Upcoming Event:

Our 3rd Annual 30A Radiothon is December 4th at noon through December 5th at noon. Our goal this year is $15,000!!!

We need your help to stay on the air another year! 30A Radio is a not for profit 501(3)c organization that relies totally on our listener’s support! Join us for what is sure to be an exciting 24 hours of 30A Radio.
For starters, the station needs new equipment to keep things running smoothly. Danny, our Operations Manager, needs a computer that won't crash every time he does remote work on the station’s studio. Also, some of our ancient broadcast gear dates back to WWII, and is on it’s last leg. We would like to bring our sonic integrity up to date for all of our faithful listeners. And we have our new Web/Podcast site we would like to continue to provide for you, as well.

We also need our own live, on location DJ equipment. Every time we do a live remote we have to borrow a PA system. Mark Stroop and John R (thank you for being the great supporters of 30A Radio that you have been) have always been there for us with loaner equipment. But, as we do more community events, they may not always be able to provide us with help.

We invite you to browse the new 30A Radio Website and help us out in any way you are able. We are offering some pretty competitive prices on some very cool stuff.

The point is, a station as good as ours takes a few bucks to keep...

Are You Sleeping While the Train Passes the Station?
by Murray Balkcom, GRI, Realtor
SoWal’s Real Estate Guru
Coldwell Banker United, Realtors
murraybalkcom@yahoo.com
www.dreamBIGproperties.com

Nov 18, 2009

For the last three years, I’ve listened to many people talk about waiting until the real estate market hits bottom before they will purchase. We all know that the bottom is seen only in hindsight, but by watching the market closely and constantly, we can begin to see trends and changes in the market, which might alert us to shifts which we later recognize as peaks or troughs. The charts I created below are not intended to point out a bottom, because we won’t recognize a bottom until we are well off the bottom floor and it is behind us. However, if you look closely at the charts below, you will see a market shift over the last several months.


2009 vs 2008 South Walton Sales - Homes, Condos, Townhomes

I don’t want to throw too much historical data at you, but I will share a bit for context. Looking at the South Walton sales for Homes, Condos, and Townhomes, over the last several years, we see a common trend. Generally, we see an upward trend in sales from Jan through July of each year. Then, from August through December, we see sales decline.

With that background...

Just About Perfect

Capt. Larry Pentel
November 15, 2009
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report




Well, I've been lucky enough to run the past 3 days and while the weather has been nice and the Gulf calm all 3 today was just about perfect! It may be the middle of November but I was cleaning fish on an (almost) empty beach under a bright sunny sky in shorts, flip flops and a tee shirt this afternoon. the Chamber of Commerce couldn't have ordered up a nicer day (or a more brilliant lingering sunset this evening)

I took 2 couples out on Friday and the bite was pretty darn good. The water was still milky from the storm and the fish seemed to be huggin' the bottom and scattered but we came in with 10 amberines, a limit of kings, a big trigger and fought and released a good Bull shark' bout 200#. My folks said they couldn't have caught any more fish, what with all the Red Snappers we released.



A great board on a calm day.

I was supposed to take the same folks out again Saturday but the gals said they were fished out and had sore arms so it was just me and the guys. They wanted to shoot for "other" critters so we tried to target the big bite most of the trip and were rewarded with a fine Gag Grouper 'bout 28# along with a nice Black Snappers and some...

THE GOVERNOR STONE: Once in Eden Gardens State Park, Pt. Washington, Florida -- by Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida

Governor Stone Update November 13, 2009

I was thinking about the Governor Stone, built in 1877 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the other day and wondered how she was doing. The Governor Stone is currently in Ft. Walton Beach under the care of The Friends of Governor Stone. The Governor Stone had passed from The Friends of Eden of Pt. Washington, Walton County, Florida, to this new group.


Copy of Bob Swinford's painting of the Governor Stone. Brenda Rees copy from Bob Swinford. Bob Swinford married Mickey Wesley, the youngest of the nine children of William and Katie Wesley. They were married for 67 years. The historic "Wesley House" is located at Eden Gardens State Park in Pt. Washington, Walton County, Florida. Bob and Mickey spent part of their 1938 honeymoon there.


What prompted this fresh look at the Governor Stone was a recent visit with Bob Swinford, formerly of Eastern Lake in South Walton. You’ve perhaps read about him on some of my other history blogs about the Wesley House, Eastern Lake or Moon-dreaming. Bob prepared several plaques of the Governor Stone from photo copies of his original oil pastel painting. He recently donated several...

It appears that some of the gorgeous Monarch butterflies want to stick around for the great weather this weekend!

Or perhaps they want to stay for the CAA's Flutterby Festival that will take place in their honor both Saturday and Sunday in WaterColor's Marina Park, along with a fabulous Fall & Winter Market.

This event originated seventeen years ago as a fundraiser for Walton County children to receive scholarships for supplemental arts education. It also celebrates the migration of the Monarch through our region.

Kids can enjoy yoga, puppet shows, storytelling, puppet making, butterfly garden tours, butterfly wing making, hula hoops, trail hikes, face painting, animal encounters, fun music and more while their parents shop in the cool artist market and partake of seasonal food and libations!

Flutterby is free and open to the public. Some activities require a small fee, though.

We will be featuring Sophia Blair, a 3rd grader at Butler Elementary School, whose yoga butterfly artwork was chosen as the 2010 Flutterby poster/t-shirt winner! Sophia will receive a $100 savings bond from Wachovia.

Two runners up will receive a $50 savings bond, and six students will also receive the same, along with the distinguished People's Choice Award.

All winners will be announced the Saturday of the Flutterby Festival.

T-shirts will be for sale for $15 and wings for $5....