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Good morning!
Playground Auto Service is marking 50 years in Fort Walton Beach, celebrating five decades as a family-run local business. The South Walton Fire District has closed five miles of water after a child was injured in WaterColor, and the Niceville-Valparaiso Kiwanis donated $8,638 to Studer Family Children’s Hospital. Details are out for the America 250 Gala & Drone Show in Fort Walton Beach, and volunteers are being sought for the Augustus “Gus” Tart historical marker effort in Shalimar.
PUBLIC SAFETY
South Walton Fire District closes five miles of water after child injured in WaterColor
A child was potentially bitten by a shark in shallow water near WaterColor on Wednesday, according to reports made to South Walton Fire District lifeguards.
- Lifeguards at SWFD Tower 24 in WaterColor were notified of the incident around 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 3. SWFD lifeguards and firefighters evaluated the pediatric patient, who had a superficial wound on the leg, and did not transport them to the hospital via ambulance.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, SWFD said it will continue flying double red flags along a five-mile stretch of beach between One Seagrove Place and Gulf Trace through the rest of the day following bystander reports of potential increased shark and marine life activity. The localized water closure will be re-evaluated when lifeguards return to duty Thursday, June 4, at 10 a.m.
All other beaches outside the closure area will be marked with a single red flag for high surf hazards and dangerous rip currents, along with a purple flag for the increased presence of marine life.
Since the incident was reported, SWFD has investigated bystander reports of shark and marine life activity through enhanced water supervision, the use of jet skis and drone aerial coverage. Lifeguards have not identified any additional threats or marine life acting in an aggressive manner since the time of the incident and related first reports in that area, the fire district said.
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GAMES
WordroW: June 4, 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.
GIVING BACK
Niceville-Valparaiso Kiwanis donates $8,638 to Studer Family Children’s Hospital
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
The Kiwanis Foundation of Niceville-Valparaiso presented a donation of $8,638 to the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation in memory of Phinley Huisken.
Kiwanis Club President JD Cameron formally presented the donation during the club’s May 21 meeting to Dr. Jason Foland, president of the hospital.
- Also in attendance were Adrienne Maygarden, president of the Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation; Michaela McCarthy, Children’s Miracle Network coordinator; and Jessie Huisken, Phinley’s mother.
The funds were raised through community donation drives held at Walmart and Publix stores in Niceville during April and May. Kiwanis members volunteered a combined 32 hours collecting donations from the public, raising approximately $2,800. The club’s board of directors contributed an additional $4,000 from general fundraising efforts, and individual member donations brought the final total to $8,638.
“Our community consistently demonstrates its generosity and compassion for children and families facing difficult medical challenges,” Cameron said. “We are honored to support the incredible work being done at Studer Family Children’s Hospital and to make this contribution in memory of Phinley Huisken.”
AMERICA 250
America 250 Gala & Drone Show in Fort Walton Beach
On June 12, a gala dinner will run from 6 to 10 p.m. featuring a 1776 reenactment and a patriotic drone show at the Rigdon Center, located at 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach.
- The gala includes VIP seating for the drone show, a social hour, a formal dinner, the reenactment and a celebration with music and dancing. Drone show is set for 8:45 pm.
The commission is inviting individuals and businesses to take part in what it calls a tribute to “The 56,” a reference to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. The letter describes those signers as representing a cross-section of early American society, including leaders, merchants, physicians, lawyers, surveyors, scientists, printers, farmers, landowners, musicians, military leaders and ministers.
HISTORY
Volunteers sought for Augustus ‘Gus’ Tart historical marker effort in Shalimar
The Okaloosa NAACP is seeking community volunteers to help secure an official Florida Historical Marker for Augustus “Gus” Tart, the Northwest Florida pioneer whose land formed much of what is now the Town of Shalimar.
- The organization will host a volunteer interest meeting on June 7 at 6 p.m. via Zoom, according to a letter from branch President Sabu Williams.
Volunteers are needed in five areas: historical research and documentation, community outreach and coalition building, grant writing and fundraising, application preparation for the Florida Historical Marker Program, and dedication ceremony planning, according to Williams.
“No prior experience is required, only a heart for community, a respect for history, and a willingness to serve,” Williams wrote.
Tart was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1840 and gained his freedom after the Civil War, according to the NAACP. He became a landowner along Garniers Bayou and served as a guide to governors, senators, congressmen and judges. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt granted Tart 135.5 acres of land under the Homestead Act of 1862.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
BUSINESS
A family business: Playground Auto Service celebrates 50 years in Fort Walton Beach
George and BJ Van Dyke were married in January 1976. They opened a Shell station with George’s father five months later. Both anniversaries land this year.
- Playground Auto Service in Fort Walton Beach will mark 50 years in business with a public celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, at 12 Hollywood Blvd. SW.
George and BJ met working at the Hurlburt Field gas station in 1973. They became friends first and married in January 1976.
They went into business with George’s father, a retired Air Force pilot, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Beal Parkway that June. Gas was 33 cents a gallon. They built the current shop in 1984.
George’s father died suddenly in 1988 on a trip to Birmingham for his 50-year high school reunion. George took over the floor. BJ took over the books. Years later, when Shell wanted to convert the corner into a convenience store, they declined and renamed the business Playground Auto Service.
- The shop has grown to 19 employees, four ASE Master Technicians and a 24-hour towing operation. George’s twin brother Bill joined as tow manager in 1980.
Both of George and BJ’s sons, Richie and Bobby, now run the mechanical and service-writer sides alongside their parents. Their wives, Melissa and Denise, work in the office. Bobby’s son, a Fort Walton Beach High School senior (they all graduated from FWBHS), has been coming in after school.
“It means more than you could ever think,” George said. “The family’s here. It’s all right here.”
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!
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Jared
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