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Good morning!
Here’s what we are covering today:
- A Purple Heart recipient and family start a new chapter in their mortgage-free Crestview home, while Vietnam veterans prepare for a proper “welcome home” at an upcoming banquet in Fort Walton Beach. Fort Walton Beach High’s girls tennis team celebrates a district championship, Crestview police work to improve downtown parking skills, and volunteers prepare for Earth Day cleanup across Okaloosa beaches.
COASTAL RESOURCES
Destin-Fort Walton Beach gears up for ‘Earth Day Cleanup’ across Okaloosa beaches
by Ashley Armacost
Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism and Saltwater Restaurants are preparing for the annual Earth Day Beach Cleanup on Saturday, April 19, from 8-10 a.m.
- The “Our Power, Our Planet” themed cleanup aims to bring the community together to remove trash and debris from local beaches, protecting the environment and wildlife.
Organizers have positioned cleanup stations at the following locations throughout Okaloosa County:
- The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island
- The Crab Trap / James Lee Park
- The Surf Hut
- June White Decker Park
- Henderson Beach State Park
Participants will receive free event T-shirts while supplies last, and those cleaning up at The Boardwalk, The Crab Trap and The Surf Hut locations will be treated to a complimentary breakfast afterward.
“The Earth Day Cleanup is a great way to bring the community together and do good for the environment,” said Jessica Valek, Coastal Resources Coordinator for Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism. “Removing trash and debris not only protects the environment but also the health of our communities and local wildlife.”
In previous year’s, event volunteers collected 3,000 cigarette butts from local beaches, highlighting the significant problem marine debris poses for the local ecosystem. Organizers encourage volunteers to bring their own buckets, mesh bags, gloves, and trash grabbers, along with water bottles and sun protection.
- The cleanup will include contests with prizes for participants, adding a competitive element to the environmental effort. Volunteers from businesses, government agencies, communities, and families are encouraged to participate and can register online.
While online registration isn’t required, organizers recommend it since T-shirts and breakfast will be limited in quantity. Participants who register online should arrive at their designated cleanup location on time.
“Although the Earth Day Cleanup is held only once a year, we should treat every day like Earth Day to ensure future generations have a clean and safe home,” Valek said.
Those with questions about the event can email Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism here.
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GIVING BACK
Vietnam Veterans to receive long-waited ‘welcome home’ at April 30 banquet in Fort Walton Beach
by Ashley Armacost
Local Vietnam veterans will receive their long-awaited welcome home during a special tribute April 30, nearly 50 years after the conflict ended.
- The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce is organizing “Honoring our Heroes: Welcome Home, a Tribute to Vietnam Veterans” at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Fairgrounds and Event Center from 5 to 8:15 p.m.
Featured speakers include Rocky Bleier, a Vietnam veteran who won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers; Dale Dye, an actor, military consultant and Vietnam veteran; and Col. Ed Hubbard, who spent more than six years as a prisoner of war.
“I think the reason this one is so important is because people can relate to it, because their dads or their grandfathers who are still in town,” said Ted Corcoran, CEO of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber.
Bleier was injured in Vietnam before rejoining the Steelers for four Super Bowl victories. Dye, who received a Purple Heart, later founded a company that assists directors with war movies, including “Saving Private Ryan” and “Forrest Gump.” Hubbard, a local resident, will share his experience of “six years, seven months, 12 days in captivity as a POW.”
- The event will recognize other local Vietnam veterans including Howard Hill, Dick Rynearson, John Wambough and Tom Moody.
Artist John Mollison has created artwork depicting planes flown by each local Vietnam veteran. Community members can sign commemorative paintings at five local businesses: Eglin Federal Credit Union, thrIVefwb, Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson, Magnolia Grill and the Air Force Armament Museum.
Tickets are $40, including buffet dinner, and are available online.
TRAFFIC
Crestview police launch education campaign for parallel parking downtown
Drivers in downtown Crestview will soon find orange warning citations on their windshields if they park facing against the flow of traffic on Main Street, Police Chief Stephen McCosker announced.
- The warnings are part of an educational campaign initiated by the Crestview Police Department following the completion of a downtown beautification project that converted parking spaces to parallel parking.
“We noticed that there was an increase of complaints about this and through further observation, we realized that there’s a lot of people who aren’t aware of that fact,” McCosker said in a video posted to social media.
The police chief emphasized that vehicles must be parked with the flow of traffic, meaning the passenger side door should face the curb.
