FREE ▶Independent News | August 16, 2012 | Volume 13 | Number 32 | inweekly.net |

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EAST HILL HONEY Congratulations to the Van Horn family for successfully raising funds for their company using Kickstarter.com. The funds will purchase beekeeping equipment, expand their hives from 20 to 100, and build a “honey house.” Kickstarter is a website that allows entrepreneurs to raise capital for their businesses. The Van Horns raised $22,701 from 329 supporters in only five weeks.

COMMUNITY MARITIME PARK ASSO-CIATES The group in charge of developing the City of Pensacola’s waterfront park has a tentative agreement with Quint Studer for a land lease that will allow him to build his of-fice building at the park. Studer is expected to pay annually about $101,000 for the land lease, which will increase by seven percent at five-year intervals during the 55-year life of the lease. The agreement needs to be approved by the CMPA board of trustees and the Pensacola City Council before it’s finalized.

EAST HILL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL In challenging times, the school undertook an investment in the future of its students and is now the only VPK—12th grade Microsoft IT Academy in Pensacola. Sponsored by an anonymous donor, the program allows stu-dents to gain the technology skills necessary to acquire certification and be competitive in today’s rapidly evolving workplace.

MARITIME PARK DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS The fired developer of Pen-sacola’s maritime park lost its court battle with Community Maritime Park Associates when U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers issued her decision on the lawsuit over the remaining money due Maritime Park Devel-opment Partners. Judge Rodgers found the developer was unqualified to receive the construction contract and had violated the state’s competitive bidding laws.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY SCHOOL DIS-TRICT The Southern Poverty Law Center filed complaints with the U.S. Depart-ment of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against the school district and four others in the state. The complaints alleged racially discriminatory disciplinarian practices in the public schools. According to the complaints, African-American students in the Escam-bia, Bay, Okaloosa, Flagler and Suwannee school districts are suspended, expelled and arrested at school for minor infractions and punished “more harshly and frequently.”

COLLEGE RECRUITING The media re-ported last week that a University of Alabama commitment was transferring from Wash-ington High to a high school in Foley, Ala. His coach claimed that the student made the move because an Alabama assistant football coach had said the Foley school would take care of him academically. If it happened, the NCAA won’t investigate since it has no rules against a coach advising a player.

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ROMNEY’S RELIGIONThe Bill of Rights established freedom of religion in this country. The United States has no national religion and the government cannot prohibit the free exercise of any reli-gion. The president can be Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian or atheist.

However, religion has played a role in American politics, especially when non-Protestants have run for the presidency. The 2012 Republican presidential ticket will have a Mormon and Roman Catholic, a combination that would have been unimagi-nable 40 years ago.

When John Kennedy ran for president in 1960, 150 Protestant clergymen and laymen, including Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, formed the Citizens for Religious Freedom whose goal was to make Kennedy's Roman Catholicism an election issue. Kennedy took the criticism in stride, pointing out that no one asked him his religion when he served in the Navy in the South Pacific.

Catholicism no longer appears to be an issue, but religion still comes up in campaigns. In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama was chastised be-cause the pastor of his church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, criticized the country. People argued that Obama needed to distance himself from Wright if he wanted to be elected president.

When Virginia Gov. Bob McConnell introduced Romney at the announcement ceremony of Congressman Paul Ryan as Romney’s running mate, McConnell de-

scribed Romney as a “man of faith.” Did that put Romney’s religious beliefs into play for political fodder? Yes.

During the presidential primaries, several Republican leaders thought so. When Texas

Gov. Rick Perry an-nounced his candi-dacy, several Southern Baptist ministers jumped to his support, blasting the Mormon Church as a "cult" and stating that Romney "is not a Christian."

Though he had a nice rally in Pensacola,

Romney didn’t win the county in the January primary. Newt Gingrich beat Romney, 39 to 35 percent, in Escambia County, while the rest of the state was overwhelmingly for Romney, 46 to 32 percent. A last minute push by local ministers gave Gingrich a push at the polls here.

Republicans and religious faith are intertwined. Romney’s religious beliefs are not those of the political base that elected George W. Bush in 2000 and gave the GOP control of the House in 2010. It will be prob-lem in November 2012 for the GOP ticket.

Romney has told his supporters that he was a pastor of his temple off and on for over 10 years. His Mormon faith is a big part of his life. The Religious Right will be asked to set aside their faith for the good of the Republican Party.

That is asking a lot of voters, particularly in the South and Escambia County.

{in}rick@inweekly.net

The Religious Right will be asked to set aside their faith for the good of the Republican Party.

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SPLC EYES ESCAMBIA

The three-ring binder was brimming with papers: report cards, letters to and from school administrators, complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Education. Black hands carefully leafed through the compilation, pulling out pages of interests.

“They was always writing him up,” the man said. “They was always writing him up for his behavior.”

Jim Solsberry has a nephew in the Escambia County School District. For the past couple of years, he has battled Booker T. Washington High School over what he believes to be undue disciplinary actions against the student.

The uncle contends that the school routinely suspends his nephew—a physically impaired African American student—rather than provide him with an adequate education.

“He would be at home more than he would be at school,” Solsberry said. “Until I brought in the civil rights people.”

For what he considers to be discrimina-tory disciplinary actions, the man has filed four complaints against the school. Two

have been resolved via early resolution, while the others are ongoing.

Last week, Solsberry learned that he was not alone in his appeals to the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights. The man was surprised when he turned on the television to see that the Southern Poverty Law Center had filed a complaint against Escambia.

“I didn’t even know anything about ’em,” Solsberry said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit civil rights organization based in Montgomery, Ala. It was founded in 1971.

During a press conference in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Pensacola, the SPLC announced five complaints regarding racially discrimina-tory disciplinary practices. The complaints are directed at five different Florida school districts: Escambia, Bay, Okaloosa, Flagler and Suwannee.

“These discriminatory practices are simply so pervasive that we’ve asked the Department of Education to step in,” said Stephanie Langer, a staff attorney with the law center.

The SPLC is basing the complaints on disciplinary data provided by the school districts. The group argues it shows that African American students are punished “more harshly and frequently” than their non-black counterparts.

According to the law center, nearly 20 percent of African-Americans in Escambia receive at least one out-of-school suspen-sion, compared to six percent of white stu-dents. In Okaloosa, the complaint states that 50 percent of campus arrests pertain to blacks, while the group only makes up 12 percent of the student body.

“The statistics speak for them-selves,” Langer told the local press.

The attorney described a system in which African-American students were much more likely to get disciplined for minor infractions. These students subsequently, she said, struggled academically (missed classes) and in society (arrest record).

“This is the kind of stuff that pushes African-American students out of the sys-tem,” Langer told a huddle of evening news cameras after the announcement.

“These are some pretty serious accusa-tions,” said the guy from channel five.

“Absolutely, and we take them seri-ously,” Langer told him.

None of this was a surprise to Elvin McCorvey, head of the local chapter of the NAACP and a former school district admin-istrator. He had raised such issues during his time as the district’s equal employment officer.

“I brought all this to the attention of the superintendent’s office,” McCorvey said.

The former administrator said he feels local African-American students have long endured the scene laid out in the SPLC complaints. He too connected dots be-tween the discipline disparity and the high dropout rates among blacks in the area.

“Students are encouraged to drop out of school,” he said. “The treatment makes you feel unwelcome.”

Escambia County School Superinten-dent Malcolm Thomas took issue with the complaint and said the district’s response

was still being formulated. He said the dis-trict has curbed its suspension and expul-sion numbers, and cited “progress” in areas addressed by the complaint.

“When they take a look at our trend line they’re going to see a trend line that is better than many schools in this country,” said Thomas.

The superintendent said the lower numbers were not achieved by realign-ing behavioral stan-dards, but rather by dropping the zero-tolerance policy and giving teachers “more options in their tool box to deal with behavior.”

Thompson conceded there could be room for

improvement, but said he felt confident the SPLC would soon learn that Escambia was not running afoul.

“I’m not sure they took a careful enough look at all the information,” the superinten-dent said. “I think when they take a look at what we’re doing they’re going to see some-thing that they’ll want to use as a model.”

McCorvey disagreed. He sees dispar-ity in discipline as an ongoing issue. The NAACP official said the district needed to take a different attitude.

“I never had a child I could not manage. It all started with respect for the students,” he said. “They need to change the attitude in the district, the whole thing starts with attitude—the attitude of the adults.”

A couple of hours after the press confer-ence in Pensacola, the SPLC conducted a teleconference with the national press. Langer explained to a reporter with the New York Times that parents in the northern Florida districts had contacted the organiza-tion and that “what we found was shocking.”

She said Florida overall appeared to have a problem. But resources and logistics dictated they limit the complaints to the five districts.

“What’s happening throughout the state, they’re criminalizing children for being children?” she said.

“Are these folks racists, or what’s happening? ” asked a woman from the Chicago Tribune.

Discrimination in Discipline?By Jeremy Morrison

Southern Poverty Law Center attorney Stephanie Langer announces five Florida discrimination complaints during a Pensacola press conference Aug. 7. / photo by Jeremy Morrison

“This is the kind of stuff that pushes African-American students out of the system.”Stephanie Langer

August 16, 2012 7

The reporter wanted to be sure the African-American students weren’t in fact being disciplined or arrested for issues such as guns or drugs. Langer said the dis-ciplines were most often associated with infractions such as “trespass” or “disor-derly conduct.”

“We’re not talking about drugs, we’re not talking about violent crime, we’re not talking about weapons charges,” the at-torney said. “... I’ll give you an example, in Escambia County we had a kid who was

arrested for trespassing because he went to school to get a hot meal.”

Of the five complaints filed by the SPLC, the DOE has opened two. The department is currently looking at Escambia and Suwannee, with the other three complaints under review.

Langer explained that the group filed complaints with the DOE, as opposed to fil-ing a lawsuit, because it hoped to work with the school districts.

“We’re hoping to bring people to the table who can make a difference,” she said.

McCorvey, who described the school dis-trict as being in denial, said he hopes the SPLC complaints shine light on what he views as a pervasive issue. He’s hopeful the complaints will spur the school district into changing.

“I think it’s going to force the district to take a look at what they’re doing because now they’re under the gun,” McCorvey said, estimating the process may take a couple of years. “It’s gonna have to bring results because if not there’s going to be a lawsuit—someone is going to pay.” {in}

PENSACOLA CONNECTION TO PAUL RYAN Congressman Paul Ryan and Pensacola Blue Wahoo owner Quint Studer are friends. They both are from Janesville, Wisconsin. Ryan’s children attend the same school as Studer’s grandchildren. Ryan’s sister-in-law helped Studer with his first book, “Hardwiring Excellence.”

On August 11, Studer watched his friend be introduced as the vice president nominee for Republican hopeful Mitt Romney.

“Paul is an excellent choice,” said Studer in phone interview. “He has had to get votes from Democrats and Repub-licans to keep his district. Paul is a very, very smart man who can take complex issues and make them actionable items.”

