It’s the early 2000s, and the Back Door Poets are hosting a poetry reading at Van Gogh’s coffee shop. Seating is couches from thrift shops or donated. Folk art hangs on the walls. Punk rockers, nerds, geeks, hippies, vegans, and other cast-asides of society gather to share stories and camaraderie, and outside they share beers and cigarettes. Many of the patrons walked around the corner from a house known as the 309 Punkhouse.

Lexi Angeles’ shop on West Cervantes Street creates a space for vintage lovers and local vendors to grow together.

Pensacola has a long history of people who have been successful in their business endeavors and have reinvested in the community in important ways. Not necessarily seeking recognition, their involvement in lending time, talent, and treasure to the arts, health and wellness, and support for those needing a helping hand through local programs raises the overall well-being and appeal of their hometown. These philanthropists see their largess as an opportunity to leave their community a better place long after they are gone.

A driving sound of a 1950s-style rockabilly band spills from the Handlebar. The music rolls out to the blocked-off street and mixes with the growl of rat rod engines. Children run between scrap-metal bumpers as men and women lean over open hoods, talking shop and admiring the weld lines of the vintage cars lined up for public viewing. Spring’s blossoming ligustrum hangs in the air among the gasoline, grease, and grit. 

I first met Aimee Risser, the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of the Central Gulf Coast, through my late close friend, Mike Lapeyrouse. Mike ran the American Equity Underwriters insurance division at The Cooper Group, Inc. in Mobile.

As a seasoned musician, Bob Erickson has played hundreds, maybe thousands of shows over the years, but one of the most memorable was recently on the campus of Pensacola State College. The very special occasion was The Tree-Oh's performance for an upcoming episode of StudioAmped on WSRE, which he says was an incredible experience for him and his bandmates.

Worthwhile causes and organizations abound throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal communities, and I’m always amazed at the impact these humanitarian efforts have in improving people’s lives. 

One of the smartest things I ever did was move to a town so beautiful that my friends quit asking when I’d come visit them and started asking how soon they could come to Pensacola. Like many Saturdays before, this past Saturday, my best girlfriends and I kicked off another fun-filled girls’ weekend with a little breakfast at The Coffee Cup, my favorite local diner, catching up over hash browns and cheese eggs before diving into our weekend festivities.