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Good morning!
The Fort Walton Beach Landing will reopen on April 24 after completing a multi-year renovation, bringing the downtown venue back to life. ‘Rally on the Runway’ raised $729,290 for childhood cancer research with two Okaloosa families at the heart of the event, Okaloosa County School District celebrates a record CTE Signing Day with nearly 400 seniors committing to career and technical programs, two Fort Walton Beach students take top spots at National Civics Bee regional finals, and South Walton baseball eyes its first state title after a 21-4 regular season.
GIVING BACK
‘Rally on the Runway’ raises $729,290 for childhood cancer with two Okaloosa families at its heart
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Two Okaloosa County families were at the heart of Rally Gulf Coast’s 8th annual Rally on the Runway, which raised $729,290 for childhood cancer research and family support programs on March 26 at the Brownsville Community Center in Pensacola.
Kellan Hilson, who has been fighting leukemia since April 2024, led the show as the first Rally Kid on the runway. Her mother, Leianna Cooper, said Kellan was nervous in the days leading up to the event but had a change of heart after a pampering day where she picked out her outfit. On the night of the show, she didn’t want to leave the stage.
- Kellan’s port removal and final IV chemotherapy are scheduled for June 8. A ceremony to mark the end of treatment is planned for early July.
Lita Danlag spoke on behalf of her daughter Rupi, a toddler battling aggressive solid tumor cancer who is on cycle 13 of 14 in a clinical trial. The family is consulting with St. Jude Children’s Hospital about a possible lung surgery.
“I was there to encourage them to be a participant in raising funds for this cause and letting them know, not just statistics, not numbers, but giving them a face to what it is that they’re contributing to,” Danlag said.
Both families credited Rally Gulf Coast and program manager Haley Scarberry with providing financial support, emotional connection and a sense of community through their children’s treatment.
(Kellan is my niece)
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GAMES
WordroW: April 16, 2026
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa County School District celebrates record CTE Signing Day with nearly 400 seniors
The Okaloosa County School District held its largest-ever Career and Technical Education Signing Day on Wednesday, honoring 380 graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 who are stepping into college, the workforce or military service.
- The seventh annual event filled the Mattie Kelly Arts Center on the campus of Northwest Florida State College, a stark contrast to the ceremony’s humble beginnings in a small school board room where schools cycled in one at a time.
“When I think about being here at the Mattie Kelly Arts building and all the seats that it represents, and we go back to seven years ago, we were in a small room and every school was not in there at the same time,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “This is a big deal for our school district.”
Of the seniors recognized, 288 will pursue post-secondary education, 48 have committed to military service and 44 will enter the workforce directly. Students represented Baker School, Choctawhatchee, Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Laurel Hill and Niceville high schools.
- Crestview High School led the district with 121 student signees, followed by Niceville with 89, Fort Walton Beach with 60, Choctawhatchee with 52, Baker with 28, Laurel Hill with 19 and Destin with 11.
The district’s CTE program has grown to 8,236 students enrolled across 22 programs, with students earning 3,443 industry certifications last year.
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NEWS
Two FWB students take top spots at National Civics Bee regional finals
Two Fort Walton Beach middle school students claimed the top two spots at the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s National Civics Bee regional competition and will advance to the state finals in Tallahassee this summer.
- Emma C. of Lisa Jackson Preparatory School took first place at the April 7 regional event, and Arianna N. of Northwest Florida Ballet Academie finished second. Rishi T. of Florida State University Schools K-12 in Tallahassee placed third.
All three will represent the region at the National Civics Bee State Finals this summer, where they will compete against top students from across Florida for a chance to advance to the national competition.
“These students demonstrated an impressive understanding of civics and a genuine commitment to making a difference in their communities,” said Ted Corcoran, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. “We are incredibly proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing how they represent our region at the state level.”
The regional competition brought together middle school students from across the region to demonstrate their civics knowledge and commitment to community engagement.
PROMOTED BY GULFARIUM
Gulfarium’s TurtleFest returns April 18 with all-inclusive celebration supporting sea turtle rescue
The Gulfarium Adventure Park will host its third annual “CARE on the Coast TurtleFest” on April 18, offering an all-inclusive afternoon of live music, local food, animal encounters and family entertainment — all in support of the facility’s sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
- The event, presented by Valparaiso Coca-Cola, runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m., with VIP ticket holders gaining early access at 3 p.m.
“Every ticket that we sell is more that goes to the CARE Center,” said Mary Fomby, Marketing Manager for Gulfarium. “Everything that we raise through this event goes back to rescuing sea turtles in our area.”
This family-friendly festival will be an unforgettable evening, where you’ll enjoy entertainment, unlimited food & drink, fun activities for all ages, meet-and-greets with your favorite Gulfarium residents and opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of endangered sea turtles!
SPORTS
South Walton baseball eyes first state title after 21-4 regular season
South Walton baseball has been here before. Two straight state runner-up finishes have put the Seahawks within reach of a championship, and this year’s team may finally be the one to get over the hump.
- Head coach Nick Borthwick’s squad finished the regular season 21-4, ranked No. 19 in the nation and No. 3 in the state of Florida. The resume backs up the ranking. South Walton has beaten Lincoln, Arnold, Niceville, The Bennett School (the No. 14 team in the country), Bozeman, Hazel Green and North Broward Prep, among others.
The most impressive win may have come March 24 on the road against Pace, the No. 1 team in Class 6A. The Seahawks handled the Patriots 11-0 by run rule.
The four losses came against high-level competition. After dropping the season opener to Gulf Breeze, South Walton avenged that loss two days later. The other three defeats came against IMG Academy, Bishop Snyder (the No. 9 team in Florida) and Chiles on the road (the No. 1 team in Class 5A).
The roster is stocked with Division I talent. At the center of it is Coleman Borthwick.
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PARKS+REC
Fort Walton Beach Landing reopens April 24 after multi-year renovation
The City of Fort Walton Beach will celebrate the completion of a multi-year renovation of the Fort Walton Beach Landing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, 2026.
- The ceremony will be incorporated into the first day of the 2026 Musical Echoes Native American Flute Festival, the first event to use the newly renovated park. Festival organizers agreed to include the ribbon-cutting as part of their opening day.
Fort Walton Beach-based GLC Contracting Inc. completed the renovations in three phases. Improvements include a heavily reinforced seawall along 700 feet of waterfront, a new concrete boardwalk with railings along Santa Rosa Sound, a circular performance stage with a roof and amphitheater seating tiers.
The project also added terraced seating areas on the east and west sides of the park overlooking Santa Rosa Sound, a new fishing pier at the west end of the park and a “pocket beach” with a kayak and paddleboard launch on the park’s eastern edge.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday. Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
p.s. What did you think of this morning’s newsletter? Hit the reply button and let me know!
Jared
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