Ryan, age 42, is serving his seventh term and currently chairs the House Bud-get Committee. Wisconsin’s 1st congres-sional district is a blue-collar district with a mix of manufacturing and agriculture. It is a Democrat stronghold that voted to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, according to Studer. Ryan has consis-tently beaten his Democratic challengers, receiving 68 percent of the vote in 2010.

Studer believes that it’s no accident that Romney chose as running mate someone from Janesville. “The town is about as middle class as you can get,” said Studer. “The area has suffered from the recession which forced the closure of several plants.”

The Wahoo owner said the Ryan fits in well with all sorts of people and is an effective campaigner. “Paul mingles and mixes well,” he said. “He has no percep-tion that he is better than anyone else. Ha has spoken his mind and hasn’t done things simply to get re-elected.”

GRAPPLING WITH GUN VIOLENCE After a rough July in Pensacola, the city council listened to a debriefing from Police Chief Chip Simmons at its August 9 meeting.

“Specifically, we have had four shoot-ings in a three-day period,” he told them.

Pensacola, as well as Escambia

County, has seen a burst of gun play recently. Simmons relayed details of a recent drive-by and told the council that the police department had beefed up its presence on the street.

“This time we used everyone, because we wanted to stop it and move forward,” he said. “We cannot have them shooting up our neighborhoods.”

The chief also explained that the police department had joined forces with the Escambia County Sheriff ’s Office and state and federal agencies in an attempt to curb violent crime. The effort had been announced a few days prior.

“Guns are just everywhere,” State At-torney Bill Eddins said when announcing the joint effort. “It’s just unbelievable to me the amount of guns that are around.”

In addition to the Pensacola and Escambia agencies, the Florida Depart-ment of Law Enforcement and the FBI will be focusing on the region. The police department will be devoting two officers to the newly formed task force, while the sheriff ’s office will provide three. The agencies will be working together to share information and complement each other’s efforts.

After announcing the joint effort, Ed-dins noted that the presence of guns has increased.

“People that have no record tell you they have a gun on them for protection, which is a sad, sad commentary on the society in which we live,” he said.

Chief Simmons told the Pensacola City Council that the state and federal agencies readily signed on. They were aware the area has an issue.

“I won’t say we strong armed them,” Simmons said.

Councilman John Jerralds told his fellow council members that they might soon need to consider increasing the number of police the city employs.

“Unless the criminals move to another city, we’re on the verge of expanding our force to protect our city,” Jerralds said.

THE ISLAND REVENUE REVIEW Blue Angels weekend on Pensacola Beach has

traditionally played an important role in the economic vitality of our region. Presentations at the Santa Rosa Island Authority board meeting Aug. 8 laid out the impact this year’s event had.

Rod Lewis, director of the Haas Cen-ter for Business Research and Economic Development, gave a presentation on the economic impact of the Blue Angels Air Show this year.

Employees at the Haas Center sur-veyed 672 people during the Blue Angels Air Show in July to gather these results. According to Lewis, 40 percent of those surveyed were from out of town, and if asked if they would ever consider return-ing, 92 percent said that they would.

Lewis also said that Blue Angels weekend is a very “deep South event,” with 65 percent of people surveyed being from Florida. The rest tended to be from nearby states, including Alabama and Louisiana.

While Fourth of July weekend racked up slightly higher traffic patterns over any other weekend in the summer, Blue Angel weekend came in a close second. The total car count for the weekend of the air show was significantly higher than the Haas Center had originally projected—by nearly 1,400.

Lewis also gave many statistics on visitor spending calculations from the Blue Angels weekend, which totaled $2.1 million in spending. Net new spending came to be $1.7 million for the weekend.

In total, Lewis estimated that the Blue Angels Air Show had a $2.4 million eco-nomic impact in Escambia County.

E.W. Bullock, a local advertising and public relations firm, gave a report and update on bed tax revenue, or the surcharge added to short-term hotel ac-commodations. In May, bed tax revenue exceeded $700,000, and totaled $1.6 mil-lion in June; this was an increase of 12.8% since the last fiscal year.

Earned media, publicity gained through efforts besides advertising, was also discussed. Pensacola Beach had a total of more than $900,000 in earned media since May.

The report detailed how the Blue Angels Air Show had the biggest earned media impact on revenue. In total, 45 news articles were written about the Blue Angels weekend, including stories on CNN.com and the Huffington Post. This earned media garnered more than $185,000 in revenue.{in}

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feature storyTOO LITTLE TO LIVE

The Reality of Poverty in Pensacola

By Jennie McKeonFor two hours I lived in Ben Bolings’ shoes. I was a middle-aged, laid-off computer programmer with two young boys and a pregnant teenage daughter. My wife, a receptionist at General Hospital, had to bear the burden of paying our $610 mortgage and $285 in past due utility bills as well as unforeseen expenses, such as school sup-plies. No one in the family had health insurance, except for my wife, because it’s too expensive.

On July 31, about 30 people gathered in the new Waterfront Mission dining room on a rainy morning to participate in Catholic Charities’ Poverty Simu-lation. People were divided into various situations of poverty. There was the indi-vidual living in the homeless shelter, a single mom, senior citizens trying to survive on Social Security and in the center of the room, the Bolings.

Ten minutes equaled the span of the week. A loud whistle indicated the week’s

end. During those rushed ten minutes you had to pay your bills—maybe pawned an item or two to pay those bills—or waited in line at the social services office. Every time you turned around another bill or bill collec-

tor popped up and every desk you visited required a transportation pass.

“Our struggle in Pensacola is people don’t want to hear about poverty, they want to hear about tourism."Mark Dufva

U.S. Minimum Wage:

$290/weekSelf Sufficiency Standard

for a single parent with one child:

$551.60/week

10 inweekly.net10

“Transportation is the number one barrier for our families,” said Estella Lee, Bridges to Circles coach. “You cannot go anywhere without a transportation pass.”

Carlyse Rustand, Santa Rosa County outreach coordinator for Habitat for Humanity, was my wife during the simulation. She would be frustrated when she came home from work and realized I had not ac-complished anything until she tried to run errands with me.

We had to cash her check, but the bank required a transportation pass, which we didn’t have. After trying our non-existent luck at a check-cashing office, we moseyed over to Social Services where she demand-ed help. The social worker gave us two transportation passes, a small amount of grocery money and benefits for our daughter and unborn grandchild.

Although the Bolings were able to laugh through the chaos and frustration, the truth is some families do live this way. And it’s not very funny.

“This is based on real-life experiences,” Lee told us before we began. “This is not a game.”

If it were a game, we all lost. At the end of simulation, we Bolings couldn’t pay our bills.

To conclude the simula-tion, everyone sat in a circle and discussed what they learned. For some it brought out their frustra-tions and for others the story was a little too real.

“I was that family 20 years ago,” said Caridad Jones, family ser-vices coordinator with Habitat for Humanity. “It took me back, it was frustrating.”

Participating in the simulation were representatives from such groups as Habitat, AmeriCorps and Department of Children and Families. Ashley Wilkinson Meyer, the director of United Ministries, was very anxious to participate in her first simulation.

“It’s such a gripping way to recognize how out of sorts you would be in that situa-tion,” she said.

It is the hope of Catholic Charities that more people from all walks of life will attend the simulations and change the community’s mindset.

“Our struggle in Pensacola is people don’t want to hear about poverty, they want to hear about tourism,” said Mark Dufva, executive director of Catholic Charities. “Many of our leaders feel if they focus on jobs, economic development, that that will help. That does not address the whole picture.”

THE STANDARDS OF LIVINGIn this economy, almost everybody has

some financial difficulty—whether it’s a large medical bill, getting laid-off or just try-ing to keep food on the table.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 46.2 million, or 15.1 percent, of Americans are living in poverty. In Escambia County, 53,655, or 19.1 percent of residents are living in pov-erty. When you include

children 18 years and under, the numbers increase to 17,779 or 28.2 percent.

The average person’s view of poverty is often skewed. Some might imagine the homeless panhandler as living in poverty and the minimum wage worker as lower middle class, but today poverty isn’t about whether someone has a job or not, it’s how thin they

have to spread their income. In fact, 60 percent of full-time employees still live below the poverty guidelines.

“There’s generational families who have spent generations in poverty and situational poverty, the two require distinctly different interventions,” said Dufva.

Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida covers 18 counties, three of which—Gads-den, Franklin and Escambia—all have some of the highest poverty rates in Florida, ac-cording to Dufva.

Around 2007 Catholic Charities de-clared they wanted to cut the poverty in the United States in half by 2020.

“Sadly, we’re going backwards,” he said. “We were around 12.5 percent and now it’s up to 15 percent.”

Prosper Pensacola along with Catho-lic Charities’ Bridges to Circles program is working to inform the community about poverty and how it affects everybody.

“The poorest neighborhoods have low performance scores,” Dufva said. “Poverty impacts every other social indicator: Educa-tion, health, crime, teen pregnancy. You name it, folks in poverty struggle with it.”

Prosper Pensacola is a poverty solutions team under the Unite Escambia umbrella. The team is chaired by Tim Evans, executive director of Habitat Humanity.

In a video produced by Bob Gerold, Prosper Pensacola breaks down the Self Sufficiency Standard of Escambia County.

The U.S. minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, that’s $290 a week, $1,290 a month and $14,500 a year. According to Escambia County’s Self Sufficiency Stan-dard—which calculates what a family needs to earn to pay for housing, child care, food, transportation taxes and miscellaneous expenses—for an adult to live a self-suf-ficient life one would need to make $8 an hour, which equates to $1,408 monthly and $16,895 yearly. That’s just for one adult. For a single parent family, one adult caring for

one kid—an all too common scenario, the Self Sufficiency Standard calls for the adult to make $13.79 an hour, $2,427 a month and $29,128 a year. That’s $14,628 extra that a single mother or father with a minimum wage job needs to make. Catholic Charities’ majority of clients are African American single mothers.

“The higher majority of our clients are female single parents,” Dufva said. “If mom is still languishing in poverty, her ability to emphasize education is a struggle. Why do some get out and why do some not? How do you change the mindset of the family?”

The Heritage Foundation, a conserva-tive research and education institution, recently explored just how poor the poor Americans are. In the article titled “Air

Conditioning, Cable TV and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?” au-thors Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield do note that not all poverty-stricken families are homeless, but degrades the plight of the working poor by writing that they are strug-gling to pay for air conditioning and cable TV as well as food for the family. They also wrote that the average home was in good repair and had more space than the average European and that the U.S. Census exagger-ates its reports:

“Regrettably, annual Census reports not only exaggerate current poverty, but also suggest that the number of poor persons and their living conditions have remained virtually unchanged for four decades or more. In reality, the living conditions of poor Americans have shown significant improve-ment over time.”

BUILDING BRIDGESMary Adams is finally starting to take

charge of her life. “When I was growing up, my parents

made all my decisions,” she said. “Then I got married and he did everything—write checks, go to the grocery store, get gas, et cetera.”

