GIVING BACK

Harbor Docks to host 38th Annual ‘Take-a-Kid Fishing Day’ auction

Harbor Docks Charities is set to hold its 38th Annual Take a Kid Fishing Day Auction on August 24, 2024, at Harbor Docks Downstairs Bar. The event, which supports various community initiatives, will feature both silent and live auctions.

• Doors open at 6 p.m. for the silent auction, with the live auction beginning at 7:30 p.m. A $20 cover charge includes food and a bidder number. 
• Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Ted Corcoran is slated to be the auctioneer for the event.

Auction packages include a week-long vacation in Livingston, Montana, overnight fishing trips, restaurant packages, and a catered Christmas or office party for up to 30 people by Yoshie.

Proceeds from the auction support the annual Take-A-Kid Fishing Day, held the first Sunday in November. Over the past 28 years, more than 9,300 children have participated in the fishing day, which includes breakfast, fishing on local charter boats, a fish fry, and a t-shirt and rod and reel for each child to take home.

Harbor Docks Charities also supports Destin Harvest in its efforts to feed the hungry in the area. Additionally, for 29 years, Harbor Docks has provided a Thanksgiving feast, serving more than 32,000 guests. The organization has also helped fund numerous Habitat for Humanity homes.

• Harbor Docks encourages community participation, stating that the event benefits not only local children and those in need but also provides a rewarding experience for all involved.

Those interested in donating items for the auction or seeking more information about the events can contact Jackie at Harbor Docks at 850-837-2506.

HISTORY

Fort Walton Beach’s ancient temple mound reveals rich history of Florida’s First People

Standing 17 feet tall in the heart of Fort Walton Beach, a flat-topped earthen mound holds secrets of a civilization that thrived long before European contact. This ancient structure, known as the Fort Walton Temple Mound, offers a window into the lives of Florida’s earliest inhabitants and their remarkable achievements.

“Fort Walton Beach has some of the most significant archaeological treasures in the Panhandle such as mounds, middens, and village sites,” said Gail Meyer, Museum Manager for the City of Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park & Cultural Center. “Did you know its history goes back to the earliest Native American inhabitants who lived here thousands of years ago?”

The Fort Walton Temple Mound, located outside the Indian Temple Mound Museum, is a testament to the ingenuity and organization of the Mississippian Period Mound Builders. 

• Construction of the mound began around 800 A.D., with each successive leader adding height and building new temple structures atop it.

“This mound was once the center of a city, perhaps the capital of a nation that stretched from the Apalachicola River to Pensacola,” Meyer explained. “It was a ceremonial and political center, a meeting place, a rallying place for dances, games and public events.”

The mound’s impressive dimensions — 223 feet by 220 feet at its base and 178 feet by 135 feet at its summit — speak to the scale of the undertaking. Composed of approximately 100,000 cubic feet of sand, shell, and clay gathered from the local area, the mound was built entirely by hand.

The mound served multiple purposes for its builders. It supported an important building used as the leader’s house, a temple for religious ceremonies, and a site to direct games and public activities. It also served as a burial place for leaders.

• “During its use, there were no trees or bushes on the mound,” Meyer said. “There was an earthen ramp extending south towards the water. This was the only access to the top and the temple structure.”

The mound was not an isolated structure but the centerpiece of a bustling community. Meyer painted a vivid picture of the surrounding area: “A vast collection of buildings surrounded the plaza and spread in all directions. There were open-sided thatched roofed houses for people to live in. There were areas where activities such as basketmaking, pottery making, and stone working took place. There were areas where food was processed, and medicines were prepared. There were areas for ceremonies and for burial.”

The Fort Walton Temple Mound reached its peak of activity in the late 1400s, shortly before European contact. By the time Europeans arrived in Florida, the mound had been abandoned. The fate of its builders remains a mystery, though Meyer suggested, “They probably simply left this area to join with other surrounding communities. They would become the ancestors of today’s Creek Indians.”

The significance of the Fort Walton Temple Mound extends beyond its impressive physical presence. In 1964, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its importance to American history.

