Post Office Closure The United States Postal Service will observe Columbus Day on Monday. All classified retail window units will be closed and there will be no mail delivery by rural or city carriers. Mail will not be collected from boxes or placed in post office boxes. The postal service will resume normal operations on Oct. 9.
Healthy Start Coalition Meeting The Healthy Start Coalition of Santa Rosa County will meet Oct. 8. This is a general board meeting that will begin at 4 p.m. at the coalition's offices at 5907 Berryhill Rd. in Milton. All meetings are open to the public. For more information call 626-6751.
City of Milton meetings Milton's city council will meet in special session at 4 p.m. Oct. 9 for the purpose of swearing in the newly elected and re-elected officals. Milton's city council will meet in regular session on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. at Milton City Hall. Milton's technology committee will meet Oct. 8 at 8 a.m. in Conference Room B at Milton City Hall. Milton's storm water management committee will meet Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. in Conference Room B at Milton City Hall. Milton's finance committee will meet Oct. 18 at 9 a.m. in the council chambers of Milton City Hall. Milton's adminstration committee will met Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. in Conference Room B at Milton City Hall. For more information, call the city manager’s office at 983-5411. All meetings are open to the public.
Milton outreach meetings The City of Milton has scheduled two (2) Outreach Meetings to discuss the Blackwater Riverfront Master Plan. Those meetings are scheduled for Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. and Oct. 13, at 9 a.m. All meetings are open to the public. If you would like additional information on the meetings please contact the Planning Dept. at (850) 983-5440.
Milton Planning and Development Department Meetings The City of Milton’s Planning & Development Department has scheduled the following meetings: Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board (DRAB) on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. Growth, Development & Annexation Committee (GD&A) on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. Education Committee on Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. If you would like additional information concerning these meetings, please contact the Planning Department at 983-5440.
Santa Rosa Tea Party Patriots meeting The Santa Rosa Tea Party Patriots will host a Florida Constitutional Amendment Night with special guest speaker KrisAnne Hall on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. in the Milton Community Center. If you are confused about the 11 amendments on the Florida Ballot for November, you will want to attend this meeting. Hall, is a constitutional expert will discuss the amendments. She is a disabled veteran of the US Army, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor's wife and a patriot. She was a former state prosecutor and worked two years with a prominent law firm defending religious liberty and first amendment rights. Santa Rosa Democrats Pot Luck Dinner Santa Rosa County Democrats will hold a Pot Luck Dinner Meeting will be Oct. 9, at the Navarre Community Center in Navarre. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m. All attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the open-mike program to address any issues of concern. Members of the public are invited to attend. For additional information, call 936-8704.
Congressional Candidate Forum U.S. Representative Florida District 1 Candidate Debate-Forum will be Oct. 9 from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Marcus Point Baptist Church on North W Street in Pensacola. The confirmed candidates are Rep. Jeff Miller, James Bryan, Calen Fretts, and William Drummond. Each candidate will have three minutes for introduction. Each candidate will have three minutes to respond to questions from the moderator. If another candidate's name is mentions in the response, they will have one minute for rebuttal. There will be three questions for each candidate. The debate will close with each candidate having a three minute closing statement. The forum is sponsored by the Northwest Florida Tea Party.
Sacred Heart to Offer Free Smoking-Cessation Classes Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola will offer a free, six-week smoking-cessation program beginning Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 for persons who want to stop smoking. Quit Smoking Now (QSN) provides structured classes in a supportive, stress- free environment. Step by step, smokers will learn how to replace their nicotine habit with healthy alternatives. The two-hour classes will be offered on Tuesday nights beginning Oct. 9 from 6 – 8 p.m. and Thursday mornings beginning Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon. Classes will be held in the Carmel Heights Building on the Sacred Heart Hospital campus. The Carmel Heights Building is located on Carmel Heights Drive near the Pediatric Care Center. A new series of classes will begin every seven weeks. To register for smoking-cessation classes, or for more information, please call 416-7764.