When she divorced her first husband, Mike, she was “left with basically no tools,” as she put it. And since her second husband liked to spend money they didn’t have, she was left in even worse shape after her second divorce.

“He tore me up financially—I could’ve said no, but I wasn’t strong enough,” she said. “I was so in debt it was pitiful, so I got rid of him. That’s the only way I can say it.”

When Mary opened her home to her nephew he got her into further debt. But she claims it was her fault for allowing it.

“You have to own up to what you do,” she said.

Because of her finances, she couldn’t take full custody of her son Doug, who is now 27 and has spina bifida. Mary’s home can’t fit all of his needs. Luckily, he is covered under his dad’s insurance. Doug lives with his dad and stepmom Connie and spends the weekends with Mary.

Of all people, it was Connie who decided to help Mary and take over her finances. Although Connie’s intentions were to help, she did what

Mary’s parents and first husband had done in the past by taking charge and leaving Mary with no financial skills.

“I was working for a lady whose mother was in hospice,” Mary said. “She said ‘Here’s the plan, here’s your first paycheck, but we’re not going to give it to you unless you get your finances back from Connie.’ So I got ‘em back.”

Mary sought help from her cousin who heard about Bridges to Circles at her work. And on August 24, 2011 she started the program. She began to see the light. And in less than a year, she has learned to manage her bills, create a budget, and has even gone back to school to pursue a childhood dream of nursing.

“It’s like when you start a diet plan,” Mary said. “It’s a life-changing plan. It’s for the rest of my life.”

Participants struggle to make ends meet at Catholic Charities’ Poverty Simulation / photo by Samantha Crooke

“This is based on real-life experiences. This is not a game.” Estella Lee

“People don’t choose to be poor. I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I only met two people who didn’t want to work.” Dufva

August 16, 2012 11

Now she doesn’t need help from Connie or her cousin.

“I don’t call her for anything—except recipes,” Mary said.

The mission of Catholic Charities is to help families in need no matter race or religion. And a major key in helping those families is changing the way their community views them.

“People don’t choose to be poor,” Dufva said. “I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I only met two people who didn’t want to work.”

Haley Richards, community organizer, saw the Bridges to Circles program develop from the start when she started as a volunteer.

“When I volunteered in the past, I gave out canned goods or donated things at Christmas time,” she said. “I never built relationships.”

Bridges to Circles builds strong relationships. It’s a hybrid of the Bridges Out of Poverty, a program developed out of the book by the same name by Dr. Ruby Payne, and the national Circles campaign. Bridges to Circles matches a family or individuals at least 18 years or older with an income 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or below with an ally. The family—or circle leader—completes a 15-week training course and conducts weekly meeting with their allies while re-ceiving a hot meal.

The entire program lasts typi-cally between 12 to 18 months. But if a circle leader needs more time, they won’t be pushed out of the program.

“We’ve had many successes,” Richards said. “We’ve had three families become first time homebuyers and two have started busi-nesses. One restaurant—Sabor—and another web-based business.”

Circle leaders can even apply for the Individual Development Account program, where they can open up a savings account at Beach Community Bank. For every dollar they save, two more dollars are put in the account. The money comes from a federal grant from Department of Health & Human Services Assets and a local grant from D.W. McMillan Foundation.

“Six people are currently in the savings process,” Richards said. “The money can be used for businesses, homeownership or post-secondary education.”

The program works because the family is the leader and the ally is simply someone that holds the circle leader accountable and is there to be a shoulder to lean on.

“We put the client in charge,” Richards said. “They facilitate the weekly meetings, they run it themselves.”

Harold Cohen started as an ally two years ago. Retired from a career in insur-ance, he wanted to do something that would help the community.

“We meet with them and discuss their goals, plan to help them reach those goals,” he said. “We step back and let them make their decisions.”

Cohen said it’s rewarding to see a circle leader reach their goals.

“One lady I was working with was trying to go back to school,” he explained. “She kept running into road blocks while trying to get assistance. She was eventually success-ful in getting funding. She had persistence. To me, that was a success.”

About 25 families a year benefit from Bridges to Circles. Richards is hoping to recruit 50 to 60 more allies. Some circle leaders even graduate to become allies—a step Mary is taking.

“Everyone of us can bring something to the table,” she said. “We’re all equal. Every-body goes through some kind of something.”

Bridges to Circles not only gives those living in poverty someone to talk to—some-one who may have valuable advice, but it also gives a chance for two people in differ-ent socio-economic backgrounds to break through barriers and bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

“When the circle leaders share with you, you see what has happened to them can hap-pen to anybody,” Cohen said. “You become more compassionate, more concerned.”

HELP IS OUT THEREMeyer has been director of United

Ministries for less than a year. She is the only paid employee. Like many charities, she re-lies on volunteers and community kindness to keep the place running. In the span of a half hour, she has a phone call and a knock on the door. Even when life can be frustrat-ing, she remembers a favorite quote.

“Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle,” she said, apologizing for not remembering the source.

United Ministries is an emergency as-sistance program for families. Homeless

prevention Meyer said. Sometimes a family needs shelter or clothes, a lot of times they just need help paying rent or utilities for the month. Like Bridges to Circles, Meyer tries to act as a short-term ally, as clients fill out a budget form.

“Insurance is almost never filled out,” Meyer said. “Cable bills and phone bills are non-existent. They have SafeLink, or Obama phones as they call them.”

Meyer is hoping to expand United Min-istries’ services and work together with the agencies in Pensacola. She’s overwhelmed at the amount of help that is available, but says it’s not enough.

“There are so many agencies, so many generous people, but I don’t think we’ve succeeded in making it better,” she said. “It takes a bit more than agencies. It takes a commitment of the people. It’s so easy to think that everybody else is okay when you live in cer-tain areas of the city and never see the need.”

Dufva would like to see all of those agen-cies work together more fluidly.

“We shouldn’t be duplicating services,” he said. “Agencies should not be competing and conflicting.”

Like Meyer, he would also like to see emergency assistance organizations try to do more long-term good.

“Meeting the needs of shelter, clothes and food—that’s called charity,” he said. “Justice teaches them to fish. Underline the issues of why they’re in poverty. We have to do this in partnership with everyone.”

But let’s not forget the help that’s out there and forgotten. Meyer even said herself that she had no idea United Ministries even existed until she applied to work there. Agencies such as Habitat for Humanity, Manna Food Bank and Waterfront Rescue Mission, not to mention countless churches, help all financial situations.

Waterfront, in particular, is seen merely as a soup kitchen rather than making its clients do a 360- degree turn in life. Charles Mielke, although a native of New Jersey, was a chef living on the streets of New Orleans before he made his way to Pensacola.

“I lived on the streets, card-board boxes, shelters—you name it,” he said.

He was working as a chef at the Fish House with “no outlook on life” when he stumbled upon a book in the free books box at the downtown library. He went to the Waterfront Mission where the chaplain that night referenced the same book.

“It was so uncanny,” he recalled. “I knew that’s where I was supposed to be.”

November will be five years since Mielke graduated from the Career Development Program. He got married, and with the help of his wife, opened Four Seasons Market and Eatery downtown.

“I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me years ago that I would be living in Pensacola, that I no longer live in a card-board box—that I would be living in a nice home downtown.”

And as a way to pay-it-forward, Mielke hires other men who recently graduated or are currently in the Career Development Program. He has no trouble remembering their accomplishments.

“We have three gentlemen—Joey Griggy currently in the program who just graduated from PSC with his associate’s degree,” he said. “Our two graduates, Mat-

thew Moore is studying at the Pen-sacola Bible Institute and Michael Lawlis gradu-ated from PSC with a certificate in the medical field.”

The impact that

Waterfront has left on Mielke in the year and a half he spent there is longstanding.

“They took an angry young man and helped showed him who Jesus is,” he said. “They lifted me up and encouraged me to do better.”

Mary Adams / photo by Jennie McKeon

“It’s like when you start a diet plan. It’s a life-changing plan. It’s for the rest of my life.”Mary Adams

“We’ve had many successes. We’ve had three families become first time homebuyers and two have started businesses."Haley Richards

12 inweekly.net12

MORE THAN MAKING ENDS MEETThose kinds of happy endings are pos-

sible. Even for Mary Adams. The confidence she gained from her Bridges to Circles meet-ings made her accountable.

“I used to not go to the mailbox,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep at night worrying who is going to be at my door or calling. Now I keep a register of my bills and budget two months in advance because you never know what’s going to come up.”

And if she ever needs a push, her son is her motivator. Knowing that she’s work-ing to be able to provide for him keeps her spirits up.

“He’s my partner in life,” she said. He smiles. “He’s my gift in life. I admire him a lot. I want to build a life for him and take care of him forever and ever and ever…”

They enjoy much of the same things—Including karaoke. They regularly hit family-friendly karaoke nights singing solos and duets—mainly country tunes. No rap.

“My goals are to maintain my finances—know what’s coming and going, keep up with my health, finish my nursing degree, be a stand-up comedian and sing one song at the Grand Ole Opry before I die,” Mary said. “I can be anything I set my mind to do.”

It’s been a pretty impressive year for Mary, and while she works to keep her goals, she’s also grateful for what she has. Her home may need a coat of paint, but she has a roof over her head, she’s been working doubles at Pensacola Developmental Cen-ter, but she has a job.

“I’ll be paying when I die,” Mary said. “But I got a home, a group, great neighbors, school. Poverty is not a downward spiral—it’s not just the homeless.”

Mary is bolder now. She said she’s not shy. It’s hard to imagine a woman who sings karaoke and wants to perform stand-up comedy as a wallflower. But just like poverty can lead someone to depression, finding a way out can be just as impactful.

“I basically gave it my all, you gotta give it your all,” Mary said of managing her finances. “I’m 90 percent better than I was before. I’m more upbeat and happy. I feel alive now.” {in}

CATHOLIC CHARITIESWHERE: Regional Office and Com-munity Outreach Center located at 1815 N. 6th Ave.DETAILS: 436-8754, 436-6411 or ccnwfl.org

HABITAT FOR HUMANITYWHERE: Main Office and Ware-house located at 300 W. Leonard St. Pensacola ReStore located at 5810 N. Palafox St.DETAILS: 434-5456, 476-0001 or pensacolahabitat.org

UNITED MINISTRIESWHERE: 257 B E. Lee St.DETAILS: 433-2333 between 9 – 11:30 a.m. or united-ministries.com

WATERFRONT MISSIONWHERE: Administrative Office 380 W. Herman St. Bargain Center 2125 W. Fairfield Dr.DETAILS: 478-4027, 438-1462 or waterfrontmission.org

HOW YOU CAN HELP:Become an Ally – Register with Haley Richards 429-7296 ext. 17 or email richardsh@cc.ptdiocese.org

Spend a Month in Poverty – At-tend a poverty simulation or go to playspent.org, to see what it’s like to live in poverty.Educate Yourself – Go to unitees-cambia.com and check out the pov-erty blog to become more informed about the poor in Pensacola.Donate – Manna Food Pantries’ most needed items are: peanut butter, canned tomatoes, canned fruit, breakfast goods and canned vegetables. Manna Food Pantries, 116 E. Gonzalez St. 432-2053.

