On Saturday, January 28th, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast commemorated the 20-year anniversary of the hospital. The celebratory event was held under a tent on the campus. Attendees included community supporters as well as dozens of hospital associates, providers and volunteers who have been with the facility since it opened. “Having nearly 60 people who have been here since Day One is a special statement,” said Bryan Walrath, President, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast. “We have a culture that is second to none and donors who continue to significantly support our efforts to meet the healthcare needs of our community as the only hospital in Walton County.“ Walrath opened the event and led the program. Roger Hall, who served as hospital president from 2002 until 2020, provided a reflection and prayer. Participants honored 20-year associates, providers and volunteers. They also enjoyed food including tacos and barbecue catered by Grayton Beach Catering and live music provided by The Backsliders. In 2000, community members began a purple ribbon campaign, raising $20 million toward hospital construction, with the land being donated by the St. Joe Company. The next year, construction began on the $53 million facility. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast opened on January 27, 2003. Since then, the hospital has added a joint replacement program, the Family Birth Place, a heart and vascular center, robotic spine surgery services and expanded primary and specialty care services throughout the area. Most recently, the hospital opened a Level II NICU, two new women’s diagnostic centers... Read More

 By Steve Ortner South Walton County, Florida is home to some of the most pristine and unique waterways in the world. Besides being home to the beautiful emerald green waters and snowy white sand of the Gulf of Mexico, the Santa Rosa Beach area is also home to several rare coastal dune lakes, rivers, bayous and streams, as well as the fabulous and relatively underutilized Choctawhatchee Bay. From the incredible sites and wildlife at 4-mile Creek in Freeport to the Camp Helen State Park and Powell Lake at the extreme eastern portion of Walton County, all of these different locations provide something new and exciting for every paddler and adventurer. The various state park entrances and locations throughout South Walton County are great places to put your watercraft into the water. Day and Annual State Park passes can be obtained at any of the park entrances, and they provide unlimited access to all of the state parks within Florida on a daily or yearly basis. As many of you know, South Walton is home to about a dozen coastal dune lakes. These lakes have been so named because of their location and their unique ability of routinely filling and emptying via the fluctuation in the tide and the resulting salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. These bodies of water are some of the most unique in the world, as there are only a few dozen or so similar bodies of water found throughout the world, namely in New Zealand,... Read More

 The Walton County Snowbirds partner with OneBlood each year to sponsor a blood drive. This year, the blood drive will be on Wednesday, February 15 at Faith Fellowship Hall, 306 S. Geronimo, Miramar Beach. The OneBlood mobile bus will be in the parking lot from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Snowbirds are scheduling appointments. Contact Peg Breetz at 330-807-2379 to schedule an appointment. All are welcome, not just Snowbirds. Participants will each receive a free OneBlood tee shirt and a $20 electronic gift card that can be used at various retail stores. The club also has 50/50 raffles at each general meeting during the season. The proceeds go towards two $1,000 scholarships for South Walton High School students to use for college. Attend any General Meeting listed below to buy tickets for the drawing. In addition, the club sells FundRays coupon books throughout the season for $20. These coupon books provide discounts at many local restaurants and stores in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. The proceeds from the sales of the coupon books go to Children in Crisis, a foster care organization in Fort Walton Beach. The Snowbirds also know how to have fun while on the beautiful Emerald Coast! The Walton County Snowbirds held their first of two socials on January 20 at Acme Oyster House in Miramar Beach. Approximately 60 Snowbirds flocked to Acme to socialize and meet new friends. Our next social is Friday, February 3 at The Beach House on the Gulf side of Sandestin, 4009... Read More

 The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) and South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) will reveal seven new sculpture designs chosen by jury for permanent exhibition in the fifth installation of the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA). The 2023 installation will include Quantum Reef by Chris Chubb (Tallahassee), Space Nest by Frank Henderson (Evanston, Ill.), Welcome Home by Zachery Long (Oklahoma City), Madam Nature by Andrew Luy (Huntsville, Ala.), Cetacean Remains by Pat Mclain (Stone Mountain, Ga.), One Tree by Ann Moeller Steverson (Huntsville, Ala.) and Opus by Allison Wickey (Santa Rosa Beach). Named in 2018 by TIME Magazine as one of 100 “World’s Greatest Places,” the UMA is presented as part of CAA’s Art In Public Spaces Program and augments SWARA’s mission of creating marine habitat and expanding fishery populations while providing enhanced creative, cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the benefit, education and enjoyment of residents, students and visitors in Walton County. UMA sculptures are deployed with SWARA’s existing USACOA and FDEP permitted artificial reef projects that includes nine nearshore reefs located within one nautical mile of the shore in approximately 58 feet of water. The 2023 installation will join the 34 sculptures previously deployed on a one-acre permit patch of seabed off Grayton Beach State Park, further expanding the nation’s first permanent underwater museum. Deployment of the 2023 UMA installation is slated for summer. Visit UMAFL.org for more information on the timeline and events surrounding UMA’s launch. Project and sculpture sponsorships are available. Please contact Gabby... Read More