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Flagler Seniors Get Extra Love for Valentine’s Day

February 1, 2021

Flagler County, FL – What does it take to be an amazing kid in Flagler County? Terri Stewart says her 13-year old granddaughter Kayla Hatcher definitely qualifies.

Not only did Kayla pick up a Presidential Award for a recycling club project implemented at her school last year while attending Belle Terre Elementary, the seventh-grader recently decided that seniors in Flagler County were due for a little love with the approaching holiday.

Enlisting the help of her grandmother, Kayla set about hand-making more than 200 Valentine’s Day cards for seniors in the nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the county.

“She inspires me and I’m supportive of anything she wants to do,” said Stewart.

“I started just helping her do them and pretty soon (we knew) it was going to be huge because she had to make 219 of them,” she recounted thinking of the handwritten cards. “She even put Valentine jokes in them, so it was really adorable.”

The labor of love took about 36 hours, but Kayla says it was worth the work.

“I think just bringing joy to other people brings joy to myself. Honestly it’s a fun experience to do because it just makes you feel happy inside, and seeing other people smile and when family is proud of you, it just makes you feel good.”

The pair set out February 1st to deliver the bundles of pink cards to the facilities, delighting activities directors like Dawn Waller at Sabal Palms, who says the cards will add a little something extra to the festivities planned for February 14th.

“We have a large event planned for Valentine’s Day, an ice cream sundae and banana split event sponsored by Coldwell Banker Realtors, so these will go with that. Valentine’s Day here is going to be a very special day,” said Waller.

With limited accessibility over the past year, Waller said things like the cards from the community are treasured by the elderly.

“Anytime somebody does something for a senior whether it’s during the time of a pandemic or just a regular time, it’s always so appreciated,” she said.

“So many times they’re forgotten or families live far away, so just a little token that’s it’s Valentine’s Day, that sparks all those memories of Valentines for years. It’s so important to stimulate their memory, them, everyday and this is what does it.”

As for what comes next, Kayla is already helping a homeless gentleman who lives nearby, providing him and his canine with food, under the watchful eye of her mom, and plans to create soldier care packages as her next big project.

“We’re going to put all the essentials needed like soaps, hygiene supplies, blankets, little things that they can use,” she said of the soldier care packages.

Kayla credits her grandmother for inspiring her to help others, and hopes others will be inspired as well.

“I do want to make a change in the world,” said Kayla. “During this negative time, by adding just a little bit of positivity it can help change a lot of people and those people can pay it forward to other people.”

Kayla will be featured on Flagler County Broadcasting LLC
stations February 15-28, 2021 as a Coastal Cloud Amazing Kid!

Honey Baked Ham Company Celebrates with Official Ribbon Cutting

Danielle Anderson

January 29, 2021

HBC1 — Honey Baked Ham Company co-owner Barry Peckham does the honors at the official ribbon cutting for their Palm Coast location, on Friday, January 29, 2021.

Palm Coast, FL – Adding to the delectable fast casual options in Palm Coast, Honey Baked Ham celebrated their expansion into Flagler County with an official ribbon cutting and community welcome on Friday, just in time for the lunch hour.

Guest Dennis Cone (left) gives co-owner Barry Packham a thumbs up on his lunch while attending the official ribbon cutting for the Honey Baked Ham Company in Palm Coast on Friday, January 29, 2021.

Offering up $5 sandwiches, owner Barry Peckham said opening the second store alongside wife April, was a positive experience for the franchisees. The couple own a Honey Baked Ham in St. Augustine and said they often had Flagler County residents as customers.

“Palm Coast is growing, and we have a lot of customers who come to St. Augustine and they were asking when we were going to open up in Palm Coast and I thought, let’s do it,” shared Peckham.

Starting with the company a decade ago as a manager, Peckham made the move into ownership in 2013, and said the company’s core values were ones he identified with, as they made an investment into their own family’s future.

“I started as a manger and built my first store. I opened my second store seven years later,” said Peckham. “Honey Baked Ham is a family-owned company that has really good qualities and core values and the food is fresh. It’s just a good, wholesome company to be part of.”

On hand to emcee the ceremonial ribbon cutting was Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen, who was joined by several members of the Palm Coast City Council. Newly elected councilman Ed Danko, was pleased to hear of the smooth experience the Peckham’s had when opening their business in November 2020, while still in the midst of the pandemic.

