Nancy Crouch wins First Place, First Flight at the United States Croquet Association (USCA) 6-Wicket Nationals
Tournament in West Palm Beach in October (pictured with David Isaacs and Rich Curtis, Tournament Director.
Grand Haven croquet players continue to triumph in competitions in the Southeast
Region in September and October. From sanctioned tournaments hosted in Bald
Head Island, North Carolina, to Ponte Vedra, FL, and West Palm Beach, FL, Grand
Haven competitors bring home awards.
Cover Photo: Nancy Crouch wins First Place, First Flight at the United States Croquet Association (USCA) 6-Wicket Nationals
Tournament in West Palm Beach in October (pictured with David Isaacs and Rich Curtis, Tournament Director.
Nancy Crouch and Mijai Pagano, First Place, First
Flight in Doubles play at the United States Croquet
Association (USCA) 6-Wicket Nationals Tournament
in West Palm Beach in October (pictured with
David Isaacs, USCA, and Rich Curtis, Tournament
Director)
Kathy Gamble, First Place; First Flight in Bald Head Island, NC
Golf Croquet Open Championship (pictured with Jeff Soo,
Tournament Director and Croquet Club Pro)
NEFCC American Rules Tournament at The Ponte Vedra
Croquet Club in September: Marsha Cargill representing
Grand Haven (2nd Place championship flight singles
(pictured with Denys Miller)
Patti Paukovich, NEFCC (Northeast FL Croquet
Club) Fall Golf Croquet Open, First Place Doubles
Bowl Finalist in Ponte Vedra (pictured with Todd
Russell)
Flagler County, November 1, 2021 – Flagler County Fire Rescue hosted a traditional ‘push in’ ceremony on October 29 at Station 62 located in Bunnell.
A traditional “push in” ceremony consists of pushing a new apparatus into the fire station bay to bring it into service and ready to run calls.
“In the fire service, we try to stick with tradition to preserve the past, said Fire Chief Michael Tucker. “Fire service was built around horse and carriage and back in the day they would come back from a call and the crews would push the apparatus back into the bay by hand.”
The new rescue, housed at Station 62 cost $224,485., purchased from Ten-8 Fire and Safety. It is a 2021 Ford F450 gas powered Braun Chief XL Ambulance with state of-the-art features.
Battalion Chief Brady Berry, Lt. Clay Merritt, Lt. Dylan Pontorno, Lt. Jon Moscowitz, Kyle Lockwood, Jason Feldman, and Jonathan Kaye were on the Apparatus Committee. The final inspection of the rescue was performed at Braun’s Factory in Ohio, along with Flagler County’s Fleet Manager Chet Lagana and Firefighter Kyle Lockwood.
Commissioner Andy Dance, Commissioner Greg Hansen, and City of Bunnell Manager Alvin Jackson, were in attendance alongside many Fire Rescue staff and Fire Chief Michael Tucker. “It was a pleasure to help design the ambulance that will aid in safely delivering emergency medical care to the citizens of Flagler County,” said Firefighter Kyle Lockwood.
This tradition is symbolic to the fire service. “When we get a new apparatus, we honor traditions like this and all come together to push our new rescue into service”, said Tucker.
Media Release: Flagler County. Julie Murphy, MPIO, Lacy Martin, Media Marketing Manager
The Daytona State College Foundation is pleased to announce that Plantation Bay Club de Bonmont, located at 100 Plantation Bay Drive, Ormond Beach, will host a fundraiser on Friday, November 12, 2021. The event will include live entertainment, drinks, and dinner.
“With the generous support of Flagler County Insurance Agency, Total Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, and ICI Homes, a new Plantation Bay Scholarship Fund will be established to benefit students attending Daytona State College,” said Tim Norton, Executive Director of the Daytona State College Foundation. “Students eligible for the Plantation Bay Scholarship will include employees of Plantation Bay as well as persons living in Plantation Bay.”
Renowned Nashville songwriters and musical performers Thomas Miller and Tim Nichols will entertain guests starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner will feature a duet entrée of Sliced Filet Mignon and Chicken Piccata.
Known for songs they’ve written for country music’s biggest stars, Miller and Nichols have more than 12 #1 hits to their credit and multiple other Billboard-charted hits including; You’re Gonna Miss This, made famous by Trace Adkins, It Ain’t My Fault, made famous by Brothers Osborne, Cowboys and Angels, made famous by Dustin Lynch, Live Like You Were Dyin’ and Southern Girl, made famous by Tim McGraw, Whiskey and You (Earned a Grammy nomination!), made famous by Chris Stapleton, and many more.
