rjmurdock

67th Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival – May 18-22, 2023

By rjmurdock — 4 days ago

Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival is an event that takes place the 3rd weekend in May in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It kicks off with a Children’s Meet & Greet on Thursday night. On Friday evening, the Krewe of Bowlegs sail up to The Landing park and attempts to negotiate a surrender of the city with the Mayor, who puts up a good fight, and they promise to return the following day The city celebrates its victory with a fireworks show. On Saturday, Capitan Billy Bowlegs returns with the entire Krewe of Bowlegs to capture the city and then pass out booty (beads) to the crowd. After a day of rest from the pillaging, Capt Billy & his krewe sails off on the Blackhawk ship float during the Torchlight Parade on Eglin Parkway on Monday evening.

This is the replay of the parade on May 22, 2023.

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2023 Commencement Ceremony at Northwest Florida State College

By rjmurdock — 4 weeks ago

Watch the live stream of the Northwest Florida State College 2023 Commencement Ceremony from Raiders Arena on May 6, 2023.

10AM Ceremony for the presentation of the following: Certificate, AAS, AS, and Bachelor’s Degree Graduates

2PM Ceremony for the presentation of Associate of Arts (AA)

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Inaugural ODA 595 Horse Soldiers Reunion 2022

By rjmurdock — 2 months ago

On October 22, 2022, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted the Inaugural ODA 595 Horse Soldiers Reunion at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds. Ted Corcoran, CEO of the FWB Chamber, was Master of Ceremony.

Below is a replay video of the event. If you have a Smart TV, search for and install the VidFlow app to watch this video on your big screen TV. This video player also also you to select chapter points to specific speakers and presentations.

Ten of the original 12 members of ODA 595 were in attendance for this inaugural reunion event.

Captain Mark Nutsch – Detachment Commander

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bob Pennington – Assistant Detachment Commander

Master Sergeant Paul Evans – Team and Operations Sergeant

Sergeant First Class Andy Marchal – Intelligence Sergeant

Sergeant First Class Steve Kofron. – Weapons Sergeant

Staff Sergeant Mike Elmore – Weapons Sergeant

Staff Sergeant Chad Jacklet– Engineer Sergeant

Sergeant First Class Steve Bleigh—Medical Sergeant

Sergeant First Class Vince Makela – Communications Sergeant

Staff Sergeant Will Summers– Communications Sergeant

Not in Attendance:

Staff Sergeant USAF Steve E. Tomat – Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)
Staff Sergeant USAF Joseph Matt Lienhard– Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller from Special Tactics Squadron

Several prominent guest speakers included Florida House District #4 representative Patt Maney, former CIA Directorate of Operations officer Alex Hernandez, former USAF Chief of Staff for a Theater Special, retired Col Glenn Thomas, and the son of Doolittle Raiders Col Dick Cole, Richard Cole.

A special commemorative canteen cup was created by the Bohlin Company and presented to each member of ODA 595 in honor and recognition of their heroic actions in America’s first response against the Taliban after the 911 attack.

This event was made possible through the support of several local community sponsors.

If you are interested in learning more about ODA 595 as well as other stories about America’s 1st response to the 911 attacks, check out these sources:

First Casualty by Toby Harnden

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton

Swords of Lightning – Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America’s Response to 911

12 Strong – The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers

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2023 FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII Basketball Championships

By rjmurdock — 3 months ago

Watch the LIVE STREAM of the 2023 FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII Tournament at the Northwest Florida State College as the top Men’s and Women’s basketball teams from across the state of Florida battle it out to determine who will go the the 2023 NJCAA National Championships.

Scroll down below to find the specific game dates or use the links below:

Women’s Playoff Games – March 8, 2023
Game #1 – #2 Northwest Florida vs #7 Chipola – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT
Game #2 – #3 Gulf Coast vs #6 Florida Southwestern – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT
Game #3 – #1 Eastern Florida vs #8 Sante Fe – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT
Game #4 – #4 Indian River vs #5 St. Petersburg – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Men’s Playoff Games – March 9, 2023
Game #1 – #2 Daytona State vs #7 Eastern Florida – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT
Game #2 – #3 Tallahassee vs Florida Southwestern – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT
Game #3 – #1 Chipola vs #8 Miami Dade – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT
Game #4 – #4 Northwest Florida vs Indian River – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Women’s Semi-Final Games – March 10, 2023
Game #5 – Northwest Florida vs Florida Southwestern – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT
Game #6 – Eastern Florida vs Indian River – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT

Men’s Semi-Final Games – March 10, 2023
Game #5 – Eastern Florida vs Tallahassee – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT
Game #6 – Chipola vs Northwest Florida – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Championship Games – March 11, 2023
Women’s Championship Game – Winner of Game #5 vs Winner of Game #6- 5pm CDT / 6pm EDT
Men’s Championship Game – Winner of Game #5 vs Winner of Game #6- – 7:30pm CDT / 8:30pm EDT

Women’s Playoff Games – March 8, 2023

Game #1 – #2 Northwest Florida vs #7 Chipola – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT

Game #2 – #3 Gulf Coast vs #6 Florida Southwestern – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT

Game #3 – #1 Eastern Florida vs #8 Sante Fe – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT

Game #4 – #4 Indian River vs #5 St. Petersburg – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Men’s Playoff Games – March 9, 2023

Game #1 – #2 Daytona State vs #7 Eastern Florida – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT

Game #2 – #3 Tallahassee vs Florida Southwestern – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT

Game #3 – #1 Chipola vs #8 Miami Dade – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT

