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The Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce invites you to experience a fun-filled day along the beautiful historic Carrabelle waterfront! The 2025 Carrabelle Riverfront Festival is a day of family-friendly activities, live music, a car show, unique entertainment, colorful arts & craft vendors, and delicious food vendors, Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 10 am – 6 pm. There will be plenty of activities for the young and old along the beautiful historic harbor. This event is FREE, pet friendly, and open to the public.

The festival will feature plenty of fun for the whole family, including children’s mini-train rides, a bouncy house, and a kids' craft activity station. Families will be thrilled by an exciting performance from the Salty Seahawks Competitive Cheer Team, a talented local REC cheer team from Franklin County, showcasing the skills of these young athletes. Plus, a variety of vendors will be on hand with kid-friendly favorites like face painting and cotton candy, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Feet will be tapping to the upbeat favorites from across the decades with talented musicians including Kevin Andrew and the Rockulla Performers and Sumpin' Old & Sumpin' New. Guests will also be delighted by the wonderful dance performances of the Tallahassee State College Dancers and the Forgotten Coast Dancing Witches. The entertainment doesn’t end there as there will also be fun music by DJ Beanie Baby throughout the day.

Visitors can browse tons of festival vendors and booths with unique arts and craft items, delicious food, yummy treats and interesting products. Food vendors will be offering shrimp, conch fritters, BBQ, kettle corn, funnel cakes, shaved ice, cotton candy, pork skins, and more. Plus, there will be family-friendly exhibitors with engaging local displays. Visitors can also explore the local shops, museums, and restaurants for even more choices.

Curfew Masonic Lodge #73 will be hosting a Car Show, with a display of classic, vintage, and custom vehicles. Local antique car collectors and enthusiasts will showcase their prized automobiles, offering guests the opportunity to admire a diverse lineup of cars, trucks, and more. This event will take place from 10 am to 6 pm, across from Fathom's at 206 Hwy 98, Carrabelle. To sign up or get details on the car show, contact Lorne Whaley at 850-363-3611.

The Airing of the Quilts, hosted by the Lanark Village Wandering Star Quilters, returns to George Sands Park from 9:30 am - 3 pm, transforming the park into a stunning outdoor quilt gallery. This free event features 100+ new and vintage quilts displayed along the fence and throughout the park. Visitors can browse and purchase handmade quilts and quilted items, explore the Quilter’s Boutique, and enter a raffle for the “Sunset Dock” quilt. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Franklin County Public Libraries. More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1705398810008116/.

Vendor registration is open and food vendors and arts and craft /merchandise vendors are welcome to apply to join the festival. Vendor registration and information can be found at https://www.carrabelle.org/event/2025-carrabelle-riverfront-festival/. The vendor registration deadline is April 21, 2025 however vendor spaces typically fill before the deadline.

The Carrabelle Riverfront Festival is hosted by the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce and funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council and through donations from our sponsors - Centennial Bank, Duke Energy and Inovia Consulting Group. For details, check out www.CarrabelleRiverfrontFestival.com, on Facebook at @carrabelleriverfrontfestival or contact 850-697-2585 or chamber@nettally.com. Visitors are invited to come to Carrabelle to enjoy the festival, explore the local businesses, museums and galleries, and experience the beautiful waterfront.

Join us for a cozy craft circle where you can bring your current project, enjoy great company, and make progress on your masterpiece! Plus, we'll be previewing exciting new and upcoming audiobooks from our friends at Libro.FM!

This is the Florida survival guide you didn't know you needed. Kimball Love is taking us on a journey with her through the ups and downs of living in the Sunshine State through her memoir, Florida Is Not For Sissies​​​​​​!

About Florida Is Not For Sissies:

As much a personal memoir as it is a survivor’s guide, this work embraces an informed, and at times humorous, geography of culture, inherent dangers and disasters-you-can-count-on that define Ms. Love’s beloved Florida. Debunking at least some of the mythology that permeates the pursuit of happiness, or at least retirement here, she takes her task seriously and considers this work a public service as well as a love letter to her native state. This work was created specifically to educate and protect residents and visitors from the physical and social realities that can, and just might, show up with time spent in the Sunshine State.

