

»life Personality

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Opera House that featured water experts She’s written five from Florida, Georgia and Alabama and western novels, and proved equally successful and significant.

Anne Holt is working To Holt, the audacity of an idea is a spur on four more. to pursue it.

“I’m a total optimist,” she says. “I always believe I can do anything. If you have an idea, you have to be willing to work and fight for it. A lot of things fail because they simply weren’t followed through.”

She attributes her can-do attitude to her Virginia farmer father.

“He told me once to go for some fertilizer in the soybean field,” Holt recalls. “My answer was, ‘Daddy, those bags weigh too much; I can’t lift them.’ He said, ‘You’ll figure a way’ — and I did. You always have to believe you can do things.”

A voracious reader whose house overflows with books, she early developed a love of reading and writing.

“I’ve written stories and poetry since I was a kid,” Holt says.

“And I read everything that would hold still since I was about 4 years old.”

A tomboy early on, she once aspired to be a cowboy.

“I realized I couldn’t be a cowboy at 13 and decided to be a girl,” she says. “But cowboys remain my heroes.”

At 14, she quit school and went to work as a waitress.

“You could lie about your age then, and nobody asked to see your driver’s license,” Holt says. “People believed I was 18.”

She quit school, yes, but didn’t give up on education. Holt enrolled in the Pan-American Business College, better known as Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School of the South, and learned typing, shorthand and other office skills that led to better-paying secretarial jobs. Meanwhile, she continued taking classes, learned drafting and eventually became a draftsman.

“Finally, I needed a better job and went to work as an Avon Products manager,” she says. “I had around 230 salespeople on

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»life Personality

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my staff. This was in Charlottesville, Virginia. I worked for Avon almost 20 years.”

Along the way, she married, had three boys, divorced, remarried a man with two children of his own, and together they had a daughter. In 1972, when Virginia opened its community college system, Holt applied and was accepted on the basis of her performance on the entrance exams.

“With kids at home and a full-time job, it took me 15 years to get my two-year degree,” she says.

She subsequently transferred to a private women’s college in Staunton, Virginia, and graduated two years later with a liberal arts degree in Western Hemisphere studies. In 1989, she was accepted at FSU, where she “But when you’re earned her master’s and Ph.D. in 1993 and 2005, nearly 70, this respectively. world seems Holt’s first novel, a Western titled “Silver much too ready to Creek,” was published while she was still in the throw you away doctoral program. as useless. So a “I took a summer break and finished the first novel at this book in three months,” time is beyond she says. “It was a short story I turned into a thrilling … ” 72,000-word book.”

In a 2003 interview — Anne Holt upon the book’s publication, Holt allowed that it was exciting to begin a new career at any age.

“But when you’re nearly 70, this world seems much too ready to throw you away as useless,” she is quoted saying. “So a first novel at this time is beyond thrilling. Probably the greatest thing is I’m suddenly a bit of a celebrity to my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — not to mention my friends.”

She has since published five other Westerns, a genre she has enjoyed since childhood.

“It doesn’t matter where a story is set, so long as it’s a good story,” Holt says.

Research is integral to her writings, as her books are set against the backdrop of historic places and events. The research assures not only accuracy but also verisimilitude.

“The Internet is popular, a journal is the most up-to-date scholarship, and a book is tried-and-true information,” she says. “I feel if I find the information three times, I can trust it.”

Widowed since 2009, when her third husband died (her second husband died in 1990), Holt stays busy with her writing, community projects and public-speaking engagements. You’re apt to see her moving about Monticello most days in her 1996 green pickup truck, or encounter her at sundry public functions — staying connected, speaking her mind on the issues, and promoting community projects.

Sprightly, spunky, plainspoken and strong-minded, Holt is a force to be reckoned with, and an invaluable asset to the small town she has adopted. n

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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Turn your RESOLUTIONS into REALITIES

Larry L. Harper M.D., F.A.C.S.

Jeffrey M. Rawlings M.D., F.A.C.S.

Alfredo A. Paredes, Jr., M.D.

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Kay Meyer

»life Here to Help

Well Suited Dress for Success Tallahassee Helps Job Seekers Put Their Best Look Forward

By Rosanne Dunkelberger

Seven seconds. That, says Forbes magazine, is all the time it takes to make a first impression.

It’s an important consideration for anyone operating in the business world, but exceptionally daunting for a woman interviewing for a job after a long period of unemployment.

While there are many resources available locally to help her develop the skills to find a position, including retraining, résumé writing and interview techniques, to name just a few, the nonprofit Dress for Success Tallahassee is at the ready to give women in need that last bit of “oomph” to make a favorable first impression — a polished, professional interview outfit.

Since 2010, the local affiliate of the international Dress for Success franchise has “suited” nearly 600 women with a complete interview

Intern Sarah Graeber consults with client Gabrielle Gaines in a process the nonprofit calls a “suiting.”

look, including suit, shoes, handbag, jewelry and other accessories — all free — from its “boutique” in a strip shopping center on Park Avenue near Capital Circle Northeast.

And when the client lands a job, she can return to the storefront and get another personal shopping experience, supplying her with three more outfits.

“The goal is to get them as close to a week’s worth of clothing as we can,” said Wendy Hedrick, the nonprofit’s board chair and founder.

Currently, there are 16 “Referral Partners” — job centers such as CareerSource Capital Region and Tallahassee Community College’s Career Center, as well as other charitable nonprofits, state agencies and businesses — directing their clients to Dress for Success.

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»life Here to Help

“We are willing to work with any and everybody who wants to partner with us. We only ask that they send us women who are actively job searching and are low income,” Hedrick said.

“We leave (it) to the partners to decide whether a woman would really benefit from our services.”

The boutique has the look of a high-end consignment store, with clothing (heavy on the suits) arranged on racks by style and color, a display of shoes (heavy on the low-heeled pumps) and accessories, including hose and bras, if that’s what a woman needs. Clients are usually greeted by a volunteer who listens to her needs and then helps her select an appropriate outfit.

“They come in sometimes … defeated, in a way, because of their circumstances.

So you have to kind of help them out a little bit with their confidence and their self-esteem … Sometimes you have to take a little time and listen to their stories.”

While a set of nice clothes is a boon, there’s also a powerful, not-so-visible effect from what the nonprofit calls a “suiting.”

“They come in sometimes … defeated, in a way, because of their circumstances,” said program manager Carolyne Jones. “So you have to kind of help them out a little bit with their confidence and their self-esteem … . Sometimes you have to take a little time and listen to their stories.”

Kelly Evans, who was referred after completing CareerSource courses, explained: “You just don’t understand what it does for you as a person to have somebody help you when you don’t have money and you’re down,” she said. “Everything they have is so nice, and it gave me the encouragement I needed to get to where I was going. You know how it is; when you get up and you get dressed … your whole Dress for Success aura is positive.”

Tallahassee board chair Evans did land a job, and founder Wendy quickly gained responHedrick and Program Manager Carolyne Jones. sibilities and reported

Kay Meyer

— Carolyne Jones, program manager

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»life Here to Help

that she had sold her first house when she stopped by the storefront to pick up a pair of black pumps.

“I feel on top of the world,” she said. “The upscale ladies that I’ve run into that can afford to donate, I’ve told them … and as soon as I’ve sold a few houses, I’m sure I’ll give back too.”

While clothing and accessory donations are appreciated, cash is particularly needed, said Hedrick. Ongoing expenses include rent, utilities, office supplies and Jones’ part-time salary. Jones, said Hedrick, “runs all of the dayto-day boutique activities, manages volunteers, works with referral partners, makes sure clients know how to get here, makes sure we have enough volunteers and that they know what they need to do.

Generally making sure things run smoothly.” » Plus-size, work-appropriate Although the clothing (while women local nonprofit has generously donate clothes, it an international is hard for the nonprofit to fill parent organizaclients’ need for larger sizes) tion that provides » Store volunteers advice and support, » Gently worn, classic jewelry all money is raised (think pearls) l o c a l l y. Wh e r e » Shoes in sizes 9 and up Dress for Success is particularly help» Financial contributions ful to the local (there’s a Donate button affiliate is in its on the website) partnerships with » A person willing to donate national corporagrant-writing services tions. Lia Sophia sends an annual Dress for Success Boutique box of jewelry and Places on Park Thirty-One gives 2901 E. Park Ave., Unit 2600 (850) 656-0181 new briefcase totes, dressforsuccess.org/tallahassee said Hedrick. But Tallahassee@dressforsuccess.org perhaps the most notable contribution comes from Walmart, which created a special line of black suit separates especially for Dress for Success. The suits also “wash up beautifully,” she said, particularly important for women who don’t have a dry-cleaning budget.

Walmart also helped develop the Going Places Network, a 10-week series of once-a-week training sessions to help unemployed and underemployed women on their job search through coaching, networking and support.

“They form bonds, they form friendships, they cheer each other on and … they really get to know each other every week,” Hedrick said. “Then, when it comes to doing the mock interviews, they feel comfortable practicing in front of each other and encouraging each other.

It’s a really neat process to see.” n

Kay Meyer

The Wish List

Felicia Dilbert is coordinator of the Going Places Network by Walmart, which offers support to women in the midst of a job search.

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State archives of Florida, Florida Memory

»life Looking Back

Salt Wars The Union Navy Went to Great Lengths to Deny Confederates a Way to Preserve Meat

By Jason Dehart

It was a highly successful raid. Or a fearsome loss of valuable equipment. All depending on what side you were on. The three-day saltworks raid in St. Marks by sailors and crew of the USS Tahoma in February 1864 was perhaps the most serious effort by the Union to target an essential ingredient in the Southern war effort.

Back in the days before refrigeration kept food fresh and safe, salt was used extensively to preserve meat. Salt literally sucked the life out of any microbes or mold attempting to purchase a foothold in meat. The more salt used, the longer meat can be stored, but the saltier and less palatable the taste becomes.

During the second half of the Civil War, as the Union chokehold tightened around the whole Confederacy, Florida became a valuable supply source of this essential mineral (as well as other vital commodities such as cattle, cotton, timber and turpentine). Numerous saltworks dotted the Gulf Coast from Choctawhatchee Bay (modern-day Destin) down to Tampa Bay. After building up its fleet, the U.S Navy blockade squadrons decided not only to blockade Southern ports but also to actively seek and destroy rebel saltworks (as well as any other resource that supported the Southern war effort). Without the boilers and kettles, you couldn’t process seawater into salt. Without salt, you couldn’t preserve the meat. Without

wagons, mules and harnesses, you couldn’t haul the meat. It was that simple.

The damage at St. Marks, detailed in a report by Theodorus Bailey, commander of the U.S. Navy’s East Gulf Blockading Squadron, indicates that much more than just salt was destroyed or captured by the Tahoma’s landing parties. Among the items were 390 salt kettles; 52 sheet-iron boilers; 170 brick and stone furnaces; 150 pumps, wells and aqueducts; 55 storehouses; 165 houses and shanties; 60 sheds and stables; 6,000 bushels of salt in barrels; a “large number of axes, shovels and hoes”; one carpenter’s shop with tools; one fishing house; 600 bushels of corn; and 350 cords of wood.

In addition, the raid captured (or stole, again depending upon your perspective) five large wagons, 15 mules, 2,500 pounds of bacon, two horses, 1,000 head of cattle and one prisoner, a “government agent” by the name of G.R. Paul.

It was perhaps the biggest haul of the war for the Union navy. And it certainly gave Southern supply officers a big headache. Although salt would continue to be produced here, it had officially become a strategic target. A week later, the Tahoma’s raiding parties were at it again, this time in nearby Goose Creek. This raid netted 2,000 bushels of salt in barrels and bins, corncribs, hay and fodder, blacksmith’s and carpenter’s shops and tools, storehouses

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»life Looking Back

2015: Women of Interest Please join our spring luncheon lecture series

Featured speakers are accomplished women who have answered the call of leadership in their personal and professional lives who will inspire us with their insight and stories.

February Elmira Mangum, Ph.D. President Florida A&M University March Nancy Carter, Ph.D. Senior Advisor Catalyst, Inc. March Sierra Bender Women’s Empowerment Coach and Consultant May Kim Rivers Principal Inkbridge

April program to be announced

Benefitting Oasis Center Women’s Programs Pre-registration required

For more information: 766-7512 or 222-2747

Moderator: Cheryl Rowland SPOnSOred By

54 January–February 2015

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and stables, kettles and pans, boilers, 98 “well-constructed” brick furnaces, wagons and carts, and mule harnesses.

In terms of money value, the total damage done by the landing parties came to an estimated $2 million. The South could scarcely afford the loss of such a commodity.

The Union navy didn’t just attack the works around St. Marks.

The salt operations around greater St. Andrews Bay were also a prime target. A recent drought in that region had caused an increase in the salinity of the huge bay, which allowed the saltmaking business to boom. Some 2,500 men were employed in this one area alone. Devoted to the interdiction of this trade was the USS Restless, whose crew regularly struck the targets there because they were often rebuilt. In early February 1864, the crew of the Restless conducted a raid by land and by sea to put the works out of business. Acting Master W.R. Browne filed this in his after-action report: “Learning that the rebels had erected new Government salt works on West Bay, on the site of the old salt works destroyed by us in December, and that they had a force of 50 men armed and stationed there for protection, I fitted out the first cutter, manned with 13 men, under charge of Acting Ensign James J. Russell, with orders to proceed up the Gulf coast 20 miles, and march inland 7 miles to the salt works and attack them in the rear, while Acting Ensign Henry Eason with 10 men, in command of the second cutter, would proceed by the inside passage and attack them in the front at the same time.”

Browne reported that the expedition was “entirely successful” because the 50 armed men apparently skedaddled when the Yankees approached. Not clear is whether these were actual regular army soldiers, or armed civilians who were otherwise engaged in the commercial enterprise. It really didn’t matter, because civilian salt workers — although exempt from military service — were treated as soldiers by the Federals.

They proceeded to destroy everything connected to salt manufacturing on the site, which had only been operating for 10 days, and rescue seven slaves.

About a week later, Browne and the Restless’ crew was back in the area, this time looking for a barge that was expected to arrive and pick up a cargo of salt on the southwest side of East Bay. An expedition was fitted out and set out to ambush the barge, which didn’t show up. Instead, the crew landed and destroyed all the works they could find. “Some of the largest Government salt works ever erected in Florida” were destroyed, Browne said in his report.

Six slaves were brought back to the ship afterward.

The Restless returned in October 1864 to land another expedition. Despite the destruction, the Confederate government — embroiled in a battle to stay alive — kept allocating men, money and other scarce resources to build and rebuild these works. That indicates how vital salt was to the war effort. But as persistent as the Confederates were, the U.S. Navy was just as dogged.

Naturally, salt prices skyrocketed during the war, and the Southern men handling the evaporators stood a good chance of being shot at and shelled by Federal gunboats or landing parties.

In one case, three saltmakers from Alabama were executed in Campbellton during the Battle of Marianna, according to historian Dale Cox. The men were with the Dale County Militia and were escorting a salt wagon back to Alabama when they were intercepted

by Union troops, Cox said. n

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While he lost 188 pounds, Rod Durham says his mental transformation has been equally as dramatic.

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»life feature

Rod Durham

Gets Real

Local ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Star Weighs In About Finding His Success in ‘Failure’

Matt Burke

By Audrey Post You know the drill: It’s the beginning of a new year, time for clean slates and fresh approaches to those weight-loss goals you never quite met in 2014. Or 2013. Or … .

Stop. There’s no need to pile on the guilt. For one thing, it just makes matters worse. For another, you need to realize that you’re not alone.

According to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Scranton, more people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight than to achieve any other goal. At the end of two weeks, 71 percent of them are still on track, the study found. But by the end of one month, the percentage drops to 64 percent, and by the end of six months, less than half — 48 percent — are still actively pursuing their weight loss goals. Only 8 percent actually achieved their resolutions’ goals, the study found.

Sound vaguely familiar? Before you use these disheartening statistics as justification to discard your resolution and dive into that package of Oreos, think about Rod Durham and be inspired. His story played out over the course of a year in front of a national television audience, and it had its share of ups and downs. He was the only participant in Season 4 of the “Extreme Weight Loss” television show not to reach his goal.

But he didn’t fail.

“My goal was to lose 232 to 260 pounds, and I lost 188 pounds,” Durham said. “I had to wrap my head around the fact that it wasn’t a failure, that I can’t be disappointed in that. It was the experience of my 50 years so far. I’m still trying to get used to the new normal.”

Durham weighed about 450 pounds when he fought for one of the 14 spots on “Extreme Weight Loss.” The ABC reality show is aptly named because it encourages people to shed half their body weight over the course of a year, starting with an intense three-month boot camp and then continuing with trainers in their home communities. The tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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American Broadcasting Companies

»life feature

“My goal was to lose 232 to 260 pounds, and I lost 188 pounds. I had to wrap my head around the fact that it wasn’t a failure, that I can’t be disappointed in that. It was the experience of my 50 years so far. I’m still trying to get used to the new normal.”

— Rod Durham

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contestants got back together every three months, and each had a reveal segment at the end of the year.

Seven thousand people across the country had wanted to be a part of it; Durham was relieved as he kept getting called back for the next phase of interviews. When the field had been narrowed to 32, the semifinalists were taken to Denver for a week of intensive workouts and interviews.

An English and drama teacher at Leon High School, he was, by his own admission, perceived as “that jolly fat guy” who laughed all the time. He wasn’t worried about telling his own story; after all, he coaches students in performance and storytelling.

So he told the producers and the trainers about how he wanted to be able to tie his own shoes again. And how he wanted to be able to stand up without sweating. But something made him decide to go deep, to share his fears, as well.

“I told them about how it will be a quarter to 1 and I’ll be sitting in my chair, getting ready to eat some crap and thinking, ‘Is this all I get? Is this all there is?’ “ Durham recalled. “And at that point, J.D. Roth, the show’s producer, began to clap his hands and he said, ‘That’s the first f-ing real thing you’ve said.”

It wasn’t that Durham didn’t mean everything he’d said earlier. He did want to tie his own shoes. He did want to water ski, something he had attempted but never been able to do because of his weight. When he was younger, and thinner, he’d loved to dance, and he wanted to dance again. But Roth wasn’t looking for a list of tasks that Durham wanted to accomplish.

Roth was looking for a window into Durham’s soul, to see how badly the man with the “jolly fat guy” mask wanted his life to change.

Your self-esteem can take a real hit when you’re extremely overweight. There’s a wealth of research into the relationship between food and comfort and between obesity and self-loathing, as well as depression. A 2008 study published by the College of Family Physicians of Canada urged doctors to find a way to increase their obese patients’ sense of self-worth “in order to give them sufficient faith in themselves to make healthier choices about their weight.” For Durham, it literally was mind over matter. He had to change the way he thought about himself before he could change his physical body.

“I had to learn to put myself first,” he said. “As the middle kid, I was always trying to take care of everyone else. As a teacher, I was doing Rod Durham’s new look the same thing. And as is revealed during the a son. Both my parents “Extreme Weight Loss” are in wheelchairs, and show. Since his return, I was constantly doing Durham has been certified for them. I’m happy to in TRX training and now do anything I can to encourages others to lose weight and get fit. help them, but I had

Rod’s Weight Loss Advice

Rod Durham shares a few tips for those who resolve to lose weight and transform their lives. attainable. Don’t resolve to lose 50 pounds; start with losing five or 10 pounds. When you’ve reached that goal, set another small goal of five or 10 pounds. “What we did on the show was insane,” he said. » If you want a cheeseburger, eat a cheeseburger. If you want a cookie, eat a cookie. Just don’t eat a dozen cookies. Then get back on track. » Move your body.

Not only will it aid your weight loss, you’ll feel better. » Pay attention to your spiritual health as well as your physical health. “The spiritual part is as important, maybe more so, as the weight loss part in getting healthy.” » Realize you will slip. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Matt Burke

» Make your goals

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Matt Burke

»life feature

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to put them on a schedule and say, ‘Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m at your disposal. Let’s schedule what we need to do on those days.’ This experience kind of rewired my way of thinking.”

It also meant accepting the good and the bad, and being realistic about his shortcomings.

“I’m a food addict. Food is not a bad thing — I just didn’t know when to stop,” he said. “I feel better when I get up and move my body, so I keep promises to myself about working out. If you don’t keep your promises, your integrity takes a hit. I am a good man. I had to learn to say that. But I also know that it’s OK to be in a pissy mood sometimes.”

Telling his father he was gay has also had a liberating effect.

“Coming out to my father at 49 was huge,” he said. “My father was a military man, and I thought it would cause him pain and disappointment, but it really was just me, afraid of rejection. He said, ‘Son, that’s another piece of information I know about you.’ I realized that your parents are your parents, and they love you unconditionally.”

Durham credits his Tallahassee trainer, Kim Bibeau of Sweat Therapy Fitness, with keeping him motivated and accountable.

“I don’t do so well by myself,” he acknowledged.

“Group support is essential for me.”

He has been hitting the lecture circuit since his “Extreme Weight Loss” experience, sharing what he learned about weight loss, motivation and self-acceptance. He knows that teaching is his calling, whether he’s educating a classroom of kids at Leon High or a roomful of business owners at the YMCA. He particularly wants to help overweight kids — even though his own weight problems started in adulthood.

“We don’t want to lose these kids to a death too young because of childhood obesity,” he said. “We’ve got to intervene in that downward spiral.”

A study published in 2000 in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, supports Durham’s belief that self-worth and weight-loss success are related. It found that obese adolescents have significantly lower levels of self-esteem than their non-obese counterparts, and the obese kids had higher rates of sadness, loneliness and nervousness and were more likely to indulge in risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

“That whole experience with ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ gave me back my life,” Durham said. “Yes, I lost a lot of weight, but this transDurham credits Kim formation really has very Bibeau, of Sweat little do with my weight loss.

Therapy Fitness, with The transformation was in keeping him motivated and accountable. my head and in my heart.” n

s p e c i a l a d v e rt i s i n g s e c t i o n

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Health & fitness 2015

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Health & fitness 2015

Kim Jones

Gold’s Gym Kim Jones Senior Trainer, Management Team When it comes to gyms, you look for quality equipment, a variety of programs, cleanliness and great customer service. Gold’s Gym’s three Tallahassee locations provide all that — and so much more.

Gold’s goal is to make Tallahassee the nation’s healthiest city — one person at a time — with many membership options and the area’s best value. They succeed by offering a wide array of equipment, nutrition counseling, group classes, personal training, Go Performance Fitness, boot camps and a nutrition store.

Gold’s Gym is celebrating its 50 year anniversary. Come try any of our three locally owned and operated facilities.

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STARTHereTALLY.com

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»life Agenda

services to clients and employers, primarily in the insurance industry. In other news from Thomas Howell Ferguson, Micah Kunkel, Elaine Sutter and Matthew Walker have all been recently promoted. Kunkel has been promoted to manager, tax services; Walker to senior, assurance services; and Sutter to senior, tax services.

Accolades

▪ Pam Butler received an Alumni Entrepreneur Award from the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Butler was nominated for the award by Tallahassee Community College, where she earned an associate Butler degree in data processing in 1977.

Butler is CEO of Tallahassee-based Aegis Business Technologies, an office technology business she has owned and operated with Brad Mitchell since 1997.

▪ SAIL High School was recently awarded a $10,000 Lemelson–MIT InvenTeam grant to create “Weed Rather Not,” an autonomous robot designed to remove weeds from small- scale fields without disturbing the soil. SAIL is one of only 30 high schools nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam this year.

▪ The Florida Hospital Association recently announced its 2014–2015 Board of Trustees at its annual meeting in Orlando. Bruce Rueben, president of the Florida Hospital Association, is secretary and Mark O’Bryant, president and CEO of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, is a returning trustee. The FHA consists of 238 hospitals and health systems from across the state.

Promotions and Additions

Photos provided by individuals pictured

▪ Capital Regional Medical Center has appointed Mark A. Robinson as Chief Executive Officer. With more than 15 years of health care administration experience, Robinson has served for the past two years as CEO at Lake City Robinson Medical Center in Lake City. He was also COO at Trident Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina and Gulf Coast Medical Center in Panama City. CRMC’s former CEO, Brian Cook, has been promoted to CEO of North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville.

▪ Kimberly Dixon of the financial investment firm Allen Mooney Barnes Investment Advisors was recently promoted to vice president and will now lead the Tallahassee office. A general securities representative and a registered investment adviser representative, Dixon also holds insurance licenses for variable life, variable annuities, fixed life, fixed annuities, group life,

Courtesy Jasun Burdick

▪ Leon County Tax Collector Doris Maloy recently received the Legacy Award, one of the highest achievements in the Florida Tax Collector’s Association. Maloy had previously earned the Excellence in Financial Operations Award after demonstrating proficiency in the areas of innovation and automation, a perfect annual audit report, customer focus and budgeting. For the 2014 Legacy Award, Maloy demonstrated that the office had further enhanced its financial operations.

SAIL High School InvenTeam

long-term care, individual and group disability, and group health insurance.

▪ Julie Meadows-Keefe, former chief legal counsel for the Florida Department of Health, started work in October as the first ethics officer of the city of Tallahassee. The position is designed to provide ethical overMeadowssight on city operations and will be a Keefe resource for employees, according to City Auditor Bert Fletcher. She is a graduate of the Florida State University College of Law and a member of The Florida Bar since 1993.

▪ Jim English was recently named regional branch director of First Florida Credit Union’s Tallahassee market. English will oversee all six Tallahassee branches and work with First Florida branch managers and team members to enhance their English customer service skills as well as emphasize membership recruitment and market share growth. English’s previous management experience was at SunTrust, Wells Fargo and Wachovia banks, where he focused on client relationships, talent management and strategic financial services.

Kunkel

Sutter

Walker

▪ Chris Howell of Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. has been promoted to director, assurance services. Howell, a Tallahassee native and FSU graduate, has more than 17 years of experience providing assurance and consulting

▪ Shareholder Reggie L. Bouthillier and Director of Planning Kenneth B. Metcalf were recently added to the Tallahassee office of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. Each brings more than 20 years of experience serving private- and public-sector clients throughout Florida. Their arrival follows the firm’s addition earlier this year of litigation shareholders Glenn Burhans Jr. and Bridget Smitha.

▪ Lt. Michael Bahr, a 2002 Lincoln High School and 2006 U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Tallahassee native, is doing his part to keep America safe. Bahr is currently supervising the construction of two of the newest Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyers being built by Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Business Notes ▪ Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union in Tallahassee and Pensacola has now been rated 5 stars for 81 consecutive quarters. It’s the highest rating from the nation’s creditunion rating firm, BauerFinancial Inc., of Coral Gables.

▪ Big Lots recently celebrated the grand opening of its newest discount store, located in Lafayette Place at 3111 Mahan Drive in Tallahassee. As part of the grand-opening ribbon-cutting celebration, Big Lots made a $1,500 donation to W.T. Moore Elementary School on Oct. 17.

▪ Hancock Bank celebrated the grand opening of the bank’s downtown financial center and regional headquarters. Located downtown at the corner of Park Avenue and North Monroe Street, the 5,251-square-foot center offers concierge banking with sectioned offices that allow for more direct conversation. Among those making remarks during the ceremony were Tallahassee Chamber President and CEO Sue Dick; and Moore Communications Group Chief Executive Officer and Hancock Bank Board Member Karen Moore. Representing Hancock Bank were President Emory Mayfield, Senior Vice President Jamie Lipham and Diana Cureton, vice president of Hancock’s private banking group.

▪ Government Relations Consultant Alan Suskey has formed Suskey Consulting, a boutique government affairs and business development consulting firm. Suskey, formerly of Capitol Insight, plans to continue his strong working relationship with the Tallahassee-based lobbying firm run by former House Speakers Dean Cannon and Larry Cretul. A sixth-generation Floridian, Suskey has built an advocacy career representing world-renowned research institutes, technology companies, small businesses and large corporations in both Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.

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Natural Gas For Life!

Come visit our booth at the 2015 North Florida Home Show featuring the best in natural gas tankless water heaters.

Create your own heat: Enter our free rafe to win a stainless steel grill.

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Tankless Water Heaters On-demand hot water. Have you ever wondered how these modern marvels work? We will have top natural gas tankless water heater manufacturers w eexhibiting with us during the North Florida Home Show, N FFebruary 6, 7 and 8, 2015 at the LLeon County Civic Center.

TThese manufacturers will have ttheir technical pros onsite – so bbring your toughest questions. Find out how much energy, money and space you can save when you install a natural gas m ttankless water heater.

Discover all the advantages that natural gas offers during your visit to our booth. You can learn about the city’s appliance rebates, home improvement loans, energy audits, gas availability and much more.

891.4YOU (4968) or Talgov.com Like us on Facebook at GetGasTally

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style Habitat

Antique Roadtrip With a Little Legwork, Old School Classics can be (Re)discovered

By Chay D. Baxley // Photos by Matt Burke

I

n the right light, antiquing can be a beautiful thing.

Imagine the pastime as an investigative mission of rediscovery, pursued at a leisurely pace.

It isn’t a suitable hobby for everyone. Truth be told, it takes a certain brand of person to make an antiquethemed outing a success. Someone, for example, who can read between the lines and appreciate the power and potential of an item dulled by a half-century of dust.

Because when it comes to antiques, every piece can hold a secret.

Like a converted oil lamp, which was used 150 years ago to brighten the seedy passageways of a bordello in New Orleans with its glamorous ruby glow, now safely tucked away in a corner of a Havana antique shop. Or an object that has outlived its former purpose and is ready to be transformed into an entirely different reality than what it was originally intended for.

