Tallahassee Magazine- September/October 2016 by Rowland Publishing, Inc.

BALLOT BULWARKS: OFFICIALS PROTECT ELECTIONS’ INTEGRITY

BARD HOPPING Florida State professor channels Shakespeare

GROWING BUSINESS “A.M. BREAK” CO-HOSTS

Audra Pittman, left, and Ann Howard

Lake Ella market thrives organically

HOOK & COOK

Trout worth shouting about

ANNand AUDRA HOW A CHANCE MEETING BECAME THE TALK OF TALLAHASSEE TELEVISION

NOW THAT I’M CANCER FREE. What if someone told you that you could be free? Free from worry. Free from anxiety. Free from cancer. At Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, getting you there is our goal. That’s why we joined forces with University of Florida Health, to offer more treatment options, advanced clinical trials and the latest research to help you find your freedom once again. TMH.ORG/Freedom

MY FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE THIS.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

THE DATEJUST 41 The new generation of the essential classic, with a new movement and design that keep it at the forefront of watchmaking. It doesn’t just tell time. It tells history.

rolex

oyster perpetual and datejust are ® trademarks.

4 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 41

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September–October 2016

You’ve earned this moment. Take it. talstatebank.com 850.576.1182 Banking products are provided by Synovus Bank, Member FDIC. Divisions of Synovus Bank operate under multiple trade names across the Southeast.

6 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Contents

SEPT/OCT 2016

100  FEATURES

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES OF THEIR LABOR

The Growers’ Market at Lake Ella peddles produce and more. by AUDREY POST

108

CAST YOUR BALLOT, IT COUNTS The planning and procedures taking place in your precinct. by ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

116

ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER

Paddle, canoe, float or b oat around the Big Bend. by TISHA CREWS KELLER

122 MUCH ADO ABOUT SHAKESPEARE

Gary Taylor is an authority on The Bard. by KIM HARRIS THACKER

photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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September–October 2016

SEPT/OCT 2016

43 323

21 COLORING COMEBACK Color inside or outside of the lines with coloring books for all ages.

24 PERSONALITY RickFlagg is a radio journalist with a big voice and an even bigger beard.

28 HEALTH & EXERCISE Tech addicts and health nuts unite in the rise of fitness trackers.

32 GREAT OUTDOORS

Harvest your own Thanksgiving dinner then gobble it up.

34 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY Our beloved Doak Campbell Stadium is getting a makeover.

36 EDUCATION Dr. Roscoe Hightower facilitates and manages students in and out of the classroom.

38 LOOKING BACK

Tallahassee’s beloved Benson Skelton shares life advice.

40 RELATIONSHIPS Ann and Audra: cohosts, best friends and comedians.

70 IN EVERY ISSUE 14 PUBLISHER’S LETTER 16 DIRECTOR’S COLUMN 167 THE BUZZ 178 AGENDA 205 DINING GUIDE 210 POSTSCRIPT

PANACHE

43 FOR HER Many

clothiers are contributing to causes in charitable ways.

46 FOR HIM Button up that button down the right way with these tips.

48 CITIZEN OF STYLE

Food Glorious Food owner Susan Turner turns heads.

50 RETAIL ROUNDUP

What’s new in shops around town? Keep track of the developments.

GASTRO & GUSTO

53 HOOK ’N COOK A fish

recipe you’re sure to tackle from line to pan.

56 DINING OUT Liberty

Bar is all about aesthetics from atmosphere to plate.

60 LIBATIONS More than

just apple juice, warm up with a spiked cider.

Tracking devices hold fitness fanatics accountable.

8 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

53 EXPRESSION

63 HOME GROWN

POTTERY The hearts and hands behind the wheel.

66 BOOKS Your favorite

monsters come out from the shadows and onto pages.

68 STAGE Curtain call!

Getting to know the cast of characters at Mickee Faust Club.

70 MUSIC A Creole kick

influences the vibrant musical movement of Zydeco.

BALLOT BULWARKS: OFFICIALS PROTECT ELECTIONS’ INTEGRITY

73 ETHIOPIA Enter into a

land of enchantment, culture and wanderlust.

ABODES

127 STOCKED AND STYLED Put the party on wheels with the ever-stylish icon, the bar cart.

130 EXTERIORS Welcome

fall with s’mores and nights under the stars at your own fire pit.

132 DIY Be your own

Batman with a custom made bat house.

134 GARDENING

Micro-irrigation systems, armadillos and a garden chore checklist.

Florida State professor channels Shakespeare

GROWING BUSINESS “A.M. BREAK” CO-HOSTS

DESTINATIONS

BARD HOPPING

Audra Pittman, left, and Ann Howard

Lake Ella market thrives organically

HOOK & COOK

Trout worth shouting about

ANNand AUDRA HOW A CHANCE MEETING BECAME THE TALK OF TALLAHASSEE TELEVISION

ON THE COVER: TV hosts Audra Pittman and Ann Howard, known familiarly as Ann and Audra, are inseparable in the minds of daytime television viewers, but their professional relationship and friendship were the products of chance versus design. Spotting Pittman across a room, Howard knew she was the co-host she wanted for a women’s show she had long had in mind. Cover shot by

Dave Barfield. Fashions supplied by Narcissus; cup and saucer supplied by Hearth & Soul; hair and makeup by Soleil 7.

PHOTOS BY BRUCE PALMER (68), JAMES STEFIUK ( 53) AND COURTESY APPLE (28) AND OUT OF PRINT (43)

Contents

WHEN TWO OF THE BEST HOSPITALS PARTNER TOGETHER — GUESS WHO WINS? YOUR CHILD.

TMH PROUDLY AFFILIATES WITH WOLFSON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Ranked among the nation’s best children’s hospitals, Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville serves children from all over the world with the latest advancements in pediatric specialty care. Through this new affiliation, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Wolfson Children’s Hospital are working together to shape the future of care for kids throughout the region.

1300 MICCOSUKEE ROAD : TMH.ORG/Wolfson

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016



SEPT/OCT 2016

SPECIAL SECTIONS AND PROMOTIONS

Feedback CARING FOR CAREGIVERS

FORGOTTEN COAST MAP

We orient you to one of the most picturesque and pristine stretches the Gulf Coast has to offer — its merchants, attractions and more.

136 DEAL ESTATE

Killearn Lakes Plantation is all that a Tallahassee neighborhood should be. It is home to soaring shade trees, serene landscaping, six lakes, ultimate privacy and some of the most enviable homes in town. Residents feel far out into the countryside, but are only a convenient 10 minutes from most of the city.

81 ↑ VISIT THE BEACH Summer may be over, but an absence of crowds, off-season prices, exciting events and cooler weather make it the ideal time to explore Northwest Florida’s beaches.

143

TMH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER

TMH is a premier healthcare provider making an impact in the community through events such as Pink and Swine. Recent events and fundraisers have been hosted by Jimbo Fisher, the Tallahassee Sigmas and Scottsdale Kids.

SPEC IA L A DVERT ISIN G SEC T ION SPEC IA L A DVERT ISIN G SEC T ION

MEDICAL PROFILES WE HELP YOU EXERCISE DUE CARE IN CHOOSING HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS Tallahassee boasts a wealth of health-care resources that help make the capital city an attractive place to live. At our immediate disposal are specialists and facilities that attract patients from throughout the Southeast. In the pages that follow, we profile skilled, experienced and dedicated professionals that people trust with their most important asset: their health.s.

September–October 2016

CALENDAR & SOCIAL STUDIES

Tallahassee and the surrounding area offer no shortage of celebrations, festivals, 5Ks and concerts and other performances. We offer you an expansive menu of things to do.

183

MEDICAL PROFILES

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150

183

MEDICAL PROFILES Quality healthcare is a top priority to us all. In this special section, we fill you in on the dedicated health professionals in our area. Their profiles help you to better know their specialized skills, their backgrounds, their practice’s focus and how they can help you enhance your health.

CLARIFICATIONS

» A story on George Koikos that appeared in our July-August edition reported that Georgio’s Restaurant recently turned 50. While Mr. Koikos has been in the restaurant business in Tallahassee for 50 years, Georgio’s was established in 1994. » A photo of Sarah Bridegroom that appeared on page 70 of our July-August edition was taken at the former location of her business, the HomeBrew Den, not its current location on Market Street. The published photo included items no longer available at the store. We regret any inconvenience that the photo may have caused.

FEEDBACK SUBMISSION GUIDELINES When submitting a letter for publication, please supply your full name, physical address, phone number and personal email address. Letters, when published, will appear with the writer’s name and city of residence. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Feedback Rowland Publishing 1932 Miccosukee Road Tallahassee, FL 32308 tmag-editor@rowlandpublishing.com

Next Issue Holiday Gift Guide • 2016 Top Singles Event Recap SPECIAL PROMOTION

10 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Thank you for the article you published on the AfricanAmerican Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support (ACTS) 2 Project. Your writer did a fine job. We have enjoyed an encouraging response to the article and ask that you publish contact information for the project to make that response even greater. ACTS 2 offers free faith-based, skills-building and support services to African-American caregivers of loved ones with dementia across North Florida including the Panhandle and counties north of Citrus, Sumter, Lake and Seminole. Training in areas including relaxation and problem-solving skills is conducted by phone and caregivers receive up to $90 for completing the 12-session course. For more information on ACTS 2, people may call us toll-free at 1-866-778-2724 or at 274-4945 in Tallahassee. Or they may email project coordinator Tomeka NortonBrown at tnnorton@fsu.edu. Dr. Robert Glueckauf Florida State University

GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING!

On behalf of the Oasis Center for Women and Girls, I would like to thank you for your generous donation to the Girls Can Do Anything! Summer Camp. Our organization’s mission is to improve the lives of women and girls through celebration and support. We are focused on personal, professional and economic concerns facing women, girls and their families. We are committed to addressing these issues individually through the provision of direct services and collectively through community dialogue and awareness. Thanks in part to your generous support, we will be able to provide scholarships to over 20 girls from families who would not otherwise be able to afford to send their daughters to camp. Thank you for your generosity. Haley Cutler Executive Director

PHOTO BY KANSAS PITTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Contents 98

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE

VOL. 39, NO. 5

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2016

Among the things you associate with fall, what is your favorite? PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND

EDITORIAL

saltwater fishing and Halloween.

CREATIVE

Catching a long pass in a touch football game played on a lush, cool lawn.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Charles Bakofsky, Shruti Shah GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Meredith Brooks, Sarah Mitchell DIGITAL SERVICES PRODUCER Chelsea Moore CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mathew J. Adams, Aerial Tallahassee, Doug Alderson, Alfotokunst, Galyna Andrushko, Libby Armstrong, Dave Barfield, Susan Benton, Yury Birukov, Bluerain, Sam Brill, Matt Burke, Dmitry Chulov, Mari Darr~Welch, Dereje, Kevin Dodge, Tim Donovan, ElleBelle Photography, Whitney Fletcher Photography, Nick Fox, Holly Gardner, Scott Holstein, Jennifer Ireland, Anton Ivanov, Keystone Design, Phillip Makselan, Lori Magee Yeaton, Chelsea Moore, Marcia Mullins, I love all the sights, sounds Being able to read a good Sean Murphy, Off the Walls Photography, Bruce Palmer, Linley Paske Photography, Kay Phelan, Kansas Pitts Photography, and smells associated with book outside in the beautiful Luisa Puccini, John Reynolds, Saige Roberts, Matt Soloman, James Stefiuk, Anna Trudeau, Zlikovec sitting down with my family weather with a latte.

for a Thanksgiving meal.

SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT McKenzie Burleigh Lohbeck DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS Daniel Parisi ADVERTISING SERVICES COORDINATOR Lisa Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Bess Grasswick, Lori Magee Yeaton, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Alice Watts EVENTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Leigha Inman INTEGRATED MARKETING SPECIALIST Jennifer Ireland INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Bria Blossom MARKETING AND EVENTS ASSISTANT Mackenzie Ligas EVENTS AND MARKETING INTERN Maddy Cloud

The cool, crisp air and FSU football!

OPERATIONS

Having grown up in the Northeast, the leaves on the trees turning color.

CORPORATE CLIENT LIAISON Sara Goldfarb STAFF ACCOUNTANT Jackie Burns ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Lisa Snell RECEPTIONIST Katherine Marshall

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE tallahasseemagazine.com facebook.com/tallahasseemag twitter.com/tallahasseemag instagram.com/tallahasseemag pinterest.com/tallahasseemag youtube.com/user/tallahasseemag

Cooking soups and stews.

I love watching the leaves change colors and drinking homemade hot chocolate.

ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com

EDITORIAL OFFICE 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. (850) 878-0554 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. CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUBMISSIONS 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 September 2016 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.

12 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN (PARISI), MATT BURKE (BORNHOFT), CHELSEA MOORE (BROOKS, IRELAND, MITCHELL AND SNELL), OFF THE WALLS PHOTOGRAPHY (LIGAS) AND COURTESY OF INDIVIDUALS

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL SERVICES/EDITOR Steve Bornhoft SENIOR STAFF WRITER Jason Dehart EDITORIAL COORIDINATOR Rebecca Padgett CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jesse Braswell, Marina Brown, Shelby Bouck, Rosanne Dunkelberger, Kim Harris Thacker, Jennifer Ireland, Tisha Crews Keller, Linda Kleindienst, Jack Levine, Audrey Post, Liesel Schmidt, Benson Skelton EDITORIAL INTERN Nina Rodriguez-Marty, Reeves Trivette, Joseph Zeballos-Roig Football, deer hunting, PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan

Florida State: An elite research university and a leader in the arts Our faculty members are doing amazing work in the fine and performing arts, the sciences and humanities, and they push our students to excel both inside and outside the classroom. Private support is often the defining factor between a good university and one that is truly great. — FSU PRESIDENT JOHN THRASHER

Visit raisethetorch.fsu.edu to support the arts at Florida State University.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

from the publisher

Giving opens many doors, creating new and numerous opportunities along our life paths. In my line of work, I interact with a wide range of people representing countless organizations, passions and fields of endeavor. For some, I have noticed, giving is something that is difficult, if not impossible, to do. This is true of people who may have enjoyed great professional and financial success and others who have not. All of the non-givers have a hard time articulating respectable reasons for their seeming selfishness and inability to give. Giving comes from the heart, but it also is an acquired behavior. Giving is learned early in a person’s development. Experts say it begins around the age of 2 when kids confront the challenge of “sharing their toys.” Children observe what their parents and family members do to give to others and this helps establish their own philosophy of giving for their lifetimes. Once established as a practice, giving may manifest itself in tithing at church, buying Girl Scout cookies, preparing a meal for a sick neighbor or participating as a member of a family that always made it a practice to help others. I believe that as members of society we have an obligation to give back, something that can be accomplished in many ways other than writing a check. We all have something that would be of value to another person or organization, even if it’s just a few kind words, a bit of our time or unused items that others can use. Prior to making my most recent annual trip to Central America, where I unite with friends from decades past to hang out, rest, reminisce, fish and eat well, I came up with an idea. The country we visit is a poor one, but its people are rich in character and pride. Every year, we are greeted by Arturo Soto, who grew up with little but was influenced by a family that was moved by the spirit of giving. His mother, for example, would take in people from the local hospital who needed to recover from surgery until they were ready to travel to their homes in the countryside. Arturo was called upon to give up his bed to these persons in need. Today, Arturo helps many organizations in his town and serves as a city councilman. He is respected and admired by many for doing what comes to him naturally. My traveling companions and I either own or work for successful companies, and I suggested that we all

14 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

likely had serviceable, but retired, computers sitting around. I challenged each of our group’s members to bring one along on our trip. Two of us from Tallahassee each managed to stuff three systems with towers and keyboards into our overweight luggage. It was an adventure to push them through Customs, but the bubble-wrapped equipment arrived safe and sound. Meanwhile, Arturo arranged for us to visit two schools in a remote area where the classrooms were hot and spartan. Teachers worked to manage six grade levels simultaneously, including emotionally disabled students from abusive homes. It was here that we delivered our computers. In response, teachers were sincerely thankful and their students were wide-eyed. Many had never seen a computer before. After we got the computers set up, the students honored us by presenting us with handmade gifts of appreciation. I don’t hesitate to tell you that I was touched. The school is without internet service, but Arturo has contacts in the public education system and will be providing teachers with educational CDs to facilitate learning and help students take their places as global citizens. I encourage you to assess your life at home and at work and resolve to do one additional act of giving this year. Doing so will make a big difference in another person’s life — and yours. Take care,

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

SCOTT HOLSTEIN

THE ART OF GIVING

When CAPITAL Choice Financial Services needed to provide their nationwide agents with quality financial industry tools in an efficient web-based system, they chose the best in North Florida:

Paul Consulting Group

“In addition to significantly enhancing the overall design of our system, Paul Consulting Group successfully incorporated detailed audit reporting, heightened security measures, and robust 850-523-9626 graphing capabilities to the existing application.” PaulConsulting.com -Dick Kinnard TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

director’s column

ARRESTING VIOLENCE, SAVING LIVES

16 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Nice guy, Josh Samman. Intelligent, clear-eyed, ripped. He visited me prior to his last Ultimate Fighting Championship contest in South Dakota and presented me with a copy of his memoir, “The Housekeeper: Love, Death and Prize Fighting,” a story of incredible resilience. I confessed to Josh I had never seen a UFC bout from start to finish, only Sports Center highlights, but “I’m concerned it appeals chiefly to bloodlust.” Samman told me how mixed martial arts (MMA) can benefit especially young people by instilling discipline and confidence. I told him I would tune in to what would be his 16th UFC fight, and I did. “The Barbarian” took Samman down in Round 2, straddled him and pummeled him with elbows and punches until finally the referee stopped the fight. Samman was left sporting a hematoma the size of a hotdog. A couple weeks later, I texted Samman and asked him if he had recovered. “I am alive and well,” he replied. “Sorry to have made (South Dakota) your introduction to my prizefighting career.” Bro, I can’t tell you how relieved I was to learn you were OK. But, please understand, I won’t be tuning in again.

serve their time, get out and act out again. And every time a frequent flyer is charged, it results in a minimum of five court events with all of the attendant costs — to say nothing of the costs of incarceration.” Stopping such madness is a massive challenge; successful treatment, if it occurs, must somehow be followed by integration into society. But merely locking up mentally ill persons serves only to make things worse in part by intensifying distrust and increasing the likelihood later on of deadly, headline-making encounters with cops. Stephens is a realist. (Ask him about the issue of gun violence and he will tell you that it’s too late to attack the problem with weapons measures. “Too many of them in circulation,” he says. “A call to ‘ban assault weapons’ is just bumper-sticker politics.”) So, with regard to policing the mentally ill, he is prepared to start at the beginning. Get the CITs in place. And then do the advocacy work that needs to be done to establish pathways to treatment and lead the troubled away from trouble. Wanna help? Join the local chapter of NAMI (850.841.3386; nami-tallahassee.org). And meanwhile, let us all think about, from the standpoint of a law enforcement officer, scenarios such as this one that are made part of CIT training … Law enforcement officers are dispatched to a residence where a man with a record of minor offenses and jail time is acting strangely. He believes he is under government surveillance and that he is being monitored through his TV. Horribly disheveled in appearance, he rants about his need to defend himself against the government, responds to phantom stimuli, exhibits a blank stare and engages in maniacal laughing. Prepared to wade in? On what footing? How would you proceed? Godspeed, Mr. Stephens.

Steve Bornhoft sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

SAIGE ROBERTS

MATT BURKE

In North Miami, police respond to a 911 report of a suicidal man with a gun. Arriving at the scene, they encounter two men in the middle of an intersection and order them to lie down with their hands raised. One man complies. The other remains seated upright in the road, yells and fidgets with an object that will prove to be a toy truck. An officer fires three rifle shots from close range, but misses his intended target — the seated man — and hits in a leg the man who had obeyed orders. There had been no suicide attempt. The man who refused to lie down has autism. The man who was wounded is his therapist. Video of the shooting goes viral and makes newscasts everywhere. An attorney for the family of the man with autism criticizes police, saying they lack training in how to deal with people with mental illness. About that criticism, Dick Stephens of Tallahassee is trying to do a great deal. He comes at the issue from two perspectives — as the father of a child who struggled with bipolar disorder and as someone who retired from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after 33 years. These days, Stephens is working to see to it that every county in Florida is equipped with crisis intervention teams (CITs) trained to recognize and deal with people with mental illness — to de-escalate psychotic episodes, for example — while protecting the safety of both officers and citizens. That need is particularly acute in sparsely populated parts of Northwest Florida with limited mental health resources. The training is funded by a three-year, $2.4 million legislative appropriation and is being carried out in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Intervening in crises and defusing them is the first step in a process that Stephens believes should also include providing appropriate treatment. “We have people who are serving life sentences, 30 days at a time, at a cost of millions of dollars to the taxpaying public,” Stephens impressed upon me, “because their illnesses are never dealt with. They commit a misdemeanor,

Bro, I tuned in and dropped out

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

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VIDEO » ANN & AUDRA Watch as our

cover girls play dress up in fashions provided by Narcissus. Goofy faces, plenty of props and a lot of laughter.

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» POP-UP GARDEN PARTY

RECAP Tallahassee Magazine hosted its first in a planned series of pop-up events. Relive the celebrations: the 10th birthday of sophisticated local boutique Cole Couture and the recent opening of Table 23, whose Southern cuisine already is proving popular. tallahasseemagazine.com/ TMAG-Blog/News-2016/ July-August-Pop-Up-Party

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PHOTOS BY CHELSEA MOORE (CIDER AND COVER GIRLS), ELLEBELLE PHOTOGRAPHY (BEST OF) AND COURTESY VISIT TALLAHASSEE (MARATHON)

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20 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

CHARACTERS Rick Flagg || HEALTH & EXERCISE Fitness Gear || GREAT OUTDOORS Turkey Hunting

323

SEPT/OCT 2016

PROFILING THE PURSUITS, PASSIONS AND PERSONALITIES AMONG US

THE

BREATHE

THE ART OF RELAXATION

COLORING BOOKS AS STRESS RELIEVERS

by KIM HARRIS THACKER

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

323

ave the rigors of work got you down? Are you desperate to relax but unable to afford that hip spa your friend raves about? Good news! A few minutes of tranquility may be easier to obtain than you thought. Oh — and if you have a thing for Benedict Cumberbatch, paisley pants or Aztecs, you can indulge in that, too. It’s all part of the craze that is adult coloring books. Step into the nearest bookshop or big-box store and you’ll find ultra-detailed coloring books everywhere, covering every subject. Would you like to color a butterfly-bedecked journal or Tolkienthemed calendar? You can do that. You can also color books of bookmarks, stickers, daily devotionals and greeting cards. But why is it that adult coloring has recently become so popular that several coloring books have graced the top of the New York Times Bestseller list? The answer to that question is as simple as a look at the typical American’s typical day: All work and no play. And as we know, all work and no play might make Jack wealthy — doubtful — but it’ll also make him a dull boy and his wife, Jill, a widow. (By the way, if you want a nursery rhyme-themed adult coloring book, they’re on the market.) But there’s more to

GUIDE:

CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLORED PENCILS

the popularity of coloring books than the idea that coloring is the “play” that hardworking Americans need; there’s actually some hefty psychology involved. In the early 1900s, psychologist Carl Jung began to prescribe the coloring of mandalas — detailed designs that are generally concentric in structure — to his patients who suffered from anxiety. Jung knew that the amygdala controls the fear response in the brain; therefore, an activity such as coloring, which does not involve the amygdala, should reduce anxiety. That’s right, coloring parties. They’re all the rage. And how different are they, really, from some of the get-togethers of bygone days? I’m reminded of those BBC costume dramas that depict Regency-era gentlewomen sipping tea and embroidering counterpanes with friends. I’m not a gentlewoman, I don’t embroider and I’m not sure what a counterpane is … but if you’ll excuse me, I’ll fetch my Jane Austen coloring book and we can see what Mr. Darcy looks like wearing paisley breeches and a pink cravat. Find adult coloring books most everywhere including grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, book stores, the Cole Couture Boutique and Hearth & Soul. TM

SECRET GARDEN/ENCHANTED FOREST colorists will enjoy adding to the already gorgeous artwork in these interactive coloring and activity books, available from Laurence King Publishing. Each intricately detailed book in the series features hand-drawn images (nothing computergenerated, here), a colorable cover and plenty of room for colorists to create their own designs. Journey through a fairytale forest complete with castles, flora, mazes, treasure chests and hidden objects. Fairytale fantasies live on, knight in shining armor not included. Other books recently released are MAGICAL JUNGLE and LOST OCEAN. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Self-proclaimed “ink evangelist” Johanna Basford was raised on a fish farm in rural Scotland. Her pen-and-ink drawings, which were inspired by the wild landscape in which she lived as a child, can be seen in her coloring books.

CALMING COLOURING: PATTERN: 80 BLISSFUL PATTERNS TO COLOR IN Coloring, on its own, is soothing, but when you add repeated patterns to the mix, the potential for relaxation knows no limits! This adult coloring book features 80 unique patterns, large and small ranging from intricate grids, Art Nouveau prints, floral patterns and medieval motifs. Let your chosen colored pencils guide you along the patterns. ABOUT THE AUTHOR South African artist Graham Leslie McCallum is the author of numerous books, including Pattern Motifs: A Sourcebook, as well as the “4000 Design Motifs” series. He received his first drawing lessons from his mother.

It’s all about the core. While hard-cored, wax-based pencils are the most common colored pencils on the market, that doesn’t necessarily make them preferable. In general, hard-cored pencils keep a sharp tip, which means they last for a long time and are great for creating details, clean edges and outlines. Soft-core pencils don’t keep a sharp tip, which means you’ll go through them more quickly. But they produce vivid, smooth colors. Wax-based colored pencils tend to look light on paper. They’re great for layering or blending colors. Oil-based colored pencils are pricier than are wax-based pencils, because the colors are so intense. Each swipe of the pencil lays down a lot of color. But oh, those colors!

22 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

SAIGE ROBERTS (BOOKS) AND SAM BRILL (BASFORD)

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CHARACTERS

AN UNFLAGGING RADIO JOURNALIST Bureau chief is dedicated to his craft

by JACK LEVINE

ick Flagg is a radio journalist who files multiple stories daily as the Tallahassee bureau chief for the Florida News Network, which, according to the FNN website, reaches 90-percent of the state’s vast media markets with a listening audience of 3.2 million. But don’t be fooled by the statistics. When you listen to Flagg on air or in person, he’s speaking only to you. His mellow voice emanates from a complex brain and bear-like body. The man is a hairy beast with the tender heart of a caring child, gathering words to tell us what he sees in ways that inform, inspire and, on occasion, instigate. A late-70s graduate of the Florida A&M School of Journalism, Flagg’s early forays into print and broadcast media landed him a temporary gig as a political reporter in 1978 — and he never turned back. For 38 years, Flagg has patrolled the halls at the State Capitol. His coverage of the politics, policies, people and personalities that Florida government work, or not work, is legendary. In the clammy corridors of the Capitol, Flagg is the wild and wooly exception to the rule. No other reporter works in flip-flops, cut-off shorts and flowery shirts or Flagg is no sports long, flowing stranger to being heard or hair and a beard down for that matter to his belly. noticed with an Flagg’s childhood and unmistakable voice and teen years were spent signature beard. across three continents as the son of an Air Force officer who specialized in top secret intelligence gathering, interrogation training and high-level cold war espionage. Flagg, then, knew nothing of his dad’s work life details; that would have been a violation of military law. Misplaced curiosity in that game could kill more than the cat. »

24 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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September–October 2016

Fall in Love with Narcissus

Introducing

TED BAKER at

1408 TIMBERLANE | 850-668-4807 26 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Does his secrecy-filled early life fuel Flagg’s insatiable hunger for deciphering the code of political conduct? Quite possibly. He’s always asking the who, what, when, where questions, but he mostly wants us to know “How the heck did that happen?” Rick searches for explanation and meaning behind closed doors and within dark depths of political minds. Government officials try to deflect Rick’s probing queries, but they seldom succeed. One glance from the eyes beneath his mismatched brows prompts truth-telling from even the most resistant pol. Who was his favorite interviewee? The late Gov. Lawton Chiles without a doubt. “That guy couldn’t even try to be evasive — it wasn’t in him,” Flagg said. “He enjoyed living in his own skin and freely bared his soul. He respected people and shared his love for political workings. And those incomparable country phrases. ‘Never miss the chance to take a pee’ was the way he said to get the job done when circumstances dictated action.” Flagg’s life changed dramatically in 1981. His daughter Katie was born with Down Syndrome providing Rick and his then-wife Rose with both the greatest emotional challenge and strongest source of learning they ever experienced. Flagg says that Katie’s journey with health and education challenges has taught him many loving lessons: appreciation in the face of hardship, taking joy from life’s gifts and never expecting anything but the unexpected. Also, he had learned that government is essential in the lives of people with needs and should never be disregarded or dismissed in empty political rhetoric. “If I make a promise to Katie, it’s one I’m sure to keep,” Flagg said. “Love demands commitment.” Then there’s beekeeping, a hobby which Rick has taken to with a passion. Tucked into a corner of his lot at his Frenchtown home are eight, multi-level colorful hives. The buzzing music of their industry is an inspiration for Rick to live as nature dictates. Worker bees live less than a month, proving that much can be accomplished in concentrated timeframes. Their flight in search of nectar and pollen brings them home to produce honey, nature’s most perfect food. The bees’ role as pollinator and sustainer of the life cycle of vegetables, fruits and flowers is among the most remarkable of nature’s wonders. Flagg said that tending to his bees satisfies his need to respect the role all of us play in the complex game of life. JACK LEVINE OF Rick Flagg is a character exTALLAHASSEE IS THE traordinaire. Once you meet FOUNDER OF him, the impression of his pow4GENERATIONS erful personality will last a lifeINSTITUTE. time. TM

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HEALTH & EXERCISE

YOUR ‘BEST’ FITNESS TRACKER

To find the activity band that’s best for you, start asking questions by ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

nce upon a time, long, long — OK, three years — ago, there were pretty much two options for strapping a device on your wrist to track your daily activity: a Fitbit or the Jawbone.