Palm Coast and the Beaches REALTOR Mike Richards and Palm Coast City Councilman Ed Danko catch up at the official ribbon cutting for the Honey Baked Ham Company in Palm Coast on Friday, January 29, 2021.

“Thank God we’ve got another business coming into Palm Coast because we’ve had businesses close, businesses lose revenue, and thank God these folks took a chance on us,” said Danko enthusiastically. “We need to come out and need to support them.”

Focusing on a business-friendly platform, Danko pledged to continue helping make the process easier for new businesses in Palm Coast, while supporting existing businesses.

“We have got to support local businesses,” he said. “It’s going to be ongoing for me. We need to be a business friendly community, to reach out to businesses, get over the hurdles and the obstacles that we have put in front of businesses in the past.”

Celebrations continue on Saturday, January 30th at the Honey Baked Ham Café, located at 1499 Palm Coast Parkway NW, in the Belle Terre Crossings Shopping Plaza on the corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, with a steel drum band and Shelia’s Funnel Cakes on Saturday and $5 sandwiches. Open: 10 am – 6 pm.

Real estate broker Nate McLaughlin cuts a momento for his collection from the red ribbon at the Honey Baked Ham Company’s official ribbon cutting on Friday, January 29, 2021, in Palm Coast.

“We’ve come to Palm Coast and we want to be part of the community,” said Peckham. “We’ve had a huge, great reception from people. They’re so wonderful.”

Flagler Technical College Unveils New Logo and Mascot

Danielle Anderson

January 29, 2021

FTCSR1 — Chris McDermott, Renee Stauffacher, Lynn Taillon and Travis Thomas represent Flagler Technical College during the 2021 Community Celebration Series opening, at the Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast on Friday evening, for the big reveal of their new logo and mascot, the Flagler Technical College Stingray. January 29, 2021.

Flagler County, FL – While the Flagler Auditorium opened its doors on Friday night for the first performance since the pandemic began, it was the work of Flagler Palm Coast High School senior Alexis Kittrell that was front and center for audiences during the 2021 Community Celebration Series pre-show portion of the entertainment, as Flagler Technical College unveiled their new logo.

Showcasing Kittrell’s work the logo was selected to serve as the technical college’s new mascot, with the stingray featuring prominently around the school’s initials, giving it a finished look according to Renee Stauffacher, Director of Flagler Technical College, in Palm Coast.

“We’ve been working with Flagler Palm Coast High School and the digital design program, so tonight we reveal the winner of the competition of our mascot logo, and we honor Alexis Kittrell,” revealed Stauffacher.

“It’s our first time with a mascot, so we are the Flagler Technical College Stingrays. We were looking for something that was sea life because we’re right here on the beach, and the stingray she came up with is sleek and awesome. We love it.”

It’s the second update the school has received in recent months, to more accurately reflect the school’s identity as the premier career college in the community.

“We also just changed our name, from Flagler Technical Institute to Flagler Technical College, so this was the next step in that process,” said Stauffacher. “It’s helping everyone in the community understand who we are and what we do,” she said.

Kittrell’s instructor, Ed Beckett, who oversees digital media and advanced placement 2D design at Flagler Palm Coast High School, was thrilled for his student, who in addition to serving as his teaching assistant, is enrolled in his advanced Digital Media 3 class.

Beckett encourages his students to grow their portfolios with professional projects, noting the opportunities benefit them by creating real world experiences.

“I think that using the advanced design classes as a platform for involving the students in as many “real life” design applications is a huge deal,” said Beckett.

“These students get to work with real life design clients, and they get to experience the issues along the way that professional graphic designers experience. This experience creates a bond with the practical knowledge that is required to be a successful graphic designer. That experience is irreplaceable and immeasurable and can’t be obtained in any other way. In addition, these students get to put all of these projects that they’ve created for real life clients in their portfolios,” he said.

Beckett was pleased to share another milestone for Kittrell before her graduation this spring.

“Alexis has actually recently used her experiences and the portfolio that she’s created along the way to obtain a design position for TEEN Magazine,” he said. “I am so proud of her and excited for her.”

For more information on Flagler Technical College, visit https://flaglertech.edu/.

Pictured: Chris McDermott, Renee Stauffacher, Lynn Taillon and Travis Thomas represent Flagler Technical College during the 2021 Community Celebration Series opening, at the Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast on Friday evening, for the big reveal of their new logo and mascot, the Flagler Technical College Stingray. January 29, 2021.