• “In 1964, the Fort Walton Temple Mound was one of only 96 places in the country so designated,” Meyer said.

The mound continues to hold cultural and spiritual importance for modern Native Americans. “The temple mound is considered sacred by modern Native Americans and has been the site of ceremonies,” Meyer explained. “It is a place where human beings lie at rest and deserves all the respect afforded a cemetery.”

The Fort Walton Temple Mound is not just a relic of the past; it offers valuable insights into the lives of Florida’s First People. These early inhabitants developed sophisticated societies and technologies long before European arrival.

“Florida before European Contact in 1500 differed in some important ways from the Florida of today,” Meyer said. “There were no drainage canals, dikes, roads, or permanent bridges. There were no cattle, sheep, pigs, or goats. There were no domestic cats, Norway rats, horses, honeybees, sugarcane, citrus, wheat, mangos, pineapples, or bananas. There were no iron tools, guns, or the wheel.”

Despite lacking these modern conveniences, Florida’s First People thrived. They cultivated crops that are still consumed today and developed medicines and practices that continue to intrigue the modern world.

• “They ate small animals, fish, turtles, birds, nuts, fruits, wild plants, and shellfish,” Meyer said. “They lived in areas where firewood, water, and needed resources could be easily secured. Their time was occupied by fishing, hunting, food preparation, making household tools, building homes and canoes, traveling, trading, and raising families.”

While much of their material culture has been lost to time, some artifacts have survived, offering glimpses into their daily lives and artistic achievements. The Indian Temple Mound Museum, the first city-owned museum in the state of Florida, houses an extensive collection of these artifacts.

“These people created beautiful items of stone, bone, shell, and clay,” Meyer said. “These are the parts of their world that have stood the test of time.”

The museum’s collections reflect the heritage of the major Native American cultures in the area, spanning from the Paleoindian Period through the Mississippian Period. It serves as an educational resource for both local residents and tourists, offering exhibits, educational tours, and a museum store.

As Fort Walton Beach continues to grow and evolve, the Fort Walton Temple Mound stands as a reminder of the rich history beneath our feet. It invites us to consider the lives of those who came before us and the enduring legacy of Florida’s First People.

“The museum celebrates the technological, artistic and spiritual achievements of Florida’s First People,” Meyer concluded, emphasizing the ongoing relevance of this ancient heritage to our modern world.

EDUCATION

Okaloosa County School District announces 2024-25 school bus schedule

Join us as we celebrate Education Month, sponsored by Youth Village Inc. We will explore local school district updates, back-to-school preparations, and innovative educational initiatives. Discover how our community is shaping the future of learning.

The Okaloosa County School District Transportation Department has released bus routes for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year and introduced a new notification system to keep parents informed about transportation updates.

• Families can access the new bus routes through the district’s website. Additionally, the district is implementing Bus Bulletin again this year, a system designed to notify parents of unexpected delays or changes to their student’s bus schedule.

To use Bus Bulletin, parents must register on the system’s website. The registration process requires the student’s school name and bus number. The service is provided at no cost to families.

Bus Bulletin offers multiple notification options, including text messages, phone calls, and emails. The district assures parents that all contact information will be stored securely and not shared or sold.

The new system aims to provide timely updates to parents, ensuring peace of mind regarding student safety and punctuality in transportation to and from school.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field seeks public input on environmental restoration plan

The United States Air Force is reaching out to the local community for feedback on its environmental restoration efforts at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field.

Bhate Environmental Associates, Inc., on behalf of the USAF, is preparing a Community Involvement Plan (CIP) for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) at both military installations. 

• As part of this process, Bhate and USAF personnel will conduct interviews to gauge public awareness, interest, and concerns regarding the ERP.

The interviews, scheduled from Aug. 5 through Aug. 30, 2024, aim to gather input on the community’s preferred means of communication about the program. While in-person interviews are planned, alternative options such as telephone or video interviews will be available upon request.

