Café Thirty-A’s Annual Christmas Charity Ball, presented by honorary sponsors All Access Coach Leasing and Mercantile, was held on Saturday, December 2, 2023 and raised a record-breaking $64,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton, an organization that provides food and financial assistance to area families and individuals in need. This was the first charity ball held since longtime owner, Harriet Crommelin, passed away in early 2023. In honor of her memory, Café Thirty-A would like to thank Mercantile and All Access Coach Leasing for supporting this year’s event as the two Harriet Crommelin Honorary Sponsors. Through ticket sales, sponsorship, donations, and funds raised from the silent auction, the annual event raised a record-breaking grand total of $64,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton. The money raised will be used to provide local families with access to food, financial assistance, case management, and connection to other resources. “The $64,000 raised will help us continue providing necessary resources to Walton County families,” said Carly Barnes, executive director of Caring and Sharing of South Walton. “Thanks to the support of Cafe Thirty-A, the event sponsors, and the attendees, the event continues to get better and better. We are so thankful for the continued support!” The post Café Thirty-A Raises Record-Breaking $64,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton appeared first on South Walton Connections. Read More

The nominations have been announced for the 66th Grammy Awards. Donnie Sundal, a Walton County resident who contributed to Sam Bush’s album, Radio John: Songs of John Hartford, nominated for Best Bluegrass Album – is recognized for dual roles; Recording Engineer and Tenor Background Vocals on the song “In Tall Buildings.” Donnie is the owner of Neptone Recording Studio in Miramar Beach and a seasoned professional musician. On a whim to help a friend on vacation, Donnie brought enough recording gear to turn a vacation rental of Sam Bush’s into a mobile recording studio. “Once I started cutting the songs with Donnie digitally it was like, ‘Oh, now this is recording studio quality here.’ I was originally only meaning to make tapes of these John Hartford songs to show the guys in the Sam Bush Band and then maybe we’d record them,” says Sam Bush in an interview with thebluegrasssituation.com. Radio John is a tribute to Sam’s great friend and mentor, John Hartford. Sam plays every instrument on the album except the full band finale and sole original tune, “Radio John.” Donnie, his family and his band Boukou Groove will be cheering Sam Bush on in hopes he will win his fourth Grammy Award with more than a dozen lifetime nominations. “We love Sam Bush and are inspired by his career and commitment to his craft. It’s an honor to be a part of the album and his friend,” says Donnie. The Grammy Awards will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com... Read More