There’s something to be learned from these pieces — if only a lesson in persistence. And though their beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for every item with a rich, mysterious history, there’s a person destined to unleash it.

Around Tallahassee, countless shop owners have dedicated their professional lives to pursuing this calling — scavenging through decaying barns, traveling to estate sales and pillaging their per- Area antique stores have their quirks sonal collections in the process. and specialties.

Due to the city’s constant resident At Memory Lane, influx and turnover, Tallahassee’s most items include antiques may just represent the most a tag that describes eclectic in the region. Though gems its history.

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FASHION » HOME » ESCAPES

A BETTER YOU MIND AND BODY GARDENING / DÉCOR Feature / Getaways

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The items at Killearn Antiques (this page), including an impressive array of vintage jewelry, represent the wares offered by seven vendors.

can be unearthed at area thrift stores (The Other Side Vintage in Railroad Square is a prime example), the city’s antique shops are where the true treasures lie.

Ginny Chandler Weeks has owned two such shops in Tallahassee over the last few decades. A lover of the beautiful as well as the quirky, Weeks’ newest venture, Chandler Market, is the quintessential example of local flavor: a bit of this, a bit of that and a whole lotta panache.

“I only buy what I like,” explained Chandler. “In this business I’ve learned that things may be sticking around for awhile, so I might as well love it. I appreciate pieces that have usefulness to (them). Not only are they beautiful, but they’re functional.”

As a Tallahassee native, Weeks’ shop has a certain Tallahassee-centric vibe, complete with vintage drawings of some of the city’s most recognizable buildings.

Just a few doors down, Memory Lane Antiques is characterized by the expertly curated collection of owner Paul J. Shalako

III. Though the shop offers everything from Czechoslovakian art glass to 19th-century American furniture, antiquarians will find Memory Lane to be a pleasant surprise in a realm of overstuffed antique showrooms.

Nothing dusty or junky resides here — only the good stuff.

“It’s like going to a museum,” assured Shalako, “except you can purchase these treasures.”

Another cool feature of Memory Lane? All items in the store are meticulously researched and labeled, so patrons know exactly what they’re buying. If you know what you’re looking for, this is the ideal place to start.

Less than five miles away from the treasure troves near Lake Ella sits Killearn Antiques, located in the heart of The Market District. Like many antique stores, the store is composed of seven vendors (that have been known to occasionally rotate since the store’s opening in 1995).

The shelves are full, the prices fair and the attendants knowledgeable about their

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products. All in all, Killearn Antiques is the type of place you’re happy to get lost in.

“We do in a way,” said owner Marcia Strazulla, when questioned if her shop was filling a specific niche. “We probably have the most extensive selection of costume and estate jewelry. On top of that, we carry sterling silver, art glass and original art, antique books, furniture, linens and pottery.”

Of course, Tallahassee isn’t the only place around that cherishes antiquity. Thomasville, Ga., also puts a great deal of emphasis on quality-constructed goods.

In Thomasville, the older, the better.

“It’s become a very robust destination,” said Ron Ernst, owner of A Different Drummer.

“We all do different things. I’m not like Relic’s, I’m not like Toscoga, and that’s a good thing.

When people come here it’s good to have a diversity of product and inventory. You don’t want seven antique shops selling the same stuff.”

If hunting for high-end pieces is on your to-do list, there can be no better haven than Thomasville. A number of antique hot spots line the historic downtown district’s bustling streets.

For something completely unique, A Different Drummer offers sporting and hunting memorabilia in a tastefully arranged converted townhouse — set off by a breathtaking courtyard where guests are invited to soak in some sun. Everything from American duck decoys (considered to be “folk art”) to vintage Florida paintings and solid furnishings well past their centennial mark are within the Drummer’s cozy walls.

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“I just like vintage,” admitted Ernst. “I like early stuff. Any gallery can have contemporary art; it’s easy to find. I pride myself on finding the early stuff.”

After all this perusing, it may feel like a bit of a trek, but 20 minutes north of Tallahassee, Havana’s downtown corridor is positively blossoming. A number of notable attractions are sprinkled throughout these cobblestone streets, all worthy of an afternoon dedicated to lingering.

Perhaps the most extensive among them is the Planters Exchange Inc. Chock-full of furniture, a variety of highly collectable glassware and even the odd Highwaymen painting or two, the folks at the Exchange pride themselves on their diversity.

According to Tonya Roloff, manager at the Exchange, it’s exactly what sets them apart.

“You’re going to find a wide variety,” shared Roloff, of the Planters Exchange current inventory. “Some of this stuff is from the 1820s — that’s pretty old.

“Just fun and interesting things. We always find fun stuff. I’ll be going through furniture when we first get it, and we usually get it from auctions and estate sales so you have to clean it. And we find all sorts of things in the drawers.” n

Not only does Thomasville’s A Different Drummer offer vintage sporting and hunting items (top left), you can also enjoy a beautiful courtyard (top right) that’s part of the converted townhome.

FOR THE GPs Here’s a list to help plan your own antiquing trek. It might be worth a phone call ahead of time to see if they are open. As one owner said when asked for his hours of operation: “I don’t know, just call me and I’ll let you in.”

A Different Drummer Antiques 206 S. Broad St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 227-6060 adifferentdrummergallery.com Chandler’s Market 1651 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee (850) 694-2244 chandlersmkt.com Killearn Antiques 1415 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee (850) 893-0510 Memory Lane Antiques 1425 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee (850) 577-1045 memorylanetallahasseeantiques.com Planters Exchange Inc. 204 N.W. 2nd St., Havana (850) 593-6343 Relic’s 138 S. Madison St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 228-4181 relicsthomasville.com Toscoga Market Place 209 S. Broad St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 227-6777

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Thousands of gowns to choose from.

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»style A Better You

The Wonders of

Coconut Oil

From Hair Healer to Cooking Companion to Mind Mender, It Seems There’s No Obstacle Coconut Oil Can’t Conquer By Chay D. Baxley Do a quick Internet search for the phrase “coconut oil” and your browser will come alive with testimonials advocating for this New Age super-fruit. Add “organic” to the mix, and there’s a serious possibility your server might crash from information overload.

All across the Internet, healthy-living junkies are going bonkers for this sweet, tropical oil — and their enthusiasm seems to be warranted.

In recent years, the potential medicinal value of coconut oil has sparked the interests of researchers worldwide. Today, physicians and nutritionists alike are paying attention, and many are encouraging their patients to seek out coconut oil’s healing properties for ailments ranging from acne to Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Jessica Yoon, a dermatologist at Dermatology Associates of Tallahassee, might just be one of coconut oil’s biggest fans. An avid consumer herself, she recommends that the majority of her patients integrate coconut oil into their daily skin care routine — and that goes for her own children, too.

“I want to keep people safe,” emphasized Yoon, a Harvard Medical School graduate.

“I feel like all the lotions and soaps and all the junk out there with a ton of preservatives might be contributing to an increase in breast cancer, as well as other kinds of cancer. I want to get people away from that kind of stuff.”

For Yoon, the anti-microbial properties naturally found in coconut oil make it an ideal match for patients suffering from acne, eczema, rosacea or any other dermal conditions where fragile skin is prevalent. Thanks to its high levels of lauric acid — a naturally occurring substance also found in breast milk — coconut oil’s healing properties are pretty remarkable.

And unlike many other folklore remedies, there are tons of medical studies to prove it.

“They’ve especially studied eczema patients,” Yoon said. “There was one study where they looked at eczema patients who often carried a lot of staph on their skin. They had them use the coconut oil for eight weeks, and the staph was gone in all but one of them.

And I believe there were 50 patients. That’s pretty cool. There were no drugs (used), no toxic chemicals — just soothing coconut oil.”

In an equally notable study conducted on mice, coconut oil was found to increase collagen levels during wound recovery, suggesting that it could potentially have a similar effect when it comes to the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles in humans.

Whether or not people are following the research, coconut oil’s popularity is certainly on the rise.

According to Dolly Fields, the Whole Body Team Leader at Tallahassee’s Whole Foods Market, organic coconut oil is one

Fans of coconut oil are extolling its virtue as an aid to both beauty and health.

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»style A Better You

of the few items in the store sold on three separate aisles — Supplements, Beauty and Cooking Oils.

“It’s huge,” Fields marveled. “I would say it’s in the top five (items sold) on any day of the week.”

From gentle makeup remover to hair treatment mask, coconut oil’s beauty-boosting benefits are abundant. Advocates assure that supple, brighter skin is just the beginning of the health-giving gains that incorporating coconut oil can bring. Some even believe the benefits may include (when cooking or ingesting organic, virgin coconut oil) the possibility of improved cognitive abilities.

Deborah Merwin, a Florida-licensed nutritionist and the Director of Wellness at the Feeling Good Health Food Store in Destin, warmed to the notion of organic coconut oil being an underappreciated warrior against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease when an enthusiastic customer cited the writings of Dr. Mary Newport, a neonatologist in the Tampa Bay area whose husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the mid-2000s.

“The customer who knew I was selling the oil basically as a cooking oil, or in my beauty section as a body lotion, wanted me to know that she had personally had two members Organic, expeller-pressed, of her family that had virgin coconut oil been diagnosed by medical professionUse it as … als with having what » A gentle makeup remover she called ‘full-blown Alzheimer ’s’ where » An easily absorbed they were gone, they total-body moisturizer were no longer cogni» A facial night cream tive at all,” Merwin » A hair treatment mask recalled. “By using the » A substitute for coconut oil, based on butter or olive oil Dr. Mary Newport’s recommendation, they » A boost to oatmeal, had recovered. They cereal or grits were now living full lives again.”

Merwin has passed on Newport’s literature to many of her clients — a number of whom have returned with impressive tales of recovery all their own.

Newport’s theory is based on the medium-chain triglycerides (or MCTs) that give coconut oil its “fatty” composition. When consumed, they’re converted into ketones and utilized by the brain as an alternative fuel to glucose. Originally hypothesized in 2008, Newport’s take on coconut oil took a few years to gain traction within the medical community. By spring 2013, research regarding the power of coconut oil on the brain began at the University of South Florida’s Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.

It will be years before any quantitative data is released. But for less than a dollar an ounce, if the only drawback to making the coconut-oil cooking switch is consciously swapping new calories for old ones, there may be no time like the present.

An easy substitute for olive oil and butter, coconut oil is ideal for sautéing meats, mixing a tad into a batch of oatmeal, drizzling a tablespoon into a green smoothie or even spreading across a hearty slice of whole grain toast.

“There are a lot of ways to ingest it,” Merwin said. “I use it very regularly.” n

What to Buy

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Rebecca Sumerall

»style Mind and Body

High Fidelity Hearing Assisted Hearing Patrons Enjoy the Show When They’re in ‘The Loop’

By Tisha Crews Keller

For people with hearing impairments, hearing aids restore the soundtrack to everyday life. For the estimated 48 million Americans with hearing loss — about one in four of whom have hearing aids — the devices increase independence and a high quality of life. Unfortunately, even with hearing aids, background noise and interference make it difficult to hear in large auditoriums and crowd-filled spaces.

Local audiology representative Melissa Carson is on a mission to change that. In 2012, she embarked upon a community outreach program to offer local support for a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the number of hearing “loops” available for assisted-hearing individuals.

Simply put, a hearing loop, or induction loop system, is a designated area within a building that conducts the sound from a microphone directly into a receiver inside a hearing aid or cochlear implant. This microphone-amplifier-induction loop (wire) system radiates a magnetic signal to a “T-coil” implanted inside a user’s own hearing device.

For the hearing-impaired, this eliminates background noise by relaying sound from the designated source — such as a pastor, television or vocalist — directly to the user’s hearing aid or cochlear implant. It’s as if the speaker and listener were talking one-on-one and greatly improves the listening experience. While a person with normal hearing may have little trouble distinguishing between background noise and the primary conversation, this is more challenging for those with any degree of hearing loss.

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»style Mind and Body The Best Maritime Collection Carson encourages churches, schools and businesses alike to The Best Nautical & Nautical Maritime&Collection increase access to meaningful interaction through the use of hearEast of the Mississippi!

East of the Mississippi! ing loops.

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“Our support has taken a variety of forms,” Carson says, “from hosting loop demonstration events so hearing-aid users in our community have an opportunity to experience the clarity of sound a loop offers to our audiologists holding workshops for users at venues that have installed hearing loops.”

In Tallahassee, momentum for these systems is building. Carson NauticalCollectibles Antiques, Collectibles & Gifts Nautical Antiques, & Gifts reports that currently, about a dozen local venues are considering hearing loops for patrons. In many cases, their audiences have told them about the benefits of a loop and how much better an experience it provides.

For Theatre Tallahassee, it was an easy investment decision. The hearing loop was suggested by a longtime patron who was familiar with the technology, and the $1,200 cost has paid for itself many times over.

“One of the greatest benefits is that we have patrons, after learning about the system through friends, family or the audiology 170 Water St., Historic Apalachicola • 850/653-3635 170 Water St., Historic Apalachicola • 850/653-3635 group, returning to the theater and once again enjoying shows,” Visit us at www.tinshednautical.com Visit us at www.tinshednautical.com says Brian Davis, artistic director for Theatre Tallahassee. “We’ve had people come up to us glowing and thanking us for bringing the theater back into their lives.”

For businesses, hearing loops help meet the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance requirements to assist those with hearing aids. There is no limit to the number of people who can access e Best Nautical & Maritime Collection the loop at once.

East of the Mississippi!

Hearing loops aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, however, says Nathan Rhodes, Au.D., an audiologist in practice at the South Georgia Audiology and Hearing Center in Thomasville.

“Not all hearing aids are equipped with the T-coil,” he explains. “Many of the smaller, more cosmetically appealing hearing aids do A simple illustration not have T-coils. Another issue is that a hear- of how a hearing ing loop is not very portable, and it has not loop works: Sounds autical Antiques, Collectibles & Gifts from the microphone kept up with current technology.” are amplified and Almost all newer hearing aids within broadcast to anyone the past few years are Bluetooth-enabled, within the wire “loop” he says. And they can accomplish the who has a T-coilsame goals as a hearing loop — but on an enabled hearing aid.

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Rebecca Sumerall

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individual basis. Like Bluetooth mobile devices, these hearing-aid systems are far-reaching, wireless and portable. They also allow users to talk on a cell phone or watch a movie on an iPad and have the sound stream directly into their hearing aid, and more.

Unfortunately, Bluetooth technology is slightly different from one hearing-aid manufacturer to another and therefore not necessarily compatible across models.

On the other hand, hearing loops are accessible with any device equipped with a T-coil, and they require less battery power than Bluetooth technology, which is perhaps what makes them the most popular choice for businesses to provide access to patrons.

This access is very important to hearing-impaired individuals like Charles LaTour. He is 77 years old and has had three sets of hearing aids over the past 18 years.

“I first heard of a hear“Hearing loops ing loop at my daughter’s keep people with church in Chicago,” LaTour explains. “It hearing loss sounds like the person is involved and active. standing right in front of you.”

There is also an LaTour gets excited important economic when he talks about how great the loop technology impact to looping a is. He would love to see community. When Florida State University’s Ruby Diamond Concert people can hear well Hall or the Civic Center and feel included, get the technology.

Hearing loops may be they are more likely used in homes as well.

With just the touch of a to participate in button on the hearing aid, community events a listener can “loop in” directly to the television like attending the without having to turn symphony, theater it up to a level bothersome to family members. or lecture series.”

Self-installation home systems range between — Local audiology $140 and $300 and are representative, easily installed in a couple of hours.

Melissa Carson Carson wholeheartedly believes in the hearing loop campaign.

Since they began their outreach in 2012, Audiology Associates and Tallahassee Ear, Nose and Throat have made a point to educate all hearing-aid and cochlear-implant patients on loop usage. This starts with their audiologists turning on the T-coil in the devices and educating the patients to look for the universal sign — a blue ear — signifying a venue has a hearing loop installed.

“Hearing loops keep people with hearing loss involved and active,” Carson says. “There is also an important economic impact to looping a community. When people can hear well and feel included, they are more likely to participate in community events like attending the symphony, theater or lecture series. Studies show those who stay engaged experience more healthy aging — and that is certainly good for our community.” n

CARRIE MCNEILL Owner, Cole Couture Boutique Tallahassee Magazine advertisers since 2007

TaLLaHaSSee Magazine

works for me “Tallahassee Magazine is one of my top picks for personal reading, research and advertising. My copies are always dog-eared from constant use.”

After Cole Couture opened eight years ago, Carrie McNeill’s Midtown boutique quickly established itself as part of the fabric of Tallahassee life.

When it was time to keep their audience up-to-date with the latest arrivals and boutique happenings, Tallahassee Magazine was the obvious choice, because of their longstanding, intimate relationship with the community.

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»style Gardening

What’s Your Composting Style? st, Ms. Grow-I t-A y Po ll dre Au

With Scientific Precision or a Free-Form Approach, We All Can Make Our Own Dirt

Q: I like the idea of composting — using kitchen and yard scraps to improve the soil while reducing the waste stream from my home — but I really have no idea how to get started. I read some articles online that made me wonder whether I have the time and space, much less the scientific knowledge, to devote to composting. Is composting as complicated as it sounds, or is there an easier way?

By Audrey Post

®

Ms. Grow-It-All Ms. Grow-It-All

®

®

A: While composting can be complicated, it doesn’t have to be. You can be precise about the size of your compost pile and make it 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, creating 3- to 4-inch layers of nitrogen-heavy organic material alternating with carbon-heavy materials, giving it just the right amount of water to keep it moist but not soggy and turning it at prescribed intervals to keep it “cooking.”

Or you can toss your kitchen and yard waste into a pile and pretty much ignore it. Both piles will decompose eventually and create compost. The only difference is how long it will take.

When I first attempted composting many years ago, a well-meaning but persnickety neighbor told me I was doing it all wrong — that my pile wasn’t big enough to generate the required heat for composting and my green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon) layers were of unequal sizes, further thwarting the process. He made composting sound as complex as rocket science, and I decided that I had taken on more than I could handle and abandoned my composting project.

Literally.

I walked away and didn’t check it again for several months, which was when I discovered that my old “substandard” pile of eggs shells, vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, grass clippings and leaves was in the process of rotting quite nicely. I have to admit I felt vindicated, but the bigger lesson I learned was that while chemistry-class composting might be the ideal, less formulaic efforts should also be encouraged.

Every little bit helps, as long as you follow one basic rule: Plant material only — no meat and no fats, or you’ll create a rancid odor and attract all sorts of unwanted visitors to your compost pile.

Your pile will create compost faster if you have a good mix of “green” material, nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings and vegetable trimmings, and “brown” material, such as fallen leaves,

sawdust and soil. They can be mixed together or separated into layers, but the Composting can be as key is to have both. If you have only one or simple or as complicated the other, the pile will still rot, but it will as you want it to be. take a lot longer. If you’re not in a hurry, it Just do it, advises Ms. Grow-It-All. doesn’t matter.

You can also use manure as a “brown” material, but make sure it’s from livestock such as cows, horses, goats, sheep, pigs or chickens, which eat grains and vegetables. Avoid dog and cat feces. Because they eat meat, their waste is not suitable for use as fertilizer or compost material.

You can confine your compost in any number of structures — including a bin made of wooden pallets, a circle of hardware cloth or chicken wire, a commercial compost bin or tumbler, or a 5-gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage — but it will decompose faster if it’s enclosed. It also decomposes faster if the material is in smaller pieces, no larger than 2 or 3 inches, and the pile is kept moist. The bacterial and fungal activity within the pile creates heat, and stirring the pile every couple of days keeps the bacteria and fungi fed and the pile hot, so the material breaks down faster.

It’s ready to use when it has a loose, crumbly texture like soil and an earthy smell. n © 2014-2015 Postscript Publishing, all rights reserved. Audrey Post is a certified Advanced Master Gardener volunteer with the University of Florida IFAS Extension in Leon County. Email her at Questions@MsGrowItAll. com or visit her website at msgrowitall.com. Ms. Grow-It-All® is a registered trademark of Postscript Publishing.

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»style Gardening

January/February Garden Events

While it only takes 1.8 seconds to swing a club, the typical golfer, like you, spends 912 hours a year thinking about it.

Jan. 5 and Feb. 2: Tallahassee Edible Garden Club meets at 6 p.m. at the pavilion in Winthrop Park, behind the tennis courts, 1601 Mitchell Ave.

SouthWood Golf Club. A place for dreamers ... like you.

Call for a lesson, check out our Pro Shop, or book tee times online.

Jan. 8 and Feb. 12: Tallahassee Orchid Society meets at 7 p.m. in Jubilee Cottage at Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road. tallyorchid.org

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Jan. 9 and Feb. 6: First Friday Brown Bag Lecture Series, Jubilee Cottage, Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road. (January meeting held on the second Friday because of New Year’s holiday.) goodwoodmuseum.org Jan. 13 and Feb. 10: Apalachee Beekeepers meet at the Leon County Extension office, 615 Paul Russell Road. Working with the hives on-site at 5:30 p.m., business meeting at 6:30 and program at 7 p.m. http://sites. google.com/site/apalacheebee Jan. 15 and Feb. 19: Tallahassee Garden Club Plant Exchange and Horticulture Program, 507 N. Calhoun St. Plant exchange begins at 9:30 a.m., horticulture at 10:15. tallahasseegardenclub.com Jan. 18 and Feb. 15: Tallahassee Area Rose Society meets at 2:30 p.m. in the Laundry Cottage at Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road. tallahasseearearosesociety.org Jan. 25: Tallahassee Daylily Club meets at 2 p.m. at the Leon County Extension Center, 615 Paul Russell Road. Guest speaker will be Dan Hansen of Ladybug Gardens in Geneva, Florida. thsgardens.org Jan. 28–31: National Camellia Society annual convention, Homewood Suites, Tallahassee. tallahasseecamelliasociety.com

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Jan. 31–Feb. 1: 62nd Annual Camellia Show, presented by the Camellia & Garden Club of Tallahassee, in cooperation with the American Camellia Society.

Doyle Conner Administration Building, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 3125 Conner Blvd., 1–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. tallahasseecamelliasociety.com Feb. 5: The Magnolia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society meets in Room 1024 of the King Building at FSU, 319 Stadium Drive. Social time begins at 7 p.m., chapter meeting at 7:15 and program at 7:45. Billy Boothe will speak on pollinator strategies. Free parking evenings at the parking garage just south of the King Building. magnolia.fnpschapters.org Feb. 11: Men’s Fun with Flowers, 6–8 p.m. Tallahassee Garden Club, 507 N. Calhoun St. Make something beautiful for your Valentine. tallahasseegardenclub.com Feb. 14: The 23rd Annual Old Garden Rose Sale adjacent to the Virginia McKee Greenhouse at Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and continuing every Friday and Saturday morning until sold out. Proceeds are used for the restoration and maintenance of the rose gardens at Goodwood.

Contact John Sullivan at joh4@ aol.com for a list of the rose varieties available.

Feb. 22: Tallahassee Daylily Club meets at 2 p.m. at the Leon County Extension Center, 615 Paul Russell Road. Guest speakers will be C.J. and Virginia Gregory of Dragonwood Garden in Orlando. thsgardens.org

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Experience Gadsden Arts

Masterworks on the Move, Sara May Love Gallery

Angie Barry, Conversation with the Curator

Mark Lindquist, Sara May Love Gallery Photo courtesy of Lindquist Studios, Inc.

Tim Myrick, Step into the Light, watercolor

Visit the Gadsden Arts Center Fine Art Exhibitions - c.1912 Bell & Bates Building - Guided Tours (by appointment) - Original Gifts Master Artist Workshops - Art Classes - Art Camp - Fine Art Trips - and more...

On View January 16–March 28, 2015 Tim Myrick: a Southern State of Mind - North Florida Woodturners Association - Sheila Robertson: Before All This Selections from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection - Gadsden Arts Center Artists Guild Information: www.gadsdenarts.org / (850) 875-4866 Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm / 13 N. Madison Street, Quincy, Florida

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»style Décor

The Makings of a

Mantel

Mika Fowler

Designers Surrender, You Can Put the TV Above the Fireplace

This “farmhouse-style family room with a Santa Fe flair” surrounds the above-the-fireplace television set with real wooden logs. “At first we wanted aspen logs or white birch, but the cost was significant so we mimicked the same look with regular old Tallahassee firewood,” said designer Laura Bryant. “We had them cut and stacked by Tony’s Garden Patch.”

The battle between interior decorating professionals and average Joes everywhere has come to a bitter, bitter end. Decorators, utterly spent from fighting the good fight, have retracted their ban on televisions being gloriously mounted above a flickering fireplace.

The New World Order did not come without some serious contemplation — and perhaps a little heartbreak. In the end, their reasoning was pretty straightforward: Aesthetic principals mandate that whenever a fireplace is present (yes, even in Florida), it should be the focal point of the room. Reality requires the same of the television set.

Alas, it was a conundrum with only one clear solution. Now, it’s all about making this new age look cohesive.

“I think, as a rule of thumb, it’s usually easier to use a balanced, symmetrical composition when you have the television above,” explained Laura Bryant, Tallahassee’s Best of 2014 Interior Designer. “And then it’s more fun to do something asymmetrical when you have a beautiful mirror or piece of art mounted above.”

Some of Bryant’s most trusted tricks for perfecting a mantel design involve blending unexpected textures in small groupings to create interest. A bit of sheen here, a rustic, blackened bronze or wrought iron trinket there, and the style is complete.

A word of caution, though: One thing design enthusiasts aren’t ready to give up on just yet is their general disapproval for tiny, personal photographs cluttering up an otherwise impressive mantelpiece. Instead of placing framed photos above the fireplace, consider giving them their own special designated gallery wall or viewing table so they can be properly admired. // Chay D. Baxley

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»style feature

Turning Complex Science into

Jewelry

A MagLab Researcher Creates Cool Jewelry to Teach Others About Cutting-Edge Science

By Kathleen Laufenberg Photos by Matt Burke

As he polished a slab of copper, engineering student Jeremy Weiss got an idea. “Wow,” he mused, “I could use this to make a ring or necklace” — and people would be fascinated by the story behind it.

Fascinated because Jeremy wasn’t working with ordinary metal. He was polishing a copper-encased, 5-inch (12-centimeter) wide slice of superconducting wire, or wire that conducts electricity without resistance or loss of electricity. As a part-time research assistant at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory’s Applied Superconductivity Center, Jeremy often works with such.

Graduate student These wires generate the highJeremy Weiss magnetic fields that MRI combines his interest in science machines need to reveal disand design when he ease and particle accelerators creates jewelry out need to explore the building of superconducting blocks of matter. materials used in L ike most engineer s, the MagLab. Jeremy’s fascinated by superconductivity — but he also knows that explaining it is a challenge. It’s easy to get technical and abstract. “There’s such a big disconnect between scientists and non-scientists,” he said. “So, how do you teach people about research without being boring?”

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»style feature “He wanted the general public to experience the intrinsic beauty of the superconducting wires we investigate here at the Applied Superconductivity Center — and I think he came up with a really creative way to try and do that.”

— Engineering Professor, Eric Hellstrom It can be a challenge, said Engineering Professor Eric Hellstrom.

“Jeremy had a laudable goal,” said Hellstrom, who mentors Jeremy at the MagLab and in his academic studies. “He wanted the general public to experience the intrinsic beauty of the superconducting wires we investigate here at the Applied Superconductivity Center — and I think he came up with a really creative way to try and do that.”

Jeremy hypothesized that if he could show people something cool made out of superconducting scraps — a ring, necklace or pair of earrings — superconductivity might seem more interesting.

He could point out the individual superconducting filaments in a necklace.

He could explain how big the wire was when he began “Slices” of to work with it, and how he superconducting used machines to squeeze wire (below left) and re-squeeze the wire until are used to fashion intriguing jewelry it was small enough to wear like this pendant as a ring. (above) and rings And so the idea to explain (below right). science via art was born — one that would eventually morph into a nonprofit endeavor. But more on that later. First, a bit about Jeremy, whose creative thinking earned him one of Florida State University’s six Graduate Student Research and Creativity Awards last year.

Artist turned scientist

Unlike many scientists, 27-year-old Jeremy studied visual design at an arts high school, the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville. When he graduated in 2005, he wanted to be an industrial designer. He applied to the Rhode Island School of Design — “the best design school in the country,” he said— but wasn’t accepted.

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Disappointed, he decided to pursue his second career choice: engineering school in Tallahassee. But once happily enrolled in mechanical engineering, he still had a problem: He needed a job to pay his bills.

“I was washing dishes at Panera Bread by the Governor Square Mall, and I was really good at it,” he said in his trademark waggish way. “But no matter how much you apply yourself to washing dishes, you’re never going to get anywhere with it. So I wanted to stop washing dishes and do something else.”

His favorite engineering class, Introduction to Materials, had been taught by David Larbalestier — the director of the MagLab’s Applied Superconductivity Center. So Jeremy came to the center, knocked on his professor’s door, and asked if he had any positions open. “It turns out that they’re always looking for students who are motivated and proactive in looking for work.”

He got a part-time gig examining, grinding and polishing crosssections of superconductors. Later, he also learned to make a type of superconductor (called a pnictide) that’s made primarily of barium, iron and arsenic. Because of its toxic ingredients, Jeremy spent an entire year helping to set up a special arsenic lab, where he now combines these elements inside a glove box filled with argon gas.

