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On March 13th, about 500 employees and visitors gathered for a celebratory lunch, after the symbolic “Topping Off” of Hangar 1, the first of four hangars to be built on Tyndall Air Force Base, to house the first six combat-coded, fifth-generation, F-35A Lightning II aircraft. These novel aircraft and hangars incorporate innovative designs and technology to equip Airmen to execute the missions of today and the future, to project unrivaled combat airpower for our great nation and readiness for worldwide deployment in support of combat operations. Mr. Stephen Devine, Project Superintendent of the $600 million project to build the Tyndall AFB Zone 1 F-35 Flightline Facilities, referred to Hangar 1 as a “state-of-the-art hangar,” being built to house the F-35s. Visible was the steel frame for the central main hangar bay, with structures in progress attached to the north side and south side of the hangar, which will house the work facilities where the aircraft will be maintained. The final cost of Hangar 1 is projected to be $65 million. Mr. Devine explained that a “Topping Off Ceremony” is a significant milestone that brings together the craft workers to recognize the countless hours they put in, and to celebrate the final erection of the steel structure. Next, craft workers will add the “skin”, do the “dry-in” and move on to additional activities to complete the interior and exterior of the building. The white “final beam” was prominent in the forefront of the hangar, behind the stage, and was adorned with the American Flag and a small pine tree to symbolize patriotism and new beginnings. Before the ceremony, attendees were invited to sign the symbolic beam. Mr. Devine said that the significance of signing the beam is to symbolize and recognize the hard work and efforts of the men and women who invested about five hundred thousand (500,000) manhours of safe work in the project. The signatures and the emblems on the beam, including the 325th Fighter Wing, Corps of Engineers, Air Force, and others, symbolize not only the countless hours of craft labor but also the efforts of others who contributed to the pre-planning and execution of the project from the very beginning. Nearly four years after Hurricane Michael damaged 484 buildings at Tyndall Air Force Base, Hensel Phelps employees, contractors, and sub-contractors began the demolition of the prior facilities, to help reshape the base into the “Installation of the Future.” Next came the “dirt work” and foundation of Hangar 1. Today an average of 350 workers per day are on-site, focused on building three new hangars and the Simulator Building, with eleven (11) total buildings planned for Phase I of the project, with completion expected to be in 2025 or 2026. Buildings in Zone 1 include aircraft hangars, a maintenance complex, group headquarters, aircraft parking aprons, aircraft support equipment storage, a corrosion control facility, and an F-35A flight simulator training facility. Tyndall Air Force Base will eventually house seventy-eight (78) 5th Generation Fighters, factory-delivered from Lockheed Martin, with the latest and greatest capabilities that nobody else has, with a total of forty (40) facilities. Justin Starns, Regional Vice President, Hensel Phelps, said that one million (1,000,000) cubic yards of dirt have been moved, two million (2,000,000) feet of wick drains were installed, and one mile of large box culvert was installed, to prepare the site. Concrete crews installed thirteen thousand (13,000) cubic yards of concrete for foundations and erected twelve hundred (1,200) tons of steel. 1st Lt. Eric Long, Zone 1 Assistant Project Manager, AFCAC NDR, served as master of ceremonies and welcomed everyone to the Hangar 1 Topping Off Ceremony, followed by a huge round of applause. Lt. Long recognized special guests attending the ceremony including: Callaway Mayor, Pamn Henderson; Commander, 325th Fighter Wing, Col. George Watkins; Honorary Commander, 325th Fighter Wing, Corbin McCall; Deputy Commander, 325th Fighter Wing, Col. Douglas Gable; Command Chief, 325th Fighter Wing, Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp; Commander USACE, Mobile District, Col. Jeremy Chapman; Chief, AFCEC NDR Division, Col. Robert Bartlow Jr.; President, Bay Defense Alliance, Tom Neubauer; and other distinguished guests. Watching the American Flag rising as the beam was raised at the end of the Ceremony was breathtaking! https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/445/view

The crowds came rushing in for the opening of Black History Month Festival on February 24, 2024, at the historic landmark, A D Harris Learning Village, named after Mr. A D Harris, one of the legends in our community. A D Harris was opened in the 1930’s as a segregated school. Read full article here! https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/407/view