But that’s forever in tech time and, today, there are hundreds of choices when it comes to wearable devices, alternatively known as fitness trackers or activity bands. While the originals were technologically advanced and did a great job tracking steps, calorie burn and sleep, newer iterations from the original manufacturers as well as other companies — from the ubiquitous Apple to a China’s cheap, colorful Xiaomi — are packing in more new features every day. “A fitness tracker is like a portable trainer for accountability — think of it as that little voice reminding you to get up, to take the stairs instead of the elevator, to push that heart rate a little higher on your jog,” says Shannon Colavecchio, owner of Midtown’s Badass Fitness studio and an avid runner. “It can be the motivator that is the difference between someone doing that workout, or not.” For those who want to join the revolution, upgrade from their activity band 1.0 or replace

28 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

one that’s gone kaput, question is obvious: What’s the best fitness tracker for me? And the answer is: It depends. To find your perfect band, you’re going to need to ask yourself questions — lots and lots of questions. For starters, what do you want your tracker to do? Count steps? You can do that with a pedometer. Even the fanciest versions only cost $20, are easy to operate and let you know how close you’re getting to that 10,000 steps-a-day goal. Most new-generation fitness trackers also will estimate how many calories you’re burning, your heart rate, how many miles you’ve walked and how much sleep you’re getting. They come with apps to give you a long-term look at your activity level; and can be synced via wire or Bluetooth. If you’re planning to wear it all day, every day, style and comfort are key. Do you have sensitivity to Latex? Do you care about the look of wearing a “rubber” bracelet? »

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cmpss.co/create TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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30 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Misfit’s Shine devices are simple and pretty on their own, but a blinged out Swarvoski version ($249) turns your tracker into statement jewelry. Swiss watchmaker Mondaine has a beautiful (albeit pricey at $850) line that has the look of a quality analog timepiece, but with the technical innards to also serve GEARING UP as an activity tracker. TO GET OUT Are you on the move? Garmin’s Vivoactive ($250) might be the one for you. The folks who brought us the car GPS can track your running, swimming, biking or golfing using the same technology. Here are some other considerations: Is it easy to charge and ↑ sync? What’s my budget? Is it APPLE WATCH OS reliable? Can it easily connect Track distance, pace, calories, heart rate, to other users for encouragebreathing and time. Compare progress, ment and competition? Does compete against friends and even send it need a chest strap to monitor encouraging messages my heartbeat? Do I want it to through iMessage. Specialized workouts track general movement or athfor wheelchair users are available. letic performance? Does it play well with other fitness apps? (For example, while bands are good at tracking how many calories you burn, it’s going to take a different app, such as My Fitness Pal, for you to track how many calories are going in.) Once you’ve figured out what you want to use it for and your band budget, let the inter↑ net research begin! Reviews, MISFIT SHINE product comparisons and bestAutomatically tracks distance, steps, calories of lists abound. The website and sleep. The food wareable.com is dedicated to journal allows you to log your food intake these devices and offers up deand track your weight. The non-charging, tailed stories daily about their replaceable battery lasts up to 6 months. features and reliability. TM

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6/27/162016 1:37 PM September–October 31

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323 HUNTER

TURKEY NUMBERS GROWING

GREAT OUTDOORS

THE GOBBLER GAME

To the patient hunter goes the early bird by JESSE BRASWELL

am a 9-year-old on Christmas Eve. Turkey season starts tomorrow. All night I toss and turn, my heart rate elevated, visions of gobblers dancing in my head. I don’t fall all of the way to sleep until right before the alarm clock rings out. Brrrrrring. It’s game time. My hands trembling, I scramble to get prepared for my favorite day of the year. After checking my bags multiple times, I load them into my truck and head out well before sunrise. I reach my destination, woods I know well, and suit up in camo. I paint my face in hues of brown and green, load my Benelli shotgun and amble into field. The woods are a chessboard where the contest will be played out, me versus the elusive wild turkey. The morning arrives slowly, black night giving way to predawn rosiness. From a distance comes the sound that I have been yearning to hear. The gobble is not far away, maybe 250 yards. It’s my move. Stumbling over branches, I make my way to a spot — a beautiful oak bottom hammock — where I feel comfortable setting up. I am surrounded by a mixture of long leaf pine, cypress trees, scrub oaks and rye fields, including one

32 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

just 75 yards in front of me. I could not have commissioned an artist to create a setting as inviting to me as this one. After settling into position and giving the bird time enough to fly down off his roost, I purr softly with my three-reed mouth call. The bird responds immediately, ensuring me that I have captured his attention. I wait minutes that seem like hours, then commence going through my repertoire of calls. I yelp, cut, cackle and purr, but the bird seems too have vanished. Did I do something wrong? In my younger years, I would have gotten to my feet and attempted to close the gap between me and the bird, but that is the biggest mistake any turkey hunter can make. Wild turkeys are some of the most wary and deliberate creatures there are. Patience is paramount. So I stay in position, every once in a while producing a soft purr with my mouth call, hoping that the bird remains in the area. After an hour, I have almost given up hope on this bird. Then it seizes my attention; its unmistakable red head is before me. I pull the trigger. Success never means the game is over. Their team is just a man down. TM

➸ The wild turkey was hunted nearly to extinction by the early 1900s, when the population reached a low of around 30,000 birds. But restoration programs across North America have brought the numbers up to an estimated 7 million today. Baby turkeys, called poults, eat berries, seeds and insects, while adults have a more varied diet that can include acorns and even small reptiles. The male is substantially larger than the female, and his feathers have areas of red, purple, green, copper, bronze, and gold. Female feathers are duller overall, in shades of brown and grey. Turkeys have the ability to learn the precise details of an area over 1,000 acres in size. Benjamin Franklin favored making the wild turkey America’s national bird rather than the bald eagle.

photography by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES FALL 2016

SEPTEMBER 14

OCTOBER 5–6

Ragamala Dance Company - World Premiere of Written in Water

NOVEMBER 1

Birdman Live with Antonio Sánchez

NOVEMBER 15

Joe Pug

NOVEMBER 22

Joey Alexander Trio

Tickets go on sale to the general public on September 14

OCTOBER 12

Agents of Change (Film)

Donald Cried (Film)

OCTOBER 13

OCTOBER 18

Roomful of Teeth

Mipso

NOVEMBER 9

NUTS! (Film)

NOVEMBER 23

Annie

DECEMBER 8

The Hot Sardines - Holiday Stomp

850.644.6500 openingnights.fsu.edu

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AERIAL TALLAHASSEE

Doak Rises Stronger

hat’s that sound? There, among the cacophony of hammers meeting steel, cranes craning and trucks and tractors beeping, is an unmistakable chant, a murmur for now. But it is sure to grow to a roar when improvements to Doak Campbell Stadium are completed, machinery is silenced and football season kicks off. Millions of dollars in renovations and improvements will ensure that Doak takes its place as one of the most extraordinary athletic venues in the country. While honoring Florida State University’s storied football past, the project will see to it that there really is no substitute for experiencing a game at the stadium, no matter how many replay angles television coverage affords. The new Champions Club will include 5,500 additional seats and a 600-foot-long glass wall serving as a giant window on the field of play. The fan experience will be enhanced with high-speed elevators, padded club seats and updated restrooms and food stations. Doak’s grand reopening is slated for Sept. 9, a day before the Charleston Southern Buccaneers arrive in town for the Seminoles’ home opener. Pirates, beware! Inspired by their new digs, the Seminoles will settle for nothing short of a championship season. — REBECCA

PADGETT

AERIAL TALLAHASSEE is exploring Tallahassee from the sky and sharing their unique finds with Tallahassee Magazine readers. To see more bird’s eye photos of our city, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

34 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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323 EDUCATION

PREPARING TO LAUNCH Dr. Hightower’s sense of purpose leads FAMU to new heights by JOSEPH ZEBALLOS-ROIG

hen Dr. Roscoe Hightower was an undergraduate student majoring in business administration at Florida A&M University, he harbored dreams of being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He wasn’t, however, motivated to pursue power or wealth. Instead, he hoped to leave the world better than he found it. Although he isn’t chairing IBM or Comcast today, Hightower views his 18 years as a marketing professor at FAMU as “a dream come true” and a rewarding twist in his life. “I got the impact on the world but I got it differently,” Hightower says. “Instead of being the head of a Fortune 500 company, I am a professor that has an impact on thousands of young people. So we’re changing the world one student at a time, and it’s incredible.” Hightower has always favored a hands-on approach to higher education. Over the years, he has created six university courses in service, sports and entrepreneurship. In his classes, Hightower strives to teach students the realworld skills they’ll need to succeed in a 21st-century workforce. “I like to challenge students, so I set up courses that if you do well, what you’ve done will leave you very well qualified to get a job,” Hightower says. What will cement Hightower’s legacy on campus, though, is his role in creating the undergraduate and master’s degree Facilities Management (FM) programs at FAMU in 2012, which he affectionately calls “his baby.” Originally an idea introduced by Dr. Shawnta Friday-Stroud, the dean of FAMU’s School of Business and Industry, the FM program was built from the ground up with Hightower at the helm. It remains the only program of its kind in Florida and is the first FM program to be offered by a historically black academic institution. Facility managers, according to Hightower, oversee places including convention centers, airports and hotels. They ensure that government and environmental standards are met and supervise renovation projects. While the field offers numerous jobs, skilled graduates are few — a problem compounded by an aging workforce.

36 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS FORECAST FOR FACILITY MANAGERS ➸ According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of administrative managers (including facility managers) is EXPECTED TO GROW 8% BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024, a growth rate equal to the average for all occupations. ➸ The BLS forecasts that a GREATER FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY will keep facility managers in demand.

“Facilities management as an industry is in trouble,” Hightower says. “Our average employee age is 49 while the American worker’s average age is around 45. What that says is that in 10 to 15 years, we’re going to have a huge gap between people who know something and people who know nothing.” Hightower is dedicated to making sure that students are prepared with the latest knowledge. Back in February, he traveled to Stuttgart in southern Germany on behalf of FAMU to spend time with European FM students. He was struck by Europeans’ steadfast commitment to sustainability, exemplified by the Mercedes-Benz Museum opting for an artificial indoor tornado to dispel smoke in the event of a fire. “Our cultures may have different approaches and different lines of sight, but the more we’re different, the more we’re the same,” Hightower says. “And our common link was facilities management.” Reflecting on the program he nurtured, Hightower expressed confidence that FAMU is positioning itself as one of the top facility management programs in the nation. “We want to be prepared to deliver what the marketplace needs and wants. We work hard every day attempting to be the best,” Hightower says. “We are leading in what we do.” TM

➸ While competition is currently “strong” for higher-level administrative jobs, the BLS says an INCREASE IN RETIREMENT IN THE COMING YEARS WILL PRODUCE MORE JOB OPENINGS. Competition is less intense for lowerlevel jobs. “Facilities management as an industry is in trouble. Our average employee age is 49 while the American worker’s average age is around 45. What that says is that in 10 to 15 years, we’re going to have a huge gap between people who know something and people who know nothing.” — Dr. JUDY ARTHUR Roscoe Hightower photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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LOOKING BACK

You want to always order your dessert first. You want to be sure to get some because they always seem to run out.

1. Honesty is the best policy. I tell it like it is, and usually things work out all right. 2. But a little white lie might

be necessary sometimes. Like when you tell a woman how very beautiful she is when you know she’s not.

3. Always answer your letters and phone calls promptly because if you put if off, you might never answer, and that makes people feel bad. If people call you, they’re looking for an answer. 4. I never met a person I

didn’t like; there’s something good about everybody.

5. I never did drink. It throws

Ninety-nine years on this planet provides a plethora of lessons both large and small. Benson Skelton is qualified to impart his knowledge.

smile when you get your picture taken.

12. Every day, I try to call someone who is a long-time, no-see friend because it builds them up a little bit. 13. Be nice to your wife and compliment her. Take her out to eat, buy her flowers and tell her how nice her necklace looks. She deserves to hear those things. 14. You don’t ever want to hate anybody; if you do, it’s worse on you than on them.

6. You should always thank people; it’s a nice thing to do. I always say, “Thank you, thank you” to let them know I mean it.

15. Courtesy is the cheapest thing in the world. It doesn’t cost a thing to be nice.

8. Women are better than

men. They can do so many things better than men.

9. Enthusiasm is a great word. It means you’re going at it full force and not letting anything stop you.

EDITOR’S NOTE

11. Moisten your lips and

your mind out of order and pretty soon you’re drunk, and that’s no good.

7. I wasn’t a baker. It takes a smart man to be a baker. I just owned and operated a bakery.

by BENSON SKELTON

10. You can’t control love. It’s a funny old thing. When you love someone, you want to do anything for that person. Maybe “lovey-dovey” is a better word for it.

16. Every time you pass a water fountain, you should take a sip. 17. You don’t want to argue with anyone who wants to argue. 18. My wife always said, “You don’t sit by anyone who is coughing, you just get up and move.”

It is impossible to absorb even a small percentage of the knowledge that Benson Skelton obtained during his long life that included nearly 70 years in Tallahassee. Skelton owned Tally-Made bakery, helped found Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and was a life member of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. For an article that appeared in the March/April 2004 edition of Tallahassee Magazine, Skelton shared the following musings with then-editor T. Bart Pfankuch.

38 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA, FLORIDA MEMORY

WISDOM AND WITTICISMS FROM BENSON SKELTON

SKELTON’S MUSINGS AND LESSONS LEARNED

Six OfficeS tO Serve YOu from Tallahassee thru to the Emerald Coast

NAuMANNGrOuP.cOM

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RELATIONSHIPS

TELEGENIC CHEMISTRY On and off camera, there is no denying this friendship It is likely that you, while sipping your morning coffee, have looked at the co-anchors on your favorite morning show and pondered whether their banter and apparent camaraderie is genuine or just a mirage playing out in front of glaring lights and rolling cameras. Spend even two minutes with Ann Howard and Audra Pittman of the local television program, “AM Break with Ann & Audra,” however, and it becomes apparent that their rapport is authentic and their affection for one another is real. They even showed up to an interview with Tallahassee Magazine dressed in complementary color schemes, laughing yet unsurprised by that coincidence. Neither can recall how and when they met. Somewhere between attending the same events and running in similar social circles, they became aware of one another. A lightbulb moment hit Howard one day as she spotted Pittman from across a room: She had found her future cohost for a locally based women’s show she had been dreaming about pursuing for years with producer Joel Silver. Pittman, unbeknownst, would soon face her fate. After hours of talking about the idea, they decided to take on Tallahassee television. Howard studied journalism in college, while Pittman had no prior knowledge of the craft. “I remember I showed up at ‘Best of Tallahassee’ in 2014 and Ann handed me a microphone. Then she left me to fend for myself,” Pittman laughed. “I ended

up doing all right, and it came more naturally than I thought.” After almost two years of airtime, “natural” has become a lifestyle that wouldn’t be complete without one another. “It has come from not really knowing her to now she’s a part of my family,” Pittman says, smiling toward Howard. “She’s genuine and does everything from the heart.” “I feel the same about her,” nods Howard. “I’m impressed by her constantly. She’s the whole package and has so much that she juggles in her life, but she never complains and makes it all look gracefully effortless.” While this is a tender moment and the two immensely value each other, their friendship is versatile enough that they are hysterically laughing at an inside joke moments later. “Her sense of humor, she just gets it,” Howard says. “As women, there are things I’ve told her that are personal, and she reacts exactly in the way I hoped she would. On the show, she will start laughing at something and I know exactly what triggered it, so I lose it too.” Their friendship extends beyond the workplace or television screens as they

by REBECCA PADGETT

try to make time for each other at a minimum of once a week, plan cultural dates and constantly text one another — anything from encouraging messages to inappropriate jokes. “You can’t fake authenticity, and viewers can tell that these two ladies really like each other and are having a great time doing what they do,” says “AM Break with Ann & Audra” producer Joel Silver. “Ann and Audra are both Type A, strong leaders, but somehow they make their friendship work. They have a lot of fun on air, but we have even more fun once the cameras stop rolling. They have something “You can’t fake really special beauthenticity, and tween them.” viewers can tell Neither woman is from Tallahassee, that these two and at first they ladies really like wrote the city off. each other and Many years spent raising families are having a here and sharing great time doing their friendship what they do.” have changed their — “AM Break with Ann & minds. Audra” producer Joel Silver “I’m pretty sure we are going to die here,” Howard says. “At this point, we are fully involved in our community and all of the amazing things going on here. And at this point, we couldn’t be without each other. I’ve found someone who will laugh with me at the stuff you shouldn’t laugh at.” TM

CLOTHING AND JEWELRY FROM NARCISSUS CASUAL PHOTOS (ON COVER) Audra (blue dress): Amanda Uprichard cobalt cut-out dress, $170 \\ House of Harlow Accessories, $98 Ann (black dress): Alex Evenings collared wrapdress, $195 \\ Fringe earrings, $22 FORMAL PHOTOS Audra (black dress): Monique Lhuillier high-low formal, $698 \\ Kate Spade strappy pumps, $264 \\ Alexis Bitter lucite drop earrings, $135 Ann (maroon dress): Aidan Mattox metallic rose gown, $495 \\ Crystal bracelet $20 and earrings, $27 PROPS FROM HEARTH & SOUL Cup and saucer by Montes Doggett, $59 (ON COVER) \\ Soho cigar chair, $1,747.50

40 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

There’s never a dull moment with these two. The laughter, smiles and silly moments are infectious on and off camera.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

42 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

panache FOR HIM Dress Shirt Etiquette || CITIZEN OF STYLE Susan Turner || WHAT’S IN STORE Retail Roundup

SEPT/OCT 2016

↘ Out of Print Frankenstein Tee is ideal for the philanthropic bookworm.

REGARDING MATTERS OF ALL THINGS STYLISH

FOR HER

CLOTHING FOR A CAUSE

Build your wardrobe with a clear conscience

COURTESY OUT OF PRINT

by REEVES TRIVETTE

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

panache

44 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM



LOCALLY LOVED

There are endless online shopping sites that give directly to charity and allow you to make donations with your purchases. Shopping locally is another way of giving back by depositing money directly into our community. Here are some local boutiques contributing to causes: Cole Couture, Narcissus, Fab’rik, Sparkle by Madison, Walter Green, Loli & The Bean, Bedfellows, My Favorite Things, Southern Compass and The Grey Fox.

COURTESY ELEGANTEES

very savvy shopper has been overtaken by doubts in the checkout lane. “Should I buy this? … I don’t actually need it. But I can wear it with so much. … I shouldn’t spend money on this … .” We can all relate. The good news is that there are ways to silence that “Bad Shopper Angel” sitting on your shoulder. Several clothing lines have made buying their products an act of charity. Part of every dollar spent goes toward helping a greater good, often in more ways than one. Sevenly, a brand that helps multiple ↗ charities, donates 7% of its receipts to a Elegantees different cause each week. Jess ShaThe navy dress is named Helena, $64, piro, a fashion-forward employee Free shipping and of Ooh La La in Tallahassee, loves returns when this line for more than just its cute these styles are available. and comfy style. Visit Sevenly’s website to see what they’re up to this week. “I’ve realized how lucky I am to live a safe and healthy life,” she says. “I love being able to spend money on something I value that’s also going to give back to others who are struggling.” Elegantees strives to restore confidence and rebuild the lives of women who have All of the fashion lines mentioned mainfallen victim to sex trafficking operations tain commitments to quality, employing in Nepal. All Elegantees products are made materials including cotton, polyester and by recovering, rescued women. Spandex. The products are machine washThe money from sales goes toward able and represent good customer value. building a safe work environment, as well The charitable trend has caught up with as creating more job opportunities for other lines — Out of Print, FEED, The these women. With one elegant T-shirt at Vintage Twin, the ASOS Africa Colleca time, this brand wishes to reinforce indetion, and Love Your Melon — each dedipendence, a healthy self-image and a posicated to championing causes. tive outlook. For the consumer, Elegantees “Pretty often, people who work for a and its employees, it’s a win-win-win. charitable clothing organization come in For animal-lovers, Ivory Ella offers an and ask if we’re interested in selling their opportunity to take part in protecting enitems,” Shapiro said. “I’ve learned that dangered animals. With a mission of proit’s such an easy way to benefit something viding “thoughtful and upstanding” indigreat, so the other employees and I are alviduals with great products of high quality, ways looking to help support.” this brand of adorable T-shirts and accesGiving is always in style and these fine sories helps save wildlife by donating 10% lines give you a cool way to add flare to of its net profits to Save the Elephants and your closet. Do your part to put the Bad other causes. Shopper Angel out of business. TM

UNIQUE STYLE. YOUR WAY. Blue Abaco

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The Grey Fox

206 E. 6th Avenue Tallahassee, FL 32303 850.894.8372 TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

panache FOR HIM

DRESS SHIRT BASICS

CHOOSE THE RIGHT MATERIAL … 4

➸ DO: Be picky about wrinkle-free materials. Your saving grace when you’re running behind schedule, this shirt is manufactured using two methods. The best kind of material has the wrinkle-free feature built into the cotton while lesser shirts are bathed in chemicals. The former is going to last longer, feel more comfortable and is free of rough chemicals.

Dress it up or down; wear it tucked in or out by REEVES TRIVETTE

As trends evolve, the men’s dress shirt is becoming more and more versatile. While dress shirts always present a sharp look, dress shirt etiquette has relaxed quite a bit. The dress shirt is not just for the office anymore. Here are some basic guidelines for perfecting this classic look for any occasion. 1

WHILE GETTING FITTED …

➸ DO: Pay close attention to the collar and cuff. “The neck size and sleeve are the two most important things,” says Roody Autain from Jos. A. Bank. These are the two things that will shrink the most when a shirt goes through the wash; dress shirts aren’t usually manufactured with consideration given to the washing machine. ➸ THE KEY: Add half an inch when measuring collar and cuff. ➸ DON’T: Think you can get away without your measurements. Even though shirts can now be purchased in a small, medium or large, “People do need to learn how to size themselves. That’s a big deal, with everybody. You’re gonna have to try it on,” Nic’s Toggery’s Victor Gavalas insists. Every customer likes his particular fit, and it’s important to make sure you get one tailored to you.

WHEN CHOOSING PATTERNS …

FOR THE FORMAL OCCASION …

➸ DON’T: Wear two things with the same pattern; this actually clashes. If you’re wearing a checkered or striped tie, you’ll want to stick with a solid shirt or one with a different pattern.

➸ DON’T: Go too bold. According to Autain, “When you’re attending a formal event, you want everything to have a solid look to it.” Wear a bold pattern or checked shirt for a sportier look on casual occasions. But for formal functions, simple details and colors do the trick.

➸ DO: Branch out! Try going for something you normally wouldn’t wear and you might pleasantly surprise yourself. “If you know how to match your patterns and you know what you’re doing, you can add a lot of expression to yourself,” Gavalas says.

➸ THE KEY: Large patterns should accompany small patterns, and vice versa.

➸ DO: Pull out a tie. Gavalas says, “That will complement everything — that’s really how you dress it up.” A tie’s not your style? A pocket square is just as sharp.

➸ DON’T: Neglect the purely cotton woven shirt. Nothing feels exactly like one of these, so it’s a good idea to keep a few around. Autain suggests staying away from polyester blends. They’re less comfortable and the quality isn’t as good as cotton.

FINALLY …

Have about 10 to 15 dress shirts in your wardrobe and keep them in circulation so you don’t wear out one look. Follow these pointers and you can be confident that your look is timeless, even as times change.

SHIRT SHOWN HERE: CHECKED POPLIN SHIRT BY ETON, 100% COTTON, FROM NIC'S TOGGERY ($275) — A VERSATILE BUSINESS SHIRT WITH A SMALL, YET ELEGANT CHECK PATTERN COMBINED WITH MODERN DETAILS SUCH AS COLOURED BUTTONS AND BUTTON THREAD. WE SUGGEST YOU WEAR THIS WITH A PAIR OF JEANS AND AN UNLINED JACKET OR TOGETHER WITH A SUIT FOR A SHARPER LOOK AT WORK. PERFECT FOR MODERN BUSINESS AND LEISURE WEAR.

46 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

EYE CARE + EYE WEAR. BET TER TOGETHER.

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GAME GEAR Southern Compass Outfitters is your go to place to get ready for all your tailgating activities. Whether you need some FSU gear, a Yeti cup or cooler, or a pair of shorts, we are here to get you ready for all the fun and festivities.

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TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

panache

TURNER TIPS FOR TURNING HEADS Here are a few things Susan Turner keeps in mind when she dresses for the day or evening. ➺ COLOR “I love it. Reds, purples, forest greens and black. Pastels and beige aren’t for me.” ➺ ACCESSORIES “In order of what I think are important additions: scarves, jewelry, shoes.” ➺ LEG WEAR “I love tights. They’re practical and somehow protective. Did you know Vera Wang wears them every day?”

TURNER’S WARDROBE

➺ FASHION INSPIRATIONS: “Jackie Onassis. Anna Wintour (editor of Vogue).”

➺ Turner turns classic into creative in a modern grey dress by Céline paired with vintage jewelry with sentimental meanings. The pearls, which she wears daily, were passed down from her mother-in-law. Her arm candy includes her mother’s art deco bracelet and an antique men’s watch from the 1930s.

➺ WHAT SHE LOOKS FOR IN CLOTHES “Something classic with a twist … an asymmetrical hemline; unusual material; a zipper where you wouldn’t expect it. For me, clothes are pieces of art when done well. They can move me as much as a great painting.”

CITIZEN OF STYLE

Haute Cuisine and Haute Couture Food Glorious Food’s Susan Turner revels in both by MARINA BROWN

t’s 11 a.m. on a dreary Thursday and Susan Turner, co-owner of Food Glorious Food, one of Tallahassee’s most iconic upscale eateries, looks like, well, a million bucks. Petite, her auburn hair severely pulled back into a bun and wearing a black waist-hugging leather jacket, twisted pearls and a soft pink scarf, she also sports red suede ballerina flats and her signature tights, this time in fishnet. Oh, and she’s also just completed her daily— yes daily—TEN MILE walk! That walking regimen, along with thriceweekly Pilates, may explain a lot. Turner still wears a size “0” even though food has

been her business since she began professionally catering to Tallahasseans in 1980. “My husband (attorney Stephen Turner) loved to eat and I loved to cook. Over time it just seemed natural to open a restaurant,” says Turner, who for years planned the menus, created recipes and was the original cook at FGF. “I think that’s why I still enjoy wearing flats,” she says. “And also why now I love clothes, feminine clothes. In the kitchen, you’re pretty stuck.” Turner describes her own style as “eclectic/classic with an edge.” When she visits her grandchildren in New York City she

48 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

shops but also picks out items online at Moda Operandi where she can preorder fashions straight off the runway or at Net-aPorter headquartered in London. And yet, fun for Turner is a visit to Target where she occasionally picks and chooses pieces that together say haute couture. Turner laughs that both her parents and her husband’s parents were originally in the clothing store business. “And some of the best advice I ever got was from my motherin-law who told me, ‘One piece of quality clothing is worth five that are not.’” So it is that her closet holds pieces that are 30 years old and still stunning. Even though Turner’s delicate form may be the envy of many, the dynamo who sits on at least six boards, chairs galas and puts in hours overseeing operations at Food Glorious Food, says that dressing stylishly is the provenance of everyone. “It’s a question of attitude,” she says. “I believe in looking your age, but doing it with confidence. Posture, being healthy, feeling comfortable in what you have on project that confidence — and that means more than a great dress.” TM photography by LYDIA BELL/ELLEBELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

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September–October 2016

panache IT’S IN THE BAG

COLORFUL CARRY-ALLS

Bold prints aren’t just for summer. GREY FOX’s latest patterns from Vera Bradley will add a dash of color to any fall wardrobe. The Painted Feathers line practically screams the FSU War Chant with shades of garnet, gold, rust and grey feathers floating through the patterns. Gallatin’s golden glow makes it well suited for the Seminole. Java Floral will transport back to the 1970s with dusty blues and warm browns. PAINTED FEATHERS

WHAT’S IN STORE? A roundup of retail happenings throughout Tallahassee by REBECCA PADGETT

Why wear the same boots and sweaters that everyone else is wearing this fall when you can stand out? It’s guaranteed that none of your friends will have the same vintage leather boots, chunky knit scarves, 1950s cardigans, vintage plaid, leather jackets and timeless fur coats that can be found at CURIO in Railroad Square.

DRESS IT UP

PEPPY PRINTS PINK NARCISSUS is here to give your tired fall wardrobe a chic resort look with Lily Pulitzer’s Palm Beach perspective, a style that favors understated luxury achieved through scarf styling, fringe accessories, exposed shoulders, flirty ruffles and bright, unapologetic floral embellishments that work even after the weather cools.

50 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

TRACY ARRINGTON

→ THE WINE HOUSE on Market Street is a newly opened artisanal wine shop and wine bar that takes a personal approach to sharing its experience, passion and knowledge of wine. The wines are carefully selected to give customers a unique experience tailored to their tastes and to events ranging from weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events and all celebratory occasions. The knowledgeable staff helps to personalize your selection and assist with food pairings. Warm, friendly and refined, The Wine House presents a fine wine experience.