“He took the initiative to develop safe synthesis protocols to handle the arsenic-based superconductors that he’s now investigating for his Ph.D. studies,” Hellstrom said. “He’s blossomed into an excellent graduate student and ... a great mentor for undergrads.”

After he makes the superconductor, Jeremy packs the powderlike material inside a copper tube. Then he feeds the tube into machines (called rotary swagers) that compact and draw it down into a superconducting wire. Superconducting wire can carry from 40 to 100 times the electricity of a regular copper household wire.

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Fast forward to 2014. Jeremy’s jewelry-to-explain-science idea had become Science Shinies (scienceshinies.org), a nonprofit with a mission to “educate the community about science by eliciting interest through creative and artistic endeavors.”

He rolled out his jewelry wares, which range from $10 to $30, at the MagLab’s Open House in 2013. But he also got caught up in making superconducting candy for the annual event. He’d spotted confectioner Wes Raley whipping up batches of rock candy near a popular Tallahassee watering hole on All Saints Street. And again, Jeremy had an “aha” moment.

Wes shapes and cooks his candy pretty much like I shape and cook my superconducting wire, Jeremy realized. If Raley’s confectionary came to Open House and made that candy, I could explain to people how the process is like making superconducting wire!

So he hired Raley to bring his portable candy kitchen to the MagLab, and made posters explaining how similar the processes were. He used the profits from his nonprofit (with some supplement from the MagLab) to pay for the candy demonstration.

“It was a big success,” Hellstrom said. “The people loved his jewelry and the different superconducting candies.”

Jeremy plans to graduate this year with a doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering — and if he does, he will be among the first to graduate from this new FSU graduate program. Yet even after graduation, he wants to find artistic ways to tell the story of science.

“I want to help artists make educational aides out of exotic scrap material,” he said. “That way, I can help them and spread the word about research and science. It’s a win-win.” n

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»feature Deal Estate

GO TO Tallahasseemagazine.com for UPDATED Listings

Facts and Stats

In the Neighborhood

All statistics listed below pertain to sales in August 2014 and are provided by the Tallahassee Board of Realtors, Florida Realtor and the National Association of Realtors.

Camelot Park

For ‘Happy Ever Aftering,’ You Can’t Beat This Neighborhood’s Convenience By Lynda Belcher

LEON COUNTY Leon County closed 250 singlefamily home sales — 78 were paid in cash. 177 were traditional sales, 56 were foreclosures and 17 were short sales.

On average, Leon County’s single-family home sales received 92.7 percent of their original list price.

There were 342 new listings — a 11.4 percent increase over August 2014.

The median sale price for singlefamily homes in Leon County was $187,500 — a 4.2 percent decrease since August 2013.

Single-family home inventory (active listings) in Leon County increased by 9.2 percent between August 2013 and 2014.

FLORIDA

Matt Burke

Florida closed 21,742 singlefamily home sales — 8,394 were paid in cash. 15,816 were traditional sales, 4,611 were foreclosures and 1,315 were short sales.

continued on page 102

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The median sale price for singlefamily homes in Florida was $180,000 — a 2.9 percent increase over last July.

Camelot Park neighborhood

NATIONAL Nationally, existing-home sales decreased slightly in August. The total for existing family home sales was 5.05 million in August, a slight decrease from the 5.14 million sold in July.

Matt Burke

If real estate is all about location, location, location, then Camelot Park sets the bar pretty high — and throws in affordable pricing, to boot. The combination of houses in this neighborhood range from ranch-style homes built in the 1970s to newer models built roughly six to seven years ago.

Bordered by Park Avenue, Victory Garden Drive and Richview Road, the neighborhood is a mix of families and young professionals. There are a number of renters living in this neighborhood as well, adding to its diverse appeal. School zones include Apalachee Elementary School, Fairview and Cobb middle schools and Rickards High School. There is little through traffic in Camelot Park, which

On average, Florida’s closed singlefamily home sales received 93.3 percent of their original list price.

The national median existinghome price for all housing types was $219,800 in August, up 4.8 percent from August 2013.

Compiled by Lynda Belcher

»feature Deal Estate Just Listed

Situated eight minutes east of Capital Circle and nestled among a smattering of wooded lots, Tallahassee Trails represents Tallahassee’s latest efforts in combining quiet, country-style living with an eye towards conservation. The gated community features a network of walking trails that meander through the neighborhood, offering optimal viewing opportunities for wildlife of all types, including deer, turkey and fox squirrels. Listings in the community feature customized amenities and stunning scenery and the home at 7909 Lonesome Dove is no exception.

Spanning a cozy 1,528 square feet, this threebedroom, two-bathroom charmer comes with a 10-year builder warranty. It is a certified green home that boasts professional design and landscaping. It sits on a half-acre lot and has a huge backyard, perfect for recreation and entertaining.

Moving inside, there are a number of interior amenities that make this home stand out. Granite lines the countertops in the kitchen, which also has wood floors and ample pantry space. The open concept living and dining room space is situated just off the kitchen.

The vaulted ceilings create a feeling of even more space in the common areas. The master bedroom suite has a large walk-in closet and deluxe bath with walk-in shower.

The home is among the first of those going up in the Tallahassee Trails community. Each is designed to optimize energy efficiency and offers a chance for residents to enjoy the benefits of the country a short ride from the bustle of downtown Tallahassee. // By Lynda Belcher

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Just Sold

Naumann Group Real Estate

Custom-Built Extras Help Sell Stately Home

Located on the northeast side of Tallahassee, the home at 7060 Grenville Road is the definition of stately. Built in 2005, this custombuilt structure has had just one owner. The appeal of this home is in the amenities it boasts inside and out. A brick entryway offers an elegant entrance into the home. Ten-foot ceilings and 8-foot doors give the appearance of even more space, while hardwood flooring extends throughout the common areas and into the kitchen. A separate dining room space sits just off to the right of the home’s foyer, for a more formal dining setting.

Quick Look Part of the appeal of the home is the large kitchen area, with its oversized List Price: $499,000 countertops and bar-style seating for Sold Price: $503,000 optimal entertaining or large meals.

Stainless steel appliances and a spacious Square feet: 3,529 breakfast nook complete the space, Bedrooms: 4 which also boasts a well-designed lighting plan to add brightness to the room.

Bathrooms: 3.5 Moving into the additional common Contact: Keith spaces, a custom-stone fireplace adorns McDonald, Naumann the living room, opening up into a covGroup, (850) 443-0424 ered patio replete with outdoor kitchen, including a built-in grill. In fact, the outdoor living space is part of the appeal of the home, which sits on 1.28 acres and overlooks green space to the rear of the home.

The master bedroom offers custom-built shelving in the walk-in closet, with an attached bathroom that has his-and-her vanities, garden tub and a walk-in shower. There is a bonus room on the second floor of the home that doubles as a bedroom or office. All of the bedrooms in the home are carpeted and boast recessed lighting and a neutral paint palette. // by Lynda Belcher

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tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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»feature Deal Estate That Second Home

Prime South Realty

Let Mother Nature Relax You At This Lakeside Charmer

Introducing One of Tallahassee’s Newest Communities, The Preserve at Bucklake with Tricon Builders’ First Model, The Melrose

4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths in 2077 sq.ft. Priced at $325,000 Mahan Drive to Buck Lake Rd. go approx. .5 mi and turn left on Alban Stewart Way, then right onto Preserve Ln.

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100 January–February 2015

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Prime South Realty

ONLY 8 LOTS LEFT!

Even better than a log cabin in the woods as a second home option is a Quick Look log cabin on the lake, which is exactly List Price: $198,000 what the offering at 20012 Liahona Road provides. Situated on Lake Square feet: 1,651 Talquin, if offers plenty of opportuniBedrooms: 3 ties for recreation in the form of fishing, canoeing, kayaking and hiking. This Bathrooms: 2.5 home is truly a quaint lakeshore gem.

Contact: Mike Ferrie, Offering three bedrooms and twoPrime South Properties, and-a-half baths, the home is currently (850) 566-8373 listed for $198,000. It was built in 1986 and spans 1,650 square feet. A boathouse on the property provides direct lake access. There is also a two-car garage, stone fireplace and log exterior that adds cabin-style charm to the property. There is also new paint on the interior walls, new light fixtures and a metal roof. The spacious kitchen offers a center island and dining nook, complemented by stainless steel appliances. And there is a pantry for added kitchen storage. Drop lighting throughout the kitchen and dining areas creates an even cozier ambiance in the common spaces.

It opens up into a cozy living room space, with sliding glass doors that lead to the porch.

The exterior of the home is the showstopper, and the 14x34 screenedin porch certainly proves that.

With picturesque lake views, time is easily spent hanging out on the porch and enjoying a personal show put on by Mother Nature.

The property also comes with an adjacent lot measuring about ⅓ acre and has its own septic system. // by Lynda Belcher

GO TO Tallahasseemagazine.com for UPDATED Listings

SHOW ME THE $

Real Estate Trends for 2015

The real estate market — both nationally and locally — has been on a slow and steady march back to healthy levels after the housing bubble burst several years ago. The outlook for 2015 continues to line up with that trend, according to Joe Manausa, of Joe Manausa Real Estate.

“The market outlook for 2015 is up,” he said. “However, if mortgage interest rates rise beyond 6 percent next year, it could seriously hamper the recovery of the Tallahassee real estate market. I do expect rates to rise, but I also expect to see a growth in home sales “I do expect in 2015, as our market is still trading at rates to rise, but levels consistent with 1993 and we have a larger population now.”

I also expect to There are additional factors to consider, according to Steven Louchheim see a growth of the Tallahassee Board of Realtors. in home sales For instance, employment, the ability to obtain financing and affordability are all in 2015, as our factors in understanding how the marmarket is still ket may perform and what indicators to look for when assessing the real estate trading at levels climate. “These are some of the biggest consistent with factors in the housing market,” he said.

“Affordability, in particular, determines 1993.” whether or not potential homeowners will opt to rent versus buying.”

— Joe Manausa, Louchheim also cautioned that the Joe Manausa issue of student loan debt is likely to play a factor in future market flucReal Estate tuations. “It may be next year or the year after, but at some point, what happens with student loan debt in Washington may be a factor in the housing market and whether or not people with that much debt can obtain loans.”

The housing market, like any other financially driven sector, can be precarious, with one major change throwing every predicted trend into a tailspin. According to Louchheim, what seems like a prudent prediction today can quickly change with variations — even of a slight nature — in the financial sector. // by Lynda Belcher

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1961 Raymond Diehl Rd · 850.224.6030 · millerglassco.com tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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»feature Deal Estate 2520 Spring Forest Road

Matt Burke

continued from page 96

200 Selling Price (in $100K)

contributes to the quiet atmosphere of the community.

Homes here move pretty fast. According to Joe Manausa, of Joe Manausa Real Estate, there were 12 closed home sales as of September 2014, tying for the best rate of closings in the past seven years. The affordability factor is one of the driving forces behind the community’s fast-moving real estate transactions. The average recorded home sale price for this community is around $148,600, for homes that range from 1,500 to 1,700 square feet.

“It is literally within walking distance to some of the best shopping in Tallahassee,” said Manausa. “Many residents of this popular neighborhood enjoy being within a mile of both Tom Brown Park and the Capitol Building Complex, too.”

The neighborhood is ideal for prospective homeowners looking for a starter house because of the affordable price ranges present here. n

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1999

2001 Year

2002 2014

The home at 2520 Spring Forest Road is an optimal example of the types of properties available in Camelot Park. The home had one owner for 12 years and offers a slew of unique amenities, including bamboo flooring through the house, a separate family and living room space, new HVAC system and privacy-fenced backyard. Listed in October 2014 for $182,500, the home has been sold three times prior to the most recent listing. The home sold for $108,000 in 1999, $117,300 in 2001 and for $130,000 in 2002.

So close, you can almost see it.

A stone s throw from Cascades Park & Downtown Tallahassee, REMACC s newest development is everything you ve been waiting for.

Park Life coming soon!

aparklife.com

remaccllc.com • 850.309.7368 102 January–February 2015

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GO TO Tallahasseemagazine.com for UPDATED Listings

NAI TALCOR is the Retail Expert in North Florida!

It’s Just Business

RETAIL PROJECTS INCLUDE:

Whichwich Superior Sandwiches

Awesome not only have a space in which to collaborate with other businesses, but can also access a variety of technological resources, such as 3-D printers.

The Catalyst The Onyx Railyard Lofts CollegeTown Magnolia Grove Miracle Plaza

Now Available Recently Opened

Shannon Griffin

▪ WhichWich Superior Sandwiches, a fast casual sandwich eatery, opened the first of four planned Tallahassee restaurants at 3020 W. Pensacola St. Owned locally by David Walker and Kerry Nohle, additional locations are planned on West Tennessee Street, Village Commons Shopping Center and Magnolia Grove.

The restaurant offers a menu of customizable sandwich options, allowing customers to choose from a variety of meats, cheeses and unique toppings, such as stuffing and cranberry sauce for one of its turkey sandwiches. The restaurant is well known for its unique ordering system, in which customers take a red Sharpie to mark options on a pre-printed sandwich bag, choosing from the wide array of ingredient offerings.

After ordering, customers are invited to decorate the bags and hang them on the community art wall.

Recently Moved ▪ Making Awesome, a Tallahassee-based business that offers a co-working space and shared equipment for entrepreneurs, has relocated from Tallahassee Community College. The business now operates amidst the cooperative of unique businesses at Railroad Square. Members of Making

▪ FSU fans cheering the team on to victory at home games now have an added convenience thanks to a start-up concept by two FSU students. Stadium Runner is an app that allows attendees to order concessions using their smartphones — all without ever needing to leave their seats. The concept was tested during the spring 2014 FSU baseball season and averaged 100-200 orders per game. The app can be used on iPhones or Androids and allows customers to order from their location, put items into their cart and utilize their credit card info to check out.

Then, runners strategically placed around the stadium have their order delivered within 15 minutes, on average.

Knight Grants ▪ Several Tallahassee businesses have been awarded grant monies from the Knight Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of North Florida. Each was recognized for their efforts in spurring economic growth and attracting professional talent to the area. They included: Domi Education Inc., which received $75,000 for its efforts to create greater entrepreneurial cohesiveness and outreach at the local level; the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee-Leon County Inc., which received $50,000 for its Entrepreneurial Excellence Program; Florida Litfest Inc., for its event-oriented efforts, such as Word of South; and the Knight Creative Community Initiative Tallahassee, for its community catalyst program.

& others!

Visit www.naitalcor.com for a Complete List of Commercial Real Estate Space Available for Sale or Lease

/FÚCES IN 4ALLAHASSEE AND 0ANAMA #ITY Tallahassee Office: 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200A www.naitalcor.com + 850 224 2300

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Homestead Low Income Senior Disability Widow/Widower Tax Exempt Organizations & Churches • Discount for Senior Disabled Veterans You can learn more about available exemptions from the Leon County Property Appraiser by calling

(850) 606-6200 or visiting our website

www.leonpa.org Bert Hartsfield, CFA Property Appraiser VISIT OUR OFFICE in the Courthouse Annex - Bank of America Building 315 S. Calhoun St. 3rd Floor, Tallahassee, FL 32301 Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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»style Getaways

Getting there: Fly into Venice, Italy, and drive to Rovinj, Croatia (2.5 hours) / closest commercial international airports: Pula (20 miles), Trieste-Ronchi (70 miles), Rijeka-Krk (80 miles) and Venice’s Marco Polo Airport (160 miles) / Car rental is available at each of the airports. Once in Rovinj, it’s easy to walk or rent a bike or boat.

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tallahasseeMagazine.com

Rovinj, Croatia

The Mediterranean Land of Earthly Enchantments

By Zandra Wolfgram

I headed to Rovinj, Croatia, just after the peak tourist season (May-September), during the first week of October. Everyone I spoke to who had traveled there inevitably used some of the same words to describe it: “beautiful,” “romantic,” “artsy.” Everyone couldn’t wait to return.

I took three planes (Pensacola to Charlotte to New York and then on to Venice) and then a two-hour car ride to reach Rovinj, a mystical seaside city from the Middle Ages. I was on the hunt for adventure; I discovered plenty of that . . . and much more.

Istria is the largest Croatian peninsula in the northern part of the Mediterranean’s Aegean Sea. Human habitation can be traced back to the 11th century BC. Several

civilizations, rulers and regimes crisscrossed Croatia, leaving behind a rich legacy along with amazing mosaics and fascinating frescoes throughout stunning Venetian palaces, fortified Austrian forts and charming old churches. Locals celebrate Statehood Day (June 25, 1991), the day Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia. And just last year, Croatia joined the European Union — although the Croatian kuna, not the euro, is king for now.

The red-tiled roofs of Rovinj, located on the western coast of the Istra peninsula, are clustered into an oasis next to the deep-blue Adriatic Sea, which is teeming with sea life and topped with gondolas, sailboats and fishing charters. The feeling in the town of 15,000 is easy and free.

All roads lead to the Church of St. Euphemia’s basilica, tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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Maistra Hotels

a Baroque church built in 1736 that sits atop the island and graciously watches over one of the most photographed places in the Mediterranean.

Maistra Hotels

Roving Rovinj

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Rovinj has two stellar Maistra properties.

Hotel Monte Mulini is a gracious five-star, full-service hotel with private balconies.

The two-story windows in the atrium allow you to drink in sweeping views day and night. Off the atrium, the chic terrace lounge is the perfect place to watch the sunset. Hotel Lone is next door and has a modern, edgy vibe. There are several seating areas to mix and mingle, a convenient coffee bar, a superb restaurant called L and a fun disco that often features live music — making it great for a girl or guy getaway. Both hotels overlook the Adriatic and are just steps from the “old town,” where the adventure begins.

Rovinj is filled with picturesque postcard scenes of lovers sipping cappuccinos in open-air cafes, families bobbing on charter boats and sightseers meandering

the labyrinth of narrow stone streets brimming with boutique shops, art galleries, eateries and nightspots. One club, Valentino’s, invites guests to sip cocktails and listen to music while perched on rocks overlooking the sea.

Winery Tour

The local white wine of Rovinj is Malvazija, made from the malvasia grape with reds derived from teran, a dark varietal.

Winemaking has been growing and improving since the 1990s. A visit to the Stancija estate, home of the Meninghetti winery, takes you back to 1853, when an Austrian admiral decided to build a large naval base.

The Stancija guest house was where the food was produced and where officers would rest and recreate. In 2001, Romana and Mirosalv Pliso purchased and restored the 75-acre rural estate and added new olive trees and grapevines. Businessman and wine connoisseur Goran Hanzek partnered and brought on world-renowned wine expert Walter Filiputti.

Meninghetti’s hand-harvested grapes have since become “international wines that speak the Istrian language.”

»style Getaways

Chiavalon.hr

The northernmost area for olive growing in the world, Istria has about 30 olive varietals, some not found anywhere else. Tedi and Sandi Chiavalon are third-generation brothers who live and work on their organic olive orchard farm. Some of the 7,500 trees are 400 years old, but if pictures of peasants in overalls come to mind, purge the thought.

Two young, educated, energetic brothers run this operation.

The day I visited was the first of 20 days of the harvest season. I learned that to get 2 gallons of olive oil, you have to press about 220 pounds of green olives. Black olives yield about five times more. Extra virgin is the highest-quality and most expensive olive oil classification. It should have no defects and a flavor of fresh olives.

On the grounds is an unexpected treat — an olive-oil tasting room. Bottles of olive oil illuminated with soft lights line the entire length of the room. Sleek mahogany tables are set with small, stemless crystal glasses awaiting precious liquid gold. Tasting olive oil is similar to wine; smelling it prepares your palate, and sipping it with air aerates the oil and is key to enjoying its full flavor. Color, it turns out, is not important.

The Chiavalons make five blends by hand, which takes a week to 10 days. It’s packaged as Ex Albis and is ranked in the top 15 olive oils in the world.

Chiavalon.hr

Olive Oil Tasting

Truffle Hunting

Monte Mulini Hotel (opposite page) is a beautiful, five-star hotel featuring 99 guest rooms and 14 suites, many with private balconies that overlook the deep blue Adriatic Sea below; Just a 15-minute stroll to Rovinj sits Hotel Lone (below left), a modern designer hotel featuring 12 suites and 236 boutique rooms many with private balcony hot spas; Meneghetti Winery (below) is a romantic respite surrounded by vineyards and olive orchards in nearby Bale that features four romantic villa suites, a pool and, of course, gourmet wine dinners; Chiavalon (top) is an olive farm open for tours and tastings; Sandi Chiavalon (left) and his brother, Tedi, have nurtured their family’s 400 year-old olive trees and business to produce one of the top 15 olive oils in the world.

A highlight of my trip was hunting for truffles in the small town of Livade near the Motovun Woods (about a 40-minute drive from Rovinj). On a misty morning, a guide called a tartufalo, along with his two trained hounds, helped sniff out the fragrant black and white, ball-shaped treasures from the rich earth. The annual Truffle Days is a festival held every October. You can fill up on local music and truffle-inspired dishes and shop for truffle and olive oils.

After harvesting and hunting, it seemed only appropriate to relax, re-mineralize and revitalize my body at Hotel Lone’s modern, full-service spa with a Mediterranean Spice body treatment utilizing fresh herbs. The 60-minute treatment was exquisite. You can come early or linger after your appointment to relax with a Jacuzzi or sauna, swim in the

Maistra Hotels

World Class Spa

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»style Getaways More Must Dos Bale is a quaint, quiet village that is just an eight-mile drive from Rovinj. The perfect place to start that novel.

MeneghettI Winery is an ideal place for a relaxing romantic getaway. Come for a tour, have dinner and stay overnight in one of the 10 villas on the winery. Complete with a swimming pool, it would be a relaxing honeymoon.

View the bronze of the largest truffle in the world on display at the entrance to Zigante Restaurant, owned by Giancarlo Zigante, who along with his dog, Diana, sniffed out the 2-pound, 8-ounce fungus in 1999 and landed both of them in the Guinness Book of Records.

Spacio celebrates the old ways of living by the sea. This event includes a welcome drink, a tour of the Batana Museum, a serenaded batana boat ride, stories, live music and performances during a four-course dinner in an old tavern.

indoor pool, refresh at the Vitality Bar or simply lounge in the quiet chaise chairs in the Relaxation Zone.

Wine and Dine

Croatia is a world-class destination for foodies. Local menus, ranging from casual to fine dining, celebrate the city’s proximity to the Adriatic with dishes showcasing sardines, cuttlefish, oysters, scallops, prawn and squid. And there are delicious artisanal cheeses, Istrian prosciutto, crusty breads for dipping in freshly pressed olive oil and, of course, tantalizing truffles, which star in everything imaginable, from pasta to ice cream! These restaurants are definite must-dos: Wine Vault is a swank restaurant located in the cellar of Hotel Monte Mulini.

Reserve the Chef’s Table for dinner and enjoy inventive Istrian dishes beautifully designed by revered Chef Tom Gretic.

Restaurant Lanterna is a 10-minute boat ride to the Island of St. Andrew, where you

108 January–February 2015

can enjoy a romantic dinner in an old castle called Huetterote.

Kantinon serves up stunning sea views and authentic local cuisine for lunch and dinner that celebrates the Rovinj fishing tradition.

Restaurant L is located inside Hotel Lone and serves contemporary cuisine featuring local, fresh ingredients artfully prepared by Chef Priska Touring.

I experienced an unexpected revelation when I returned home. It turns out that my husband’s family is of Croatian decent. The story, as the European aunts and uncles tell it, is that their parents came from the Eastern European regions of Hungary and Croatia. After a couple glasses of wine, they will admit to being some of “the first Gypsies” who eventually migrated to Vienna, Austria. All roads do seem to pass through Rovinj.

Like everyone who visits, I too, can’t wait to go back “home” to a place that I would call … “enchanting.” n

tallahasseeMagazine.com

Hotel Monte Mulini, from $395/night (double with breakfast) A. Smareglia bb, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia +358 5 2636000 montemulinihotel.com Hotel Lone, from $153/night (double with breakfast)

Ulica Luje Adamovića, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia +385 52 632 000 hotellone.com

In addition to the above five-star full-service Maistra hotels, there are mid-priced hotels, private rooms, apartments and camping sites.

Maistra Hotels

Maistra Hotels

Where to stay

The Hotel Monte Mulini’s Wine Vault (above) offers a modern take on traditional Istrian dishes in an elegant fine dining atmosphere. (Above left) Bale is a quaint town a few miles south of Rovinj with rich cultural history and beautiful architecture.

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

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HOME OF DENTISTRY FROM THE HEART tallahasseeMagazine.com Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;February 2015

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PRESENTING SPONSOR: RUSSELL B. RAINEY, D.M.D. P h o t o s by : m at t b u r k e

Cabello’s Salon and Spa Charity: Pray for Grayson Model: Janelle Irwin

DHC Designs Charity: Cauzican Care Model: Krista Stephens

Chelsea Salon and Spa Charity: American Cancer Society Relay for Life Model: Nancy Floyd Richardson

January 24, 2015

University Center ClUb Thank you for your nominations! Thirteen of the area’s most popular salons have been selected to compete for the title of Tallahassee’s Top Salon!

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Now the competition begins.

Competing salons will make over a model, and the transformations will be unveiled in a runway show.

The salons are featured on the following three pages.

A panel of judges and all attendees will cast votes to determine the Top Salon of Tallahassee.

Dream State Salon Charity: Joanna Francis Living Well Foundation Model: Laura Howard

Fuel Salon + Store Charity: Alzheimer’s Project Inc. Model: Jane S. Merritt

JS Hair Salon Kiersten Smith Hair and Beauty Charity: Hospice House Model: Danielle Hay

Tallahassee’s Top Salon wins an advertising campaign developed by Rowland Publishing and a yearlong ad campaign in Tallahassee Magazine. Plus, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the winner’s charity of choice.

Tickets are $53 and include one drink coupon,

Charity: Celebrate Recovery Model: Paula T. Kapral

heavy hors d’oeuvres and automatic entry to win some great prizes and getaway packages!

Come ready to bid on this year’s live and silent auction items. There will be something for everyone!

Tickets available Online

tallahasseemagazine.Com/top-salon tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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Lilly’s Spa Salon Charity: Muscular Dystrophy Association Model: Caroline Capper

Millennium nail and Day Spa Charity: Big Bend Disaster Animal Response Team, Inc. Model: Alyshia Miller

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randazzles Hair Company Charity: Capital City Youth Services Model: Katrina Ausley

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Plastic Surgery Clinic & Physicians’ Skin Care Clinic T a l l a h a s s e e

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Plastic Surgery Clinic & Physicians’

red Hots Salon Charity: Ronald McDonald House Model: Kady Thomas

So Pure Salon and Spa Charity: Refuge House Model: Wren Fowler

Tryst Charity: Innocence Project of Florida in Tallahassee Model: Susan N. Carnes

SponSored by

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Couple Sarah Coakley and David Holtz are long-distance dating on multiple platforms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including Face Time, shown here.

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My Funny Valentine The Art of Romance is Alive and Well, as These Happy Couples Ably Demonstrate

By Rosanne Dunkelberger and Chay Baxley

H

istory, literature and film are brimful of tales of great love that ultimately end on a down note: “Casablanca’s” Rick and Ilsa, Lancelot and Guinevere, Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, any poor sap who has the bad luck to appear in a Nicholas Sparks novel (can you say “The Horse Whisperer”?) and the biggest downer of them all, “Romeo and Juliet.”

But there’s one place where you can always count on a happy ending — the romantic comedy movie. Usually, the lovers “meet cute” in some amusing way. While there might be a bit of drama in the middle, we know any misunderstandings or obstacles will be overcome and love will triumph in the end.

In honor of Valentine’s Day 2015, we’re casting aside the high drama and tragedy to embrace the rom-com. Local couples share their how-we-met stories filled with love, laughter — and perhaps a film-worthy fillip of whimsy.

Sarah Coakley and David Holtz

A Facebook-Facilitated Affair

Matt Burke

They met 17 years ago, and some of the details are lost in the mists of time, but David Holtz and Sarah Coakley remember, with great clarity,

when Cupid’s dart hit them both — Aug. 11, 2014. But if they didn’t, all they’d have to do is scroll back on their Facebook feed to the fateful day when Sarah posted a humorous observation about Florida State University’s sorority rush.

David answered — he was particularly struck by her phrase “blinding cleavage” — and a mild flirtation ensued in the comments, which led to texts, which led to phone calls, which led to Skype, which led to … but we get ahead of ourselves.

The two first met years ago at an adult education class at Tallahassee’s Congregation Shomrei Torah. Both were unhappily married at the time, but didn’t know that about each other. “We liked to sit together, and that was the whole relationship,” Sarah says. She does, however, admit to crushing on him a bit: “I noticed he would doodle (and) draw little pictures in the margins.

He was funny, and he always smelled so good.”

David was pretty much oblivious. “I knew little about her, but … I remembered her voice and laugh,” he recalls.

He moved. She moved. She moved back.

Both got divorced. Fast-forward a decade and a half: About a year ago, Sarah, an artist, was living in Tallahassee and working at Florida State University’s Master Craftsman Studio. David

Go behind-the-scenes of our Funny Valentine photo shoot at tallahasseemagazine.com.

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How They Met (As Told on Facebook)

Jennifer Ann and Justin Ross Milam

Married since Sept. 2011 “We met CornerPocket Bar N Grill!! I was having a “Girls Night Out” and our eyes met across the bar. I walked up to him and introduced myself and found out we were both landscapers! We were married two years later and now have our own local landscape business, Milam Pride Landscaping and Design, LLC. We LOVE Tallahassee, love what we do, love to travel and never seem to get sick of each other, even though we work together!”

