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We begin 2022 with a concert of songs you’ll remember from popular musicals and movies -- and a few you may have forgotten! The program features excerpts from such stage classics as "Godspell," "West Side Story" "The Secret Garden," "Les Misérables," and "The Sound of Music," along with award-winning songs from films including "Beaches," "Prince of Egypt," "Working Girl," and "The Wizard of Oz." We guarantee you’ll leave the theatre humming!

Pensacola State College is having a Financial Aid Day. Sunday, February 13, from 1 until 3 pm, Building 5, Student Center. Register Now! pensacolastate.edu/fad-2022

A Whole-Body, Whole-You Experience for the Parkinson’s Community

This is your chance to empower your body and mind in interactive movement and learning sessions designed specifically for people with PD. We’ll raise our spirits with fun & functional ways to move our bodies for more flexibility, balance, and control, and we’ll hear from experts who will provide tips for enhancing overall wellbeing. You’ll leave buoyed by community and feeling refreshed.

Pensacola, Florida: Refresh!™
This is an indoor gathering.
Arrival and Exhibits - 9:30-10 am
Program - 10-12 noon

Speaker: Dr. Deborah Boland Movement Break: Susan Brogden PT, MS, DPT Plus, more to be announced!

You’re invited! Anyone impacted by a movement disorder is welcome at this FREE event. We provide these events at no charge to you because you deserve to feel empowered.

“Among the many disruptions from the pandemic were the much-needed social interactions that both Parkinson's patients and their care partners enjoy and thrive on at PMD Alliance events. These events not only supply great information, but give us the opportunity to socialize, converse, make new friends, see old friends and, hopefully, laugh a lot."

-John and Bernadette Baumann, spouses navigating PD together

*For the wellbeing of our entire community, masks and social distancing are required.

Join us on Tuesday, March 8, in the UWF Student Commons Auditorium (Bldg. 22) for an evening that combines a personal and reflective experience with an intellectual conversation around the spiritual, therapeutic and meditative uses of the labyrinth. From 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., attendees will also have the opportunity to walk a full-size canvas replica of the labyrinth at Notre Dame de Chartres (c. 1200) and experience a re-creation of that popular practice from the Middle Ages.

A reception will also be held outside on the patio from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. In addition to an expert panel discussion, the program will include performances in Gregorian chants by Isabelle Peterson and modern dance, with Swerve/dance company, directed by Lavonne French.

Labyrinth designs have been formed, inscribed and built for different purposes over millennia. Today, many turn to labyrinths as spiritual, therapeutic and/or meditative aids. In existence since prehistory, labyrinth designs gained a new meaning in classical Greece as the home of the Minotaur.

This installment of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series will explore the history, use, and benefits of the labyrinth through time. Panelists will include Isabelle Peterson, UWF music alumna and director of music ministry at Nativity of Our Lord Parish; Eric Schade, LCSW and assistant clinical professor in the UWF Department of Social Work; Lavonne French, instructor of dance at Pensacola State College and co-director of SWERVE/dance; and Dr. Marie-Thérèse Champagne, associate professor of history. Dr. Jocelyn Evans, interim director of the UWF Kugelman Honors Program, will moderate the panel.

The full-size canvas replica of that labyrinth floor, housed in the UWF Student Commons, will be open for the public to walk on Sunday, March 6 (2 p.m.- 6 p.m.); Monday, March 7 (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 8 (9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.). The public is welcome to visit, walk the labyrinth, and experience for themselves the calm and meditative atmosphere.

March 8, Experience UWF Downtown
UWF Student Commons Auditorium (Bldg. 22)
Reception (Patio) - 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Labyrinth Walk - 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Program - 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Though, seating is limited and will be offered on a first-come basis.

In advance of the event, guests are encouraged to walk the labyrinth. Walkers will be admitted to walk the labyrinth every 15 minutes, and no more than eight will be walking at the same time. The time it takes to walk the Labyrinth varies among individuals, but usually takes 15-20 minutes. No food and drink are allowed around or on the labyrinth. To walk the labyrinth prior to the event, RSVP at https://forms.gle/My4EfTKG5y6VFZe96. Thank you to the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast for their generous loan of the canvas labyrinth floor and to the students of EUH 3122, The High Middle Ages, for producing and facilitating the Labyrinth experience at UWF.

About the Series:
The Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series is presented and sponsored by the UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and UWF Equity & Diversity. It is also funded in part, by the John C. Pace Symposium Series.


A well-fitted face covering should be worn in all shared indoor spaces. Face coverings are not required, however, the University, as well as the CDC, highly recommends the use of face coverings indoors.

For more information or questions, contact casshcommunications@uwf.edu or 850.474.3340.

Local business leaders and representatives are invited to attend the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program's Business Partnership Kickoff event!


The Estuary Program is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to help protect the things you love most about living, visiting, working, and playing here. We are working to restore and protect the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Watersheds through restoration, education, and unbiased monitoring of the health of our estuaries.

Learn about how PPBEP is working to improve the health of our waters while improving the quality of life of our community, and why we need your help to make it a reality.

5:30 | Social & hors d'oeuvres
6:00 | Welcome and Keynote Speakers
Mayor Grover Robinson and Donnie McMahon highlight the importance of a healthy bat to our local economy
6:20 | Estuary Program Overview 6:40 | What does a healthy bay mean to you?

