THINGS TO DO

Splash into 2024 at The Boardwalk’s New Year’s Day ‘Pelican Plunge’ on Okaloosa Island

The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island is hosting its 8th Annual Pelican Plunge on New Year’s Day, and the community is once again invited to participate in this exhilarating event.

• The 2024 edition takes place on Monday, January 1st, starting at 10:30am with pre-plunge activities such as hot cocoa and coffee, a costume contest, live music, and the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for fabulous prizes.

Tickets start at $24.00, with discounts for early registration. The first 100 registrants will receive a 2024 commemorative long-sleeved t-shirt.

• There are also special VIP King Crab tickets available for $400 that include exclusive perks like a New Year’s Eve hotel stay at The Island Hotel.

At 11:00am sharp, all participants will line up near the Gulf of Mexico for the official countdown before taking the plunge into the brisk waters. The Pelican Plunge is not just for fun – it’s for an excellent cause. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the children supported by The Emerald Coast Foundation.

After warming up from the exhilarating dip, participants can head over to The Crab Trap restaurant to enjoy the lively post-plunge party. The Crab Trap is serving up tasty food [gumbo] and drinks, as well as live music to keep the celebrations going.

• The Post-Plunge Party also includes a huge raffle with thousands of dollars in prizes, further raising funds for local children.

So make plans to welcome 2024 with a splash – join The Boardwalk’s Pelican Plunge on January 1st! This beloved community tradition promises fun, excitement, and memories for a great cause. 

Click here for tickets and information.

Tickets:

• Plunge Ticket: $24 – Access to pre & post activities. The first 100 registrants receive a 2024 Pelican Plunge long-sleeved shirt.
• Crab Out Ticket: $24 – Access to pre & post activities, excluding the plunge.
• Day-Of Tickets: $30 – Full access without the early savings.
• King Crab VIP Ticket: $400 – Limited availability. Includes a New Year’s Eve stay at The Island Hotel, $200 in dining certificates, and exclusive perks.

NOW OPEN

ALDI in Fort Walton Beach is now open

ALDI officially opened its new grocery store at 427 Mary Esther Cutoff in Fort Walton Beach on Wednesday, December 20.

• The grocery store will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 4, 2024 at 9 a.m. to commemorate the opening. 

First reported by Get The Coast in February, the former Regal Cinema location next to Publix was purchased for $2.3 million by M&P Developers FWB, LLC. The new store has the same footprint as the Niceville location that opened in 2022.

The Fort Walton Beach store opened Wednesday for ‘sneak peeks‘ so shoppers can browse the aisles and familiarize themselves with ALDI’s offerings ahead of the grand opening.

On grand opening day, the first 100 customers through the door will receive a golden ticket worth up to $100. ALDI employees will also give away free bags stuffed with ALDI products to the first 100 shoppers. 

• All customers will have a chance to enter to win one of five $500 ALDI gift cards by scanning codes located throughout the store between Jan. 4-7.

Shoppers are encouraged to bring a quarter, which they need to unlock the grocery carts. The quarter is returned when the cart is replaced at the corral.

The new 21,000 square-foot Fort Walton Beach ALDI is located at 427 Mary Esther Cutoff.

SPORTS

Orr, Hamilton celebrate signing day at Fort Walton Beach High School

Fort Walton Beach High School held an early signing day Wednesday for two of their star football players, quarterback Harrison Orr and linebacker Zavier Hamilton, coinciding with National Signing Day.

Athletic director Holly McDaniel said Orr and Hamilton made a huge impact in helping turn around the football program under new head coach Bobby Clayton.

“They made a huge impact in just helping us try to turn the corner with this program,” McDaniel said. “With them coming on campus, they had a winning mentality. But it was not only on the field, but in the locker room, in our hallways, and just being a part of the student body.”

Orr transferred to the school in February from Niceville and helped lead a Vikings offensive resurgence this year as starting quarterback. Hamilton came over in March from Navarre and is one of the top linebackers.

• Both were voted team captains for the Vikings.

“They’re awesome athletes and carry themselves so well,” added McDaniel. They’re selfless players and they taught our kids by showing them how to do it and it just made a huge impact on our team and into our school building.” 

Head coach Bobby Clayton praised both players’ work ethics and team-first mentalities. Orr signed to play at Army West Point next year, while Hamilton inked with the University of South Florida. He has graduated early and will be on campus in Tampa in January.

Clayton said the two players embody what a real football player should be.

• “Both of you guys embody the fine example of football players. You’re both well deserving of what you’re doing,” Clayton said.

For Orr, he will always remember how he would hype the team up before each practice and the discipline they had this year.

“Before every practice, I get everyone hyped up, ready to go, ready to play,” he said. “We were really disciplined when it came to little stuff and I think that was what turned it around for us this year. It paid off for sure.”

For Hamilton, he will never forget the summer workouts that included a session with the military that he says truly brought the team together.

• “There’s one specific workout where we all had to drag our face through the sand in order to get to where we needed be and it was a really great experience for all of us,” he said. “That’s really what I feel that brought us together as a team.”

Clayton told the duo that the “hard work is just starting” and it won’t be easy.

“Just make sure you’re in shape,” he said. “They’re not gonna care how much you bench press or squat. They’re gonna want you to be in great shape.” 

Both Orr and Hamilton thanked their parents, family, teammates and the school for welcoming them to the program just this year.

SCHOOL

Okaloosa Technical College’s Automotive Program earns national accreditation

The automotive training program at Okaloosa Technical College (OTC) in Fort Walton Beach has again received ASE Training Program accreditation from the ASE Education Foundation, meeting rigorous industry standards for instruction, facilities and equipment.

