Home/Garden

Category

Feral cats and the threat to wildlife

Feral cats are one of the top carriers of rabies By Stan Kirkland, FWC It’s fair to say Americans love their house cats. Although no one knows how many house cats Americans own, it’s in the millions. However, the practice by some of releasing unwanted cats outdoors under a trap-neuter- release (TNR) program is under increased scrutiny as some communities and businesses have banned the practice. Cat advocacy groups say in theory feral cats that are spayed or neutered and...

5th Annual South Walton Elf Ride Dec. 9

Be a fun part of making a child’s Christmas happy this year and join in on the 5th Annual South Walton Elf Ride on Dec. 9, 2012. Adults and children meet at the Seaside Post Office in Seaside at 1:30 p.m. Participants will shove-off at 2 p.m. sharp and bike, walk or skateboard approximately 1.5 miles to the S.W.F.D. Watercolor Fire Station. Each family is asked to bring at least one gift to benefit the South Walton Fire District’s Angel...

Seagrove home earns green certification honors

Public invited to open house Nov. 15 Arbor Homes of Seagrove is raising the bar for local home construction standards by being the first project in the Walton County area to achieve a gold-level Florida Water Star certification for water efficiency and a platinum-level green home certification by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). For many years, builder Rod Joly and his wife, GREEN REALTOR® Michelle Joly, understood the importance of green home features and how to communicate its value...

New veterans monument dedicated in Freeport

Fallen Soldier monument pays tribute to those who lost their life On Nov. 12, 2012, the Freeport Planters Society held a ceremony to dedicate a new veterans memorial acknowledging veterans fallen during their service to our county. The newly installed Fallen Soldier monument compliments the existing Freeport Veterans Memorial located adjacent to City Hall. Freeport Town Planters Club initiated the project with member Tim Ard spearheading the effort. Ard formed a committee with club members Russ Barley, Eleanor Turner, Trudy...

Hometown Christmas craft fair coming to Walton County Fairgrounds Nov. 24

Hand-crafted gifts, food and entertainment in store for all day event The 23rd annual Hometown Christmas, sponsored by the DeFuniak Business and Professional Association, will be held Sat., Nov. 24 – rain or shine, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Walton County Fairgrounds on Hwy. 83N. The annual shopping event brings thousands of holiday shoppers to DeFuniak Springs and features activities for children, food, entertainment and hundreds of unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for every taste. For booth space reservations...

South Walton Fire District hosting Caring and Sharing Angel Tree

Angels will be available Nov. 9 The South Walton Fire District (SWFD) has the honor and privilege of sponsoring the Caring and Sharing “Angel Tree” each holiday season benefiting children from ages 1 month to 12 years who live in Walton County. “Angels” will be available for selection beginning Friday, November 9, 2012 from 9 a.m – 4 p.m. at Station 3/Headquarters, 911 North County Highway 393, Santa Rosa Beach.  This year the Fire District will receive over 300 angel...

Alaqua Animal Refuge furever friend of the week

Everyone deserves a second chance, and Jerry is no exception. An extremely gregarious and good-humored dog, Jerry became such a superstar after he arrived at Alaqua Animal Refuge that he was chosen to take part in our Unconditional Love Project. This program pairs rescue dogs with inmates at Bay County Correctional, where prisoners work with a canine companion on socialization and obedience skills over a period of 4-6 weeks. Now that Jerry has completed that training, he is back at...

Set your clock back, change your smoke detector batteries tonight

For 14 years, the South Walton Fire District (SWFD) has participated in the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ campaign “Change your Clock – Change your Battery”, reminding citizens to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks on Sunday, November 4, 2012. SWFD is so committed to this belief that the Fire District will install and replace batteries in smoke detectors for South Walton residents who are senior citizens, disabled, or families...