Leeja Collier “I used to own a pack ‘n ship in Tallahassee when my now-significant other came in to rent a P.O. box. I was on the Northeast side of town, he worked near the airport and lived in Havana, so it wasn’t really the most convenient place for

116 January–February 2015

him to get his mail.

Then, he started coming in every other day to ship something.

We’ve been dating for four years and he just admitted to me on our last anniversary that he never really needed a P.O. box. He was shipping things that he didn’t need shipped to various buddies in different states, just so they could turn around and ship it back to him. Not only did he win me over but I think he solely kept my business open for as long as it was!”

Dawn BettsGreen and Anna Green

Married since 1998 “My wife and I met in high school chemistry class. I was new, and she was the only one nice enough to offer to be my lab partner. Seventeen years together, 16 since our commitment ceremony, and a year and a half of registered domestic partnership!”

Jessica Wise Potts

He claimed he had to interview a stranger to write a paper for English class. Fifteen years later I have no idea if it was true or not. He never did take out a notebook and write anything down though!”

Jamie and Laura Lasseter

Married and “living our fairytale” since 2004 “My husband and I met at Tom Brown Park where he was playing slow-pitch softball and I was an admiring onlooker.

Tom Brown Park is also where he surprised me by proposing one year later as he rode up on a white horse in knight’s armor. I’m his princess and he’s my knight in shining armor. Fifty of our close family and friends were there to witness the event and share in the excitement by

celebrating with a cookout for all.”

Caryl Doyle Donnellan

“We met over a “We met at Borders pelvic exam. Thirtyseven years later, bookstore our freshman year at FSU. we’re still married.”

tallahasseeMagazine.com

was a general manager for Dade Paper, living in Annapolis, Maryland. Both were on Facebook and, because of their Tallahassee and synagogue connection, had common online friends. After seeing him in a friend’s comments, Sarah sent him a friend request and … nothing. For several months, it languished in the cloud.

“I had no idea that if people sent requests while I was offline, they were floating out there in the FB ether, waiting for me to acknowledge!,” he wrote in an email. Ultimately he got a clue, reciprocated her Facebook friendship and commented on the “blinding cleavage” post.

The chemistry was immediate; messages flew back and forth on every communication platform. After a week, he sent an email asking if he could fly into town and take her on a date — with an addendum listing possible weekends for a visit.

“I got ready for that date like I was going to the prom,” she says. They planned to meet at Sage restaurant.

Being middle-age adults — he’s in his mid-50s, she’s 10 years younger — they had considered the possibility that the so-far longdistance romance might not pass the, shall we say, physical chemistry test.

“He said ‘Well, I probably should just kiss you right away because that’s the only way to tell,’” Sarah relates.

“I guess he was watching for me and somehow recognized me after all these years because … he hurried with his single long-stemmed red rose, got the door for me, got me out of the car and didn’t say a word of greeting. Just boom!, a big ‘Gone with the Wind’ fiery kiss,” she says.

“There were two old ladies sitting on that bench in front of Sage … and we gave them something to talk about at bingo. Chemistry was there, it turns out.”

The pair has agreed to visit each other at least once a month and take stock of whether their relationship will be a forever thing in a year or so.

“He writes me handwritten love letters. On his monogrammed beautiful stationary,” Sarah confides. “What’s more romantic than that in the age of email? He’s so funny. Whatever I say that I think is all witty and funny, he tops me every time. And it’s intimidating when your boyfriend’s prettier than you are too.”

Sarah is confident she’s found The One. “I’m lucky in a lot of ways, but I’ve never, ever been lucky in love. Until I finally got it gloriously, spectacularly right.”

Photos courtesy pictured individuals

»feature my funny valentine

Lydia Warren Photography

Chasity and Brent Phillips

The Magic of a Wedding Meet-Up

Walking into a new colleague’s wedding, Chasity noticed an attractive groomsman perched by the door. He was the life of the party, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

It was May 31, 1998. And man, was she glad she decided to go stag.

“As we were walking into the church,” recalled Chasity, “Brent was shaking hands with some random person. He was in his tux. And I remember walking in and thinking, ‘That’s the kind of guy that I could marry.’ I didn’t know his name, I knew not who he was. But it was just the way he was shaking hands and interacting with people. It caught my attention.”

Their instant attraction was put on hold while their buddy’s nuptials were exchanged, but Brent (brazen with liquid courage) caught up with Chasity at the reception, sashaying through a large group of people just to speak to her.

Needing an “in,” he complimented the dainty daisy tattoo floating on her left shoulder.

“He looks at me and goes, ‘I have a tattoo,’” twinkled Chasity.

“About then, I proceeded to pull down my pants at the reception,” chuckled Brent, 15 years later. At the time, it seemed like the Seminole logo-head strategically tattooed on his upper thigh was the perfect icebreaker. “I pulled them back up and walked off.”

Feeling a little less daring the next day, it took a month and a half for Brent to ask

Chasity on a date, which was chaperoned Chasity Phillips says she was attracted to by two other couples her husband, Brent, — their newly wedded even before he friends included. flashed his Seminole Chasity and Brent tattoo at a wedding. married on Nov. 27, 1998, surrounded by more than 200 of their friends and family. In true Seminole fashion, the reception was held at the then-recently opened University Center Club.

Sixteen years later and with two growing boys, Brent is still making Chasity laugh every day. They’ve since relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, but still consider Tallahassee and the land they own here “home.”

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»feature my funny valentine

Rom Com

Best-of-the-Best

Earlier this year, Total Film magazine compiled a list of what it considers the alltime best romantic comedy movies. We’re sharing the Top 20 films here, but if you’d like to see the entire list as well as descriptions of each movie and “why it wooed us,” visit totalfilm. com/features/50-bestromantic-comedies.

1. “When Harry Met Sally,” Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan (1989) 2. “It Happened One Night,” Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable (1934) 3. “Annie Hall,” Woody Allen and Diane Keaton (1977) 4. “Some Like It Hot,” Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe (1959) 5. “The Philadelphia Story,” Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant (1940) 6. “His Girl Friday,” Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy (1940) 7. “Adam’s Rib,” Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (1949) 8. “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell (1994) 9. “High Fidelity,” John Cusack and Iben Hjejle (2000) 10. “The Lady Eve,” Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck (1941) 11. “Sleepless In Seattle,” Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (1993) 12. “There’s Something About Mary,” Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz (1998) 13. “Amelie,” Audrey Tautou (2001) 14. “Bringing Up Baby,” Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn (1938) 15. “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard (1961) 16. “Roman Holiday,” Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck (1953) 17. “Harold & Maude,” Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon (1971) 18. “Sixteen Candles,” Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall (1984) 19. “The Wedding Singer,” Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (1998) 20. “Moonstruck,” Cher and Nicolas Cage (1987)

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Bryan and Kelly Honhart

Red Fly Studio

A Picture-Perfect Relationship

Young love can be an exciting whirlwind of emotions. But Bryan and Kelly Honhart knew from the very start that their story was going to be much, much more than just a summer fling.

“As soon as I saw him, I was like, ‘Holy.

Crap.,’ laughed Kelly, while the couple’s 3-year-old daughter, Saylor, playfully squirmed on her lap.

It was late in the summer of 2006, so the story goes, when Bryan, then 24, was on tour with his hardcore Christian rock band. The group had a pit stop in Tallahassee between shows in New York and California. For some reason, Bryan’s buddies kept insisting he meet up with this one, incredible girl.

Kelly, coincidentally, was undergoing the same sort of Cupid-inspired coaxing.

Thrown together by good friends and divine fate, the two hip honeys were set up on a “partially” blind encounter (both now admit that maybe, just maybe, they scoped the other out on the Internet beforehand) that couldn’t have sizzled with more chemistry.

Three months of long-distance calls later, rambling man Bryan was officially residing in Kelly’s hometown of Tallahassee. She was a doe-eyed 21 at the time.

He left the band and the pair was engaged in June 2007. They married the following year and in 2011 went on to launch a wildly successful company, Black & Hue Photography, which focuses on wedding photography. The pair’s work-togetherness comes in handy, say clients, because when it’s time to snuggle up for a shot, they can demonstrate the poses themselves.

“I really feel like everything, even the business, has helped us grow together so much,” mused Bryan. “We’re so intertwined.”

Their secret to happiness? A constant flow of communication and support, with a whole lot of laughs sprinkled Music brought them in along the way. together, but Kelly “We try to serve each and Bryan Honhart other,” shared Bryan. have made a career “It really is about putout of capturing ting yourself last as images of other people in love. much as you can.” n

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Urgent Remedies

Photo by Mark Wallheiser/TallahasseeStock.com

Two men sleep under the Apalachee Parkway bridge in the shadow of the Capitol in December 1986, the year several homeless men died because of freezing cold weather in Tallahassee.

By Jason Dehart

A New Era Dawns in the Quest to End Homelessness in Tallahassee

»feature Urgent Remedies

T

onia Miller felt her world was falling apart. An accomplished, college-educated business professional with two kids, the 43-year-old Navy veteran couldn’t believe what was happening. For the second time in her life, she was about to become homeless.

The first time, she was living in Jacksonville and managing a Blue Cross Blue Shield call center. It was 2009, and the nation was in the throes of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Like many other people across the country, she found herself laid off from work. To get by, Miller cashed in her pension and thought she could get along on that until things changed. She also thought that with her credentials and 25 years of experience, she would be a “hot commodity” and not have any trouble finding work.

It didn’t work out that way.

“When I was ready to return to work, work wasn’t there,” she said.

Sadly, Miller and her two teenage sons lost their home and spent the next four months in hotels, or staying with friends and relatives.

They eventually moved back to Tallahassee, where she was born and where her mom still lived. Fortunately, Miller found work and happily set about settling in to a new life.

That lasted about a year. Then bad luck struck again when she got caught up in a companywide series of layoffs.

She received unemployment, but in time it was exhausted. Then her kids turned 18 and she stopped receiving child support.

“I literally was without an income at all. I was at my wit’s end,” she said.

With the rent due and unable to pay it, Miller started looking for help. She turned to the 2-1-1 Big Bend referral service, which helps people in her situation connect with the resources that best fit their needs. But another quandary presented itself.

“They have this list of agencies that help people who meet a particular set of criteria, and none of them applied (to me),” she said.

“The longer I spoke to them, the more hopeless I felt. Like, ‘Oh my God, now what?’”

Then the 2-1-1 adviser asked her one last question. Was she ever in the military? Well, yes, she was. And that’s how she was directed to the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, which connected her with a program that helps homeless veterans.

“It literally was like a lifeline of hope,” she said. “Here we were facing homelessness

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again. But part of Big Bend’s efforts is to prevent you from becoming homeless if you have a place already, and they work to try and help you keep that.

And so they were a bridge for several months while I diligently sought work, and I became re-employed.”

The Face of Homelessness

Miller and her family were pulled back from the edge in the nick of time, but many people still need help.

In any given day in Tallahassee and Leon County, you’ll find some 800 homeless people. You see them on the streets, waiting for a bunk at The Shelter, or in remote camps out in the wilds of the surrounding area. Some are ill, both physically and mentally.

Some are old and at the end of their rope. Some are down on their luck; they’ve lost jobs, been kicked out of their apartments or homes, or are fleeing a violent spouse. Some are kids that, while not “homeless,” are shuffled around from one family unit to another and live in a constant state of insecurity.

Some don’t want help or don’t realize that help is available. But Tonia Miller’s case proves it can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. She said people who aren’t in that situation tend to make assumptions or draw the wrong conclusions about homeless people.

“I think they assume that they are people who don’t work hard or there’s something wrong with them, or they may be looked upon like, ‘How do you allow yourself to be in this situation?’” she said. “But when you consider me, with a college education, I have almost 25 years of call center operations and management, and here I am, the new face of homelessness. You could be a professional person. You never know.”

Susan Pourciau, executive director of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, knows that there’s no such thing as your typical homeless person, nor is there a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem.

For starters, 20 percent to 25 percent of the homeless population is what’s called “chronically homeless.” Those are people who have been homeless for a long time and likely have both mental health and substance abuse issues.

“For those people, the research and the experience is clear that the best way to help

“I think they assume that they are people who don’t work hard or there’s something wrong with them, or they may be looked upon like, ‘How do you allow yourself to be in this situation?’ But when you consider me, with a college education, I have almost 25 years of call center operations and management, and here I am, the new face of homelessness. You could be a professional person.

You never know.”

— Veteran Tonia Miller them get out of homelessness is to provide an apartment for them and help them in paying their rent,” Pourciau said. “To be able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a good-paying job and live happily ever after — that’s not going to happen for that group.

So we just need to be realistic. We don’t want people living on the streets or in our woods, which is where a lot of people live. But they do want to move into apartments if they get a little bit of help. And we have programs in our community that do that, and they are just wildly successful.”

Other homeless people might be survivors of domestic violence, and if they are leaving their home because they’re trying to get to a safe space they still qualify as homeless. That’s because they don’t have a place to stay.

“The people who are in the most unsafe situations go to Refuge House, which is our domestic violence shelter, but a lot of people come in to just the regular programs. Mostly women and children, and a lot of single

The Shelter Timeline 1986 After cold weather killed several men on Tallahassee’s streets, First Presbyterian Church takes action to open a makeshift shelter in its basement.

Scott Holstein

1988 The Tallahassee-Leon Shelter becomes incorporated and registers as a nonprofit agency, known locally as “The Shelter.”

1992 Community volunteers, churches and civic groups start bringing in meals for the homeless.

1993 The Shelter buys its permanent facility.

1994 Showers, laundry, information and referral services, case management, GED/literacy/life skills classes, legal services, health testing and mental health outreach and treatment are added to The Shelter’s list of services.

1995 Grant funding and community partnerships help The Shelter add services and capacity.

1996 The Shelter purchases a building next door to be used for a residential program for women and children.

2001 The Shelter changes its main entrance from West

Tennessee Street to West Virginia Street.

2002 The Shelter provides a record 52,422 nights of lodging.

2003 An on-site clinic program begins. A grant pays for construction of the Women’s Center, housing 20 additional beds.

2004 The Day Center begins offering referral needs and services with partner agencies.

2010 Property on West Virginia Street is bought to expand the ability to receive and store donations and house AmeriCorps VISTA staff.

Many nights, The Shelter was filled beyond capacity with people seeking a place to sleep. This photo is from 2007.

2012 More than 74,000 nights of lodging are provided.

2013 The Shelter increases the number of clients served thanks to local support and donations.

2014 Groundbreaking takes place for a new homeless shelter, designated the Comprehensive Emergency Services Center.

Source: Tallahassee-Leon County Shelter

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women as well,” Pourciau said. “Those people need temporary housing and assistance getting out on their own. Many of them can work and the kids are in school. They just need help getting safe.”

Another category of homelessness are the youth who have either been kicked out of their house or have run away, or even kids aging out of foster care, which is a pretty small number in our community, Pourciau said.

“I know it’s a cliché, but it really is about the funding. We have people who want to do the work, we know who the people are that need the help, and we know what programs work for different types of people. But without the money, we can’t put all that stuff together. Which is the frustrating part to those of us who work in that area.”

— Susan Pourciau, executive director of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition “We have one agency in town that is the primary provider for those young people, and that’s Capital City Youth Services. They have both emergency shelter and transitional housing, and they go out and find kids in the woods and on the streets as well,” she said.

“Usually for youth who can’t be reunited with their families (there’s) transitional housing, (and) long-term housing programs that can

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help them learn life skills. And then they’re able to finish their education and get jobs, and they’ll be fine.”

Yet another category consist of families with children who are homeless because of job loss, a family breakup such as divorce, or an extreme health condition and no insurance. In short, the trouble that these people have gone through has stressed their financial stability and caused them to lose their apartments or their utilities. Pourciau guesses that 50 percent of the people who are homeless in our community fall under this category.

“For those folks, the best way to help them is to help them get a job if possible and provide rent deposits, utility deposits, and kind of help them with rent for a couple of months, and then they’re on their own. That model is called rapid re-housing,” she said.

Homeless veterans are another category.

“There’s lots of resources available right now, mainly through the federal government, to help veterans, so our community is doing a really good job of addressing veterans’ needs,” Pourciau said. “We’ve housed probably 300 veterans in the last year. Maybe 400.”

More can be done, but it all comes back to having the money to do it with.

“I know it’s a cliché, but it really is about the funding,” she said. “We have people who want to do the work, we know who the people are that need the help, and we know what programs work for different types of people.

But without the money, we can’t put all that stuff together. Which is the frustrating part to those of us who work in that area. It’s like we know what to do … but can’t do it enough. We need something that can be scaled up to the level of homelessness that we have.”

All these various programs are funded by three main sources. There are private/community donations, the United Way and the Community Human Services Partnership, or CHSP. The CHSP consists of the city of Tallahassee, Leon County and the United Way of the Big Bend. They pool their money and give it out in grants to nonprofit organizations, Pourciau said.

“So it’s a combination of private and public money. Some organizations exist exclusively on private donations, others are primarily grantfunded, and there are lots in between,” she said.

The recession was another factor in the increase in homelessness, but it took time for those numbers to show up on paper because people held on as long as they could before the bottom dropped out under them.

“But it’s gotten better,” Pourciau said. “For instance, with our Hope Community residents, they’re able to find jobs much more quickly now than they were a couple of years ago. “We know from experience that people are having an easier time finding jobs, although they still don’t pay well.”

Seeking Shelter

When Tallahasseeans think about homelessness, the first thing that pops into their head is The Tallahassee Leon Shelter, which was founded more than 25 years ago in response to an emergency situation.

In the winter of 1986, several homeless men froze to death on the streets of Tallahassee.

First Presbyterian Church was perhaps the first to take organized action and opened a makeshift cold-night shelter in the church basement. A few dozen men were given shelter and a fighting chance to survive.

At the time, no one truly recognized what had just happened. But this Christian offering of goodwill forever changed how the community dealt with the homeless.

A year later, according to The Shelter’s website, the actions of First Presbyterian spurred the creation of a makeshift facility called the Cold Nights Shelter. The original model for what would become The Shelter was hastily planned to help homeless people find temporary refuge during extreme weather, but it was soon apparent a larger need had to be addressed. The shelter’s services were expanded to year-round to give those stuck on the streets a place to go at night.

Two years later, The Shelter opened its doors and became a certified agency of the United Way of the Big Bend. And the number of people seeking shelter began to escalate.

“When I first started working here, every now and then we would check in over 200 people,” said Jacob Reiter, executive director of The Shelter. “But now that’s the norm.”

In 2013, The Shelter provided 80,435 lodging nights and currently averages between 220 and 240 clients each night. During the coldest nights of the year, a special men-only Cold Night Shelter is opened at a local church that can handle 50 to 60 homeless men.

For more than a quarter century, The Shelter did what it could to help the homeless, but it was always a struggle, and its existence was never without controversy. Then, in February 2013, it was rocked by scandal that really put it under the microscope.

Matt Burke

CCYS Combats Youth Homelessness with a ‘Timeout’ for Teens It’s sad, but sometimes rebellious youths just don’t want to live by the house rules.

Every day, there’s a new fight that goes beyond ordinary household drama. In some cases, the youngster might be the victim of abuse. At some point, something breaks and the parent kicks the teen out of the house, or the teen runs away from home.

The good news is, this doesn’t have to be a final solution.

Capital City Youth Services (CCYS) exists to provide an answer. The agency deals with at-risk youth in Leon and surrounding counties. It provides a cooling-off period for children experiencing problems at home and acts as a liaison between parent and child.

“In essence, it’s what we call a timeout for the youth,” said Kevin Priest, CEO of Capital City Youth Services. “They are removed from their environment, and we start strategizing to identify what the problems are. Then we get our counselors involved to start working with the youth and the family to start working on better ways to address those issues. The goal here is to try to prevent these kids from going down the path to perpetual homelessness, and steering them back down the right track.”

One of the main focuses of CCYS is preventing at-risk youth from being

arrested and put in the system. They give kids a place to seek shelter and gain support other than jail or the overcrowded, mostly adult-male Shelter. Tallahassee City Commissioner Gil Ziffer knows a good example of this.

“There was a young man, 18, he was from Georgia and he was near The Shelter with a bunch of guys much older,” Ziffer said. “He had been kicked out because his parents found some weed. So this kid is next to all these old men with serious problems, but this doesn’t work. The only way to solve the problem is to try to get people into a situation where they are around a population similar to who they are that can help solve their problem.”

Instead of leaving them at The Shelter, or worse, having them end up in jail, CCYS tries to take young people in and figure out what the issues are, work with them, and get them off the streets. They also work with kids who don’t have a safe place to live.

“We have seen an uptick in the numbers of kids that are truly homeless, because they have a parent that doesn’t have a stable home, or the parent ends up in the Hope Community, or whatever it may be,” Priest said. “And they find out that that’s not the environment their kids should be in, so they come here.”

With around-the-clock guidance and care, CCYS has created a safe haven for Tallahassee’s at-risk young people. It’s a place of their own to seek shelter from the storm awaiting them at home or on the streets.

CCYS has developed an effective program based on the Boys Town point system, allowing kids staying there to work toward goals, building trust and gaining different privileges based on this level of trust. The system not only keeps the center running smoothly but teaches kids valuable socialization skills that allow them to transition more easily into their next living situation. Priest said young people are really receptive to this type of trust system because they are coming from situations where there is either no trusting relationship or no incentive to develop good behavior.

“We find that the kids we work with are coming to us because they are tired of being on the street and want to find a A new Drop-In resolution for their Center funded by issues,” he said.

CCYS provides a “So that is where place for homeless we come into play.” youth to find // Mikaela McShane and Megan Williams

services and a helping hand.

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Scott Holstein

»feature Urgent Remedies

When Renee Miller, owner of City Walk Urban Mission (a separate organization), started to hear complaints from her clients about The Shelter, she was tempted to dismiss them — at first.

“When you are in a bad situation, you just tend to exaggerate things,” she said. “I tend to exaggerate things when I am in a bad situation, so I just took it with a grain of salt and considered the source.”

City Walk is a Christian mission effort to transform former inmates into productive citizens through housing, clothing, mentoring, counseling, job placement and family structure. Concerned for the people she was trying to help, she took on a daring task: going undercover as a homeless person to see for herself what, if anything, was going on.

She didn’t know what she was going to find. Turns out, she got more than she bargained for when a Shelter employee “propositioned” her.

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“I didn’t really think I was going to go and uncover a bunch of dirt or anything. I really thought I would find maybe some things that could be better, but I never thought in a million years that I would experience what I experienced in my three hours there,” she said.

Miller’s experience prompted a police investigation, but ultimately the allegations were ruled “unfounded.” However, that conclusion didn’t stop the United Way and The Shelter’s board of directors from being alarmed by certain parts of a police report, which indicated a pattern of inappropriate contact and treatment of some clients by the staff.

In the wake of the police investigation, longtime Shelter founder and director Mel Eby (who had just been named the Tallahassee Democrat’s Man of the Year) retired and was replaced by Reiter, who had worked in the Tallahassee homeless service community since 2007. Two other employees were fired and four women were hired

A $3 million donation from businessman Rick Kearney to fund a new shelter kickstarted a new era of cooperation between local groups providing services to the homeless.

to work in “overnight, evening and daytime operation positions.”

Meanwhile, both The Shelter board and the United Way realized an independent study was needed to take a closer look at the operations and make recommendations for improving service. A group of analysts from the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Science were called in, conducted interviews, and released a report in April 2013.

The team of analysts came up with 12 recommendations. They called for The Shelter’s board of directors to increase its membership and improve accountability and transparency. Another recommendation called for The Shelter to change its

“There are enough resources already in society, if you just organize them correctly to do things like this. But up until now it’s not been organized.”

— Rick Kearney, founder of Mainline Information Systems and The Attitude Foundation

“shelter-only model” into a “first step” program that would stop enabling homelessness and start getting people back on the road to self-sufficiency.

Their biggest suggestion called for city and county officials, along with the United Way of the Big Bend, The Shelter board and other interested parties, to join forces and build a homeless shelter in a new location.

The new shelter would provide a safer and more secure environment for workers and homeless individuals alike.

That effort is currently under way.

Groundbreaking for the new shelter took place in February 2014. It’s located on West Pensacola Street between Goodwill and the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. The new facility is called the Comprehensive Emergency Services Center (CESC), and it’s expected to be completed this March.

The CESC will not provide housing for families. Instead, it will focus on single men and women. Hope Community, a division of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, will take over all of the family housing. Hope Community is phasing out its men’s facility and converting its dorm into family-friendly living spaces.

During the groundbreaking ceremony for the CESC, Deborah Holt, chairwoman of the board of the Tallahassee Leon Shelter, described the need for not only a safe shelter but a place for counseling and referrals as well.

“We humans need to rest to recharge our batteries. We need to be safe while we rest, and we need to perceive that we are safe, believe that we are safe, so that we can face the challenges of the next day,” Holt said. “A principal goal for this new facility is to provide that safety for those who rest or work here. Folks without a place to stay can come here and get their second wind. They can get medical attention, education, counseling, referrals to more services, plus a bed to rest in and three good meals, all under one roof.”

Rick Kearney, founder of Mainline Information Systems (a Tallahassee-based consulting firm focused on IBM products) and The Attitude Foundation, donated more than $3 million for construction, although the final price tag is estimated to be in the $5 million to $6 million range.

“I was always one of these people that was like, ‘Come on, let’s do something, let’s go out and do this,’” he said.

Behind Kearney’s effort is the creation of a model for homeless care that other regions can follow.

“One of our precepts for everything we do is; ‘Is this something Panama City can do, that Lake City can do, that Tampa can do?’” he said. “Anybody can do it if they just muster the existing resources and put them together in new ways, in a better way than what they are doing.”

Homeless in Leon County — By the Numbers

Taking Action

17 percent are military veterans.

This can-do spirit is the driving force behind Kearney’s — and many others’ — big plans. In his case, he saw a problem and decided to try to fix it. He did not see a lack of resources as the main problem.

“There are enough resources already in society, if you just organize them correctly to do things like this. But up until now it’s not been organized,” Kearney said.

This spirit of optimism has characterized not only the CESC but the entire community’s effort to help end homelessness.

“I think the main change that has already started happening is that all programs should be geared toward ending homelessness, not managing it,” said Pourciau, the Big Bend Homeless Coalition director. “So it is a difference in philosophy that dictates different programs.”

That’s exactly what is happening. The new shelter program has reinvigorated a community effort to end homelessness. Program directors are putting their heads together,

805 — the number of homeless people in our community on any given day.

62 percent have a disabling condition (including physical, medical, mental health, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and development disabilities).

188 are sleeping outside.

44 percent have been homeless for a year or more.

34 percent have been homeless four or more times in the past three years.

25 percent were found “medical vulnerable” and at risk of dying.

71 percent have no medical insurance.

25 percent have higher education.

Source: Big Bend Homeless Coalition

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revamping each organization and focusing on a permanent solution.

Tallahassee City Commissioner and Big Bend Continuum Care Board member Gil Ziffer became interested in working on the homelessness issue after his wife, Gail Stansberry-Ziffer, suffered an unexpected fall, resulting in a shattered femur and a broken hip.

While recuperating at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Stansberry-Ziffer shared therapy sessions with a homeless Vietnam veteran who had been hit by a car. She soon discovered that he had been living at The Shelter for 18 years.

“In the process of being his neighbor for two weeks, we got to know him … and we have, since that time, done everything we can to try to help him,” Gil Ziffer said.

For Ziffer, this experience was the spark that lit the fuse. In 2013, when it was obvious there had to be a change, all the pieces began to fall into place. Ziffer, Kearney, Florida State University Associate Professor of Social Work Tomi Gomory, Renaissance Community Center Director Chuck White and a number of other community leaders sat down at a Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency meeting with open minds and a desire for change.

“There was something different this time,” Ziffer said. “Because of Renee Miller and because The Shelter had some fire marshal issues, we could only allow it to continue in its current condition for a certain amount of time.”

Ziffer said all sides were able to sit down, lower barriers and make something happen. Stakeholders met and developed a plan for moving The Shelter. The Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency decided When complete, the Comprehensive Emergency Services Center will have the capacity to provide food and shelter for nearly 400 men and women.

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to buy the old Shelter property while the city finalized the land purchase on Pensacola Street for the new shelter site. The CRA got involved because the city is interested in upgrading that area, but no formal plan has been adopted yet.

Even with all of these groundbreaking developments, one difficulty remained: Each homeless person has a different story and different needs. As a result, planning for those needs is tough. Gomory, a board member of The Shelter, referred to it as “decision making under uncertainty.” But Pourciau said that over the years, certain plans have proven to work, even though it is a multi-faceted problem.

“Everybody has their own story, so everybody is unique, but in terms of designing a system that will help people get out of homelessness, there are some general things that we know work,” she said.

A New Mission

This sense of collective urgency was a long time coming. Until now, no one organization had the ability to do every little thing effectively. They were also vying with each other for limited funds rather than working together. Gomory said city efforts to improve the coordination of services goes back to 2010. But Kearney’s generous donation was a game-changer.

“Since there was a private benefactor, the competition for money has all been taken out of the loop,” Gomory said.

“You will find wherever you go that when people break down their barriers and think, ‘OK, maybe I need to change,’ good things happen,” Ziffer said. “If people come into a meeting with a closed mind, then there’s no point.”

This new outlook has allowed The Shelter, the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital City Youth Services and major universities to work together and create a solution for homelessness in Tallahassee rather than just managing it.