According to Bhate Environmental Associates, an important part of the USAF environmental policy is to consider public interest and solicit public input for the development of the CIP, and the selection of site-specific remedial actions.

Community members interested in participating in the interviews are encouraged to contact Katherine Thompson via email at kthompson@bhate.com or by phone at 205-918-4035 to schedule an appointment.

The feedback gathered during these interviews will inform the development of the CIP and help shape the USAF’s approach to environmental restoration at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field.

TRAVEL

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport completes $5.5 million shade canopy project

The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport has finished construction on its new shade canopies, marking the completion of a $5.5 million project approved by the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners in September 2023.

• The new canopies cover the curbside pickup area used by rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft. They connect to covered walkways leading to the main terminal curb for arriving and departing passengers.

The canopies were designed to enhance capacity at the busy airport while also providing safety improvements, and were a key piece of the airport’s master plan developed in 2020. 

As part of the project, existing covered walkways leading to long-term parking, employee parking, and car rental return areas were rehabilitated. These structures were sandblasted, repainted, and fitted with new roofs to match the appearance of the new canopies.

• The project also included the relocation of the primary flagpole to a more prominent position visible to all airport guests and passing traffic on Highway 85.

Funding for the project came primarily from $4.5 million in reprogrammed federal CARES Act pandemic relief funds, allowing the airport to complete the construction in one phase rather than over several years as originally planned.

Additional funding was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration and Florida Department of Transportation grants, with less than 4% of the total cost coming from airport revenues.

COASTAL RESOURCES

137 divers remove 106 pounds of debris during pier cleanup on Okaloosa Island

The Okaloosa Island Pier’s final cleanup dive for 2024 saw a record-breaking turnout, with 137 divers removing 106 pounds of debris from the surrounding waters on Sunday, August 4.

Jessica Valek, Coastal Resource Coordinator for Destin-Fort Walton Beach, expressed enthusiasm about the event’s success. “That is the most divers we’ve ever had, which is really exciting,” Valek said. “I was hoping to break 100 divers so I was very happy with the 137 divers we had.”

The biannual cleanup, a collaborative effort between Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism, the Okaloosa Island Pier, and the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, has been growing in popularity. “The pier cleanups are definitely getting more and more popular every time we have them,” Valek noted.

• Divers collected typical debris such as fishing lures, lines, and rods, as well as bottles, cans, and food wrappers. Some unique finds included a giant flashlight and a baby doll head.

Valek emphasized the importance of these cleanups for marine life. “We’re removing all of that fishing line from the pilings, which is good for our wildlife and of course our sea turtles,” she explained. “It’s so easy for a sea turtle to get snagged up in something like that, especially if they already have line or any sort of debris trailing off of them.”

The event also provides a rare opportunity for divers. “It’s an exciting opportunity for divers in general, being able to dive the fishing pier because it is not a typical place where people are allowed to dive,” Valek said. “For these divers, getting to combine their passions into one event is really awesome.”

During the dive, participants observed various marine life, including tiger sharks, dolphins, stingrays, seahorses, tarpon and cobia. Valek noted that these sightings contribute to ongoing research projects. “We’re researching a lot of the animals that hang out around the pier, and it’s really cool to be able to see what kind of animals are utilizing it,” she said.

• The cleanup efforts continued to utilize the Zookeeper containers introduced earlier this year, which have proven more efficient for collecting and sorting debris compared to traditional mesh bags.

Eric Brown, General Manager for the Okaloosa Island Pier, echoed Valek’s sentiments. “These dives are essential for keeping a clean and safe environment for all the marine life around the pier,” Brown stated. He also thanked the various organizations involved, including the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park and the Okaloosa County Coastal Resource team.

• The cleanup events continue to grow, attracting volunteers from across the area and as far away as Tennessee. As Valek put it, “It’s so great to have the community coming out and getting involved and helping keep our waters trash-free.”

The next cleanup dive is scheduled for April 2025, continuing the pier’s commitment to regular environmental maintenance and community engagement in marine conservation efforts.