About Kimball Love:

Kimball Love, a 7th generation Floridian, has devoted the vast majority of her working life to public service. Her diverse career includes stints at The National Geographic Society, Florida-based local, regional and state agencies and as an independent consultant. Her successful projects range from support for K-12 geographic education in several Southern states to managing disaster recovery and economic development programs. In addition, she coordiinated land acquisition and engineering projects for the restoration of the Loxahatchee River and the Indian River Lagoon.

LeMoyne Arts is pleased to announce the opening of Creative Exploration, an exhibition celebrating the work of renowned artist Beth Appleton alongside a retrospective of 25 years of Chain of Parks Art Festival posters. This exhibition will be on display from Thursday, April 10, through Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Beth Appleton’s intricate and colorful pieces celebrate her innovative spirit and deep connection to nature. Known for her unique use of cut paper and layered compositions, Appleton’s art offers a contemporary perspective on the natural world, drawing viewers into her imaginative and richly detailed creations. Complementing Appleton’s work, the exhibition showcases the history and evolution of 25 Years of Chain of Parks Art Festival Posters. This retrospective highlights the artistic contributions that have defined the festival’s identity over the years, paying homage to the talented artists whose designs have become beloved symbols of this community event
The Opening Reception will take place on Thursday, April 10, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM, offering guests an evening of artistic appreciation with live music by renowned pianist John Brashears, an in-house bar, and light refreshments by Simply Entertaining Catering.
LeMoyne Arts will also host a special Artist Talk & Muffins & Mimosas event on Saturday, April 12, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Beth Appleton will discuss her artistic journey and creative process. Attendees will enjoy muffins from Uptown Cafe, coffee by Argonaut, and in-house mimosas, accompanied by live music by Hot Tamale.
Event Details:
Location: LeMoyne Arts
Exhibition Dates: April 10 – May 10, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 10 | 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Live Music by John Brashears | In-House Bar & Light Refreshments by Simply Entertaining

Have you ever wished for the power to change the world around you? A. Marie Cantrelle has the characters you wish you could be in her novel, Lifeshaper.

About Lifeshaper:

Before they disappeared from the world, the Nameless Goddesses bestowed humanity with strange abilities to manipulate the world around them. Now, Princess Kitania Melyora wields a gift unlike any other: the ability to breathe life into existence. But when her control falters at her uncle's investiture ball, tragedy strikes. Hunted by the Emperor and haunted by her fragmented memories, Kitania seeks refuge in a nearby temple. There, she encounters Weiran, a rebel leader with the power to defy death.

He forces her to confront a harsh truth: her own family's tyranny. As betrayal and loyalty collide, Kita must navigate a treacherous path between her past and a future shaped by her family and those she would once call enemies.

About A. Marie Cantrelle:

A. Marie Cantrelle is a speculative fiction author born and raised in southeast Louisiana. Always a lover of the fantastical, she draws inspiration from her upbringing, mythologies of the world, and the occasional dream to bring her characters and worlds to life. Her work explores themes of life, death, and power in all its forms.

These days, she lives in north Florida with two villainous kitties: Selina Kyle and Azula.

“Through figures as various and variously lovely as orange blossom, night herons, stingrays, and dulse seaweed, Furman takes us on a deep-dive tour through Floridian—and, by extension, American—history and its changing environment. This book not only makes me want to go to Florida but also to spend every minute there outdoors, hoping to see with vision as fresh and sweet as Furman’s the world he lives in and loves.”—Nicole Walker, author of Sustainability: A Love Story

Join Andrew Furman and Susan Cerulean as they discuss Furman's book, Of Slash Pines and Manatees.