JEWELRY

BRIGHT BAUBLES

Jewel tones take center stage during the fall. From deep ruby reds, to bold emerald greens to striking cobalt blues, Yael Designs is widely recognized for their bold, colorful fine jewelry. Yael, headquartered in San Francisco, delivers a taste of the West Coast to customers who adore this collection. ↑ “Simple, yet intricate and elegant” describes Tracy Arrington’s jewelry, which is handcrafted using precious metals and a variety of gemstones. The designer is Florida-based, and her pieces are available exclusively at THE GEM COLLECTION.

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September–October 2016

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gastro&gusto DINING OUT Liberty Bar || LIBATIONS Cider || DINING GUIDE See Page 205

SEPT/OCT 2016

FROM THE SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE TO THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE

HOME COOKIN’

FROM HOOK TO TABLE TROUT WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT

by STEVE BORNHOFT

TROUT AMANDINE See recipe on page 54

photography by JAMES STEFIUK

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

gastro & gusto

rom Panama City to Panacea, coming by a keeper-size speckled trout is today a whole lot more difficult than it was even a few years ago. Some folks figure the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is to blame. Others point to 2014’s extraordinary rainfall total, which they say damaged trout habitat. And there are those who flat believe that the trout simply have been fished out. So it was that I was disappointed to find that the bait stop on the way to the landing was out of live shrimp. Catching a keeper now was going to be all the more difficult. I was a guest aboard a boat owned by my brother-in-law, Paddy Juarez. We rounded the No. 11 buoy near the St. Marks lighthouse and headed west to grass flats that had in the past been productive. Over the next several hours, we caught more ladyfish and undersized trout than we could keep track of before, finally, a speck measuring just over 15 inches inhaled the DOA artificial shrimp I was fishing beneath a Cajun Thunder float. I put it on ice. Never have I been one to waste fish, nor am I one to freeze them. I would be sure to take good care of this fish and eat fresh. As a boy with a paper route, I was told by my father that I would more greatly appreciate items I purchased myself than those given to me. He was right about that and right again when he assured me that no fish tastes better than the one you catch yourself. Through the years, I have owned all manner of fillet knives, including an electric one that I could not get used to, anymore than I could adapt to an electric razor. For a long while, I favored wood-handle knives manufactured by Normark and received as stocking stuffers. Today, I prefer a Dexter-Russell model with an 8-inch, narrow blade and a textured, white-plastic handle. It’s hefty enough for anything I’m likely to land and the blade is flexible which makes it easier to keep it in contact with the fish’s backbone when you go to clean your catch. And, if it slips off a cleaning table and drops into a pelican’s mouth, I won’t agonize. You can get one for about 20 beans — the knife, that is, not the pelican. I own, too, a deluxe fillet knife that I purchased from a couple of girls who were selling cutlery to put themselves through college. I paid the equivalent of six college credits for the durned thing, enough that I don’t want to tarnish it by using it. Specks are among the easiest fish to clean, save for this: When you slice into one behind the pectoral fin and start your knife toward the tail, you will encounter a rubbery, white organ, the swim

54 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

↗TROUT AMANDINE Ingredients

➺ 4 tablespoons butter ➺ 2 (6 ounce or so) fillets ➺ salt and pepper to taste ➺ 2 tablespoons lemon juice ➺ ¼ cup almond slices or slivers, toasted ➺ 1 tablespoon parsley

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in pan over medium heat until it bubbles, add fish, cook 2-3 minutes per side and then set fish aside. Add remaining butter to the pan and cook it until it browns. Add almonds and cook until lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice and parsley, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Serve the fish covered in the sauce. The fish may be served with a touch of creole or Cajun seasoning and goes great with asparagus.

bladder. Pause there and pull the bladder from the trout. Otherwise, things tend to go awry. And, it’s a good idea to use a second, deliberately dull knife when skinning the fillets. Use a sharp knife and you run the risk of cutting the skin versus separating it from the meat. Rinse the fillets thoroughly, dry them with paper towels, put them on a plate, cover them with plastic wrap, tuck them in the fridge and summon someone who knows how to cook fish. My wife, Margot, is pretty good at fish cookery but tries to avoid it. That is, she would rather drive two-and-a-half hours to Panama City Beach for a scamp dinner at Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant. I, however, regard as mighty fine her Trout Amandine, pictured on this page. Prepared with your own fillets, it tastes better even that the dish you buy yourself. TM photography by JAMES STEFIUK

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TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

gastro & gusto

DINING OUT

Liberty Bar and Restaurant

For three under-thirty entrepreneurs, a dream comes true by MARINA BROWN

f you dressed Jesse Edmunds, Rick DeMontmollin and Tom Bacot in business suits with button-down collars and wing-tips, the success of their enterprise, the 2-year-old Liberty Bar and Restaurant might have seemed obvious. Three ambitious, educated young men with business acumen, experience and a passionate vision. What could go wrong? Well, it’s the restaurant business, so the answer is — everything. But for the three friends who each brought something special to the … uh … table, their passion was based on knowledge of what they were getting into. And by the way, the bearded and tattooed trio probably don’t know what a wing-tip is. Like all three partners, Jesse Edmunds had worked at the now defunct Mockingbird Café. But the food business was already in his blood. “I began working in kitchens when I was 13,” he says. At FSU, where he majored in business and hospitality and minored in finance and philosophy — all vital to running a restaurant— he spent study abroad time “eating his way through the Czech Republic and Switzerland” and then did a stint at North Carolina’s Biltmore Hotel as a line cook. “I watched how it was done the right way,” he says.

56 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

↖ Owners and entrepreneurs Rick DeMontmollin, Jesse Edmunds and Tom Bacot. ↑ A new-to-the-menu item is the Smoked Salmon BLT boasting thick-sliced bacon, a Paisano baguette and buttermilk cream cheese. Tastebuds tingling yet?

Rick DeMontmollin was equally passionate about his work, though for him it involved the nuances of creating adult beverages that were unique and beautiful to boot. “While I was attending TCC I began tending bar and I loved it — the people you get to know, the actual creativity in preparing something patrons won’t drink every day.” But like Edmunds and Tom Bascot, who also tended bar at the Mockingbird, they wanted more. “We’d reached the end of any vertical growth in what we were doing and it was time to take the leap.” After more than a year of fantasies about their own restaurant and bar, the dreams evolved into sophisticated business plans and financial proposals. The menu would be farm-fresh and eclectic. They’d work on a shoe-string budget; by themselves, they would rehab a space they’d found; and they’d start with a small menu and build as the clients came. It was all a go, except for the money. “Yeah, a lot of places turned us down for financing,” says Edmunds, shaking his head. Until, that is, Aunt Eleanor came along. “It was a great big surprise,” says Rick Demontmollin. “It turns out my family has always been one of entrepreneurs. When Aunt Eleanor heard we » photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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September–October 2016

CELEBRATING

gastro & gusto

LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

40 YEARS

↑ Sensory stimulation is top priority. From the eclectic design of an antique Ford bench to the creatively crafted cocktails down to the Sourdough dressing on the Cobb Salad.

Chris, Brian and JR Barnard

from the people you trust

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were having trouble getting funding, she said, ‘Well, there’s a trust our family has always had for its members who want to start businesses.’ We worked out a professional arrangement like you would with a bank and, thanks to Aunt Eleanor, we were on our way.” Ninety-hour weeks have now turned into 60 hours for each of the trio. After building the copper-topped bar and tables themselves, laying brick veneer on the walls and hanging all the lights, there were the original recipes to create, the cocktails to conjure, not to mention the sheer acrobatics of food purchase and use, advertising and sheer survival. But with shared smiles, Edmunds and DeMontmollin admit they’re feeling good. “Our business is up 40-50 percent from last year and we think we’ll do the same this. We’ve opened for lunch since April. What’s been great is seeing the diversity of people coming,” says Edmunds. “We’d named the place Liberty because we wanted it to be open to all classes of clients: professionals, legislative, college, families. And that’s what’s happened.” Tasso Spiced Yukon Now with its fenced front patio, Keta Salmon a private event room and plenty Orange Scented of parking, the bar and restaurant Grouper Tacos has taken its place in Tallahassee as a venue for adventurous food BLT Ranch Sliders and drink as well as old favorites. Soft Shell Crab Panini And all we can say is, “Thanks, Aunt Eleanor!” And Rick and Waffle & Ice Cream Jesse and Tom. TM

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TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

gastro & gusto

↖ SIX CIDERS FOR ALL FOR FALL

LIBATIONS

STAND DOWN, UMBRELLA DRINKS Ciders take over watering holes in the fall by REBECCA PADGETT

he fruity cocktails of summer have had their day in the sun, but that doesn’t mean you have to resort to heavy dark beers and shots of whiskey. The crisp, invigorating flavor of fall’s favorite fruit is enhanced and embraced through beer’s distant cousin, the cider. Apple ciders — and pear ciders, known as perrys — possess piquant yet fresh tastes without the tropical sweetness of most fruits. “For fall, I would say the spice adjuncts typically associated with the season — cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and all-spice — are all natural fits with the crisp apple flavor of ciders,” explained Dennis Mason, director of operations at The Brass Tap Midtown. Ciders are a welcome addition at an October tailgate party, pair nicely with Grandma’s Thanksgiving pie and kindle conversations during a brisk night around a bonfire. “Fall is a special time of year

for ciders since it is the time of year that apples are harvested in America,” said Robert Clark, co-owner of Fermentation Lounge. “In the fall, we also tend to see more spiced ciders or ciders made with seasonal flavors. Fall ciders are also in a special group because they can be spiced and often served warm.” Fermentation Lounge offers a whole host of ciders, and staffers there know the stuff. A few Fermentation employees have gluten allergies, making ciders an attractive option for them. “Many people are moving away from products containing gluten,” said Clark. “Cider offers a favorable alternative to beer that many people with gluten sensitivities can drink in social situations when a refreshing beverage is desired.” Ciders originated in Europe. The Romans invented the beverage and introduced it in England and France where apple trees are plentiful.

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Although ciders are commonly ordered in pubs, they didn’t really catch on in the United States until recent years when now well-known brands such as Woodchuck and Angry Orchard got hot. “People are trying new things with ciders, and they are becoming increasingly popular,” said Hal Berkelhammer a bartender at The Brass Tap Midtown. “They are beginning to taste even better. They are great for people with a sweet tooth, but there are also some deeper flavored ones that appeal to those who may have never considered a cider.” You may have previously dismissed ciders as apple juice laced with alcohol, but they are now receiving the attention they long deserved. Flavors have become more complex and fermentation processes more sophisticated, giving rise to cider connoisseurs. The apple has fallen far from the tree. TM

BRASS TAP The Anvil from Sonoma Cidery: Lively and aromatic with a smoky finish brought out in a barrel-proof bourbon flavor. Suffolk Cider from Imperial Vintage: Tantalizing flavor enhanced by bittersweet apples with notes of raisins, dates and prunes. Ace Perry Cider: Refreshing and light pear cider with a unique blend of Madagascar vanilla. THE FERMENTATION LOUNGE Homemade Apple Pie Cider from Cigar City Cider: Cinnamon, vanilla, a hint of baked crust and of course, apples; tastes like it came right out of the oven. Original Sin Pear Cider: Light and clean with a dry finish; fermented with champagne yeast. Dry Zider from Sonoma Cidery: Rosy in color with a soft Zinfandel aroma resulting from aging in Zinfandel wine barrels. The flavor profile includes wild berry and bramble with tart apple. Want to try ciders out? The Brass Tap will be holding a Cider Takeover on Sept. 28 featuring various ciders and a glassware giveaway. photography by CHELSEA MOORE

Natural Gas For Life!

Natural Gas is the preferred energy source for Tallahassee homeowners. It’s perfect for your water heater, fireplace, clothes dryer, furnace, outdoor grill, lights, pool heater and more. And, with our great appliance rebates, what’s not to love? Call us today for more information on gas rebates, appliances and our low-interest loan program.

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Like us on Facebook at GetGasTallyTALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM September–October 2016

Let our experience drive your portfolio Investors have survived market swings and corrections before. But a twinge of uncertainty may have you wondering if you should get another opinion to help confirm your wealth is in the right place. As a Managing Director-Investments at Wells Fargo Advisors, I have worked as a financial advisor to both individuals and institutional investors since 1983. TERRELL LEE BEBOUT Managing Director-Investments Senior PIM Portfolio Manager

I currently manage a Moderate Growth & Income portfolio.

If you would like a Wells Fargo Advisors approved performance report on my portfolio, please contact one of my associates below. DEAN BLISSIT Senior Vice President-Investment Officer (850) 558-6701

The PIM program is not designed for excessively traded or inactive accounts, and may not be suitable for all investors. Please carefully review the Wells Fargo Advisors advisory disclosure document for a full description of our services. The minimum account size for this program is $50,000. Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

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AMY PERRIN Registered Client Associate (850) 558-6701

expression

SEPT/OCT 2016

KEEPING TABS ON ALL THAT MUSES INSPIRE

ART

BEHIND THE POTTER’S WHEEL Humble art form involves sophisticated motivations 

↖ Erica Passage’s pottery are all wheel thrown from porcelain and adorned with celadon glazing, flashing slips and underglaze inlay much like the pitcher above.

LIBBY ARMSTRONG

by REEVES TRIVETTE

BOOKS Scary Classics || STAGE Community Theater || MUSIC Zydeco Zoo TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

expression

“There’s this really strong sense of camaraderie,” she says. “We are driven by that love of touch and being with each other, socially. Everywhere I’ve gone, community has been an extremely important part of our art practice.” The energy that goes into the making of a piece is transferred from the artist’s hands to the hands of whoever later touches it, artists find. “When somebody uses a handmade thing every day, they’re going to become sensitized to wanting to feel something that’s been touched by a real hand — especially if it’s well made,” Hanessian explains. Pottery then delivers a human connection. This is reflected in Stelzmann’s work, particularly. “I tend to reincorporate structures that have some sort of emotional connection and lead us to consider why things are the way they are and to think about objects in new ways.” TM

↖ Sue Stelzmann with a section of the ceramic tile mosaic that became part of the Gaines Street Tree Wall, installed downtown in 2011. ↑ Holly Hanessian plays brain games with ceramics formed from 3D printing and by hand. This gives a context for the viewer to reconsider what we consume and how it affects our brain.

➸ Tallahassee offers multiple locations where you can engage your artistic inclinations. Lafayette Park Arts & Craft Center invites people to exercise their artistic talents Monday through Thursday and offers classes where you can learn the ins and outs of pottery, as well as stained glass, crochet and drawing. The Firefly Pottery studio offers classes geared to beginners, intermediates and the advanced artist. Both locations provide the materials you’ll need and welcomes artists of all ages.

64 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

JOHN REYNOLDS (SUE STELZMANN) AND MATHEW J. ADAMS (POTTERY)

rt influences us all. Drawing draws us in as do music, painting and design. Immersed in the art that surrounds us, we discover what we like and, in the process, we discover ourselves. There are art objects that clamor for attention and some that may be overlooked. Pottery can fall into that latter category, but like other art forms, it is a manifestation of the passion of its creator and the product of a creative process that involves both head and heart. “I love the research and the intellectual pursuit of what makes my art become a good story,” says Holly Hanessian, a professor and the area head of ceramics at Florida State University where she leads the 3D Digital Ceramics Project. “Why does somebody get engaged with what I’m thinking about? I love challenging myself to make something, by hand, that’s captivating.” For Tallahassee’s ceramic artists, motivations include far more than just the monetary. “That’s not always the main goal,” says local sculptor Sue Stelzmann, who heads up Tallahassee Clay Arts, a club for local potters. “Art has healing powers. The way people spend their extra time getting in touch with something, it’s really important to engage and learn and participate in art.” Erica Passage, an art professor at Florida State University, enjoys the realization that ceramic pieces get “to live in someone’s home, and that people get to use it. Plus, ceramic pieces last forever.” Indeed, unearthed pottery shards are keys that unlock understanding of past cultures. Hanessian finds that while art-making is intrinsically rewarding, the camaraderie that unites potters comes as a bonus.

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Johnny Jones NEW Market President American Commerce Bank announces Johnny Mack Jones as the new Tallahassee Market President. Johnny joins the bank from Coastal Bank and Trust in Daphne, Alabama where he served as Senior Vice President. Jones adds, “I am very excited about my new role with American Commerce Bank and look forward to becoming involved in this community.” Johnny and his wife, Shana, have four children.

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September–October 2016

expression Author Robert Louis Stevenson

Classic Horror Stories

STRANGE  THE TALE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

The stuff of nightmares

Legend has it that one night, Robert Louis Stevenson had a nightmare and cried out in his sleep. When his wife awoke him, he was distraught, for she had ruined a “fine bogey tale.” The next morning, Stevenson began to write “The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The novella was finished in a matter of days and was submitted to Stevenson’s publisher within weeks.

by Kim Harris Thacker

We offer here synopses of a trio of thrillers we judge to be timeless and terrifying DRACULA by Bram Stoker (1897) Long before Stephenie Meyer wrote the “Twilight” series and teenage girls everywhere began to swoon for hunky vampires, Bram Stoker horrified readers with his tale of Count Dracula, who fed upon the blood of the innocent … until he met his match in Professor Van Helsing and his gang of fearless fang-fighters. Stoker claimed that he got his idea for a vampirearistocrat from a dream he had after eating crab meat with mayonnaise. Stephenie Meyer also claims that her series was inspired by a dream — but she has yet to mention any nefarious seafood dishes. FRIGHTENING FACT Dracula is an example of “Invasion Literature,” or literature about European continental influences (in this case, vampirism) on England. One would think that

a Victorian-era novel would be prim and proper, but one would be surprised: Dracula is a regular bodice-ripper (or, at the very least, a collar-ripper).

FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1818) In 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; her son, William Shelley; her lover, Percy Bysshe Shelley; and her pregnant step-sister, Clair Clairmont, traveled to Lake Geneva to meet with Lord Byron — a friend and Clairmont’s lover. Driven indoors by foul weather, the group engaged in a contest to see who could write the best horror story.

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Godwin, who later married Shelley, began to write “Frankenstein”; or, “The Modern Prometheus.” This tale wraps gothic horror, romantic literature and science fiction into one epistolary bundle. The author claimed that her inspiration for the book came from — you guessed it — a dream she’d had. FRIGHTENING FACT Popular culture would have us believe that Frankenstein is the name of the monster in this novel, but it’s actually the name of the man who created the monster. The creature is never given a name — a microcosm for his overall plight.

FRIGHTENING FACT Contrary to popular thought, the “two” title characters in this story aren’t polar opposites, with Dr. Jekyll representing good, and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde, representing evil; rather, there is both good and evil in Dr. Jekyll, just like there is in any man. But it’s no ordinary man — nor is it an ordinary medical doctor with chemistry skills — who can create a tincture that isolates the good and the evil aspects of human nature and strengthens whichever aspect is more abundant. Unfortunately, because Dr. Jekyll was feeling naughty when he drank his potion, the evil within him took over, and he transformed into wicked Mr. Hyde.

HALLOWEEN AT THE LIBRARY

Dress your little ones in costume and head to Leon County Collins Main Library, 200 W. Park Ave. at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 25 and 26, for a Halloween-themed story time, followed by a costume parade throughout the library!

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September–October 2016

expression

COURTESY MICKEE FAUST / MARCIA MULLINS

STAGE

ECLECTIC & ECCENTRIC

Thespians tackle the absurd by JOSEPH ZEBALLOS-ROIG

n a summer night in mid-May, seven Faustkateers at the Mickee Faust Club in the Railroad Square District were rehearsing a song for their June cabaret, titled “Queer as Faust IX.” They sang a satirical rendition of “Anatevka” from “Fiddler on the Roof,” its lyrics updated to grimly lament how the people of Mississippi are being left to die as a result of the corporate backlash against the anti-gay laws. The players at the Mickee Faust Club, all will agree, take no prisoners. Made up of students, journalists, hairdressers, lawyers and ex-prostitutes, the comedy troupe draws people from all walks of life — so it affectionately bills itself as a “community theater for the weird community.” And in a year when the political landscape has morphed into a theatre of the absurd, the troupe is flexing familiar muscles in heaping heavy doses of ridicule on both sides of the aisle. Trading in a freewheeling approach that gleefully crosses into obscenity time and again, they have skewered Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a power-hungry evil witch and dressed up her Republican opponent Donald Trump in a rather erect fashion as he delivered his imagined first State of the Union address. “We lampoon just about everything,” says Faustkateer

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

Susan Gage. “It’s not just the right, we skewer the left when they deserve it.” What sets the comedy troupe apart from others, though, is their mission to give the LGBT community, the disabled and other under-represented voices a creative outlet for weighing in on issues of the day — while keeping their disarming humor and wit front and center. “We’re working on a piece right now called ‘The Date’ that I’m having a lot of fun directing. It’s written by a woman with cerebral palsy,” says Jimmers Micallef, another Faustkateer. “It’s set in a crowded restaurant and it’s about all the inappropriate social interactions that strangers inflict on a disabled person unwittingly. We make it funny, but at the heart of it is, the world is so screwy, how can people act like this?” The heart and soul of the troupe is its inclusiveness. Embracing an anti-establishment ethos, the Faustkateers eschew hierarchy and allow anyone who shows up at their writers’ meetings a chance to pitch ideas that may eventually become a full-fledged production. The result is an eclectic pool of comedic influences, modern and old, ranging from “Saturday Night Live,” Monty Python and even 20th century vaudeville. But given the Faustketeers’ collective spirit, Micaleff notes that one individual’s original idea is likely to be shaped by what he likes to call a “collaborative creative chaos.” “It all starts with an idea,” Micaleff says. “And you quickly learn to let go of ownership at some point and then a collective creative vision is applied to the whole thing. We all contribute to each other’s stuff in the end.” In addition to theater, the Faustkateers are also known for their award-winning radio skits. Whenever there is a fifth Wednesday in a month, they take to the FSU ↖ Kooky costumes, silly satire and student airwaves on V89 for an loads of laughs evening comedy hour. For their await you in any March 30th episode, they conMickee Faust performance. ducted an “800th presidential debate” where candidates competed against Mickee Faust, the troupe’s sewer-rat mascot, to claim the anti-establishment mantle of the presidential race. “The way I like to describe Faust to people is that we’re like Saturday Night Live, except our skits are funny,’” Gage says with a laugh. “There may be no easy way to categorize our humor but it’s all from within us.” TM

Events

In every Mickee Faust show you’ll find a mix of political, social satire, literary and cinematic parodies, old vaudeville, new vaudeville, original and adapted songs and some fully staged bad jokes thrown in for good measure. Mickee Faust’s next cabaret show, “What the Faust!”, will run two weekends: Oct. 14–15 and Oct. 20–22. Admission is $15 or $10 for seniors, students and those with disabilities.There will be $5 off of all tickets sold on Oct. 20. Come early and listen to the house band Eclectic Acoustic in the backyard. If you can’t make the cabaret, then join them the first Sunday after Halloween where contestants, adults and children, literally toss their rotted jack-o-lanterns in pursuit of prizes. Mickee Faust’s 22nd Annual Punkin’Chuckin’ event will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.

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September–October 2016

expression

MUSIC

ZYCHED ON ZYDECO Local band brings New Orleans to town by MARINA BROWN

ZYDECO: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER



hen you fall in love … you just do. Gobsmacked. Besotted. The Can’t-GetEnough kind of love that makes you sign up for life. That’s how John Babich feels about Zydeco. Yep, Zydeco music. New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana music. Creole “double-kicks” that rhythmically

Thanks to the advent of recorded music, Zydeco has become well known not just in the southern U.S., but around the world.

lift you out of your chair and funky percussion that tattoos your brain. John Babich and the three other permanent members of the capital’s own Zydeco Zoo are the go-to practitioners when Tallahassee zydeco-addicts can’t make it to the Big Easy. Babich, who as a kid in Massachusetts was something of a piano child prodigy, had long been a traveling keyboardist with Bill Wharton, The Sauce Boss, spreading the blues from Canada to Europe. He played with other bands, but even as he settled into a Tallahassee web-design job, he couldn’t shake the pounding insistence of country-style Zydeco. “But I didn’t completely get it until my wife and I started dancing to that beat,” Babich says. “It’s the groove, that relentlessness that just won’t let you sit back down.” Zydeco isn’t Cajun, Babich explains. Rather it is pure Creole — born from that Louisiana amalgam of ←Frottoir black, Indian, French and rural whites who player Keith picked up anything they had to make muMcCraw, bass guitarist Jiggs sic with. “You’ll see Old World accordions, Walker, lead fiddles, guitars, spoons, bones (probably guitarist James “Missippy pieces of rib bones) and the rub board all James” together.” And the effect is a loud and mesStanton, and accordion merizing throb that, at least in Louisiana, player John will have dancers on their feet for “five and Babich. six hours. They can’t sit down!” says Babich. With a name perhaps derived from the Creole French, “haricots sans sale,” for green beans without salt, Zydeco roughly translates to “I’ve got beans to eat, but am too poor for salt pork.” Still, the implication, says Babich, is that “I’ll share whatever I’ve got.” And that’s what the accordion-playing Zydeco Zoo leader intends to do. He has surrounded himself with band members he calls “living legends,” right here in Tallahassee. James “Missippy James” Stanton plays lead guitar. A veteran of the Jess Franklin and Rick Lollar bands, he currently teaches in town. Jiggs Walker is the bass guitarist. Looking every inch an oldtime blues man, Walker envelops his chair, a far-away smile on his lips, and lays down a rock-hard pattern he’s used since his time with the band, Collage, and Longineu Parsons. Keith McCraw can’t help but be flashy. With a “frottoir,” the metal rub-board vest looped over his shoulders and spoon handles or anything metallic tapping out the “1-2-3” repeats, he can’t keep his feet still or his body in repose. Invented by perhaps the greatest Zydeco practitioner, Clifton Chenier, the instrument morphed from the original implement used to wash clothes to the full-metal chest jacket used today. Zydeco Zoo is always busy during the days leading to Mardi Gras and, says Babich, anytime there’s a crawfish boil. Their next big gig is at the Bradfordville Blues Club where they traditionally play on Oct. 28, Halloween. “Everybody is welcome and steps are optional for dancing,” he laughs. “Just follow your instincts and stand up and move. You won’t be sorry!” TM

The first Zydeco-esque music recordings are said to be by Louisiana Creole musician Amédé Ardoin in 1928; but Zydeco wasn’t on most Americans’ radars until Clifton Chenier, “The King of Zydeco,” performed on the radio in the mid-1950s. Zydeco became popular internationally in the 1980s with Grammy Award-winning Rockin’ Sidney’s “My Toot Toot.” Today’s Zydeco artists include Grammy nominated musician Andre Thierry.

70 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

photography by BRUCE PALMER

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Stephen Huggins Senior Vice President Financial Advisor

StephenMorgan Huggins Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters

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retirement, estate planning and leaving a legacy. TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM September–October 2016 71 Let’s put your money to work. Call me today to

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t Pacifica Senior Living Woodmont, our beautiful, safe and friendly community is home to quality caregivers, well-trained professionals and most importantly, satisfied residents. Our community offers a full spectrum of assisted living services administered by a specifically trained, caring and experienced staff. We are proud of the outstanding reputation we’ve earned. It is a reputation built on strong values, a solid work ethic and the best care and outside medical services available. At Pacifica Senior Living Woodmont, you will enjoy a retirement lifestyle provided in a stunning setting—a lifestyle rich with services, amenities and endless possibilities. 3 2 0 7 N O R T H M O N R O E S T R E E T, TA L L A H A S S E E | 8 5 0 - 4 6 2 - 5 7 2 8 | PA C I F I C A W O O D M O N T.C O M

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destinations

SEPT/OCT 2016

VISITING NOTEWORTHY PLACES NEAR AND FAR

GETAWAY

ETHIOPIA ON MY MIND A wandering spirit finds magic, beauty in an ancient locale

ANTON IVANOV / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

by MARINA BROWN

↖ The Simien Mountain National Park features exotic wildlife, breathtaking canyons and the highest pinnacles in Ethiopia.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

destinations

74 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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BLUERAIN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

hether travel is short-lived or the red thread that gives life meaning, it is the change, the surprise, the difference from the expected that is thrilling. And nowhere on Earth can that more be found than in the landlocked African nation of Ethiopia. What? Where? What about Italy? Isn’t Paris nice? Why visit one of the poorest countries on the continent, a country twice the size of Texas where 88 languages and hundreds of dialects are spoken, where faith ranges from the most devout of Christians to animists who wear plates in their lips and ritually beg to be beaten? Yet it is just this schizophrenic mélange of mystery, magic, unspeakable physical beauty and a sense that at last, like gazing deeply into a transparent sea, one can grasp the undulating images of ancient times as clearly as say … the aromatic goat now bleating beside you, that makes Ethiopia the most astounding of countries. Surrounded by places whose names are guaranteed to make you shiver — Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan — Ethiopia has managed to keep its turbaned head above the fray. And although drought and food shortages are currently affecting everyday life, the chants of bearded priests wrapped in white shammas drift upward in the smoky morning air; dancers shake their shoulders in giddy joy at the drop of a hat; and elegant, doe-eyed women repeat the hour-long coffee-making ritual three times a day. Like everything in Ethiopia, they each take their cue from the past. Addis Ababa is the more or less central capital. There are a few tall buildings there. A university. Hotels. And certainly many Chinese businessmen trying to build yet another factory in the country’s agricultural belt. But it is in the mountainous and lake-dotted north that one finds the ancient, beating heart of Ethiopia.

