Kids & Family

Mountainfilm lends soul to SoWal. It's one of the events we never miss, and are glad to sponsor every year. The Telluride MountainFilm on Tour returns to WaterColor’s Marina Park Amphitheater on Nov. 6 & 7. Celebrating its 15th year, the outdoor film festival has adventure, life lessons and environmental messages as the central themes for an International quest to encourage change and education through striking imagery and stories of perseverance.

The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s Walton County construction site is making great progress in Defuniak Springs, Florida. The Pierce Family Children’s Advocacy Center, named after Jim and Tammy Pierce in honor of their generous $1 million donation, is slated to open in Spring 2016. To date, $2.1 million has been raised and/or pledged towards the $3 million capital campaign.  

To kick off their fifth year, the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) along with 2,300 third and fifth graders established salt marsh nurseries at local schools in Okaloosa and Walton counties. During the course of the 2015-2016 Grasses in Classes Program, CBA will implement 21 programs and establish 63 saltmarsh nurseries.
 

The Great American Picnic returns to Watersound Origins on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3 P.M. with great fun throughout Wind Garden Park until 7 P.M. It's a free outdoor event featuring live entertainment, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and lawn games, all for a couple of good local causes.

LIVE MUSIC
Continuum 3-5pm
The Shadowboxers 5-7pm

Back for the second year at Pier Park in Panama City Beach is the Chili Vibrations World Music Festival, sponsored by SoWal.com. From the very first note played last year, it became one of our favorite area events, featuring live reggae (and world music), art, apparel, and a wide variety of food. The chili cookoff features an outstanding competition among teams from local restaurants and assorted citizen teams.

Gentle waves lapping at our white sand shores shape the coastline bringing a subtle change, maybe not observed by all, but a change that is constant. Another transformation, a conceptual change occurring on the Emerald Coast as well as all over the world, is the redefining of luxury.

Fall is the best time of the year for us here on the coast. Nature takes center stage and there are plenty of ways to get outside and have fun. Education is a big part of what we do here at SoWal.com and we love our lakes. Here's what our friends Elam and his son Nic are up to at Live Oak Productions.

From seasoned Bluegrass veteran bands to contemporary twists on Bluegrass sound to sensational rising stars, the inaugural Bluegrass at the Beach produced by Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) will be a sizzling, family-friendly musical showcase that appeals to all ages.
 

Happy Labor Day Weekend to SoWal friends near and far. We hope you'll have a chance to kick back and enjoy your holiday, relax, have an adventure, go to the beach, have a bbq and a brew, and take a nap.
 

Baytowne Art Walk returns to The Village of Baytowne Wharf  this Labor Day Weekend on September 4-6 from 5-10 pm each day in the Events Plaza. This year's Art Walk will include local and regional artists as well as interactive art for children and a great lineup of live music.