Latest news with #JamieGary
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sham-rock the streets: House of Henry hosts annual St. Patrick's Day celebration
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – This weekend, you can experience the luck of the Irish at House of Henry's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. The event is on rain or shine, so follow the rainbow to downtown Panama City to get in on the fun. It kicks off Saturday morning at 9 a.m with a kegs and eggs breakfast. You can pick up bingo cards from House of Henry to participate in the downtown 'sip and stroll.' Despite the ongoing construction on Harrison, the sidewalks will be open, so you can visit the 25 businesses participating in the downtown bingo. Live music will be offered from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., playing foot-stomping Irish music and more. The event also features costume contests, stein hoisting contests, scavenger hunts, and more. Remarkable Women: Jamie Gary gives women beauty for ashes The schedule of events will repeat on Sunday and Monday. Event organizers say there's something for everyone at the celebration. 'We are focusing on the traditional family-friendly and very Irish-rooted celebration for the festivities this year, just to keep everything as culturally festive as possible,' House of Henry Director of Hospitality Chandra Adams said. We want it to be family friendly, focused on the Irish tradition. If you want to come out and see the cultural significance of what Saint Patrick's Day is and what it's all about, this is the place to be. We want you here at House of Henry downtown,' House of Henry Events Coordinator Corey Hall said. There will be local vendors on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. till dark. Before the celebration kicks off, House of Henry is also doing a fundraiser Friday evening. A portion of happy hour and dinner proceeds will go towards treatments for a local five-year-old girl battling a rare form of cancer. For more information on the fundraiser or the St. Patrick's Day celebration, click here. The event is sponsored by Attorney Joe Turner and Southern Supply Safety. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bay County TDC invests in SS United States artificial reef project
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Scuba diving has always been big business for the dive centers here in Bay County. But some are worried are that having the world's largest artificial reef a few counties away could make their businesses much smaller. 'If they don't put it in that corner that we're asking for, then it won't be reachable from Panama City. So it'll be reachable by Destin only,' Panama City Dive Center owner Patrick Green said. Remarkable Women: Jamie Gary gives women beauty for ashes The SS United States arrived from Philadelphia last week. Okaloosa County commissioners are gambling the last of the great ocean liners will be a major tourist attraction, once it's sunk off their coastline next year. They're considering 3 proposed sites as the ship's final resting place. The furthest site is 55 nautical miles away from Panama City, which is too far for dive boat operators to reach efficiently. The closest is about 35 nautical miles from the St. Andrews Pass. That's the one the local diver operators are supporting. They say that location would benefit everyone. 'If we look at the economic impacts of similar type ships that have been deployed before, it's something between doubling the existing business or roughly doing like another 7000 passengers a year, which is huge. It's a big deal for us,' Green said. Local tourism officials also recognize the significance of the project. 'It's going to sit in 180 feet of water. But the superstructure and the decks itself are going to be accessible just to, you know, folks who can dive 60, 70 feet of water. So, I mean, it really is going to be a great dive for all sorts of different divers,' Bay County Tourist Development Council Executive Director Dan Rowe said. Over 400 Auburn University students spend Spring Break volunteering in Port St. Joe In fact, some TDC members believe the SS United States will be enough of a game changer, that they want to invest in the project, to help get that closer location. The Bay County TDC approved a request to expend up to $3 million over two fiscal years for the promotion and marketing of the SS United States. $2 million will go towards the ship's deployment and $1 million will be spent in promotion. Okaloosa County commissioners will make the final decision on the artificial reef's location. 'They've told me that this is a decision that they will make sooner than later,' Rowe said. $1 million dollars of the county's investment will build a land-based museum to display the ship's artifacts. Okaloosa county officials believe the SS United States will even draw tourists that don't dive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