About Of Slash Pines and Manatees:

Wings and talons clatter against a windowpane. Foxes den under a deck. Pines stand in quarter-acre lots, recalling a vanished forest. In this book, Andrew Furman explores touchpoints between his everyday suburban life and the environment in South Florida, contemplating his place in a subtropical landscape stretching from the Everglades to the warm Atlantic coast.

Transportive vignettes of encounters in the natural world blend with ordinary, all-too-relatable stories of home and family life in these chapters. Puzzled and fascinated by the plants and animals he meets while continually preoccupied by busy domestic routines, Furman illustrates the beauty of his “suburban wilderness.” He also reckons with changes and threats to the surrounding landscape. How, he asks, should humans go about living in what is simultaneously one of the most overdeveloped and most naturally beautiful states in the country?

Of Slash Pines and Manatees is a creative and memorable example for anyone seeking to live responsibly and richly in a world impacted by human activity. Furman inspires readers to focus fiercely on the local, to conduct their own adventures in the ecosystem outside their front doors, and to see that even in the most overdeveloped areas, what is wild persists.

About Andrew Furman:

Andrew Furman is professor of English at Florida Atlantic University and teaches in its MFA program in creative writing. His many books include Jewfish, Goldens Are Here, and Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair with Florida.

Funding for this publication was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About Susan Cerulean:

Susan Cerulean is a writer, naturalist, and activist based in Tallahassee and Indian Pass, Florida.

Her award-winning nature memoir, Coming to Pass: Florida’s Coastal Islands in a Gulf of Change, was published in 2015 by University of Georgia Press. Tracking Desire: A Journey after Swallow-tailed Kites (Georgia, 2006) was named an Editors’ Choice title by Audubon magazine.

The Crooked River Lighthouse will host a fun-filled evening on Saturday, April 12, in Carrabelle, FL, under the Pink Full Moon. Festivities include a Lighthouse Treasure Hunt, live music by The Waterbirds, plus after-hour museum tours, a glowing bonfire, and evening tower climbs. Visitors can enjoy the gorgeous natural surroundings under the glow of the sunset and rising Pink Moon. Plus, in honor of the Pink Moon there will be a flamboyance of pink (faux) flamingos to add to the fun. Admission is $10 from 7-9 pm and climbs are $5 from 7-10 pm.



The evening kicks off with an exciting Lighthouse Treasure Hunt from 5:00-7:00 pm ET, inviting adventurers of all ages to explore the lighthouse grounds in search of hidden treasures. This free activity will feature both written and unwritten clues, along with gold coins to discover. Designed for all ages—including even the youngest explorers—the hunt includes a special buried treasure, making it a fun adventure for everyone!


The Waterbirds take the stage aboard the Pirate Ship from 7:00-9:00 pm at this Full Moon event. This talented group will bring a lively mix of reggae, folk, jazz, rock, blues, and original songs, guaranteed to get your toes tapping. Featuring singer-songwriter Susan David alongside Terry Koral, Rick Kohl, and Paul Adams, their dynamic performance is not to be missed. Admission to this musical performance is $10. This will be a night of fantastic music and full moon magic!


For those souls brave enough to venture to the top of the tallest lighthouse on the Forgotten Coast, tower climbs are available from 7:00-10:00 pm. Climbers will be rewarded with breathtaking views of St. George Sound and Carrabelle Beach, as the sun sets and the Pink Moon rises. Climbs are $5 and scheduled at 15-minute intervals. Reservations are encouraged due to limited availability. Climbers must be at least 44 inches tall and children under 12 are free with ticketed adults.


Visitors can experience an after-hours tour of the Keeper’s House Museum and see the exhibit of the lighthouse’s original, historic Fresnel lens constructed in 1894 in Paris, France. Guests can browse unique nautical gifts and souvenirs in the gift shop.