All of the organizations involved in this effort bring something new and unique to the table and make up for what others lack, Pourciau said. Before they were working together, the programs they had in place were not effective plans for getting people back into stable situations.

“If you manage homelessness, you will have a certain kind of program, but if you are working to get people out of homelessness, you will have a different kind of program,” she said. “I think that our agency and others are making that shift. Now, for instance, we have a lot more programs than we did five years ago that are geared toward keeping people in apartments rather than just making sure they have a shelter.”

This new collaboration has already drawn attention from outsiders.

“We have had visits from representatives from a number of communities throughout Florida, as well as other states, who want to see for themselves exactly how such a cooperative and coordinated service delivery system actually works,” said Renaissance Community Center director White. “These include Jacksonville, Orlando, Panama City and Miami. The National Coalition for the Homeless, located in Washington, has also had representatives visit Tallahassee to observe operations. I believe that the answer to reducing homelessness must include a cooperative, collective, collaborative and comprehensive approach to each individual experiencing homelessness.”

Tonia Miller, in particular, is relieved to be a former client of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition.

“I can’t say enough about what they do to change the direction and lives of families,” she said. “They literally came in and made a difference in our lives so that we didn’t have to go through something so horrific. Again.” // Mikaela McShane and Megan Williams contributed to this article.

courtesy Clemons, Rutherford and Associates Inc.

»feature Urgent Remedies

Homeless Services Here is a breakdown of some of the area’s main homeless organizations and the services each offers. Different agencies tend to cater to different people and situations, but they still come together to accomplish one common goal. Each agency recognizes what the other is doing and uses each other’s programs to assist those without homes, medical care, proper identification and education.

THARPE

TENNESSEE TCC

FSU

PENSACOLA

APALACHEE

MONROE

FAMU

ORANGE

Permanent

Temporary

Families

Assistance

Men

Women

Disabilities

Veterans

CAPITAL CIRCLE TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL AIRPORT

Big Bend Homeless Coalition

The Big Bend Homeless Coalition is the lead agency for the Continuum of Care Board, a formal, community-based leadership and governance structure with private-public-nonprofit membership.

The CoC Board, established pursuant to the federal Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, serves as the planning and oversight body for the homeless response system in the eight-county region of the Big Bend of Florida. The purpose of the CoC Board is to develop and implement strategies to end homelessness in the Big Bend through planning, needs analysis, coordination, standard-setting and education. The board held its first workshop meeting in April 2014.

The Big Bend Homeless Coalition itself (bigbendhc.org) provides the following services: 1 Hope Community Assisting 140 people at any given time, Hope Community allows residents to stay up to six months in its 24/7 caregiving shelter. Hope Community primarily focuses on helping single women as well as families, and providing case management and assistance in obtaining stable housing. bigbendhc.org/hope

Home Plate Targeting chronically homeless individuals with disabilities, Home Plate is a rental subsidy program that helps homeless people find permanent housing. The program has a 90 percent success rate. bigbendhc.org/programs

2 Home Front apartment complex Providing permanent housing for once-homeless veterans, Home Front now houses 50 people.

It also provides supportive services from the Veterans Administration and other community organizations. bigbendhc.org/programs

Home Place An affordable-housing solution for the long-term homeless, Home Place provides permanent housing for nine residents with disabilities. bigbendhc.org/programs 3

4 Advocates for Veterans Advocates for Veterans annually helps about 250 homeless veterans or veterans and their

families in rural communities. The agency moves people into apartments and helps with rent deposits, utility deposits and case management. bigbendhc.org/avh 5 The Shelter The existing Shelter program is composed of three separate buildings: the Virginia building, The Shelter and the Day Center. Overall, the program provides an emergency shelter, shower and laundry facilities and group sessions, as well as music therapy and case management. tallahasseeleonshelter.com 6 Comprehensive Emergency Services Center This is the brand new, state-of-the-art facility that is designed to replace the current Shelter and the Cold Night shelter. The men’s and women’s housing facilities will be located on opposite sides of the facility and will offer higher levels of security for homeless residents. The center will be capable of sleeping 390 people with no mats on the floor. The kitchen will be able to feed all 390 clients plus those seeking services from the Renaissance Community Center. tallahasseeleonshelter.com/ comprehensive-emergency-services-center 7 Renaissance Community Center Adjacent to The Shelter, the Renaissance Community Center offers shower and laundry facilities, daytime storage for belongings, access to phones and computers, and meetings with several agencies from around Tallahassee. rcctally.org 8 Capital City Youth Services Composed of two programs, Capital City Youth Services offers an emergency shelter for children ages 10 to 17. It provides a 24-hour staff, and children typically stay about seven to 10 days. Across the parking lot is a transitional living facility. There, six youths who are at least 16 may live until the age of 19. The teens are offered their own bed and bathroom, and are taught necessary living skills such as cooking and cleaning. ccys.org

Going Places This street outreach and drop-in center is a subdivision of Capital City Youth Services.

It serves at-risk and homeless youths in the Tallahassee community by offering food, clothes, computer access and entertainment.

Going Places offers living assistance through Capital City Youth Services and a number of other agencies if the child wishes for that help. goingplaces.ccys.org 9 Westgate Community Another housing program, Westgate Community is a group home with common areas and shared living spaces. Each residential facility is run by a different agency. As a subsidized living facility, each resident must pay rent, contribute food stamps or pay rent through manual labor done around the house. tallahasseeleonshelter.com/ new-facility // Jason Dehart, Mikaela McShane

and Megan Williams

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The Arts ON THE TOWN Calendar Social Studies The Buzz

Spotlight

Randolph Maphis

Camellia Aficionados Converge on Tallahassee

If you love camellias, you’re about to get a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the best blooms from around the country when the National Camellia Society holds its 2015 annual convention in Tallahassee. The end of the convention coincides with the Tallahassee Camellia Society’s annual camellia show Jan. 31–Feb. 1 at the Doyle Conner Agricultural Center (3125 Conner Blvd.), and the host chapter is providing refrigeration so convention participants can store their flowering specimens until the show.

Tallahassee last hosted the national convention 50 years ago, when the Camellia Society and all its local affiliate chapters were all-male bastions that women were not allowed to join. The rationale, according to longtime members, was the erroneous belief that women couldn’t grow camellias so there was no point in including them. Individual chapters began admitting women in the 1980s, and some of the men were so displeased they resigned their memberships in protest. Mary Maud Sharpe was the first woman elected local president, in 1998.

Led by current TCS President Alex Hinson, local members have emphasized Southern hospitality to showcase “Camellias in the Red Hill Country” during their peak season.

The convention will include tours of area gardens and greenhouses, and speakers John Wang of San Francisco, who will discuss hybridizing techniques, and Southern Living plant expert Buddy Lee, who will discuss landscaping with camellias. Participants will also have the opportunity to check out the camellia collections at the city’s Dorothy B. Oven Park and Maclay Gardens State Park, which was a finalist to become the permanent home for the national organization but ultimately lost to Massee Lane Gardens near Fort Valley, Georgia.

The deadline to register for the convention is Jan. 15, but the camellia Camellia enthusiasts show is free. Hours are 2 from across the nation to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. will converge on 31, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Tallahassee for their Feb. 1. annual convention, For more information, go followed by the local to tallahasseecamelliasocamellia show, where ciety.com, where everyone, you might see a beautiful regardless of gender, is specimen like this “Dick welcome. // Audrey Post Hardison” variety.

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Photos Courtesy Opening Nights Performing Arts

Banjo player Béla Fleck (this page) returns to Opening Nights Feb. 8 while the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Red Baraat (facing page) will be performing “Bhangra ‘n’ Brass” Feb. 13.

»culture THE ARTS

Opening Nights The Cultural Event of the Year Gets a New Identity — and an Expanded Schedule

By Rebecca Beitsch Much like Prince, the performance series formerly known as Seven Days of Opening Nights has undergone a name change. Unlike Prince, the new name makes more sense.

Now known as Opening Nights, this year’s events uphold the series’ tradition of bringing captivating acts and major names to Tallahassee throughout the academic year.

“When people would talk to us they would make jokes. ‘It’s not seven days, it’s seven months!’” said Christopher Heacox, director of Opening Nights. “It made it harder to get through that barrier to what we actually do.”

In the spirit of moving their mission forward, Heacox said they spoke with sponsors, donors, ticket buyers and university stakeholders about a name change. They looked to the series’ roots — and even though the first event in 1999 actually lasted 11 days — they wanted to stay true to how the series was conceived: a weeklong festival of performing arts.

Along with the name change, there are a few new additions to the series.

Outside of the performances, Opening Nights has added a Creative Conversations aspect to some events. These panel discussions, lectures

2015 Opening Nights Schedule Feb. 4 Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking A satirical look at the show tunes, characters and plots of contemporary Broadway.

Turner Auditorium 8 p.m. $45, $30, $15 Feb. 5 Gregory Porter with Avery*Sunshine Porter has been hailed one of the best jazz singers of our time, while Sunshine is known for singing about real-life topics in her soulful voice. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $55, $40, $25, $15 Feb. 6 Vijay Iyer Trio This jazz trio relies on piano, strings and even electronics.

Opperman Music Hall 7:30 p.m. $45, $15 Feb. 7 Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo This male dance troupe parodies romantic and classical ballet in drag and en pointe. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $55, $40, $25, $15 Feb. 8 The Knights with Béla Fleck Renowned banjo player Fleck joins forces with the orchestral collective, bringing a touch of bluegrass to classical music.

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $65, $50, $35, $15 Feb. 9 The Time Jumpers Musicians Dawn Sears, Vince Gill, Kenny Sears and Ranger Doug Green from Nashville join together to create their own country band. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $65, $50, $35, $15

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»culture THE ARTS

Feb. 11 Cameron Carpenter The organist is the first ever nominated for a Grammy solo album. Carpenter tours with a million-dollar “touring organ” that will be making its Florida debut. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $45, $35, $25, $15 Feb. 12 The King’s Singers The choral group sings classic as well as contemporary songs it’s commissioned. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $50, $40, $25, $15 Feb. 13 Bhangra ‘n’ Brass: Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Red Baraat The Dirty Dozen is known for revitalizing the New Orleans brass band scene, while Red Baraat combines North Indian Bhangra rhythms with elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $50, $40, $25, $15 Feb. 13–March 1 ‘Ragtime’ This musical follows three diverse families’ intersecting lives at the turn of the 20th century. 8 p.m. Feb. 13, 14, 18–21, 25–28; 2 p.m. Feb. 15, 22 and March 1. Richard G. Fallon Theater $20 Feb. 14 Saturday Matinee of the Arts: For the Love of the Arts Various performing artists take over the museum’s outdoor stage while local artists display their work throughout the grounds. Tallahassee Museum 10 a.m.–4 p.m. FREE Feb. 14 PRISM The concert features performances from many

134 January–February 2015

groups based at the FSU College of Music, including Chamber Winds, Jazz Ensembles and the Marching Chiefs. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $35, $15 Feb. 15 A Movie You Haven’t Seen In collaboration with FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts Torchlight Program, Opening Nights will screen a film, followed by a panel discussion with industry professionals. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 pm. $35, $15 Feb. 15–16 Nellie McKay The singer and activist makes upbeat, old-school pop with the twist of a social conscience. Feb 15: Pebble Hill Plantation 2 p.m. $100; Feb. 16: The Carriage House at Goodwood Museum 7:30 p.m. $35 Feb. 28 Joshua Bell with the University Symphony Orchestra The violin prodigy was drafted

by The Washington Post for an experiment: having the world’s best violinist perform in the D.C. metro station. This time he’ll backed by the University Symphony Orchestra. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $85, $70, $55, $15 March 2 Danú This Irish group plays songs traditional to the countryside.

Opperman Music Hall 7:30 p.m. $45, $15 March 16 Milos Karadaglic Hailing from Montenegro, Karadaglic is a gifted guitar player known for his Latin

tallahasseeMagazine.com

rhythms. The Carriage House at Goodwood Museum 7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT March 19 Itzhak Perlman and Rohan De Silva Returning after last year’s canceled performance, worldfamous violinist Perlman will be accompanied by De Silva on the piano. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m.

SOLD OUT March 26 Raisin’ Cane: A Harlem Renaissance Odyssey starring Jasmine Guy and The Avery Sharpe Trio The performance celebrates African American contributions to the intellectual vibrancy of the 1920s through text, song, music, movement and imagery.

Richard G. Fallon Theatre 8 p.m. $50, $15 April 6 Steep Canyon Rangers and Della Mae The two bluegrass bands come together for a night of performances. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall 7:30 p.m. $50, $35, $25, $15

and Q&A sessions with the artists are free and open to the public.

Also new was a packed fall — including sold-out performances by ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro and author David Sedaris — that contained more performances than any prior year.

These lead into a solid session of programming to start off 2015.

Violinist Itzhak Perlman will be giving a sold-out performance after last year’s show was canceled due to inclement weather.

Piper Kerman, the author of the memoir “Orange is the New Black,” will talk about her experiences serving a year in a women’s prison. Her story has been adapted into the popular Netflix series of the same name.

Jazz singer Gregory Porter will be singing, along with Avery* Sunshine.

Heacox said those not tuned in to the up-and-coming jazz scene may not be aware of the American Grammy winner, who is selling out shows in Europe and performed at the iTunes Festival.

Banjo player Béla Fleck is coming back to Tallahassee, this time performing the concerto he wrote for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Heacox said festival organizers love to invite artists people want to see again and again, “but when we bring them back, we bring them back to do different shows.”

Another hidden gem of the series could be Red Baraat, which will be playing with the better-known Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The group blends Indian rhythms with brass funk and other music styles.

Describing it as an “amazing, super-hip jam,” Heacox said the group has wowed critics on the recent festival tour cycle.

Several artists will also be working with students and the public through Master Classes. Reservations to participate in these free classes must be made in advance, b u t a ny o n e m a y observe them. n

Nellie McKay (above) mixes pop singing with a bit of social conscience.

Before “Orange is the New Black” (left) was a Netflix hit show, it was a memoir. Author Piper Kerman appears Feb. 10.

Photos Courtesy Opening Nights Performing Arts

2015 Opening Nights Schedule Continued

Feb. 10 Piper Kerman Kerman’s prison memoir, “Orange is the New Black,” is the inspiration for the eponymous Netflix series.

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»culture ON THE TOWN

Pub Crawling Made Easy No Need to Drive When You Can Hop on the Rhythm Route Bus

Matt Burke

By Alexia Gonzalez It’s Friday — the weekend has finally arrived! After five long days, it’s finally time to kick back, relax and enjoy an evening of revelry. There’s no better way to spend a hassle-free night out on the town than by eliminating the stress that comes with parking or electing a designated driver than by hopping on one of the completely free Rhythm Route buses powered by Star Metro.

With 21 stops within steps of the many Tallahassee hot spots located throughout the areas of Midtown, CollegeTown and Downtown, there really is no excuse not to climb aboard the bus. Created to serve the budding local nightlife, the Rhythm Route is designed to provide safe and gratis transport for partygoers in the comfort of a governmentsanctioned bus. Running from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. every Friday and Saturday, the Rhythm Route caters to the after-hours crowd looking to unearth the hidden gems within our city.

Whether you’re looking to grab dinner and drinks or planning to paint the town at multiple locations, the Rhythm Route has got you covered. Route stops include a variety of destinations ranging from coffee shops, watering holes and clubs to fine dining restaurants, depending on the direction that you would prefer your night to take. A Rhythm bus visits each stop every 20 minutes, at most of the Star Metro-labeled signposts, with round trips spanning 40 minThe Rhythm Route utes. In order to travels to most of disembark at your Tallahassee’s popular chosen destinanightspots. StarMetro’s tion, simply press website (talgov.com/ the yellow strip starmetro/starmetrobetween the winroutes-rhythm.aspx) dows and the driver lists more than 70 places you can visit when you will allow you to ride the bus. alight. Just start off

tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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»culture ON THE TOWN Me elo lody dy Steck k

by designating your desired point of origin and coincide your schedule to that of the bus route.

If you’re an adventurous rider seeking spontaneity, letting the route be your tour guide is always an option. You’d be surprised at the fun of traveling without an agenda.

As a creature of impulsivity, that is exactly what I did during my ride on the bus. Join me on my impromptu pub crawl, made convenient thanks to Star Metro’s Rhythm Route bus.

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Living in the recently developed CollegeTown area made it easy to start off the evening without having to worry about transportation. Only a hop, skip, and a jump away is the über-trendy Madison Social restaurant, where delicious fare meets sociality. I chose to indulge in the mouthwatering MadSo burger, crafted with fried avocado, peppered maple bacon, caramelized onions, house aioli and cheddar cheese. This over-the-top cheeseburger certainly did the trick to kick off the night’s event-filled journey.

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BEFORE

At 7 sharp, the Rhythm Route bus was conveniently waiting at the Woodward Avenue and Madison Street stop just steps away from my originating location. My group and I spotted the artfully decorated Rhythm trolley from a distance and approached the starmarked stopping point. A friendly bus driver welcomed us into the clean and spacious bus, absolutely free of charge. Conversation and meal digestion kept us entertained during the 20-minute ride to our next stop at Fifth Avenue and Thomasville Road in Midtown.

We started at Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub, where loud music and budget-friendly beer specials prompted much dancing and laughter amongst friends and strangers alike. The Irish motif provided an authentic pub experience that made us feel as though we were swigging ales right in the heart of Dublin.

We then crossed the hallway at Manor@Midtown to the 5th Avenue Taproom. The venue’s wide-open spaces are perfect for dancing to an eclectic music mix — from Top 40 pop to hip hop to classic rock. The crowd was a pretty diverse bunch, too. Patrons of every age from 20-somethings to Boomers were enjoying the tunes as well as the generous mixed drinks and wide selection of beers on tap. Our mood was definitely heightened at this point, influencing us to continue with the night’s sojourn.

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138 January–February 2015

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Ready for a more sophisticated environment, we boarded the bus that was headed for the Downtown area. We were greeted by a fellow group of students on the trolley who were also wisely taking advantage of the Rhythm Route service.

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“We love this bus!” said Florida State University senior Mary Beth Thompson.

Hard to miss the colorful Rhythm “We use it almost every weekend. It’s so Route bus that visits convenient to ride around town, at no each stop every 20 charge, and not have to worry about drinkminutes on Friday ing and driving. Way better than any cab.” and Saturday nights.

We proceeded to exit in front of Kleman Plaza for some giggly conversation and libations at 101 Restaurant, arriving just in time for their second happy hour special (yes, you read that correctly, they have TWO happy hours every day). The chic bar area is designed for easy social interaction, with onlookers able to observe the skilled bartenders as they craft the perfect dirty martini (stirred, not shaken).

As our party began to wind down, the vicious call of hunger pains once again approached, prompting us to seek an appetizing treat.

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12:20 A.M. Last Call

As our salt cravings continued to rise, we piled onto the Rhythm Bus in search of a delectable late-night meal.

“One of the next stops is by Gaines Street Pies, if you all like pizza,” chimed in our bus driver after overhearing our hunger-related commentary. Nothing sounded more ideal than a specialty handmade pizza pie covered in cheese and fresh toppings. Open until 3 a.m. on weekends, Gaines Street Pies’ cooks welcomed us with smiles and pizza suggestions. After much debate, we settled on the savory Metal Mike pizza, which features a ranch dressing base, topped with bacon, warm chicken, garlic, onions and a splash of sriracha sauce.

By 2 a.m., my sleepy comrades felt ready to call it a night (morning?) and indulge in some much-needed sleep. For the last time that evening, we thanked our driver and parted ways as the Rhythm Route dropped us off at our respective stops. Everyone arriving home safe, sound and satisfied. n

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850-545-4958 tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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Courtesy Opening Nights Performing Arts

»culture best bets

Kicking off the New Year with a Variety of Activities // compiled by Chay D. Baxley

» events

Tallahassee’s Top Salon

January 24 Thirteen salons and their 13 deserving

models face off in one fierce competition to benefit a local charity chosen by the winning salon. Tallahassee salons, nominated by the community, give deserving models a head-to-toe makeover as they compete for the title of 2015 Top Salon. This exciting event allows you to see the hard work of Tallahassee’s most talented hair stylists.

For tickets, visit tallahasseemagazine.com/top-salon

140 January–February 2015

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» events

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at Opening Nights February 7 Hailed as “highbrow hilarity,” Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo brings an astonishingly masculine touch to traditional ballet. One of Florida State University’s famed Opening Nights productions, this allmale troupe — yep, you read that right — casts new light on the spirit of dance, delighting and amusing the most knowledgeable and novice audience members alike.

“The Trocks” performance, sponsored by Tallahassee Magazine, will take place at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall at 7:30 pm. Ticket prices range from $15 to $55 and can be purchased via phone at (850) 644-6500, online at tickets.fsu.edu or in person at the FSU Fine Arts Building at the corner of Call and Copeland streets.

» save the date 360b / Shutterstock.com

Red Hills International Horse Trials » events

Oscar Party Feb. 22 While the glamorous

movie stars are walking the red carpet for the 87th annual Oscars in Los Angeles, Tallahassee’s own A-listers will be doing a step-and-repeat at an Oscar night viewing party to support The Film School at Florida State University. It’s sure to be a fun night of guessing the winners, Oscar trivia and a silent auction.

VIP and general admission are available. For details, visit film.fsu.edu.

competition, which attracts competitors and spectators worldwide, is almost upon us! Appreciate the elegance and skill of the horse and rider in dressage competition March 6. Thrill at the pounding of hooves as more than 200 riders, many former Olympians, and their horses race, jump and gallop across Red Hills’ freshly created cross-country course on March 7. Marvel at the grace of horses as they soar over jumps in stadium jumping on the final day of competition. In addition to the competition, the event also includes a multitude of food vendors, exhibits of general interest and sellers of products, including several specifically for the equestrian in your life.

Donations of $15 for per day pass and $25 for per weekend pass are accepted at the gate.

Festivities last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

For additional information, visit rhht.org.

events

Food for Us

January 24 “We’re All at the Table Together,”

this year’s Leon County Sustainable Communities Summit, is all about good food. Good, that is, for your family’s health, the economy, the environment and accessibility. Past summits have taken a more big-picture look at sustainable living in our hometown, attended mostly by people with a specific interest in the subject. This year, organizers have developed a fast-paced, familyfriendly agenda that will appeal to anyone interested in finding locally grown food — or growing their own. Urban farming activist Karen Washington and Phillip Ackerman-Leist, an expert in local, sustainable food systems, will be keynote speakers during the four-hour program, which includes a buffet lunch.

The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at FSU’s Turnbull Conference Center. Cost to attend is $10 and preregistration is required. To register, or for more information, visit growinggreen.org/ summit or email sustainability@leoncountyfl.gov.

Frank Ockenfels

March 6–8 This premier eventing

Indigo Girls

» regional events

30A Songwriters Festival January 16–18 Spend the

weekend jamming to great tunes and cruising Northwest Florida’s favorite scenic highway at one of the music world’s most anticipated events — the three-day 30A Songwriters Festival. Patrons are in for a true treat this year. Event coordinators have scheduled an impressive lineup of 150 artists, set to perform at 25 separate venues, for their 2015 season. This celebration has all the essentials of an unforgettable getaway: great music, tons of additional entertainment, family-friendly festivities, beautiful beaches, crisp weather and delicious food.

The 30A Songwriters Festival is held annually along the coastline of Walton County. Presented by the county’s Cultural Arts Alliance, patrons interested in purchasing weekend passes prior to the event are invited to visit 30asongwritersfestival.com for more information or contact the CAA at (850) 622-5970. Day passes will be sold the weekend of the event at festival headquarters, located 105 Hogtown Bayou Lane, Santa Rosa Beach. Ticket prices start at $200.

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Through April 5

RAGTIME is presented through a special

arrangement with Music Theater International

(MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street,

New York, NY 10019 / Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 / www.MTIShows.com

Book by Lyrics by Music by Terrence McNally Lynn Ahrens Stephen Flaherty Based on the novel “RAGTIME” by E. L. Doctorow Directed by Fred Chappell

Co-Produced with Opening Nights Performing Arts

RAGTIME is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 / Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 / www.MTIShows.com

Almost, Maine is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

‘Civil Rights in the Sunshine State’ The Museum of Florida History continues its presentation of this exhibit, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Take a stroll back in time and explore the history of the civil rights movement in Florida through artifacts, archival images, film footage and oral histories. FREE. Museum of Florida History, R.A. Gray Building. Weekdays 9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.– 4:30 p.m., Sun noon–4:30 p.m.

Jan. 3

Tallahassee Swing Band at the Dixie Theatre The joint will be jumpin’ when this tuneful group returns after wowing audiences when they opened the theater’s season last year. $25. 21 Avenue E, Apalachicola.

3 p.m. (850) 653-3200, dixietheatre.com

Jan. 9–Feb. 1

Annual Art Faculty and Thematic Road Photography Exhibition Florida State University faculty and visiting artists exhibit boundary-pushing works in a variety of media in this showcase.

The public reception is Friday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., with the exhibit open during museum hours. FREE. FSU Museum of Fine Arts, 530 W. Call St., Room 250.

Museum hours Mon–Fri 9 a.m.– 4 p.m., Sat–Sun 1–4 p.m. (850) 644-6836, mofa.fsu.edu

APRIL 5

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, 2015

LAB TH

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Jan. 10

TSO Open Rehearsal Come enjoy the musical melodies of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra at its open rehearsal.

The event is family-friendly, so bring the kids! There will be a special kids’ table with activities and crafts. Refreshments will be provided. FREE. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, FSU campus.

10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (850) 224-0461, tallahasseesymphony.org/ open-rehearsal

Jan. 10

Tallahassee Symphony: Elegance and Elation Internationally recognized for her Mozart interpretations, pianist Lisa Smirnova will play the master’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major.

The concerts ends on a high note with Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony. $10–$55. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, FSU campus. 8 p.m. (850) 224-0461, tallahasseesymphony.org

Jan. 11, Feb. 8

2nd Sundays at Spring House On the second Sunday of each month, Spring House opens its doors for public tours. This hidden gem is the only Florida residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that was built during his lifetime, and visitors are invited to walk through the house and stroll its grounds. $15, children under 12 FREE. 3117 Okeeheepkee Road.

2–4 p.m. preservespringhouse.org

Jan. 15, Feb. 20

Curator’s Tour — 125 Years of Florida Public Health You’re invited to visit this collection of artifacts, interpretive text and photographs chronicling the history the state’s public-health agency at any time, but these tours offer an in-depth look at the new exhibit at the Florida Historic Capitol Museum. 400 S. Monroe St. FREE. 11 a.m.–noon. (850) 487-1901, flhistoriccapitol.gov/ exhibits/publichealth.cfm

Jan. 16–Feb. 1

Theatre Tallahassee Presents ‘Proof’ In this drama by David Auburn, Catherine has spent years caring for her father, who was a brilliant mathematician but is now suffering from mental illness — and she fears ending up like him.

Contains adult language. $12. 1861 Thomasville Road. 8 p.m. (850) 224-8474, theatretallahassee.org

Jan. 22

The Dover Quartet Head north to Thomasville for a musical awakening presented by a

Community Christian School VPK in Coming!

2015

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»culture CALENDAR string quartet of talented young musicians. $38, $15 students.

Thomasville Center for the Arts, 600 E. Washington St. 7:30 p.m.

(229) 226-7404, tefconcerts.com

Jan. 24

‘Henry VIII, A Brief and Unreliable History’ Support Literacy Volunteers with dinner and an evening of frivolity and fanfare as a cast of local celebrity readers perform the tale of one of jolly old England’s most notorious monarchs. It’s a wacky tale of weddings and woes — and far more interesting than the version you learned back in school! $50 per person, tables of eight $350–$500.

Women’s Club of Tallahassee, 1513 Cristobal Drive. 6–10 p.m. (850) 606-2644, literacyvolunteersleon.org

Jan. 25

The Artist Series of Tallahassee Experience the evolution of brass chamber music through the New York Brass Arts Trio. The trio performs classical and jazz masterworks to the beat of its own instruments. $23, students $5, children 12 and under FREE. Opperman Music Hall, Kuersteiner Music Building, FSU. 4–6 p.m.

Contact Rob Thaler at (850) 224-9934, theartistseries.org

Feb. 5–22

‘Moon Over Buffalo’ This comical tale of two fading stars is set in the 1950s and follows the journey of George and Charlotte — two aspiring actors who just can’t get it right. $12–$22. Theatre Tallahassee, 1861 Thomasville Road.

For specific times and ticket prices, call (850) 224-8474 or visit theatretallahassee.org.

Feb. 6–7

Change It Up! ‘Ascension’ This “Homage to the Life and Words of Maya Angelou” celebrates the accomplishments of one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Essential Theatre alumni honor her passion for the arts with this scholarship fundraiser. $25. Southside Arts Complex, 2525 S. Monroe St. Fri 8 p.m., Sat 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (850) 561-2425, famu. edu/index.cfm?EssentialTheatre&Se asonSchedule 144 January–February 2015

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Feb. 6–8

North Florida Home Show The 23rd annual exposition will showcase a variety of home and garden products in 40,000 square feet of exhibit space. $7 adults, children under 16 with an adult FREE. Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Fri noon–7 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

(772) 631-7920, eastcoastshows. com/homeshows.html

Feb. 7

Daddy-Daughter Dance Show Daddy’s little — and not so little — girls some Valentine’s Day love at this 10th annual event, presented by the Northside Rotary Club. The festivities will include light refreshments and dance music from DJ John Summers. Advance tickets $35 for Dad, $20 for each daughter, $45/$25 at the door. The Moon, 1105 E. Lafayette St. 6–9:30 p.m.

