ONE NIGHT ONLY

Patti LaBelle to headline event in Miramar Beach in October

Patti LaBelle, an award-winning entertainer, author, and entrepreneur, will headline Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s Annual Gala Event on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

• This music legend will grace the stage in the Magnolia Ballroom of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort located in Miramar Beach, Fla.
• This highly anticipated one-night-only evening of entertainment begins with a reception at 6 p.m.

“Sinfonia’s Gala Event always provides an incredible evening, and we are honored to present the Godmother of Soul, Ms. Patti LaBelle,” says Sinfonia Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller. 

Sinfonia Gulf Coast was founded in 2005 on Florida’s Northwest Gulf Coast with the mission of redefining the symphony experience. This event is part of Sinfonia’s 17th annual season. 

Ticket prices for An Evening with Patti LaBelle start from $300 per person and include reception, silent auction, dinner, performance, taxes, and gratuities.

Proceeds benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its education and community engagement initiatives throughout Northwest Florida. Full table reservations are available, and a limited number of sponsorship opportunities remain.

• Purchase tickets online at SinfoniaGulfCoast.org or by calling the box office at 850-460-8800.

A MESSAGE FROM OKALOOSA HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Okaloosa Health Summit needs your help

Is there an issue you’re passionate about? Do you want to improve the walkability of our communities, increase mental health services for students, help new parents raise healthier babies, or advance the health of Okaloosa residents in other ways?

If so, the Okaloosa Health Department invites you to the Okaloosa Health Summit. This Summit will launch their 2022 Community Health Assessment booklet and form new health improvement groups.

• The groups will work to improve the health of Okaloosa residents, mobilizing organizations and individuals throughout the county.

“We are mobilizing for a healthier Okaloosa,” said Emily Tash, Community Health Improvement Planning Branch Director. “Our goal is to foster an Okaloosa that is safe, informed, nurturing, diverse, tolerant, and has access to quality healthcare. We need to hear what’s important to you and your community.”

According to Tash, attendees will vote on the final health improvement groups and topics that will be addressed.

“If there’s a topic that’s important to you, this meeting is where you can let your voice be heard,” she added.

Possible workgroups will include Healthy Moms & Babies, Healthy Children, Healthy Communities, Healthy Behaviors, Healthy Places, or Healthy Adults.

The Okaloosa Health Summit will take place on September 8, 2022 from 8:30-10:30am. Locations include:

• Crestview – North Okaloosa Medical Center
• Fort Walton Beach – United Way Emerald Coast
• Niceville – Crosspoint Church
• Virtual – Microsoft Teams

Please register by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/OkaHealthSummit. Registration is open to ANYONE who lives or works in Okaloosa County.

SCHOOL

NWFSC ranks among Nation’s most affordable nursing programs

Northwest Florida State College’s Nursing program has ranked among the nation’s most affordable online RN to BSN programs, according to RNtoMSN.org.

RNtoMSN.org ratings are determined by analyzing every college and university with online RN to BSN programs for per credit tuition numbers, mandatory credit minimums, hidden fees, one-off costs, and total estimated price.

• NWFSC was ranked as the fifth most affordable program out of over 500 institutions for the 2022-2023 academic year. 

“We are pleased to receive this recognition and are proud to offer a nationally accredited RN to BSN program that allows students to enhance their professional skills to meet the future health care needs of the community,” said NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson.

NWFSC’s RN to BSN program allows students who have earned a certificate or associate in nursing and hold a valid Registered Nursing license to continue their studies in a baccalaureate program. 

“The College is proud to offer accessible, affordable programs to students who desire to enter high-wage, high-demand fields like nursing,” said Dr. Deidre Price, NWFC Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We are thankful for the work our faculty and staff do every day to provide immersive, irresistible educational experiences that prepare tomorrow’s health care workforce.” 

RNtoMSN.org is a project of Degree Prospects, an organization that has created some of the most trusted online tools for nursing students since 2008. The organization is noted as a resource by various universities, including Yale University and the University of Texas, as well as government offices, including the Arkansas, Missouri, and Utah Departments of Heath.

COMMUNITY

Long-time owner of Goofy Golf passes away

Whether you knew him as “Mr. Goofy” or just “Bob,” Robert J. Fleskes left an enduring memory on the local community.

• For 42 years he owned and operated Goofy Golf in Fort Walton Beach. 
• Bob Fleskes passed away, August 17, 2022, in Niceville, Florida. He was 88.

With his playful smile and teasing sense of humor he connected with thousands of visitors and residents. 

Bob’s life was dedicated to entertaining, said his daughter Selena Fleskes Rogers. 

While stationed in England with the Air Force in 1958, he became a “bowling ambassador” and helped to introduce American-style 10-pin bowling in that country. 

“His first job after being honorably discharged in 1962 was as manager of Lucky Strike bowling lanes in Fort Walton Beach, a city he grew to love while stationed at Hurlburt Field,” said Rogers.

Bob’s affinity for bowling prevailed for many years. Rogers says that Fleskes owned and managed Greenville Bowling Lanes in Mississippi in 1967. He then moved his family back to Fort Walton Beach in 1971 and purchased Goofy Golf from his father-in-law, James “Jimmy” Hayes. 

• In 1988, Bob was inducted into the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.

Although he sold the local-favorite Goofy Golf in 2011, Goofy Golf – and its beloved slushes – remained close in his heart. 

According to his daughter, retirement allowed Bob more time for traveling, grilling steaks, for family and friends, as well as the freedom to hop on his riding lawn mower and zip across the yards of many a neighbor. 

“His generosity and kindness were widely known and were always delivered with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes,” said Rogers.

Keeping Bob’s legacy alive today at Goofy Golf

Before he bought the business, current owner Chris Clements would mow the grass at Goofy Golf when we would go to work with his dad, who worked next door at Hodges Bros Lumber.

“I would go into work on Saturdays with my dad when I was 12-13 years old,” said Clements. “I would walk next door and mow the lawn and that’s how I got to know Bob.”

A couple of Summers later, Bob asked Chris if he would like to actually work at Goofy Golf. Chris said yes and the rest is history. 

Upon buying the business, Clements recalls the conversation that he had with Fleskes and the promise that he made him. 

“I told him to not worry about anything here at Goofy Golf,” said Clements. “I’m not going to tear it down. I’m not going to change anything. I want to keep it the same way as Bob would have wanted.” 

Clements says that Bob and his wife Faye became like grandparents to himbecause he spent so much time at Goofy Golf. 

“I would work there almost every night and they would cook dinner and I would go up to the house and grab dinner and come back down and eat it,” he recalled. “I guess you would say I was part of the family.”

When he looks around miniature golf course on Eglin Parkway, Clements says there isn’t a thing that doesn’t remind him of Bob. 

• “He showed me a lot of things in life,” said Clements. “How to fix things and how to repair stuff around Goofy Golf. He taught me things that I’ve used in my daily life, because I’m a contractor as well, that have helped me.”

“He was always a very happy man and always in a good mood,” laughed Clements. “He loved people because this is what his business is, it provides entertainment for families and he loved seeing families. 

• “If I was working the hut and he came down and brought me dinner, he would probably run into 20 people he knew because these families have been coming here for 30-40 years. It would take him 20 minutes to get back to the house because everybody wanted to talk to him.”

Clements says that he will forever see Goofy Golf and Bob as one in the same.

“Every time I think about Goofy Golf, I can see his face,” he said. “I can see him and Faye because they’re the ones that brought me into all of this and where I’m at now because of them.”

The family plans to hold a private memorial this fall. To express condolences or share memories of Bob, please click here.