Groups

The Seaside Institute, a center for learning and discovery, presents several workshops at the Seaside Academic Village January through April, 2016. Locals and visitors are invited to participate in workshops instructed by masters in their respective fields such as writing, art, design and health. Registration is open now at the Seaside Institute with limited space for each workshop as well as accommodation/lodging at the Village.      

Bah Humbug! Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) will present the second annual performance of the holiday classic A Dickens Christmas at various venues along Northwest Florida’s Gulf coast throughout the month of December. Experience a unique adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol in this up close and intimate setting. Three talented professional actors seamlessly change from character to character as they bring to life the tale of Scrooge and his transformational night with three ghosts.

Shelter House will host a unique twilight run designed to shine the light on abuse in our community. The 5th Annual Luminaria Run to End Domestic & Sexual Violence will take place on Saturday, December 5 at 4:30 pm. Runners will start at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Destin and follow a course lined with more than 2,000 luminarias lighting their path.
 

The Seaside REP Theatre's six year smash hit Every Christmas Story Ever Told... And Then Some returns with all of your favorite beloved holiday classics crammed into a night full of high-energy jolly, frivolity, and hilarity. Four REP actors, armed with a bazillion props and costumes, send up everything from Charles Dickens to Dr. Seuss, Jimmy Stewart to Chewbacca in this ever-evolving REP holiday favorite. It’s the perfect way to get ready for the season and share some holiday cheer!

This year’s sea turtle nesting season has come and gone with 84 total nests recorded in Walton County. With the help of 80 or so South Walton Turtle Watch (SWTW) volunteers, thousands of tiny hatchlings crawled out of their cozy dune nests and headed out to sea.

South Walton Sea turtles face long odds for survival. Females that survive will return about 25 years from now to lay their own eggs on the same stretch of beach where they hatched, as they have been doing for 65 million years.

Take a tour of the newly renovated Coastal Living 2015 Idea Cottage on Forest Street in Old Seagrove. Public tours will continue through Thanksgiving weekend. You'll love the modern updates blended with beachy tones and eclectic touches throughout this 1980s Florida bungalow.

Congratulations to the design team working around the clock over the summer preparing for the the Coastal Living Magazine Idea Cottage now featured in the Dec/Jan issue.

It's a festive time of year in SoWal! Grand Boulevard’s sixth annual Festival of Trees will showcase 12 uniquely decorated Christmas trees from area non-profit organizations, Nov. 24 – Dec. 25 in Grand Park. Everyone's invited to join the fun and vote for their favorite tree! The winning charity will take home $2500 in prize money to help fulfill their mission.            

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County announces that Tom Lynch, one of the nation’s premier watercolorists, will lead a four-day watercolor workshop, February 23 – 26, 2016, at the Bayou Arts Center in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
 
Lynch has written seven books, hosted an award-winning PBS TV Art Series and was recently listed as one of the  nation’s top 20 teachers by American Artist Magazine. He is currently featured on the new cable TV channel Visual Arts Network (VAN) and on the leading internet art education site ArtAcademyLive.com.
 

Celebrate in the SoWal town of Seaside during the 25th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival, Nov. 5-8, 2015, benefiting children in need in Northwest Florida. Aged like a good Bordeaux, the Seeing Red Wine Festival is produced in partnership with the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF).

Chris Crowley, author of Younger Next Year and Thinner Next Year, will be in Seaside November 21 and 22 to kick off the Seaside Institute Aging in Place program. A book signing, lecture, bike tour and reception are planned. Don't miss this chance to learn about the best way to approach the "Next Third" of your life.