A tour of the 40 acres at Gulf Cemetery reveals many memorials, remembrances, personal items, tombstones (some weathered with unreadable inscriptions), simple wooden crosses, photos and homemade plaques. The nearly 100-year-old resting place is just a short walk from the beach at Gulf Place.
Gulf Cemetery Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization managed by volunteers. Tax deductible donations and the sale of lots help with repairs and upkeep of the site.
Ali Weil, owner of Nest 30A, is asking people in the community to bring in five canned goods to the store in Grayton Beach to enter to win a fabulous basket filled with wonderful Nest gifts. All food items collected at the store will go to Caring and Sharing of South Walton's food pantry for the upcoming holiday season.
Padgett Park is named after Timothy Padgett, a decorated Special Forces medical sergeant from Walton County who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2007 when his unit came under attack.
Padgett's mother, Glenda Penton, says the park is everything she dreamed of and is glad to know it will carry on the memory of her son. "I hope it will continue Tim’s legacy and to know that there's been some supreme sacrifice as well."
The South Walton Fire District (SWFD) is once again hosting the Caring and Sharing “Angel Tree” for the 13th consecutive year. Each holiday season the “Angel Tree” is filled with names of children ages one month to 12 years of age who live in Walton County and otherwise may not receive Christmas gifts.
When Frasier Hansen and Shawn Sherman met a few years ago, opening a craft brewery in South Walton was just a seed of a dream. A lot of planning, anxiety, sweat, and financing has passed since, and Idyll Hounds Brewing Company is about to blossom. The duo beam like proud poppas when speaking of the first batch of ale soon to be to be brewed in their brand-new facility in the South Walton Commerce Park, off Hwy 98 between Point Washington and Rosemary Beach.
Brett Martin, woodcrafter and owner of Made on 30A, grew up tinkering and building stuff in Georgia. He’s still building stuff, but on a much grander scale. The smell of fresh-cut wood permeates the air as Martin surveys his current workshop located on Hwy. 393 South. He speaks enthusiastically about his work and how he came to be here.
Having worked in the screen printing and embroidery business in Georgia for 20 years, he sold that business to move here with his family in 2007. The change in scenery necessitated a change in jobs.
The lack of long term rentals in South Walton is a major hurdle for people who want to move to our area. And a major headache for locals looking to move. Many homes and condos are on the lucrative, short-term vacation rental market, leaving little to choose from.
For plain proof how hot the long-term rental market is, the just-completed TerraMar Apartments are nearly filled up. TerraMar is a brand-new 250-home Mediterranean-style apartment community on Hwy 98 near the West end of Scenic 30A in Santa Rosa Beach.
A professional artist for more than 20 years and a glass artist for the past 13, Mary Hong is now sharing her passion for glass and unique techniques through instructional workshops. The upcoming "Glass Art Meets Canvas/Board" workshops are themed for fall and the holidays. The October classes will feature fall designs and marine life, and the November and December classes feature holiday-themed designs, including angels and Christmas trees.
USA Today has published their list of Florida's ten least-known beaches. Many South Walton beach lovers will be happy to see Santa Rosa Beach on the list. And many who want to stay on the list will wish their was no such list. It's hard to find secluded beaches in Florida - we've been to many of these and would like to keep them quiet. Oh well, no such luck - they've been outed by USA Today.
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