Post-Mastectomy Bra Fit Day for Breast Cancer Awareness Month Fitting Designs, Inc. Orthotics & Prosthetics, located at 8800 University Parkway, Suite B-1, Pensacola, Florida, will have an Amoena Post-Mastectomy Bra Fit Day on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Heidi Pederson, Post-Mastectomy Consultant for Amoena, will be available for fittings and to answer questions. Light refreshments will be served. Please bring in your unused post-mastectomy apparel to be donated to the American Cancer Society. For details or appointments, please call (850) 484-9111.
Tri-County Community Council meeting The Tri-County Community Council, Inc. Board of Directors will meet Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. with the finance committee; program committee and personnel committee meeting at 4:45 p.m. at McLains Restaurant in DeFuniak Springs.
Milton Class of 1962 reunion The Milton Class of 1962 would like to invite its classmates from 1961 and 1963 to join us in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of graduation. A festive weekend of fun activities is planned for Oct. 12-13. Planned activities include attending the MHS homecoming football game against Gulf Breeze on Oct. 12, touring Milton High School and the city and a bar-b-que dinner and social gathering on Oct. 13. Register as soon as possible to ensure you will be able to reconnect with all of your old friends and meet new ones. Call 623-3344 or email teammhs62@att.net for more details and registration procedures.
Sons of the American Revolution meeting The Aaron Snowden Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in Milton will meet Oct. 20 at Ryan's on Highway 90. Breakfast will start at 8 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. The election of officers and induction of new members will be at his meeting as will special speaker Ned France, who will talk about the Treaty of Paris 1789. The Sons of the American Revolution welcomes individuals throughout the year. The Sons of the American Revolution is a 'lineage' society, using your family tree to trace your relative to a point where they supported the cause of American Independence. For more information call 463-7061.
Community Connection Chili Festival The 'Community Connection Chili Festival' will be Oct. 21 from 2 – 6 p.m. at the Carpenter's Park pavilion, located at the corner of Broad Street and Munson Highway Co. Rd 191 in Milton. Bring your appetite and your enthusiasm for hearty chili and warmth of humankind. There will be crafts, face painting, unity circles, African drumming, and local DJ Boss Man in attendance.
Pace Class of 1983 Reunion The graduating class of 1983 at Pace High School is looking for classmates they have lost touch with. They are asking members of the graduating class to e-mail the committee at phs1983reunion@gmail.com. They also have a Facebook page to get things started, log on to Facebook and look for reunion.eightythree.
Tri-County Community Council changes hours The Tri-County Community Council, Inc., Services Department on Elva St. in Milton will now be closed on Friday's. Office hours will remain 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday. Low income home energy assistance applications will continue to be taken on Monday's. All other services to low income families will be provided Tuesday – Thursday. For more information contact the office at 981-0036.
Family Resource Program changes hours The Family Resource Program office has changed its hours. The offices will be closed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Office hours will be from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. For financial assistance call 626-2054 for an appointment. For food assistance, you must have children 18 and under or be 55 years or older. Clothing assistance is a walk-in basis from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. For more information call 626-2054.
Line Dance Classes The Santa Rosa Community School will start line dance classes. This 13-week session will be at Hobbs Middle School on Glover Lane in Milton. Beginner classes will begin at 6 p.m. with an intermediate classes starting at 7:15 p.m. You don't need a partner to participate and everyone is welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information call 723-4052 or 623-4235.
Constitution and Coffee The Constitution and Coffee group will meet each Saturday at 7 a.m. at the Coffee Break on Woodbine Rd. in Pace. All are welcome to come and listen or participate in the discussion of our federal constitution and the current events that impact our lives. Meetings last about an hour and are very informal. For more information call 981-1536.