Tickets are available for $100 per person and may be purchased via Daytona State’s secure online ticket portal at www.DaytonaStateFoundation.org, by calling (386) 506-3407.
Palm Coast – The Palm Coast City Council meets regularly to discuss and vote on official City business. These meetings are open to the public and Palm Coast residents are strongly encouraged to attend. An increase in public engagement helps to build a stronger sense of community, increases valuable discussions, and decreases division.
A business meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Details of the items on the agenda are listed below.
The Palm Coast City Council will read a proclamation commemorating 20 years of the Palm Coast Fire Department putting on the Hall of Terror event at Fire Station 21. The Fire Department career staff, volunteers and families have been scaring thousands of residents and visitors, ages 12 and up, creating one the most premiere Haunted Houses in Florida.
The Palm Coast City Council will recognize November as Diabetes Awareness Month and November 14 as World Diabetes Day. The Proclamation will be received by the Advent Health Foundation of Palm Coast.
The Palm Coast City Council will recognize November as Veteran Appreciation Month.
The Planning Division will present an ordinance amending the future land use map designation for 37.7 acres of property from mixed use and undesignated to residential and adding a site specific policy to limit development on the subject property to 3 dwelling units per acre for Seminole Palms. The proposed amendment was reviewed and found to be consistent with the comprehensive plan policies.
The Planning Division will present an ordinance amending the zoning map designation for 239.6 acres of property from single-family residential and general commercial to master planned development for Seminole Palms. The PLDRB held a public hearing on September 15, 2021 to review and hear public comments on the application. There were no comments from the public and the PLDRB unanimously recommended approval of the application.
The Planning Division will present an ordinance to amend the Future Land Use Map Designation for 70.2 +/- acres from mixed use to residential and adding a site-specific policy to limit development on the subject property known as Seminole Trails, located 2.5 miles south of State Road 100 on the eastside of Seminole Woods Blvd. The Planning and Land Development Regulation Board voted to approve the proposed amendment.
The Planning Division will present an ordinance to amend the Zoning Map Designation for 70.2 +/- acres from master planned development to single family residential, known as Seminole Trails. The Planning and Land Development Regulation Board determined the proposed rezoning was consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
The Planning Division will present an ordinance regarding the rezoning Grand Landings North application. JTL Grand Landings Development, LLC is proposing to rezone vacant land with a borrow pit located about one mile east of Belle Terre Boulevard and extending north from the existing terminus of Citation Boulevard to the southern boundary of the Flagler County Airport from the Industrial and Planned Unit Development Zoning Districts to the Single-Family Residential Zoning District.
The City Clerk will read an ordinance to appoint 3 regular board members and one alternate to the code enforcement board. The terms of two regular Code Board Members and one alternate expired in September 2021. In addition to the expired regular term seats, the late Jon Netts held a regular seat that will expire September 2023. This agenda item is to appoint three (3) members to the board and to appoint one (1) alternate to the board.
The following items will be presented as consent items for approval:
o Work order with CPH Inc. for engineering services for the design and construction of the sludge dewatering system project.
o Purchase and sale with MPC Lots Inc. for the donation of land for Stormwater maintenance.
o Purchase of materials, equipment, consulting services and other expenses for wireless network upgrade.
o Approving transfer of funds related to faster fleet management software implementation.
Public Comments will be opened at the beginning and end of the business meeting in accordance with Section 286.0114 Florida Statutes and pursuant to the City Council’s Meeting Policies and Procedures. Each speaker will approach the podium, provide his/her name and may speak for up to 3 minutes.
Meetings of the Palm Coast City Council typically occur three times per month. A 6 p.m. business meeting on the first Tuesday of the month, a 9 a.m. workshop meeting on the second Tuesday of the month, and a 9 a.m. business meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. All meetings take place in the Community Wing at City Hall at 160 Lake Avenue in Palm Coast.
Business meetings and workshops are open to the public. Business meetings are streamed live on the City’s YouTube channel. Workshops are live streamed by audio only at on the City’s website.
Meeting agendas for all public meetings are posted in advance of each meeting on the City’s website. All agendas can be viewed here.
If you wish to obtain more information regarding the City Council’s agenda, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 386-986-3713. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing assistance to participate in any of these proceedings should contact the City Clerk at 386-986-3713, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Bunnell, FL – For the week ended November 5, the Florida Department of Health in Flagler County (DOH-Flagler) will continue offering COVID-19 testing across from 120 Airport Road near the Flagler Executive Airport. The department is also offering drive-through Moderna booster vaccinations (3rd doses) Tuesday and Thursday mornings BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 386-437-7350 ext. 0, weekdays between 8AM and 4:30PM.