Flagler Auditorium Kicks Off 2021 Community Celebration Series

Danielle Anderson

January 29, 2021

CC5 — The "Absolute Queen" tribute show opened the 2021 Community Celebration Series at the Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast, on Friday, January 29, 2021.

Flagler County, FL – Don’t stand so close has taken on a whole new meaning in the past year, and entertainment venues are listening.

In addition to installing a state-of-the-art HVAC system over the holiday, the Flagler Auditorium is maximizing their space by socially distancing patrons in attendance for upcoming shows according to Flagler Auditorium director Amelia Fulmer.

Socially distanced seating allowed 250 guests to enjoy the 2021 Community Celebration Series season opener “Absolute Queen” on Friday night at the Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast. January 29, 2021.

Saving the season by focusing, as so many others are, on local, Fulmer reached out with the help of the auditorium’s governing board, and expanded the use of the facility’s programming by making connections and getting creative.

Designing a series of community-based shows aptly named the 2021 Community Celebration Series, the lineup kicked off Friday evening with “Absolute Queen”, and a pre-show entertainment option that included the “Rock Your Business” showcase with members of the Palm Coast Business Professionals, on hand to meet and greet audiences on their way indoors.

“It is so incredibly exciting what’s going on right now,” said Palm Coast Business Professionals director Jay Scherr, who also serves as a member of the Flagler Auditorium’s governing board.

Atlantic Benefit Consultants broker Debra Sephton, Ver-E-Safe Solutions co-owner Diana Versek, business professional Jim Taylor and Palm Coast Business Professionals Director, Jay Scherr, owner of Jay Scherr Business Consulting, represent members of the business community during the 2021 Community Celebration Series kickoff at the Flagler Auditorium on Friday, January 29, 2021.

“The idea is to try to create opportunities for the community to come and see this amazing resource we have here. With Amelia’s leadership we’re trying to create local as well as some regional opportunities for concerts, meetings and the like to take advantage of what the auditorium has to offer,” he said.

Also in attendance, Flagler Technical College staff opened the pre-show entertainment with a big reveal of their new logo and mascot, and Joe Rizzo, executive director of the Flagler County Education Foundation shared insights about how the community can get involved.

“The exciting part about this is arts in education is so important to the community,” said Rizzo.

Flagler County Education Foundation staff members Student Services Coordinator Christy Butler, Operations & Database Specialist Shelley Wheeler and Executive Director reach new audiences by participating in the 2021 Community Celebration Series kickoff on Friday evening at the Flagler Auditorium in Palm Coast. January 29, 2021.

“When we can bring mentorship, continuing education and the ability to bring all the pieces together in one place, whether it’s individual businesses and entrepreneurship all the way to the people working with our kids in the K-12 system, it’s the community coming together that’s going to make the big impact, and that’s why we’re all here.”

Allowing only 250 tickets to be sold in the 1,000 seat venue, Fulmer says the pre-show lineups will vary with each scheduled performance and showcase organizations in the community while creating awareness for patrons who may not know about special projects, service organizations or Flagler’s deep history of arts and culture.

“Every show has a multi-media beginning, so when you get here and find your seat, you can’t really chat with your friends the way we used to gather, so what we do is start as soon as the house opens with videos or slides with something about the Flagler County community,” explained Fulmer.

Greeting patrons with a jazz quintet courtesy of Flagler Palm Coast High School associate band director Adam Rich on Friday night, Fulmer says the outdoor check-in and entertainment add an additional level of ease for show goers.

Flagler Auditorium Director Amelia Fulmer welcomes the socially distanced audience back to the performing arts center on Friday night for “Absolute Queen”, the first show in the 2021 Community Celebration Series. January 29, 2021.

“We hope to have these types of events before every show so that if someone is not comfortable coming into the theater yet, they can come to the outdoor event.”

The next performance in the Community Celebration Series is a “Tribute to Flagler Beach” with beachside favorites Capt. Nick, iconic 60’s band The Cherry Drops and the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, on February 27th, at 7:30 p.m.

The 2021 Community Celebration Series continues through April with Pat Benatar and Pink tribute performers, a Doo Wop Group and classic car show, and a Linda Cole and Friends alumni performance.

Note: A limited number of tickets are available for each performance.

For more information, visit www.flaglerauditorium.org.