Video shorts by Eleanore Thompson St Andrews Mardi Gras Parade 2024 February 04, 2024 Photos from our readers of the St Andrews, Panama City, FL - Mardi Gras parade Feb 3 2024. "The St. Andrews Mardi Gras had its beginnings in 1997, when Bay County’s first Mardi Gras Krewe, the Krewe of Dominique Youx, approached the Community of St. Andrews with the idea of relocating its annual parade from Bay Point to St. Andrews. This was a “dream” turned “reality” for a revitalization event as defined in the completed St. Andrews Visioning Project, and so began the work of the citizens of St. Andrews to make the St. Andrews Mardi Gras the success it is today." - https://standrewsmardigras.com/start-of-kosa/ The Krewe of Dominique Youx (KODY), Bay County’s original Mardi Gras organization, was founded in 1986 on Panama City Beach by Errol Legasse and Jerry Castardo. https://kreweofdominiqueyoux.com/history/ History of Mardi Gras in the United States According to the Mobile (AL) Carnival Museum, in 1703, Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile. https://baycountycoastal.com/galleries/329/view

Video Shorts by Eleanore Thompson St Andrews Mardi Gras Parade 2024 February 04, 2024 Photos from our readers of the St Andrews, Panama City, FL - Mardi Gras parade Feb 3 2024. "The St. Andrews Mardi Gras had its beginnings in 1997, when Bay County’s first Mardi Gras Krewe, the Krewe of Dominique Youx, approached the Community of St. Andrews with the idea of relocating its annual parade from Bay Point to St. Andrews. This was a “dream” turned “reality” for a revitalization event as defined in the completed St. Andrews Visioning Project, and so began the work of the citizens of St. Andrews to make the St. Andrews Mardi Gras the success it is today." - https://standrewsmardigras.com/start-of-kosa/ The Krewe of Dominique Youx (KODY), Bay County’s original Mardi Gras organization, was founded in 1986 on Panama City Beach by Errol Legasse and Jerry Castardo. https://kreweofdominiqueyoux.com/history/ History of Mardi Gras in the United States According to the Mobile (AL) Carnival Museum, in 1703, Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile. https://baycountycoastal.com/galleries/329/view

Video shorts by Eleanore Thompson St Andrews Mardi Gras Parade 2024 February 04, 2024 Photos from our readers of the St Andrews, Panama City, FL - Mardi Gras parade Feb 3 2024. "The St. Andrews Mardi Gras had its beginnings in 1997, when Bay County’s first Mardi Gras Krewe, the Krewe of Dominique Youx, approached the Community of St. Andrews with the idea of relocating its annual parade from Bay Point to St. Andrews. This was a “dream” turned “reality” for a revitalization event as defined in the completed St. Andrews Visioning Project, and so began the work of the citizens of St. Andrews to make the St. Andrews Mardi Gras the success it is today." - https://standrewsmardigras.com/start-of-kosa/ The Krewe of Dominique Youx (KODY), Bay County’s original Mardi Gras organization, was founded in 1986 on Panama City Beach by Errol Legasse and Jerry Castardo. https://kreweofdominiqueyoux.com/history/ History of Mardi Gras in the United States According to the Mobile (AL) Carnival Museum, in 1703, Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile. https://baycountycoastal.com/galleries/329/view

Local Talent Takes Center Stage: Panama City Ballet Presents The Nutcracker with 130 Dazzling Dancers and a Vision for Community Arts November 21, 2023 by Bonnie Thompson PANAMA CITY, FL - Get ready for a special treat this December as the Panama City Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker Ballet using all local talent for the first time ever! This will involve 11 local dance studios and 130 local dancers. Before Hurricane Michael destroyed the Civic Center and the Martin Theater, dance companies such as the Russian Ballet or the Northwest Florida Ballet would come into town during the Christmas season, and use only a handful of local dancers to perform the Nutcracker. Tiffany Swan, formerly with the Southeast Alabama Dance Company in Dothan, formed the Panama City Ballet for the production of The Nutcracker and is directing this performance. Her background is in Classical Ballet, but it's her exuberant, positive style of directing that really gets this show off the ground. Tiffany has created something that will become a Panama City tradition for years to come allowing local dancers the opportunity to perform in a professional production each year. The goals of this production are two fold; to share the arts with the community and schools, and to let our local leaders know that there is still a need for a venue for the arts. Pulling together dancers from so many studios with distinctive training has had its challenges and rewards. Three local studios are lending space for the rehearsals; Panama City Dance Academy, Tonie’s Dance Workshop, and Studio A. The Panama City Ballet will be performing the Nutcracker on December 8th, 9th and 10th at Arnold High School auditorium. If the evening performances are sold out, they will add a matinee performance on Saturday, December 9th. All performances are targeted to an audience of at least five years of age as it is a two hour ballet. The little ones however, are not to be left out, and are encouraged to attend the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party on December 2nd from 12pm-2pm at the FSU Holley Center. This will include a mini performance and a meet and greet with the Sugar Plum Fairy and other characters. Additionally, people in assisted living homes, who normally do not have such opportunities, are being invited to the last dress rehearsal for free on Thursday, December 7th. An important aspect of this production is to partner with local education in sharing the arts. A special performance Friday morning, December 8th, is being given for second graders from five local elementary schools. Bay District Schools is providing the buses for transportation and sponsors such as Tonie’s Dance Work Shop will cover the cost of the tickets for these students. Other schools are welcome to attend and can contact Panama City Ballet for tickets. Additionally, Panama City Ballet will be visiting these five schools performing demonstrations of segments of the ballet starting the first week after Thanksgiving to encourage the arts in education. To get your tickets to this spectacular event, visit PanamCityBallet.com or find them on Facebook. Please come out and enjoy yourself while supporting the arts in our community and our schools as well as our local dance studios. https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/153/view

