FLASHBACK Okaloosa

The Florida International Motor Speedway Destin was going to be a 2.5 triangular track with a 60,000 person seating capacity. The announcement for the track was made in newspapers Jan. 1, 1971. Listen to how this track almost became part of the Emerald Coast landscape.

There were drive-ins as early as the 1910s, but the first patented drive-in was opened I 1933 by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. He created it as a solution for people unable to comfortably fit into smaller movie theater seats after creating a mini drive-in for his mother. Hollingshead advertised his drive-in as a place where “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”

Drive ins began to take off around the country in the 50s and 60s and their popularity was evident  in Okaloosa County, too.

We’ll get into whether German U-boats actually infiltrated the shores of the Choctaw Bay, and what would have happened if it turned into the largest seaport in the world as some early developers wanted And of course we will discuss the role of the nightlife in the early years of Shalimar. We will also get into a story about a not so widely know area of Shalimar, Black Point.

We explore the origin story of who built Water Boggan on Okaloosa Island in the late 1970s. Thanks to Harvey Fleming for this look into Okaloosa history.

We don't think much about County seats or what they mean. When Okaloosa County was formed in 1915 by the state legislature, a temporary County seat had to be named and Milligan was chosen. Listen to how they got the seat and how they lost it.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?