Four Seasons Market / photo by Jennie McKeon

BP Oil Spill Settlement Announced

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FULLY SATISFY ALL ELIGIBLE CLAIMS UNDER THE TERMS OF THE COURT SUPERVISED

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PLEASE CONSULT WITH OUR FIRM ABOUT POSSIBLE CLAIMS FOR COMPENSATION.

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written information about our qualifications and experience.

August 16, 2012 13

For 30 years now, up and comers have come up through the Leadership Pen-sacola program. Commonly known by its loose acronym, LeaP is intended to famil-iarize “emerging leaders” in the community.

After three decades, the program has graduated more than 1,200 people. It has provided them the knowledge needed to successfully navigate the Pensacola com-munity, both socially and in business. It has also strived to instill in those individuals a sense of servitude toward their community.

“It’s essentially a community immersion program,” explained Jennifer McFarren, who manages the program for the Greater Pensacola Chamber.

For ten months each year, LeaP par-ticipants learn about their community. They meet with local elected officials and take a field trip to Tallahassee. They work together on a class project.

By the end of the program each year, LeaPers are bestowed the keys. Graduates are passed the torch. This is by design. These are the people who will guide this community into the future.

“I think you could identif y some of the leaders that came out of the 70s, 80s and 90s and somewhere on their resume would be a year spent in LeaP,” said Rick Dye, one of the program’s original architects.

A LONG TIME AGOIn the late seventies and early eighties,

a group of local citizens began a conversa-tion. Its premise was simple: where would the future’s leaders come from?

The powers that be—Dye labels them as the “old guard”—were growing older. Their tight-knit ranks needed to accommo-date those who would come after them.

“The fact that decisions were still be-ing made by people who knew each other

and played golf with each other and did business with each other kind of excluded other people in the community,” said Dye.

Earle Bowden, another member of the original LeaP steering committee and for-mer editor of the Pensacola News Journal, is more blunt.

“To be frank with you, you had a bunch of old men running the town,” he said. “—businessmen and old-time politicians that were making things happen at the time.”

In December of 1981, the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce formed a task force to es-tablish a leadership-building program. The organization wanted a vehicle through which to im-part experience and knowledge to the younger generation.

“Blend the expe-rience of the older folks with the eager-ness of the younger folks,” Dye explained.

The original steering committee that engineered the framework for the LeaP program included Dye, Bowden, Dick Appleyard, Isabella Grimes, Ed Hartsell, Ginger Bass and Dr. Donald Jones.Together they set about engineering an experience aimed at producing community leaders.

“What we wanted to do was give people a well rounded education of their commu-nity and how it works,” said Appleyard.

The purpose of the program would be to give participants the necessary tools to slip into leadership roles in the Pensacola

community. The program would serve par-ticipants, while also teaching participants to serve the community.

“It helps them in their businesses, of course, but more than that it helps them learn how to contribute to their communi-ty,” said Appleyard. “They know Pensacola better, they’re networked better and be-cause of that they’re better able to serve.”

The leadership program would be geared towards new blood. Selected new-comers would be welcomed and given the insight needed to navigate the community.

“There was this thinking in the back-ground that we need to recognize who these new leaders are,” Dr. Jones said. “—let’s plan for the future, let’s find out who these folks are. They’re doing their thing, but they’re in the woodwork, let’s pull ’em out.”

Jones described a “gap” between the older and younger folks. Emerging com-munity leaders were apparently separated from the current powers that be by a gen-erational gulf.

“As a group we all saw a lot of great talent come into Pensacola and there was a need to get them integrated into the com-munity,” Appleyard said.

Whereas society’s positions of influ-ence were at the time filled with mostly white males, the LeaP program also served to usher more females and minorities into leadership roles and diversify the Pen-sacola pool.

“I do think this program represents a transition from the old guard to a new kind of leadership,” said Bowden. “It spreads the power around.”

After the steer-ing committee hammered out the curriculum, the pro-gram got rolling in 1982. The first class of LeaP graduates emerged in the fall of 1983.

“LeaP was a joyful challenge for us to try to put it together and come up with a curriculum

that would work,” said Bowden. “It was a lot of long meetings, but when it happened—that first class—it was really successful.”

Jones agreed.“Frankly, it was a hell of a lot of work

getting it started,” he said. “But it’s like a locomotive, it’s got a lot of energy. Once you get it moving it just sort of takes off.”

PUZZLE PIECESSince its inception, LeaP’s mission has

remained the same. The organization is meant to educate and inspire.

“Blend the experience of the older folks with

the eagerness of the younger folks.” Rick Dye

"It’s like a locomotive, it’s got a lot of energy. Once you get it moving it just sort of takes off.”Earle Bowden

Looking Back at 30 Years of Forward ThinkingBy Jeremy Morrison

14 inweekly.net14

Bowden used to sum it up aptly when he would give the keynote address to an-other year’s graduating class.

“I talked about the importance of par-ticipation,” he reflected.

LeaPers are encouraged to engage their community. They are encouraged to be ac-tive participants.

In addition to being instilled with a spirit of community, each successive LeaP class is also given the tools to be an active participant. They are educated on the vari-ous facets of local government. They meet the mayor, the sheriff and other elected officials. They learn the specific functions of each entity.

LeaP classes also visit local hospitals for a lesson in healthcare. They tour the Navy base and learn what role the military plays in the local landscape. When they travel to Tallahassee, participants enjoy a session of the Florida Legislature.

“The idea is to train these people where they’ll have some grasp of what’s going on,” Bowden said.

Each LeaP class lasts for 10 months. Each month, the class focuses on a differ-ent aspect of the community.

In turn, the LeaP class will dive into lo-cal government, education and healthcare. They will focus on ethics and quality of life issues, as well as regional economics.

“Understanding all these aspects,” Bowden said. “Understanding the arts ...”

McFarren describes the experience as a course in leadership skills and per-sonal development.

“They get the community exploration,” she said. “Our goal is that they feel value in all of it.”

Each year, the LeaP class also works together on a community project. While instilling teamwork, the project is designed to benefit the Pensacola area.

The project aspect of the class was started in the mid-1990s. Looking over the years, project titles provide a glimpse into the giveback: Operation Hope, Let’s Grow, Choose Opportuni-ty, LeaP Into Books.

In 2008, the class project was Live Green Escam-bia, which focused on recycling. In its wake, the city of Pensacola began curbside recycling.

In 2001, the class sunk its teeth into Brownsville Middle School. They mentored students, in addition to repaving a parking lot and helping out with a career fair and the 8th grade prom.

Another year, LeaPers focused their energies on refurbishing the Ronald Mc-Donald House. A few years before that, they helped out Habitat For Humanity.

Each year, LeaP accepts about 50 ap-plicants into its ranks. Soon after it began, the slots became coveted.

“It became ‘we’ve got to get into LeaP,’” explained Jones, “as a business thing.”

When the nominating period begins each year, the program has many more ap-plicants than it has available slots.

“It’s in high demand to be a part of it, it’s an honor to be selected,” said Appleyard. “It’s something to be proud of. I think businesses pay attention to that as something significant.”

Each year, candidates are nominated, or apply directly, for a chance to participate in the program. McFarren said the program looks for a diverse crop of participants for each new class.

“Usually, it’s a pretty diverse cross sec-tion of our community,” she said. “We have

all different kinds of people.”

While many LeaP participants happen to be young adults, the program is open to anyone considered to be an emerging leader.

“This year we have every-one from the city

manager to small business entrepreneurs,” McFarren said. “Every walk of life, every stage in their career.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FOR-WARD

The original LeaP steering committee never got a chance to enjoy the experience they engineered. Even then, available slots in the class were considered too precious.

“We all wanted to be LeaP alumni, but we didn’t want to take up a slot,” said Dye. “We all kind of agreed not to go through it because we wanted to make it available to other people.”

In 2008—the 25th anniversary—the steering committee, what Bowden refers to as “the pioneers,” were inducted into the organization as LeaP’s first honorary alumni. Also inducted as honorary alumni

were Ginger Wetherell, Dr. Judy Bense, Buzz Ritchie, Joe Story, Susan Story and Quint Studer.

Reflecting on the three decades of LeaP, the original team enjoys some amount of gratification. The program has worked.

“It ended up way better than we might have anticipated,” said Appleyard. “It’s been terrific.”

Just as its architects intended, the LeaP program has been a catalyst for instilling a sense of community and injecting new blood into the local infrastructure.

“There are people ready, willing and able to take new positions, leadership posi-tions, because of being in LeaP,” explained Appleyard. “It gives us a whole lot more and better people to help support the gov-ernment and the community.”

Bowden calls LeaP an “excellent program” and “one of the finest things done around here.” He feels the class has produced competent community leaders.

“I think they understand the town bet-ter,” Bowden said.

Dr. Jones enjoys the long view. After 30 years, he can gaze across the timeline of Pensacola and appreciate the impact LeaP has had on the community.

“It’s a good legacy,” he said. Across varied strata of Pensacola

society, LeaP graduates will be found. They are in positions of power and influence and service. By design, they are successful and intent on creating a successful environ-ment for their community.

“You start to look at the parts and the pieces and it comes together as a puzzle,” Jones said. “And you put it together and the outcome is LeaP.” {in}

Barrie Arnold, North Florida Financial

Nikki Morette Bell, Morette Company

Robert Bender, MortonAllen & Williams

Johan Boelig, SunTrustBank

Geoff Brodersen, Shell, Fleming, Davis, Menge–Attorneys

Mark Canada, ServisFirst Bank

Donya C. Charles, Ascend Performance Materials

Nina Clark, West Florida Hospital

Theresa Cserep, TheJunior League of Pensacola

Matthew Davis, FirstNavy Bank

Greg Fayard, Emanuel Sheppard & Condon

Keith Fell, EmeraldCoast Utilities Authority

Richard Fulford, USEnvironmental Protection Agency

Tristan Harper, Moore, Hill & West-moreland, P.A.

Jennifer Harrison, Gulf Coast Premier Promotions

“It’s in high demand to be a part of it, it’s an honor to be selected.”Dick Appleyard

August 16, 2012 15

John O’Connor, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Liz Pelt, Appleyard Agency

Chris Phillips, Hot SpotsBait & Tackle

Kelly Reeser, Greater Pensacola Chamber

William (Bill) Reynolds,City of Pensacola

Christa Ruber, Pensacola State College

Reid Rushing, McGrawInsurance Services

Steve Kalkman, STOA Architects

Stephanie E. Knight, Escape Wellness Spa

Stacey Kostevicki, GulfCoast Kid’s House

Kevin Krieger, Depart-ment of Accounting &Finance, UWF

Liz Kuehn, Covenant Hospice

Robin Larrieu, Salt-marsh, Cleaveland & Gund

Brooke Layton, Institutefor Human and MachineCognition (IHMC)

Leon Ledbetter, Lanformation, Inc.