“ASE accreditation is the best standard an automotive program can hold,” said OTC Director Jon Williams. “I am proud of our instructors and staff who met this high bar on behalf of their current and future students.”

• With this designation, Williams says OTC will continue to be a great place to become certified and ready-for-work in the automotive industry for many years to come. 

Superintendent Marcus Chambers also commended OTC staff. “We must provide opportunities for students to succeed and learn skillsets like the automotive program, which bridges the community’s needs,” Chambers said. “I commend the OTC staff for this fantastic achievement. This is a win-win for OTC, our students, and our community partners”

Michael Coley, ASE Education Foundation president, said the accreditation benefits students and the community. “Because this program increases cooperation between local education and industry leaders, it gives added assurance that OTC’s graduates will be employable entry-level technicians,” Coley said.

OTC’s lead automotive instructor, James Welch, added, “During the past few months, our automotive program staff has worked closely with the ASE Education Foundation to make certain that our program would meet strict industry standards, and now we are proud to continue as an ASE accredited training program. 

• Welch thanked local automotive businesses Step One Chrysler of Crestview and Holmes Auto Repair of Fort Walton Beach for assisting with the evaluation. “OTC students will be assured a quality education, and shop owners will be assured of getting quality job applicants,” Welch said.

Upon completing the evaluation, OTC had its accreditation renewed by the ASE Education Foundation, a nonprofit that evaluates and accredits technician training programs against auto industry standards.

MILITARY

Special guest visits Hurlburt Field ahead of the Holidays

Members of the 73rd Special Operations Squadron, and their families, lined the edge of the flightline Dec. 15, 2023, watching as an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship taxied toward them at Hurlburt Field.

• In the distance something bright red appeared, easily detectable against the stark-white clouds in the sky and the muted grey of the gunship.

“Santa’s initial appearance from the overhead escape hatch of the AC-130 gunship was an exciting moment for everyone,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Zachary Masters, 73rd SOS assistant director of operations. “Each child also had the opportunity to spend one on one time with Santa, receiving a small gift from him. The joy this gave them was incredible.”

The event has been a long-standing tradition at the squadron, and this year members of the 73rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit were also able to join in on the festivities. 

“Any time we bring Airmen and their families together in a jovial, celebratory atmosphere gives perspective to who these Airmen are as people and what drives them to work so hard,” said Masters. “This fosters a new level of understanding and respect between individuals that often only interface in very focused, professional settings. It is also a fun way to tie families into the gunship mission and gain their support and involvement which is critical to mission accomplishment.”

SCHOOL

Destin High School set to unveil $10 million school expansion in January, plans future growth

Destin High School is set to open an expansive new three-story, $10 million classroom building next month that will double the size of the charter school’s campus.

• Today begins “move in” day for the school as furniture begins to make its way through the doors.

The 25,000-square-foot addition adjacent to the existing 25,000-square-foot building will add 23 spacious new classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology to the school’s current 20 when students return from Christmas break Jan. 10.

“As you can see, it’s a complete state-of-the-art facility that we’ve added,” said Donald “Willy” Williams, who started as the school’s executive director in September.

Classrooms features 85-inch monitors, whiteboards and more than enough space for collaboration and personalized learning. Some of the classrooms feature Destin High School’s blue color on the floors. “The classrooms are almost double the size of what they’re in currently,” Williams said.

Everything is wired to integrate with the existing building’s network and communications system. The $10 million project took about one year to construct.

Williams led Get The Coast on a tour through the building Wednesday, with sweeping views of Destin to the south and the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village next door.

• “The teachers are giddy,” Williams said. “They are excited to see where their classroom will be because everybody’s got their name on the classroom already.”

The new addition will house students in grades 9th through 12th when they return from Christmas break, with a few classes remaining in the original building. Williams said they are exploring repurposing some of that space as enrollment grows.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Jan. 25 at 6pm, followed by a community open house to showcase the new facility.

More space needed as enrollment grows

The school has already outgrown its current footprint. Enrollment has swelled to around 550 students this school year, requiring a split schedule with some morning classes and some afternoon classes.

“That was just because the school had busted out of the seams,” Williams explained.

That split schedule will end in January when the school returns to regular 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. hours. And while the charter allows up to 1,000 students, Williams hopes to boost enrollment to 800 next school year.

“Right now we’re looking to try to bring 250 kids in for the ninth grade class next year,” he said. “That would create a healthy ninth grade class that continues on for the next four years.”

Meeting student needs now and in the future

As enrollment grows, so will the need for more opportunities and facilities focused specifically around Destin High School students.

Williams has asked the school’s board advisory council to develop a long-term master plan examining everything from athletics to performing arts, to expanding existing curriculum like hospitality.

• “I’ve asked the board advisory council to look at it from a master planning perspective — where do we go from here?” Williams said. “What is the big idea for Destin High at this point?”

He said one focus area could be on better fine arts and performing arts spaces. The school has hired a new band director that will begin in January and Williams said interest in the school’s band and choir programs have shown huge interest already from students.

• “We’ve got to now pour into this,” he said of the arts programs. “For me, it’s about figuring out how to provide all of these opportunities for students to make sure they’re getting a real comprehensive high school experience here, which is why the school was built.”

While the master planning process is still in early phases, Williams said figuring out the best ways to spend dollars on enrichment opportunities is critical for students’ futures.

“A lot of kids don’t even know in college what they want to do,” he said. “But if we can get kids into something they’re excited about and inspired about, then they can turn around and pour right back into their hometown. And what a gift we would have been able to provide them.”

For now, the Sharks will focus on moving into the facility, getting acclimated with the new campus footprint and be ready to go for the students come January.

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