The sun sets on the city of Addis Ababa, left. Above, a young woman on the village of Axum prepares a coffee ceremony, an important part of Ethiopian culture, while a man plays a masenqo.

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destinations

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GALYNA ANDRUSHKO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

which I planned on using. We share M&Ms; draw pictures of each other; and marvel at the churches carved from the top down into volcanic rock and the ivory-draped monks who live there like holy troglodytes. And when we hug and part ways, Muskula waves his AK like a hankie in the air … goodbye to a human cousin from very far away. From the northern mountains, south through the Great Rift Valley where tectonic plates collided and where mankind arose, life changes. There, tribal customs shrug off

COURTESY OF MARINA BROWN

YURY BIRUKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Scenes from Ethiopia: Above left and far left, two views of the rock-hewn Church of St. George; left, a Gelada baboon sits atop a cliff in the Simien Mountains; above, right, a priest reads a holy book inside the St. George Church in Lalibela; at right, writer Marina Brown with a bodyguard.

Sitting at the feet of a white-robed priest in a rock church near Lalibela, I listen as the old man thumbs through an ancient text painted on goatskin and describes Ethiopia’s glory days when the country’s queen, Sheba, traveled to Israel to meet King Solomon. In a love-atfirst-sight scenario, the queen begot a son who later returned to the land of Israel to meet his father, then brought back with him the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. The old priest, smelling vaguely like the rock niche where he sleeps at night, points out that the Ark is kept under monastic guard in a special palace in the holy city of Axum — never seen, but venerated as the touchstone of the country’s fiercely Christian beliefs. The right “arm” of the True Cross is also claimed by Ethiopia, and also secreted under lock and key. During a bone-jarring, 12-hour ride through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Simien Mountain National Park, whose amethyst peaks reach 13,000 feet and whose fields of yellow meskel flowers sprawl across valleys, I make another friend — one of our three AK-47-toting “helpers,” bodyguards who boarded our small bus and sat amicably down beside us. Elderly Muskula and I giggle over the babooshilada — big, nit-picking baboons that show off their 5-inch incisors in the valleys; he teaches me to say, “I want a fish” and “I love you” in Amharic … neither of

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September–October 2016

Christianity. The Hamer, the Mursi, the Karo, the Konso peoples shelter in mud and dung thatched huts, carve elaborate symbols on their torsos and arms, modestly cover in goatskin skirts and force platesized discs into their lips. I watch a man leap over the backs of nine cows in a rite that would ready him for marriage; women begging to be beaten by men with switches, proudly showing their lacerations as proof of how strong they are as possible wives. And I feel my own aesthetic shift watching a young woman being coated with cinnamon-colored mud — and ultimately, along with her friends, finding her beautiful.

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ALFOTOKUNST / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

NICK FOX / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

LUISA PUCCINI / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

destinations

A woman, at top, paints the faces of her children with naturally occurring pigments. They are members of the Karo tribe, which is threatened because the government is taking away their land. At left, a woman from the African tribe, Mursi, with adornments including a large lip plate. Above, a traditional village of Hamer people in Turmi.

And that is why I travel. To feel myself change along with what I see. To look through the eyes of the people I watch. To shift my gaze to their points of view and practice. And, for a moment, to feel our separateness disappear. Even now, as I sniff the interior of a small cup made from the horn of a bull,

I can smell the animal it came from. I think of my little bodyguard whispering, “Babooshilada.” And I feel the warm hand of a priest blessing me in a stone church with his ancient iron cross. Ethiopia changed me, blessed me indeed. As all places do, if only we open our eyes and wander. TM

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FA L L E V E N T S F R O M A PA L A C H I C O L A T O P E N S A C O L A

VISIT NORTHWEST FLORIDA

BEACHES MAGAZINE

FA L L 2 0 1 6

Sunset over Western Lake on 30-A captured by photographer Kansas Pitts using a DJI Inspire 1 drone.

CONNECT with the

COAST

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PEPSI

GULF COAST JAM Eric Church, Brad Paisley and Jake Owen to Headline Three-Day Event by GAYLE THOMPSON

anama City Beach has had a long and enduring love affair with country music, and now the relationship is being taken to a new level. The fourth annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam will take place Sept. 2–4 at the Frank Brown Park festival grounds, headlined by superstars Eric Church, Brad Paisley and Jake Owen, with performances by Brett Eldredge and the Band Perry, among others. Last year’s Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam drew a three-day crowd of more than 57,000 people, both locals and tourists, who gathered to hear artists like Lady Antebellum, Dwight Yoakam, Miranda Lambert, Hunter Hayes, Gary Allan and Keith Urban perform over Labor Day weekend. That was followed by the first-ever Pepsi SpringJam, which boasted an all-star lineup of singers including Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Cam, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion and Rascal Flatts.

Now, as the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam readies what will be their biggest event to date, perhaps no one is more excited than 2016 Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam performer, Jake Owen. “I’m excited to be a part of this year’s Gulf Coast Jam. I can’t think of a better way to close out the summer than with one last big beach party,” Owen says. “And, to be back in my home state of Florida makes it even better. Let’s do this!” Rendy Lovelady, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam executive producer, promises this year’s event will be the best one yet, thanks in part to the artists gracing the stage this year. “The first thing is, the talent budget’s literally about three times what it was our

82 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

first year,” Lovelady says. “Jake Owen is really familiar with Florida. He has a lot of pull in the Florida area. That’s home. That’s the biggest thing. The other thing is, every year, based on the success of the festival, we add more events. More side areas. More things for people to do other than just music. We’ve added different levels of entertainment.” Fans who attended last year’s Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam will have even more to entice them to return this year, including a huge video wall so every seat, from anywhere in the park, is a good seat, as well as the everpopular Happy Hour, with even bigger artists and more drink specials. But most importantly, Lovelady hopes

PHOTOS BY PEPSI GULF COAST JAM

Keith Urban enthralled fans at the third annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, held at Frank Brown Park. Last year’s headlines include (right) Eric Church, top, and Brad Paisley.

fans come to not only hear the country music, but enjoy all that Panama City Beach has to offer. “We’re trying to really push the local community,” he says. “You don’t have to be with us until 2:30, so make sure you go eat at a great breakfast place, and you go shopping and you go play golf, or you go fishing. We wanted to really impress to the people how great the restaurants and the shopping areas and the fishing and golf areas around Panama City Beach are. It’s more than just going to the beach.” Lovelady was inspired to host the festivals in Panama City Beach after scouring dozens of other locations and realizing that a large population of country music fans were

already gathered in the Florida Panhandle, or frequently vacationing in the area. “We wanted to try and find something like the New Orleans Jazz Fest, where you have a destination location, and they have a reason to come to the city,” Lovelady notes. “You have a sufficient airport to handle the city, but then you can also find the land that we wanted to have 35,000 people. We looked everywhere, and Panama City Beach was the best fit.” The mutual love affair between country music and Panama City Beach is a long one. Kenny Chesney got his feet wet playing at the famed Spinnaker’s before his career exploded, and he was replaced by then-newcomer Luke Bryan, launching

Bryan’s successful seven-year run headlining his annual Spring Break shows in 2009. Justin Moore met his wife of nine years, Kate Moore, during a senior class trip on the famous white sands, and Kip Moore hosted two Spring Break Bash appearances at Panama City Beach’s Walmart in 2012, performing a couple shows in honor of the release of his debut “Up All Night” album. But the relationship actually goes even deeper. Hank Williams, Jr. opened a club, Hank’s Beach Club in the 1980s, where Pier Park now resides, and George Jones and Alan Jackson are just a few of the stars who have owned homes along the white sandy beaches in the city limits. Perhaps more importantly, Music City’s world-famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge opened a second location in Panama City Beach in 2008 to accommodate all of the country music fans in the area. Regardless of the roots, one thing is certain: Panama City Beach and country music belong together, and there’s no better way to celebrate the connection than at the fourth annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. Tickets are on sale now at GulfCoastJam.com.

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While vacationing at zero elevation, Elias Turner found a way to visit the treetops.

10 Must-do Activities with Kids in Destin by JESSICA TURNER, founder of The Mom Creative (themomcreative.com) and author of “The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You”

Our fall family vacation to Destin was unforgettable. At the time, our kids were 7, 4 and 9 months. Part of our vacation was spent with friends who have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. That’s a lot of little ones! While it could have been stressful, instead it was full of fun and memory making. We stayed in a Newman-Dailey vacation rental for our vacation, which was perfect for when we weren’t out enjoying all that Destin has to offer. If you are planning a trip to Destin with young kids, hopefully this list will help you plan some fun activities to enjoy. →

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10 THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS IN DESTIN

2 Play at The Track Our kids LOVED this small amusement park! Elias said it was one of his favorite things we did while in Destin. They have activities for children and adults. We spent most of our time in “Kiddie Kountry” which had a bunch of fair-type rides for kids under 4’0”. This area wasn’t crowded, which also made it enjoyable. In addition, The Track has bumper water boats, which are an absolute blast. Be prepared to get wet though. The Track also has two mini golf courses, go karts, an arcade, bungee jumping and more. We went one evening and the mini golf was very crowded, so that is definitely something to consider. At first my 7-year-old son Elias was disappointed that we weren’t going to mini golf, but then he told us that the rides were “way more fun than mini golf would have been.” Agree! When you stay with Newman-Dailey, you receive a “rechargeable” card to use at The Track every day. 3 Enjoy a dolphin cruise Destin is known for its dolphin cruises, and the Sea Blaster Dolphin Cruise that we went on did not disappoint. (A perk of staying with Newman-Dailey is that vacationers receive free adult pass per day to go on this cruise.) We saw dozens of dolphins. Some came right up and swamp along our boat and a few even jumped in our wake. It was incredible.

The Turners — Adeline, Elias, Matthew, Jessica and Ezra — pose for a traditional beach portrait.

All the kids on the boat were given the opportunity to “drive” it with the captain, which was a fun experience for them. 4 Walk along the harbor The Destin harbor is beautiful. Kids will love seeing all the boats, visiting the shops and taking in life on the water. 5 Attend a local festival Destin always has events going on! While we were there, it was the Destin Seafood Festival. The harbor was full of vendors, fresh food and kid-friendly activities. 6 Visit the Pirates Play Cove & splash pad at Destin Commons Destin Commons is a big outdoor mall in Destin with a darling play place and splash pad in its center. While our family didn’t experience the splash pad (it closes in the “off” season), we had a great time in the play area. 7 Encounter 100+ gators at Fudpuckers

Fudpuckers is a Destin classic, opening its doors more than 30 years ago. It offers a free exhibit more than 100 alligators, including a rare albino alligator (only 50 are in the world!). The staff is extremely knowledgeable about gators and made the experience extra memorable. While there, be sure to buy some food to

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feed the alligators. They jump in the air to get the food, and my kids loved it! Fudpuckers also has a photo experience where you can hold an alligator and have your picture taken. After you experience the alligators, definitely stay for a meal. The menu is huge and offers something for everyone (they had multiple Gluten-free/Whole30 options!). We absolutely loved our experience there. 8 Eat at The Donut Hole Known for its incredible selection of donuts, this place has a line out the door by 7:30 a.m. We got there at 7:15 and were able to be seated almost immediately. On The Donut Hole’s donut menu, we had the choice of 25 different kinds of donuts. 9 Explore the Gulfarium We were not able to carve out time to visit the Gulfarium, but it offers an array of sealife and animals including dolphins, stingrays, penguins, turtles and many more. My children always love visiting an aquarium, and this is something we will try to do on our next visit. 10 Take an art class Destin offers several kid-friendly art classes. Mary Hong’s children’s and adult glass art classes at the Shard Shop look especially amazing. (Her gallery is located approximately 25 miles east of Destin in South Walton’s Grayton Beach.)

COURTESY NEWMAN-DAILEY RESORT PROPERTIES

1 Spend time on the beach Without question, the No. 1 thing to do in Destin is simply enjoy the beaches. The powder-like sand is incredibly smooth. We have vacationed on beaches on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf before and this was our favorite. One day we canceled our plans to go do an activity just so we could have more time on the beach. The water is also crystal clear and the waves aren’t overwhelming. Perfect for young children.

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It was long believed that the sun had bleached the sand of all color, but scientists came up with the real answer.

The story begins thousands of years ago and hundreds of miles away LINDA KLEINDIENST by

f one thing there is no doubt. It is the powdery pure white sand that makes the beaches of the Emerald Coast. Feel its fine softness as you brush your foot across the fluffy surface or scoop some up with your hand and watch it drift slowly downward between your fingers.

It was long believed that the sun had bleached the sand of all color, but scientists came up with the real answer. Those tiny crystalline specs that form the perfectly white sands of Northwest Florida began their journey thousands of years ago — and thousands of miles away, in the Appalachian Mountains. Pieces of quartz were

carried south by the Apalachicola River into the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the last Ice Age — close to 20,000 years ago — and were polished by eons of water action. The beaches have been weathered by wind and water long enough that other minerals which would have added a yellowish color have either dissolved or been broken down into tiny pieces and washed away. So dazzingly white, the beach can temporarily blind you — but the crystals that look more like sugar than sand particles always stay cool, even on the hottest summer day. And the way in which they refract the sunlight contributes to the unique emerald green color of the Gulf waters that lap against the world famous shores of the Emerald Coast.

27 Miles of Beautiful Beach Awaits When you’re ready to feel the crunch of the sparkling white sands of Panama City Beach

beneath the soles of your bare feet, there are 27 miles of beautiful beach where you can choose to take your first step. One hundred beach access points bring you to places where you can see and be seen, watch beach volleyball, grab a drink or a snack, go shelling or watch for dolphins frolicking in the waves. Or you can choose to lose yourself on an undeveloped island where you may be lucky enough to see the tracks of a sea turtle. Just wait until you catch that first glorious beach sunset. And the beach sunrises? They’re pretty spectacular, too.

88 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTO COURTESY PANAMA CITY BEACH/CVB

SECRET OF OUR WHITE SAND

You thought you loved it here before you saw it through her eyes.

there is only one +1 800 559 1805 • HiltonSandestinBeach.com • #HiltonSandestin TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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STARS IN THE SKIES Military aircraft dot Northwest Florida’s skyscape TISHA KELLER by

safety record. USAF Air Education and Training Command uses the T-38C to prepare pilots for front-line fighter and bomber aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt and F-22 Raptor. Other aircraft in the USAF arsenal at Tyndall include the E-9 Widget, which is a twin turboprop plane used to clear the Gulf of Mexico of civilian boaters and aircraft before live missile launches and other dangerous activity. The BQM-167 Subscale Aerial Target is a missile-like drone aircraft that provide lifelike targets for the Air Force Weapon System Evaluation Program. The remotecontrolled drone is land-launched using a rocket-assisted takeoff and launched from a rail system. The craft can be recovered by a parachute and repaired, tested and reused. The Air Force also uses the MU-2, a small turboprop aircraft that is used to give student pilots their first taste of controlling a plane at the beginning of flight school. The MU-2s and the nine retired military pilots that fly them provide direct flying support for the 325th Air Control Squadron’s Air Battle Management course. Pensacola is widely known as the naval aviation cradle. The Naval Air Station is appreciated for its advanced training programs offered to the Navy. Most notably, this base is home to the famous, Blue Angels, a squadron

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A formation of 325th Fighter Wing F-15 Eagles and an F/A-22 Raptor fly over Panama City Beach. The Raptor is scheduled to replace the F-15 Eagle in the Air Force inventory.

that performs impressive feats and demonstrations throughout the year. The familiar blue and gold F/A-18 Hornets can be seen flying along the coast, but on two special occasions they show off their enthralling maneuvers for Pensacola civilians. Every November they close out their season with a homecoming show at the Naval Air Station. Throughout their training season the station holds viewing events on selected Wednesdays. You won’t be able to hold in gasps as planes spiral and tilt at high altitudes. Now that you know a little bit more about the military aircraft that inhabit the airspace, we hope you’ll have an appreciation for the highly trained military personnel who pilot these craft and keep them maintained. Until next time … keep watching the skies!

PHOTO COURTESY UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

he sound of freedom rings loud and clear in Panama City Beach and Pensacola — it’s the sound of military aircraft soaring overhead. The sources of military flight activity in the area are: the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Tyndall Air Force Base and The Naval Air Station Pensacola. These installations train service personnel, practice maneuvers and conduct research missions. According to Jeffrey Prather, Public Affairs Officer with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, most sky watchers in the area will notice the Navy’s MH-60S Seahawk helicopter for the Dragonmasters squadron that supports airborne mine countermeasures and search and rescue missions. Recently, these helicopters have been used for testing missions aboard the USS Independence. Thomas Bonifay, the civilian Chief of Community Engagement at Tyndall AFB, says the U.S. Air Force uses several aircraft in the Panama City area. Major stars in the skies are the F-22 Raptor and T-38 Talon. The F-22 Raptor is the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions to support ground missions of the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. It is highly regarded as the most state-of-theart aircraft in the sky today. The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, highaltitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, easy maintenance, high performance and exceptional

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Destin Seafood Festival

CALENDAR SEPT. 2–4 Welcome in the fall season under the moonlight with a three-day weekend good for the heart and soul with exceptional artists and vibrant live music. FREE. The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin, 9300 Emerald Coast Parkway West, Miramar Beach. 5–10 p.m., baytownewharf.com

Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam

SEPT. 2–4 The most lively and anticipated musical event in Panama City Beach is the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, which boasts some of the world’s most loved country music acts. This three-day festival features musicians such as Eric Church, Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. Sink your toes in the sand and enjoy the tunes. gulfcoastjam.com

Lobster Festival and Tournament

SEPT. 12–18 Gulf-front Schooners restaurant in Panama City Beach hosts the largest lobster festival in Florida. The annual Lobster Festival & Tournament will give divers a chance to compete for prizes and bragging rights and gives festival-goers a treat: amazing lobster dishes. Weigh-ins begin Saturday and end Sunday with grand prizes and a lobster feast. visitpanamacitybeach.com

Destin Seafood Festival

SEPT. 30–OCT. 2 The Destin Harbor Boardwalk welcomes back the Destin Seafood Festival for its 38th year.

The festival provides the freshest of seafood supplied by local vendors. Enjoy the best of the best in seafood, live music and fun for the whole family — all for free! destinseafoodfestival.com

Pensacola Seafood Festival

SEPT. 30–OCT. 2 The Pensacola Seafood Festival presented by Fiesta of Five Flags offers only the freshest and most delectable seafood on the coast. Watch demonstrations by local chefs, learn culinary secrets and sample seafood creations all weekend long. fiestaoffiveflags.org

South Walton Fashion Week

OCT. 5–9 Celebrate high fashion as local boutiques and designers showcase their style during South Walton Fashion Week. Along with seeing the latest fashions, attendees vote for their favorite emerging designers whose creations are displayed in an exclusive runway show. Proceeds benefit the Cultural Arts Alliance. Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, Miramar Beach. (850) 622-5970, swfw.org/tickets

Nashville Songwriters Florida Sunshine Tour

OCT. 7–8 The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort will host a bit of Nashville for two days of free concerts featuring acoustic performers straight out of Music City. Songwriters include Aaron Barker, Kendell Marvel, Even Stevens, Kent Blazy, Skye Claire and more. sandestin.com

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KAY PHELAN

Baytowne Wharf Art Walk

Baytowne Wharf Beer Festival

OCT. 14–15 The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin presents its ninth annual Beer Fest, featuring specialty beers from around the nation. The main event on Saturday, Oct. 15, will feature more than 200 craft beers for sampling. baytownewharfbeerfestival.com

Blast on the Bay

OCT. 2–23 From Port St. Joe to Mexico Beach to Indian Pass, Florida’s Gulf Coast will celebrate their 8th anniversary of hosting talented musicians and songwriters off the streets of Nashville. All shows are free and encourage you to sit back, relax and enjoy the tunes. blastonthebay.wordpress.com

Best of the EC

OCT. 22 Leading businesses and service providers in the EC will be honored and celebrated at the Best of the EC event. Sample food, beverages and services from the winners selected by EC Magazine’s annual poll. The event will take place from 6 to 9:00 p.m. at Grand Boulevard. emeraldcoastmagazine.com

Autos and Oysters Car Show

OCT. 29 An extravagant showcase from local collectors and car enthusiasts all taking place in Riverside Park in Apalachicola. The show will be followed by a sock hop in the City Docks with live music and plenty of oysters. Both events are free and open to the public. historicapalachicola.com

Foo Foo Festival

NOV. 3–14 Pensacola introduces the Foo Foo Festival, a 12-day celebration of artistic expression, enthralling performances, eclectic entertainment and cultural events. Most events are free, but some are ticketed. foofoofest.com

Florida Seafood Festival

NOV. 4–5 The 53rd annual Florida Seafood Festival is a two-day event welcoming thousands to the historic town of Apalachicola. The festival excites with mouth-watering seafood, arts and crafts exhibits and live performances. Events include oyster shucking contests, a parade, 5k Redfish Run and much more. floridaseafoodfestival.com

Dream a Home. Discover a Lifestyle. HOMES FROM THE MID 400’S L O C A T E D I N S O U T H W A L T O N C O U N T Y, F L O R I D A W I T H I N 3 M I L E S O F T H E G U L F O F M E X I C O

1.866.563.0070 Watersound.com The St. Joe Company 2016 All Rights Reserved. “JOE®”, “St. Joe®”, “St. Joe (and the Taking Flight design)®”, the “Taking Flight” design®, “Fish Out of Water®” and “Watercolor®”are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. “Watersound OriginsSM”, “OriginsSM” and “St. Joe Club & ResortsSM” are service marks of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. The materials and features and amenities described and depicted herein are based upon current development plans, which are subject to change without notice. This does not constitute an offer to sell real property in any jurisdiction where prior registration or other advance qualifications of real property is required, including New York. Void where prohibited by law. Equal Housing Opportunity. St. Joe Club & Resorts is a private club, membership in which permits Watersound OriginsSM owners the use of facilities designated by the Club. Use of additional Club Facilities requires purchase of a separate membership upgrade. Club membership may be subject to application and acceptance, payment of fees, membership requirements, rules or other limitations, all of which are subject to change. Club Facilities are also available to other club members and persons who stay in rental program residences. The St. Joe Company does not guarantee the obligations of, nor provide any warranties for unaffiliated parties who build homes or offer services in the Watersound OriginsSM community.

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM September–October 2016 93

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VISIT VISIT NORTHWEST NORTHWEST FLORIDA FLORIDA

BEACHES

There’s no such thing as a stranger here by JASON DEHART

’ve visited the Forgotten Coast many times as a writer for Rowland Publishing, and it’s always great to be on the water, where the folks are friendly, courteous and always glad to see you. My wife, Patricia, and I recently had a chance to sample this hospitality again when we took a weekend trip to Gulf County. No matter the time of year, there are a variety of things to do. But to keep things simple and relaxed, on this trip we only planned for two main activities — fishing in St. Joseph Bay and horseback riding on the beach along Indian Pass. Our trip started at the Turtle Beach Inn,

a bed-and-breakfast just south of the Indian Pass Raw Bar, a state-certified Green Lodging establishment nestled between the palms and pines on a remote beach that is actually a turtle nesting area. The inn’s owner, Trish Petrie, a retired schoolteacher, was very gracious — even though we got a late start out of Tallahassee Friday night and arrived well after dark, she left our room key in an envelope taped to the office door. Our room was on the top floor of the towering beachfront cottage facing the Gulf, and we promptly fell asleep while listening to the sound of the surf. The inn actually consists of three separate beach cottages. The main house, where

Patricia Dehart holds up a hard-fought black drum (right) in St. Joseph Bay. The author and his wife enjoy a leisurely horseback ride along the beaches of Indian Pass (below).

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PHOTOS COURTESY JASON DEHART

GULF COUNTY HOSPITALITY

we stayed, is the one closest to the beach and features a sundeck patio with lounge chairs and a boardwalk that takes guests straight to the water. Sand Dollar Cottage has two bedrooms and a cozy screenedin back porch with rocking chairs and a swing, and Turtle Tower has two separate one-bedroom units featuring open and screened porches complete with views of the Gulf of Mexico and Indian Lagoon. Saturday morning’s sunrise found us driving up Highway 30-A to Frank Pate Park and the public boat ramp in Port St. Joe. Our first adventure of the weekend was a fishing tour of St. Joseph Bay. Friendly, knowledgeable charter boat captain Charlene Burke of About Fun Charters welcomed us aboard her 22-foot, center-console Mako, the Saint Misbehavin’. A marine biologist by training, Capt. Charlene grew up on the Mississippi coast and said she’s probably the only female charter captain in Port St. Joe. She has a “six-pack” license (for up to six people) and a fourhour fishing trip costs $325. Like other charters, she supplies the bait, tackle and fishing licenses.

SEPT. 30, OCT. 1 & 2

38TH ANNUAL

DESTIN SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

OVER 1 1/2 MILES ALONG THE DESTIN HARBOR BOARDWALK

SEAFOOD FAMILY FUN

LIVE MUSIC

FOR MORE INFO ON THE EVENT AND MUSIC LINEUP

DESTINSEAFOODFESTIVAL.ORG

FREE Admission FREE Shuttle

FRIDAY, SEPT 30: 4–10PM SATURDAY, OCT 1: 10–10PM SUNDAY, OCT 2: 11–4PM

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

September–October 2016

S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

VISIT VISIT NORTHWEST NORTHWEST FLORIDA FLORIDA

BEACHES

After lunch we checked out the shops along Reid Avenue, but when the sun and wind got the better of us we trucked back to the Turtle Beach Inn for a nap before coming back to downtown Port St. Joe for supper at Provisions, an upscale and award-winning surfand-turf restaurant that moved here from Miami in 2005. Here we enjoyed the house sangria, along with some juicy flank steak, roasted potatoes and shrimp. On Sunday morning we availed ourselves of our hostess’ breakfast offerings of coffee, juice, fruit and French toast in the Green Turtle Inn’s dining room downstairs. After that early morning repast, we went back up to Port St. Joe and enjoyed brunch at the Thirsty Goat Bar & Grill inside the 100-year-old Port Inn. Next, we were scheduled to go horseback riding on the beach, but along the way decided to make one unplanned side trip to see a tall ship parked down at the docks. The Peacemaker is a 150foot barquentine and “Flagship of the Twelve Tribes.” According to their pamphlet, the “tribes” are small farm communes located in 12 different locations around the world. We didn’t get a chance to talk to any of the ship’s crew, but their goal is to live in peace and harmony while passing along the art of sailing tall ships. After visiting and photographing the Peacemaker, Trish and I drove on over to Salinas Park at Indian Pass Beach to meet with Kelly Smith, owner of Broke-AToe, an ecotourism group that offers horseback rides on the beach. And, as it turns out, Gulf County has one of only three beaches in Florida where you can ride horses. Kelly introduced us to our mounts, Shelley and Little Bit. The fact that both had mild dis-

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Port(s) of Call ABOUT FUN CHARTERS 130 Atlantic St. Port St. Joe (850) 340-1035 aboutfuncharters.com DOCKSIDE CAFÉ & RAW BAR 340 Marina Drive Port St. Joe (850) 229-5200 docksidecafe.net

The Peacemaker, a tall ship belonging to the Twelve Tribes, takes on a manifest of tourists in Port St. Joe.

positions helped calm my nerves since this was the first time in some 30 years that I “sat a horse.” When I was a kid I was involved in a minor accident, but it was enough to scare me away for many years. Kelly understood and said she often has clients who are just as skittish. She put Trish and I at ease, and soon we were saddled up and clip-clopping over the dunes and onto the beach. Both animals were accustomed to the beach ride and acted like they were on autopilot — which was just fine with me — so we just relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. Rocking gently along the sugarwhite sands, gazing over the calm, glittering blue-green waters, I could have fallen asleep in the saddle. Kelly walked along side us, used my camera to take snapshots and by the end of the hour-long ride my phobia was sufficiently exorcised and I felt proud to have finally conquered it. All in all, the whole trip was fantastic, and we look forward to going back again to experience more Forgotten Coast hospitality.

PROVISIONS RESTAURANT & CATERING 222 Reid Ave. Port St. Joe (850) 229-9200 provisionsfl.com BARQUENTINE PEACEMAKER peacemakermarine.com twelvetribes.org THE THIRSTY GOAT BAR & GRILL Located inside the Port Inn 501 Monument Ave. Port St. Joe (850) 229-7678 thethirstygoat.com TURTLE BEACH INN Trish Petrie, Innkeeper 140 Painted Pony Road Port St. Joe (850) 229-9366 turtlebeachinn.com Go to visitgulf.com for more information on shops, accommodations, restaurants and parks.

If You Go

Port St. Joe is about a two-hour drive from Tallahassee. Take U.S. Highway 319 south to U.S. Highway 98 and go west. To get to Indian Pass, turn left at State Road 30-A and turn left on Indian Pass Road (at the Indian Pass Raw Bar). To get to Cape San Blas, take State Road 30-A and turn left on County Road 30-E (Cape San Blas Road).