(850) 514-6243 or (850) 212-3855, rotaryddd.com.

Feb. 7

Biletnikoff Award Banquet The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation is holding its 20th annual event, where the coveted Biletnikoff Award will be presented to the nation’s outstanding college football receiver. The keynote speaker is Joe Theisman, College Hall of Fame quarterback and former Washington Redskin.

Proceeds from the event fund scholarships for high school seniors in Leon and six surrounding counties who have succeeded in spite of significant challenges in their lives. $1,500, table of 10.

5:45 p.m. VIP Reception, 6:50 p.m., banquet. University Center Club, Doak Campbell Stadium. biletnikoffaward.com

Feb. 7

Big Bend Community Orchestra Concert The Big Bend Community Orchestra Concert features winners of The BBCO Young Artist Competition.

FREE and open to the public. Turner Auditorium, Tallahassee Community College. 3:30–4:45 p.m.

(850) 893-4567, bbcorch.org

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»culture CALENDAR Feb. 8

41st Tallahassee Marathon and Half-Marathon Registration is open for the Tallahassee marathon and halfmarathon but will be limited to 850 entrants in each race. Sprint, run and walk — there are thousands of dollars in cash prizes for the winners. $75 full, $55 half or $90/$70 on race day if space is available. FSU Track, Chieftan Way in front of the FSU Circus. 7:30 a.m. (850) 264-0739, tallahasseemarathon.com

Feb. 13

Florida State University Institute on World War II and the Human Experience Exhibition There will be a public reception and opening for the exhibition, which features World War II propaganda posters, flags and more.

Curated by Associate Professor of History Kurt Piehler. FREE. FSU Museum of Fine Arts, 530 W. Call St. 6–8 p.m. (850) 644-6836, mofa.fsu.edu

Feb. 21

14th Annual Cattle Barons’ Ball If you like havin’ a rootin’, tootin’ good time playing casino-style games and kickin’ up your heels on the dance floor, then the Cattle Barons’ Ball is the event for you! Enjoy spectacular live and silent auction items, gourmet dining and entertainment. Western wear is required at this event, which benefits the American Cancer Society. $125 per person

21 years and older. Shiloh Farm, 1500 Benjamin Chaires Road.

6–11 p.m. (850) 266-2274, cattlebaronsballtallahassee.org

Feb. 27–March 8

‘13: The Musical’ A preteen stripped away from his fast-paced New York City life after his parents divorce has to reinvent cool in a sleepy Indiana town. $18 adults, $16 students and seniors, $14 children 12 and under. Young Actors Theatre, 609 Glenview Drive. For more information on performance times, call (850) 386-6602 or visit youngactorstheatre.com.

March 8

Jewish Food Festival Enjoy authentic Jewish food as well as crafts and live entertainment. Classic items such as matzo ball soup, falafel plates and corned beef will be available for purchase. Admission to the festival is FREE. Temple Israel, 2215 Mahan Drive.

10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. (850) 877-3517, tallahasseejewishfestival.com

March 9

Lisa Graganella Nutcracker Golf Classic More than 100 golfers will tee off for the fundraising event benefiting The Tallahassee Ballet.

The event includes lunch, registration, goody bags, door prizes and an awards banquet.

SouthWood Golf Course.

(850) 224-6917, tallahasseeballet.org/events n

» Save the Date

Pets and Their People March 21 All Pets — and the people

8 5 0 . 2 2 4 . 3 0 0 7 | W W W . T A R G E T C O P Y. C O M

who love them — are invited to Tallahassee Magazine’s 11 annual Pets and Their People event. Have your photo taken by Tallahassee Magazine and you may be featured in the publication’s July/August issue. Enjoy the buildyour-own Bloody Mary bar, mimosa bar, brunch, entertainment, giveaways and more!

9 a.m.–3 p.m. at Proctor Subaru, 1701 Capital Circle N.E.

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Did you know you have a choice?

Community advocates created a hometown hospice on 1983.

Local leaders continue the legacy.

Choose

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We invite you to join us for our upcoming events!

Start Small.

THINK BIG! STEM Saturday January 24th, 9:00am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12:00pm This FREE event invites students in grades K-8 from the greater Tallahassee community to participate in a fun day of hands on interactive science experiences hosted by Holy Comforter STEM teachers.

A Look Ahead Night Thursday, January 29th, 6:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7:30pm Come and meet the teachers, visit the classrooms and learn about curriculum and other exciting information as we begin to Look Ahead to 2015-2016 Classrooms in Action February 10th and 11th, 8:15am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:00am You are invited to drop in and get an authentic look at our classes in action!

www.holy-comforter.org â&#x20AC;˘ PK3-8th Grade â&#x20AC;˘ 850-383-1007 tallahasseeMagazine.com Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;February 2015

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VISIT The

Forgotten Coast Play • ShoP • Dine • Stay

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cRaWFoRDVille

inter is here and the Forgotten Coast has a lot to offer anyone who just wants to escape city life for a day, a weekend or longer. Along the bays, beaches and byways there are many opportunities to slow down and take it easy. While there, we recommend visiting the following locations:

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(800) 341-2021 uncommonflorida.com 84 Water St., Apalachicola 224 Franklin Blvd., St. george island

liVe oaK PoinT

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

SupplieS 2 lAnArk mArkeT Fuel, boat fuel, ice, bait, beer, drinks and snacks. Outdoor patio, bathroom and showers.

(850) 697-2111 2348 Hwy. 98 E., Lanark

attraction 3 Gulf speCimen AquArium

St. Joseph Bay

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Apalachee Bay

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TallahaSSee

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Shopping 5 Go fisH CloTHinG & JeWelry We offer unique, handcrafted items by talented artisans from developing nations.

Support those who are less fortunate by purchasing a few of their creations.

(850) 653-1333 shopgofish.com 25 Avenue D, Apalachicola

Driving DirECtionS FroM tALLAHASSEE Head south on South Monroe Street toward Apalachee Parkway. Turn right onto East Orange Avenue, then take the first left onto South Adams Street and continue onto Crawfordville Road. Turn right onto US-319 South and continue for about 50 miles.

dining

6 Crum’s mini mAll

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A unique experience to get up close with sharks, sea turtles, starfish, octopus and other sea life from the Gulf of Mexico. One of the largest touch tanks exhibits in the U.S. (850) 984-5297 gulfspecimen.org 222 Clark Dr., Panacea

One-stop shopping for all of your coastal needs. Extensive tackle and bait selection. Ice, snacks, drinks, beach supplies and clothing.

(850) 984-5501 | crumsminimall.com 1321 Coastal Hwy., Panacea

Seafood market and raw bar. Family owned and operated. Serving fresh locally caught seafood.

Open Tuesday through Saturday.

(850) 653-3222 23 Avenue D, Apalachicola

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The best nautical and maritime collection east of the Mississippi.

A distinctive upscale atmosphere for the 21+ crowd with quiet dining, extensive martini and wine lists, signature cocktails and a variety of bottled craft beers.

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(850) 653-3635 | tinshednautical.com 170 Water St., Historic Apalachicola

January / February 2015

Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D.

RECOGNIZED AS 2014 PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR National Philanthropy Day, Big Bend Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D. was honored as the 2014 Philanthropist of the Year by the Big Bend Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) at the November 13 National Philanthropy Day luncheon and ceremony. Dr. Maguire was nominated for the award by the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) Foundation. “Although we enjoyed the privilege of placing Dr. Maguire in consideration for this honor, TMH is but one of many organizations and institutions to benefit from Dr. Maguire’s philanthropy,” said Paula Fortunas, President and CEO of the TMH Foundation.

As a pioneering female physician, Dr. Maguire, now age 96, dedicated much of her distinguished medical career to caring for children, especially those with disabilities and advocating on behalf of women, minorities and those in need as evidenced by her private pediatric practice in Orlando and as she worked with the Children’s Home Society and the Florida Crippled Children’s Commission and ultimately became one of Left to Right: Heart of Gold recipients Patsy Bates, Judy Hefren, Preston Scott, the highest ranking women Donna Smithey, Felton Wright, President, Gulf Winds Track Club – Community Partner in the federal government as of the Year; Myra Hurt, Senior Associate Dean, FSU College of Medicine and Heart of Assistant Secretary of Health Gold recipient; John Fogarty, M.D., Dean, FSU College of Medicine, Charlotte Edwards and Scientific Affairs in the Maguire, M.D., 2014 Philanthropist of the Year, Paula Fortunas, President and CEO, U.S. Department of Health, TMH Foundation, Heart of Gold recipients Lesa Crosby-Harley and Liz Hasty.

Education and Welfare.

“Foremost among the beneficiaries of Dr. Maguire’s generosity Then, she triumphantly returned to the State of Florida to create the are the Florida State University College of Medicine and Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. However, Westminster Oaks,” Mrs. Fortunas pointed out as she introduced that was neither the end nor the beginning of what Dr. Maguire FSU College of Medicine administrators, faculty and staff, John would do for the State of Florida. Remarkable as it may seem, she Fogarty, M.D., Dean, Alma Littles, M.D. and Myra Hurt, Ph.D., was among the founders of both the University of Florida College of Senior Associate Deans, Julian Hurt, M.D., Ken Brummel-Smith, Medicine and the Florida State University College of Medicine.

M.D., Helen Livingston, Ph.D., Jim McNeil, Cindy Tyler, and Bob As Dr. Maguire was escorted to the podium by Dean Fogarty and Dawson, Ph.D. and Westminster Oaks friends, residents, current Mr. O’Bryant, Mrs. Fortunas further described her as, “A leader in and former staff, including Pam Wilson, now Executive Director of every sense - in medicine – in philanthropy – in championing the the Capital Medical Society, Gail Alexander, Patsy and Don Rapp, human spirit – and in serving the greater good.” In her poignant Willa and John Almlof, David Redfield, Judy Jolly and Janet Harron. response, Dr. Maguire attributed her innate desire to “help people” to Tallahassee Memorial was represented by its President and CEO both her grandmother and her father who taught her to “work hard, Mark O’Bryant, TMH Foundation Trustees, special friends and staff save money and give it away.” Dr. Maguire has, indeed, done just that. including Virginia Glass, Randy Guemple, Donna Lou Askew, Maye For more than seven decades, she has benefited countless thousands Walker, Liz Hasty, Bonnie Cannon, Janet Borneman, Felicia McCoy, of individuals with her service to them and her multi-million-dollar Aaron Kinnon, Mark Marple and Judi Taber. charitable contributions to the causes and institutions she holds dear.

National Philanthropy Day top honors were also bestowed upon Gulf Winds Track Club as the Outstanding Community Partner of the Year and nine “Heart of Gold” recipients who were nominated by the respective charities that benefit from their service and generosity. continued on page 2

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Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D. Recognized as 2014 Philanthropist of the Year continued

2014 HEART OF GOLD RECIPIENTS W.S. Badcock Furniture & More and Wogan Badcock, III – Southern Scholarship Foundation Patsy Bates & Dawn McMillan – Gadsden Arts Center Lesa Crosby-Harley – Elder Care Services Judy Hefren - FSU College of Social Work and FSU College of Nursing Myra Hurt – TMH Foundation and FSU College of Medicine Preston Scott – TCC Foundation Donna Smithey – 2-1-1 Big Bend

”It is a pleasure to honor these individuals and organizations who are in the Big Bend community, giving their time, talent and treasure.

The Big Bend Chapter of AFP is very proud to host this event annually as an expression of our membership’s dedication to the furtherance of philanthropy in our community, our state and our nation,” said Ranie Thompson, Director of the National Philanthropy Day event and past President of the Big Bend Chapter of AFP. As the festivities concluded, Mickey Moore, current President of the Big Bend Chapter of AFP, noted, “For more than 50 years, AFP has served as the international standard bearer for professionalism and ethics in fundraising, working tirelessly to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs. We salute today’s honorees and give a special thanks to our keynote speaker, the highly-regarded author and advocate for all generations, Jack Levine.”

Mark O’Bryant, President and CEO, Tallahassee Memorial; John Fogarty, M.D., Dean, FSU College of Medicine; and Mickey Moore, President, AFP, escort Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D. to the podium to receive Philanthropist of the Year Award.

Mark O’Bryant, President and CEO, Tallahassee Memorial, Paula Fortunas, President and CEO, TMH Foundation, and Maye Walker, TMH adviser, advocate and cherished friend of Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D., 2014 Philanthropist of the Year, enjoy the honoree’s acceptance remarks.

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Tallahassee Memorial Lifeline Services Becomes a

Certified Philips Lifeline GoSafe Provider Tallahassee Memorial Lifeline Services Program Manager Regina Timms recently announced the TMH program is now a certified Philips Lifeline GoSafe provider. GoSafe is a leading mobile medical alert service that is designed to help provide peace of mind to seniors at home or on the go.

Tallahassee Memorial Lifeline Services achieved certification through completing a comprehensive training curriculum and program offered by Philips Lifeline, the nation’s first medical alert service.

Throughout the certification process, the TMH program demonstrated its knowledge of GoSafe and expertise in how the technology can help active, independent seniors live life to the fullest.

Featuring the power of up to six location technologies, GoSafe gives seniors the assurance to get up and go while being protected by Philips Lifeline’s 24/7, U.S.-based emergency call response center.

GoSafe is the only mobile personal emergency response system (mPERS) to utilize this “hybrid” locating approach, which allows response center associates to locate seniors in need of assistance in areas where GPS may not be available. Additionally, GoSafe’s built-in AutoAlert fall detection technology can automatically call for help if it detects a fall, providing protection even if the senior is unable to call on their own.

GoSafe triggers the arrival of help when and where it is needed.

The system utilizes an in-home communicator to optimize in-home performance, and the pendant can be charged while worn, providing continuous protection for the wearer.

“We’re proud to offer a service that empowers seniors to age safely and independently while providing their families with peace of mind,” said Ms. Timms. “By offering GoSafe, we can give seniors the confidence to stay active and on-the-go while keeping them connected to help if they need it. Tallahassee Memorial Lifeline Services considers senior health and wellbeing to be its first priority and our vendor partner, Philips Lifeline, shares that mission.”

Lifeline Services has been a department of TMH since 1982 and has proven to be one of the most effective and reliable solutions for independent living available in the TMH service area. Presently, residents of 17 counties in Florida – Calhoun, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington and of 5 counties in Georgia – Decatur, Grady, Mitchell, Seminole and Thomas are being served by Tallahassee Memorial Lifeline Services.

For more information on TMH Lifeline Services, please either call Regina Timms at 850.431.6838 or email regina.timms@tmh.org or, if you prefer, please visit www.tmh.org/lifeline.

TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL AND THE TMH FOUNDATION PROUDLY ANNOUNCE GOLDEN GALA XXXII – STARRING JOHN LEGEND APRIL 23, 2015 – 6:00 P.M. DONALD L. TUCKER CIVIC CENTER

JOHN LEGEND

Nine-time Grammy winner John Legend is one of the music industry’s most innovative artists. He is a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and described by music icon Quincy Jones as simply “a genius” who continues to achieve new milestones. Love in the Future is his critically-acclaimed latest album. Its lead single, Who Do We Think We Are, shot to the top of the R&B/hip-hop charts followed by a second sensational single, Made to Love. The album’s third single, All of Me, soared to number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and launched his current and the album’s fourth hit single, You and I. Golden Gala, now in its thirty-second year, continues to hold its place as the region’s premier charitable and social event.

All proceeds are dedicated to Tallahassee Memorial’s Mission – “Transforming Care. Advancing Health. Improving Lives.” and its Vision – “Leading our Community to be the Healthiest in the Nation.”

You are cordially invited to contact the TMH Foundation to make your Golden Gala pledge and reservation.

Please either call or e-mail Bonnie Cannon at 850.431.4590 or bonnie.cannon@tmh.org.

Thank you very much for your support of . tallahassee memorial healthcare foundation advertorial | 3 tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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The United States Bowling Congress – Tallahassee Association Hosts Inaugural

The Junior League of Tallahassee Celebrates Eighth Annual Pumpkin Palooza at the Tallahassee Memorial Children’s Center

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) – Tallahassee Association organized and hosted the inaugural “Bowl for the Cure” to benefit Tallahassee Memorial’s A Woman’s Place and the Sharon Ewing Walker Breast Health Center.

The Junior League of Tallahassee (JLT) celebrated its eighth annual Pumpkin Palooza on October 31 in the Tallahassee Memorial Children’s Center Playroom where members presented an entertaining day of fun for hospitalized children and their families.

“Bowl for the Cure”

“Bowl for the Cure” was held at Capital Lanes in late October 2014 and was exceedingly successful. Judi Taber, TMH Foundation Annual Giving Officer, said, “The teams who participated displayed such a wonderful charitable spirit. TMH is very grateful to USBC – Tallahassee Association for dedicating this event to TMH.” In coordination with “Bowl for the Cure,” USBC Tallahassee Association members, who are Magellan Health employees, raised a separate gift through a “Penny Drive” for the Sharon Ewing Walker Breast Health Center.

According to Michael Fleischacker, President of the USBC -- Tallahassee Association, “It was a pleasure for our organization and its board members to help individuals diagnosed with breast cancer in the local community.

As a healthcare employee, I understand the importance of uplifting a person’s spirits which translates to mental wellbeing during the strenuous recovery process.”

During the event, appropriate treats and goody bags were donated by JLT volunteers who transformed the Playroom with paper pumpkins, kitty cats and other seasonal decorations.

Special activities included face painting, music, games, arts, and crafts. Each child enjoyed one-on-one time with individual JLT members as they created masks and paper bag puppets that offered positive distractions for the young patients.

Lauren Sherrill, TMH Child Life Specialist, explained, “Children are more comfortable in the hospital setting when provided with the opportunity to engage in creative activities that they normally engage in at home or in school.” Judi Taber, TMH Foundation Annual Giving Officer, further noted, “The TMH Foundation is extremely grateful to the Junior League of Tallahassee for its continued support. The annual Pumpkin Palooza is such a positive experience, not only for the babies and children, but for the parents as well.”

Junior League of Tallahassee Members Caitlin Gilbert, Courtney Spinelli, Tenikca Gainey and Holly Miller.

Judi Taber, TMH Foundation Annual Giving Officer (center) receives gift check from Michael Fleischacker with USBC – Tallahassee Association members Lisa Brown-Tajdari, Anthony Williams (on left) and Melissa Peck and Jeremy Bruno (on right)

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FSU student intern Ashley Jones with unique face painting skills creates a beautiful dinosaur for a little one – shown with parental permission.

Leon High School “RED” GOES “PINK” for Tallahassee Memorial At Leon High School’s annual Pink Pep Rally on November 7, 2014, the gym was filled with pink balloons, pink ribbons, pompoms and exuberance over another successful Leon fund-raising campaign to benefit cancer programs and patients at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Among the student-driven projects for 2014 were a poker run, a volleyball game, share nights, tee-shirt sales, Leon club donations, and community donations, resulting in a $15,124 charitable contribution that was presented by the Leon Student Government leadership to the TMH Foundation.

This is the ninth consecutive year of Leon fund-raising initiatives to “fight cancer,” with total dollars raised in excess of $165,000.

The 2014 funds will be used to assist cancer patients with transportation to and from their treatments and to help underinsured and non-insured patients in paying for preventative and routine care mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, and additional services arising from their diagnosis. Speaking about the student’s efforts, Billy Epting, Leon High Principal, said, “It is a testament to the long history of Leon High School students giving back to their community. Each year we have a different group of kids, and they always rise to the occasion.”

“These young people are truly a credit to their parents, to their generation, and to Leon High School,” added Paula Fortunas, TMH Foundation President and CEO.

The Future Farmers of America Chapter of the Grand Ridge School Recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month

FFA officers and school officials present gift check from left to right: Codi Nixon, Secretary, Addyson Lewis, Vice President, Justin Lawrence, Vice President Public Relations, Madeline Wright, President, Janet Borneman, TMH Foundation Director of Planned Giving, Laura Kent, Grand Ridge Principal, Anthony May, Treasurer, Shawna Ferguson, FFA Advisor

To inspire fund-raising activities, Leon High School Principal Billy Epting promised students he would submit to a “head shaving” if the students met their $15,000 goal. The students not only met but exceeded that goal, bringing in $15, 124. True to his word, Mr. Epting sheds his hair at the hands of celebrity barbers, Scott Epting (his son) and Mark Feely, Leon’s Dean of Students and Athletics Director.

Left to Right: Kennedy Wilhite, Development Committee Chair, Alex Strickland, SGA Secretary/Publicist, Emily Emmanuel. SGA Spirit Committee Chair, Cameron Paul, Student Body President, Emma McCoy, Community Relations Committee Chair, Heather White, Student Body Vice President, Bennett Sipple, SGA Treasurer present Leon’s $15,124 charitable contribution to Paula Fortunas, TMH Foundation President and CEO, Matt Sherer, TMH Cancer Center Administrator and Rachel Jones, TMH Cancer Center Office Manager

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter of the Grand Ridge School in Grand Ridge, Florida, recognized October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month by holding special events and collecting donations throughout the school. One of the events was “Think Pink Friday,” where faculty and students could wear pink to school for a $1 donation. Grand Ridge School has less than 650 students from kindergarten through eighth grade, and the entire student body, faculty and administration participated in the events. On November 21, students in the FFA presented a check for $890.68 to the TMH Foundation to benefit the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center’s Good Shepherd Fund. This fund is used for women who have no insurance and cannot pay for mammograms and to provide transportation for women who otherwise could not reach mammography appointments or breast cancer treatments.

“This is the Grand Ridge School FFA Chapter’s second year of supporting cancer care at Tallahassee Memorial and the students at our school never fail to rise to a challenge when it comes to serving others,” said Shawna Ferguson, FFA Advisor, as she further noted, “A special thanks goes out to Debbie Dolan, sixth grade teacher and her class, along with FFA “super mom” Staci Arnold who hand painted milk jugs in pink and added eyes, ears and tails to create donation piggy banks for each classroom.” The TMH Foundation will honor the FFA Chapter of the Grand Ridge School with a plaque in the TMH Cancer Center’s Healing Garden.

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PROTOCOLS for PHILANTHROPY TMH FOUNDATION ENDOWMENTS

A Legacy of Commitment “Leading Our Community to be the Healthiest in the Nation” Paula S. Fortunas President/CEO TMH Foundation

The TMH Foundation’s endowment program offers donors the opportunity to honor family and friends and to create a legacy of commitment to healthcare in this region. Presented here are endowment features you may wish to consider.

Durability: Endowments are designed to exist in perpetuity – with no invasion of principal. Indeed, endowments are often defined as “a covenant with the future” and are invested for both income and long-term growth. Only a specified portion of the annual income is spent and the remainder is added to the endowment’s principal.

The TMH Foundation has protective infrastructure in place that includes endowment policies, solid fiscal management practices, gift acceptance policies and stewardship practices. The Foundation works with each endowment donor to determine an endowment purpose that will fulfill the donor’s intent and serve the needs of TMH. Then, a formal endowment agreement is executed by the parties. Endowment agreements often include a backup plan for use in the event the endowment’s original purpose becomes obsolete in future generations.

A Positive Legacy: Endowments are a deeply caring and powerful way for donors to reach into and positively influence the future. When donors attach their names to an endowment, they create an enduring provision that will outlive them and affect succeeding generations. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other family members and friends will be reminded of the donors’ values and commitments. Donors may also choose to honor the lives of other individuals who have made a significant impact on them personally and/or on Tallahassee Memorial. Every name associated with every endowment will endure for generations to come.

A Two Step Approach: A growing number of TMH friends and supporters have chosen the “two step approach” to endowment funding by making an initial gift or series of gifts during life and funding future gifts by either bequest or other estate plan provision.

A Stronger Tallahassee Memorial: An organization with a strong endowment is simply more stable financially than one without. It’s not that endowments are more important now, it’s that the challenging economic conditions within healthcare have brought the role of endowments into sharper focus. Endowment creation is a key success factor in achieving TMH’s vision: “Leading Our Community to be the Healthiest in the Nation.” By establishing an endowment, you can tangibly impact the quality of healthcare TMH offers and delivers.

Personal Satisfaction: It is wonderfully fulfilling to do something good that lasts . . . something that really makes a difference. And, a TMH Foundation endowment does just that. Charitable giving is more than a good deed. It is an investment in TMH’s mission: “Transforming Care. Advancing Health. Improving Lives.”

To learn more about TMH endowments, please contact the TMH Foundation.

The contents of this article and any materials you request or receive from the TMH Foundation are general in nature and are not intended as legal or financial advice.

Please consult your own qualified professional advisor(s) before making a final decision to proceed with any gift arrangements.

LAST CALL –

Valentine’s Day 2015

Very Special Performance

CURTAINS for a CAUSE Valentine’s Day just got a little sweeter with Curtains for a Cause presenting the smash hit musical revue, “Are We There Yet?” along with a gourmet dinner, a rose for the ladies, and a champagne toast. Tickets are $100 each -- $50 covers food, beverage and entertainment – the remainder may be claimed as an income tax charitable deduction.

Please make your reservations NOW for February 14, 2015 by calling or emailing Mark Marple at the TMH Foundation: 850-431-4080, mark.marple@tmh.org or by visiting www.CurtainsForACause.com.

Curtains for a Cause benefits the Florida State University College of Medicine’s Brian Jackson Dystonia Research and Discovery Program and its clinical partner, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. The FSU College of Medicine and TMH are developing a comprehensive research, clinical and education program with the ultimate goal of discovering effective treatments, therapies, and – ultimately – a cure for Dystonia.

Please join in the philanthropy and the fun as the University Center Club’s Futch Ballroom is transformed into a Broadway dinner theatre with an award-winning menu, a raffle and hilarious musical numbers!

1331 East Sixth Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32303 Telephone: 850.431.5389 Facsimile: 850.431.4483 E-Mail: paula.fortunas@tmh.org Website: www.tmh.org/foundation

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To Make a Secure Online Donation: Please visit www.tmh.org/foundation.

Click on Make a Donation and then Click on Donate Now.

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Your neighborhood boutique specializing in gifts, jewelry & personalization! Lilly Pulitzer, Brighton, Troll, Vera Bradley & much more!

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Patients First puts your family in our family medicine. We offer nights and weekends with seven convenient locations.

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award-winning doctors, ben J. kirbo, M.D., Laurence Z. Rosenberg, M.D. and chris DeRosier, M.D., are dedicated to providing outstanding patient care, in a quiet, relaxing environment.

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Results-oriented medical spa treatments are also given by experienced professionals at the SPA at Southeastern Plastic Surgery.

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»culture SOCIAL STUDIES Dress for Success October 16, 2014 Dress for Success sponsored Ladies Night–Moulin Rouge Style at Mint Lounge. Dress for Success Tallahassee is the local affiliate of a global organization that supports women to be successful in the workplace by providing professional work wear and job advice. The Thursday night event invited women to dress up and enjoy champagne and cocktails, entertainment, a photo booth and more to support the organization in this inaugural event.

Wendy Hedrick, Katie Pernell, Mary Fran Andree, Rian Meadows, Allison Kinney, Virginia Bell, Kay Meyer, Courtney Heidelberg and Caroline Weiss.

Photos by Kay Meyer

Virginia Bell and Taryn Griffin

Megan Fuhrmeister, Eva Fernandez and Laura Bryant

Oktoberfest October 17, 2014 Elder Care Services provided an authentic German experience at the 16th annual Oktoberfest, held at Mission San Luis. The evening was filled with lederhosen, beer steins, authentic German cuisine, a traditional biergarten and a silent auction benefitting the Elder Care Services.

Entertainment was provided by Low Flying Planes as more than 1,000 guests enjoyed the beautiful setting in the museum’s backyard. Volunteers from FSU and other organizations were also there to help serve food and conduct the silent auction.

Katie Harmon and Reggie Harmon

Ryan Denning and Rachel Jeter

Ross Wilkins and Carrie Collins

Photos by: Jennifer Ireland

Sandra Nichols, Tamela Farmer, Lauren McLenden, Donna Whittle and Katy Jo Helm

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Is it time?

Buying a new appliance can be stressful.

Rest easier knowing that when you have to upgrade your old unit, Your Own Utilities offers a wide variety of rebates and loans to help you save energy, water and money. Get a free energy audit today to see what other ways you can save on your utility bill.

Visit Talgov.com/YOU to learn more

Ameris Bank Financing Options for Small Businesses.

As an SBA Preferred Lender, we take the time to understand your needs and tailor a cost-effective financing solution for your business.

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Flexible terms to improve repayment and preserve working capital Fast loan processing, competitive loan rates and one-on-one service Up to 25-year term As low as 10% equity requirements Small business financing options include: – Working Capital and Inventory Loans – Real Estate Loans – Franchise Lending – Business Acquisitions – Equipment Loans Tony Vila, VP - Commercial Banker Tallahassee Location 150 South Monroe St. | Tallahassee, FL 32301 850.745.7332 tony.vila@amerisbank.com

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amerisbank.com All loans subject to credit approval.

»culture SOCIAL STUDIES Bourbon, Bacon and Beer October 29, 2014 Madison Social was the site of a night of Southern comfort that included flights of bourbon, craft beer and — of course — bacon! Sponsored by First Commerce Credit Union, the event benefited Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Guests could also enter into a raffle with a prize package that included a behind-the-scenes Game Day Experience with Seminole IMG Sports and two sideline tickets to the FSU vs. UF game.

