Thoughts on Community Hymn Sing, Winn-Dixie's improvements

One of the most enjoyable events that takes place in Crestview is when several of the local churches get together for a Community Hymn Sing at one of the participating churches. 

This quarter's hymn sing is 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, 502 McDonald St., Crestview. The entire community is invited to come and sing praises to the Lord.

Previous hymn sings featured special music provided by the various churches participating. The congregation gets to choose the hymns they love to sing out of the hymnal. I have attended several of these enjoyable times of fellowship with members from other churches and look forward to attending this fabulous, musical event! Please join in the fun.

I had the pleasure of attending Winn-Dixie's grand opening last Thursday. The Big Red Machine from Crestview High School was there to play for this event and the company provided a $6,153 check to the band.

The Ricky Reeves management team, the people in white shirts, are always available and willing to help customers, whatever the need. Jimmy McEachern, customer service manager, told me, "Winn-Dixie is proud to be part of the community of Crestview and looks forward to continuing to giving back."

Many Crestview residents attended the grand opening. There were 500 $5 gift cards passed out beginning at 8 a.m. and they were gone by 8:30 a.m. As well there were 1,000 tote bags.

Many things have been moved around in the store to provide a better shopping flow. There are paper store directories at each check stand to help shoppers find their groceries, or any of the staff will be happy to help.

The re-vamped produce department features locally sourced produce and much of it is now on ice. In the produce department there are products from Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

The most interesting part of the store are the additional items available in the deli department. There are now hot pizzas and hot sandwiches to order, a soup bar, and hot meal offerings, chicken wings, and fried and rotisserie chickens. Additionally, there are tables and chairs with free Wi-Fi so one can buy their meal and catch up on emails or Facebook. It is a very nice addition to the store. I have tried the soup and chili, and they are delicious.

I wish Winn-Dixie continued success!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Thoughts on Community Hymn Sing, Winn-Dixie's improvements