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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Something to prove': New city leadership sworn in during May 28 Panama City inauguration
PANAMA CITY— The rotunda of city hall was packed to the brim with suits, ties and collared shirts on May 28 as community and state leaders rubbed elbows and city staff prepared the festivities. Panama City hosted its inauguration for the incoming mayor and city commissioner while welcoming a familiar face back to the table. Commissioners Brian Grainger and Janice Lucas reunited with returning Ward 4 Commissioner Josh Street and celebrated their new co-workers, Mayor Allan Branch and Ward 1 Commissioner Robbie Hughes. There was a lengthy invocation followed by The Pledge of Allegiance, after which a city staffer moved the event along with a wooden gavel. Hughes was the first invited to the front to take his oath of office, after which he took to the podium to make his remarks. He started by commending his campaign team and family, kicking the speech off with a comedic tone and gathering some laughs from the crowd. The new commissioner thanked everyone for sticking by him through what some Panama City readers may recall as a somewhat contentious election season, before continuing on to the value of service in his new position. "It fills a hole in my soul to be able to come and help somebody else with no expectation of anything in return," Hughes said. "I'm working for you, I need to make every decision and think about how it affects you, how it affects the people of Panama City, because every vote affects people." He leaned into his business background and how he wants to take what he has learned there and apply it to city government. Hughes said he was not a politician, which Branch later corrected in a comedic tone. "Every time you lay your head on the pillow, just know that I've done everything I can possible in working with this team and seeing all the staff to make the quality of life better in Panama City," Hughes said. "I thank you for your time, I thank you for your vote, and I thank you for your support. And hopefully in the future we're going to see some really good progress." Next up was Street, whose speech had a more serious tone of community resilience. "Standing here today is one of the greatest honors of my life, and I do so knowing the difficult job that we have and the difficult job ahead, but this moment isn't about me," Street said. "It is about a collective unity amongst all of us as citizens of the United states and citizens of the city of Panama City." He then covered some of life in the city over the past several years and its affects on the community. "We belong to a community that refuses to quit, a city that keeps getting back up through tornadoes, floods and hurricanes," Street said. "We've proven that tomorrow can be better than today, and we're willing to do the hard work to make it so." Street then told an anecdote about talking to his St Andrews neighbor whose house had been severely damaged by tornadoes. "What stayed with me most wasn't what was broken in that moment, it's (that) what couldn't be shaken was hope," he said. "She looked me in the eye and said 'we'll be fine, God's brought us through worse." Street talked about his dedication to residents of the community, his faith, and reiterated the resilience he believes Panama City to have. Last but not least was the new mayor, Allan Branch. After his oath of office he ditched the podium to move around the room and make gestures toward the crowd. Branch's speech was jovial in nature yet touched on the progress he believes he has seen in the city. "You can love something and acknowledge that there's challenges and hurdles and there's flaws in it," Branch said. "Since Hurricane Michael, my goodness, we've come so far, the progress we've made, we've challenged ourselves." Branch said that he would like to see the progress they've seen made in one part of the city, presumably downtown, to spread out to other areas of the city. He talk about how the common trait he's seen in accomplished people that he admires is their desire for feedback and their relentlessness. Branch would like to see the city emulate these qualities. "Being relentless usually comes from having something to prove," Branch said. "I have something to prove, and I think the city of Panama City has something to prove, not just to other cities, not just to the doubters, but to ourselves." Branch went on to talk about his past experiences growing up and his family's prominent role in the local business scene. He later moved on to talking about a plaque that all mayors get and what he wanted it to say. "You are a part of what makes this town special, a neighbor, a teacher, a business owner, a builder, a dreamer," Branch said. "You do not need a title like mayor or commissioner to shape this town. Help someone who needs it, speak up even with a shaky voice. Real change does not wait for permission, it starts with people like you, and that's how a city becomes a community." After a long prayer, attendees then moved on to snapping photos and enjoying some catered snacks. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: New Panama City mayor calls for feedback, relentlessness at inauguration
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
At the Crawfish Fest, all are welcome to rock (and we mean all)
One country, indivisible. That's what it says in The Pledge of Allegiance. But perhaps you've noticed that we're not so indivisible right now. Perhaps you've noticed that red states and blue states, North and South, are increasingly pitted against each other. In this tense climate, any hands-across-the-states gesture is significant. And for sheer fun, few can top Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest — bringing a taste of Louisiana to New Jersey for 32 years. "The New Jersey audiences have always been great," said Marcia Ball, the honky-tonk piano virtuoso who is one of the headliners at this year's festival, May 31 and June 1 in Augusta, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (she's appearing 1 p.m. Sunday on the Main Stage). Galactic (5 p.m. Saturday), Bonerama (2:45 Saturday), Rockin' Dopsie Jr. (3 p.m. Saturday), George Porter Jr. (3 p.m. Sunday), Terrance Simien (11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday), John Cleary (5 p.m. Sunday) and New Jersey's own Ocean Avenue Stompers (1 p.m. Sunday) are among the other top acts that will be bringing the swampy sounds of the Bayou State to the marsh dwellers of North Jersey. "They've always been energetic and excellent in response to our music," Ball said. "We have a lot of friends up there, too, so it's always a pleasure to come. And we get to