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Taste of the Beach, Northwest Florida’s premier culinary and wine celebration, is uncorking its 2014 lineup of five unique events with Vine to Wine-A Wine Preview on August 22 from 6-8 p.m. at Seascape Golf, Beach & Tennis Resort.

Vine to Wine will offer tastings of more than 200 wines that will be featured during the Taste of the Beach, October 31-November 2. Guests will also enjoy gourmet food pairings and receive a limited edition Reidel wine glass. Tickets for the event are $55 per person in advance.

The Repertory Theatre at Seaside has some tail-wagging delights to benefit Alaqua Animal Refuge. On Thursday, July 31, a performance of Seaside Shorts - a ‘bite-sized’ collection of short plays - will help raise money for the Freeport-based animal shelter, the area's only “no-kill” sanctuary – and currently home to more than 250 animals.

June 2014 was a hot month for Real Estate in Walton County with pending single family home sales up 37% over the same month last year. The number of closed sales by cash was up 41%. It's a big deal that short sales have virtually disappeared from our market.

The latest residential real estate report for June 2014 in Walton County summarizes sales and listing statistics. The Walton County Real Estate Report for June 2014 is produced by Florida REALTORS® and provided by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® (ECAR).

Lace up your running shoes! The 3rd Annual Alys Beach 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run will take off AUG 31. The race course winds through the resort town located along Hwy 30A and features an oversized obstacle course for kids of all ages. The race ends at the Alys Beach Amphitheatre where participants will enjoy an awards presentation, music, food, and beverages.

The price to participate in the certified 5K is $35 and the 1 Mile Fun Run for children 12 and under is $15. The Alys Beach 5K is limited to 400 participants and the 1 Mile Fun Run is limited to 150 participants.

St. Joe Club & Resorts is now managing The Pearl, a 55-room luxury resort hotel in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Located along the Emerald Coast's famed 30-A corridor, the boutique hotel boasts a restaurant, a poolside bar and dining area, a full-service spa, swimming pool, dedicated beach, and meeting and event space.

The new Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant in Panama City Beach is heating up summer with a full series of special events, promotions and a live music showcase. The place is hot and the location on Grand Lagoon has spectacular views of the water with lots of activities all around. The location in the heart of the working waterfront is just steps from the Lighthouse Marina, and next to Captain Anderson’s.

We are thankful for our SoWal lifeguards and love the junior lifeguard program. It's such a great program and a great opportunity for our local kids.

The South Walton Fire District (SWFD) 2014 Junior Lifeguard Program was held at the Ed Walline Beach access from Jun 17 to Jul 17, concluding the sixth season last week.

“This season far exceeded our expectations, in large part because of the boys and girls that participated and the support of their parents”, said Gary Wise, Beach Safety Director.

Uptown Grayton is a busy place, from the first light of day until near midnight. It would be a fun challenge to begin your day with a fabulous breakfast at Another Broke Egg Cafe, shop all day fueled by coffee breaks at Bad Ass Coffee, and handle some business while you're at it.