USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
SUMMATIONWeeklyy
This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T Vol. 25, No. 5
January 29, 2025
SummationWeekly.com
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
Finally, if you are interested in meeting in a group setting in which you can read a book of your choosing and not one assigned to you, then this is the group for you. The Silent Book Club meets bi-monthly in different locations suited for a good, relaxing reading session. Bring your own book and a beverage of your choosing and enjoy a quiet evening surrounded by fellow booklovers. For more information and group details, visit silentbookclub.com. Engage in Group Sports and Exercise Clubs We all know regular exercise's numerous physical benefits for the body. From weight loss to bone strength, fitness has proven to be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise can also benefit social health! Exercise releases endorphins that help make us feel good and improve our mood, making us more likely to engage positively with others, relieve stress, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve self-esteem and body image. Regular exercise also presents opportunities to meet new people. Joining a sports team, fitness class or gym can introduce us to like-minded people with similar interests. These new connections can lead to lasting friendships and bonds. Play Pensacola Parks & Recreation department aims to improve and promote the quality of life for all citizens and visitors of Pensacola by protecting the heritage of our parks while providing a wide range of recreational, social and educational opportunities. The City of Pensacola has a total of 93 parks and open spaces, along with the resource centers which are maintained by the Parks & Building Maintenance Divisions. Along with the city’s public parks, the Parks & Rec department offers many programs and events to help people connect. Among such programs are dance classes that are offered in a variety of disciplines for youth and adults. Dance lessons are offered in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip-hop, lyrical, modern, Irish, belly dance, line dancing, tumbling and more. Additionally, get ready to explore nature, learn new skills and have a lot of fun in the Parks & Rec’s Outdoor Pursuits Adventure Programs. The programs offer a wide variety of outdoor adventures ranging from summer camps and one day skills clinics in archery, camping, fishing and paddle sports to wilderness survival training and everything in between. For details on other events and programs offered by Parks & Rec such as the Pensacola Senior Games, summer camps, volunteer opportunities and the Wellness in the Park Series, visit cityofpensacola.com. For another exercise option, the McGuire’s Running Club is a community of passionate runners dedicated to promoting health, fitness and camaraderie through the exhilarating activity of running. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner, this club provides a supportive environment to enhance your running journey. An upcoming event for the club is the 48th Annual McGuire’s St. Patrick’s Day Run on March 8, 2025. Be on the lookout for registration
information and event details at mcguiresirishpub.com. A final running club option is Run Pensacola, which was created by local event director, Adam Guess, and owner of Running Wild, Paul Epstein. Pun Pensacola aims to create a community of local running events that build the running community and give back to local charities. Run Pensacola produces professional events that are built and managed by locals, for locals. For more information about Run Pensacola and upcoming events, visit runpensacola.com. Connect with Fellow Creatives In February 2023, local artist Jarrod Goldman founded a club called Draw Together Pensacola as a way to reconnect with his fellow artists in the local community. Attendees can expect a welcoming environment for all ages and all skill levels with all supplies provided. Meetings include optional drawing games and a free drawing session with no guided lesson or plan so people can casually share their art and ideas. Draw Together also offers a ton of coloring books for attendees who would rather color than draw. “I think the club is perfect for disconnecting from technology even just for the one night on Wednesdays because people can really invest that time in real life socializing,” Goldman said. “Everyone is very friendly and we are constantly adding new people to the group that just want to hang out for a few hours and put their phones down.” For many, Draw Together has become a networking tool as well. People can share ideas about future projects or client work with likeminded artists. Every four months, Draw Together hosts educational field trips to local businesses where attendees learn about local business models, followed by a regularly scheduled free draw session. Draw Together meetups are currently held every Wednesday at Alga Brewing Co. unless otherwise noted. The new year will add more meeting venues to the growing roster of locations, including outdoor meetups in the local parks during good weather in the coming months. “Draw Together is for anyone and everyone,” Goldman said. “It is our mission to make people joyful by drawing.” For scheduling updates and information about events, artwork and activities, check out the Instagram @drawtogetherpensacola. As a working art center, First City Art Center offers a wide range of classes and workshops designed to engage the community in the arts and provide a supportive environment for the local arts community. FCAC offerings include classes for beginners through seasoned practitioners, in many media including glass, pottery, ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing and other visual arts. For more information about FCAC classes and other programs and outreach opportunities, visit firstcityart.org. Finally, the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) offers hands-on classes, workshops and semester-long programs throughout the year for artists and art enthusiasts of all ages. Visit pensacolamuseum.org to check out PMA’s educational programs, events, home art projects and more! ■
DISCONNECT TO CONNECT PRIORITIZING SOCIAL CONNECTION IN A DIGITAL WORLD
By Darien Hardy
H
umans are naturally social creatures, and our social relationships are inherently complex and fulfilling. Proper socialization provides us with a sense of connection, purpose, support and, ultimately, overall better health and longevity. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of social health has become top of mind, albeit, much more technologically heavy. For so many of us, relying on online interactions through screens became the primary way to socialize—even beyond the pandemic. Engaging with others solely from behind a screen can lead to a decreased ability to engage in meaningful, in-person connections with others, often resulting in a feeling of disconnection and a lack of deep social interaction. With the days of social isolation now behind us, it's time to take a look at how we interact with others and start engaging and connecting through personal interaction. Many studies have shown that people who have fulfilling relationships with family, friends and community members are happier, have fewer health problems and live longer. If you are looking to improve your social health, consider setting a New Year's resolution to engage more with your community, friends and family outside of the use of technology. Our vibrant community offers many opportunities for individuals to connect with each other and disconnect from technology. Whether you’re into fitness activities like pickleball or walking, or enjoy something more creative like art, there are numerous ways you can engage and connect with others right here in our community. Here are some specific events, clubs and programs currently taking place throughout our local community that invite you to connect and engage. (American) Mahjong 101 hosted by Rusted Arrow Mercantile Whether you play with friends and family, in a community club or even competitively, board games are a great way to engage with others and connect. Rusted Arrow Mercantile invites the community to take playing a simple board game a step further by participating in American Mahjong classes.