Kim McDaniel, Gulf Power Company

Jon Minchin, Galloway,Johnson, Tompkins, Burr& Smith, PLC

Kathy Nelson, Brown Thornton Pacenta &Company, PA

Will Nelson, The Will Nelson Law Firm

Sharon Nobles, BaptistHealth Care

CDR Sean O’Brien, Naval Education Train-ing Command, DCIO

Danial Hemme, WEAR(WFGX – Sinclair Com-munications, LLC)

Chip Henderson, Emagination Unlimited

Jon Hill, Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum

Laura Hill, United Wayof Escambia County

Emily Homan, Cox Michelle James, Pen Air Federal Credit Union

Doug Jolly, RedIron Design/Lion Fish Apparel

Natasha Sluder, FloridaBlue

Natalie Smith, Gulf Power Company

Kevin Spellman, Greenhut Construction Company, Inc.

Thomas Greek, Navy Federal Credit Union

Jonathan E. Thompson,Thompson- Briggs Developers, Inc.

Ryan Tilley, H2 Perfor-mance Consulting Corp.

JoAnn Vanfleteren, Vanfleteren Consulting

16 inweekly.net16

August 16, 2012 17

a r t , f i l m , m u s i c , s ta g e , b o o k s a n d o t h e r s i g n s o f c i v i l i z a t i o n . . .

Arts & EntertainmentWEEK OF AUGUST 16-23

21

AUGUST 17

Tour Is A Four Letter WordSinger-songwriter and all mellow dude Jason Mraz is bringing his latest tour to the Gulf Coast. You can check him out Friday night at The Wharf

in Orange Beach with special guest Christina Perri. jasonmraz.com

AUGUST 22

Funny FaceComedian Doug Stanhope is bringing his stand-up act to The Handlebar Wednesday night. Best known for hosting “The Man Show” on Comedy Central, Stan-hope's comedy is high on vulgarity and social com-

mentary. Tickets available on ticketweb.com

AUGUST 17

Yappy Hour Hangout with your pet, enjoy happy hour and help out a good cause. You can do just that Friday at Wahoo Stadium during their "Yappy Hour" event. All proceeds from the events' raffles benefit the Humane Society.

humanesocietyofpensacola.org

22

17

AUGUST 21

Yay For New Yeasayer

After months of anticipation and a pretty intense Internet scavenger hunt, indie rock outfit Yeasayer are finally re-leasing their latest album "Fra-grant World" in its entirety.

facebook.com/yeasayer

18 inweekly.net18

In Kansas, towns have edges. There is a line that goes a mile. Outside of the big square block of trees and houses, there's noth-ing but treeless fields and prairie, farmlands and ranchlands.

“It's a strange part of the country, compared to what I'm used to,” Asa Furman said.

He is traveling by touring bicycle from Pensacola through Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to a small town near Telluride, Colo.

A Milton native, Furman is a recent graduate from the University of West Florida with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He founded and ran the bicycle repair shop and UWF Cycling Club on cam-pus. Recently, Furman paused to chat with IN about his journey. He also keeps a log of his expedition at thelongbike.blogspot.com.

IN: How long have you been on the road?FURMAN: I rode 1500 miles over 22 riding days.

IN: Why are you taking this trip?FURMAN: This is probably the freest time in my life. In this interim I'm traveling, meeting people, seeing what I can see—having an adventure.

IN: How far do you ride in a day?FURMAN: I can do 118-120 miles a day, but I don't like to, and end up really tired. Usually I like to do 50-80 miles a day; it 's more sustainable in the long run.

IN: Why Colorado?FURMAN: I wanted to take a bike tour since I was in college full-time, but decided to take a trip after graduation. I origi-nally planned to bike with friends to Colorado. They changed their minds, but I decided to ride, regardless.

IN: What are some memorable moments?FURMAN: Some people flag me down and give me bottles of cold water. I’ve slept in culverts underneath the road or on

bridge supports, when there was nowhere else to stay. I had a near-death encounter crossing the Huey P. Long Bridge into Baton Rouge, La. The lanes were narrow. There was no shoulder, no room for vehicles to pass me. Semi-trucks changed lanes and whooshed past the mile across the bridge. The sheer unrelenting terror…

IN: How did you prepare for the trip?FURMAN: Getting the gear and becom-ing familiar and comfortable with my bike. I didn't train on my bike specifically prior to this ride. I did a workout regimen aimed at building core strength and stability. The riding itself is more about sufficient caloric intake. Endurance requires drink-ing and eating enough at the right time. Cycling is not racing. On a 118-mile day,

I only averaged 13.5 mph. It took me 9.5 hours to do that.

IN: What would you have planned dif-ferently?FURMAN: I carry a full tool kit, camping gear, camp stove, and food. But I brought too many clothes, like a rain jacket. In warmer weather, I 'm comfortable with riding in the rain. I’ve only needed two outfits on the road. I wear a fast-drying fisherman's shirt. I’d cut down on elec-tronics—I like to be able to hear stuff coming up on me.

IN: Any advice for an aspiring bike traveler?FURMAN: Try it. People would be sur-prised if they got their stuff together, went out, and did it. But don't overstock on any one supply. If you eat the same thing enough, you get sick of it.

IN: How have you faced your fears?FURMAN: Being on the road and hav-ing overall largely positive interactions with people is a faith-builder in humanity. Knowledge is the antidote to fear. I don't

spend time worrying about “what ifs”—I’m careful in choosing my campsites and haven't been bothered by anyone. There's power realizing that in this part of the road, I’m an apex predator. But that will change when I get into grizzly bear and mountain lion country.

IN: How has the trip changed your perception?FURMAN: The world seems a lot larger on a bicycle. The relationship between time and distance is skewed—it shifts the entire paradigm from minute-by-minute and spaces out

events. It takes an entire day on the road to get to a town, instead of 1-1.5 hour car-ride. If I were in a car, I would never notice the wildflowers on the side of the road, what people do to make their mailboxes stand out, or the changes in elevation and vegetation in a climb out of a river bottom into the highlands.

IN: Has it changed your idea of travel?FURMAN: Awareness fills up the time spent traveling between places; instead of a point A to point B experience, the trip as the means to an end, the trip becomes a journey. There's a big difference in my mind between a trip and a journey. I con-sider myself a traveler. I'm not just going to Colorado—there’s an experience and a journey that's taking me there. {in}

by Katya Ivanova&e

A Journey by Bicycle

"Being on the road and having overall largely positive interactions with people is a faith-builder in hu-manity. Knowledge is the antidote to fear."Asa Furman

Asa Furman / courtesy photo

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happeningsTHURSDAY 8.16‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAE-OLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.‘SURFING FLORIDA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY’ 10 a.m. through Sep 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.‘ART ROCKS’ 10 a.m. through Sep 1. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.‘ART AS SOCIAL DISCOURSE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘MANNA FOOD BANK YOUTH STORY MU-RAL’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Manna Food Bank will be collecting non-perishable food items for the duration of this exhibit. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘EARTHLING, ALIENS…AND OTHER CREA-TURES OF FATE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS SOCIETY MEETING 11:30 a.m. Franco’s Italian Restaurant, 530 E. Gregory St. 453-9291 or dfcsociety.org.‘IT’S 5 O’ CLOCK SOMEWHERE’ MARGARITA TASTING 2 p.m. Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9755 or margaritavillehotel.com.PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.WINE TASTING AT AWM 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragon-winemarket.com.HERB CLASS AT EVER’MAN 6 p.m. $2 for non-members. Ever’man Natural Foods, 315 W. Garden St. 438-0402 or everman.org.VEGAN DINNER AT EOTL 6 p.m. End of the Line Café, 610 E. Wright St. 429-0336 or eotlcafe.com.EVENINGS IN OLDE SEVILLE SQUARE 7 p.m. Seville Square, between Alcaniz and Adams streets. 438-6505 or pensacolaheritage.org.‘INVASION FROM PLANET X’ ON THE RED TROLLEY TOUR 7:30 p.m. $5-$20. Pensacola Visitor Information Center, 1401 E. Gregory St. 417-7343 or ufotrolley.com.BRAD BARNES OPEN COLLEGE JAM 7:30 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Rd. 474-1919.live musicJ. HAWKINS 2 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.JASON JUSTICE 4 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Per-dido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.JOE OCCHIPINTI JAZZ WINE TASTING 5 p.m. Aragon Wine Market, 27 S. Ninth Ave. 433-9463 or aragonwinemarket.com.AL & CATHY 5:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.THE DAVENPORTS 6 p.m.The Leisure Club, 126 S. Palafox. 912-4229 or tlcdowntown.com.LUCAS CRUTCHFIELD 6 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fishhouse.goodgrits.com.KNEE DEEP 7 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.CHARLIE ROBERTS 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.KARAOKE WITH BECKY 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.LOCKWOOD DUO 8 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. 332-7952 or wobusa.com/Palafox.VAUGHAN BROTHERS 8 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.TIM SPENCER 8 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.DJ MR LAO 8 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.ELAINE PETTY & CATHY PACE 8:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.LESS THAN ZERO 9 p.m. through Aug. Sand-shaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.COLLEGE DANCE NIGHT 9 p.m. Phineas Phogg’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.ADAM HOLT BAND 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.CORNBREAD 9:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Per-dido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.LUCKY DOGGS 10 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Per-dido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.EXTREME KARAOKE WITH G.C.P.C 10 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or gulf-coastpartycrew.com.

FRIDAY 8.17‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAE-OLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.‘SURFING FLORIDA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY’ 10 a.m. through Sep 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.‘ART ROCKS’ 10 a.m. through Sep 1. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.‘ART AS SOCIAL DISCOURSE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘MANNA FOOD BANK YOUTH STORY MU-RAL’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Manna Food Bank will be collecting non-perishable food items for the duration of this exhibit. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘EARTHLING, ALIENS…AND OTHER CREA-TURES OF FATE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.WINE TASTING AT DK 4:30 p.m. Distinctive Kitchens, 29 S. Palafox. 438-4688 or dk4u.com.WINE TASTING AT SEVILLE QUARTER 5 p.m. Palace Café at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Govern-ment St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.WINE TASTING AT CITY GROCERY 5:15 p.m. City Grocery, 2050 N. 12th Ave. 469-8100.WINE TASTING AT EAST HILL MARKET 5:30 p.m. 1216 N. Ninth Ave.‘GO FERAL’ FUR BALL 6 p.m. Sanders Beach Community Center, 913 S. I St. 434-8904 or pensacolafurball.org.JOE OCCHIPINTI BIG BAND 6:30 p.m. Gregory Street Assembly Hall, 501 E. Gregory St. 307-8633.‘YELLOW SUBMARINE’ GOURMET CHAR-ITY DINNER 7 p.m. $40-$300, reservations requested. 5Eleven Palafox, 511 S. Palafox. 469-0445 or culinaryproductions.net.‘TOURIFFIC SUMMER GHOST TOUR’ 7 p.m. $5-$10. Historic Pensacola Village, 205 E. Zara-goza St. 595-5985 or historicpensacola.org.‘HAIRSPRAY’ 7:30 p.m. Pensacola Little The-atre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 434-0257 or pensaco-lalittletheatre.com.‘SUNSET TOAST AT THE TOP’ 7:30 p.m. Couples only tour, reservations required. Pen-sacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561 or lighthousereservations.org.