PHOTOS COURTESY JASON DEHART

At 64 degrees, the water was just a tad bit below the 69 degrees favorable for fishing, so we crisscrossed the bay looking for warmer waters. On the verge of being skunked, we high-tailed it for “the cut,” the Port St. Joe canal leading to the Intracoastal Waterway. There, near the entrance, groups of seabirds and ospreys were fetching fish near the channel markers, so we dropped anchor nearby, put three lines in the water and soon the reels were squealing. We had chanced on a school of black drum, a sturdy and somewhat feisty fish related to the prized redfish. We came away with three nice-sized samples in the 5- and 6-pound range, and, content with our catch, headed back to the dock. We drove up to the Port St. Joe Marina and the Dockside Café, which cooks your catch. Cooler in tow, we walked inside and the general manager, Rick Carrie, told us they don’t ordinarily clean the catch before cooking it, but he graciously agreed to fillet one and cook it to order. He even invited us to leave the cooler, promising that when things slowed down in the kitchen the other two drum would be filleted, bagged up, iced down and set outside for us to pick up the next morning. We took him up on his offer. We had two nice fillets — one grilled and the other fried — presented over a bed of salad greens and surrounded by hushpuppies and lemons. Add an order of coleslaw for each of us, and the lunch for two cost only $17. Rick didn’t charge us for the filleting and even turned down a considerable tip. He didn’t know us from Adam’s house cat … but that’s Forgotten Coast hospitality for you. Trish noted that Rick and staff made us feel like we’d dined with them a million times before — like family.

Enjoy Walking

to Work, Restaurants, Capitol Buildings, FSU games & more

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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VISIT THE Forgotten Coast PLAY • SHOP • DINE • STAY

all on 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:

CRAWFORDVILLE

7 LIVE OAK POINT

Ochlockonee Bay

MEXICO BEACH St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Apalachee Bay

PANACEA

8a PORT ST. JOE

St. Joseph Bay

6 4

LANARK VILLAGE

APALACHICOLA

ALLIGATOR POINT

CARRABELLE Dog Island

TALLAHASSEE

EASTPOINT

Apalachicola Bay St. George 8 b Island

Cape San Blas St. Vincent Island

DINING

DINING UP THE STAIRS

1 ANGELO’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Angelo’s thrives on heritage, hard work and the freshest of seafood caught from its own boats. Angelo’s reputation is built one plate at a time!

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.

(850) 984-5168 5 Mashes Sands Rd., SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Panacea

(850) 653-4888 upthestairsfl.me 76 Market St., Suite F, 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 explore the next 50 miles.

ATTRACTION

REAL ESTATE | FISHING GUIDE 2

HOLE IN THE WALL

ROBINSON REAL ESTATE | GUIDES

Seafood market and raw bar. Family owned and operated. Serving fresh locally caught seafood. Open Tuesday through Saturday.

Fishing? Accommodations? Your dream home on the Forgotten Coast? We can do it all — from Alligator Point to Mexico Beach, including Apalachicola, Carrabelle, St. George Island and Cape San Blas.

(850) 653-3222 23 Avenue D, Apalachicola

Guide Service (850) 653-8896 Real Estate (850) 653-1653 44-A Avenue E, Apalachicola

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

SHOPPING 3

TAMARA’S CAFÉ & TAPAS BAR

THE TIN SHED

Known for flavorful Latin dishes featuring fresh, local seafood, Tamara’s provides a distinctive atmosphere — and the tapas bar offers the best live music in the area!

The best nautical and maritime collection east of the Mississippi.

(850) 653-4111, tamarascafe.com 71 Market St., Apalachicola

(850) 653-3635 | thetinshednautical.com 170 Water St., Historic Apalachicola

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GULF SPECIMEN AQUARIUM

VACATION RENTAL 8

SUNCOAST VACATION RENTALS

We’ll save you a spot on the beach! Offering family-friendly beach vacations and romantic coastal getaways for 35+ years. Call or visit us online! (800) 341-2021 uncommonflorida.com 84 Water St., Apalachicola 224 Franklin Blvd., St. George Island

Saving people money on more than just car insurance.®

Forgotten Coastline “Wearable Postcard” Tees Available at Tin Shed

Jim Smith 850-778-4000 geico.com/tallahassee at the corner of Tennessee & Monroe Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states on all GEICO companies. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko Image © 1999-2015. © 2015 GEICO

Ben Vasilinda 850.228.7208 Landscaping & Lawncare, LLC. Licensed & Insured - Commercial & Residential Lawn Maintenance . Tree Trimming Debris Removal . Roof & Gutter Clean-outs Pressure Washing . Overgrown Lot Clean-ups

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Lake Ella

GROWERS’ MARKET GROWING A COMMUNITY, ORGANICALLY story by AUDREY POST // photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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lmost every day in Tallahassee, shoppers can find a produce market where rows of vendors sell colorful vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. The offerings can include artisan cheeses and bread, local honey and fresh eggs. Some days, shoppers have multiple markets to choose from. On Saturdays, Market Square and Frenchtown have produce markets and, from March through November, the Downtown Marketplace also is open. Most of the vendors who use natural and organic farming practices advertise it on their booths. It might be in the name of the farm or in a description of the fruits and vegetables available that day. But it’s a “buyer beware” situation: At most markets, there’s no guarantee the produce was organically grown, or even that the vendors grew it themselves. Buying wholesale produce and reselling it at local markets is common throughout the region. So shoppers who want organic produce get to know their farmers and shop at the same

ones regularly, such as Turkey Hill Farm at Market Square. But the Wednesday afternoon market at Lake Ella is like none of the others. Officially known as The Growers’ Market, the Lake Ella market offers organically grown produce that was cultivated by the farmers who are selling it. Guaranteed. Why? Because The Growers’ Market is selling much more than organically grown produce. It’s also selling a concept, educating people to eat a diet of foods in season, to be good stewards of natural resources and to embrace a sustainable lifestyle. In short, to tread lightly upon Mother Earth, for our own health and for the benefit of future generations. “We’re the only seasonal market and the only all-organic produce market in the state,” said Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an associate professor of agriculture at Florida A&M University and coordinator of the Small Farms Program in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences. “If you’re going to grow food, why not grow healthy food? Why put poisons and toxins in your body?”

The Growers’ Market at Lake Ella enjoys a pure distinction: It is the only all-organic produce market in Florida. The market is a source of fresh, seasonal produce and harvests from hives including those located at Mac’s Honey & Bee Farm. The market addresses a growing demand for organic foods. TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Lake Ella

GROWERS’ MARKET A GROWING INTEREST According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, organic food sales have steadily increased since the organic food industry began tracking them more than three decades ago. Over the past 10 years, demand for organic food has risen by double digits each year, signaling a shift from a lifestyle choice for a small percentage of consumers to being the choice, at least occasionally, of a majority of Americans. A national survey by the Hartman Group and Food Marketing Institute in the early 2000s found that two-thirds of shoppers bought organically grown foods from time to time. The Nutrition Business Journal reported that in 2012, produce accounted for 43 percent of U.S. organic food sales, followed by dairy (15 percent), packaged/prepared foods (11 percent), beverages (11 percent), bread/grains (9 percent), snack foods (5 percent), meat/fish/poultry (3 percent), and condiments (3 percent). The Organic Trade Association estimates that 93 percent of organic food sales occur at conventional grocery stores, most of which have an organic or “green” section, and natural food stores and chains. The other 7 percent, OTA says, comes through farmers’ markets and marketing channels other than retail stores, such as the Red Hills Online market. The growth in the number of markets locally selling organic

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produce reflects a national trend. In 1994, when the USDA began tracking direct sales of produce through farmers’ markets, there were 1,755. By 2013, the USDA counted more than 8,100. The interest in organic food and sustainable gardening and farming transcends age, gender, socio-economic status and stereotypes. Surveys show that consumers prefer organically produced food because of their concerns regarding health, the environment and animal welfare, and they show a willingness to pay the price premiums established in the marketplace. The crowd that shops at The Growers’ Market, behind Lake Ella’s Black Dog Community Coffee House and the American Legion, is no different: Birkenstocks and work boots, polo shirts and tie-dyed T-shirts, sundresses and office attire, college students and retirees. Often, a musician provides entertainment. Most of the customers are regulars, giving the gathering under the moss-draped oaks a familyreunion vibe. “The location is absolutely gorgeous,” retiree Dot Skofronick said. “I get to see my friends and there’s a surprise in my bag every week.” Skofronick participates in a Community Sustainable Agriculture program. Customers pay in advance for a bag of groceries — whatever is in season. On this particular day, Jack Simmons of Crescent Moon Organic Farm in Sopchoppy had loaded her bag with kale, arugula, lettuce, new potatoes, sunflower microgreens, mung bean sprouts, green onions and green garlic. “When I buy lettuce in the grocery store, I have to use it within two days,” Skofronick said. “This lasts longer.” The “shelf life” of the market’s produce tends to be longer than grocery store produce because it was picked that morning. When new potatoes are in season, Simmons tells customers to cook them that night for best flavor. “You don’t have to eat them tonight, but you do need to cook them,” he says. In addition to selling to walk-up patrons, Simmons has 10 or 12 CSA customers such as Skofronick. He said that’s as many as he can handle with his solo operation. He has help from time to time in form of “WWOOFers” — Willing Workers on Organic Farms — who come to learn organic gardening in exchange for room and board. Some stay a day or two, some a few weeks. He began baking different varieties of bread a few years ago, when a thunderstorm-filled summer prevented him from harvesting his crops. He also pickles vegetables and makes jams and jellies from his fruits. If the garden doesn’t fill the CSA bags, the pantry does. Jams, jellies, pickles and dried fruits and vegetables have long been ways to preserve foods, and Simmons experiments with them regularly. But he shuns other preservation methods. “I don’t eat frozen food,” he said. Although the market caters to consumers who want organic, seasonal food, it was created to serve the people who grow it.

Jennifer Taylor, an associate professor of agriculture and the director of the FAMU Small Farms Program, was chiefly responsible for establishing the Growers’ Market at Lake Ella. “If you’re going to grow food,” she challenges people, “why not grow healthy food? Why put poisons and toxins in your body?”

A MISSION NEEDING A MARKET The FAMU Small Farms Program, which Taylor directs, focuses on organic living, which includes organic farming and animal production. It sponsors workshops and training sessions on various aspects of growing food and eating seasonally. Its mission is to help underserved agricultural populations, including farm families and laborers, and assist them in attaining sustainable lifestyles. At one such session in 2002, the idea of The Growers’ Market emerged. “The growers said to me, ‘We really need a different kind of market,’” Taylor said. “So we began to try different things.” At first it seemed Sunday would be the best day, but that was discarded because it was the only day off for most of the growers. Wednesday was the eventual choice. Then, finding a suitable location was a problem. “We talked to several churches but they weren’t interested. Today, I think they would be,” she said. Carla Reid, owner and proprietor of the Black Dog

Community Coffee House, jumped at the chance to help the market find a home at Lake Ella. She put Taylor in touch with the leadership of the Sauls-Bridges American Legion Post 13, which owns the property, and a deal was struck. “I love having the market here,” Reid said. “These are our people.” Reid opened the Black Dog 19 years ago, while working on her doctorate in humanities at Florida State University. The market boosts her business on Wednesdays, she said, and lends it a personality that she likes. She recently became a vendor, too, selling Not Your Mama’s Pops, a variety of frozen concoctions made at her second location, Black Dog on the Square, at Railroad Square. She is also an adjunct professor at FSU, teaching a course in food ethics. Promoting sustainable living and seasonal eating is a logical extension of her teaching. “People have a screwed up notion of seasons,” she said. “It’s kind of like the idea of a summer sweater. It doesn’t exist here in Tallahassee.” TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Lake Ella

GROWERS’ MARKET ADDED VALUE Originally open only in spring and summer, the market expanded to year-round as more farmers had products to sell, and demand grew. Simmons is one of the growers who sells at the market year-round. Winters in the Eastern Panhandle/Big Bend region are generally mild enough to grow many cool-season crops, including collards, kale, turnips, beets, lettuces, radishes and kohlrabi. Other growers who don’t plant across the seasons come only when they have something to sell or when they have a surplus. Bob and Lisa Burnham of Sycamore Gardens sell garlic, blueberries, pears and persimmons in season. They’ve been vendors at The Growers’ Market for eight years, describing it as “friendly and fun in a beautiful setting.” “It’s a nice way to participate in the community, to meet and support local growers and learn where your food comes from,” Lisa Burnham said. “And we all love to talk.” Depending on the time of year, shoppers can find fresh eggs, candles, soap, freshly caught Gulf shrimp, cheeses and meat, in addition to seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs. Mac Gates, of Mac’s Honey and Bee Farm in Havana, is usually there with local raw honey, beeswax candles and an assortment of tie-dyed T-shirts. Ron and Annie Layton of Little Eden Heirloom Farm in Crawfordville sell eggs, bread and baked goods at Lake Ella and at the farm stand at their home. They, too, have CSA partners who get a bag of surprises each week. Owen River Farm has unusual vegetables such as Dragon Tongue Bean, technically a wax bean but more like a green bean. Ripe City Urban Farm, formerly known as Ten Speed Greens, sells vegetables and gives away advice. “We want to educate people about sustainable farming in an urban environment,” Ripe City’s David Newman said. One of the most familiar features of the market sells vegetables, falafel and Middle Eastern baked goods. Artzi’s Organic Veggies and Pita Queen Authentic Israeli Falafel, operated by Israel and Yocheved Artzi of Thomasville, Georgia, also supplies New Leaf and Whole Foods markets with Pita Queen products from its organically certified kitchen. While the prepared food isn’t exactly local — the dates and halvah are imported from Israel — it is organic, and the produce is both organic and local. Abby Vail, on her first trip to The Growers’ Market, was persuaded by a sample to buy a falafel wrap. “It’s different than anything I’ve seen in Tallahassee,” Vail said. “I like having a unique food option. I may have to make this my new Wednesday stop.” On occasion, area chefs present cooking demonstrations featuring produce available at the market, including the chefs from Kool Beanz, Cypress, the state Department of Agriculture, the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Service and Kaiser University’s culinary program.

At the Grower’s Market, shoppers find frozen treats of a sort not sold from music-blaring ice cream trucks. Not Your Mama’s Pops (opposite page) are made at Black Dog on the (Railroad) Square, using figs as a foundational ingredient. Sellers at the market include Annie Layton, above, of the Little Eden Heirloom Farm. TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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In addition, The Growers’ Market accepts SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, as well as WIC benefits for Women, Infants and Children. Many of the other area produce markets also accept food benefits, an effort spearheaded by the state to make fresh food available to people of all income levels and to alleviate the problem of “fresh food deserts.” “As the only seasonal market and the only totally organic produce market, we feel we have added value,” Taylor said. “A lot of people are looking for sustainably grown food that is locally grown, and they know they can find it here. If they go to another market in January and see tomatoes, they might not know that tomatoes don’t grow in January here. They can trust what they find here to be seasonal.” To ensure the produce is both organic and seasonal, Taylor visits every farm that sells at The Growers’ Market, verifying it was grown on the premises using organic methods. “It’s not certification but it is verification,” Taylor said. FOCUS ON EDUCATION Whether verification or certification is the goal, Taylor’s qualifications to make the call are sterling. In 2012, she was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to serve on the National Organic Standards Board. The board advises the secretary on issues related to the National

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Organic Program and the viewpoint of organic growers. Her work with small farmers across the state led to invitations to share her knowledge across the globe. She attributes her passion for farming and education to her family. A native of Tallahassee, Taylor earned her bachelor’s degree in agronomy at Florida A&M, where both her parents — Vernal L. Taylor and Ethel Taylor — are honored on the Perry-Page Hall “Wall of Distinction.” She went on to earn a master’s degree in agronomy at Iowa State University and a doctorate in teaching and learning at Virginia Tech. “My grandmother, Lola Hampton, was a sharecropper in southeast Georgia who was given the opportunity to buy her 32-and-a-half-acre farm,” Taylor said. “She only had a second-grade education, but she knew she’d been given an opportunity to change her life and the lives of her children.” The Small Farms Program is a vehicle to change the lives of farm families, as well as to build a sense of community among the farmers and their customers. “With the Small Farms Program, whether it’s organic is really not the issue,” Taylor explained. “The issue is viability and sustainability. For many, the viable, sustainable path is the organic one.” And the educational opportunities abound. In addition to “farmer wisdom” to be had at The Growers’ Market at Lake

Lake Ella

GROWERS’ MARKET

List of area produce markets Many of the markets listed below include organic vendors, as well as conventional growers and resellers. The Growers’ Market at Lake Ella is the only one in which all vendors have been verified to be organic and to have grown what they are selling.

TALLAHASSEE: MONDAYS (holidays excluded): Sunshine Growers Market Florida Department of Health on Esplanade Way at SouthWood 11 a.m.–2 p.m. TUESDAYS: Killearn Market Brickyard Pizza parking lot Kerry Forest Parkway 2 p.m.–dusk Tallahassee Farmers Market Market Square Pavilion 8 a.m. to noon

Ella, Taylor arranged for a workshop on creating biodiesel fuel — converting waste vegetable oil into fuel for an alternative energy source. The workshop was held at Simmons’ organic farm in Wakulla County. “Jack is one of our partner-farmers,” she said. “We’ve had several workshops at his farm.” An Earth Day program in April attracted many of the local organic growers, as well as several local businesses. Jim Gerritsen, a Maine potato farmer and pioneer in sustainable gardening and organic living, discussed organic integrity and growing the organic community in “A Conversation with an Agrarian Elder.” Held at Indigo Bistro, the chefs prepared a dinner featuring produce from a dozen local farmers, including kale and collards, squash, corn and eggs. Trader Joe’s donated organic potatoes, which weren’t in season locally. “It was a feast from the farmers,” Taylor said. The annual Farm Festival, held each June at FAMU’s Research and Extension Farm near Quincy, showcases different growing systems. Open to the public, Farm Fest teaches sustainable practices and organic methods, such as integrated pest management, to backyard and community gardeners and celebrates the wealth of produce that can be grown. “For us, the market is part of the education and training of our community,” Taylor said. “If you live in a sustainable way, you will grow in a sustainable way.” TM

The “unbeetable” produce and products at the Growers’ Market certified natural farm-fresh eggs from Happy Hens and spreads and breads from Hickory Nut Industries.

WEDNESDAYS: The Growers’ Market (organic) behind the Black Dog at Lake Ella noon to dusk THURSDAYS: Tallahassee Farmers Market Market Square Pavilion 8 a.m.–noon FRIDAYS: Killearn Market Brickyard Pizza parking lot Kerry Forest Parkway 2 p.m.–dusk SATURDAYS: Tallahassee Farmers Market at the Market Square Pavilion 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Biggest day with the most vendors. Most of the organic vendors leave at noon. Frenchtown Heritage Market 524 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Downtown Marketplace Park Avenue between Monroe and Adams streets 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

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The Right

toVOTE ««««««««««««« Elections officials safeguard the foundation of democracy by ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

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LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

t’s Tuesday. Election day. You swing by your precinct before work (or at lunch, or right after work). To your surprise, you find that gauntlet of nice little old ladies — there was ALWAYS a line at the A-H’s and, of course, your last name started with a D — who would flip open big books to find your upside-down name and have you sign, have been replaced. Now one, maybe two, little old ladies are on hand to swipe your Florida driver’s license through what looks like a credit card skimmer, hand over a ballot and wave you to over to a privacy booth (Oh, please let it be one with a good magic marker!) to perform your Civic Duty. President at the top; you vote for (insert name here) and move on to bubbling in the “down ballot” — U.S. Senator, Congressional District (Leon County took it on the chin in redistricting, you’re either in the Jacksonville-based 5th or highly conservative 2nd), State Senate, State House, County Commission, lots of Constitutional officers for the first time in a long time, City Commission, Constitutional amendments (chances are you’re voting for legalizing medical marijuana — 57 percent did when it was last on the ballot two years ago) and chances are, too, that you are confused about exactly what is behind this “consumer” solar initiative and Soil and Water Conservation District? (Admit it, you don’t have a clue what it is or who’s running.) You take your ballot (discreetly tucked into a manila folder) to the scanning machine, feed it in and pridefully slap on your “I Voted” sticker. In and out in 15 minutes. If everything works out alright — and it usually does — voting in Leon County is seamless, fast, flawless, over and done. You don’t give it a second thought. But there’s a Supervisor of Elections machine behind your vote, with planning that started more than a year before you ever stepped into the voting booth. Join us as we draw back the curtain to reveal what it takes to assure you’re able to exercise your constitutionally guaranteed right to cast a ballot, and make sure it’s counted …

The Right

toVOTE ««««««

WORKINGS OF DEMOCRACY Materials and supplies essential to conducting elections include precinct signage, folding tables, voter registration books and, in the estimation of Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho, provision for permanent paper trail. Key Leon County elections personnel include Elections Coordinator Diana Mitchell-Fulford, top right, and, at bottom right, Chris Moore, assistant supervisor of elections.

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For starters, the goal of pretty much all of the 18 people on the payroll in the elections office is to make sure voting is easy peasy. And, although a pleasant experience for voters is important, it’s really only the second thing on the mind of Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho. Priority One is something Sancho, who will be retiring in January after 28 years in office, takes very seriously. “Your vote is not simply a piece of paper. It’s not a ‘glitch’ if you don’t get to record your vote, that is a loss of your Constitutional right,” he said. In the run-up to an election, planning is key, and the process goes on for about 18 months, officials said. “There are probably over 3,000 different

tasks that have to be identified, assigned and followed up on to ensure that they’re complete,” said Sancho. “You have to plan so you can request the right amount of money, material and personnel. It’s kind of like hitting a moving target from a year away.” Sancho said the job entails figuring out how many seats will be open and which will actually become races. Well before candidate qualifying, the staff must estimate the anticipated number of voters — general elections draw bigger turnouts than primaries — then order cardstock to print ballots as well as making sure printed materials reflect changes made by the Legislature. Chris Moore, assistant supervisor of

ELECTIONS IN LEON COUNTY by the Numbers

1,000 85 60

14 HOURS average length of a workday for a poll worker

poll workers trained; about 875 work on Election Day

percent of registered voters projected to turn out for the general election

FIFTY

average age of poll workers in Leon County

positions permanently on the Supervisor of Elections payroll

percentage of electorate that will cast a ballot on Election Day

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115,000

new voter registration cards mailed this year, most because of congressional redistricting

193,000

registered voters in Leon County, comprising about 103,000 Democrats, 55,000 Republicans and 34,000 No Party Affiliation or minor parties

elections, picks up with more of the myriad tasks performed in the election’s office. “What do we do the rest of the time (after election day)? We get that a lot. We do a lot of voter registration. We do maintenance on our equipment. We do maintenance on our voter rolls because we are responsible for managing the voter registration roll,” he said. This year’s statewide redistricting of congressional seats meant remapping, because new lines were drawn, splitting Leon County between Congressional District 2 and the reconfigured Congressional District 5, that now runs from Gadsden County to Jacksonville. About 115,000 voters got new registration cards mailed to them in May, most reflecting a change brought about by this redistricting. In 2016, “I think we have more local candidates than we can remember ever having,” said Moore. The supervisor’s office is responsible for qualifying candidates — they either pay a fee or present petitions, with signatures that have to be verified individually — and then collect and monitor financial reports throughout the election season. In the Aug. 30 primary election, ballots had to be designed for each political party — Republican, Democrat or No Party Affiliation — as well as the specific congressional, city, county, school board and special districts included in each precinct. In all, that meant about 450 different ballot styles were created for the vote. (November’s general election will require only a third that number of ballots because party affiliation doesn’t matter — everybody can vote in all races.) One new piece of technology introduced in 2016 is the electronic poll “book” — that little card skimmer that replaces the six or seven cumbersome paper books used at each precinct in years past. A simple swipe of a Florida driver’s license or ID card is all it takes to check in. There are about 10 other forms of identification that can suffice to get a ballot, the trick is to find a (continued on page 172)

PROFILE

Elizabeth Landers bird-dogged Bernie Sanders by SHELBY BOUCK

lizabeth Landers didn’t always know she would work in television news, but she did spend most of her childhood engrossed in political happenings. “I very vividly remember in 2000 when the entire national and international media descended on Tallahassee when the hanging chad happened,” she said. “It piqued my interest even as a kid.” She followed that interest through her time at the Maclay School, even submitting freelance pieces to Tallahassee Magazine in high school and college. Landers’ precocious civic engagement doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Her mother was a television news anchor with WCTV and The Florida Channel, and her father played a role at the Governor’s Office during Reuben Askew’s administration. “Governor Askew would come over when I was a kid, and Dad let me sit at the dinner table with him,” Landers recalled. “I’d ask him what it was like to be the governor of Florida.” That early fascination turned into a career. After graduating from Tufts University in Boston in 2013, she started at CNN as a news assistant. She began tracking Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in January of this year.

COURTESY ELIZABETH LANDERS

On the Campaign Trail

As a reporter for CNN with a passion for politics, Tallahassee native and Maclay School graduate Elizabeth Landers was tasked with covering the campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. In so doing, she became familiar with the candidate’s off-camera personality.

Reporting on a presidential campaign allowed Landers to bear witness to big moments as well as more personal ones. “We were in Lawrence, Kansas, and Sen. Sanders went for a walk,” Sanders said. “People came out of their businesses, yelling ‘Bernie! Senator Sanders! Come inside!’ We walked by a barbershop and he said, ‘You know what? I need a haircut.’ The whole press corps filmed him getting a haircut on our little iPhone cameras — it turned into a mini-viral event. Bernie’s sort of spontaneous like that sometimes.” Landers said that growing up in Tallahassee helped prepare her for the national political scene. “Tallahassee is a small city, but I think that politics in Florida is immensely important,” she said. “Covering national politics, I notice a lot of names of people in Tallahassee. I knew their kids growing up, and now they’re players in politics on a national level.” While it can get lonely on the road, Landers enjoys the independence her job offers.

“It’s very satisfying to feel like a oneman band,” she reflected. “I travel with my own tripod and camera and live unit. I can produce live TV from anywhere in the world via satellite. I can do my own newsgathering. I work by myself in the field. Oftentimes I was the only CNN person traveling with Sanders’ campaign — I have to be really self-reliant and self-sufficient.” When asked what her future looks like, Landers says definitively, “This (Sanders) was the dream gig for me. I think that there are lots of possible doors that this could open. For right now, I’m looking at the next day, the next week … right now this job is so demanding I don’t really have a lot of time to focus on what comes next.” Her advice for young Tallahassee women looking to get into journalism is simple: “Do as many internships as you can. Submit writing samples. Read news. Tweet news out. Go out and about in the community and talk to people. With technology now, you can create whatever you want using so many different media. You can be your own best advocate.”

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Supervisor Ion Sancho His passion for the voting franchise never waned by ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

t was 1986 and Ion Sancho — a third-year student at Florida State University’s law school with a desire to become politically active — was running for Leon County’s newly created County Commission District 5. It was the first primary election for new Supervisor of Elections Jan Pietrzyk, and after a series of missteps and blunders, it imploded, with problems affecting nearly half of the county precincts. “I was on the ballot in the primary as one of six candidates when that primary melted down,” Sancho recalled. “My first indication … came when my wife came home crying, saying, ‘I’m not sure I voted for you.’” Post-mortem analysis of the disaster identified voting-machine breakdowns, improperly trained poll workers and incorrect voter registration cards as problems that may have disfranchised 5,000 voters. “I didn’t win the county commission race (Gary Yordon did), but I immediately went into court and tried to have the election set aside because of the irregularities,” he said. After a multi-day trial, the judge dismissed the case, saying there wasn’t a precedent in Florida for an election

being set aside. “It’s true, I couldn’t, because no election had been destroyed as thoroughly as Leon County’s. … There had not been an election debacle of that size anywhere in the state. But I remember Judge Hall looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Mr. Sancho, your remedy here is not legal, it’s political.’” Sancho took that advice to heart. He would finish his last semester of law school and, on his own dime, learn how the voting machines Leon County had at the time were programmed. When the next vote for election’s supervisor rolled around in 1988, Sancho challenged Pietrzyk and won handily. And won, and won and won again — seven terms in all — Sancho is the only supervisor of elections many Leon County voters have ever known. At age 65, he decided finally not to run again and to retire after 28 years in the office. “He is unquestionably the elections supervisor who turned things around for not only Leon County, but truly the state due to his passionate — at times almost maniacal — passion for voting rights as the cornerstone of liberty and the necessity to guard them and improve them and keep up with technology,” said Mary Ann Lindley, who has followed his career first as a columnist for the Tallahassee Democrat and now as a member of the Leon County Commission. “He is, quite simply, a living legend. We are fortunate to had him at the helm all these years.” Calling himself a “New Yorican,” the “living legend” was born in New York City to parents who both immigrated from Puerto Rico, which, he said, gives him an “interesting” perspective on American culture.

114 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

“One of the things my father had discovered early on in his career was discrimination. As a child we were not allowed to speak Spanish at the house. It was strictly forbidden,” he recalled. “We had to pass as Anglos; that was his rule. If we could pass as Anglo, we wouldn’t have problems like he had problems, like my mom had problems. My mother never could learn to speak English properly. She would speak to us in Spanish; we would answer in English.”

