As Pensacola has experienced explosive growth in tourism in recent years, the city has been forced to respond to this need. The new Three-Mile Bridge, for instance, was one way the city responded to this uptick in visitors. This rise in tourism has resulted in larger companies’ further interest in developing businesses and infrastructure in the area.
Fin-Flipping Fun: Pensacola Beach’s Gulf Coast Whale Fest
On April 12, people from all over the Gulf Coast excitedly gathered at the Gulfside Pavilion at Pensacola Beach to celebrate the second-annual Gulf Coast Whale Festival. Hosted by Healthy Gulf, a non-profit organization fighting for the conservation and restoration of the Gulf of America’s natural resources, the Gulf Coast Whale Festival brought together local research labs, wildlife refuges, scholarly programs, and environmental organizations to help promote the protection of endangered marine life (e.g. dolphins, manatees, etc.) and provide a “whale of a good time” for the locals.
Summer Shenanigans and Events
Hello Pirates! Summer is swimming up, and that comes with free time for shenanigans. To help plan for an eventful, memorable, spectacular summer, here is a list of events in the close and far local area with 2 events for every summer month.
Showcasing Creativity: Student Art Awards Exhibition
On Tuesday, April 8, the Visual Arts Department at Pensacola State College held its annual student art awards show to honor students' artistic achievements. The expo included diverse mediums, such as digital design, drawing, ceramics, painting, sculpture, and photography.
The De-Extinction of Dire Wolves: Colossal Success or Dire Mistake?
On April 7, a biotechnology company named Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences came forth with an extremely bold claim against the laws of nature itself: that using their revolutionary “de-extinction” technology, they can “mak[e] extinction a thing of the past.” As a proof of concept, Colossal revealed that they had made 20 edits to a gray wolf embryo’s DNA and, on October 1, 2024, three dire wolf pups were born, the first of their species to walk the earth in over 10,000 years. To many, this is a spark of hope.
Annual Spring Festival of Flowers
On the first weekend of April, the Milton campus at Pensacola State College held its annual flower festival. With the help of the University of Florida and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the area was filled with all kinds of plant nurseries, tents with information about conservation, woodworkers, painters, live music, food trucks, and much more.
“Adolescence” and the Unspeakable
It’s difficult to look at a travesty happening before your eyes. We talk frequently about how easily we can look up and get obsessed with extreme acts of violence even before the rise of the internet, but that’s not what’s being talked about. The real travesty is to look not just at the impact of such violence but also at the aftermath and see the effect. The crying, the trauma, the anger, the backlash, and - most distressingly - the ways such acts of death can affect people.
Hadestown: Broadway Songbirds Visit Pensacola’s 100-Year-Old Saenger Theatre
The Saenger Theatre has long been a large part of Pensacola’s arts and culture. Standing in the heart of Downtown Pensacola since 1925, the theatre recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary. To commemorate it, they hosted a grand reopening ceremony with a ribbon cutting and cake on April 4. On top of this, the Saenger hosted two free showings of the Phantom of the Opera silent film, one of the firm films to be shown back when it first opened in the 1920’s.
Study Habits and Practices
Developing study habits can be hard for students. In fact, it can feel impossible. Luckily, we live in an age where people have come up with solutions and are willing to provide their wisdom. The Learning Center at the University of North Carolina [at Chapel Hill] has a list of study habits and practices to help better studying habits.
Upcoming Student Art Exhibition
Pensacola State College has officially announced its annual student art exhibition. This event kicks off March 31, the works will be available for viewing, with some pieces for sale, until May 2 in the Switzer Gallery on the Pensacola campus. This juried exhibit showcases the finest pieces created by current PSC visual arts students. The juror, Gina Philips received her...