Madden Metcalf, who recently signed a major label contract, was headliner and had the crowd dancing. CJ Beach and the Deadmen also performed.

PHOTOS BY GERALD BROWN

On Friday, Wakulla County held a push-in ceremony at the Trice Lane station for Fire-Rescue’s new ladder truck. Among those in attendance, above, were county commissioners Fred Nichols, Quincee Messersmith, Valerie Russell, Josh Lawhon and Ralph Thomas, who were joined by Miss Wakulla Abbigail Lawhon and Tiny Miss Lynley Bryan and Little Miss Avyn Bryan.

The $1.2 million truck has a 78-foot ladder, seen extended at left, as it is surrounded by the crowd that helped push the truck into the fire station bay. The truck reportedly has a rescue mode and suppression mode for dealing with different types of emergencies.

Honoring the Women of Panacea on Monday at Posey’s, Linda Durant Thompson, Kathryn Sanders Beaty, Becky Sanders Finch, Mec Martin, Vivian Taylor Johnson, and Harvey Stokley reading from his mother Laverne McMillian Stokley’s writings on the life and times of Panacea.

Stories of ‘The bay was our playground,’ sunset was time to go home for supper, begging mama to stay home from church Sunday night to watch Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show, and swimming in Otter Lake (not recommended today) – the stories could have gone on all night but ended around eight.

The annual Ducks Unlimited banquet was held Saturday night at 3Y Ranch. Auctions of hunting trips, shotguns, fine art and more were offered with a goal of outraising the $80,000 raised last year.

Keep Wakulla County Beautiful held a Mudbugs & Music fundraiser on Saturday at Woolley Park in Panacea that drew a huge crowd. (Photos by Gerald Brown)

Teams of cooks whipped up their best crayfish recipes, and a panel of judges, including Dana Brooks, Sheriff Jared Miller, county commissioners Ralph Thomas and Quincee Messersmith and the high school culinary arts teacher Ryan Warner chose the best tasting mudbugs.

An Empty Bowls event was held on Thursday at Wakulla High School to raise money for Wakulla Giving Hands. Music, culinary, and art teachers collaborated with volunteers to make soup as well as handmade bowls.