“He is unquestionably the elections supervisor who turned things around for not only Leon County, but truly the state due to his passionate — at times almost maniacal — passion for voting rights as the cornerstone of liberty and the necessity to guard them and improve them and keep up with technology.” — Mary Ann Lindley, member of the Leon County Commission and former columnist for the Tallahassee Democrat A “military brat,” his family moved around the country, following his father, who served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and transitioned to the Strategic Air Command. Much

LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

PROFILE

The Right

toVOTE ««««««

Ion Sancho, Supervisor of Elections

of Sancho’s father’s work was high-tech, which is why he named his son, Ion, for the electrically charged atom. Sancho ultimately settled in Orlando in the early ’70s when he could “smell the orange blossoms” as he drove to work as an occupational therapy technician at Florida Hospital. After putting his then-wife through college, he started taking classes and graduated from Valencia Community College, then commuted from Orlando to Deland for three years to earn his degree from Stetson University. He was active in student government there and was in charge of student elections. Sancho got a “wonderful education” in the small classes at Stetson. “It armed me as a researcher, because if you’re in a class with only four other students and the professor calls on you … there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. “I like digging for information that could have relevance and make a difference.” After graduation, a politically savvy friend encouraged Sancho to head north. “My friend said if you have any interest in politics, you’ve got to go to Tallahassee … that’s where all the political highways cross in this state,” he recalled. And as orange groves gave way to Orlando’s Tourist Industrial Complex, Sancho became ready to go. He went to work for the Secretary of State’s office as an archivist’s assistant. While it sounds dry and dusty, part of his job was to review records from different agencies before they were destroyed to see if they might be historically significant. Sancho recalled a “tussle” he had with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after he found transcripts (Sancho Profile continued on page 176)

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↓ Moss-draped cypress and oak trees line the Wakulla River, which provides the most popular paddling route in the Tallahassee area. Paddlers often encounter manatees. PHOTO COURTESY LEON COUNTY TOURISM/VISIT TALLAHASSEE

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PADDLING AROUND THE BIG BEND HOP INTO A KAYAK OR CANOE AND FIND PEACEFUL ADVENTURE ON AREA WATERWAYS by TISHA CREWS KELLER

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↓

Leon County and the surrounding areas from state line to coast are some of the most beautiful in the world — and perfect for exploring from the water. The specific geologic terrain in and around Tallahassee is part of what renowned naturalist and scientist E.O. Wilson calls the most biodiverse in the Northern Hemisphere. Grab your kayak or canoe and paddle through the incredible scenery that includes more species of flora and fauna than anywhere else above the Equator. There are five rivers that are easily accessible from Tallahassee and offer a perfect weekend adventure for paddling enthusiasts. From beginner to seasoned paddlers, these day trips offer an amazing array of sights and experiences right in your backyard. The Florida Park Service provides in-depth information on Florida’s Designated Paddling Trails on its website, including maps, narrative descriptions and photos. The five closest rivers to Tallahassee are also among the most beautiful. Visit: http://goo.gl/qq07lI

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SOPCHOPPY RIVER

→ This river is 50 miles long and is a beautiful ride through Wakulla and Leon counties along tall limestone banks and unique cypress trees. The route takes you through the Apalachicola National Forest to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, with many white sandbars for resting your arms. The Sopchoppy is the iconic, tea-colored tannic water of the South, and home to deer and other wildlife. The Florida National Scenic Trail follows portions of this waterway and includes many wild plants such as azaleas and native flowers. This gorgeous river is characterized by canopy oaks, brown-toblack water and interesting wood formations along its route. The paddling corridor on the Sopchoppy is a breathtaking 15 miles, but it isn’t suitable for beginners or children because of the complex turns and navigation required. In some places, the steep banks make access to the water difficult — making it very important to check the water level at the U.S. Geological Survey’s website (usgs.gov) before you go.

OCHLOCKONEE RIVER (UPPER AND LOWER) lands. This route includes topography such as high pine bluffs and hardwood forests. The lower Ochlockonee paddling trail isn’t beginner-ready, because it has several areas that are challenging to navigate. Some areas are unpredictable, with numerous twists and turns, but the scenery is first-rate. The full distance from Lake Talquin State Park to Ochlockonee Bay is 62 miles. There are several campgrounds along the route, but there is a long stretch with no access points in case you need to cut the trip short. Along the lower Ochlockonee trail, you’ll find the area’s distinctive white squirrels and very little light pollution for stargazing at night. Ochlockonee River State Park, near the opening at Ochlockonee Bay, is an incredible place to enjoy a weekend or longer vacation in the wilderness. Fishing for largemouth bass, bream and other species is excellent in the park, but you’ll contend with motorboats and recreational visitors enjoying the facility’s array of activities.

DOUG ALDERSON

→ The 206-mile Ochlockonee River begins in south-central Georgia and flows southwest along western Leon County. The pristine, deep river is the dividing line between Leon and Gadsden counties, and widens into the popular fishing and recreational area Lake Talquin Reservoir before continuing its flow to Ochlockonee Bay. The narrow, 27-mile upper portion of the Ochlockonee flows into Lake Talquin and twists around cypress stumps, or “knees.” While most of the corridor is undeveloped — and therefore unspoiled and wild — the first 15 miles is a very difficult paddling course filled with many logjams and blockages. The Florida Park Service recommends paddling the 12 miles of river below Old Bainbridge Road, which has fewer challenges and typical south Leon County scenery. This upper portion of the Ochlockonee is characterized by sometimes shallow water and smaller trees along sandy shores. The lower portion, however, is scenic and winds through the Apalachicola National Forest and conservation

↓

DOUG ALDERSON

IF YOU GO:

There are five access points along the Sopchoppy, and it’s important to check the ever-fluctuating water levels before you plan your trip. Best for experienced paddlers. Use TNT Hide-A-Way as your outfitter for the Sopchoppy: (850) 925-6412.

IF YOU GO: The 206-mile Ochlockonee River has 20 access points in Florida and long stretches of

isolated paddling. Best for experienced paddlers. Contact Wilderness Way, (850) 877-7720, for outfitting.

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↓

→ Perhaps the most popular and wellknown paddle route in Tallahassee, the Wakulla River never disappoints. Many creatures and plants offer a secondto-none view from your kayak or canoe along this 4-mile route between access points in Wakulla County. The Wakulla is clear and springfed, lined with iconic, moss-draped oak and cypress trees. Manatees are present year-round, and the route is gentle enough for families and beginners alike. Be warned, though, that in summer it can become very crowded with swimmers and motorboats. In fall and winter, the water is serene and perfect for paddling. You can paddle upstream and downstream between the two access points, making a round trip eight miles. However, if you want to extend your trip, go farther downstream to the St. Marks City Park (2.6 miles more) or the historic San Marcos de Apalachee Historic State Park (3.2 miles on). This is where the Wacissa River joins the St. Mark and forms the channel to the Gulf of Mexico through the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. Exploring the Wakulla Springs State Park Lodge is a must. This area contains one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world and has its own rich history. A popular tourist destination and swimming hole, the state park hosts daily riverboat cruises and photography opportunities. From the water, you can get up close and personal with manatees, but be careful! The curious creatures are known to flip canoes and kayaks as they make their getaway.

COURTESY LEON COUNTY TOURISM/VISIT TALLAHASSEE

WAKULLA RIVER

IF YOU GO: This beginner-friendly route is the perfect blend of incredible scenery and

easygoing paddling. Manatees abound, but so do water tourists of all types. Outfitters include Ray’s Kayaks & Excursions, (850) 508-7593; St. Marks Outfitters, (850) 510-7919; The Wilderness Way, (850) 877-7200; and TNT Hide-A-Way, (850) 925-6412.

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WACISSA RIVER

↓

For more information or to plan your paddling trip down one of these exceptional waterways, visit the Florida Park Service’s website at FloridaStateParks. org. A wonderful mix of scenery, geography and special features for both beginner and advanced paddlers, you won’t be disappointed. Tallahassee river trips are a perfect way to spend a weekend day.

↓

TIM DONOVAN/FWC

→ This 12-mile river in Jefferson County is among Florida’s most diverse and untouched, with numerous springs and water birds. The Wacissa is good for beginners and families, but the upper portions can become crowded and the current requires a workout on the return trip upstream. The lower river is quieter and less populated. The Wacissa is characterized by a thick, billowing bed of long grasses that brush your watercraft and display deep current along their leaves. Several freshwater springs hide just off the main waterway inside the forest-filled banks. Paddle into the areas and be rewarded with a spectacular view of deep blue and green views into the springs. Below Goose Pasture, the Wacissa splits into several smaller waterways in an area known as Hell’s Half Acre and rejoins again before flowing underground into a large sinkhole, the Half Mile Rise. This sinkhole is part of the Aucilla River chain of sinks, and the area was once canaled to connect it with the lower Aucilla River. The failed Wacissa Slave Canal was constructed in the 1850s, but the canal was too shallow for cotton barges. Now the waterway looks completely natural and not an artifact of the slave-holding South. The Wacissa begins as a swampy, marshy waterway but quickly deepens into the narrow

IF YOU GO:

There are three access points for the Wacissa, beginning at Wacissa Springs County Park in Wakulla. The river gets crowded down to Blue Springs, a favorite swimming location. Perfect for beginners and families, the Wacissa can be crowded, especially its upper portions. Outfitters include Wacissa River Canoe & Kayak Rentals at (850) 997-5023.

middle stretch. Many forms of wildlife are common, including alligators, wading birds and otters. Look for the limpkin, also called the crying bird, which is a bird that looks like a large rail but is skeletally closer to cranes. Because of poor water quality, it doesn’t frequent many Florida rivers. Take a break from paddling and walk along a segment of Florida’s National Scenic Trail along the Wacissa. According to the Florida Park Service, the Aucilla Sinks Trail traces the river’s mysterious disappearing act just south of Goose Pasture. You can see the Aucilla River’s underground course through the sinkholes along the corridor. TM

OCHLOCKONEE RIVER (UPPER) GADSDEN LEON CALHOUN

WAKULLA RIVER

OCHLOCKONEE RIVER (LOWER) LIBERTY

GULF

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

MADISON

HAMILTON

WACISSA RIVER SUWANNEE

WAKULLA

TAYLOR

SOPCHOPPY RIVER

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GARY TAYLOR

the professor AND THE

BARD FSU’S GARY TAYLOR STANDS ON SHAKESPEARE’S SHOULDERS by KIM HARRIS THACKER

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GARY TAYLOR

his December, 400 years after William Shakespeare’s death, a groundbreaking and accessible compilation of his works, edited by Tallahassee’s own Dr. Gary Taylor, will hit bookstores across America. Tallahassee Magazine writer Kim Harris Thacker met with Dr. Taylor in his office at FSU to discuss his role in the project as well as how he became one of the world’s foremost experts on William Shakespeare, Thomas Middleton and other Elizabethan-era writers.

Tallahassee Magazine: What is your field of study, and how did you get involved in it? GT: My ninth-grade English teacher in Kansas told me Shakespeare was the greatest writer in any language, so that’s where the interest in Shakespeare started. But I was also just interested in plays and drama early on. When I went to university, I double-majored in English and classics. In graduate school, I had to choose between the two. I could go to Yale and study classics, or I could go to Cambridge and study English and Shakespeare. I wanted to see the world, so I chose England. I did my dissertation on Shakespeare at Cambridge. TM: Tell me about your first editorial project that focused on Shakespeare’s works. GT: In 1977 or ’78, I saw a job advertisement to be an assistant on a major editing project for Shakespeare’s works. I didn’t think I was qualified, but

I got a letter from Stanley Wells — the general editor — asking if I would apply for the job. He’d read an essay of mine, and he thought I was the kind of person he was looking for to assist him. He gave me the job, which was a good thing, because I got no other job offers, and this launched my career. The project was supposed to last five years; it lasted eight. During that time, Stanley promoted me to associate editor, then, just before publication, to joint general editor. I was 24 years old when we started the project. There were some people who said I was too young to have that kind of influence over such a significant text. But I wasn’t inexperienced. By the time the book had been published, I’d written and published other things. When we started out, the publisher’s goal had been to create a definitive edition of Shakespeare that could serve forever: You’d never have to edit him again. But for Stanley and I, the nature of intellectual activity is that you come

up with a hypothesis, test it and revise it. We wanted the book to be absolutely scholarly in a way that would open up the research agenda. We wrote that Shakespeare was a theater artist who revised his work, like any author. There were those who loved what we said and those who hated it. As a Shakespeare scholar, one of my duties is to tell people, sometimes, that they’re wrong about some aspect of Shakespeare that they’ve always believed. It’s not always a comfortable, pleasant thing to do. What Stanley and I did when we put this book together wasn’t perfect. We didn’t have any data bases, so we couldn’t do things like analyze texts on a computer, looking for inconsistencies in the writing that might suggest Shakespeare wrote in collaboration with someone else. Not only did we not have those tools, we didn’t even have the notion that those tools would one day be out there. I had just turned 33 when the book came out, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life being defensive of what I’d written. My book, “Reinventing Shakespeare,” came out of that desire (1989). TM: What does “reinventing” refer to? GT: We’re used to thinking of Shakespeare as the greatest of all writers, but our contemporary view of Shakespeare wasn’t shared during his lifetime. In Reinventing Shakespeare, I attempted to look at patterns in the way Shakespeare’s works got remembered. There were many great writers in his day, including Middleton, Marlowe and Jonson. So why is it that some of Shakespeare’s works have been more

The New Oxford Shakespeare addresses ‘the great variety of readers’ — students, scholars, actors, writers, artists — in multiple formats, at multiple levels. It doesn’t try to impose a single critical point of view. It isn’t a monologue. Plays are all about dialogue, and instead of forcing our own opinions on readers, we give them the variety of opinions, from many different perspectives, by readers who are themselves interesting and provocative writers. — DR. GARY TAYLOR 124 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

COURTESY FSU PHOTOGRAPHY AND OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS (OPPOSITE)

popular across the centuries than those written by other people? And why have some of Shakespeare’s plays become more popular than his other plays? The reasons are mostly cultural and political, and “Reinventing Shakespeare” digs deep into this. TM: What came after “Reinventing Shakespeare”? GT: Well, the timelines run over each other. In 1985 or ’86, I got a contract to do the complete works of Middleton. Editing this book took over 20 years. I also wrote “Moment by Moment” by Shakespeare (1985), “Shakespeare Reshaped: 1606-1623” (1993), “Cultural Selection” (1996), “Castration” (2000), “Buying Whiteness” (2005) and other books. Also dozens of articles and essays. And I edited a lot of books. A few months before the Middleton book was published, Oxford University

Press asked me to edit another edition of Shakespeare. My condition for taking on the project was that it had to be a completely new edition. There was so much new scholarship, and I wanted to bring that in. I wanted to work in a team that brought in younger people and women. I didn’t want to edit anything I’d ever edited before. Planning for this project started in 2008, and we dove into the actual work in 2009. And it’s coming out in the U.K. this October and in the U.S. this December — 400 years after Shakespeare’s death. TM: What would you like the average reader to understand about Shakespeare? GT: Think of Shakespeare as the Lin Manuel Miranda of his time: a uniquely original multimedia artist who combined, in a single play, history, comedy and tragedy. But Shakespeare also made

possible achievements like Hamilton: He created the intellectual and artistic infrastructure of our culture. He’s everywhere around you. TM

About Gary Taylor

Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Gary Taylor is an award-winning scholar, writer and editor, and is the founder of the History of Text Technologies (HoTT) program at Florida State University. For more information about Dr. Taylor’s work, check out his bio on FSU’s English Department website.

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SEPT/OCT 2016

TRENDS FROM FLOOR TO CEILING, FRONT TO BACK

INTERIORS

STYLING AND STOCKING A BAR CART Ready, set, roll out your bar cart for any occasion by REBECCA PADGETT

EXTERIORS Fire Pits || DIY Bat Houses || GARDENING Micro-Irrigation Systems photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON // styled by SAIGE ROBERTS

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abodes

he music thumps, appetizers disappear, toasts are raised and the hostess is free to mingle, all thanks to the newly repopularized bar cart. Today, it need not be confined to Mad Men theme parties. The accommodating housewives and overtaxed businessmen of bygone eras were on to something. The bar cart is not just a glamorous prop. Of late, we have wised up and allowed this functional design staple to roll back into our lives. Home design stores, antique venues and even your local Target store offer them for sale, making buying a bar cart a breeze. It’s the stocking and styling of your purchase that may require a little creative work. The bar cart is intended to be streamlined, efficient and uncluttered. So it is why

BAR GLASSES HIGHBALL

Reasonably sized and easy to hold. Serve refreshing drinks heavy on ice such as gin and tonic.

COUPETTE

Amanda Morrison, managing partner of Social Catering, scales bar carts down to the essentials. “You can get away with a good bourbon, vodka and gin because you can make so much with those three,” said Morrison. As mixers, Morrison suggests soda water, tonic water, maple syrup, honey and agave to add in layers of flavor. These liquids can be stored in cut-glass decanters or jewel-toned bottles to make for a more refined look. “Every bar cart needs an herbal component,” said Morrison. “They are not only great visually, but they appeal to the senses and are key ingredients in many drinks. Fresh citrus can be added to drinks and also displays beautifully.” While the libations are the star of the

bar cart, a tastefully decorated spread won’t go unnoticed whether it be for an event or home enhancement purposes. Think vintage glasses, ornate bowls, crystal decanters, eclectic bottle openers, shiny shakers, goldrimmed accents, whimsical paper straws and mirrored trays or books A glimmer of to create height changes, gold accent properly showcasing pieces and ornately designed liquor the sparkle of glass goblets bottles. pair charmingly “By creating your with any party own mix of bottles, theme or libation option. glasses and fun décor accessories, your bar cart inevitably becomes your own,” said Kyle Johnson Smith, product design manager of Coton Colors. “Adding smaller scale art and plants or fresh flowers further enhances the personality of a bar cart and breathes some life into it.” The resurrection of the bar cart comes down to three factors: design, storage and functionality. Select your theme — be it tailgate party or bridal shower — stock up on your favorite spirits and roll it out to your desired location. “Most bar carts are of smaller scale and some even have wheels, so they’re easy to move and tuck into different corners of the house for a celebration, or even bring outside for some al fresco sipping,” said Johnson Smith. “They create a place for guests to grab a refill and create a pretty space while doing so.” Bar carts present a movable party packed with punch and panache. Wet bars have become relics as we make way for these freewheeling, functional accent pieces. TM

Nothing says college party quite like a red plastic Solo cup. Don’t be the hostess who splurges on the beverages, but leaves the drinkware as an afterthought. The glasses in your guests’ hands can set the mood, tamper with the tone and crank up the volume of your party. Set a certain stigma to your stemware whether it be a swanky brunch or a kickback with the fellas.

Legend has it the coupette’s shape was inspired by Marie Antoinette’s left breast. Ideal for champagne.

OLD-FASHION

If you hear the phrase “on the rocks” your beverage better be served in this glass, whiskey preferred.

SHOT GLAS

Typically no taller than 3 inches and holding 2 ounces, these shoot the party into action, fast.

128 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

SNIFTER

For the sophisticated bunch who enjoy sipping brown liquors such as bourbon, brandy and whiskey.

HURRICANE

You don’t have to be in New Orleans to use this glass named after the popular tropical drink.

FLUTE

High-society prefers this glass as it is said to preserve the bubbles and aroma of champagne.

MARTINI

Shaken, not stirred because don’t we all want to be like Bond, James Bond?

photography by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

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abodes

COURTESY OF TURNER PROSSER/KEYSTONE DESIGN

OUTDOORS

EXTERIORS

GATHER ’ROUND Homeowners warming up to the idea of fire pits by JOSEPH ZEBALLOS-ROIG

n the 350,000 or so years since human beings learned to control fire and expanded their range to colder climes, what was once an essential has become an accessory. But our fascination with fire never has cooled and today, many feel that their back yards would be incomplete minus a flame feature. In short, fire pits are hot. “In the last two to three years here, the popularity of outdoor living spaces has increased,” explains Turner Prosser, the owner of the hardscaping company, Keystone Design, which often works alongside Tallahassee Nurseries. “Tallahassee’s nice cool falls mean you can gather with friends and enjoy a fire outside — and when the setting is aesthetically pleasing, that makes it especially attractive to people.” Growing numbers of homeowners are making patios, fire pits and BBQs part of their outdoor spaces. According to Prosser, people are looking for cost-effective ways to extend

their homes and embrace the outdoors. Budgets for such projects, he says, run from $5,000 to $10,000. Low-cost fire pit alternatives include simple $500 kits that homeowners can install themselves — and move around as they please, like a steel cauldron. More elaborate fixed fire pits may require assistance from a professional hardscaper and may cost thousands of dollars, depending on their size and the material used. Natural stone is a favorite. “I tell people that building an outdoor living space is the cheapest addition you can ever put on your house,” Prosser says. “After people have had them installed, they usually find they are more valuable than they realized and they appreciate the ‘wow factor’ and compliments they get from their friends and neighbors.” Stacey Birch, a mother of two, says that “jazzing up” the backyard became a priority when she and her family moved into their new home and found its

130 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

outdoor space dull. They had the patio resurfaced and added a large pergola and fire pit made of wall stone. While they went over her $15,000 budget by several thousand dollars, Birch said the investment was worthwhile and breathed new life into their backyard. “We were so pleased with it, it didn’t bother us in any way,” Birch says. “Now we like to invite couples and their kids, where they can hang out and throw the football. Parents can grill and the kids can roast marshmallows or grill some hot dogs.” Such projects may seem daunting, but, says Prosser, homeowners should not be dissuaded from embarking on little adventures aimed at rejuvenating and expanding their living space. “There’s so many things that people don’t know about that we can create for them,” Prosser says. “People come to us with half-baked ideas and we help them develop them into nice outdoor living spaces.” TM

Tips for Your Backyard Project ➸ SHOP AROUND FOR IDEAS Sites including Pinterest and Google Images can be a huge (and free) source of ideas. Search “backyard ideas” on the sites and you’ll be kept you busy combing through thousands of photos. ➸ GET A PLAN While talking things over at the house is a good start, hiring a designer will help turn your vision into a comprehensive, workable plan. Experienced designers are equipped with photos of tasteful and successful projects that can help you visualize possibilities. ➸ GET A BUDGET Whether it’s $8,000 or $20,000, a budget helps iron out details for designers, installers and the homeowners, themselves. That way, there are no last-minute surprises. ➸ RESEARCH THE INSTALLERS If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on your home, it’s best to do some research on installers in your area. Get references on hardscapers to make sure they are competent and easy to work with.

Bath and kitchen photos courtesy Quail Valley Homes | Proprietors: Harvey, Susan & Guy Coker TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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abodes DIY

SKEETERS BUGGIN’ YOU? Recruit an insect patrol by building a bat house by JESSE BRASWELL

Bats are often unfairly pegged with a bad reputation. They are winged rats, we’re told, that hide in the dark waiting to turn us into vampires or — if we’re lucky — Batman. But, in reality, the 600 species of the planet’s only flying mammal are both intriguing and harmless. Most North American bats are nocturnal insectivores, meaning they feed on night flying insects. Their favorite target: mosquitos. One small bat can consume 600 mosquitos in just one hour. Along with mosquitos, bats also feed on beetles, wasps and moths. Encouraging bats to nest near your house is a natural way to keep your property bug free. Bats are very particular about where they reside, so slight differences in the construction of a bat box affect whether bats will accept it. The box must imitate their natural nesting habitat, which is the space between the bark and core of a tree. It is critical that you choose a natural stain; anything else could repel the mammals.

HERE IS A SIMPLE, YET EFFECTIVE WAY TO BUILD A BAT BOX:

Step 1: Cut pieces from the plywood sheet measuring 2 1/4 inches x 8 feet; 4 3/4 inches x 8 feet; and 41 x 44 inches. The piece left over at this point will measure 41 inches x 55 inches and will serve as the back of the box. Use your saw to score this piece with grooves that are 1/16-inch deep and a half-inch apart. Step 2: Cut the piece measuring 4 3/4 inches by 8 feet

in half, creating two 4 3/4 by 4 foot pieces. One of these halves will serve as the roof. Rip the other half lengthwise to produce two pieces measuring 2 3/8 inches by 4 feet; they will be used as spacers separating the back and front of the box. Step 3: Create the sides of the box by cutting two 2 1/4 inch by 44 inch pieces from the strip measuring 2 1/4 inches by 8 feet.

Step 4: Stain all pieces using the paint brush. Step 5: Using screws, assemble the bat box by first affixing the spacers to the grooved back piece. Place the spacers 3/4 inch from the side edges of the back.

→

HOW TO

Roof

Spacing strips Trim

Back

TOOLS NEED FOR THE PROJECT: ➸ Skill saw ➸ Framing square ➸ Screw gun ➸ Paint brush ➸ Shop rags

Step 6: Put the front piece on, such that it is even at the top with the back piece. Next, add the sides. Step 7: Add the roof. Step 8: Mount the bat box at least 12 feet off the ground.

132 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE PROJECT: ➸ 1 sheet of ¾-inch BC plywood ➸E xterior 1¼-inch screws ➸W ater-based, dark-colored stain

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abodes Your Monthly Garden Chores

GARDENING

HOW TO INSTALL A MICRO-IRRIGATION SYSTEM

SEPTEMBER

➸ Divide clumping perennials such as daylilies, crinum lilies, irises and agapanthus now. ➸ Collect seeds from summer-blooming flowers for next spring. Allow the flowers to form seed-heads, shake the seeds out onto a sheet of newspaper and let them dry. Turn the seeds daily. Store in airtight containers in a cool, dry closet or other dark place.

MICRO-IRRIGATION SYSTEMS target water to

specific areas in your garden, and each system can be tailored to provide a slow drip or a spray pattern over small or large areas. You place the emitters where you want them, connecting them to the main hose with small-diameter “spaghetti hoses.” Some kits come with half-inch diameter main hoses, but a three-quarter-inch diameter hose provides better water pressure. The cost of a micro-irrigation system is much cheaper than an in-ground irrigation system, and it can be attached to a timer, if desired. Components for a micro-irrigation system can be bought at big-box stores and at many local nurseries. One advantage of buying at a local nursery? The staff will explain installation to you. BY AUDREY POST,

➸ Buy spring-flowering bulbs as soon as they become available to get the best selection, then store them for planting in November. ➸ Plant your fall vegetable garden: broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, arugula, lettuce, leeks, turnips, radishes, mustard, beets, kale, Swiss chard and green onions.

MS. GROW-IT-ALL®

STEP 1: Decide where you want sprinkler heads placed. Attach a faucet connector to one end of your hose and attach it to your outdoor spigot. Wind the hose around your plants. When you reach the end of the hose, bend it back over itself and attach the two section clamp.

STEP 2: Place each emitter where you want it. Some come with “spaghetti hoses”. For others, you’ll have to attach the “spaghetti hose” to the emitter, then use a hose-punch to create a hole in the main hose for the other end of the connector hose. Make a mistake? Use “goof plugs.”

STEP 3: There are a variety of connectors available to extend hoses that were cut too short, and Y- and T-connectors to send the water off in two different directions. Some of them have simple valves to shut off the stream on one side.

STEP 4: Once your hoses are in place, turn on the water so you can adjust each emitter to the speed and volume you prefer. Then cover your system of hoses with mulch.

Armored and Slightly Dangerous It’s hard to muster sympathy

for the poor armadillo. Its homely appearance brings to mind a possum wearing armor, and its tendency to tear up your lawn and garden beds as it forages for food can be exasperating. But armadillos do serve a purpose: They eat a lot of worms and insects, including cockroaches, ants, wasps, grasshoppers and yellow jackets. There are a few things you can do to try to repel armadillos. Lay chicken wire around plantings you want to protect and cover it with mulch. Build a fence around your beds that extends 18 inches into the soil and 24 inches above ground, and angle it outward slightly to discourage climbing. Armadillos are nocturnal creatures with poor vision and hearing, but they have a keen sense of THE ARMADILLO smell. Some people have had success deterring them with strong-scented plants such as lantana and copper canyon daisies (Tagetes lemmonii). The fall months are usually fairly dry, and watering your lawn and garden late in the day can attract armadillos because the soil is easier to penetrate. Water early in the day to avoid creating a welcoming environment. Or, water an area farther away from your valued plantings to entice the armadillo to dig there.



PESKY PESTS

134 September–October 2016 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

➸ A late crop of summer vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers can be planted early in the month. OCTOBER

➸ This is the best time to

plant trees and shrubs in our area. ➸ Plant cool-weather herbs such as parsley, dill, sage and cilantro. ➸ Plant cool-season flowers such as pansies, snapdragons, dianthus and petunias now.

©2016 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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SPECIAL PROMOTION

SOCIAL STUDIES Table 23 Soft Opening

JUN. 18 Table 23 invited friends, family and neighbors to a soft opening party at the new Midtown restaurant. Attendees gathered around for good food, easy conversation and Southern hospitality. The new restaurant was opened by Tallahassee natives Joe and Mandy Lemons and serves casual American and Southern cuisine with a modern twist.

PHOTOS BY WHITNEY FLETCHER PHOTOGRAPHY

1 Amy Harllee, Jessica Kerr and Lisa Munroe 2 Keith Driggers and Andrea Vergara 3 Tracy and Steve Williams 4 Joe and Mandy Lemons, Kristi and Chris Poppa

Dine for Canines

JUL. 21 Pet lovers gathered at Georgio’s Fine Food and Spirits to support Voices of Chance Animal League, or VOCAL, which helps homeless, abused and neglected animals in the community. A generous portion of the evening’s proceeds, along with a silent auction, supported the cause.

PHOTOS BY LORI MAGEE YEATON

1 Chuck and Patty Mitchell with Scott Brown and Lisa Lazarus 2 Elisabeth, Ryan and Pierce Boyett

2 Garrett Cofield and Kaylee Castle 4 Rob and Angie Wyche with Leni Koikos

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SOCIAL STUDIES Tallahassee Magazine Garden Pop-Up Party AUG. 9 Give us a reason to celebrate and we will be there with balloons in hand, champagne glasses clinking and confetti at the ready. Tallahassee Magazine launched its first pop-up event in honor of the July/August issue. The night was full of celebration including the 10th birthday of Cole Couture and Table 23’s recent opening. Visit tallahasseemagazine.com/TMAG-Blog/ News-2016/2016-July-August-IssueRelease-Party/ for a recap of the night’s festivities, gifts, special guests and more!

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The challenger learning center downtown offers visitors out of this world adventures from planetarium experiences to the latest movies in IMAX

The city of Tallahassee is famous for it’s parks and greenways. Levy Park is no exception with activities ranging from baseball to swimming.

for the cowhey boys, hanging out goes to another level at one of Tallahassee’s most unique workouts, Tallahassee Rock Gym located in Railroad Square.