Video by Bonnie Thompson

Local Talent Takes Center Stage: Panama City Ballet Presents The Nutcracker with 130 Dazzling Dancers and a Vision for Community Arts November 21, 2023 by Bonnie Thompson Click for more images PANAMA CITY, FL - Get ready for a special treat this December as the Panama City Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker Ballet using all local talent for the first time ever! This will involve 11 local dance studios and 130 local dancers. Before Hurricane Michael destroyed the Civic Center and the Martin Theater, dance companies such as the Russian Ballet or the Northwest Florida Ballet would come into town during the Christmas season, and use only a handful of local dancers to perform the Nutcracker. Tiffany Swan, formerly with the Southeast Alabama Dance Company in Dothan, formed the Panama City Ballet for the production of The Nutcracker and is directing this performance. Her background is in Classical Ballet, but it's her exuberant, positive style of directing that really gets this show off the ground. Tiffany has created something that will become a Panama City tradition for years to come allowing local dancers the opportunity to perform in a professional production each year. The goals of this production are two fold; to share the arts with the community and schools, and to let our local leaders know that there is still a need for a venue for the arts. Pulling together dancers from so many studios with distinctive training has had its challenges and rewards. Three local studios are lending space for the rehearsals; Panama City Dance Academy, Tonie’s Dance Workshop, and Studio A. The Panama City Ballet will be performing the Nutcracker on December 8th, 9th and 10th at Arnold High School auditorium. If the evening performances are sold out, they will add a matinee performance on Saturday, December 9th. All performances are targeted to an audience of at least five years of age as it is a two hour ballet. The little ones however, are not to be left out, and are encouraged to attend the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party on December 2nd from 12pm-2pm at the FSU Holley Center. This will include a mini performance and a meet and greet with the Sugar Plum Fairy and other characters. Additionally, people in assisted living homes, who normally do not have such opportunities, are being invited to the last dress rehearsal for free on Thursday, December 7th. An important aspect of this production is to partner with local education in sharing the arts. A special performance Friday morning, December 8th, is being given for second graders from five local elementary schools. Bay District Schools is providing the buses for transportation and sponsors such as Tonie’s Dance Work Shop will cover the cost of the tickets for these students. Other schools are welcome to attend and can contact Panama City Ballet for tickets. Additionally, Panama City Ballet will be visiting these five schools performing demonstrations of segments of the ballet starting the first week after Thanksgiving to encourage the arts in education. To get your tickets to this spectacular event, visit PanamCityBallet.com or find them on Facebook. Please come out and enjoy yourself while supporting the arts in our community and our schools as well as our local dance studios. https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/153/view