The schedule follows:
Saturday, Oct. 30 CLOSED
Sunday, Oct. 31 CLOSED
Monday, Nov. 1 8AM to 10AM Testing — Airport Road
3:30PM to 6PM Pfizer Vaccinations & boosters – 301 Dr. Carter Blvd.
Tuesday, Nov. 2 8AM to 10AM Moderna boosters/3rd doses ONLY – Airport Road
Wednesday, Nov. 3 8AM to 10AM Testing — Airport Road
Thursday, Nov. 4 8AM to 10AM Moderna boosters/3rd doses ONLY – Airport Road
Friday, Nov. 5 8AM to 10AM Testing — Airport Road
Saturday, Nov. 6 CLOSED
Local pharmacies like ONE Pharmacy, Grace Community Pharmacy, CVS, Walgreens, Winn-Dixie, Publix and Walmart also carry vaccines.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccination and testing locally, please visit flagler.floridahealth.gov.
About the Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
For information about the local health department, go to flagler.floridahealth.gov, call 386-437-7350, or visit 301 Dr. Carter Blvd. in Bunnell. You can also listen to our weekly talk radio show “Flagler Health Matters,” Saturdays at 11:30AM, airing on WNZF News Radio 94.9FM or streaming at https://www.flaglerbroadcasting.com/wnzf
Media Release: Gretchen Smith
Communications Manager & Public Information Officer
Host, “Flagler Health Matters” on WNZF News Radio 94.9FM
People like Jay Scherr make confidence in the board room or in front of a crowd look easy, and as a business consultant, it comes with the territory. In addition to a thriving consulting business, he’s created a successful podcast that’s reaching across the nation. As this week’s The Big Five guest, Jay shares a few tips and insight into how he stays motivated on a Monday morning.
Tell readers a bit about yourself.
Jay Scherr is the owner of Jay Scherr Business Consulting. He’s a coach, consultant, advisor, speaker, mentor, and podcast host. Known as the Better Business Builder, Scherr provides entrepreneurs and small business owners the tools, strategies, coaching, and accountability they need to realize their full potential and achieve the results and success they deserve.
Prior to starting his own business in 2017, Scherr had a successful 30-year corporate career. He is actively involved in a number of business and civic organizations, including Rotary and serving on the board of the Flagler Auditorium Performing Arts Center and the Palm Coast Business Professionals Network.
How did you get into the field of business coaching?
I’ve been a student of business and business success for as long as I can remember. I worked with and helped so many businesses during my corporate career and decided it was time to take my knowledge, experience, and ability to connect with and coach others and start my own business.
Your podcast Business Minds Coffee Chat has really taken off. What’s going on with it?
I’m grateful and truly blessed with the success of the podcast. I started it as a way to give back and share insights, help to inspire and lift others, and provide value. My goal has always been to go above and beyond and deliver an exceptional experience for the guest and the listeners.
I’ve learned a great deal since the first episode and have had my share of missteps. But with each one I’ve received valuable lessons that have allowed me to improve, grow, and deliver a podcast that attracts well-known guests, sponsors, and is resonating with a growing audience.
How does the national exposure allow you to help additional professionals become their best selves?
The podcast has exposed me and the work I do to a much broader and diverse audience. I’ve been fortunate to have guests refer me for coaching and speaking, as well as listeners reach out for help. I’ve also been a guest on other podcasts which provides me the opportunity to serve an entirely different audience. It’s also helped me raise my game and think bigger by being around people who are changing the world and accomplishing extraordinary things.
You post an inspirational quote daily from the gym. How is consistency a key factor in success and how do you come up with your daily quote?
Consistency is a key component for success in life and business. Consistency builds trust, accountability, relevance, discipline, self-confidence, momentum, and more. Consistency is a reflection of our habits and behaviors and is foundational to becoming our best.
The daily posts are an extension of who I am and who I’m becoming. They’re lessons I’ve learned, or am learning, and want to be reminded of. They’re as much for me as they are for the reader. We get to decide how we want to show up and live our lives and this is my way of owning my stuff and holding myself accountable to higher standards.
Driving though the Flagler Executive Airport’s complex over the past month, you may have noticed something different – a beautiful field of pink pinwheels spinning in the breeze. If not, today’s the day to stop in and see what it’s all about, as Sunday closes out Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Making It Happen
Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ is life changing.