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with slices “as big as your head,” how could you not end a day of adventure at Tallahassee icon -Momo’s Pizza?

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he Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl For Kids’ Sake 2016 was a striking success. The 32nd annual event was held at Crenshaw Lanes at Florida State University’s student union and raised over $50,000, which will be dedicated to the agency’s mentoring services. Over 300 local businesses, participants and volunteers contributed to the event by raising funds, sponsoring and forming teams and making contributions. Participants included Daniel Wood, Park Broome, Kim Smiley, Melanie Quinton, Steve Mitchell, Khanty Xayabouth and Jenna Parker along with Alva Striplin, CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, FSU Campus Police Team Chief David L. Perry and Capt. Terri Brown.

allahassee Memorial HealthCare broke ground June 2 on one of the most expensive single building projects in Tallahassee’s history — a five-story, 340,000-square-foot surgery and adult intensive care facility expected to cost $250 million. The facility, to be known as the M.T. Mustian Center, will include 28 operating rooms (which will replace all existing operating rooms), four interventional suites for neurosurgical and vascular procedures and 72 adult medical/surgical intensive care beds. The new center is expected to open in early 2019. The event showcased the “art of health care” featuring speed painter Tim Decker who painted three paintings for the audience leaving the guests in awe as the portraits came to life before their eyes. After painting Ray Charles and Albert Einstein, Tim wowed

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the buzz everyone with a portrait of the building’s namesake, M.T. Mustian. Mr. Mustian was in the audience and was featured in a groundbreaking video recorded in 1986 when the South Wing was developed. Mark and Perry Mustian welcomed the crowd. Their remarks were followed by speeches from hospital leaders Mark O’Bryant, president and CEO; Susie Busch-Transou, board chairwoman; Andrea Friall, M.D. Medical Executive Committee chairwoman and Linda Fox, Surgical Services service line administrator. Seen in the crowd were: Ed Murray, Rick Moore, Alma Littles, M.D., Martha Barnett, Carlos Campo, M.D., Steve Evans, Rev. Brandt Copeland, Winston Howell, Glenda Thornton, Andrew Wong, M.D., Chris Rumana, M.D., Thomas Truman, M.D., Hank Hutchinson, M.D., Alberto Fernandez, M.D., Lee Hinkle, Joe Camps, Michael Forsthoefel, M.D., Chuck Mitchell, Martin Proctor and Laurie Dozier.

allahassee Symphony Society president Bobbie Frye-MacDonald welcomed TSS members and their guests for the President’s Luncheon at Golden Eagle Country Club and thanked members and volunteers for all their hard work during the past year. The elegant occasion was enjoyed by all who attended, comprising most of the membership. Olivia Ahyoung was recognized with the Donna O’Meara Volunteer of the Year Award. For years, she tirelessly organized and directed the music for the TSS Tour of Homes, along with her many other contributions as a volunteer. She graciously accepted the Award saying, “When you volunteer, you don’t think about awards.” Immediate Past President Mary Lama Cordera and Joanne Taylor were bade farewell from the board after many years of service with the society. Both are past recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award. Then, Mary was welcomed back as a co-chairwoman of the 2016 Tour of Homes; she will serve with fellow cochairwoman Lisa Askins. Lisa announced that the 2016 Holiday Tour of Homes will be held Dec. 9 and 10 and advised that the tour needs one more home to complete the lineup of grand homes that will be “decorated to the nines.” Locations of homes are kept secret until tickets are sold. Andy Lawley was introduced as the Tour of Homes Gala chairman as well as a newly elected TSS 1st vice president. TSS founder Dot Hinson and her husband, Jim Hinson, former president of Tallahassee Community College, who keep trying to move closer to their children in Georgia, were home for the luncheon. Colin and Anne Phipps traveled from the northern reaches of Leon County to attend the luncheon, but longtime supporters Steve and Blanche Gordon travelled farther, all the way from Thomasville. Bob Parker came inland from the coast to share in the camaraderie.

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the buzz A delightful surprise during the luncheon was a fashion show by Chico’s. Spouses Charles Benedict, Jimmie Calloway, Jim Crews, Lance Peterson, Sandy Kerr and Sean Singleton, among others, will have no problem finding gifts for Abbie, Donna, Trisha, Jan, Jessie, Kayla and Elizabeth. The rest of the women at the luncheon will have no trouble handling by themselves the rigors of shopping — thanks to Chico’s.

he Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI) hosted two events at Hearth & Soul as the boutique’s featured non-profit. A VIP Reception thanked businesses and people who work to make Tallahassee a stronger community. Attendees including Greg Japp, Bryan Desloge, Joy Watkins, Dan Sherraden, Mac and Marissa Langston, Nancy Miller, Liz Joyner, Stacey Getz, Mark O’Bryant, Carmen Braswell Butler and many more celebrated the unveiling of the new Market District mural (part of KCCI’s #SeeTallahassee project). New KCCI Community Catalysts who attended included Mat Tharpe, Alex Workman and Alissa Slade-Lotaine. A week later more than 150 women came out to Hearth & Soul to sip, shop and support KCCI at a Ladies’ Night event. Guests including Sheila Costigan, Berenice Cox, Michelle Gomez, Debbie Huey, Cat Keen, Lauren Pace, Gloria Pugh, Jenny Sermon, Mandy Stringer, Maggie Theriot, Shelley Gomez, Melanie Weaver Carr, Alison Voorhees, Carla DeLoach and Walissa Cobb enjoyed music by Pedro Maia Oseias. Loraine Ausley, Gayle Webb, Rebekah Dorn and Julz Graham were spotted laughing with Susie BuschTransou (the mastermind behind Hearth & Soul) as she prepared mouthwatering appetizers for the event. Ellen Dadisman, Krista Campbell, Heidi Otway and Angela Hardiman enjoyed the exclusive preview of the store’s new spring looks — all while showing support for and celebrating KCCI. Amy Butcher

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The Right

toVOTE ««««««««««««« Elections officials safeguard the foundation of democracy by ROSANNE DUNKELBERGER

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combination of IDs that include a photo and signature. Interestingly, while a voter ID card is good for finding out where the precinct is and what districts you live in, it cannot be used as identification. While the book speeds up the voting process and cuts down on the manpower needed to staff the polls, it has other advantages. If you have moved within the county, you can change your address instantaneously at the poll (although staff asks that you please, please, please consider calling into the office before going to the polls to vote). The electronic poll book can be connected to a database that includes all registered voters in the state of Florida. So, an address change for, say, a college student registered to vote in Miami and living in a dorm in Tallahassee is also possible on election day. It takes a little more time, paperwork and a phone call to the home office, but polls in student-heavy areas assign additional staff to handle the load. Again, a phone call ahead of time would make it much easier. “If you call us on the Monday before the Tuesday election and give us the address update, we’ll tell you where you need to go. By the time you show up there, it’ll be in these electronic poll books and you’re good to go,” said Moore. While the entire supervisor’s staff pitches in for the Big Day, Elections Coordinator Diana Mitchell-Fulford is the one who has her eyes on the election day prize. One part of her job is recruiting and training 1,000 poll workers. Election Day requires about 875 workers to staff 88 voting locations throughout the county. Even though about 75 to 80 percent of poll workers have done it before, all are required to attend at least three hours of training to be brought up to speed on new technologies, laws and administrative tasks. And Mitchell-Fulford considers it her mission to make the 30 to 35 training sessions fun and entertaining (she admits “election procedure is dry”) while also offering labs and online training to ensure the recruits are comfortable with the process. Poll workers are paid minimum wage for training and about $8.75 an hour for 14 to 15 hours of work on election day. Now retired, Paul Burris started as a poll worker in 1992. “When I started, I thought it was volunteer,” he

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recalled. “I said ‘sure, I owe the community this much time,’ and boy it was kind of neat when I found out I’m going to get a check, too.” He has moved up the polling place hierarchy and is now a clerk, the manager at the two precincts that vote at Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Killearn. Most of the dozen or so folks on his precinct team have worked together for several years and now plan treats for the voters — coffee for the adults, orange juice for the kids and doughnuts for all — as well as elaborate potlucks to sustain the workers through a long day of voting. Some of his more amusing election day stories include a protestor who laid down across the sidewalk refusing to budge, and a woman who told the poll worker she had recently moved — to Georgia. “And the clerk said ‘Ma’am, you can’t vote here,’” Burris shared. The woman complained she had been voting at that precinct for 25 years. “They sent her over to me and she “Once you get was just irate. I was a chance to see amazed at how sincere she was about the fact all the actual orthat she should be able ganization and to vote.” coordinating Mitchell-Fulford and hard work and voting systems that goes into it technician Will Stew… imagine trying art are also tasked with making sure to plan 88 sepathe 88 polling places rate weddings throughout the county to go off on the have everything — same day at the and that means everysame time and thing — needed for a everybody leaves successful election day. Supplies are warehappy. That’s what we’re trying housed and assembled in a huge operations to accomplish center, located near the here.” intersection of Capital — Diana Mitchell- Circle and Apalachee Parkway. For each preFulford, Elections cinct, there is a heavy Coordinator metal rolling cage stocked with about 300 items, from the obvious, like ballots, electronic poll books and paperwork; to the minutiae — sandbags to hold signs upright, pens, extension cords, highlighters … even the “I Voted” stickers. While polling places are usually churches with plenty of parking, kitchens and bathrooms, others are less well equipped, so Mitchell-Fulford will toss toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap into their cage. Some need handicapped parking signs, or even desk lamps to lighten up a dark space. Delivered separately will be the privacy booths where TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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the actual voting takes place, as well as the voting machines, actually a four-piece set-up that includes the actual voting tabulator and a bin for collecting the paper ballots. “We sometimes call them expensive garbage cans,” quipped Stewart. Needless to say, there are layers upon layers of security and testing to assure the tabulation of votes is done properly. Results are sent to the operations center via modem. “It’s very old school, but it’s secure. Everything is isolated from the internet so there’s no way to access this without coming in here,” said Stewart. He will sit at a desk behind a glass window on election night, working with the computer “brains” of the operation, posting the results on a screen in the lobby while simultaneously sending the results to the state. Simultaneously, the precinct clerks DATES TO REMEMBER are wheeling up to a back door to drop Sept. 24 off the ballots and other essential maGeneral Election ballots mailed to terials that will be processed the next overseas voters morning. Oct. 4 “That’s the thing about elections; so Initial mailout of General many people, they just think it appears Election ballots to voters in out of the fog on election morning and the U.S. then it kind of dissipates,” MitchellOct. 11 Fulford said. “Once you get a chance Last day to register to vote to see all the actual organization and in the General Election coordinating and hard work that goes into it … imagine trying to plan Oct. 24–Nov. 5 Early Voting 88 separate weddings to go off on Nov. 8 the same day at the same time and General Election everybody leaves happy. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish here.” With voter registration and outreach Sancho and his staff are expecting an 85 percent turnout in Leon County — giving it the status of a “super-voting” community. A smooth process is possible because about half of those voters will already have cast ballots before the polls open Nov. 8. Sancho said about 30 percent voters go to one of the county’s seven Early Voting sites during a week-long period before election day while the remainder turn in absentee ballots. “We expect the general to be historic,” said MitchellFulford. “We thought in 2008, ‘Wow this is our highwater mark; this is what we can judge everything by.’ But this is going to top it (because) we have more voters. We’ve come a long way in registered voters.” When the general election is over, the downtown Supervisor of Elections office will move and consolidate into the remodeled warehouse at Capital Circle, which will be expanded to 45,000 square feet. It will continue to house all the elections equipment and be remodeled to include offices and a dedicated training area. In addition to nice people greeting you as you walk in the front door, the entry also includes historical items, among them display cases filled with memorabilia and an oldfashioned lever-style curtained voting booth. TM

The Write Stuff At the Supervisor of Election’s office, your signature is important. It’s kept on file and checked when a person signs a candidate petition and, perhaps most importantly, when they send in a Vote by Mail (what oldsters would call absentee) ballot. And it’s one of the reasons Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho is not a big fan of mail-in voting. “Across the state, error rates are really high — from a high of 3 percent kicked out, to Leon county’s low of one tenth of one percent,” he said. Many of those are because the signature on file doesn’t match up with what’s written on the envelope. “Most people think — wrongly — it’s the older person’s signature that changes the most,” the supervisor said. Data shows the signatures that look most different are those of people who registered to vote as an 18-year-old and have since gone to college and gotten a professional job. “Their signature doesn’t look like the same thing they signed in high school,” Sancho said. “I would guarantee it does not.” So if you’re past the days of dotting your I’s with hearts, or your penmanship has improved greatly over the years, you can update your signature with a form available on the supervisor’s website (leonvotes.org) that you can print out, fill out and either return by mail or in person.

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LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

PROFILE

Ion Sancho, Supervisor of Elections

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from a wiretap of FSU’s “Radical” Jack Lieberman on a Miami public telephone outside of the 1972 Democratic National Convention. “Excuse me, but was anybody aware that the FDLE was wiretapping student government activists around the state at that time? I refused to sign off on the destruction of the document,” Sancho said. He was in a standoff with the agency until his boss intervened and let him take the records. That story, he said, illustrates “this tension between what the state wants to keep secret and what the citizens should know about their own history. That to me is the exciting part of history — what really happened and what you haven’t learned yet.” Sancho was able to finish law school after losing the botched election, but because he was in the thick of his first supervisor of election’s race, he never did sit for the Florida Bar exam. Even so, his legal training taught him the fine art of finding “gaps” and “chinks” in laws laid down by the Legislature. As an example, he notes that instructions to voters enumerated in the law can be full of “11thgrade words.” Because the Supreme Court requires only “substantial compliance” with the law, “I can drop that down to the sixth-grade (level) and say the same thing and get better understanding,” he said. Perhaps his greatest achievement in chink-finding resulted in early voting, a process he learned of at a conference in Texas. Perusing Florida law, he realized there was a provision for “in-office absentee voting,” but no directions for how it actually worked. In an “ahha” moment, he realized it was possible to encourage people to come to the office to vote before election day. It was introduced in Leon County, codified into law by the Legislature in the early ’90s and has “evolved into what is now the most popular method of voting in the state of Florida,” Sancho said. “In some counties, more than 50 percent of the people are voting early.” Sancho has a fierce commitment to encouraging every eligible citizen to register and vote, combined with an encyclopedic knowledge of the nuances of election laws and technology. He is a huge fan of the optical scanning method of voting that he introduced soon after his

election as supervisor — and totally averse to non-paper methods of voting, such as the touch screen. The paper ballots used in Leon County’s scanning system allow for a true count — and recount, if necessary — of every vote cast. And after the presidential election of 2000, when a recount of Florida’s results was begun to determine the outcome of the presidential race, Sancho’s opinion was vindicated. Near the end of the 36-day process, he was tapped to serve as the technical advisor to the judges doing the recount, and Sancho was convinced an accurate recount of the ballots was possible. But just as he was beginning, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the process and declared George W. Bush the winner. That action still rankles Sancho. “You have to understand that is the first “I know a truth and only time in the that I have to history of the United tell, but to do so States that a state was I have to leave barred from complet… because I reing an election,” he said. “That election spect this office was prevented by the and don’t want U.S. Supreme Court to pull the Leon be counted.” County Supervi- to Although Leon sor of Elections County — and its suoffice into any pervisor — came out smelling like a rose in political controthe aftermath, Sancho versy — and this has the potential said it had a lasting effect on him. of being a huge “It hurts; it’s dampolitical controaged me. I’m not the versy, possibly same person that I was prior to the 2000 electhe biggest in tion,” he said. “I know our electoral a truth that I have to history.” — Ion tell, but to do so I have Sancho, Supervito leave … because I sor of Elections respect this office and don’t want to pull the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office into any political controversy — and this has the potential of being a huge political controversy, possibly the biggest in our electoral history.” Sancho says the first order of business after he leaves office in January is a little R&R followed by a lot of muckraking. “The first thing I plan on doing after I take a little rest and fishing the spring redfish season is writing a book on why the 2000 election was stolen and who stole it,” he declared. “A warning for individuals out there, there is no statute of limitations (for voting rights violations) and I know where the bodies are buried.” TM TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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agenda

Thiele

▪ Leon County Attorney Herbert W.A. Thiele has received the H. Hamilton “Chip” Rice, Jr., Award during the Florida Bar’s 39th Annual Local Government Law in Florida conference. The award goes to a distinguished lawyer who has served the Florida Bar’s Local Government Law Section by mentoring and educating future lawyers. ▪ Lisa Mergel, owner of Kanvas Spa in Tallahassee, was recently named the 2016 Florida Retailer of the Year. ▪ Capital Regional Medical Center received the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. To receive the award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all guideline achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures. ▪ Two Tallahassee-based communications companies have been designated among the top in Florida and the nation by O’Dwyer’s. Moore Communications Group’s (MCG) MCG is now ranked as the No. 1 firm in Florida for public affairs and No. 6 nationwide. The agency is also ranked among the top six public relations firms in Florida with a national ranking of 63, up from

77 last year, and is the No. 1 health care firm in the state. Sachs Media Group ranked among the top five public relations firms in Florida, among the top 10 public affairs PR firms nationwide, and as the top financial and investor relations firm in the Southeast. ▪ Tallahassee’s Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) was recently recognized for its outstanding use of social media marketing by receiving the 2016 Social Media Achieving Real Time Enriched Relations Award at the Tallahassee Technology Alliance’s annual TechExpo conference.

Rivest

▪ Dustin Rivest was recently honored by Gov. Scott with the Young Entrepreneur Award. He is the founder and CEO of App Innovators, a mobile and web app development company in Tallahassee. The company has created more than 200 apps since 2012. The small business doubled its workforce in February and currently employs 12 Floridians. ▪ Gov. Scott recently recognized B&T Fencing Inc. with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award. The family-owned business was founded by two Florida State University students and has 35 employees in Tallahassee. The company specializes in a wide variety of residential, industrial and commercial fencing services. ▪ Wood+Partners, Inc., of Tallahassee was selected as one of the University of Georgia Alumni Association’s Bulldog Top

100 of 2016. The Bulldog 100 recognizes the top 100 fastest growing businesses owned or operated by a UGA Alumni. UGA alumn Mark Baker (BLA ’77) is president of Wood+Partners Inc.

ADDITIONS & PROMOTIONS

Cerio

▪ Florida State University has named Michael D. Hartline dean of the College of Business. He is the Charles A. Bruning Professor of Business Administration at Florida State and joined the college’s faculty in 2001. He has served as interim dean since July.

▪ The Florida School Boards Association has hired BillieAnne Gay to be its new member communications manager. Gay previously worked with the Leon County School District.

▪ Daniel Beaty, AICP, has joined HNTB Corporation as a chief transportation planner based in the firm’s Tallahassee office.

▪ 14-year banking veteran Melanie Quinton has joined Centennial Bank. She most recently worked in nonprofits and served as program director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters and, prior to that, as director of the New Horizon Loan Program for the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology Inc.

▪ Daniel Petty, PT, DPT has joined The Concussion Center at Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic as a physical therapist. He is certified in vestibular therapy and concussion management. ▪ Two long-time employees at Aegis Business Technologies have been promoted to leadership positions at the Tallahasseebased company. Louis Poskey, formerly accounting manager, has been named chief operations officer and will be responsible for handling all day-to-day operations and contract management. Kevin Drake, former senior technical support representative, is promoted to chief technology officer and will coordinate all tech duties and manage service delivery including projects, tickets and remote and on-site support. ▪ Tracy Forester has rejoined Genesis — a planning, engineering, and design firm — as vice president. In this statewide role, Forester will provide professional services in the areas of intelligent transportation systems and fiber optic design, CEI, project management and all aspects of advanced traffic management systems.

Gov. Rick Scott recently awarded five Florida State University Police Department police officers with the Medal of Heroism for their quick action during the Strozier Library shooting over a year ago. The governor said that the quick arrival of Sgt. Roy Wiley and officers Daniel Cutchins, Orenthya Sloan, Oma Nations and Parise Adams helped save the lives of FSU students and faculty members during the incident.

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▪ Tallahassee attorney Tim Cerio, and former general counsel to Gov. Rick Scott, has rejoined his law firm, GrayRobinson.

▪ Hannah Monroe has joined the Tallahassee office of Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell as an associate focusing on cases involving employment and labor issues, governmental and administrative law, and criminal defense.

NEW & NOTABLE ▪ Dennis Gallant, senior manager in the tax services department of Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., has been accepted into Leadership Tallahassee Class 34.

Gallant

▪ Leon County will host two USA Track & Field National Championships this winter at Apalachee Regional Park. The events include the USATF Masters 5 KM Cross Country Championships on November 6 and the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships on December 10. The USATF National Club Cross Country Championships began in 1980 and were last held in Florida in 1998 at Walt Disney World. Deland hosted the USATF Masters 5 KM Cross Country Championships in 2001. This will be the first time that one community hosted both events the same year. ▪ ClothesLine, a local shop specializing in custom screen-printing, embroidered apparel and promotional items, celebrated 35 years in Tallahassee by giving back to the community. The company launched Clothes for a Cause competition and 50 nonprofit organizations representing a diverse array of interests in the Big Bend were nominated to receive $500 in custom apparel. After voting, Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend was named the winner.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INDIVIDUALS

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

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agenda ▪ First Florida Credit Union, a statewide financial institution with multiple branches in Tallahassee, has proposed a new partnership with Florida Baptist Credit Union. If approved, the partnership would mark First Florida’s second merger within two years. ▪ Elite Office & Business Solutions, owned by Cathy White and Princess Ousley, has launched an online company that will provide office and business supplies to customers across the nation. Although based in Tallahassee, the company can ship more than 130,000 different products to customers anywhere in the country through its extensive supplier network.

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▪ Leon County tourism has surpassed $1 billion in economic impact for the first time in 2015 and gives the “capital county” much to celebrate during National Travel and Tourism Week. In 2015, tourism resulted in $1.025 billion in economic impact, 2.4 million visitors from 47 states and 36 countries and 11,389 jobs. Leon County contributed to the success of Florida’s record year in 2015 when 105 million visitors came to the state. Hotel bedtaxes, which fund the Leon County Division of Tourism Development (Visit Tallahassee) and all of the county’s tourism promotion efforts, also set a new record with more than $5 million. ▪ Dean Cannon’s Capitol Insight, a statewide lobbying firm based in Tallahassee, has joined GrayRobinson, P.A. This makes GrayRobinson’s government relations and lobbying practice the largest such practice of any law firm in Florida and one of the largest groups of legislative and executive branch lobbyists in the state. Capitol Insight was founded in 2012 by Dean Cannon, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and former Shareholder with GrayRobinson. Cannon will serve as statewide chairman of government affairs and executive vice president of GrayRobinson. ▪ The law firm Berger Singerman recently moved its Tallahasseebased team to the Gateway Center, located at 313 N. Monroe St., Suite 301. The new location accommodates the firm’s growing North Florida team. There are currently 10 attorneys here with experience in internal investigations, fiduciary litigation, white collar criminal defense, corporate, real estate, envi-

ronmental and energy law, government and regulatory and business reorganization.

TALLAHASSEE RESIDENTS APPOINTED BY GOV. SCOTT ▪ David Childs, 37, a shareholder with Hopping Green and Sams P.A. and legal counsel for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, to the Boating Advisory Council. ▪ Stephen S. Everett, 35, to the Leon County Court. Everett has served as assistant general counsel for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity since 2012. ▪ William Gilbert, 66, a self-employed barber with Executive Haircare, to the Barbers’ Board. ▪ John Griffin, 64, a retired attorney, to the Board of Optometry. ▪ Harvey Jones and Kevin Peters to the State Emergence Response Commission. Peters, 38, is the emergency management director for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management. Jones, 56, is an operations review specialist with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. ▪ Tamela “Tammy” Perdue, 44, the general counsel for the Associated Industries of Florida, to the Workers’ Compensation Panel. ▪ Christie Pontis, 31, a regional legislative affairs manager with CenturyLink, to the E911 Board. ▪ Fran Poppell, 76, a retired wedding director and bridal consultant, to the Board of Cosmetology. ▪ James Watson, 59, director and coordinator for the Community Outreach Program at Tallahassee Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, to the Board of Athletic Training. ▪ Tanya Wilkins, 53, co-founder of LifeConnectors who currently serves on the Guardian Ad Litem Qualifications Committee for Florida, to the Children and Youth Cabinet. ▪ Stuart Williams, 45, general counsel for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, to the Second Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. ▪ Victoria Zepp, 51, chief executive officer of Zepp Strategic Partners, to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. — COMPILED BY JASON DEHART

Announcing

2017: Women of Interest Preparations for the 2017 speaker lineup have begun We are excited to announce the first two speakers!

Erin O’Hara O’Connor Dean and McKenzie Professor of Law

Marion P. Hammer Past President of NRA

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

FOR YOUR HEALTH

FOR YOUR HEALTH WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? IF YOU SAY GOOD HEALTH, YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

In this special section, Tallahassee Magazine fills you in on dedicated health professionals, their practices and their plans for keeping you healthy. Here they discuss their specialized skills, backgrounds and how they can help you with your important health care decisions.

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FOR YOUR HEALTH

S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF TALLAHASSEE, PA

LARRY DAVIDSON

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Left to right: James Killius, M.D.; Stephen Carr, M.D.; Maribel Lockwood, M.D.; Steven Ostrov, M.D.; David Vermess, M.D.; Daniel Yang, M.D.; Arjun Kaji, M.D.; Carey Linker, M.D. Not pictured: Charles Williams, M.D.; Sergio Ginaldi, M.D.; Mary Swain, M.D.; Michael Cavallaro, M.D.; Kurt Luhmann, M.D.; William Yaakob, M.D.; Timothy Sweeney, M.D.; David Durden, M.D.; Gregory Albright, D.O.; Michael Pentaleri, M.D.; Barbara Jaeger, M.D.; Samuel D. Yu, M.D.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? At Radiology Associates of Tallahassee, the needs of our patients and the physicians who refer their patients to us are our first priority. We are committed to providing a state-of-the-art imaging center with the full spectrum of radiologic studies: CT, PET/CT, mammography, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, DEXA, interventional, fluoroscopy, X-Ray and MRI (Tallahassee Diagnostic Imaging). Our PET/CT unit is the only one in this area. Our Women’s Imaging Center is the only facility in our area offering breast tomosynthesis (3-D mammography) in conjunction with the traditional 2-D mammogram and is an American College of Radiology (ACR) Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. Beginning in September, patients referred to us for an MRI will be screened on the Toshiba Titan 3T with Pianissimo technology, which reduces noise by ninety percent and has more room than an open MRI. We are the only facility from Central Florida to South Georgia to house this machine. Our radiologists only read images from our facility, TDI, and other contracted facilities. Be sure to ask if we’re reading your image.

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HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN PRACTICE IN TALLAHASSEE? Fifty-five years. Since 1961, our physicians and staff have been serving our community. Over the years, we have continually added new radiologists to our group. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? Our physicians and staff are dedicated and love what they do! We offer a pleasant and friendly environment so patients feel at ease when visiting our office. Our extensive training and experience is a unique asset to this community. Each physician is board certified by the American Board of Radiology. In addition, our physicians have sub-specialty fellowship training in neuroradiology, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, pediatric radiology, musculoskeletal radiology, body imaging and mammography. Our physicians live and work in Tallahassee. Local referring physicians can easily consult with them to provide timely, expert patient diagnosis.

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WALTER E. COLÓN II, D.M.D., MS PERIODONTAL ASSOCIATES OF NORTH FLORIDA

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WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? Our services include non-surgical prevention and surgical treatment of periodontal diseases. We also place dental implants to replace lost teeth or to reconstruct mouths with several or all missing teeth. Other treatments offered are the cosmetic exposure of teeth correcting a gummy smile, bone regeneration, laser periodontal therapy and soft tissue or gum grafting. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? It’s no secret! Clinical excellence and compassionate care. We are grateful every day to serve our patients and referring colleagues. We enjoy serving Tallahassee’s patients needs. Our team prides itself in showing our patients that we are there for them and thankful for the opportunity to exceed their needs. WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY? We are committed to providing patients with the highest quality facility, services, products and experiences. We are constantly evolving through research and adopting state-of-the-art procedures, technology and equipment that will provide our patients with the best results possible. We are a dynamic practice. We take pride in maintaining an immaculate, modern and clean surgical center and in providing our patients the most personalized care possible. CREDENTIALS: Certificate of Periodontics and Master of Science, University of Kentucky (1997–2000)  Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Internship, Vanderbilt University (1993–1994)  General Practice Residency, Vanderbilt University (1992–1993)  Certificate of Hospital Dentistry and General Practice Residency, University of Kentucky (1991–1992)  Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of Kentucky (1987–1991)  Bachelor of Science, University of Dayton (1982–1986) 

AWARDS:  American Board of Periodontics, Diplomate (2006)  Rotary International – Rotary Club of Tallahassee “Service Above Self” Award (2009–2010)  American Association of Periodontology 2012 Academy Award Winner – Special Citation

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RUSSELL B. RAINEY, D.M.D. 2 2 1 E . 7 T H AV E . | ( 8 5 0 ) 3 8 5 - 3 7 0 0 | D R R A I N E Y. C O M

Front row: Diane Biederman, Dr. Russell Rainey, Dr. Nathan Kupperman, Tracy Fairfield Back row: Marie Long, Sheila Monk, Cindy Griffiths, Jane Rice, Elizabeth Holm, Jacque Brewton

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We provide general dental care, including cosmetic dentistry, full mouth reconstruction, implant restorations, dental cleanings, non-surgical periodontal therapy and Invisalign® — the clear alternative to braces. Our areas of focus include: ▪ General and Restorative Dentistry ▪ Sedation Dentistry ▪ TMJ Pain Relief ▪ Sleep Apnea Solutions ▪ Neuromuscular Dentures ▪ Invisalign® HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN PRACTICE? Our practice is in its 29th year. DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS PRACTICE: Our practice is very patientcentered. Everything we do is based upon making our patients feel both welcome and comfortable. We strive to anticipate needs and exceed any other dental experience.