American Mahjong is a captivating and strategic tile-based game that combines skill, luck and social fun, making it the perfect activity for game nights, social gatherings or workshops. Inspired by the traditional Chinese game, this version features unique twists, including Joker tiles, Charleston exchanges and a yearly changing National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card. Played with 152 beautifully designed tiles featuring symbols like Dots, Bams, Cracks, Flowers and Dragons, players aim to build specific tile combinations or "hands" to declare Mahjong! The blend of strategy, fast-paced play and a little bit of luck keeps everyone engaged and entertained. “It really is a great way to disconnect from screens and enjoy time with friends and family,” Rusted Arrow Mercantile Owner Samantha Breedlove said. “It is such a fun, addicting game that is also great exercise for your brain." Rusted Arrow has now hosted several Mahjong 101 classes at their event space, The Loft at the Mercantile. Last year’s classes were a hit as they regularly sold out, and Rusted Arrow already has plans in the world to hold more Mahjong 101 classes as well as open play nights this January and February. Tickets typically go on sale two weeks prior to the events and attendees can find them on the Rusted Arrow Mercantile website or subscribe to the store’s email list. Enjoy light refreshments as you master the art of the game with stepby-step guidance. All materials will be provided, so bring your curiosity and get ready to shuffle those tiles! As an added bonus, participants will enjoy 20 percent off at Rusted Arrow Mercantile during the event, including the tiles, mats, and racks being used to play! Exclusions apply. All ticket sales are final and non-refundable. For more information, visit the website rustedarrowmercantile.com. Literary Programs and Events Whether reading alone or with others, people are finding connection and meaning between the pages, which may give their mental and social health a boost along the way. Getting wrapped up in a good book is good for our health. Narrative absorption—the experience of being immersed or engaged while reading a story—serves as more than an innately pleasurable
experience; it can also enhance our sense of wellbeing. Researchers believe that mentally transporting ourselves away from our physical surroundings can provide an escape or opportunity for meaningful contemplation. Reading also helps us to make sense of the world and build bridges to understanding ourselves and others. In a time of pronounced isolation and disconnection caused by the COVID pandemic, reading fiction, in particular, may also help to foster greater empathy and social cognition. Reading not only allows us to connect with ourselves, but others as well. Through books clubs, library events, book sales and volunteer programs, the Pensacola community can engage with worlds and characters in the pages and fellow bookworms. The West Florida Public Library (WFPL) system offers memberships that support city libraries through fundraising and advocacy, volunteer experiences that actively support the libraries’ needs and a number of donation opportunities that ensure the libraries’ success. Other WFPL events include a monthly scavenger hunt, book bingo, family story time, book clubs, steam labs, LEGO clubs and more! For more information and event dates, visit mywfpl.com. Another local book club option is the Bodacious Bibliophiles Book Club hosted by Bodacious Bookstore & Cafe. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 5 pm. Book worms across Pensacola can request to join the Bodacious Bibliophiles Book Club Facebook group to share information and discuss upcoming books. For ladies in Pensacola who are looking for a place where friends and pages meet, this next option is not your mommas book club. Established in 2018, Positively Pensacola presents Books & Bubbly. This book club meets monthly to discuss books that are written by women, focus on women empowerment and/or deals with themes that are important and applicable to the female experience. This book club aims to discuss questions that facilitate meaningful conversations with women and foster lasting connections. For more information and club details, visit the website positivelypensacola.org/ booksandbubbly.
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