Harvest Wine & Food Festival Raises Over $100,000 For Local Children!
Imagine casually strolling through WaterColor’s picturesque property soaking up filtered sunlight emanating through the trees, experiencing a crisp, warm Gulf breeze while sipping on the most delicious wine and tasting coastal culinary cuisine while live music resonates.
This year’s Harvest Wine and Food Festival was one of those Chamber of Commerce afternoons when you have to pinch yourself as a reminder it’s reality. And the event raised more than $100,000 for local children.
The wine festival, presented by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation which supports 16 local children’s charities, was back this year for four days of epicurean excellence. Held in November, the sold-out event featured high-end wines from around the world and the best culinary selections from throughout the southeast. It also included wine dinners and the return of the famous Grand Tasting. Wines were paired with seafood, barbecue and other delectable delights. Craft beer and spirits were also prominent for those who prefer it.
A virtual auction featuring rare wines, unique items, and experiential trips was active throughout the festival weekend. Proceeds benefit DCWAF and its mission to connect wine enthusiasts to raise money benefiting children in need in Northwest Florida. Since its inception in 2005, DCWAF has donated more than $25 million to its 15 partner charities, impacting the lives of more than 100,000 children in the local community.
Bloody Mary Festival Raises $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity-Walton County
The annual Bloody Mary Festival, held in October and powered by Step One Automotive Group, raised $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity – Walton County, a record-breaking amount for the festival. The sold-out event welcomed more than 1,000 guests and featured unlimited tastes of the Emerald Coast’s most creative and inventive Bloody Marys made with Distillery 98’s local Dune Laker vodka served by 17 of the finest restaurants, bars, and catering companies in Northwest Florida.
Guests voted for the coveted People’s Choice Awards for the “Best Bloody Mary in South Walton:”
1st Place People’s Choice Award – The Beach House
2nd Place People’s Choice Award – Cannery Lane Cantina
3rd Place People’s Choice Award – Camille’s at Crystal Beach
A panel of select food critics and local celebrities also judged each Bloody Mary:
Judge’s Choice Award – Signature Catering of 30A
All awards were custom made by local artist, Maxine Orange.
“Eggs on the Beach” Cooking Competition Raises $39,500 for Local Non-Profit Organizations
Presented by Bay Breeze Patio, the 7th Annual Eggs On the Beach cooking competition raised $39,500 for local non-profit organizations, including its two non-profit partners—Fisher House of the Emerald Coast and Food for Thought. Held at Seascape Resort in October, the family-friendly event welcomed more than 600 tasters and volunteers who sampled an array of delicacies cooked on Big Green Eggs by 22 cook teams. Food for Thought and the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, received a $16,250 donation.
“Once again, our cook teams delivered deliciously creative bites, which ranged from shrimp and grits and tuna dip to pork belly, chicken and sausage bites to bananas foster dessert,” said Bay Breeze Patio co-owner and event founder Susan Kiley. “It was such a fun day and it was humbling to see the community come together once again to support great local causes.”
In addition, $7,000 was donated to four local non-profits whose cook teams impressed tasters and earned the most votes. Healing Paws for Warriors served the winning bite and earned $3,000. The Eggstras cooked for South Walton Academy and earned second place and a $2,000 donation. Sinfonia Gulf Coast and Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast tied for third place. Chef Pam Wellborn of 30A Destin Ice House cooked for Sinfonia and earned a $1,000 donation. Going toe to toe with Sinfonia, the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast presented their scorched chicken wings earning $1,000.
Overall winners included: 1st Place: Healing Paws for Warriors, 2nd Place: Saltwater Restaurants and 3rd Place BE-CI. Judge’s Choice winners include 1st Place: Brock Landscaping Cooking for Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, 2nd Place: Blue Angels Foundation and 3rd Place: Saltwater Restaurants.
Eggs on the Beach has donated more than $205,500 to local non-profits since its inception in 2013. For more information, visit EggsontheBeach.com. For more information about the Big Green Egg, visit BayBreezePatio.com.
Join the Bluewater Bay Garden Club meeting on January 13, 2022, at Mulligan`s Bar and Grill located at 2000 Bluewater Blvd. Guest speaker Janet Hayes will share how she used Florida Friendly Plants to create her backyard landscape. You’re invited to stay for lunch after the program concludes. For more information, call Claudene Schaetzle at (850) 729-0348.
The Freeport Republicans will meet January 11 in Freeport at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse, 1830 Great Hammock Bend. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; meeting 6-7 p.m. This month’s speaker is Clint Pate, who is a candidate for the Florida State House, District 5. The club meets monthly on the second Tuesday of each month at the same location and time. NOTE: The Walton County “Mom’s For Liberty” group will be meeting monthly at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse – theater @ 7:15 p.m., which is directly after the Freeport Republican’s meeting.
The Gulfarium is adding a new stadium and dolphin exhibit with three primary pool habitats—a show pool, exhibit pool (with a large split-level underwater viewing area) and encounter pool. The proposed show stadium will have an occupancy of 480 people and include stadium-style seating areas with overhead shade canopies. The existing show stadium will be closed and replaced with a new attraction in the future.
The expansion will include a new dolphin show stadium, dolphin encounter pool and dolphin viewing area. Plans are for the complex in the property’s northwest portion will be expanded to more than 31,000 sq. ft. There are no plans to stop dolphin shows in the meantime. The current show stadium will be transformed into a new attraction when the project is over.
Established in 1955, the Gulfarium not only provides family-oriented entertainment, they also facilitate conservation, research, education and community enhancement. For example: The C.A.R.E. Center has treated 640 endangered sea turtles; school field trips and hands-on experiences are ongoing as well as pier and beach clean-up events.
In December, Feeding the Gulf Coast celebrated 40 years of service and its Panhandle Facility Expansion. Last year, the food bank undertook an expansion project to increase its usable warehouse space to 20,530 square feet, an increase of 68% of food storage capacity, including expansion of the dry storage area, conversion of the existing cooler into a freezer, and the installation of an additional cooler.
Formerly known as Bay Area Food Bank, the organization opened its doors on Dec. 1, 1981 and has continued to serve by distributing more than 318 million pounds of food to those in need since its inception and working to address chronic hunger along the central Gulf Coast where nearly 350,400 families and individuals rely on access to fresh and nutritious foods provided by Feeding the Gulf Coast and its partner agencies.
Corcoran Reverie, a high-end real estate brokerage and an affiliate of Corcoran Group LLC, has donated $40,000 as part of its sponsorship of the annual 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Race held in Rosemary Beach. The contribution will directly impact the Walton Education Foundation, the Seaside School Foundation, the Point Washington Medical Clinic, and the Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation.
To date, the 30A 10K has given more than $430,000 to local charities along the Emerald Coast. The Walton Education Foundation supports all 17 public, charter and magnet schools in Walton County. To learn more about the 30A 10K and its benefactors, visit www.30a10k.com.