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WHAT IS THE “SECRET” TO YOUR SUCCESS? We take the time to listen to our patients and establish a true relationship prior to beginning any treatment. The loyalty from our patients is a direct result of engaging them in the process, discovering their individual needs and crafting the care we provide to those needs. HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS EXPANDED? Within the last year, Dr. Nathan Kupperman, D.M.D., has joined our practice. We are thrilled to have him in the office and our community. Our practice has seen a trend of patients who experience pain and discomfort from TMJ symptoms. We also have seen an increase in health issues resulting from sleep apnea and/or snoring disorders. Both of these conditions have dental solutions. We have participated in numerous courses to receive further education on the treatment of TMJ and sleep apnea and work directly with specialty labs to custom fit oral devices to relieve the symptoms for our patients. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? We are very fortunate to work in a field where our care has a positive impact on our patients’ overall health and quality of life. We measure our success by how they feel about their experience while in our care and how they value the results of the treatment we provide.

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THOMAS E. OPPENHEIM, D.M.D. OPPENHEIM SIGNATURE SMILES

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“When I joined the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 1994, it had become clear to me that the best interests of my patients demanded the expansion of my education far beyond the skills and knowledge that were taught in dental school,” says Thomas E. Oppenheim, DMD, as he reflects on his professional journey over the years. Today, Dr. Oppenheim is recognized for his exceptional artistic ability to create that perfect “signature smile” for each client. He is one of only 63 dentists in the world to have achieved Accredited Fellow status in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). “Delivering cosmetic and restorative excellence required that I master and maintain proficiency in an entirely new set of artistic and technical skills. That is why I continue to fully engage in every learning challenge the AACD offers, and it is also why I voluntarily tested my skills against the AACD’s most demanding standards. By passing the rigorous testing required to become an AACD Accredited Fellow, I am demonstrating that I can, and will, consistently deliver no-compromise, beautiful results every time,” he states. Dr. Oppenheim’s smile designs are known for their strikingly natural appearance and lasting beauty. His work has not only graced the cover of the prestigious Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry an unprecedented eight times, but has also won him Top Honors in AACD International Smile Gallery competitions for 10 consecutive years (including Best of Show in Honolulu). A writer and frequent lecturer on advanced smile design techniques, Dr. Oppenheim has served on the Accreditation Board of Examiners for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) and mentored other dentists pursuing accreditation in the AACD. Dr. Oppenheim is an alumnus of the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry as well as the Comprehensive Esthetics Restorative Continuums at the College of Dentistry at Baylor University and Louisiana State University. He is also an honorary fellow of the International Academy of Dental-Facial Esthetics. “With each new patient, I remind myself that I am only as good as the last smile I created. Our patients choose us because they want the best, and in return for their trust, we promise to do what it takes to provide just that — every time.”

Dr. Oppenheim’s smile designs are known for their strikingly natural appearance and lasting beauty. “I can, and will, consistently deliver no-compromise, beautiful results every time.”

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TRACY M. ECKLES, D.D.S. M. DARRH BRYANT, D.M.D.

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WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION BACKGROUND? Following my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Florida State University and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Texas, I was honored to participate in the highly regarded, surgery-based General Practice Residency at the Medical College of Georgia. DESCRIBE SOME OF THE PROCEDURES YOU OFFER. We offer IV and oral sedation to complement a wide range of surgical treatments. These include routine and complex extractions, wisdom teeth removal, bone grafting, canine exposures and TAD placements for orthodontics, and in the near future, dental implant placement. SHARE WITH US YOUR SECRET TO SUCCESS. Often patients are pleasantly surprised by the ease of the experience. Is it surgery? Yes, but can I make it as comfortable as possible? Absolutely. Prompt appointment start times, gentle technique, and sedation options minimize patient anxiety and aid in relaxation. I provide my cell phone number to give patients peace of mind post-operatively. WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY? When making a recommendation, I always come back to treating a patient as I would want to be treated. If I am recommending a procedure, it is the same I would suggest for my mom, brother or daughter. HOW HAS YOUR PRACTICE GROWN? The addition of surgical procedures has proven convenient and beneficial for our existing patients, as well as for practitioners seeking a timely referral option in the Tallahassee area. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I married my FSU college sweetheart, Michael Eckles of Thomasville, in 2012 and we welcomed our daughter, Ellie Grace, in August of 2015. We’ve spent her first year supporting Seminole sports of every kind and exploring the Florida coast. Ellie’s absolute favorite thing is playing fetch with her four-legged best friend, JB. We look forward to raising our family in the Tallahassee community.

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For more than 40 years, the physicians and staff of Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic (TOC) have been dedicated to helping patients live healthy lives through exceptional orthopedic service and compassionate care. TOC is the leader in orthopedic care for the residents of North Florida and South Georgia. With a team of 23 physicians, TOC offers patients a fully integrated experience by providing evaluation, treatment, prevention and education for conditions that effect the body’s muscles, joints and bones. At Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic, patients can take advantage of complete orthopedic medical diagnosis, imaging services, treatment and/or surgery, rehabilitation and assistance with orthotics care all in one place. Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic’s highly acclaimed practice offers patients access to an unparalleled institution of knowledge with

physicians experienced in the treatment of general orthopedics, sports medicine, hand and wrist, foot and ankle, shoulder and elbow, joint reconstruction, spine, orthopedic trauma and concussions. Front Row (L-R): William Thompson, M.D.; Tony Bryant, M.D.; Floyd Jaggears, M.D.; Garrison Rolle, M.D.; Matthew Lee, M.D.; Andrew Wong, M.D.; Andrew Borom, M.D.; Aaron Guyer, M.D.; Gilbert Chandler, M.D.; David Bellamy, M.D.; Tom Haney, M.D.; Chris Berg, M.D. Back Row (L-R): David Oberste, M.D.; Robert Thornberry, M.D.; Mark Fahey, M.D.; Brad Stephens, M.D.; Gregg Alexander, M.D.; Ray Bellamy, M.D.; Kris Stowers, M.D.; Hector Mejia, M.D.; Scott Burkhart, Psy. D.; Tom Park, M.D.; Hank Hutchinson, M.D.

TALLAHASSEE ORTHOPEDIC CLINIC SPECIALIZING IN SPINE CONDITIONS

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Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic Spine Center offers a comprehensive approach to spine conditions. The physicians at Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic work closely together to provide complete care for patients suffering from spinal disorders offering complete evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of the spine all in one place. Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic Spine Center is dedicated to improving each patient’s function and quality of life by setting elevated standards for innovated approaches to spine treatment.

GREGG ALEXANDER, M.D.

GILBERT CHANDLER, M.D.

MATTHEW LEE, M.D.

TOM PARK, M.D.

MUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE

MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE & PAIN MANAGEMENT

SPINE SURGEON

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, RADIATION ONCOLOGY SPECIALISTS PHILIP SHARP, M.D., OVIDIU MARINA, M.D., RAJ BENDRE, M.D., MEDICAL DIRECTOR, TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, RADIATION ONCOLOGY SPECIALISTS WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY? Our mission is to meet the full cancer care needs of our community by providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art care close to home. Through the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, we have a diverse, multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, social workers, patient navigators, registered dietitians and a certified genetic counselor. We have this entire team in one location for patient convenience. WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR PRACTICE? The future of the practice is exciting. Through our partnership with University of Florida Health (UF Health), we look forward to continuing to bring the most advanced care to our patients. We offer a full complement of radiation treatment options to include Sterotactic Radiosurgery, Stereotactic Body RadioTherapy along with brachytherapy and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? We measure success with every positive patient and family experience. 17 7 5 O N E H E A L I N G P L AC E ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 5 2 5 5 | T M HPHYS ICIANPA R T N E R S. C O M

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, SURGICAL SPECIALISTS

SHELBY BLANK, M.D., M.S.; TIM F. RUARK, JR., M.D., FACS; ELIOT B. SIELOFF, M.D., FACS

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We perform a wide range of surgical procedures, most of which are minimally invasive. We commonly perform gastrointestinal procedures such as cholecystectomies, appendectomies, hernias and colon resections. We also perform breast surgery for both benign and malignant disease. As part of the trauma service, we also care for patients who have significant injuries due to accidental or traumatic causes.

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WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? It is our goal to provide a successful, safe operation with a positive outcome for every patient. 14 0 5 C E N T E R V I L L E R OA D, S U I T E 4 4 0 0 ( 8 5 0 ) 8 7 7- 6 2 12 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, BRADFORDVILLE REBECCA EASTERLING, M.D. A. LANE JANNEY, M.D. *OPENS OCTOBER 3, 2016 WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? We provide comprehensive family medicine care for the entire family in a warm, friendly environment. WHAT SETS YOUR PRACTICE APART? As the population of Tallahassee grows, we are excited to be opening our practice on the Northeast side of town. We feel it is important to provide a convenient and accessible option for medical care to this area of our community. 6 7 2 1 T H O M ASV I L L E R OA D, S U I T E 4 ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 9 0 0 0 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, ENDOCRINOLOGY SPECIALISTS T E R RY S H ER R ADEN , M. D. , OMODELE AWONIY I, M.D., KATHLEEN WILSON, A R N P WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE AND PATIENTS DO YOU SEE? We evaluate and treat patients with complex endocrine diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis. Consultations and management are provided for diseases and disorders of the endocrine glands (thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenals, etc.) and other hormone-related conditions. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY OR STRATEGY? We help our patients learn how to control their endocrine issues and lower their risk for long-term complications. We work with the consulting provider to formulate a plan that is customized for the individual patient. WHAT BRIEF STATEMENT WOULD DESCRIBE YOUR VIEW OF YOUR PROFESSION? Our goal is to help our patients successfully understand and manage their chronic endocrine diseases so they can feel good and live longer. 2 4 0 6 E . P L A Z A D R I V E | ( 8 5 0 ) 8 7 7- 7 3 8 7 T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, VASCULAR SURGERY SPECIALISTS LINCOLN ROLAND, M.D. WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? Our team provides the latest treatment options for complex vascular conditions, including traditional surgery, combined/hybrid procedures and minimally invasive, also known as endovascular, treatments. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? We believe in treating the patient, or the whole person, not just their symptoms and condition. In caring for patients with vascular conditions, it is important to understand a person is more than their symptoms or medical images. Our patients are involved in each step of the diagnostic and treatment process so we can have an open discussion about their care. WHAT SETS YOUR PRACTICE APART? Dr. Lincoln Roland joined TMH Physician Partners from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio — home to one of the top heart and vascular programs in the country. He carries with him a commitment of compassionate patient care and expertise in the latest vascular treatment options. 14 0 5 C E N T E R V I L L E R OA D, S U I T E 5 0 0 0 ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 8 3 4 6 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, CANCER & HEMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? TMH Physician Partners, Cancer & Hematology Specialists is a practice focused on the care of patients with cancer and blood diseases. We offer everything from chemotherapy to support services including dietary and genetic counseling, patient navigators and support groups. Our mission is to provide comprehensive, compassionate, stateof-the-art care while emphasizing clear communication, patient education and clinical research. 17 7 5 O N E H E A L I N G P L AC E , 2 N D F L O O R ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 5 3 6 0 | T M H P H Y S I C I A N PA R T N E R S . C O M

L-R: Karen B. Russell, M.D., FACP; Jayan Nair, MD; Amit Jain, M.D., MPH; Tim A. Broeseker, M.D.; Janice Lawson, M.D.; Jeannine M. Silberman, M.D.; Iman Imanirad, M.D.

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, CENTER FOR MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE DON ALD C. WILLIS, M.D. & RODERICK F. HUME , M .D. WHO ARE YOUR PATIENTS? Expectant mothers whose pregnancies are considered high-risk due to preexisting conditions, maternal age, multiples or any other complication identified by the patient’s obstetrician. WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF SPECIALTY? Maternalfetal medicine is a sub-specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. As the only maternal-fetal physicians within a 150-mile radius, we work with high-risk pregnancies to minimize complications and manage the health of moms and their babies. Dr. Hume is also Board Certified in Genetics and offers prenatal genetic testing, diagnosis and counseling. WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY? Working closely with our patients allows us to help prepare them and their managing obstetrician for delivery, involve

the appropriate specialists, prevent complications and provide the highest level of care for mothers and newborns who need special attention and support. HAS YOUR PRACTICE EXPANDED RECENTLY? The field of Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis is rapidly expanding with new and better tests to identify genetic abnormalities. New technology is now available through our office that allows prenatal diagnosis of some genetic abnormalities in the developing baby using a simple blood sample from the mother. WHAT BRIEF STATEMENT WOULD DESCRIBE YOUR VIEW OF YOUR PROFESSION? We try to lift the mystery (the unknown risks) from pregnancy, provide personalized prenatal risk assessment and treat the fetus as our patient; not just the mother.

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TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL LIPID CENTER J. O R S O N SMI T H , M. D. , FAC C ; SUDHA RAV ILLA , M.D. B OA R D C E RT I FI E D C L I N I C AL L I PIDOLOGISTS WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We work with our patient’s primary care provider to manage complex lipid disorders. We assist the primary care physician, cardiologist or other specialist in the diagnosis and management of difficult lipid disorders. Services include assessment of cardiac risk factors, advanced lipid testing and novel drug combinations. We assist and educate our patients on appropriate nutrition and lifestyle choices in hyperlipidemia, obesity and diabetes. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY OR STRATEGY? We work with our patients to help them understand their problem and encourage them to participate in coming up with solutions.

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, RHEUMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS LESS SHRESTHA, M.D., FACP WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We specialize in the care of patients with various arthritic and autoimmune conditions. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY OR STRATEGY? I describe my practice as patient-centered. I adhere to providing quality service to each patient’s satisfaction and well-being. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? I am able to bring about significant change in the lives of my patients while enjoying long-term relationships with each patient. WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR PRACTICE? In the near future, I plan to open an infusion suite in the office. 3 9 0 0 E S P L A N A D E WAY ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 3 8 6 7 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, SURGICAL SPECIALISTS ROBERT SNYDER, M.D., FACS; ALEXANDER RAMIREZ, M.D.; RICHARD ZORN, M.D., FACS

WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF SPECIALTY? General, laparoscopic, minimally invasive and bariatric surgery. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS IN YOUR PROFESSION? When we have positive outcomes that allow our patients to live healthier lives and have improved quality of life, we know we have been successful. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? We are dedicated to the health and well-being of our patients. It is our goal to establish mutual respect with our patients through communication and education for the best possible surgical outcomes. We believe this is why we have treated generations of families in our region.

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WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR PRACTICE? We are excited to be participating with the FSU College of Medicine General Surgery Residency Program at TMH. Being faculty members will allow us to shape the next generation of general surgeons.

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TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? The Family Medicine Residency program offers primary medical care for the entire family with specialty services including maternity care/ delivery, gynecological procedures, skin surgery, cardiac stress testing, anticoagulation as well as behavioral and nutritional interventions. The program also provides medical training for physicians who have chosen the specialty of family medicine. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN PRACTICE IN TALLAHASSEE? We have been providing primary care services in the Big Bend for over 40 years.

Front Row L-R: Gina Hope, M.D.; Tanya Evers, M.D. (OB/GYN). Second Row L-R: Dwight Hooper, M.D. (OB/GYN); Phillip Treadwell, Pharm.D. (Pharmacology); Ronald Machado, M.D. Third Row L-R: A.D. Brickler, M.D. (OB/GYN); Joseph Mazziotta, M.D., Program Director; Lisa Jernigan, M.D.; Julia Weeks, M.D.; Edward Forster, M.D. Back Row L-R: Russell Cole, M.D.; Cathy Snapp, Ph.D. (Psychology); Michael Allison, M.D.; Donald Zorn, M.D.; B. David Robinson, M.D. (Internal Medicine). Not Pictured: D. Paul Robinson, M.D. (Pediatrician); Klive Forde, M.D.

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WHAT MAKES YOUR PRACTICE STRATEGY UNIQUE? Being a training site offers many valuable benefits for our patients. ▪ Our physicians are accustomed to providing medical care that spans from OB and pediatrics to adult and geriatric medicine. We also treat a large spectrum of care from health maintenance to treating chronic disease. ▪ We have extended hours for both weekdays and weekends. ▪ We provide inpatient and outpatient care. If you are admitted to the hospital, you will see our physicians instead of an assigned hospitalist. ▪ Because our physicians are training new physicians, we are up-to-date on the latest medical advances and able to provide a full spectrum of care.

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, SOUTHWOOD BOBBY ABRAHAM, M.D. AND WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? Primary care for adult patients, including preventative care for stroke and heart disease. We also provide management of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, endocrine disorders, COPD and asthma. We offer a variety of preventative and screening health care services including immunizations, cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk assessment, cancer screening as well as diagnosis and management of complex medical conditions affecting our adult population. In addition, we offer comprehensive diagnostic X-ray services conveniently located on-site to better serve our patients. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY? We try to make the patient experience as pleasant and convenient as possible. Our office is located in a brand-new, one-level building with a covered driveway and ample parking. We also offer same-day appointments for sick patients. 3 9 0 0 E S P L A N A D E WAY ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 3 8 6 7 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

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TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL CLINICAL GENETICS CENTER L . K R I S T I N PA R SL EY, M. D.

WHAT DO YOU DO OR WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We provide services in pediatric, adult and cancer genetics. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO PURSUE THIS CAREER? Genetics is a fascinating field that is rapidly evolving as scientific technology has advanced. It is now at the forefront in patient management as we move toward personalized medicine in primary care management. WHAT IS THE “SECRET” TO YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS? Improved technology has enabled us to discover the underlying cause of many patient disorders. As someone who has personally experienced this with my family, I am empathetic and focused with each and every patient. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? I have the wonderful opportunity to see rare and unusual disorders on a weekly basis, which keeps us on our toes and up to date on recent clinical advances.

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TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. I grew up in Walton County. I attended University of Alabama School of Medicine for my medical degree, University of South Florida for my pediatric residency and University of Colorado Health Sciences for my clinical genetics fellowship. I worked in primary care for 12 years before returning to fellowship. Following fellowship, I wanted to return to my North Florida roots. My husband and I have seven children, ranging in age from 6 to 21 years of age.

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE WHAT DO YOU DO? We provide both hospital-based and ambulatory care for adult patients. Our area of specialty is internal medicine. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY? Our main goal is to provide excellent care to patients — both in the hospital and in the clinic. WHAT IS THE “SECRET” OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS? The secret to our success is we focus on each patient as an individual and customize their care. L-R: Jonathan Appelbaum, M.D., Ingrid Jones-Ince, M.D., Gregory Todd, M.D., Raymond Shashaty Jr., M.D., Brittany Clark, M.D. Not pictured: Phillip Denoux, M.D.

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, NEUROLOGY SPECIALISTS JASON CHEN, M.D.; BAYARD MILLER, M.D.; SIDDHARTH SEHGAL, M.D.; MUHAMMAD SIDDIQI, M.D. WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? We provide comprehensive neurological services to treat conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, headaches/migraines, epilepsy/seizures, memory disorders/dementias, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis. Our practice also provides a collaborative approach to treatment that offers neuropsychological evaluations and provides counseling and support groups for patients and their families. HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR PATIENTS RECEIVE THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF CARE? TMH Physician Partners, Neurology Specialists boasts four board-certified general neurologists and three neuropsychologists who offer an unparalleled level of medical care. Each neurologists features a special focus area that allows us to provide a vast array of specialty care to patients with any neurological condition. 14 01 C E N T E R V I L L E R OA D, S U I T E 5 0 4 ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 5 0 01 | T M H . O R G

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY SPECIALISTS ARVIND BAKHRU, M.D., MARGARETT CONKLIN ELLISON, M.D.

HOW DOES YOUR PRACTICE IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? TMH Physician Partners, Gynecologic Oncology Specialists is the only gynecologic oncology practice in the Big Bend Region. With the recent opening of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s gynecologic oncology program, women no longer need to drive hundreds of miles to have preventative screenings for cancers that attack the female reproductive system. WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? We specialize in complex pelvic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and chemotherapy for women with gynecologic cancers and pre-cancers including: ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vaginal, vulvar and uterine sarcoma. 17 7 5 O N E H E A L I N G P L AC E , 1 S T F L O O R ( 8 5 0 ) 4 3 1- 4 8 8 8 T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALISTS, SERVICES PROVIDED BY SOUTHERN MEDICAL GROUP, PA WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? We provide primary care for adult patients with special emphasis on diagnosis, evaluation and management of both chronic and acute complex conditions of the heart, lungs, intestinal tract, kidneys and endocrine system. HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR PATIENTS RECEIVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY CARE? Our internal medicine physicians are board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. We offer highly skilled, compassionate care and state-of-the-art diagnostic services. We are committed to quality patient care by seeking educational opportunities to stay current on the latest drug therapies and diagnostic tools. L-R: Ileana Popa, M.D.; Satish Mital, M.D.; Camille Blake, D.O., Ph.D.; Donald Loucks, M.D.; Judith Lewis, M.D.; Robert Rowland, M.D.; Jesse Judelle, M.D.; Michael Forsthoefel, M.D.; Marlisha Edwards, M.D.; Eric Bouchard, M.D.; Farah Soliman, M.D. Not pictured: Narayanan Krishnamoorthy, M.D.

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WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY? We believe in fostering a positive, open relationship with our patients as well as their caregivers to provide optimal care, to instill confidence and to ensure patient satisfaction. We work to maintain a strong network of specialists should our patients need to be referred for further evaluation and believe that communication with the consulting physician and the patient is imperative to seamless, quality care.

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, SURGICAL ONCOLOGY SPECIALISTS WADE DOUGLAS, M.D., FACS WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? Services we provide involve surgical treatment of malignancies including: ▪ colorectal ▪ skin ▪ stomach ▪ liver ▪ pancreas ▪ soft tissue ▪ head and neck WHAT ARE YOUR AREAS OF SPECIALTY? Areas of specialty include general surgery, surgical oncology, head and neck surgical oncology. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY OR STRATEGY? Prepare for new opportunities and enjoy the journey along the way. 17 7 5 O N E H E A L I N G P L AC E ( 8 5 0 ) 8 7 7- 5 18 3 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

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TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, SURGICAL SPECIALISTS WITH SERVICES BY SURG IC A L ASSOCIATES OF TALLAH A SSE E JEFFREY W. CROOMS, M.D., FAC S WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? A broad range of surgical options for patients of all ages. I provide minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, malignancies (cancer), breast surgery, trauma, hernia, reflux, weight loss, endocrine surgery (thyroid and parathyroid). WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS? Providing exceptional care 24 hours a day as well as providing advanced, quality surgical care. 14 0 5 C E N T E R V I L L E R OA D, S U I T E 4 4 0 0 ( 8 5 0 ) 8 7 7- 6 2 12 | T M H P H YS I C I A N PA R T N E R S. C O M

TMH PHYSICIAN PARTNERS, CARDIAC SPECIALISTS, SERVICES PROVIDED BY SOUTHERN MEDICAL GROUP, PA

WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF SPECIALTY? Cardiovascular diseases — specifically treating and preventing diseases of the heart, blood vessels and vascular system. HAVE YOU INCORPORATED ANY NEW TECHNOLOGIES OR TREATMENTS IN YOUR PRACTICE? We have brought new procedures including TAVR, MitraClip, CTO intervention, EKOS, WATCHMAN and most recently, we are the first practice in Florida to offer the latest in heart stent technology.

Back Row L-R: Gregory R. Hartlage, M.D.; J. Galt Allee, M.D., FACC; Wayne Batchelor, M.D., MHS, FSCAI, FACC; Gian-Carlo Giove, M.D.; Venkati Bavakati, M.D., MPH.; Farhat Khairallah, M.D., FHRS, FACC Front Row L-R: William C. Dixon, IV, M.D., FACC; David L. Tedrick, M.D., FACC; David W. Smith, M.D., FACC; Marilyn M. Cox, M.D., FACC; Gadi Silberman, M.D.; Frank E. Gredler, M.D., FACC; Thomas E. Noel, M.D., FACC Not pictured: John N. Katopodis, M.D., FACC and Akash Ghai, M.D., FACC

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WHO ARE YOUR PATIENTS? We treat patients who have hypertension, blocked arteries, irregular heart rhythms, fainting, high-cholesterol, congestive heart failure, heart defects and diseases of the arteries and veins. WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY? Our team of physicians is dedicated to providing comprehensive care for cardiac conditions focused on communication with our patients. We believe in building a strong relationship with each of our patients so we can develop an individual care plan tailored to each person.

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TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER WHAT DO YOU DO OR WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? The Behavioral Health Center provides a broad array of psychiatric and chemical dependency services including suboxone treatment for persons who have been addicted to opioid medications. The Center treats persons with acute and chronic depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) for severe depression is provided by two psychiatrists within the Surgery Center facility.

Back Row L-R: Peter C. Debelius, M.D. Board Certified Adult; Wayne Denton, M.D., Ph.D. Board Certified Adult; Kelly Clouse, M.D. Board Certified Adult and specialized in ECT; Prasanti Tatini, M.D., Medical Director, Board Certified Adult and Geriatric and specialized in ECT Front Row L-R: Esther Undag-Elphick M.D. Board Eligible Child and Adolescent; Edith E. Hidalgo, M.D. Board Certified Adult; Michael Mitchell, M.D. Board Certified Adult Not pictured: Connie Speer, M.D. Board Certified Adult and Child-Adolescent; Kathy Lourvis, ARNP Adult Advance Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

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WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF SPECIALTY? Psychiatry. All psychiatrists who practice at The Behavioral Health Center are certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSION? Success is measured by improved quality of life, prevented suicides and improvement in patient’s functional levels, allowing them to be productive, contributing members of society.

TALLAHASSEE MEMORIAL BARIATRIC CENTER K E LL E Y L A N G , M. D. , AME R I C AN BOARD OF OB ESIT Y MEDICINE DIPLOMATE G RE G L A F F I T T E , P. A . WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE? Medical assessment, treatment and follow-up care for weight-related conditions. WHAT IS THE “SECRET” OF YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS? Our team includes a registered dietitian and a behavioral therapist. We work together to address obesity as a chronic relapsing disease, considering all possible causes for weight gain. Unlike other weight loss programs, we analyze other factors including genetics, medical and lifestyle choices, which could affect our patient’s success and we then cater our services to that person. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? Helping people succeed at changing their lives and getting healthy.

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TALLAHASSEE EAR, NOSE & THROAT, PA

DUNCAN POSTMA, SPENCER GILLEON, ADRIAN ROBERTS, MARIE O. BECKER, JOSEPH SOTO, ROBERT SNIDER, SCOTT ASHER, GRAHAM WHITAKER WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? Our expertise is in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) head and neck surgery, facial plastic surgery and cosmetic reconstructive procedures. In addition to these services, our audiologists offer complete hearing evaluations for patients of all ages and hearing aid sales and services. HOW HAS YOUR PRACTICE GROWN? Since 1986 we have expanded to a team of eight doctors, an ARNP and six audiologists. We are proud of our extensive training and experience and feel we have assembled an excellent team to deliver quality care. We are pleased to have Graham Whitaker, M.D., recently join our group.

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WHAT SETS YOUR PRACTICE APART? Our knowledgeable physicians and staff who are passionate about providing quality care. It’s not just our job; it’s personally rewarding to help patients and their families.

EYE ASSOCIATES OF TALLAHASSEE D E A N N A LOUI E , M. D. Eye Associates of Tallahassee is honored to welcome our newest ophthalmologist, Deanna Louie, M.D., who recently moved to Tallahassee from the West Coast. Dr. Louie graduated from University of California with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an Immunology Emphasis, and Computer Science. She then completed her medical education at the University of Michigan. Dr. Louie is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, as well as a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Medical Association. Dr. Louie has a broad range of expertise, which helps her give each patient the best care possible. She has special interest in small incision cataract surgery, as well as the medical treatment of various retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration and is also experienced in oculoplastic procedures such as blepharoplasty. Call us to schedule your appointment with Dr. Deanna Louie today! Great news! We now are seeing patients in Perry Florida at Doctor’s Memorial Hospital! 2 0 2 0 F L E I S C H M A N N R OA D ( 8 5 0 ) 8 7 8 - 6 16 1 | E Y E AS S O C I AT E S O F TA L L A H AS S E E . C O M

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SOUTHERN PINES SENIOR LIVING CHRISTY COOKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Nestled within sweeping pines and surrounded serenity in the town of Thomasville is SOUTHERN PINES SENIOR LIVING. Southern Pines is designed to meet your needs and offers independent living, assisted living and a secured memory care neighborhood. We ensure each resident receives quality and comfortable care at precisely the level required. Full dining with three meals a day, an encompassing activities program, caring nurses, medicine management, housekeeping, laundry, transportation and shopping trips are all included for residents. There are four different neighborhoods within the community offering ten various floor plans, many of which have spacious closets and kitchenettes. The mission of Southern Pines is to become the best place each senior adult resident has ever lived. At Southern Pines people are being loved unconditionally and inspired daily — and they are thriving as a result. 4 2 3 C OV I N G TO N AV E . , T H O M ASV I L L E , G A ( 2 2 9 ) 2 2 6 - 6 0 74 | P R OV I S I O N L I V I N G . C O M

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