FLASHBACK Okaloosa

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): AFSOC and Hurlburt Field - The Elite and building character

Listen to AFSOC historians discuss the early history of Hurlburt Field and AFSOC, as well as some funny, serious and patriotic stories about this elite group known as the Air Commandos. Learn more about Okaloosa County services at myokaloosaa.com

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): From Boggy Tech to Northwest Florida State College

Northwest Florida State College has grown to be a premiere Junior College, recognized nationally for academics and athletics. Listen to past and present presidents, former students, and other historic recollections about the institution's history and some exciting new projects on the horizon.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Niceville’s Mullet Festival and stories from backstage

Lannie Corbin, Sheila Bishop and William Prince discuss their memories while working behind-the-scenes at the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival. Listen to what they learned about the personalities of artists such as Rick Springfield, Charlie Daniels, the Dixie Chicks and Billy Ray Cyrus.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Water Boggan on Okaloosa Island - Behind the scenes

Water Boggan and its various names throughout the years created memories for thousands of children and their families beginning in 1977 on Okaloosa Island. The park was dismantled in the early 2000s but the memories live on in those who visited the park. On this episode of FLASHBACK we talked with two lifeguards who worked at the park for a behind-the-scene look into the park.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Laurel Hill, Florida is home of the Hoboes - Want to know why?

Laurel Hill, Florida is home of the Hoboes - Want to know how it got that name?

A unique part of our County is the City of Laurel Hill. Incorporated in 1905, the 3-square-mile Laurel Hill is the county’s oldest city. Laurel Hill is a quiet place, low-key in my opinion and has the feel of happiness that surrounds what you might think of when you think small rural town in America. It sits just a hop and a skip from the Alabama State line along State Road 85 and its one place in the County that will get snow on occasion in the winter. One thing that sticks out to me and probably many outsiders traveling through the town, is the mascot associated with the local school.

Laurel Hill is the home of the Hoboes. I was both surprised and curious about this when I moved to the area in 2005. This isn’t your typical tigers, gators, wildcats kind of mascot. So why the hobos? And what is a hobo?

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Goofy Golf, over 60 years, three owners and endless memories in Fort Walton Beach

Listen as we take you back to the start of Goofy Golf in the late 1950s and all the years until the present day. We spoke with relatives of the first owner and founder, James "Jimmy" Hayes as well as Bob Fleskes, who owned Goofy Golf from 1971-2011 and the current owner Chris Clements.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): JAWS II, Roy Scheider mingles with Florida locals in late 1970s

Over the years Northwest Florida and Okaloosa County was the set for movies dating back to the 1940s like Twelve O'clock High (1949) starring Gregory Peck about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany. There was  Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) based on the real-life experiences of the pilots and crew of the famed Doolittle Raid.   

John Wayne’s “The Green Berets,” was filmed at Eglin and more recently a movie called Frogs in 1972 where an upper class family who hunted and killed through the years and nature, including large bullfrogs rise up and attack them on an island. Its no surprise that this did not win an Academy Award

We also had Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Truman Show filmed in nearby Seaside in South Walton.

One of the most notable ones was filmed in Shalimar, Destin and Navarre was JAWS II, Starring Roy Scheider, who was known to frequent the local bars when they weren't shooting the film

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): The Racetrack on Racetrack Road

Racetrack Road is also named State Road 188. It is exactly  2.581 miles long.

Racetrack Road also has another name, that many people may not have noticed. On the west end of Racetrack Road a signs reads Brian D Little Road, designated by the State Legislature in 2006.

 Its also well represented on the County Commission dais.

Three districts are represented along the road by Commissioners Goodwin, Boyles and Ketchel. Because it is a state road, it is maintained by Florida Department of Transportation.

LISTEN TO HEAR MORE