Admission tickets and climb tickets can be purchased in the lighthouse gift shop or online at https://www.crookedriverlighthouse.com/full-moon-events/. Crooked River Lighthouse is located in Carrabelle, just west of the Carrabelle Public Beach Park at 1975 Hwy 98 W, Carrabelle. For details, contact the gift shop at 850-697-2732 or carrabellelighthouse@gmail.com or visit www.crookedriverlighthouse.com/. Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.

The Apalachicola Area Historical Society (AAHS) is hosting a program, How Franklin County Helped Win WWII, about the establishment and significance of Camp Gordon Johnston in coastal Franklin County as part of their Spring Speaker Series. Lisa Keith-Lucas, the museum’s archivist, will discuss the camp’s role during WWII as an amphibious training center, its operations, the rigorous training soldiers endured, and notable figures connected to it. Lisa will also share how the Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum was established to preserve this history. Attendees can view rare artifacts, including some not typically on display. The event is on Tuesday, April 8, from 5 to 6:30 pm at the Raney Carriage House, 126 Market Street, Apalachicola, FL.

Camp Gordon Johnston, opened in 1942, was strategically chosen for its harsh conditions and geographic features, mirroring battle environments like Normandy and the Pacific. Despite, or perhaps because of, the site’s extreme conditions, the camp quickly became a crucial amphibious training center, as well as playing a vital role in training infantry divisions, engineer brigades, and specialized units, eventually preparing over 250,000 troops before closing in 1946.

The Camp Gordon Johnston Museum was founded in 1996 after a successful reunion of veterans who had trained there. Enthusiasm for preserving the camp’s history led to the establishment of the museum, which now serves as a tribute to those who trained in its grueling conditions. The museum preserves artifacts, documents, and oral histories, ensuring that the sacrifices and experiences of the soldiers remain a lasting legacy.

Lisa Keith-Lucas is the dedicated archivist at Camp Gordon Johnston Museum and has been instrumental in uncovering the stories of soldiers who trained there. With meticulous research, she has worked to identify and document their names, hometowns, and final resting places, often facing significant gaps in historical records. A retired science educator with degrees in chemistry and geosciences, she applies an analytical approach to historical research. Her passion for WWII history stems in part from her mother’s experiences in Nazi-occupied Norway. Lisa has been an essential part of the museum for over 8 years, serving on its board before stepping into her current role preserving the artifacts and stories of the past, ensuring that the sacrifices of these soldiers are not forgotten.

These Speakers events are part of a well-established, popular series by the Apalachicola Area Historical Society. Local and tourist history enthusiasts have gathered for these informative talks for a number of years. Seating is limited so come early to get a spot. For more information, please call and leave a message at (850) 653-1700, email to AAHS.Raney@gmail.com, or online at www.apalachicolahistoricalsociety.org. Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.

Get ready for a summer of creativity and fun at Gadsden Arts! Designed for children ages 6-12, this camp offers an exciting opportunity for young artists to enjoy hands-on activities like painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, and more, all under the guidance of experienced art instructors. Registration opens April 1st, and scholarships are available.

Enjoy the second Artists Guild exhibition of 2025, on view in the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum’s Bates Community Room through June 7, 2025. On display is artwork by Jan Austin-Hicken, Douglas Bondurant, Deborah Bullock, Michael Burchfield, Anthony Butkowski, Amy Cober, Kathy Ferrell, Ellen Fournier, Theresa Francisco, Thomas Friedman, Debbie Gaedtke, Echo Kidd Gates, Sal Guastella, John Isaacs, Stan Kitching, Sandra Lipner, MJ Lord, Kristin Manos, Janice Ecinja McCaskill, Hui Chiu McClure, Michele Moffett , Kent Putnam, Jill Quadagno, Linda Rabon, Maria Renzulli, Ann Robinson, Stephen Bennett Smith, Debra Spitler, Karen Stewart, Mary Liz Tippin-Moody, Georgia Turner, Amy Von Chamier, Lisa Waxman, and Erika Zambello.

Image: Michael Burchfield, Emily’s World, 2021, oil