Game #4 – #4 Northwest Florida vs Indian River – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Women’s Semi-Final Games – March 10, 2023

Game #5 – Northwest Florida vs Florida Southwestern – 1pm CDT / 2pm EDT

Game #6 – Eastern Florida vs Indian River – 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT

Men’s Semi-Final Games – March 10, 2023

Game #5 – Eastern Florida vs Tallahassee – 6pm CDT / 7pm EDT

Game #6 – Chipola vs Northwest Florida – 8pm CDT / 9pm EDT

Championship Games – March 11, 2023

Women’s Championship Game – Winner of Game #5 vs Winner of Game #6- 5pm CDT / 6pm EDT

Men’s Championship Game – Winner of Game #5 vs Winner of Game #6- – 7:30pm CDT / 8:30pm EDT

If you have an event you would like to be available for online viewing, contact Emerald Coast TV at 850-244-7100.

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Meet the FWB Council Candidates 2023

By rjmurdock — 3 months ago

Meet the 13 candidates who are running for the 4 open seat on the Fort Walton Beach City Council. The LIVE STREAM is on March 1, 2023 – 6:30pm CT from The Venue at 109 SE Brooks Street, Downtown Fort Walton Beach. Florida. Each candidate will get 3 minutes to introduce themselves and their platform, then Mike Minich will ask each candidate a tough question in relation to improve the community of Fort Walton Beach, FL. The candidates will also be available for meet & greet before and after the event.

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NWFSC Raiders Basketball 2023 – Panhandle Conference

By rjmurdock — 4 months ago

The LIVE STREAM for the 2023 NWFSC Raiders home games for the Panhandle Conference can be seen here: https://nwfraiders.com/multimedia/WATCH_LIVE

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2022 Fort Walton Beach Christmas Parade

By rjmurdock — 6 months ago

The 2022 City of Fort Walton Beach Christmas Parade was on December 5, 2022. Sponsored by Eglin Federal Credit Union. The weather was perfect and the crowd was the largest attendance in history. Enjoy

Produced by Emerald Coast TV

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USAF 75th Community Celebration – “The Story Behind the Story” – Eglin AFB & Hurlburt Field

By rjmurdock — 8 months ago

Check out “The Story Behind the Story” event video for the 75th USAF Anniversary Community Celebration, which took place on September 13, 2022 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. This event celebrates the USAF military operations that were supported by both Eglin Air Force base and the Special Operations units of Hurlburt Field. Hosted by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, this event provides two panels of service men & women who participated in several notable USAF operations, including operations in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Obama Bin Laden Raid.

* Chapter points can easily be selected by watching this video directly on YouTube

00:00 Opening Video – USAF Aircraft Fly-bys
02:09 Official Welcome – Ted Corcoran
02:45 Posting of the Colors
03:33 National Anthem
05:35 Invocation
06:58 Event Overview
08:34 Introduction of Dale Dye
10:43 Dale Dye Movie Compilation Video
13:56 Eglin AFB Background History
14:51 Dr Devin Stephenson Introduction
17:35 Florida Representative Patt Maney Introduction
21:44 Recognition Distinguished Guests
23:01 JCOS Senior Enlisted Advisor Ramon Colon-Lopez Introduction
25:32 Recognition of Notable Local Veterans
26:57 Ted Introduces 1st Panel
30:13 Cindy Cole Chal (Doolittle Raiders)
48:29 Dale Dye Stories (Korean War)
1:13:05 Col Howard Hill (Vietnam War)
1:24:54 Col Larry Ropka (Sun Tay Raid)
1:38:17 Col Bill Keeler (Vietnam Refugees)
1:47:34 Sponsors Recognition & Jerry Williams EFCU
1:51:54 Introduction of 2nd Panel of Speakers
1:52:36 CMSgt Bill Walter – Operation Eagle Claw (Iran Hostage Rescue)
2:00:42 Lt Col Kirby Locklear – Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada)
2:08:35 Lt Col Corby Martin – Operation Desert Storm (Iraq)
2:19:06 Lt Col Allison Black – Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
2:27:24 The “MOAB” Story (Bill Walter)
2:29:05 Task Force Dagger & ODA 595 Horse Soldiers Event
2:30:49 Lt Gen Marshal “Brad” Webb – (Bin Laden Raid)
2:41:33 The Voices of NWFSC – America the Beautiful
2:47:02 The Air Force Song Sing-Along

EMCEE
– Ted Corcoran, CEO – Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

SPONSORS
– Eglin Federal Credit Union
– The Boeing Company
– Northwest Florida State College
– Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

THANKS TO
– Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Staff: Seth Luttrell, Rachelle Graves, Dayna Stinebiser, Chrissy Flanigan, Debbie Dodge
– Mattie Kelly Arts Center Staff and Volunteers
– The Voices of Northwest Florida State College
– Air Force Public Affairs/Historians: Dawn Hart, Amy Nicholson, Shelby Pritchett, Jasmine Porterfield, Alan Landers

SCRIPT
– Bill Walters

LODGINGS
– The Island Resort;
– Holiday Inn Resort-Fort Walton Beach
– Hilton Garden Inn Fort Walton Beach

PROMOTION
– Frances Roy Agency

VIDEO PRODUCTION
– RJ Murdock, Emerald Coast TV

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Niceville Police “K9 Officer Blue” Memorial Service – August 26, 2022

By rjmurdock — 9 months ago

Watch the HD Replay of the “End of Watch” ceremony for K9 Officer Blue, scheduled for August 26, 2022 at the Northwest Florida State College’s Mattie Kelly Arts Center at 10am CST.