Addiction help meetings The Most Excellent Way support group for people seeking help overcoming alcohol, drugs and other addictive behaviors meets every Friday night at 7 p.m. at East Side Baptist Church, 4884 Ward Basin Road. For more information on this meeting and other area meetings, call 626.1481. Volunteer advocates needed Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program needs volunteers to join its corps of dedicated advocates who protect the rights of elders who live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult family care homes. The program’s local councils are seeking additional volunteers to identify, investigate and resolve residents’ concerns. Special training and certification is provided. Anyone interested in protecting the health, safety, welfare and rights of long-term care facility residents — who often have no one else to advocate for them — can call toll-free 888-831-0404 or visit http://ombudsman.myflorida.com. Al-Anon meetings Al-Anon meets every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the portable behind Woodbine United Methodist Church. They also have a Spanish meeting at St. Rose of Lima Church every Friday at 10 a.m. in Room 2 of the Educational Building. Al-Anon is a support group for family members of people who have alcohol abuse issues.
Newcomer Club Meeting Newcomer’s Club of Greater Pensacola meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month at 9 a.m. at the Pensacola Yacht Club; games, luncheon/meeting cost $14. Newcomers is open to all women who have resided in Pensacola two years or less. Monthly activities include: Book Club, Bridge, Bunco, Bowling, Chef's night out, to name a few. Please call 530-3926 or email vzubke@yahoo.com for more details. English as a Second Language classes Santa Rosa Adult School is offering English as a Second Language classes to aid the growing population of non-native English speakers in the area. The classes will teach skills in reading, writing and speaking English. The program’s goal is to help students function effectively in their daily routines. Classes are $30 per term with proof of Florida residency for the last 12 months. The classes are $120 per term without proof of residency. Classes are 8:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students may enroll at any time during the term. All classes will be at the Adult Learning Center, 6751 Berryhill St. in Milton. For more information, call 983-5165 or 983-5710. Veterans Upward Bound If you are a military veteran wanting to achieve your dream of a college education, the Veterans Upward Bound program at Pensacola State College can help. The program prepares eligible veterans for entry into college with free noncredit refresher courses and helps veterans apply for financial aid and scholarships. Classes are available throughout the year. Visit the Veterans Upward Bound office in Building 6 on the Pensacola campus, or call 484-2068 to set up an appointment. Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers Habitat for Humanity, a volunteer program that specializes in building/rebuilding homes for low-income families, is in desperate need of volunteers. There are several new and ongoing projects in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. If you can use a hammer, you can help. If you have any questions or want to volunteer, contact NASWF volunteer coordinators Ryan Parrish or Tywron Harrisat 623-7012, ryan.s.parrish1@navy.mil or tywon.harris@navy.mil. Half-Century Dance A Senior Citizens Dance is every Monday from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Fleet Reserve, 6409 Fleet Ave. in Milton. The dance features the C&L Express and is fun for all senior citizens. Cost is $5 at the door. Please bring a covered dish to share. For more information, call Billy or Pat at 626-1826 or 910-1500. Classic Car show The Local Yokel hosts a monthly car show on the third Friday of each month in East Milton from 5 to 8 p.m Anyone with an itch for cars is welcome to attend and trophies are handed out to car owners in six divisions. For more information, call the Local Yokel at 623-6364 or Charlie Donald at 981-1568. Daughter's of the American Colonists A new Daughter's of the American Colonists Chapter is being organized in our area. The DAC is a volunteer non-profit organization that promotes interest in the history and deeds of the American Colonists prior to 1776. It also promotes love of the USA and its flag and institutions. Women who are interested in patriotism and American history and can document lineal descent from an ancestor who provided service to the colonies prior to 1776 are eligible for membership. For more information, call 897-1278. Drug Addiction Is The Culprit Did you know that drug addiction is the number one culprit behind nutritional deficiencies in the body, illnesses and injuries? Get the specifics on how someone is physically affected by substance abuse and how they can undo the physical damage caused by addiction through your free copy of "The Truth About Becoming Addicted." Call 888-837-9177 or log onto www.becomingaddicted.org.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: News Briefs- October 6, 2012