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.32
August 6, 2025
SummationWeekly.com
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
GRANT RECIPIENTS SELECTED FOR 12TH ANNUAL
PENSACOLA FOO FOO FESTIVAL
T
he Pensacola Foo Foo Festival Committee announced the public grant scoring for the 12th annual Foo Foo Festival on May 21, naming this year’s ten grant recipients and allocating more than $450,000 in funding for 2025 festival events. This year’s grant winners include 309 Punk Project, Friends of Downtown, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Jazz for Justice, Night Moves Inc, PenArts, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola State College and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. The 2025 Foo Foo Festival will be held October 30 through November 10 in downtown Pensacola. The 2025 grant recipients will produce a series of events from the categories of art, live music, live theatre, anime and more at this year’s annual cultural celebration. Nonprofit organizations that were not selected and for-profit partners who are interested in participating are encouraged to apply to be a Friend of Foo, receiving local, regional and national visibility during the 12-day event via Foo Foo Fest’s regional marketing campaign. “Last year, Foo Foo Fest had the opportunity to celebrate the arts in a powerful way, welcoming awardwinning musicians for one-night-only concerts, world premiere operatic performances, hosting Pensacola’s first-ever anime convention and so much more,” Pensacola Foo Foo Festival Chair and Vice President of ACE Pensacola Therese Felth McKenzie said. “This Fall, we are thrilled to welcome a class of returning Foo Foo Fest presenters, and we look forward to showcasing immersive displays of art and theatre, world premiere performances, collaborative presentations, returning festivals and more to visitors to Escambia County and our local community. The 2025 grant recipients include: 309 Punk Project 309 Punk Project is the only artist-run nonprofit organization in the South committed solely to archiving the creative efforts of the punk culture of our region. It is 309
Punk Project’s primary goal to serve the local and regional community as an archive, residency and venue for divergent practices in DIY culture and contemporary art that critically examines the sociopolitical cultural moment that is shaping all our lives. In 2025, 309 Punk Project will present HalloZine Fest, a two-day interactive celebration of zine culture and DIY art. Featuring zine exhibitions, hands-on workshops, artist talks and a Halloween-themed party with live music, the event invites attendees to explore independent publishing and punk-inspired creativity that highlights Pensacola’s vibrant underground arts scene. Friends of Downtown The mission of Friends of Downtown is to enhance the district’s quality of life and economic success by creating a cleaner, safer and more enjoyable environment. Friends of Downtown will present Afterburn, a large-scale suspended art installation in Downtown Pensacola, created in collaboration with internationally renowned artist Tomislav Topic. Evoking the spirit of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and powered by wind and light, the installation will offer a free, accessible and ever-changing visual experience for all ages. Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida The Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Inc. (JAS of NWFL) is a private, nonprofit, taxexempt 501(c)(3) organization, with membership consisting of both individuals and interested organizations. The society’s mission is to work toward fostering and promoting stronger ties of friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Japan. The goal is to cultivate and enrich mutually beneficial relationships between the U.S. and Japan, based on a spirit of goodwill. For its second consecutive year, Japan-America Society will produce the HizashiCon Anime Festival, a vibrant threeday community-powered anime and Japanese pop culture convention celebrating creativity, inclusion and cross-cultural connection.
Legal Services of North Florida & Jazz for Justice Jazz for Justice is a premier annual jazz event benefiting the Legal Services of North Florida, a nonprofit organization that serves low-income individuals and families across the Florida panhandle by providing free civil legal help to eligible clients. In its seventh year with the Foo Foo Festival, Jazz for Justice (JFJ) plans to expand its cultural and music offerings by bringing well-known musicians and local artists together for a unique jazz and blues festival in downtown Pensacola. Jazz for Justice will once again present a lineup of nationally recognized jazz talents. Night Moves Inc Night Moves is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of establishing a safe place for musicians, artists and their associated communities to express themselves in creative and positive ways. Returning for its third year, Night Moves Fest will again serve as one of the Foo Foo Festival’s anchor events, transforming the waterfront amphitheater at Community Maritime Park into a high-energy celebration of indie and alternative music. Featuring national headliners alongside regional and local talent, the one-day festival will feature live music across multiple stages, food trucks, an art garden and a vendor market, all set against Pensacola’s scenic bayfront. PenArts PenArts is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) that brings theatrical arts to all members of the Pensacola community and professional theatrical productions to an already vibrant Pensacola theatre scene. In 2025, PenArts will present the professional world premiere of The Luck, a new musical written and performed by Nashville’s popular folk/bluegrass band The Lubben Brothers. This historic debut in Pensacola will run for six performances at The Gordon, offering audiences a unique blend of theatre and live concert experience. Based on a Bret Harte
novella, The Luck tells a moving tale of hope, redemption and the California Gold Rush, appealing to fans of musical theatre, bluegrass music and American history. Pensacola Little Theatre Pensacola Little Theatre is a nonprofit community theatre that has been providing diverse theatrical experiences in Northwest Florida since 1936. Pensacola Little Theatre presents programs such as musicals, comedies, dramas and children's shows; adult and youth classes in acting and other theatre skills; a variety of volunteer opportunities and thrilling, mission-based fundraisers. This year, blending Shakespeare, 60s rock and immersive theatre, Somebody to Love will be a building-wide, multi-sensory experience inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Guests will explore the newly renovated Clark Family Cultural Center as scenes unfold room by room, soundtracked by hits from The Zombies, Jefferson Airplane and more. With 12 performances over 12 days, this immersive musical journey, complete with rooftop speakeasies and surreal encounters, anchors the Foo Foo Festival’s opening and closing weekends while offering weekday magic. Pensacola Symphony Orchestra The mission of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra is to promote the well-being of the greater Pensacola community through excellence in live symphonic music and lifelong learning through engaging musical activities. This year, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will offer a free community concert at the National Naval Aviation Museum over Veterans Day Weekend. This concert will feature the Four Seasons Brass, comprised of 15 brass and percussion players performing a wide-ranging repertoire that includes patriotic music. In 2025, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will present a one-night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at The Sanctuary, returning to a historic venue for Foo Foo Festival. This special chamber concert,
led by Music Director Peter Rubardt, celebrates the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary. Pensacola Opera The mission of Pensacola Opera is to enrich the culture of Northwest Florida by producing professional opera performances, educational programs and other opera-related community events for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds. In 2025, Pensacola Opera fuses high fashion, iconic rock anthems and operatic power in Rock the Runway: Amped—a bold, immersive event at the historic Saenger Theatre. Featuring custom couture inspired by opera’s greatest heroines, live mashups by the White Tie Rock Ensemble and international opera singers and a catwalk showcasing local boutiques, this electrifying show will blur the lines between concert and couture. With original orchestrations by Broadway arranger Joseph Brent, Rock the Runway is a one-night-only spectacle of glam, grit and artistic fusion—unlike anything Pensacola has seen before. Pensacola State College Pensacola State College is a public, comprehensive community college that was founded as Pensacola Junior College in 1948. As the oldest and largest college in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola State College serves traditional and non-traditional students in Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama. In 2025, Pensacola State College will present Wandering Without Purpose, an art exhibit by Relja Penezic and Victoria Jordanova featuring paintings, video art and an interactive sound installation. The free exhibit will run throughout the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival at the Anna Lamar Switzer Gallery. Individual event details and additional partners will be announced and added to the Foo Foo Festival website in the months leading up to the event kickoff this fall. For general information, news and updates, visit foofoofest.com and follow Foo Foo Festival on social media.■
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