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... 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... 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,... 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... Read More

  Alaqua Animal Refuge has formally opened its new, one-of-a-kind facility, located at 155 Dugas Way, and invites the community to celebrate the momentous occasion with a month-long celebration of events titled “Celebrate! Alaqua” beginning March 4. As the Southeast’s premier 501(c)3 refuge and sanctuary, Alaqua believes that every abused, neglected, and homeless animal deserves a second chance. Originally located on 10 acres in Freeport, the new 100-acre facility will allow Alaqua to continue to do the important work of animal rescue and rehabilitation, as well as be an educational and training center for animal welfare advocates as a place that will inspire, empower and educate others to make change in society and recreate the model worldwide. “We are so happy to finally be in our permanent home,” said Alaqua Founder Laurie Hood. “We have welcomed the animals to their new sanctuary and now we want to welcome our community to come see what their love, fundraising, and support throughout the years has built. After eight years of creating this space, we invite everyone to come ‘Celebrate Alaqua’ and honor this momentous move for our organization.” During the month of March, Alaqua will host a featured event every Saturday, kicking off with the highly anticipated Seventh Annual 100 Point and Cult Wine Dinner on Saturday, March 4. The sold-out, exclusive evening will offer guests a one-of-a-kind experience as they will be the first to dine in Alaqua’s permanent home. Guests will also enjoy a private concert with musical guest performances... Read More

By Victoria Ostrosky Some years ago, a small book was written entitled Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.  It’s an allegory, and a beautiful one.  The main character’s name was Much Afraid, and she truly desired to know the Chief Shepherd better.  When He called her to go on a journey with Him, she agreed, even though she trembled in fear.  Because the Chief Shepherd couldn’t be with her the entire journey, He gave her two companions, named Sorrow and Suffering, whose task was to assist Much Afraid and help her over the hard places.  She learned and grew stronger, with Sorrow and Suffering her constant helpers.  One day, as she stumbled over the bare rocks, she saw a yellow flower growing out of them, with its solitary face lifted to the sun.  Much Afraid asked the delicate flower its name.  “I am Acceptance with Joy,” it replied. Harrison Ashler was born and raised in Pensacola, regularly attending church and singing in the choir.  Like many young men, he met and married a wonderful woman, had a baby and bought a house.  Life was good. In September of 2015, God reached down and touched Harrison. He experienced a brain hemorrhage/stroke that turned his and his family’s lives upside down.  He had a seizure, was intubated in the hospital and taken to Sacred Heart in Pensacola where the doctors discovered a brain bleed. He woke up with a tube down his throat and a broken arm.  “I pulled the... Read More