FLASHBACK Okaloosa

Listen as we talk with Charles Rigdon, son of CH "Bull" Rigdon. Bull, for many people, was the face of the fairgrounds for many years. His son Charles recounts the history of the fairgrounds.

For many of us, it is hard to imagine the contour of our beaches without the signature look of the Destin East Pass and the rock jetties protruding into the Gulf of Mexico.

They are a signature look of Destin and signal both exit and entry into the East Pass. A doorway to what many believe is the best fishing in the country. So many rocks, such a massive endeavor, and all man-made.

Today’s story comes to you from the 1950s,  from a gentleman named Jimmy G Warr Sr. who was a boy living in Fort Walton at the time. He and his friends – the three amigos – had discovered what I have dreamed about for years living in beautiful Okaloosa County and it landed their story in every newspaper across the country.

Destin-Fort Walton Beach has had many names. We take you through the origin story of  VPS and how early developers in Valparaiso, Eglin Air Force Base and a partnership with Okaloosa County have influenced what it is today and how it will continue to be successful in the future.

The Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility treats 7-10 million gallons of water every day. The facility was built in 2005 and was named after a man who spent his life serving the County, Bennie as he was known, was a wastewater operator for the County.

Take a drive around Okaloosa County and you are sure to come across the names of small towns or should I say communities that don’t have much prominence on a map and without some simple signage you probably wouldn’t know they even existed.

This episode is about one of these communities, Dorcas

Just outside of the city limits of Crestview heading east on U.S. Highway 90 past the Shoal River and past the Emerald Coast Zoo, you’ll hit the intersection of County Road 393 in another not so well-known community of Deerland. Turn north and you are well on your way to the Community of Dorcas. You’ll pass the Shoal River once again and you’ll see a white sandy beach area on one of the banks, an area I’m told that locals use to or may still, gather for relaxation and socializing.

The Dorcas Baptist Church has the most signage and there’s a reason the community kind of centers around the church area. The name itself, Dorcas, has origins in the Bible mentioned in both the New Testament books of Acts and Peter as a woman known for her good works and acts of mercy.

To learn more about this community I went to a Dorcas local, who just so happens to be the Executive Director of the Baker Block museum.

On this episode of FLASHBACK we explore how people in Okaloosa County used to talk and write and express themselves through the years.

This is an addition to our very first episode of FLASHBACK which explored the history of the Racetrack, once located off of Racetrack Road. James Ward reached out to FLASHBACK and we were able to talk with him about his memories of this track from the 1950s. We were also able to explore a notable figure in Okaloosa County history, Silas Gibson. Thanks for listening and we'll see around town.

Okaloosa County has the distinction of being the first County in the state to accomplish certain "Firsts". Listen to the stories of becoming a Purple Heart County, the first Special Olympics County and how Fish Aggregating Devices are a game changer for anglers in the Gulf of Mexico.

Need more Okaloosa County government information? - Go to MyOkaloosa.com

We will take through the history of the Brooks Bridge and give you an update on the replacement project currently underway.

More info on the replacement project by FDOT can be found at https://nwflroads.com/projects/415474-2

In the 1930s the state saw the need to connect northwest Florida to south Florida on a highway system that would require a fair amount of bridges. The Gulf Coast Highway system, aka the Florida Loop would go from Pensacola to Tampa. According to news articles, in 1931 funds began being allocated to build bridges to make this idea come true.

Yes folks we are talking about the Brooks Bridge. We’ve had two Brooks Bridges since the 1930s and were about to see a third. You can already see buildings and signs being removed to make way for the new one. The construction of the new one as you may know, is being overseen by the Florida Department of Transportation.