High Jackers restaurant wait staff Mo Noble’s sister Sandy Cook learned she had breast cancer nearly two decades ago, but it was a moment the two women have never forgotten.
Supporting annual fundraisers to battle breast cancer, Noble wanted to continue supporting a cause that hits so close to home for her, and asked the team at High Jackers Restaurant if they’d be open to creating a local fundraiser.
“I always donated $50 or $100, whatever I could afford because my sister is a survivor of breast cancer,” said Noble.
Offering their support, Noble, with the help of her family, created the Pink Positive garden for the month of October in honor of her sister, a 17-year breast cancer survivor and others who’ve battled the deadly disease.
“This year because of COVID I asked if we were doing anything this year and they couldn’t, so I said, what if I took my $100 and bought 100 pinwheels, and we could ask for a $5 donation for each. They’re very supportive, so (general manager) Lisa Setien jumps in, goes and buys flamingos and signs for it and it turned into an impromptu breast cancer fundraiser,” shared Noble excitedly.
A fun, pink airplane overlooks the pink garden, created by Noble’s son-in-law Thomas Menendez at a birthday party.
Mo Noble, John Subers and Amaya Setien at High Jackers Restaurant.
“He said you draw it, and I’ll cut it,” she said, later enlisting the help of her grandkids and neighbors to paint the constructed airplane in line with the restaurant’s longstanding tag line – “Save the Twins”.
“He cut it out, we painted it. ‘Save the Twins’ has been the motto of High Jackers for all the years they’ve been here for the airplanes, and now for breast cancer.”
Family – Not Just Related by Blood
The history between Noble and High Jackers goes back. Way back.
Noble was one of the first employees hired by manager Lisa Setien when they opened 20 years ago, and being part of Palm Coast Data’s downsizing after 19 years with the company, was rehired by Lisa’s daughter Amaya Setien in the summer of 2021.
Returning to High Jackers has been like coming home to family. Noble recalls watching Amaya doing homework in the restaurant as a little girl many years ago, and that warm, family atmosphere still exists today.
“We’re very family-oriented. It’s the biggest thing. The community means a lot to us in Flagler County,” said Amaya, who was happy to welcome Mo back to the High Jackers family.
“I grew up here my whole life. My mom’s always been involved with the community and charity and she looks at everybody like you’re her family. She’s always there to help and solve and be there for anybody, in house with staff or out it the community. She’s got a big heart,” she said.
A willingness to go above and beyond was not lost on Noble.
“I have to say that Lisa and the owners of this place, to let me go ahead and set up, even to suggest this, and spend money they didn’t even really have to go and help me on this mission, and everybody get involved is really amazing. It’s a great place to work. They spend more time giving back than any company I’ve ever worked for,” said Noble.
Driving up each day to work, Noble is reminded of her sister’s journey to recovery and how support from the community can make an impact on a person’s life going through a cancer diagnosis.
“It’s cool. It’s just an impressive, overwhelming moment and the one pinwheel that’s in the flower garden, that’s my sister’s. It has her name on it, she’s my survivor,” shared Mo.
The Bigger Picture: Saving Lives In Flagler County
Sharing the story behind Mo’s drive to raise money for breast cancer, and the High Jackers family’s support for each other and the community, it was a heartfelt moment as they met with John Subers, director of the AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation, to share news about the fundraiser which had netted $750 as of Tuesday October 26th, and reached $1,030 as of today.
Amaya Setien & Mo Noble have a goal of $3,000.
“We’re here celebrating High Jackers and their effort for our Pink Army and breast cancer. Seeing these pinwheels out here, there’s got to be 100 of them, that have been donations from community members remembering somebody touched by breast cancer, what a tribute,” said Subers, who champions the Pink Army breast cancer awareness programs across Flagler County each October for AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation.
“Over the years we distributed over $150,000 and covered over 700 procedures (through the Pink Army efforts), so it really has been dramatic,” he said.
“We know we have saved lives in Flagler County through our Pink Army education and fundraising efforts. Mo is wonderful. This was her idea, High Jackers let her run with it, and look at the blossoming. It was one person, raising money, making a difference, and that difference will help many.”
Thank you to survivor Sandy Cook for sharing her testimonial.
Palm Coast, FL – On Thursday, October 28, 2021, Kim Medley, a long-serving member of American Association of University Women (AAUW) Flagler County Branch, stopped by the main branch of the Flagler County Public Library to present Holley Albanese, Director, with two books which add to the history of Woman’s Suffrage.
