Debs Notes

***The 28th annual Spring Fling and Auction will be held in Boston, GA. on Saturday, March 31 and will include an arts and crafts and flea market and auction, as well as various Easter-related activities. Easter events will include the Easter Bonnet Contest at Watt Park, at 10 a.m.; an Easter Parade on Main Street at 10:30 a.m.; and an Easter Egg Hunt at the Commercial Bank on West Jefferson Street at 1 p.m.

***Florida Museum visitors will have the opportunity to browse more than 175 species of plants during its annual spring plant sale from April 6 to 8. At one of the museum’s largest sales of the year, guests can expect to find species designed to attract butterflies and other pollinators, as well as edible plants from Natural Treasures Farm & Nursery. More than half of the planned species are native to Florida. This will include host plants, or the food for caterpillars, as well as nectar plants for adult butterflies to feed on. Several species of ornamental plants used in the “Butterfly Rainforest” often asked about will also be available for sale. The plants fit a variety of yards and ecotypes, and this year’s sale will also feature new additions, including the Rattlesnake Calathea, an ornamental that can be found in the 'Butterfly Rainforest' exhibit. Every year these large plant sales offers old favorites as well as new and unusual plants for sale. This year several rare species of native plants will be for sale, some that have never been offered before, such as Fever Tree and a native species of rose. The event will be held outside the Florida Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 6 and 7, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on April 8. All proceeds benefit the 'Butterfly Rainforest' exhibit. This year customers will be free to wander and pick plants they want themselves instead of waiting for staff to serve them, making for an even better experience for the visitors. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/spring-plant-sale or call (352) 273-2057.

***Pinwheels for Prevention will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 7 at Perry City Park, on Jefferson Street. This is an annual Early Childhood Children's Festival with fun for all ages, including bubbles, go fishing, a duck pond, crazy art, balloons, ring toss, face painting and more. For more information contact Tonya Bell at tbell@healthystartjmt.org or call (850) 948-2741 or (850) 253-5355.

***The Council on Culture & Arts presents “Home Again: Artworks by Jenny Odom” on view at the Artport Gallery through May 21. Odom is a full-time artist known for her whimsical depiction of animals and cityscapes. She grew up in Tallahassee in the 70’s and 80’s and attended Leon High School. After studying commercial art and advertising in college, she moved to the southwest but was drawn back to our Big Bend region in 2012. In this solo-exhibition, she celebrates Tallahassee and the surrounding landscape with nearly 30 pieces of artwork, focusing on the area’s people and skylines through the years. Odom incorporates maps, pages from old phone books, and vintage images into her work, and uses collage techniques and acrylic paint to create textural and visual interest. Her artworks ring out with childhood memories of scalloping at St. Marks, lazy days on the Wakulla River, and browsing the produce at Tomato Land. Gallery goers will also recognize some of our most iconic local landmarks including the capitol building, FSU, Cascades Park, Smokey Hollow, and more. Currently, Odom owns and operates Iggyart at High Cotton in downtown Apalachicola. Both a working studio and a gallery, the space is often filled with live music by local and regional performers. She embraces, supports, and contributes to our cultural community and she captures the essential spirit of our region. Through her artwork, she creates a sense of nostalgia in an effort to “connect places, people and events of the past and present, in this beautiful place I call home again.” This exhibition is one of many rotating exhibitions curated by the Council on Culture & Arts on behalf of the City of Tallahassee as part of the Art in Public Places program. The Artport Gallery itself is located in the Tallahassee International Airport, 3300 Capital Circle SW, and is open daily from 8 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. Short-term parking is free for the first 30 minutes. For more information about COCA, this program, or to sign up to receive email blasts visit www.coca.tallahasseearts.org.

***Florida Family Policy Council has partnered again with Patriot Academy to sponsor the 2018 Southeast Regional Patriot Academy, to be held in Tallahassee, June 11-13. Patriot Academy is an intensive leadership boot camp for young people ages 16-25. Students develop leadership strategies, life purpose plans, media relations, public speaking advanced communication skills, campaign techniques, and a founding fathers' philosophy of government. Patriot Academy is the premier leadership training in the nation. For more information and to register go to www.patriotacademy. com. Early bird rates are available until April 1. Patriot Academy is fantastic for young men and women who want to lead their generation and the nation alike. Students are challenged to analyze legislation in light of the timeless principles that have made America exceptional. John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, says that Patriot Academy exposes students to outstanding speakers who instill the highest standards of character and leadership while participating in one of the most realistic simulated legislative sessions in the nation. You don’t want to miss it.

***Florida Department of Health in Jefferson County will host its annual Bike Fair on Friday, April 6 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Clifford Brown Park on Chase Drive. Groups and organization are encouraged to participate by setting up a booth and promoting their services. Set-up will begin at 3:45 p.m. Contact Chelsey McCoy, Human Services Program Specialist and Healthiest Weight Florida Liaison with the FDOH JC, at (850) 342-0170 x1230 or (850) 251-2154. The mission of the Department is to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts making for the healthiest state in the nation.