The Carrier family of Louisiana is as synonymous with Zydeco music as beads are with Mardi Gras. Troy Carrier, better known as Dikki Du, marks the third generation of the Carriers to keep the musical tradition alive.
“Zydeco is a family thing. If one plays, everyone plays,” says Carrier.
He picked up the washboard at nine years old, the drums at 13, and traveled the world professionally at 19. But Carrier’s life changed when we decided he wanted a band of his own.
The Seaside Institute is honored to bestow the 2025 Seaside Prize upon two distinguished individuals: Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson. The celebration will take place the weekend of February 7 through February 9, 2025, with a variety of events and symposia.
Harriet Huntress Crommelin, 76, of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, passed away February 8, 2023 at her home in Seagrove Beach.
In 1995, Harriet moved to the Emerald Coast to open one of the first restaurants on Scenic 30A, Café Thirty-A, which has been consistently successful for almost 27 years. Harriet was a true trailblazer, a visionary. Her passion for fine wine and consistently delicious food has paved the way for many of the restaurants in South Walton, Florida. She was an inspiration to women entrepreneurs everywhere.
Dave Rauschkolb walks into Bud & Alley’s on a humid summer morning among the background sounds of Seaside coming to life for the day. On the way into the main dining area, he passes by a group of employees readying themselves for the tasks ahead. In passing, he makes it a point to look at each one of them as he offers a prominent “good morning.”
Madison Olson is a SoWal native who now lives in France and is building a campaign to race across the Atlantic on a 6.5 meter sailboat alone!
In 2020, Chef Jim Shirley received two honors, the first was becoming the 16th recipient of the Van Ness Butler Jr. Hospitality Award.
The award honors and recognizes excellence in the hospitality, service, travel/tourism, advertising and promotion industries, as well as contributions to the local community. Shirley’s contributions to the community throughout the years make him a natural choice for the honor.
The Perfect in South Walton Awards, now in its sixth year, are both nominated and voted on by the public, allowing both visitors and residents to recognize their favorite local restaurants, businesses and events in a variety of categories.
Chris Alvarado, Owner & Founder of Driftwood Guitars, has a new project to build a one-of-a-kind guitar in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock music festival. The neck of the guitar will be crafted out of wood from the historic Woodstock stage. Alvarado will be breathing new life into the stage wood from many years ago, adding to the musical heritage and legacy of Woodstock.
Gina Shiflett, the intrepid owner of Salon Twist in Seagrove, was returning home to South Walton from a three-week journey across India.
Her backpack in tow, bags overstuffed, back aching ... she plopped down beside a petite lady in an overcrowded Indian airport and asked, “Do you speak English?”
The lady replied, “Yes, I do!”
“In ten minutes, I probably knew more about her than I knew about my best friend,” exclaims Gina. “And she’s showing me pictures of everybody and thanking me profusely for my time.”
Jennifer Steele is a busy woman. Her role as the Executive Director of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County keeps her busy enough. On top of that, she’s a mother, a partner, and the lead in the upcoming one-woman play “Bad Dates” presented by the Emerald Coast Theatre Company.
After a ten-year hiatus from the stage she’s back. Granted she has been doing other things, like producing the massively successful 30A Songwriter’s Festival and deploying the nation’s first Underwater Museum of Art.