Civilian employees will issue orange warning citations to incorrectly parked vehicles as part of the campaign. These warnings will explain why the parking method violates proper procedure.
“We appreciate your cooperation and stay safe,” McCosker said.
SPORTS
Fort Walton Beach High girls tennis team clinches district championship
The Fort Walton Beach High School girls tennis team captured the district championship with a dominant performance over runner-up Panama City Bay Haven on Tuesday, April 15.
- The Vikings amassed 17 points to Bay Haven’s 10, advancing to all seven finals matches and securing three championship medals in the process.
Gigi Biro won the singles championship at the No. 5 position, while Katie Eubanks claimed both singles and doubles championships at the No. 4 spot. Kinley Driver earned a doubles championship while finishing second in her No. 3 singles match.
- Reese Armstrong and Penelope Gordon, playing in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions respectively, both finished second in singles and doubles competition. Gordon narrowly missed a singles title, losing a close match that went to a third-set tiebreaker.
The district championship earns the Vikings home-court advantage for the upcoming regional tournament.
Fort Walton Beach will host the Class 2, District 2 runner-up in Tuesday’s regional semifinal at the Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center. A victory would allow them to host the regional final at the same location on Thursday.
GIVING BACK
Purple Heart recipient and family receives keys to mortgage-free home in Crestview
Air Force Staff Sergeant Justin Day stood surrounded by American flags, fellow service members and grateful community members as he accepted the keys to a gift that will change his family’s future — a mortgage-free home built specifically for his needs.
- “This life can be really sad,” Day said, his voice breaking as he addressed the crowd gathered for Wednesday’s home dedication ceremony. “It’s only because of your community that makes it less sad and you can share and distribute that load.”
Day, his wife Rebecca, and their two young sons, Warwick and Gideon, received the keys to their new four-bedroom home on Wednesday morning, culminating years of recovery since a 2018 explosion in Afghanistan claimed Day’s right leg above the knee and caused severe hand injuries and a traumatic brain injury.
The dedication ceremony, organized by Building Homes for Heroes and the Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS®, represented the culmination of efforts from numerous organizations and individuals determined to honor Day’s sacrifice.
Day served six years as an Air Force Combat Controller working alongside elite special operations teams including Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs before his medical retirement in 2020. For his military service, he received numerous commendations, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Force Commendation Medal and Air Force Combat Action Medal.
- “This is a gift to my family and their future, more than it is to me,” Day said. “Those two down there don’t realize it right now, but this is probably the pivotal moment in their lives and stability for them in the future.”
The 1,800-square-foot home features all the modern conveniences of new construction, plus specialized adaptations including wider doorways, an oversized master shower with a seat and dual valves, comfort-height toilets, and open-concept living areas that provide ease of movement. It came fully furnished — a detail kept secret until the dedication day.
Builder Ferrin Campbell noted how the project revealed the giving spirit of the community. “From day one, everybody just stepped up to give back over and over,” Campbell said. “We live in a great community, but once you get involved with something like this is when you really start to realize what kind of community we live in.”
- The land for the home was donated by retired Air Force Master Sergeant Charles “Chuck” Hughes and his wife Ellen. Tammy Summers, who coordinated the home’s interior design, worked with numerous local businesses to create a comfortable and functional space.
“This project is near and dear to my heart. I lost my husband in Afghanistan in 2009, so he didn’t get to come home,” Summers said. “To help with a project like this to help a hero blesses me more than anyone.”
Chrissy Hartley, who chairs ECAR’s Building Homes for Heroes Task Force, recalled the moment she told Day he would receive the home. “When I was given the opportunity to announce to Justin that he would be the recipient of a new home at one of our fundraisers, I knew it was going to be an unforgettable moment and the hardest secret I ever had to keep,” Hartley said.
Major financial support came from the Graiff Family Foundation, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and SAIC, a Fortune 500 company focused on technology solutions for the military. SAIC employees volunteered to complete landscaping and other finishing touches on the property.
- “This house is more than walls and a roof,” Hartley said. “It’s a small way for us to say thank you for your service, your courage, and most of all, your sacrifice. It’s our hope that this house will become a home that brings peace, comfort, and a future filled with joy for you and your family.”
For Day, who has faced extraordinary challenges since his injury, the support of his community makes all the difference. “Nobody here had to do this. Nobody. But you did,” Day said. “And it’s why any of this is palatable and worth it.”
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