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happenings

‘SCANDALS FOR THE COMMON MANWOM-AN’ 8 p.m. Loblolly Theatre, 1010 N. 12th Ave. 439-3010 or loblollytheatre.com.‘LIGHT OF THE MOON TOUR’ 8 p.m. Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561 or pen-sacolalighthouse.org.STARGAZING 8:30 p.m. $8, vehicle pass for park entrance. Fort Pickens, 1400 Fort Pickens Road.

934-2600 or nps.gov/guis/planyour-visit/fort-pickens.htm.SWING DANCING 8:30 p.m. Ameri-can Legion, 1401 Intendencia St. $5. 437-5465 or pensacolaswing.comlive musicJOHNNY BARBATO 1 p.m. Flora-bama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.KEN LAMBERT 2 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.JACK ROBERTSON – BIG EARL, LO-GAN SPICER & MICKEY SPRINGS-TON 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.SHAUNA P 5:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.TIM SPENCER 6 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.KNEE DEEP 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.TERRY LEE POOL & FRIENDS 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.SAWMILL & GUESTS 7 p.m. Chu-

muckla’s Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Rd., Pace. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com.POSI TONES 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pen-sacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.MIKE BOCCIA 7:45 p.m. Goat Lips Beer Garden, 2811 Copter Rd. 474-1919.

REDDOG 8 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersbluescafe.com.HOLLY SHELTON AND DAVID SHELANDER 8 p.m. Ragtyme Grille, 201 S. Jefferson St. 429-9655 or ragtyme.net.THE BLENDERS 8:30 p.m. through Aug 31st. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.LESS THAN ZERO 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.FAVORED SONS 9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. 332-7952 or wobusa.com/Palafox.BAD HABITS 9 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fish-house.goodgrits.com.BUZZCUTT 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quiet-water Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.ADAM HOLT BAND 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.SCHOFIELD 9 p.m. Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. LiliMar-lene’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.MASON JAR 9 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pen-sacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.TODD SMITH BAND 9:30 p.m. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.TROY BRANNON 9:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.REZ & THE SOLUTIONS 10 p.m. Florabama,

17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.TRUNK MONKEY 10:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

SATURDAY 8.18PALAFOX MARKET 8 a.m. Martin Luther King Plaza on North Palafox Street between Chase and Garden streets. palafoxmarket.com.‘PUNT, PASS AND KICK’ TOURNAMENT 8 a.m. Maritime Park, 449 W. Main St. 934-8444 or bluewahoos.com.HUMANE SOCIETY BATHE IN 9 a.m. Humane Society of Pensacola, 5 N. Q St. 432-4250 or humanesocietyofpensacola.org.‘A ROADTRIP THROUGH FLORIDA ARCHAE-OLOGY’ 10 a.m. DARC, 207 E. Main St. 595-0050, ext. 107 or flpublicarchaeology.org/darc.php.‘ARTIST’S ROW’ 10 a.m. Historic Belmont DeVilliers, 314 N. DeVilliers St. 912-6806 or devilliersmuseum.com.‘ART ROCKS’ 10 a.m. through Sep 1. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.‘ART AS SOCIAL DISCOURSE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘MANNA FOOD BANK YOUTH STORY MU-RAL’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Manna Food Bank will be collecting non-perishable food items for the duration of this exhibit. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘EARTHLING, ALIENS…AND OTHER CREA-TURES OF FATE’ 10 a.m. through Aug 24. Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. 432-3080 or artelgallery.org.‘SURFING FLORIDA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC

August 16, 2012 21

HISTORY’ 12 p.m. through Sep 2. Pensacola Museum of Art. 407 S. Jefferson St. 432-6247 or pensacolamuseumofart.org.PLAY HAPPY HOUR 4 p.m. Play, 16 S. Palafox, Suite 100. 466-3080 or iplaypensacola.com.SUMMER CLASSIC MOVIES ‘MY FAIR LADY’ 7 p.m. $5. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. 595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.‘TOURIFFIC SUMMER GHOST TOUR’ 7 p.m. $5-$10. Historic Pensacola Village, 205 E. Zara-goza St. 595-5985 or historicpensacola.org.‘THE TAMING OF THE SHREW’ 7:30 p.m. The Center for Fine and Performing Arts University of West Florida, Bldg 82. 462-8880 or pensaco-lashakespearetheatre.org. ‘HAIRSPRAY’ 7:30 p.m. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 434-0257 or pensacolalittle-theatre.com.‘SCANDALS FOR THE COMMON MANWOM-AN’ 8 p.m. Loblolly Theatre, 1010 N. 12th Ave. 439-3010 or loblollytheatre.com.LIGHTHOUSE GHOST HUNT 8 p.m. Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. 393-1561 or pensacolalighthouse.org.live musicJOE OCCHIPINTI SMALL GROUP JAZZ 10 a.m. The Drowsy Poet Coffee Company, 86 Brent Lane. 434-7638.COWBOY JOHNSON, JON COOK & DOUG HABBENA 12:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.AL & CATHY, LEA ANNE & RICK 1 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.ELAINE PETTY 2 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.CURT & FRIENDS ON DECK 3 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.AVENEDA 16 3 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Qui-etwater Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.DAVE & JOE SHOW, RYAN BALTHROP 5 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.JACK ROBERTSON-BIG EARL 5:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.MOST WANTED 6 p.m. The Oar House, 1000 S. Pace Blvd. 549-4444 or the-oar-house.com.PAUL KILLOUGH 6 p.m. Crabs We Got ‘Em, 6 Casino Beach. 932-0700 or crabswegotem.com.MIKE WHEELER AND FRIENDS 7 p.m. Paradise Bar & Grill, 21 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach. 916-5087 or paradisebar-grill.com.SAWMILL BAND & GUESTS 7 p.m. Chumuckla’s Farmers’ Opry, 8897 Byrom Campbell Rd., Pace. 994-9219 or farmersopry.com.KRAZY GEORGE KARAOKE 7 p.m. Hub Stacey’s Downtown, 312 E. Government St. 469-1001 or hubstaceys.com.THE REVIVALISTS LIVE IN CONCERT: MEMO-RIAL TOWER FUNDRAISER 7 p.m. $20. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.JOHNNY BARBATO & THE LUCKY DOGGS 7:30 p.m. Sabine Sandbar, 715 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 934-3141 or dalesbigdeck.com.DUELING PIANOS 8 p.m. Rosie O’Grady’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.THE BLENDERS 8 p.m. Five Sisters Blues Café, 421 W. Belmont St. 912-4856 or fivesistersblu-escafe.com.NICK WING KARAOKE 9 p.m. Hub Stacey’s at the Point, 5851 Galvez Rd. 497-0071 or hubstaceys.com.LESS THAN ZERO 9 p.m. Sandshaker Lounge, 731 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 932-2211 or sandshaker.com.

BAD HABITS 9 p.m. The Deck at The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003 or fish-house.goodgrits.com.KONTRABAND 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.ADAM HOLT BAND 9 p.m. End O’ the Alley at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.FLIP FLOP BOYS 9 p.m. Bamboo Willie’s, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd., Pensacola Beach. 916-9888 or bamboowillies.com.FLOCK OF SEA MONKEY 9 p.m. World of Beer, 200 S. Palafox. 332-7952 or wobusa.com/Palafox.SCHOFIELD 9 p.m. Apple Annie’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or

sevillequarter.com.THE MODERN ELDORADOS 9 p.m. LiliMar-lene’s at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. 434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.BOUKOU GROOVE 9 p.m. The Grand Marlin, 400 Pensacola Beach Blvd., Pensacola Beach. 677-9153 or thegrandmarlin.com.BIG PICTURE 9:30 p.m. Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom, 10 S. Palafox. 497-6073 or hopjacks.com.SHAUNA P & ADAM BROWNE 9:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.BIG ALL & HEAVYWEIGHTS 10 p.m. Flo-rabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.TRUNK MONKEY 10:30 p.m. Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.

SUNDAY 8.19WORSHIP ON THE WATER 11 a .m. Tent Stage, Florabama, 17401 Perdido Key Dr. 492-0611 or florabama.com.‘ART ROCKS’ 12:30 p.m. through Sep 1. Blue Morning Gallery, 21 S. Palafox. 429-9100 or bluemorninggallery.com.‘HAIRSPR AY’ 2:30 p.m. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. 434-0257 or pensacolalittletheatre.com.

for more listings visit inweekly.net

happenings

Scrabble junkies, or those just into having a good time for charity, are ea-gerly brushing up on their vocabulary lessons in anticipation of Learn to Read of Northwest Florida’s “Scrab-ble Soiree” charity event to benefit adult literacy.

The team event will see tables of up to seven people engage in a rather unique game of Scrabble. Instead of competing against the other people at the table, the teams will work together in putting together the highest pos-sible scoring words on the board over the course of two timed rounds with the winning team receiving a prize package donated from local businesses.

The rules of the event are, shall we say, open to interpretation as tables will be able to buy extra tiles and are encouraged to bribe the judges to allow words that are either nonsensical, arcane or completely made up. So, if you ever wanted the use the word “flibbertigib-bet” in a board game, this is the event for you.

The proceeds of the event will be used to continue the fight against the high illiteracy rate in Northwest Florida.

“We’re hoping that the general public understands the critical need our community has for our services. There are over 43,000 adults in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties who cannot read above a third grade level,” said Manette Magera, Learn to Read’s Executive Director. “This makes for a big drain on our social services. Once we help this population, they become produc-tive community members.”

The event organizers are hoping that the Scrabble theme

will attract people used to playing word games on applications on their phones and not face-to-face with other people.

"The excitement for this year’s event seems to be fueled by the growing popularity of the recent Words With Friends craze,” said Brittney Goodman, co-chair of the event.

The event will feature musical enter-tainment as well as complimentary wine, beer, hors d'oeuvres, coffee and desserts.

There are 35 tables for the event. Pre-registering for the event is encour-

aged, and individuals who are not part of a team will be assigned to a table.

Learn to Read is an all-volunteer non-profit adult literacy program which has been in operation since 1984. The organization is entirely self-funded via grants, dona-tions, and charitable events like the Scrabble Soiree.