The first, A Vote for Women: Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the 19th Amendment, is a tribute compiled by the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative (WVCI) and the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA). It was sent to members of the many organizations who diligently worked to bring about awareness for the Centennial of the 19th Amendment. Kim decided to donate the book she received so the legacy of the Woman Suffrage Movement could be passed on to generations of Flagler girls and women. The second book, Suffrage, Women & Untold Stories, is the culmination of research which began more than three years ago and Ms. Medley’s first published book.
In August of 2018, Kim presented a simple idea to the AAUW Flagler Board, one which she believed would garner publicity for the branch. She wanted to identify the first woman from Flagler County to register and vote in the November 2, 1920 General Election. The search for that woman led to revamping a skit, originally written by Muriel Levy who passed away this month, performing the skit throughout 2019 and 2020, meeting with and filming interviews with the descendants of many of Flagler’s women listed by The Flagler Tribune as qualified and registered to vote for the 1920 General Election, obtaining a grant from AAUW to film Echoes a Suffrage, and achieving local, state, and national recognition for Mrs. Alice Scott Abbott, a local Suffragist from Bunnell.
Kim’s book chronicles how she approached finding answers to many questions, how the branch organized to promote 100 years of women voting, and how a long-forgotten Bunnell church from 1916 will offer many in Flagler County the chance to explore the Woman Suffrage Movement as it marched across the country, came to Florida, and wound its way to Flagler. Writing has provided Ms. Medley with the opportunity to step away from her Publicity/Social media duties with AAUW Flagler and focus on additional research. Suffrage, Women & Untold Stories is available in print and Kindle format through Amazon, and now, thanks to a donation and a chance to give back to her community, it is available at the local library.
More than 100 independent acts featured on 18 stages held throughout the historic downtown district of DeLand. Rock, folk, blues, Americana, jazz, country, metal and more! More than 30 art displays and various vendors. A monumental celebration of the creativity of music & art! Organized by the Songwriters Showcases of America.
We all have that Halloween horror story – the one memory of a place or event that gives us the creeps even to this day.
Pulling together the scariest themes in Halloween history, Palm Coast’s friendliest firefighters have transformed Station #21 into the Hall of Terror for a 20th anniversary spooktacular.
Fright Night – Best Years Ever
Palm Coast firefighter Lt. Dan Driscoll can tell you his favorite year. It lines up with one of his personal hobbies – reading, and gave him insight into designing what has been his all-time favorite Hall of Terror over the past 20 years.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and City Councilman Victor Barbosa listen to the requirement to open the gate of the Hall of Terror – a human sacrifice, from Lt. Dan Driscoll during the behind the scenes tour on Thursday at Palm Coast Fire Station #21.
“I started helping out with the show in 2012. I always keep ideas in my head, see what works, what doesn’t work, get feedback from the citizens,” he said, incorporating an overall theme for each year’s show when he took over as the production’s lead eight years ago.
“My favorite year was definitely the Stephen King year. I read a lot of his books and we spent a lot of time, we rebuilt a car inside of one of the rooms like the car Christine which would come on and the horn would blink. All the rooms were different Stephen King stories. The synergy was impressive that year and it was so completely good,” he said enthusiastically.
“This year is an all new layout that nobody’s seen yet. This year we have six rooms but we have some surprises in there that aren’t following the usual format. Because it’s our 20th anniversary I wanted it to be retrospective. We’re calling it ‘All Halls Break Loose’, so all halls of the past will combine into one big show.”
Since taking over of the Hall of Terror from his predecessor Lt. Rich Cline, it’s been a labor of love that he and fellow firefighters look forward to each year.
“The very first idea for this took place in Chief Forte’s front yard,” shared Driscoll. “The event started over 20 years ago as a way for the kids to have a safe place to come trick-or-treating. The guys at the station said ‘why don’t we do a haunted house’, and so now it’s evolved into as close as we can do to a theme park caliber haunted house, but for free.”
Watching preparation for the 20th anniversary Hall of Terror, Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte was reminded of the event’s modest beginnings.
“We started off with a coffin and some air machines, some compressors and things, and maybe got 50 kids,” said Forte. “The next year we got more kids to come. The following year we started putting lines out and the kids started coming to the station and we started expanding it out. By 2003-2004 it got enormous. We were seeing 2,000 kids a weekend, and then we started seeing 2,000 kids a night.”
