Latest news with #GlenwoodRenaissance
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
World Changers returning to Panama City to revitalize houses
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – For the ninth straight year, Panama City homeowners in underserved communities will get a chance to fix up their homes. Panama City's CRA is teaming up with world changers to revitalize houses in Millville and the downtown CRA North District. Hundreds of world-changer volunteers will be here in July to work on homes for free. They'll paint, repair porches, fix walkways, install fences, and more. This year, they've selected the Millville neighborhood from Elm Ave. to Olive Ave. between East 3rd and 2nd streets. Brush fire shuts down traffic in Bay County They'll work in Glenwood, from MLK Jr Blvd. to Wilson Ave. between East 11th Street and Carver Dr. Officials are excited for this project to contribute to what some are calling the Glenwood Renaissance. 'That's what's happening, a sense of being cared about and cared for, particularly our elderly and those who are not able to make the needed repairs on their homes. We cannot pursue being a better Panama City and leave pockets of the community behind. And so, in partnership with World Changers and the CRA, we're able to help others, to help themselves,' Panama City Commissioner Janice Lucas said. To receive help, you have to apply. The application period is open through June 1. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Honoring the legacy of Cove Boulevard
GLENWOOD, Fla. (WMBB) – Walking up Cove Boulevard in the 1950s brought a sense of liberation for the Bay County Black community. Cove Boulevard was lined with grocery stores, restaurants, churches, clubs, salons, and more. 'Growing up here and walking down the street was a sense of freedom. You were free to roam anywhere you wanted to and come back home without any sense of harm or danger. It was a sense of freedom,' Resident and 'Historical Journey Up Cove Boulevard' Author Myron Hines said. Not only was it a one-stop shop, Glenwood was a safe haven. 'It solidified the fact that black people who lived in this community could thrive and take care of themselves without the help of others,' Hines said. Wilson Brothers Barber Shop has been a staple here since 1946. But for many, it was more than a place for a haircut. 'We had a lot of fun with people coming in, especially on weekends and just sitting around telling jokes and enjoying each other's company. A lot of folks used to come to the barbershop sometimes just to be with people and enjoy each other's company,' Wilson Brothers Barber Shop retired owner Jonathan E. Wilson Sr. said. Other Glenwood residents say their fondest memories took place in the old Rec Center. 'I grew up there, I spent five days a week there. As soon as school's out I would take off, me and most other kids in the community. It was a happy place,' Hines said. During segregation, the black-owned business thrived in Glenwood. 'It was a black business district, almost like Wall Street, but not as big, but most of the businesses in the strip were owned by black people, that is no longer there now; integration and population growth I guess changed things,' Wilson said. Integration changed the dynamic of the community. The societal growth hindered Glenwood. Then in the 90s, Cove Boulevard was widened and renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Black History Month on 'The widening of the boulevard took away quite a few businesses and people's homes at that point it made quite a few changes within the area, but it had to be done really because of growth and change,' Wilson said. But before the widening project began, Hines photographed Cove Boulevard, unchanged. 'It was a sad time because our history was disappearing. And the book brought back some of those memories,' Hines said. His book, 'Historical Journey Up Cove Boulevard,' inspired a project that's leading what officials are calling, the 'Glenwood Renaissance.' 'We want to attract new businesses and homes and mixed-use development to them. Martin Luther King Boulevard and pausing to recognize what once they're through the historical marker project, is in the spirit of Sankofa: looking back while moving forward and certainly evoking that spirit of the folk who put together businesses on the old Cove Boulevard, now MLK Boulevard,' Panama City Commissioner Ward 2 Janice Lucas said. The historical markers now line MLK Boulevard to highlight the legacy of the local businesses. 'I was proud to see that happen, that has a way of keeping the memory alive that once a flourishing business stood there and people were proud to come to those businesses for service,' Wilson said. Longtime Glenwood residents are hopeful for the future of their beloved town. 'There are discussions going on now about how it's gonna look when it's rebuilt. This [Rec] center behind me being rebuilt is one of the biggest things that's gonna happen to this community. I, for one, am proud to be a product of Glenwood,' Hines said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