“This is a wonderful way for friends to get together in a fun atmosphere to help a great cause ... fighting adult illiteracy,” said Sophia Young,

co-chair of the event. {in}

Scrabble Soiree to Benefit Adult Literacy

By James Hagan

SCRABBLE SOIREE: LETTERS FOR LITERACYWHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, August 23WHERE: Cathedral of Sacred Heart Par-ish Hall, 1212 E. Moreno St.COST: $35 for individual tickets, $200 for teams of up to seven playersDETAILS: To register visit learntoread-nwf.com or call 850-432-4347

"There are over 43,000 adults in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties who cannot read above a third grade level.” Manette Magera

22 inweekly.net22

If ever a band could rip your heart out, have you stomp on it, and keep you enthralled with the entire experience, Trampled By Turtles is that band. The five-piece’s brand of bluegrass combines piercing lyricism with musicianship that soars, and when the time is right, they’ll have you doing the jig—even if you didn’t know you had it in you. Mandolin player Erik Berry took a break out of the band’s recent schedule that’s included stops at Letterman and Bonnaroo to do the unthinkable—field a morning interview.

IN: Trampled by Turtles was initially a side project from the members’ electric rock bands, correct?BERRY: Our lead singer Dave Simonett’s band had broken up and at that last gig, all his electric gear was stolen. We weren’t techni-cally a side project, but we weren’t what he was thinking he was going to focus on. It was out of necessity for Dave. He knew it had to be acoustic.

IN: Walk us through the songwriting pro-cess for the band.BERRY: If they have words, they’re Dave Sim-onett tunes. Almost 100 percent. Dave gets the tunes to a point that I call “coffeehouse ready” where he can play an acoustic version by him-self. He doesn’t have to look at the lyrics. He doesn’t have to remind himself how the chords go. He really has the songs learned by the time he starts playing it for us. Then we come up with stuff to play on it. The vast majority of the time we’re given free rein to come up with what we want. We also have instrumentals that are written by me or Dave Carroll, our banjo player. It’s more or less the same process, but instead of it being Simonett getting it ready to go, it’s the mandolin or banjo taking the lead.

IN: The lyrics throughout the latest album seem extremely personal at times. What’s it like performing songs that come from such a vulnerable spot in another person?BERRY: How emotional or personal a particular tune can be changes with repeti-

tion. The first time he writes it or plays it for us, it might be difficult for him. He might have to really dig into it, but after we’ve played it 50 or 60 times, it’s not quite like that anymore. There’s a little more performance going on. I don’t want to dimin-ish from his feelings about what he’s writing about, but it’s not as emotional of an experience. Having said that, I’ve been surprised how the recent audiences have allowed us to get into a quiet space where those songs can really present their full power. These are real songs about real things. That’s important.

IN: The upper Midwest has a deep his-tory of folksy, introspective music by everyone from Bob Dylan to Bon Iver. Is there something about the area that lends itself to that type of music?BERRY: The winters do. In Northern Min-nesota in Duluth, the snow can last from October to April. It can be really cold for a long time. When I first moved here, I told a friend of mine I was nervous about the winters. She told me that I’ve experienced weather this cold, just not how long it’s going to last. During winters that long, if you’re an artist, you hole up and practice your craft. There’s not much else to do. One thing that’s really beautiful about this part of the world is there’s a lot of artists who aren’t musicians. Potters, metal workers, painters, and that sort of thing. A lot of people are always working on something.

IN: Have you noticed a resur-gence in acoustic music in the last couple years? BERRY: The first time I ever played mandolin in public was after I had

only been playing a cou-ple months, and I wasn’t very good. I had my mandolin and a friend of mine had a banjo. He wasn’t very good at the time, either. We pulled out our instruments at a party and played a song that was basically G and C, with no words, and we weren’t grabbing

the chords as clean as we could. There’s no doubt in my mind that had we been two guys with guitars, we would have been told to stop. Instead, everyone was transfixed. I’m certain it was the first time the people at that party had ever seen anyone play mandolin and banjo in person. That was in Moorhead, Minn. Now there are several wonderful string bands from there. So there’s definitely a change. Why it’s come about I’m not sure.

IN: Talk about the contrast between being in the studio and on stage putting on a show. From everything I’ve read and heard, you guys get pretty rowdy.BERRY: There’s definitely an energy ex-change between the audience and us. It’s impossible for me to play the mandolin the same way I do on stage as I do in the studio. It can make shopping for a new mandolin extremely difficult. I’ll be in a store beating on one of the instruments as hard as I can and I still know it’s not nearly as fast and as heavy as it’s going to be on stage. Trying to replicate that energy is a lost cause. {in}

by Brett Hutchinsmusic

Where the Heartland Meets the Sand

TRAMPLED BY TURTLESWHEN: Friday, September 21WHERE: DeLuna Fest, Pensacola BeachDETAILS: trampledbyturtles.com, delunafest.com

Trampled By Turtles / press photo

"These are real songs about real things. That’s important."Erik Berry

417-9292 • 701 S. Palafox St. www.emeraldcoasttours.net

SEGWAYS • BIKES PUB TOURS E r i c D. Ste vens on

mypensacolaattorney.com • email: eric@mypensacolaattorney.com

Personal Injur y | Criminal Justice919 N. 12th Avenue

Pensacola, F lorida 32501

O: (850) 434-3111F: (850) 434-1188 DO IT.

facebook.com/themagnoliaeph

August 16, 2012 23

This week I had a girlfriend visiting me from D.C., and among the great big list of things to do/see people would give her (the beach, McGuire’s, tubing, Flo-raBama) was one unique, unexpected item: a honey butter chicken biscuit from a local fast-food chain, preferably as a nightcap following an evening spent on Palafox. At first I scoffed at this sugges-tion, but upon further reflection embraced it. After all, it is a bit of a southern lore: a unique culinary gem that is the perfect lowbrow ac-companiment to some highbrow libations.

To me that is what makes great bar food. Keep the focus on the drinks, but the food substantial enough to make the evening continue on a nice, smooth pace. In Spain they have tapas, in Russia they have meat-flavored peanuts. In America, we have bar food.

And while Pensacola doesn’t have an official gastropub yet, it does have plenty of restaurants that offer small bites that make the perfect companion to their cocktails. Honey buttered chicken biscuits included: a night of drinking is only matched by a night of eating in Pensacola.

BEER NIGHTSBeers recent surge in popularity in Pen-

sacola can only be compared to the cupcake explosion of the early 2010s. But I’m not complaining. With favorites like Pensacola Bay Brewery and the new hotness that is World of Beer, it’s hard to find a microbrew that isn’t carried somewhere in town. But as any former fraternity member can tell you, man cannot

exist on beer alone, so it helps to stick by some that offer up some great light fare to go with that heavy porter you just downed. For a night of beer drinking I suggest start-ing out with a light meal at The Magnolia or Hub Stacey’s. The Magnolia offers up ever changing daily specials that in the past have included ribs, candied bacon, jalapeno ched-dar corn bread and bean salad. The fare tends to stay on the lighter side so it’s possible to eat here and order a heavier porter and not feel exhausted by the end of your meal. If you like to start your evening with something more substantial in your stomach then head to Hub Stacey’s where the sandwiches are piled high to the point of obnoxiousness. Try the Hub Club (triple decker ham, smoked turkey, lettuce, tomato, bacon, dill mayo) with a cider to cut through the saltiness or count your calories with one of those 32 calorie beers and an order of hummus topped with alfalfa sprouts and tomatoes. If you’re more of a late-night snack beer person then Hopjacks is for you. Beer drinking aficionados know that 4:20-6:20 is the magical time when Hopjacks presents “Hoppy Hour”—half off all appetiz-ers and $1 off all drafts. Perhaps no other food in town is a synonymous with great bar food as their Duck Fat Belgian Fries—and for good reason. Like the flying buttresses holding up

the Notre Dame, noth-ing supports a night of heavy drinking like pure fat and carbs.

CHAMPAGNE NIGHTSAt one time champagne was reserved for

only the most celebratory of evenings, but that all changed when Marilyn Monroe declared, "Don't worry. Every thing's fine: A married man, air-conditioning, champagne and potato chips. This is a wonderful party,” in “The Seven Year Itch.” Suddenly, champagne became the

perfect beverage to enjoy on one’s

living room floor with a bag of Fritos; after all, champagne does make anything feel a little more regal. For nights that you’re wishing to imbue with perhaps a little more class, head to the Elbow Room and enjoy a classic cham-pagne cocktail: the perfect combination of bubbly mixed with your choice of mango puree, blueberry or pomegranate juice. Those wishing to get down to it can also enjoy their bubbles solo. Take Marilyn’s heed and pair your classy drink with some unexpected bar fare. Try their Abita Bacon Dip: a salty mélange of cheese, bacon and somehow Abita beer all whipped into a gorgeous spreadable delight.

To continue the affair, proceed to the back of the Fish House at The Deck Bar where one may enjoy their take on the classic champagne cocktail. continued on page 24 ▶

by Ashley Hardaway

Setting the Bar

The Deck Bar600 S. Barracks St.470-0003fishhouse.goodgrits.com

The Elbow Room2213 W. Cervantes St.434-0300

Jackson’s Steakhouse400 S. Palafox St.469-9898jacksonsrestaurant.com

Global Grill27 S. Palafox 469-9966dineglobalgrill.com

Hopjacks10 Palafox Place497-6073hopjackspensacola.com

Hub Stacey’s312 E. Government St. 469-1001

hubstaceys.com

The Magnolia2907 E. Cervantes St.912-6196magnoliapensacola.com

McGuire’s Irish Pub600 E. Gregory St.433-6789mcguiresirishpub.com

Bar food samples from The Magnolia / courtesy photos

Bar Directory

In Spain they have tapas, in Russia they have meat-flavored peanuts. In America, we have bar food.

24 inweekly.net24

{in}

Their Champagne Punch is a magical blend of Finlandia tangerine vodka, peach and banana liqueurs, and pineapple juice topped off with champagne. And when all those bubbles go to your head be sure and place an order into the kitchen. Their Tequila Hot Wings—fried chicken wings tossed in garlic, lime, tequila and hot sauce—are just the thing to cut the sweetness. For purists who think champagne should only be paired with seafood, there are their Claws in Garlic—crab claws sautéed in white wine and garlic sauce—as well as their Asian Calamari to satiate your pairing peculiarities.

MARTINI NIGHTSThere’s a reason three martini lunches of

lore didn’t simply cut to the chase to become three-martini happy hour: one must eat and eat well to even make it to the third martini. If it’s Tuesday and you’re channeling your inner Don Draper (and have a DD on hand) then head to McGuire’s where they pour $3 double-shot martinis all day long. Pair their Extra Dry Classic Martini (Gordon’s London Dry Gin, Smirnoff vodka, splash of Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth) with their Prince Edward Island mussels sautéed in tomatoes, garlic and white wine. Or switch things up a bit and get a Cucumber Martini (made with Effen cucum-ber vodka) and cut through all that freshness with an order of their famous Irish Bleu Chips.

Those wishing to prolong the evening should continue to Global Grill where the martini gets some unexpected additions. Their Mango Martini (Three Olives Vodka,

Citrus vodka, orange juice and mango puree) makes the perfect accompaniment to their Spicy Tuna Sashimi served with plantain chips. But the real star is the selection of hot tapas dishes like their Fried Stuffed Artichokes served with Boursin Cheese or their Andouille and Manchego cheese empanadas. Pair these with a classic martini served with an olive stuffed with bleu cheese and you’ll have an evening that would rival even the most suc-cessful Ad men of the fifties.