Drink tickets sponsored by WRA
The mission of our Business Partnership Committee is to:
• Educate business leaders on the health of our waterways
• Leverage financial and in-kind private donations to implement transformational projects
• Inform decision making based on science and community values
• Catalyze actions that improve the health of our waters and quality of life
• Support all business sectors that rely on a healthy environment by balancing economy and environment

We hope you can join us as we work to create a healthy and sustainable environment, economy, and community!

Each Saturday morning Ocean Hour volunteers are doing a one hour cleanup. All cleanup equipment is provided for our volunteers.

PTK to bring Chaddah Dance Company’s ‘Encounters of Hope’ to WSRE Feb. 5 event will raise money for scholarships for human trafficking survivors

By Troy Moon
Pensacola State College
Pensacola State’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter Theta Chi undertook human trafficking as a service project in 2019 and started the PTK Transformation Through Education Scholarship to help human trafficking survivors attend College.
Pensacola dance group Chaddah Dance Company tours nationally with a dance performance, “Encounters of Hope,” which is inspired by and tells the story of human trafficking survivors.


So, a collaboration between the groups – PSC’s PTK chapter and Chaddah Dance Company – seems a perfect fit to do good.
The Chaddah Dance Company will perform “Encounters of Hope” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Jean and Paul Amos Studio. The performance is a fundraiser for the PTK Transformation Through Education Scholarship which is administered by the Pensacola State College Foundation.


Tickets are $14 and can be purchased online at www.eventbrite.com/e/encounters-of-hope-tickets-245849882617.


According to the Chaddah website, the “Encounters of Hope” production “tells the true stories of human trafficking victims through powerful imagery and dance.” “When our students began researching human trafficking, they learned that Florida is top spot in the nation for human trafficking,’’ said PTK Theta Chi chapter adviser Jeff Wooters. “The students wanted to do something to help, even though it’s such a massive problem.”


PTK members Sebastian Gordon and Eleni Ayoub were the students who helped coordinate and facilitate the performance.
Ayoub had previously seen the production and had forged a relationship with Chaddah Dance Company founder, Amy Jo Pernie.


Pernie established the Chaddah Dance in 1997 and was inspired to produce a dance piece to bring awareness to human trafficking after a visit to India in 2006. That piece is “Encounters of Hope” which Chaddah Dance Company performs across the nation. The group will perform in Las Vegas, one of the worst cities in the country for human trafficking, on Feb. 12 and in Saginaw, Michigan, later in February.
The “Encounters of Hope” production features 16 dancers who pay all their own fees, including travel and lodging fees.


“These are young people who raise all of their own support to do this touring,’’ Pernie said. “They all have the same heart.”

There will be information on human trafficking distributed in the lobby.

Celebrate Black History Month with a special planetarium event! We'll travel the cosmos to learn more about the ancient Kush people, exactly what the Kenyan Borana Star Calendar was, and identify the Swahili names for the planets. You'll get to hear African folklore stories and even discover how enslaved African Americans were able to follow the stars to freedom in the north.

Shows begin at 6 and 7 p.m. All shows last approximately 45 minutes. Our Planetarium is an inflatable dome. Guests sit on cushions on the floor of the planetarium to view the show. Space is limited, so purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended for this reason. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled showing. In case of no-shows/late shows: reserved spots will be released at show time to make space for the next party.

Seating is limited and very popular. We encourage purchasing your tickets in advance, as this is a first come, first served event. Please call 850-664-1261, stop by the Science Center, or use our online ticketing option to purchase your tickets. Sponsored by Gulf Power

Spring Break fun for the whole family! Check out hands-on activities, Creature Features, sciPad, and more March 16-18 and March 21-25.

We're open from 10 am. to 3 p.m. each day. All activities included with general admission pricing. Check out our full schedule at ecscience.org/events

EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY CONCLUDES 9TH SEASON WITH ‘XANADU: THE MUSICAL’
Roller skating musical fantasy adventure runs 10 performances May 13-22

Miramar Beach, Fla. (April 28, 2022) — Get ready to roll with it! Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) continues its 9th mainstage season with its most ambitious production yet — “Xanadu: The Musical.”

The show opens Thursday, May 13, and runs two weekends through Sunday, May 22. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. with 2:30 p.m. matinees on Thursday, May 19 and Sunday May 15 and 21.

Slap on your roller skates, pump up the glitter, and get hip to the muses in “Xanadu,” the laugh-out-loud musical stage adaptation of the 1980 film. “Xanadu” follows Clio, the lovely and precocious Greek muse who decides to put on some roller skates, legwarmers, and an Australian accent in order to help Sonny Malone, a chalk artist with half a brain and a heart of gold, rediscover his creativity. With both help and hindrance from the other muses — and from a clarinetist-turned-real estate mogul named Danny Maguire — Sonny and Clio work to rebuild their “apex of the arts” — a roller disco.

More than a dozen pop songs from this ‘80s cult classic round out the soundtrack including “Xanadu,” “I’m Alive,” “Dancin’, “Have You Never Been Mellow” and more.

“We invite everyone to forget their troubles and join us for this hilarious roller-skating musical adventure filled with ‘80s pop rock music,” says ECTC producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher. “We are thrilled to cap our season with such a fun and funny show.”

This production is directed by Nathanael Fisher. Vincent Pelligrino is musical director and choreographer. Lighting and set design are by Rebeca Lake. Costume design is by Kristen Taylor. Sound design and stage management is by Phillip Padgett, assisted by Madi Fann.

The cast features both new and faces familiar to the ECTC stage.