eat some crawfish! That's my favorite part." Crawfish — boiled, almost 10,000 pounds, imported direct from Louisiana — is the dish du jour, as the name of the festival implies. But there are plenty of others. Jambalaya. Shrimp, oyster and catfish po' boys. Grilled oysters. Grilled alligator sausage. Southern fried chicken. Red beans and rice (vegetarian). Crawfish Étouffée. Boudin sausage balls. Burgers, dogs and fries. And lots to drink — alcoholic and otherwise. If the weather holds, Arnone said, they expect between 15,000 and 18,000 people over the course of the weekend (campers, who stay on the grounds, get to see additional music on Friday and Saturday night). And the sounds are as tasty as the snacks. Louisiana, as is well known, has developed a unique musical menu. Zydeco — rock-and-roll with accordions — swamp funk, jazz, boogie and blues are all part of the mix. So are traditional Cajun waltzes, Second Line struts, and Afro-Cuban percussion. Music is one of Louisiana's prime exports — its stars travel the world bringing their specialties to audiences worldwide. But an event like this, that brings dozens of Louisiana artists together for an out-of-state reunion, is special. For a performer like Ball — she's played this gig before — it's old home week. "I remember when we used to come up to the Crawfish Festival and there would be vans and trailers parked all around the stage like a necklace," she said. "Steve Riley, Terrance Simien, Geno Delafose, Chubby Carrier, and more. It was a honky-tonk supershow." Ball — for those who haven't seen her — is a phenomenon. One of the best barrelhouse pianists in the business: Jerry Lee Lewis in a shift, with a voice that is pure country molasses. Her songs like "That's Enough of that Stuff" and "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" are rowdy enough to get any party going. Johnny Moeller (guitar), Michael Archer (bass), Mo Roberts (drums) and Eric Bernhardt (sax), her band, are all aces. She's touring all over the Northeast now, and plans to do another record over the summer. But she does worry, as she travels, about the state of the union at present. "I have some serious anxiety about what's going on in our country right now," she said. "I'm blue — in both ways." Perhaps part of what is needed is for all of us to start talking to each other again. That's a little service that Arnone, at his festival, offers free of charge. "At the Crawfish Fest, you're standing next to someone on line, and the next thing is, 'Where did you hear about it? Where are you from?' " Arnone said. "Music and food tie people together." He himself is from Baton Rouge: he came up to Jersey in the 1980s to work as an electrician. But he discovered that's a hunger here for the tastes and tunes of his home state. That's his jambalaya you'll be eating, by the way: a family recipe. He held his first Crawfish Fest — a relatively small affair — in 1989. He's been holding them ever since (with a few years off for COVID), and they've grown. But not too much. "We're a medium size festival and that's as big as we want to get," he said. The important thing is not the size, but the atittude. The traditional, convivial spirit of Louisiana might be just what we all need right now, he said. "We've always been that way," he said. "People can come to the shows, different races and different states, and everybody gets along. I don't ask people who they voted for when the come in. It doesn't matter. To each his own. You're here to have a good time. We're trying to get you to forget whatever else is happening in the world." Visit This article originally appeared on Crawfish Fest in Sussex NJ 2025: Louisiana tastes and tunes galore
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Parents Who've Moved Abroad, What Are The Biggest Parenting Differences You've Noticed In Your New Country?
Several years ago, I read The Danish Way of Parenting. The book talked about leaving babies in their strollers in the backyard (with a window open) and parking a sleeping baby outside of a restaurant while dining. In the US, that would be considered dangerous and negligent. Once, I had a parent who was originally from another country thank me for correcting my toddler when he tried to step out into the street without me. I was shocked, as I considered it normal parenting, but he said he didn't tend to see that kind of response from American parents. So, I'd like to know. If you're a parent who has moved abroad, what are the biggest parenting differences you've noticed between the US and your new home? Have you felt shamed for parenting in the American fashion? Or did you move to the US from another country and experience parental culture shock? Did you learn new tricks you now swear by? Do you put on a facade and parent differently in public versus at home? Tell us all about it! Or maybe you're a parent who moved to the US from another country and noticed something bizarre that American parents do. Letting children play with fireworks? Reciting The Pledge of Allegiance at school? Share your thoughts on the American parenting customs that surprised you the most. What things surprised you the most about parenting in a foreign country and why? Comment below or use this anonymous form for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post.
Buzz Feed
27-01-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
Parents Who've Moved Abroad, What Are The Biggest Parenting Differences You've Noticed In Your New Country?
Several years ago, I read The Danish Way of Parenting. The book talked about leaving babies in their strollers in the backyard (with a window open) and parking a sleeping baby outside of a restaurant while dining. In the US, that would be considered dangerous and negligent. Once, I had a parent who was originally from another country thank me for correcting my toddler when he tried to step out into the street without me. I was shocked, as I considered it normal parenting, but he said he didn't tend to see that kind of response from American parents. So, I'd like to know. If you're a parent who has moved abroad, what are the biggest parenting differences you've noticed between the US and your new home? Have you felt shamed for parenting in the American fashion? Or did you move to the US from another country and experience parental culture shock? Did you learn new tricks you now swear by? Do you put on a facade and parent differently in public versus at home? Tell us all about it! Or maybe you're a parent who moved to the US from another country and noticed something bizarre that American parents do. Letting children play with fireworks? Reciting The Pledge of Allegiance at school? Share your thoughts on the American parenting customs that surprised you the most.