WINE NIGHTSWine never went out of style. Whether

enjoying a glass in the piazzas of Italy, or by yourself in the bath after a long day, something about it speaks to the height of relaxation. But the perfect glass of wine often call for some great light bites to enjoy with it and luckily, Pensacola abounds with options. The most obvious being: The Wine Bar. For a cosmopolitan affair, order a three cheese plate with added prosciutto and close your eyes as the server recants the cheeses being served that day—actually don’t close your eyes, that’s a little creepy. If you happen to come before six p.m. and find yourself in the midst of a wine onslaught—their happy hour means a carafe of wine for the price of a glass—then fortify your resolve and your stomach with one of their Panini-pressed Brie filled sandwiches, or an order of marinated olives and their spiced almonds with rosemary and chipotle.

When the evening calls for decorum and elegance, but not a full blown meal, do not hesitate to go to Jackson’s where the bar

menu provides plenty of options for some lighter indulgences. Their Crispy Salmon Belly Tempura, marinated in unagi sauce before being lightly battered with panko and fried, pairs marvelously with a great Spanish white. Red wine lovers will love a heartier full-bodied selection with the Falafel over Sautéed Sicilian-Style Spinach, which features roasted Roma tomatoes, walnuts, slab bacon, and dried apricots with a tahini-yogurt sauce and orange blossom honey. Come on Wine Down Wednesdays (5:30 p.m. until close) and it’s possible to sample the entire bar menu as you enjoy your choice of one of the exclusive wine list bottles for half off.

HOME NIGHTS Before my friend departed, we did stop

and order a honey buttered chicken biscuit. And while there is no shame in ordering ten of those delightful morsels and halving them as bar-fare at your next house party—after all, who am I to advocate for the exhausting task of cutting up, battering and frying twenty chicken tenders from scratch—making some other delightful tidbits from scratch is easily within your capabilities.

CAYENNE AND HONEY ROASTED ALMONDS

Ingredients:2 1/2 cups raw almonds1/8 cup Sugar in the Raw1/4 cup Honey3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:Preheat over to 325F and line baking sheet

with parchment paper. In a large bowl com-bine the sugar and salt. Set aside. In a medium skillet over medium heat melt the honey and then add the cayenne pepper. Add the almonds and toss until well coated. Transfer to a baking sheet, spread out evenly and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let almonds cool slightly before tossing them in the sugar/salt mixture. After tossing, place on cooking sheet again and allow to cool all the way before serving.

FIG AND PROSCIUTTO CROSTINI

Ingredients:1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2 inch slicesExtra virgin olive oilBalsamic vinegar1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half12 slices of Prosciutto6 large figs, cut in half12 small mint leavesDirections:

In a Panini press or a frying pan, grill the ciabatta slices until they are nice and brown, but not stiff. While they are still warm, rub with the garlic so the bread is kissed by the oils and then assemble all bits on a plate be-fore drizzling over some extra virgin olive oil. Top each crostini with a piece of Prosciutto, a bit of fig and a sprig of mint before hitting it again with some tiny droplets of Balsamic vinegar. You just made a highbrow appetizer in no time. {in}

Setting the Bar continued from page 23

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26 inweekly.net26

FREEDOM UNDER ATTACK First Amend-ment Blues: (1) A bar in Horry County, S.C., named the Suck Bang Blow filed a lawsuit in May challenging the county’s new ordi-nance prohibiting motorcyclists’ “burnouts” (engine-revving with back-tire-spinning, creating smoke—and enormous noise). The bar claims that burnouts are important expressions of its customers’ “manliness and macho” and as such are protected by the First Amendment. (2) Luigi Bellavite com-plained to reporters in Mountain View, Colo., in July that the theft of his “Vote Satan” yard sign ought to be prosecuted as a “hate crime” under state law—as he is a member of the Church of Satan. Police called it an ordinary theft.

POLICE REPORT New Mexico is an “open carry” state, with otherwise-law-abiding adults authorized to display loaded handguns in public. However, in the town of Vaughn (pop. 500, located mid-nowhere), perhaps the only ones not authorized to carry are the town’s two police officers. Chief Ernest Armijo had been convicted in 2011 of criminal nonsupport of a wife and two sons, and among the conditions of probation was the prohibition on gun possession. Deputy Brian Bernal has his own domestic issue: a convic-tion for family violence that bars him, under federal law, from carrying.

• Most people who call an FBI field office would be in serious trouble if they left an answering-machine message for a named agent, along with the caller’s name and tele-phone number, in a message consisting of at least 13 F-word epithets threatening to “break (the agent’s) (F-word) neck.” However, when Thomas Troy Bitter left the message at the San Diego field office, according to a July report in OC Weekly, the agency, after initially charging Bitter, quietly dropped the prosecution with no further repercussions. OC Weekly speculated that Bitter is a con-fidential informant whom the FBI was late in paying.

• Specialist Perps: (1) In May, Chicago police arrested a man they believed had

just minutes earlier used a Bobcat front-end loader to crash through the window of a Family Dollar store and steal two cans of deodorant and a handful of gift cards (and nothing else) and walk away. (2) Police in Lorain, Ohio, were looking in June for a black man about 18 years old who had been seen on surveillance video breaking into the same Sunoco convenience store several times recently and taking up to $600 worth of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

PERSPECTIVE People With Too Much Money: The dogs could not care less, but the luxury doghouse market is thriving, ac-cording to a June New York Times report. “Many of them have carpeting, heating and air-conditioning, indoor and outdoor lighting, elaborate ... entertainment systems,” wrote the Times, and some even have solar panels. But, said one owner, “Maggie’s never been in (hers). She’s a house dog.” Although walmart.com offers upscale houses for $4,400 to $4,600, the more tony ones can go for more than $25,000. Top-shelf interior designers have created dog beds suspended from the ceiling and houses in which the music kicks on only as the dog enters (meaning that it almost never kicks on).

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS (1) Police in Lewiston, Idaho, discovered in July that someone had passed a counterfeit $1 bill recently. A veteran officer told the Lewiston Tribune that counterfeiting a $1 bill is so stu-pid that he had seen only one in his life, made by a junior-high student to pay off a bully. (2) In June, firefighters were called to a trolley stop in National City, Calif., to free the arm of a 17-year-old boy after he got it stuck when he reached up a vending machine slot to try to steal a soda. The rescuers employed axes, crowbars, an air chisel and a rotary saw. {in}

by Chuck Shepherdnews of the weird

Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla., 33679 or weirdnews@earthlink.net, or go to newsoftheweird.com.

From Universal Press Syndicate Chuck Shepherd’s News Of The Weird

© 2012 Chuck Shepherd

Upscale Chinese Dining

Ste C, 5912 North Davis Highway (behind Rooms to Go) * (850) 912-8669Monday-Thursday: 11am - 10pm | Friday-Saturday: 11am - 11pm | Sunday: 11am - 9pm

Where you can have a great meal and a great time

Featuring a Full Bar & a Full Sushi Bar

Live Music at Shark Fin every Tuesday Night

with Jones & Company

August 16, 2012 27

Good Eats: There is an abundant amount of locally owned restaurants in town, but by far the first on my list is The Global Grill on Palafox. This hot spot is great when I want to celebrate a special occasion or just dress up and feel suave. For a more relaxed time I have to pick Ozone Pizza Pub located in the Historic Sacred Heart Hospital in East Hill. I definitely wait all week for ladies night on Thursdays and indulge in the great drink specials and half off pizzas!

Retail Therapy: By far the best retail therapy I spoil myself with is at my own salon, The Beauty Bar, also located in the Historic Sacred Heat Hospital. I sell an exclusive product line only available at my salon called UNITE. Also my salon offers three colors of high pigment powder from Kevin Murphy Color Bugs, and several essential products from Moroccan Oil.

Watering Holes: Paradise Bar & Grill on Pensacola Beach is definitely considered my Sunday Funday pit stop. I look forward to local faces, great food menu and of course various li-

bations, not to mention it ’s located on the water and showcases great musicians all the time!

Nightlife: The most upcoming and large venue in town is Vinyl Music Hall, located in downtown Pensacola. Vinyl offers every genre of music, some local and some famous. On the corner of the venue sits the swankest bar in town called 5 ½ Bar. You will definitely run into a diverse and eccentric crowd. The bar also has its one and only best in Pensacola mixologist, Patrick Bolster. Or if I am looking for a dive bar, Handlebar is the place. Bar and venue, you will not run into the same person twice.

Outdoors: By far the best outdoor activities and trails are at UWF. The campus is vast and they definitely kept its original beauty! They offer cross county, nature, and bike tails. Camps are also offered for different age groups.

Art & Culture: An awesome event that keeps local art-ists inspired is Culture Club on the first Thursdays of every month at the Pensacola Museum of Art aka P.M.A. located across the street from Pensacola Little Theater downtown. This event is great for new and upcoming artists to network and to meet great new talent.

Never Miss Events/Festivals: There are several fun events in town, but the few I don’t miss are Gallery Nights, Mardi Gras, and the Palafox Market. Gal-lery night occurs seven times a year on Fridays off Palafox. The free event allows local businesses and artists to share an eclectic selection of music, art and cuisine. Yes, I said Mardi Gras is a never miss festival! A time when we definitely feel southern roots among the parties. Hon-estly, walking down Palafox during walking parades smells just like Bourbon Street. Palafox Market is a sidewalk full of local vendors ranging from fresh produce, hand-made jewelry and art. I just heard through the grapevine that the market runs year round now on every Saturday. {in}

my pensacola

Do you want to tell us how you see our city? Email Joani at joani@inweekly.net for all of the details.

Cortney Paige CosbyDay Job: Owner/stylist at The Beauty BarPensacola Resident: Over 16 years

Ozone’s Ponderosa Stomp pizza / photo by Samantha Crooke

F35STOVL

www.baskervi l ledonovan.com

In support of the US Department of Defense Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Program, under prime contract with the Mobile District US Army Corps of Engineers, Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. has designed the F-35B Short Take Off & Vertical Landing (STOVL) Simulated Carrier Deck at Duke Field that is being used exclusively by the US Marines as a training ground for pilots learning to fly the F-35.

BASKERVILLE-DONOVAN, INC.I n n o v a t i v e I n f r a s t r u c t u r e S o l u t i o n s

For more information please visit wuwf.org.

The New AgrariansIn Concert Thursday, September 6, 6 p.m.

Pensacola Museum of Commercein Historic Downtown Pensacola

Tickets on sale August 1, 2012 at wuwf.org or by calling 850.474.2787

W U W F P U B L I C M E D I A P R E S E N T S

Popular RadioLive performers Pierce Pettis and Tom Kimmel join with Kate Campbell in a musical configuration calling themselves The New Agrarians. They will be joined by emerging guest artist Grace Pettis in this can't miss performance brought to you by WUWF Public Media and sponsored by International Paper Pensacola Mill.

Independent News | August 16, 2012 | inweekly.net