Empower Your Protection: Explore a Vast Selection of Firearms and Expert Advice at Jay’s Guns and Accessories in Bay County November 14, 2023 by Bonnie Thompson Photo by Bonnie Thompson Perhaps as you watch the current news, you might be thinking that it is a good time to purchase a firearm of some sort for protection, but you aren't quite sure which one suits your needs. You might want to visit Jay’s Guns and Accessories to shop and get advice, as this is what the sales representatives in Jay’s Guns & Accessories do best. They have years of firearm experience, and well, they just love their jobs. They love helping people pick out the perfect firearm. You need not fear, but you can prepare. Jay’s Guns and Accessories is the best stocked gun shop in Bay County. They have over 900 guns in stock and ammo in every caliber. They carry any accessory you can strap to a firearm. They can do most armory work and light gunsmithing. When you enter the shop, you are usually greeted by William Tucker, Tuck for short, or Kenny Murrell. Tuck has been working for Jay Woodbury, the owner of Jay's, for over eight years. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, a former bomb builder who has been a firearm enthusiast all his life. Kenny Murrell is a U.S. Navy veteran, a former Machinist Mate, who has been working at Jay’s for over five years. He is also a firearm enthusiast who says that guns are just machines. Consequently, he finds them interesting and easy to understand. Neither of them work on commission and are simply there to show you guns, answer your questions, and help you select a suitable firearm. They treat all customers with courtesy and respect and meet you at your level of knowledge. There is a classroom at Jay’s, and Tuck has access to many local instructors who can provide a Concealed Carry class or National Rifle Association First Steps course. Although Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed HB 543 allowing Floridians to carry a concealed weapon without a government issued permit, Tuck still recommends that people apply for a concealed carry license. This license is honored by several states near Florida that you may enter or drive through while carrying your firearm. At this time, Jay's indoor gun range is closed. However, Steel Field Range is fully operational and a great place to get comfortable with any weapon. Jay’s Guns and Accessories is located at 3219 Highway 390 West, Panama City FL 32405 and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am - 6pm. Jay’s offers a ten percent discount on accessories to retired military and first responders. Besides the large inventory to choose from, the very best reason to visit Jay’s is the knowledgeable and courteous nature of the sales representatives in the shop. These men love what they do. When asked if Jay’s had a professional motto or mission statement regarding the business, Kenny replied without hesitation, “Shall not be infringed.” https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/139/view

Showing off their Beatles skills, the Ukulele Orchestra of St Andrews performs. www.standrewsukes.org www.baycountycoastal.com

UOSA performs to help raise money for the survivors of the tragic Maui fire in Hawaii. https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/116/view

Margo Anderson sings El Shaddai by Michael Chad and John Thompson. https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/111/view

Margo Anderson performed A tribute to Patsy Cline at Roberts Hall in Lynn Haven to Raise Money for Roberts Hall Renovation Fund. https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/111/view

On October 27th, 2023, Eastern Shipbuilding group held the Christening and Launch of the first of four U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter Argus (WMSM-915) https://baycountycoastal.com/articles/110/view

Panama City Beach Turtle Watch Nest Excavations www.baycountycoastal.com Ever wonder who looks after the sea turtle nests on our local beaches? The organization responsible for protecting our sea turtle nests is Panama City Beach Turtle Watch. These extraordinary volunteers find, mark, protect, and excavate the sea turtle nests in our local area. Additionally they ensure as many hatchlings as possible make it into the sea upon hatching. They monitor a 17.5 mile stretch of beach from St. Andrews State Park to Camp Helen State Park. You can witness their efforts by following them on Facebook where they live stream their nest excavations or visit the next nest excavation in person. Sea Turtles begin laying eggs on our beaches late spring and continue through the summer. Volunteers or the public may notice and report a nest. PCB Turtle Watch is notified and then puts a fence around the nest to protect it while the eggs incubate in the warm sand for 50-60 days. At some point, the hatchlings come out of the nest, and if not disoriented by unnatural lighting, head for the sea. Now this is where the PCB Turtle Watch magic happens. These amazing volunteers wait three days after a nest is reported as hatching. Then they excavate the nest, counting the number of eggs that are broken, remain whole, or hatched while searching for any turtles, dead or alive. Each nest usually has over one hundred eggs. This data is carefully collected for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision who gave PCB Turtle Watch their permit to operate in 1991. All of this data is available to see on Turtlewatch.org/our-turtles going back to 1991. There are three species of turtles that return to our beaches each year. These are the Loggerhead, the Leatherback, and the Greens. A female sea turtle can lay up to three clutches a year and tries to return to lay eggs on the beach that was imprinted on her as a hatchling. All of PCB Turtle Watch’s nesting data is displayed on this site using simple, easy to read graphs, showing the year to year progress of each species as well as photos of our turtles. We can all help PCB Turtle Watch and the nesting turtles by leaving the beaches flat and empty after each visit. Also, if you see indications of new nests, please report to Panama City Beach Police at (850) 233-5000.