Alan Williams, Jan Sheffield and John Marks

Dan De Baldo and Carla De Baldo

Photos by: First Commerce Credit Union

Park Broome, Kim Howes, Kris Richardson and Louis Garcia

Power Forward November 5, 2014 First Commerce Credit Union and the FSU College of Business brought co-founder of Apple Computers, Steve Wozniak, to Tallahassee to speak at the second annual Power Forward Speaker Series. Before his speech and Question & Answer session, VIP ticket holders were able to meet the “Woz” and get their photo taken. Afterwards, students and business professionals were able to hear the engineering genius talk about the multi-billion-dollar company he started with legendary Steve Jobs.

Blake Dowling, Ashley Shaffer and Kristin Dozier

Photos by: Saige Roberts

Steve Wozniak and Jim Murdaugh

Sarah Kilgore and Stephen Whitson

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»culture SOCIAL STUDIES Goodwood Jams November 1, 2014 Patrons, lounging in lawn chairs or sitting on blankets, enjoyed live music in the air at Goodwood Museum and Gardens for the third annual Goodwood Jams. The all-day festival consisted of music, food trucks and rich tradition. Entertainment for the evening included Robert Earl Keen, Tishamingo and The Fried Turkeys.

Proceeds support the museum’s educational and historical programs.

Photos by: Gabriel Hanway and Kay Meyer

Sara Britton, Matt Jacobs and Marcus Edenfield

Robert Earl Keen

2014 Goodwood Jams Committee: Sibley Richerson, Caroline Conway, Casey Reid, Joanne Bixler, Matt Parker, Cissy Proctor, Stewart Proctor, Kim Smiley and Jordan Matheson

Cameron Williams

Paige McKee and Jacqueline Webster

William and Margaret Lamb, and Alan and Hunter Hanstein

Goodwood House tallahasseeMagazine.com January–February 2015

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NEW AND EXCITING THINGS AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE! The Chamber is proud to announce Chamber Choices, its innovative membership program that provides you with more flexibility, clarity and opportunities for your business to succeed.

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»culture SOCIAL STUDIES Belt Buckle Ball November 7, 2014 For the fifth year, duded-up cowboys and cowgirls gathered at the Belt Buckle Ball to support the work of UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, part of the Children’s Miracle Network. Festivities kicked off at The Barn and included silly-money poker, dinner, libations, a whiskey tasting, silent auction, a mechanical bull, a best belt buckle and best boots competition, and live entertainment by the Houston Deese Band. One of the evening’s highlights was hearing the compelling stories of several local children who had benefited from treatment at Shands.

Shannon McGarry

Rod Jones, James Parsons, Chris Jones, Bradley Deese and Mike Tucker (Houston Deese Band)

Lisa Phipps, Gavin Phipps and Stephanie Nicholas

Photos by: Chuck Simpson

Shands Ambassador Families : Mills Family, Newell Family, Jason Taylor (Event Emcee from IHeart Media, 94.9), Chavez Family, Irwin Family, Price/McGarry Family

Light the Night November 13, 2014 Every year, the FSU campus lights up with participants from Light the Night, a nationwide effort by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fund treatments for those affected by these blood cancers. The event involves illuminated balloons — white balloons carried by cancer survivors, red balloons carried by supporters and gold balloons carried by those walking in memory of a loved one lost to cancer. Students from FSU, FAMU and TCC, as well as others from the community joined the walk to help fight against leukemia and lymphoma.

Mike Aui and Justin Karpf

Photos by: Jennifer Ireland

Connor Bailey, Madison Thomas, Lydia Husfelt, Erika Caliari, Deindre Milio

Rachel Procaceini, Nicole Hoskens, and Erica Schleicher

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SPONSORED REPORT

Tax season is not the only time of the year to hire a certified public accountant (CPA).

Hire a licensed CPA,

Because Every Business Counts Beyond taxes, CPAs are licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to perform financial audits, reviews and compilations.

Only a licensed CPA is legally authorized to audit financial statements for bank review or compile financial records for the purpose of expressing opinions regarding the reliability or fairness of the information at hand.

Bookkeepers and accountants do not require licensure to perform basic bookkeeping or accounting functions, however only licensed CPAs are allowed to use the CPA designation and advertise or represent themselves as a CPA. CPAs licensed by DBPR must meet strict professional and technical requirements to provide advanced financial, business and tax services to their clients. Eligible candidates must graduate with an appropriate baccalaureate or master’s degree and meet certain work-experience requirements before they can sit for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Uniform CPA Exam to become licensed. After obtaining professional licensure, CPAs must also complete 80 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain their license.

In addition to extensive education and testing, licensed CPAs are required by law

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to carry Errors and Admissions insurance, which adds an additional level of protection for their clients.

When selecting a CPA, consumers should always verify the professional license with DBPR prior to hiring. Licenses can be verified quickly and easily by visiting www.myfloridalicense.com, calling 850-487-1395 or downloading the free DBPR Mobile app from the iTunes or Google Play app store. When verifying a license, consumers should also make sure the license is current and check for any complaints or disciplinary actions against the licensee.

It is important for consumers to not only choose a licensed CPA to make decisions regarding their business’ finances, but to also select one that meets their specific needs. Florida CPAs have a wide variety of expertise, clients and past experiences.

Prior to hiring, consumers should find out what type of accounting work a CPA typically performs and compare it to the specific service needs of their business.

DBPR is reminding Floridians of the danger of hiring unlicensed CPAs to assist them with their business’ financial needs.

Unlicensed activity occurs when an individual offers to perform or performs services that require a state license and the individual does not hold the required license. Florida law sets specific rules and guidelines for obtaining professional licensure and holds the people who have met these requirements to high professional standards. Floridians are asked to report any suspected unlicensed activity to DBPR by emailing ULA@myfloridalicense.com or calling the Unlicensed Activity Hotline at 1-866-532-1440.

»culture SOCIAL STUDIES Best of Tallahassee November 18, 2014 Tallahassee Magazine readers voted and the best of the best were honored at the 2014 Best of Tallahassee event, held at Goodwood Museum and Gardens. More than 100 winners were honored in the categories of entertainment, food and beverage, shopping and services. The evening’s guests also enjoyed food, live auctions and raffles. Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare was the event’s presenting sponsor and a portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Foundation.

Other event partners included John Gandy Events, Klassic Katering, Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., Capital Eurocars, The Wine Loft, 101 Restaurant, Moore Communications Group, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Goodwood Museum & Gardens, Live in Tallahassee, Chaste Company, GT Entertainment and Morning Break with Ann and Audra.

Photos by Matt Burke, Chuck Simpson and Marshall Beach

Warren Jones

Dr. Russell B. Rainey, Audra Pittman and Nic Christie

Hill Spooner & Elliott, Inc.

Jennifer and Rowdy Lawson

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BE PART OF THE COLLEGETOWN retail EXPERIENCE.

Now signing phase 2 leases!

Tallahassee’s only multi-faceted Food, Entertainment and Residential District For retail leasing info, call or text Alan Hooper at 954.632.6556 or alan@fsucollegetown.net 815 West Madison Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304 • Located just two blocks from campus, directly facing Doak Campbell Stadium

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»culture THE BUZZ

The

Buzz

Don’t let pain slow you down.

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Welcome to The Buzz, Tallahassee Magazine’s column created to share who’s where and what they’re doing. While we try to flit around with all of Tallahassee’s social butterflies, the Buzz can’t be everywhere. Send the skinny on your next soiree to buzz@tallahasseemagazine.com. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

During a week of festivities celebrating the inauguration of Elmira Mangum as president of Florida A&M University, several hundred people attended an evening wine and cheese reception on Oct. 1 at the Black Archives Research Center and Museum. Filled with the rich history, both beautiful and some disturbing, of African-Americans, it is a wealth of information.

On this evening, people toured the exhibits while the FAMU Jazz ensemble played on.

The second floor held a gorgeous display of fresh fruits and cheeses courtesy of the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Science. The college also served some of its delicious wines made from grapes grown right here in Tallahassee.

Three major donations were then presented to Mangum during the evening’s program. Representing the Capital Women’s Network, Beth Tedio presented a $30,000 check to fund an endowment scholarship for women returning to their education.

The second two were from families who supported FAMU. The evening’s total was almost $500,000.

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The nonprofit Dress for Success Tallahassee held its first Moulin Rouge-style Ladies Night fundraiser in October at the Mint Lounge. Dozens of women dressed in their heels and Little Black Dresses while enjoying champagne and caprese sticks served up by handsome guys who seemed to have left their shirts at the gym.

In addition to music and an impromptu “Wobble” dance, the ladies were entertained by performances from Florida State University’s Acabelles, a singing group who reprised their a capella performance of Lorde’s “Royals” that made them a bit of an Internet sensation several months ago. There was also vavoom performance by Queen of Hearts Fitness Studio to “All That Jazz” from the musical “Chicago.”

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The nonprofit’s leaders and event committee were decked out in red dresses, including co-chairs Alison Kinney and Virginia Bell, Wendy Hedrick, Mary Fran Andree and Kay Meyer.

Also on hand to enjoy the evening were TaMaryn Martin, Dress for Success program manager Carolyne Jones, Catie Cooper, Christine Napier, sisters Erin and Melissa VanSickle, Audrey Romberg, Ana Marty, Tracy Morales, Marcia Warfel, Heather Thomas, Lynn Solomon, Chauncey Rackley, Natasha Gilliam and Priscilla Tharpe.

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One of the most successful and eagerly anticipated social events of the spring is the annual gala to support Boys Town in Tallahassee. So it should be no surprise to anyone that the soiree to give a preview of this year’s event, and give volunteers a chance to sign up for committees, would make a splash too. With the gala theme of “A Royal Celebration,” the 5th Avenue Tap Room got an upgrade with décor that included red roses, candles and faux chandeliers, as well as large portraits of young Boys Town residents resplendent in regal attire. Gala co-chairs Beth Desloge and Laura Ervin were introduced by Boy’s Town development director Dena Strickland, who told the group the goal was for the event to raise $300,000 for the nonprofit.

Strickland spoke to the group about the “impossible” circumstances some of the Boys Town youth face, which was followed by a rendition of “Impossible” from the play “Cinderella” by Young Actor’s Theatre performers Eva Rosenwig and Brianna Riley. The group was also entertained by a fashion show, featuring a troupe of beautiful models provided by Marsha Doll wearing special-occasion dresses from Narcissus in rich and regal colors. Noshes were provided by several local restaurants, represented by Coosh Willis (Coosh’s Bayou Rouge) and Elizabeth Gwynn (Cypress).

Volunteers and other supporters who attended included Melissa Ooten, Elizabeth Ekk, Marion Camps, Stephanie and Tim Jansen, Ken and Michelle Bender, Glenda Cato, Drew Westling, Paul Sullivan, Marshall Gibbs, Annie and Katelin Kelley, Gannon Hunt, Scott and Sha Maddox, Kim Crowell, Tracey Grant, Angie Sipple, Gina Proctor, Audra Pittman, Juli Downs, Monique Wood and Mary Jayne Sokolow.

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On a beautiful evening Oct. 25, the brews were flowing — in 3-ounce tastes — during the Sunrise Rotary Club’s alwayspopular, ever-growing, eighth annual Brewfest fundraiser. The sold-out event attracted a record crowd of 2,500, who sampled more than 200 porters, stouts, IPAs, lagers, ales, ciders and more from over 40 breweries.

It would probably be shorter to list those not at Brewfest, but a few of those on site at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum as volunteers, quaffers and designated drivers were former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, Aaron Deslatte, Daryl Green, Sam and Justin Varn, Pamela Aveling, William Dickerson, Randy and

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In addition to a Low Country Boil, the night’s 350 VIPs got the extra treat of tasting beers from local “companies” — actually home brewers. Fred Tedio was pouring samples of Crooked River Milk Stout from his TDO Brewing Company, while young couple Chris and Kathy Bass had an oatmeal coffee stout on tap from their Big Bass Brewing Company. VIPs Sherrie and Brian Clark said they were partial to TNT’s “Fuzzy Duck” brew. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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To help support future physicians who will serve Tallahassee and the surrounding areas, the Florida State University College of Medicine held a Wine Tasting Gala at The Fresh Market to raise money for med student scholarships. The average debt for medical school students is $145,000 and, because many students come from economically challenged backgrounds and will be practicing in the lower-paid area of primary care, lessening the debt burden on these new young doctors is particularly important.

Among those attending the event, held Oct. 23, were Drs. Stephanie and Matt Lee, Wilson and Jill Carraway, Grace Dansby, Keith and Becky McNeil, Dr. Wayne and Zan Batchelor, Julie Montanaro, Dr. Joseph and Marion Camps, Dr. Shelby Blank, Dr. James and Elaine Geissinger, Warren and Faith Jones, Paula and Tim Fortunas, Dr. Ron and Sally Hartsfield, Frank Langston, Dr. Norman Thagard, Dr. Alma Littles, Dr. Winston and Denise Ortiz and Drs. Michael and Jana Forsthoefel. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

After the workday was over on Oct. 9, a lucky few headed over to The Old Willis Dairy Farm, now owned, operated and loved by Frank and Peper Willis. The night was full of promise, twinkling lights and clinking wine glasses. On the menu? Truly gourmet food, an impeccable selection of wines from around the globe and, perhaps most importantly, conversation circling around local history and restoration. Guests who attended simply expecting a delicious meal were pleasantly surprised.

The celebration was twofold: It was held in honor of “Hunter’s Moon,” an American Indian folklore event marking the beginning of the cold-weather season, and to raise money and awareness for the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. Chef Chris Clark, proprietor of Avenue Eat & Drink as well as the newly opened Zin and Sin, served up a Florida-centric feast of blue crab cakes, lobster mac and cheese, lobster, mint and heirloom tomato salad, boneless short ribs and deliciously tart key lime pie. Drew McLeod, who was accompanied by wife Kim McLeod, narrated the meal.

Among those attending were Ginny Chandler, Bill Raynor, Staci and Joe Chick, Karyn and Mark Tarmey, Michael and Jana Forsthoefel, and Chay Baxley and Sean Hughes. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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»culture THE BUZZ

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First Commerce Credit Union hosted its second annual Taste of Bourbon, Bacon & Beer event Oct. 29 at Madison Social in CollegeTown. More than 125 people attended the event, which raised nearly $2,500 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend as part of First Commerce’s latest Champions for Community campaign. Guests dined on flights of four types of bacon (Candied Bacon, Duck Bacon, Thick Cut with a Mustard Whip, and Nueske’s Butcher Bacon with Rum n’ Coke BBQ and Apple Slaw) and a choice of a sample of four craft beers or four bourbons. In total, First Commerce’s fall campaign raised more $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. First Commerce recently opened its 10th location just a few doors down from Madison Social in CollegeTown.

Attendees included First Commerce CEO Cecilia Homison and her husband, Lee; Mike Gomez, John and Cassandra Grayson, John and Amanda Padgett, Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Louis Garcia and his wife, Courtenay, Park Broome, Sarah Rumph, MaryRose Sirianni, Errol Powell, Matt and Lindsay Thompson, and Brian Rowland. An all-star trio of celebrity waiters — Rep. Alan Williams, City Commissioner Gil Ziffer and Mayor John Marks — collected tips for Big Brothers Big Sisters. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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First Commerce Credit Union also hosted a VIP meetand-greet with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak before his question-and-answer session during the Power Forward speaker series event. Affectionately referred to as “The Woz,” Wozniak graciously met and posed for pictures with attendees. He was personable and struck up several conversations with those who have long been fans of Apple products.

Representing First Commerce was CEO Cecilia Homison and Dean Caryn Beck-Dudley was there on behalf of Florida State University’s College of Business, which cosponsored Wozinak’s appearance. Among the VIPs who attended were Claude Walker, Dr. Russ and Cheryl Rainey, Chuck Urban, Kim Rivers, J.T. Burnette, Steve Evans and County Commissioner Bryan Desloge. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Guests dined in just about every room of Nancy Leikauf and Steve Bousquet’s house Nov. 10 during their annual fall soup and salad supper. About 50 friends attended the potluck, which they have been hosting annually since 2006. As he has every year since the party started, newlywed Sheldon Gusky once again brought a giant copper pot of chicken matzo ball soup. He and his bride, Kristin, were married just 15 days earlier. Other attendees (and their offerings) included Kathy Whitehead (fall minestrone), Lori and Andy Grayson (Tuscan onion), Mary Ellen Klas and John Kennedy (wild rice and mushroom) and Rochelle Koff Ward and Philip Ward (mushroom barley).

Also warming their tummies on a cool evening were Matt and Michelle Ubben, Debbie Bergstrom and Fred Breeze, Dick and Lucy Morgan, Dale Brill, Tia Mitchell and Troy Kinsey.

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DINING » FEASTING » ZESTY BITES

176 January–February 2015

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ON THE MENU ON YOUR TABLE DINING GUIDE

Flavor

Pig Out! Bacon is a Hot, Sizzling, Tasty Trend

By Zandra Wolfgram

A

s the sexy ’70s commercial said, we want to “bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.” Flash-forward to 2015, when bacon permeates mainstream American culture like never before: There are now over-thetop, bacon-themed weddings; the guy in line next to you is snorting up a “wake up and smell the bacon” app on his smartphone like it’s some kind of drug; and primetime TV is stuffed with commercials for edible bowls made out of bacon. One thing is certain: Delicious, savory bacon is more popular than ever — and that’s enough to make devotees squeal with joy.

Bacon is a meat product prepared from a pig — usually from the side and back cuts of pork except in the United States, where it is almost always prepared from pork belly (typically referred to as “fatty” or “American style” outside of the U.S.). It is usually cured using large quantities of salt, Pan-fried, either in a brine or by a dry oven-baked or packing process; the result is microwaved — no fresh bacon (also known as matter how you green bacon). Fresh bacon cook it, bacon has may then be further dried for found its place on the American plate. weeks or months in cold air.

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»food Flavor

You’ve Got to Fry This!

Bacon-themed anything is making cash registers fat and happy. There are bacon beverages, toys, candy, gift baskets, accessories ... and if you’re too lazy to shop for your own bacon, you can order in with various bacon-of-the-month clubs.

And because we can’t seem to get enough, here are a few more things that are making bacon a sizzling-hot national trend:

Which side are you on?

According to the Food Network, 72 percent of us are crispy crazed.

To be sure your breakfast buffet sizzles here are some cooking tips:

Skillet Arrange bacon in a single layer and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until dark golden brown (9 to 11 minutes).

Oven Arrange bacon in a single

layer on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 until dark golden brown (about 25 minutes).

Microwave Line a large plate with two paper towels. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the plate and cover with two more paper towels. Microwave for 9 minutes, then immediately transfer the bacon to another plate.

1. Bacon Toilet Paper For Your Backside

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All products available at amazon.com, baconfreak.com and bacontoday.com.

Photos by Matt Burke And Courtesy amazon.com, baconfreak.com and bacontoday.com

Bacon can be eaten smoked, boiled, fried, baked or grilled, or used as a minor ingredient to flavor dishes.

Bacon is also used for barding (cooking meats with bacon) and larding (weaving bacon through meats) roasts, especially game, including venison and pheasant. The word is derived from the Old High German The BLT is a lunchtime sandwich classic.

bacho, meaning “buttock,” “ham” or “side of bacon,” and similar to the Old French bacon.

Meat from other animals, such as beef, lamb, chicken, goat or turkey, may also be cut, cured or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, and may even be referred to as “bacon.” But for the purist, the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines bacon as “the cured belly of a swine carcass.”

(Such a distasteful description for something so delectable!)

For the health-conscious food shopper, bacon isn’t likely the first thing on your grocery list. But if you like to bet, pork belly is not a bad one. Bacon alone is so high in demand, it has put pork on the market map, so to speak. With bacon practically a delicacy, prices have soared, but it’s still a bargain when you consider its flavor-boosting power. And with low-sodium and veggie versions, and lean cuts weighing in at just 39 calories per slice, even dieters can dine on swine and not sweat it. n

Top 10 Reasons

Why Bacon Is Best for You You’ve seen the commercials demanding us to “Eat more chicken” and asking “Where’s the beef?” and “Got milk?” Well, maybe it’s time to pour on the praise for pork by cheering for the benefits of bacon. Here is a list of 10 reasons why bacon is actually healthy for you!

Protein Power The protein found in bacon is extremely valuable in maintaining energy levels and a fully functioning, healthy body, with a minimum of the c-word, carbohydrates.

1

2

Bacon’s Blood-Balancing Bounty Several university and medical-

center studies have shown that, eaten in moderation, bacon can actually lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, helping to prevent and/or alleviate the effects of diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

3

Just the Fats, Ma’am Bacon helps

to fully satiate our appetite with highprotein/low-carb energy, helping the body lose weight, increase metabolism and build leaner, stronger muscles. In fact, bacon actually has less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than many popular cuts of beef and chicken. While some fish has less fat and cholesterol than bacon, bacon has more protein power and doesn’t contain toxic substances such as mercury.

4

Pig Out ... It’s Good For You

Bacon provides substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function healthfully, including 65 percent of our recommended daily intake of thiamin, 47 percent of our niacin, 38 percent of B12, 36 percent of zinc,

Upcoming Bacon Bashes

Bacon Bliss Bacon makes you feel

If you love bacon, you’re not alone. There are plenty of bacon lovers all across the land who love to celebrate their favorite food by gathering at festive fetes.

7

Nix the Nitrates and Nitrites

8

Bacon Power In the United Kingdom,

The biggest bacon event is the Blue Ribbon Baconfest in Des Moines, Iowa, held this year on Jan. 31. Last year, it grew from 8,000 to 12,000 bacon-loving attendees. Leading up to the event, Des Moines celebrates Bacon Week, filled with baconthemed dinners, tailgate parties and tours.

6

happy, satisfied and blissful, which greatly reduces stress.

The fact is, while it is true that nitrates and nitrites are unhealthy for your body, they are easily avoided by simply not burning, charring or overcooking your bacon, or by baking your strips in the oven.

TMI Foods has figured out how to use bacon fat to manufacture a powerful, lowemission, environmentally friendly, all-natural biodiesel fuel that can be used to run everything from motor vehicles to turbines effectively and inexpensively.

Bacon on the Brain Bacon is

brimming with an important nutrient called choline, which helps increase our intelligence and memory. University studies show that as we age, choline can help fight off the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic mental impairments.

5

24 percent of vitamin B6, 22 percent of riboflavin, 22 percent of phosphorus, 10 percent of pantothenate, 10 percent of magnesium and 9 percent of iron. Plus, the protein-to-fat balance in bacon is actually 4 to 1, one of the highest found in most meat, fish or fowl.

9

Better with Bacon Think of all the

healthy food you can’t wait to dive into when it’s wrapped, sprinkled or topped with bacon.

10

Bacon ❤ Our Heart Several

studies show that the omega-3 fatty acids and choline found in bacon can actually protect the heart from developing detrimental problems, as well as actually help heal such anomalies after they have occurred.

From big cities to small towns, bacon-inspired events seem to be heating up across the land.

Here are a few you might want to sample: September 2015 Baconfest St. Joe St. Joe, Mo. Oct. 10, 2015 Ozarks Bacon Fest Springfield, Mo. March 2015 Baconfest ATL Atlanta, Ga. May 9–10 Bacon Nation Festival St. Augustine For more festivals all year round, visit bacontoday.com.

Source: bacontoday.com

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»food Flavor

Bacon Delights Around Town Bacon has made its mark on the breakfast table but it’s also a flavorful ingredient in desserts as well as a source of decoration inspiration.

Here are some local stores and restaurants with bacon on the brain — and on the menu:

The Tin Cow

» Special order chocolate bacon cupcakes from Lucy & Leo’s Cupcakery. » Baden-Baden Cards and Gifts sells bacon toothpicks, greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles and, believe it or not, funky fresh bacon air freshener. » Earth Fare sells bacon

chocolate bars.

Lucy & Leo’s Cupcakery

Atomic Coffee

» Dip your battered and

Country Fried Bacon in a bowl of brown gravy at The Tin Cow.

» Madison Social serves up bacon and banana pancakes. » Atomic Coffee serves up chocolate covered bacon, and on their main menu they serve eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese on a split-glazed donut. » Voodoo Dog offers, “The Jefferson Dog,” a bacon dog topped with homemade mac and cheese and crushed Ritz crackers. They also have a “Voodoo Dog” which is a beef frankfurter wrapped with bacon that has been deep fried. » Smallcakes Cupcakery offers maple bacon cupcakes and candied pig cupcakes.

Voodoo Dog

Respect to those who bring home the bacon

180 January–February 2015

// by Brianna Dickson

You are probably familiar with the phrase “bring home the bacon.” Food writer Peggy Trowbridge Filippone writes on her blog, “In the 12th century, a church in the English town of Dunmow promised a side of bacon to any married man who could swear before the congregation and God that he had not quarreled with his wife for a year and a day. A husband who could bring home the bacon was held in high esteem by the community for his forebearance.”

tallahasseeMagazine.com

Photos by Matt Burke (Lucy & Leo’s) and courtesy Voodoo Dog, Atomic Coffee and The Tin Cow

» Athena’s Garden Herbal Emporium sells incense with a sizzling bacon scent.

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»food on the MENU

Beer Cocktails

The Booziest Artisan Food Trend Yet

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turning the party up, try a fresh twist on a classic shandy-styled cocktail. Four servings can be made by simply combining two cups of lemonade with one 16-ounce bottle of a favorite lager or even a pale ale. Fill the glasses with ice, adding a little lemon zest or mint sprig for garnish.

Extra kudos if you can find carbonated lemonade for an enhanced, bubbly texture.

Flavor seekers shouldn’t underestimate the power of taking a timeless beer to the next level by splashing in something a bit stronger, though. After all, beer cocktails are all about being creative.

“Try Grand Marnier and Blue Moon,” recommended Ryan Arvin, bar manager at Bella Bella Italian Restaurant. “They give you a little orange slice with it anyways, right? So why not put a little Grand Marnier in your Blue Moon?”

Letting local bartenders do all the work is all right, too. Whether or not beer cocktails are on the menu, a quality mixologist should always be willing to be inventive.

All they need is a little inspiration.

“We have a lot of great liqueurs and stuff here,” Arvin said. “We have the crème de violette, which is a nice flower with the violet.

You could (mix) that with a nice fruit beer like Bella Bella’s Nuts & Bells a L e i n e n k Ug e l Sunset Wheat, » 1½ oz. Rye Whiskey which would be a » ¾ oz. Mari little bit more toned » ½ oz. Amaretto down and palatable » Bell’s Best Brown Ale than just chugging a Combine whiskey, Mari and Amaretto. Top with Bell’s Best Brown Car Bomb.” n Ale, and garnish with ground nutmeg and a maraschino cherry.

Matt Burke

What do you get when you mix the refreshing taste of beer with the bold (sometimes smooth, occasionally smoky, often sweet) flavor of distilled spirits, and then throw in a splash of something special to top it all off?

Belly up to the bar and enjoy a fun and tasty beer cocktail.

Palatable with an artisanal flair, beer cocktails have been attracting an enthusiastic following throughout Tallahassee over the past year. As the latest in a long line of food crafting movements, the newfangled beverages got their start when mixologists in larger Northern and West Coast cities began reimagining classic, but a bit tired, mixed drinks — pulling inspiration from the “Irish Car Bombs” and “Jägerbombs” of parties gone by. A few trips and toasts later, all that’s left to say is “Cheers!”

Matt Poulos, assistant general manager at Tallahassee’s Madison Social, where beer cocktails have their own subheading on the restaurant’s menu, has a long history behind the bar. According to him, once people wrap their heads around the notion of mixing their alcohol with … well, alcohol, the reviews are generally quite favorable.

“If done right, the flavor profile on a beer cocktail is very nice,” assured Poulos, who helped create several of the drinks on Madison’s menu.

“It’s just an interesting way to create with different spirits and different flavored beers. You’re not limiting yourself to a spirit and a mixer, like a fruit juice. You’re bringing in that element of beer, which has its own flavor profile as well.”

Beer cocktails can be as intrepid or laidback as their makers. For a cool-down without

By Chay D. Baxley

Matt Burke

Bella Bella’s Something About Magic » 1½ oz. gin » ¾ oz. Cremé de Violette » ½ oz. lemon juice » 2 dashes lavendar water » Magic Hat #9 Combine gin, Cremè de Violette, lemon juice and lavendar water.

Top with Magic Hat #9, and garnish with an orange twist.

Madison Social’s Hudson Beach Over ice, in order, combine:

Matt Burke

» 2 oz. Malibu Caribbean Rum with a splash of coconut liqueur » 4 oz. ruby red grapefruit juice » 4 oz. Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

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»food on YOUR TABLE

hon·ey (/'hə-nē/) noun A sweet viscid material elaborated out of the nectar of flowers in the honey sac of various bees.

A sweet fluid resembling honey that is collected or elaborated by various insects.

A Quick Take on Tupelo

Matt Burke

Nowhere in the world are tupelo trees, known commonly as black gum or pepperidge trees, more plentiful than on the banks and surrounding swamps of the Apalachicola River nearby in Northwest Florida.

The high concentration and quality of these trees ensures an outstanding, pure product that garners a particularly high price at market.

Hyper-Local Honey

But why all the fuss?

Honey connoisseurs love tupelo honey’s light and vaguely floral taste, its glowing golden hue and the fact that, when certified pure, it doesn’t crystalize due to the high ratio of fructose and glucose found inside its unique and delicious composition.

