Downtown Pensacola, We Line Dance!

Downtown Pensacola, We Line Dance! We Mardi Gras! It's almost Mardi Gras. Tomorrow, Saturday January 21, 2012, right in the middle of one of Downtown Pensacola's Mardi Gras parades, We dance!

Sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 the parade will pause so that everyone in the parade or watching along the parade route can do the "Cupid Shuffle."

The goal is to have more than 17,500 people line dancing together, breaking the record for the world's longest line dance.

Learn the "Cupid Shuffle" from the Phineas Phoggettes

Downtown Pensacola, We Line Dance! We Mardi Gras!

Wow! It’s that time again, and this year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever! The Pensacola area is ripe with activities, but this one is a CAN’T MISS classic. The Pensacola Seafood Festival has been consistently recognized as one of the Top 20 festivals in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society and over 100,000 visitors take part in the annual event. Presented by the Fiesta of Five Flags Association, the event is free to attend, and will be held in historic Seville Square, Fountain Park and Bartram Park at S. Alcaniz Street and Bayfront Parkway (Admission to the Bartram Park, where the entertainment stage will be located will be $5 after 5 p.m)

Of course, one of the hallmarks of this great tradition is, of course, SEAFOOD!!! Treat your taste buds to dishes prepared by 18 carefully selected food vendors bordering the park. Some of the favorites you can expect are grilled conch, seafood gumbo, oyster coquettes, soft shell crab, coconut shrimp, Caribbean crab cakes, bang-bang shrimp and more.

One of the crowd favorites is “Hey Mon Caribbean Cooking Magic” and is a festival regular. This Tampa-based shop of all-natural sauces and seasonings has seven different flavors and spices that will appeal to a wide variety of guests. From a sweet pineapple orange glaze to a spicy Jamaican jerk favorite, there is no question why “Hey Mon” is returning to the festival for a sixth time. Samples of all products will be available to try with corn chips and each purchase will include a sheet of suggested cooking uses.

The Fiesta Seafood Grille will feature cooking demonstrations in Seville Square near the gazebo. Energy Services of Pensacola will be featuring local chefs who share their secrets for preparing your favorite mouth-watering cuisine, with an emphasis in fresh seafood. Brooke Parkhurst, Pensacola’s local celebrity chef, will also be on hand talking about her new book with her husband, chef James Briscione, Just Married and Cooking.

A new “Gulf to Table” area is planned this year in Fountain Park. It will host local restaurants and caterers who will serve tapas-style dishes of their signature recipes at reasonable prices.

Saturday, September 24 Sunday, September 25

Noon – Global Grill 11:30 a.m. – The Oar House

1 p.m. – H20 12:30 p.m. – 600 South

2 p.m. – Jackson’s 1:30 p.m. – Jaco’s

3 p.m. – The Fish House 2:30 p.m. – Elise

4 p.m. – Nancy’s Haute Affairs 3:30 p.m. – Vic and Ike’s

With more than 180 arts and crafts vendors, the Pensacola Seafood Festival is also one of the largest arts and crafts fairs in Northwest Florida. The festival will feature painters, potters, craftsmen, jewelers and even Pensacola's own grit mill, C & D. Though many vendors are local, some have traveled from all over the country to participate in this special event bringing unique pieces with them.

Local artist Diane Brim, who created the artwork for the 2011 festival, will be available to sign posters next to the gazebo in Seville Square. Diane Brim’s striking abstract paintings can best be summarized as boldly colorful and expressively free. She employs luminescent hues in her paint selection with the emphasis on spontaneity and dynamics. Posters and T-shirts showcasing her design will be sold at the official merchandise booths during the Pensacola Seafood Festival. Posters are $25 and signing times are Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 2 p.m.

If you are here with your kids, there will be plenty to keep them busy. They can visit the children's area in Bartram Park to enjoy fun-filled activities designed with them in mind. Fiesta will host the children's area in Bartram Park and will be open Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can express their artistic side with hands-on crafts including sand art and mullet painting. Activities such as a rock wall climbing and jump houses will be on-site. There will be inflatable human hamster balls, as well as free activities such as the giant parachute and a bubble tower. The famous Candy Cannon will be shooting out candy Saturday and Sunday to indulge your sweet cravings.

This year's music lineup is as follows:

Friday, September 23

5 - 6:30 p.m. The Reunion Band

7 - 9 p.m. Breakfast Club

9:30 - 11 p.m. Drivin' 'n' Cryin'

Saturday, September 24

5 - 6:30 p.m. Katie Rogers

7 - 9 p.m. Adam Holt Band

9:30 - 11 p.m. Emerson Drive

Sunday, September 25

Favorite local bands soon to be announced

Nothing beats a bright and sunny September day in Pensacola. Come enjoy the saltwater breeze mixed with the mouthwatering scent of freshly cooked seafood dancing through the air in downtown Pensacola. The Seafood Festival truly has something for everyone.

For additional information about the Pensacola Seafood Festival contact the Fiesta of Five Flags office at (850) 433-6512 or visit www.fiestaoffiveflags.org.

Escambia County Florida Home Buyer Assistance Program Process and Time Line

1. County sponsored home buyer education class is required.

2. Home buyer is APPROVED and signs contract for home.

3. Lender sends Reservation Form with contact to county.

4. With-in 5 days, home is inspected by county staff.

5. If necessary, lead based paint assessment is completed.

6. Lender sends loan package to county.

IF NO REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY......

7. County approves application package.

8. County contracted appraiser completes appraisal.

9. Home buyer meets with home buyer counselor.

10. Mortgage package e-mailed to title company.

11. Home buyer assistance check is released by county after HUD 1 is approved.

12. Closing occurs at the offices of the title company.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

HUDS List of Home Buyer Assistance Programs in the State of Florida by County

For More Information on Government Loan Programs in the State of Florida Please Visit:

Government Home Loan Programs in the State of Florida

It's Art in the Park time again in Downtown Pensacola! The event will run from May 14-15 in Seville Square, Downtown Pensacola, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. This annual event will host more than 120 national and local artists this year, as well as offering live music, art demonstrations, and children's activities. Each year, the artists' booths offer a variety of art media, from sculpture, to jewelry, painting, photography, wood carving, and so much more! This year, there will be a new art media showcased, in the street-legal 'Art Cars'- mobile works of art!

For more information, visit the Art in the Park website. Hope to see you there!

Hold onto your Santa hats! This year's Downtown Pensacola Christmas Parade will be yet another fabulous Pensacola event, with marching bands from Escambia schools, and even the Blue Angels Flight Team! The parade will begin at 5:15 p.m. on December 11th. The staging area is between Government Street and Garden Street on Spring Street, and the parade route will loop up Garden Street, heading North on Palofox to Wright Street, then looping back South down Palofox to end at Zaragoza Street. Bring your goody bags, as Downtown Pensacola Parades of the past have been known to bring lots of treats, and even beads!

After the parade, be sure to stop in at some of the Downtown Pensacola businesses and enjoy the ambiance of our lovely Downtown area.