Palm Coast Fire Department Lt. Dan Driscoll, Palm Coast City Councilman Victor Barbosa, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, Cpt. Kyle Berryhill, Lt. Rich Cline, Fire Chief Jerry Forte and Lt. Patrick Juliano. Photo/City of Palm Coast.
With just two more years left before retirement, Lt. Rich Cline knew he needed to start preparing for someone to step into his shoes as the wizard behind the curtain of Palm Coast’s scariest family-friendly Halloween activity, and Driscoll proved to have what it takes.
“I started this with Captain Forte who is now Fire Chief Forte in 2001 and we felt that year 13 as I’m retiring and starting to move my way towards the door we needed to have an heir apparent. Many people talked and contrived and decided Dan was going to be the one to take over as his mind is almost as warped as mine,” Cline said with good humor.
Zombies in Palm Coast. Photo/Lt. Patrick Juliano
Recalling his favorite year, Cline says they went all in with Halloween Horror Nights-worthy sets and scares.
“It was the zombies. We had a green screen with TV news going on outside that a local production company shot for us with Chief Forte as the newscaster, and we had areas of Palm Coast in each room. There was Holland Park, there was Publix, there was City Hall, and the zombies were overrunning them,” he said, taking it back to 2014 or 15.
“That was crazy. It was a good year. We had a couple of professional makeup artists who came and did all the zombie makeup. It was insane.”
It’s a team effort at the firehouse to get everything ready, and as Cline oversees the mechanics behind the curtain, he’s literally like the Wizard of Oz, ensuring the lights and sounds have visitors howling in fright.
“We have emergency exits we can take you out of if we have to and it has happened a few times,” said Cline, sharing a blast from the past.
Hall of Terror/Photo: Lt. Patrick Juliano
“I remember one year when we were in the old Station 21 where Kohl’s is now, they gave us the building, this one was already open, and the construction company gave us the building through the end of October so we could do the last Hall of Terror in there. We had the ability to cut out walls and do what we needed inside. We scared this one woman to the point she went out the back door and I don’t think she’s stopped running yet. She was screaming, she ran across Belle Terre Parkway into the Albertson’s parking lot and I lost sight of her. When people scream and cry, that means I did my job that year.”
Patrick Juliano, a lieutenant with the Palm Coast fire department remembers his favorite year, way back in the early years of his service.
“I started back in 2006, and if you remember the old WWF Paul Bearer, that’s what I used to set up. My background before I became a firefighter is I worked in the funeral homes, so part of that was how I had an old fashioned toe pincher type coffin with the smoke machines underneath and the funeral parlor set up,” he said.
Patrick Juliano/Paul Bearer
It takes crackerjack timing to pull it all off each year, but it’s worth it, according to Juliano.
“It’s a lot of anxiety to get it set up and perfect, but as you start going through and you hear the screams, it just pumps you up a little more because you know you’re doing your job right. What’s exciting is when you start hearing them yell ‘no, no, no, I don’t want to go’ that’s what really makes it fun. My family’s come through, and my mom will not come through. They got her good one year but it’s so much fun.”
The best year for him harkens back to a family memory.
“My favorite year was 2008. It was the last year we did it at our old fire station,” shared Juliano. “That year we transformed the entire fire station before they tore it down into the haunted house and that was my favorite year. My dad and I built this big tomb that we had and somebody popped out of it. It was so cool.”
Promising to deliver a fright night Palm Coasters won’t forget, the production team took media and dignitaries on a behind-the-scenes tour before opening night to get a look at the grizzly scenes awaiting visitors.
Palm Coast Fire Chief Jerry Forte gets a kick out of watching dignitaries tour this years Hall of Terror, behind the scenes on Thursday. Photo/Danielle Anderson
From the required human sacrifice to enter the Hall of Terror, to the Chop Shop, The Ring-themed room, a visit from Jason Voorhees and a mystery room featuring only a drain in the floor that kept team members tight lipped on the surprise, it’s free fun that won’t scare the pocketbook.
“It’s amazing. Lt. Driscoll is the creative genius behind all of this. He comes up with some awesome ideas and how to put this all together. It’s just a great thing, especially that the community loves stuff like this. It’s the only free haunted house in northeast Florida and I can’t think of any other fire department in the state or country that does something like this, so we’re excited,” said Juliano.
Getting the behind the scenes tour, Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin was thrilled by the walk thru while learning more about the history behind the Hall of Terror.
“These events are the glue that bring our community together. People have been home, in their own homes. They need to get out, say hello to your neighbor and come out to an event. Bring your kids and say hello to the village – and it’s free.”