By Chay D. Baxley The history books have been particularly kind to the gleaming, golden nectar of Apis mellifera. Known more commonly as “honeybees,” this subset of the class Insecta produces the stickysweet substance that mankind has associated with the divine since cave painting (see the Araña Caves of eastern Spain, circa 4000 B.C.) was the prevailing form of written communication.

Take a bump up on the foodie timeline, and it’s easy to see that universally — from age-old Hindu texts to the Hebrew Bible — the ancients just couldn’t get enough of the ooey, gooey goodness of honey.

In recent millennia, buzzing little bees have had quite the delicious love affair with Northwest Florida as well. Drawn to the area’s flowering plant life, honeybees in Tallahassee have a plethora of dining options to choose from — the systematic regurgitation of which is all totally delectable.

Even the wallet-friendly wildflower medley has a complex yet smooth bouquet of flavors swirling about in each glistening spoonful.

Basically, if “Tallahassee” is on the label, it really is hard to go wrong. And that’s just the sort of artisan-like quality that excites even the most discerning honey habitué — a slice of gourmets whose enthusiasm is quickly inspiring new membership.

“We have a crazy amount of people who come in looking for local honey,” said Marina Lickson, owner of Tallahassee’s Honeytree Natural Foods.

Several of her offerings list the actual farm or neighborhood where the honey was collected.

The “local” aspect of the current honey hype is the most important part for many conscious shoppers. For economic as well as health concerns, buying local is the superior alternative.

Ingesting honey produced from the nectar and pollen of nearby plant life is said to give the

A close-up of a Tupelo tree blossom, which bees turn into a highly sought-after honey that can only be found in areas near the Apalachicola River in Northwest Florida.

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Courtesy Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Tallahassee’s Local Honey Really is the Bee’s Knees

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immune system a head start when environmental allergens rear up, acting as an all-natural “vaccination” of sorts. Another popular use for organic, unfiltered honey is to incorporate it into a beauty routine, utilizing its humectant properties as a moisturizing mask for dry skin and hair. Likewise, honey can provide a gentle barrier for sensitive or broken skin, keeping the surface area clean and hydrated.

As a reaction to the boom in demand, local beekeepers have kicked their businesses into high gear, and new factions continue to pop up. By last summer, at least seven local agricultural capitalists/agrarians were selling their honey on Tallahassee’s green market, while dozens more dabble in its sweetness as a hobby.

Local beekeeper Tommy Duggar is no trendchaser, though. A third-generation apiculturist based on the Apalachicola River, Duggar contracts with Orchard Pond Organics (a Leon County farm with a flourishing Community Supported Agriculture program in place), utilizing its entirely organic farmlands to house his hives — except for those dedicated to tupelo, which can only be kept near the river’s basin, where tupelo trees abound.

“People just love the taste,” proclaimed Mary Proctor. Proctor’s husband’s family has owned Orchard Pond Farms (recently changed

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to Organics) for generations. Her Local beekeeper Tommy Duggar uses favorite honey varia bee smoker to calm ety? Easy: tupelo. the hive (above) so he “It has a distinct can perform a regular flavor,” she assured. inspection. Local According to honey is packaged Proctor, roughly in individual packets (right) by HoneyPax. one-third of Orchard Pond’s sales come from its success in Tallahassee’s booming honey trade. Customers who can’t find Orchard Pond jars at their local farmer’s markets are invited to shop online (orchardparkorganics.com) — a convenience many across the nation have enjoyed.

Even major food distributors, such as Whole Foods and Fresh Market, appreciate the quality of Tallahassee’s local honeys.

Along with Orchard Pond and Duggar’s crop of tupelo, others around town are also getting inducted into the big leagues of the honey trading game.

Tallahassee natives and siblings Julie and Jason O’Steen founded HoneyPax in October 2010. Committed to buying direct from regional beekeepers specializing in the production of tupelo honey, by May 2011, the duo had sold their first product to New Leaf Market.

Courtesy of HoneyPax

Matt Burke

»food on YOUR TABLE

Not even five years later, their innovative take on eco- and user-friendly packaging has catapulted HoneyPax into popularity nationwide. Today, HoneyPax can be found in specialty shops in more than eight states, and in Fresh Markets nationwide.

“We’ve had such tremendous support from the local market from the very beginning,” Julie O’Steen said. “Of course we’ve grown since then, but it’s been a real blessing.” n

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»food DINING GUIDE Gourmet Specialty Andrew’s 228 American, Italian. A chic urban restaurant serving signature blends of creative American and Italian cuisine in stylish surroundings. Private rooms are available for banquets and meetings. 228 S. Adams St. (850) 222-3444. $$$ D Avenue Eat & Drink American Fusion. A chic restaurant offering a melting pot of flavors fresh from the South, served in scrumptious dining presentations.

Sunday brunch is a not-to-be-missed treat.

115 E. Park Ave. (850) 224-0115. $$$ B L D Cypress Restaurant H New Southern. To make a special evening a cut above the rest, bring the celebration to Cypress. Known for its sophisticated take on Southern cuisine, this restaurant won readers’ votes in 2014 as Best Celebration/Special Occasion and Best Fine Dining restaurant.

320 E. Tennessee St. (850) 513-1100. $$$ D Food Glorious Food American. Choose from several savory soups, nearly a dozen salads and a great selection of sandwiches and pastas with hot entrées representing a variety of world cuisines. Heavenly dessert concoctions will please even the most discriminating diner.

1950 Thomasville Road. (850) 224-9974. $$$ B L D The Front Porch H Southern, Seafood. Located in the heart of Midtown, The Front Porch mixes Southern comfort with fresh seafood to make for one of the finest casual dining experiences in Tallahassee. Stop by for dinner or special Saturday/Sunday brunch. The spacious “front porch” under the oaks earned the restaurant Best Outdoor Dining honors in 2014. 1215 Thomasville Road. (850) 521-5821. $$$ L D

The Key

The restaurants that appear in this guide are included as a service to readers and not as recommendations of the Tallahassee Magazine editorial department, except where noted.

Best of Tallahassee 2014 Winner Breakfast/Brunch Lunch Dinner Outdoor Dining Live Music Bar/Lounge $ Inexpensive $$ Moderately Expensive $$$ Expensive ★ B L D

Specialty 101 Restaurant H American. Readers say 101 has the Best Happy Hour and cocktails, whether you work 9 to 5 or just want to enjoy a night out with friends. Guests can choose from two happy hours, a selection of delectable martinis and cocktails, two-for-ones and a bevy of other drinks. 215 W. College Ave. (850) 391-1309. $$ B L D Andrew’s Capital Grill and Bar American. A Downtown landmark for 40 years, Andrew’s is an energetic, casual, see and-be-seen spot. House favorites include a popular lunch buffet, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes. Downtown delivery. 228 S. Adams St. (850) 222-3444/ Fax, (850) 222-2433. $$ B L D AZU — a Lucy Ho’s restaurant Asian. Serving Tallahassee since 1970, Lucy Ho’s offers Japanese-style cooking with Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunan, Peking and Taiwanese influences. Diners also will find a full bar and the freshest sushi.

3220 Apalachee Parkway. (850) 893-4112. $/$$ L D

Georgio’s American. If George Koikos is in the house, you can count on a visit to your table from him during your meal. His hands-on commitment to quality, food, service and a personal touch have kept his restaurants in business for more than 45 years. 2971 Apalachee Parkway.

(850) 877-3211. $$$ D

Bella Bella H Italian. Take your taste buds to Italy with a trip to Bella Bella, voted Best Italian by Tallahassee Magazine readers in 2014. This locally owned and operated restaurant has a cozy atmosphere with all the classics to satisfy your pasta cravings. 123 E. 5th Ave. (850) 412-1114. $$ L D

MICCOSUKEE ROOT CELLAR Fusion. With its hand-hewn décor, organic menu items and seemingly endless supply of artisan crafted beer and wine, the Miccosukee Root Cellar is the place to go when a fresh twist on tradition is what the taste buds order. 1311 Miccosukee Road.

(850) 597-7419. $$ D

Brooklyn Water Bagels and Pizza American. Using the freshest ingredients and an exclusive water treatment process, renowned Brooklyn bagels, coffee and pizza made famous in their original location can now be found in Tallahassee. CollegeTown, 815 W. Madison St. (850) 765-1058. $ B L D

Sage Restaurant American. Fine dining is about both flavors and atmosphere. Sage’s menu masterfully melds regional influences, including Southern and French, to produce some of the finest cuisine in town. The setting is gorgeous but cozy, and the outdoor patio sets a charming, romantic tone for a relaxed evening. 3534 Maclay Blvd.

(850) 270-9396. $$$ B L D

The Cake Shop H Bakery. From your plain vanilla and chocolate to specialties like Snicker’s Candy Bar and Chunky Monkey, The Cake Shop provides delicious cakes, cookies and cupcakes for special occasions or just to satisfy your sweet tooth. It earned honors for Best Bakery and Best Dessert in our 2014 readers’ choice poll. 1908 Capital Circle N.E. (850) 386-2253. $

Enjoy a great lunch with our large Craft Beer selection and catch the game on one of our multiple TVs! Miller’s Tallahassee Ale House 1/4 Mile from the State Capitol 722 Apalachee Pkwy. | Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-222-0364 | MillersAleHouse.com /millersalehouse | @millersalehouse | #millersalehouse

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THE BEST LITTLE STEAKHOUSE IN TALLAHASSEE

»food DINING GUIDE Carrie Ann & Co. American, Catering. No reservation required for Carrie Ann & Co.’s Tuesday Night Dinners at the Mays House, a charming, historic 1922 residence in Monticello. Or head downtown to their Rosemary Tree Café & Gift Shop for coffee and daily specials on wraps and sandwiches.

Custom catering available. The Mays House, 925 E. Washington St. (850) 544-2427 or (850) 544-1582. Rosemary Tree Café, 170 N. Jefferson St. (850) 997-2106. $/$$ B L (Mays House only) D (Tuesdays Only) Coosh’s Bayou Rouge H Cajun. This Best Cajun Restaurant winner for 2014 brings the best of the Bayou State right to your table. The menu is jam-packed with Louisiana-style dishes, favorites like jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, po’boys and seafood gumbo. Not in a Cajun mood? Coosh’s also offers classic hamburgers, salads and chicken wings. 6267 Old Water Oak Road.

(850) 894-4110. $$ B L D The Egg Café And Eatery H American. When you’re looking for breakfast favorites, even if it’s lunchtime, The Egg is the place to be. Made-to-order items use the finest ingredients. Voted Tallahassee’s best 11 times, including the 2014 awards for Best Breakfast and Best Brunch. In Evening Rose at 3740 Austin Davis Ave. (850) 907-3447.

Light breakfast fare is available at The Egg Express, a second downtown location in the R.A. Gray building. 500 S. Bronough St. Room G-22 (850) 907-3447. $$ B L EL JALISCO H Mexican. In the mood for sizzling enchiladas and frozen margaritas? Make your way to the 2014 Best Mexican/Latin American Restaurant, El Jalisco, where they do Mexican cuisine to perfection. 2022 N. Monroe St. (850) 878-0800; 2915-301 Kerry Forest Pkwy.

(850) 668-1002; and 2481 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville. (850) 926-4329. $ L D

Join us for lunch and dinner at our beautiful location on Apalachee Parkway.

Our steaks are not only the best in Tallahassee, but USDA choice midwestern corn-fed beef, specially selected, aged to our specifications and cut daily. We also serve fresh jumbo shrimp and fish – grilled, blackened or fried. So please join us for lunch and dinner or just meet up for drinks at our fully-stocked bar.

F

MARIE LIVINGSTON’S STEAK HOUSE

2705 Apalachee Parkway | Tallahassee, FL (850) 270-9506

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HASU Asian. Hasu offers carefully prepared sushi that comes with a great, welcoming atmosphere for those dining in as well as carrying out. Two convenient locations. 3551 Blairstone Road, Suite 132 (850) 671-4278; 1400 Village Square Blvd., Suite 14 (850) 893-4278. $$ L D JOE MAMA’S WOOD FIRED PIZZA Italian. Crisp toppings. Freshly prepared pizza dough. Traditional Tuscan wood-fired oven.

What more could you ask for? Joe Mama’s offers quintessential casual Italian dining.

307 N. Monroe St. (850) 577-1231. $ L D Kiku Japanese Fusion. With a wide selection of sushi rolls and traditional Japanese dishes, Kiku caters to a variety of tastes. 3491 Thomasville Road Suite 12.

(850) 222-5458. $$ L D Klassic Katering H American, Southern, Italian. The culinary masterminds behind Klassic Katering know how to transform an event from drab to fab.

With a ton of flavor and a pinch of panache,

this Best of Tallahassee winner will cater to all of your foodie needs. 2207 Bannerman Road. (850) 894-0423.

Kool Beanz Café H Fusion. This colorful, casual spot has been serving up gourmet dishes so tasty and creative it was named Best Locally Owned Restaurant in 2014. Diners can expect delicious modern American cuisine, as well as dishes influenced by the worldwide travels of the kitchen staff. Menus change daily. 921 Thomasville Road. (850) 224-2466. $$/$$$ L D Level 8 Nightclub. This modern downtown rooftop bar at the Hotel Duval is the perfect setting for any get together. The upscale environment sets the bar high, so dress in your best attire.

415 N. Monroe St. (850) 224-6000. $$ Liberty Bar & Restaurant American. No detail is too minute for the chefs and skilled alchemists over at Liberty Bar & Restaurant. A fairly new addition to the Midtown neighborhood, Liberty’s full menu and artisan twists on old favorite cocktails are sure to inspire. 1307 N. Monroe St., (850) 284-7966. $$ B L D Madison Social H American. Whether it’s for a social cocktail, a quick lunch or a place for alumni to gather before home football games, Madison Social offers something for everyone.

Madison Social earned Best Bar honors in 2014. CollegeTown, 705 S. Woodward Ave. (850) 894-6276. $$ L D Masa H Asian Fusion. For another year, Masa earned the title as the Best Sushi and Best Asian in town — and with a good reason. This Japanese fusion restaurant packs bold, delicious flavors into each finely crafted, authentic roll.

1001 N. Monroe St. (850) 847-0003. $/$$ L D Morelia’s Mexican. Try delicious house specialties like Quesadilla de Camar’on (shrimp) and Tacos de Carne Asada (grilled steak) at dinner along with all the traditional favorites. Lunch specials daily and a kids’ menu. 1355 Market St. (850) 907-9173. moreliasmexican.com $ L D Old Town Café American. Southern hospitality is embedded throughout this family-owned restaurant.

Mom’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans makes you feel like you’re home, not to mention their world famous prime rib, which slowly roasts all day. 1415 Timberlane Road. (850) 893-5741. $$ L D OSAka Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar H Japanese. Rated Best Hibachi for 2014, Osaka provides dinner and a show with chefs seasoning and preparing your meal right in front of you. It’s a meal that’s sure to leave you satisfied as well as entertained.

1690 Raymond Diehl Road. (850) 531-0222. $$$ D

Paisley Café American. Guilt-free lunch has never been easier now that Paisley serves up food with seven natural ingredients or less. This charming Midtown spot boasts a fresh bakery and garden full of wholesome treats.

1123 @ Midtown on Thomasville Road.

(850) 385-7268. $ L Cantina Tallahassee Mexican. The menu includes all your South of the Border favorites — tacos, burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas and more — along with $5 and less fast food options as well as sharing-sized Platos Con Amigos.

CollegeTown, 705 S. Woodward Ave. (850) 273-4002. $ L D Taco Republik American/Worldwide Fusion. An authentic taqueria, Taco Republik specializes in creating tacos and burritos in abstract and delicious ways. Located in the heart of Midtown, this restaurant is beloved for bold flavor combinations and walletfriendly prices. 705 S. Woodward Ave., (850) 559-5464. $ L D THE WINE LOFT Wine Bar H American. When it’s part of your name, of course you’re going to be chosen as the Best of in 2014. Midtown’s Wine Loft features a variety of worldly wines and bartenders who love to experiment. The Wine Loft is ready to help you relax and enjoy the evening. 1240 Thomasville Road, Suite 100. (850) 222-9914. thewinelofttallahassee.net $$ D

Family/Casual BURGERFI American. BurgerFi uses all-natural, freerange beef and is dedicated to sustainable practices. Their menu is packed full of tasty, savory and creative hamburger and hotdog creations as well as fresh-cut french fries and gigantic onion rings. Vegetarian options, frozen custard, beer and wine are also available. 1817 Thomasville Road, No.7.

(850) 629-4333. $ L D CANOPY ROAD CAFÉ American. Combine fresh ingredients, made-to-order dishes and a welcoming staff, and you have the components of a deliciously successful restaurant. This casual, family-style restaurant proclaims itself a “greasy-spoon diner meets modern Southern cafe.” 1913 N. Monroe St. (850) 668-6600; 2202 Capital Circle N.E. (850) 893-0466. $ B L CHICKEN SALAD CHICK H Southern. Chicken Salad Chick exceeds expectations with 15 different chicken salads to choose from served in a bright setting that earned it Best Casual Dining honors in 2014.

There are also deli sandwiches, side items and soups, and a cookie of the day. 1410 Market Street, D-3. (850) 894-2502. $ L D Hopkins’ Eatery American. This deli provides more than just your average sandwich. Favorites like the

Ultimate Turkey and the Linda Special and a variety of salad meals keep customers coming back for more. And it’s healthful, too!

1660 N. Monroe St. (850) 386-4258; 1415 Market St. (850) 668-0311, and 1208 Capital Circle S.E. (850) 325-6422. hopkinseatery.com $L Juicy Blue American Tapas. In the new Four Points by Sheraton Downtown this cool newcomer offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unique offerings include tapas with a unique twist like the Georgia peaches and caramel.

Sandwiches, salads and a nice variety of seafood, pasta and chicken dishes round out the menu. Local coffee bar Redeye is located in the lobby. 316 W. Tennessee St. (850) 422-0071. $ B L D

NATURAL

LOCAL ATTRACTION

Merv’s Melt Shop American. Welcome Merv to the neighborhood. This new daytime cafe specializes in homemade breakfast and handcrafted sandwich melts. Enjoy one of their gourmet sandwich creations or make your own. Fresh bread is baked daily, and they even make their own chips. 825 Railroad Ave. (850) 320-6287. $ B L D Midtown Pass H Sports Bar. Watch the game while you nosh on some of the best wings to be found in town, and wash it down with one of the 32 beers on draft (and 80 bottled varieties).

Voted Best Sports Bar in 2014 by the readers of Tallahassee Magazine. 1019 N. Monroe St. (850) 597-9614. $$ L D MOMO’S H Pizza. After devouring a slice “as big as your head” at this 2014 Best Pizza winner, chain pizza simply is not gonna cut it. From the black-and-white photos to the bathrooms decorated in album covers the restaurant has an unmistakable and enjoyable “hole in the wall” vibe. 1410 Market St. (850) 412-0222; and 1416 W. Tennessee St. (850) 224-9808. $L D Publix Deli H Casual . The delis at Publix Super Markets have a certain reputation around these parts.

A 2014 Best of winner, these convenient eateries are beloved not only for their tasty “Pub subs,” cold cuts and grab-and go meals, but also for their exceptional customer service. Multiple locations.

Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q H Barbecue. Nothing satisfies a rumblin’ stomach quite like a plateful of hot, savory barbeque; and if you’re looking for the tastiest grilled dishes, 2014 Best Barbecue winner Sonny’s has them in spades. 3101 Dick Wilson Blvd. (850) 878-1185; 2707 N. Monroe St. (850) 385-2167; and 1460 Timberlane Road (850) 906-9996. $ L D Starbucks H American. Whether you’re craving a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino or a simple cup o’ joe, Starbucks provides a wide variety of beverages that will satisfy even the most adventurous caffeine addict. The 2014 Best

TALLAHASSEE

NOW OPEN 1817 Thomasville Rd 850.629.4333

BurgerFi.com © 2014 BurgerFi International, LLC. BurgerFi® and the BurgerFi® logo are registered trademarks of Restaurant Development Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Soup’s on!

Southern Seafood — Tallahassee’s BEST seafood market — features a signature line of soups, chowders and gumbo.

Owner Mark Easterling’s Southern classics are locally made with fresh Gulf seafood and no preservatives.

Take some home tonight!

»food DINING GUIDE Coffee Shop winner also offers free Wi-Fi. 2264-1 N. Monroe St. (850) 386-2417; 3425 Thomasville Road. (850) 894-7005; and 2120 Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 671-2041. $B L Sweet Rack Rib Shack American. This locally owned, awardwinning barbeque establishment is known for its sweet, succulent, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs. But that’s not their only game in town — Sweet Rack also offers their diners wings, burgers and totally scrumptious seafood platters. 1814 W. Tennessee St. (850) 270-9061. $ L D THE LUNCH BOX American. This iconic little café conveniently nestled at the corner of Mahan and Magnolia offers up homestyle breakfasts and plenty of lunch items to choose from. Dine in, take out and outdoor seating is available. 295 N. Magnolia Drive.

(850) 942-9766. $ B L The Tin Cow American. The Tin Cow boasts an impressive mix of canned craft beer, spiked milkshakes and mammoth buildyour-own burgers. A new-to-Tallahassee bar and eatery, this lively establishment is situated near FSU’s main campus where AJ’s once hailed. 1800 W. Tennessee St. (850) 681-0731. $/$$ D TOMATOLAND American. This takeout-only deli offers comfort food staples for breakfast and lunch such as quiches, a variety of salads and sandwiches, and a daily blue-plate special. 1847 Thomasville Road.

(850) 425-8416. $ L D

Buy Fresh · Buy Wild

BUY SOUTHERN

Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox American. An original Emerald Coast, Southern-style lunch counter eatery, Tucker Duke’s is known for dishing out a ton of character served with pure attitude. From quality craft burgers to their signature “blue light special” and gourmet sides, Tucker Duke’s is steaming with delicious home cookin’ in a fun and familyfriendly atmosphere. 224 E. College Ave. (850) 765-1554. $/$$ L D UP IN SMOKE PIT BBQ Barbecue. While their barbecue is certainly succulent, Up in Smoke’s other menu options — including fried green tomatoes, meatloaf and grilled salmon — cater to even the pickiest of palates.

402 Tennessee St. (850) 597-7964. $B L D

BEST SEAFOOD MARKET

1415 Timberlane Road in Market Square 850.893.7301 southernseafoodmarket.com

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Vertigo Burgers and Fries H American. The No. 1 spot for hamburgers in 2014 went to Vertigo, home to some of the juiciest, funkiest burgers in town.

The modern building provides a no-frills setting to enjoy such favorites as the Vertigo Burger — a beef patty with fried egg, applewood bacon, grilled jalapenos, sharp cheddar and Vertigo sauce.

1395 E. Lafayette St. (850) 878-2020. $$ L D

Wingstop H American. After being voted Best Wings in town for the ninth year in a row, it’s safe to say that this joint is the ultimate source for chicken wings. Wingstop offers a variety of homemade sides and 10 mouthwatering flavors for their wings.

1964 W. Tennessee St. (850) 574-9464; 3111 Mahan Dr. (850) 942-9464; and 6668 Thomasville Road. (850) 219-9464. $L D

Steak/Seafood Bonefish Grill H American. With countless perfectly cooked, succulent seafood items to choose from, in addition to delicious “turf” options for those who do not enjoy their food from the “surf,” it’s no wonder Tallahassee Magazine readers selected Bonefish Grill as its favorite restaurant for seafood and appetizers in 2014.

3491 Thomasville Road. (850) 297-0460. $$$ D Chop House On The Bricks American. This family-owned upscale restaurant serves local organic and sustainable meats, seafood, poultry and produce. Craft beers, fine wines and specialty drinks complement house specialties like Bone-In Ribeye, Plantation Quail and the Chop House Burger. Their Knob Creek Bourbon Bread Pudding is a dessert favorite. 123 N. Broad St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 236-2467. $$ D Marie Livingston’s Steakhouse H Steak. Dining at Marie Livingston’s is upscale yet comfortable and always a special treat. Not just a restaurant that serves up savory cuts of prime rib or marbled steaks, this 2014 Best Steakhouse winner is a Tallahassee tradition, and newcomers owe it to themselves to make it a priority to visit. 2705 Apalachee Parkway.

(850) 562-2525. $$ L D Shula’s 347 Steak. The legendary Miami Dolphins’ head coach brings the quest for perfection to the dining table at his namesake restaurant, located in Hotel Duval. Keep it light and casual with Premium Black Angus Beef burgers or a gourmet salad or opt for one of their signature entrées — “Shula Cut” steaks Reservations are suggested.

415 N. Monroe St. (850) 224-6005. $$$ L D Southern Seafood H American. Whether you’re looking for fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab or lobster, these guys have you covered.

The 2014 Best Seafood Market winner brings the ocean’s freshest choices to Tallahassee’s front door. 1415 Timberlane Road. (850) 668-2203.

Visit our comprehensive, searchable dining guide online attallahasseemagazine.com/ Restaurants

16 Fiery Hibachi Tables • Spectacular Seafood Combinations Fresh Sushi Bar • Expert, Experienced Chefs Cocktail Lounge with Exotic & Local Favorites Private Dining for Groups up to 70

Open Daily • Lunch 11am – 2:30pm • Dinner 2:30 – 10:30pm 850-531-0222 • 1690 Raymond Diehl Road

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LADIES NIGHT MOULIN ROUGE STYLE

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»the last word

Courtesy Lisa Craig

A New Way Without Wendy Remembering a Friend Who Lived Life to the Fullest

By Kristen Scarola Kirk There’s no perfect perspective, but often it’s helpful to look back in order to mend, make room for what is new and move forward. For many of us, this has been a year to reflect as we make room for a new way without Wendy.

Wendy Smith Hansen passed away at age 44 from unexpected heart-related issues on Jan. 13, 2014. She was beautiful, smart, athletic, involved, competitive, analytical and opinionated. Wendy was a daughter, sister, wife and mother. She was a lawyer, savvy businesswoman and community leader. But to me, Wendy was a FRIEND. Our friendship could never be defined by one big thing; it’s the million little things that flood my memory. It’s the talks, the encouragement and the expectation to be something better in Wendy’s presence that fills my heart.

It’s the blessing of a long-lasting friendship that allows a special intimacy to blossom that so many of us are very lucky to have shared with Wendy.

She wanted to see those around her succeed, use their skills and talents and make an impact in their community. Wendy could talk a great talk, yet she could deliver with just as much gusto. She wasn’t going to voice her opinion, share an idea or make a suggestion if she couldn’t back it up. And often the outline, plan or agenda was already in place before a word was uttered.

One of my fondest memories of Wendy was when she rallied a group of us around her very formal dining room table to plan a dear friend’s baby shower. Every place was set with exquisite china, a matching notepad, pen and a list of duties. The table featured a Martha Stewartworthy centerpiece and breakfast food warming in chafing dishes. Wendy really had this meeting

not to brainstorm or share ideas, but to tell us how Wendy Hansen’s this would be done. Her untimely death instructions were precise prompted her friends and direct, down to match- to contribute their ing her color scheme at efforts to heartrelated charities. home and how we could execute and change out the mini-shades on the chandeliers and coordinate throw pillows. Wendy could throw a great party down to every detail and parting favor.

Knowing Wendy as I have, I feel lucky to have experienced the sensitive side of her: the traditional, loving, emotional, hurting, honest, private and heartfelt side. Wendy exuded character! First and foremost, she was faith-filled and God-loving.

She knew the call as a wife to love her spouse, Craig, with every ounce of her being. Wendy and Craig lived out an example of what I call “Anyway Love,” the kind of love defined by the statement: “Honey, I will love you ANYWAY!” This love endures the deepest sorrows, and the void left as Wendy is embraced by a different kind of everlasting, heavenly love.

Wendy was an incredibly dedicated mother who sought to help her boys know and realize all they can be. It’s in His comfort and grace that Jackson, Connor and Brock will always know the love, pride and hope that their mom had for them.

February is American Heart Month. We encourage you to seek out local resources related to heart health. Wendy’s friends coordinated a “Go Red for Women” event in Wendy’s honor and formed Team Wendy and walked in the Heart Walk this past October. Together, we can all make a difference! n

Wendy’s Life Lessons When an energetic, contributing, loving soul like Wendy Smith Hansen is taken away too soon, there has to be a message or lesson for the rest of us, whose busy, mundane, activity-filled lives press on. Here are 10.

1 Live life with purpose. Make the most of every day and act. Wendy packed it all in, and now we know why.

2 Love anyway. Don’t love because people meet your needs. Love them as they are.

3 Give back. We all have something we can share with the people around us and our community.

4 Raise children to be independent.

Our goal is for our children to grow to be productive, self-sufficient adults, so treat them with that expectation early.

5 Appreciate your own beauty. Don’t get stuck in judging yourself. We are all different. It’s OK. Let your friends know how beautiful they are.

6 Take pictures of life. Photograph your everyday outings, vacations and family events. Preserve the memories.

7 Make your friends your family!

You’ll need each other throughout the ups and downs of life.

8 Stay connected to family. Plan visits. Vacation together. Talk often.

9 Live well. Be healthy, and see the doctor.

10 No matter what your age, prepare a will. Leave your loved ones prepared and with instructions.

Start your new life resolution today The American Heart Association’s My Life Check empowers you to take a big step toward a healthier life. In just a few minutes, you can get your personal heart score and a custom plan with the 7 simple steps you need to start living your best life. mylifecheck.heart.org

194 January–February 2015

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