CRESTVIEW — Countywide geocaching, a road rally and TV spots are among ideas considered for Okaloosa County’s 2015 Centennial.
“We have so many wonderful experiences in Okaloosa County,” public information officer Kathy Newby said during the last Friends of the Crestivew Public Library meeting. “We’re not going to re-create the wheel. We are gathering information on those events and things we already have: festivals, parades, museums and all of that.”
Ideas include: creating a map of Okaloosa's city, state and county parks, museums, historic sites and places of interest; organizing an Experience Okaloosa Road Rally, with participants receiving stamps on a passport or finding clues as proof of visiting each site; and a geotour with an accompanying geocache hunt, Newby said.
The county Parks Department already has a geocache trail, with a link for geocache fans on the department’s website.
Other ideas include “100 Minutes of History” TV spots similar to the “Bicentennial Minutes” broadcast during the nation’s 200th birthday.
“One Hundred Miles of History,” another idea broached during brainstorming sessions, would be a map participants follow to significant sites in the county’s history.
Two photo-filled county history books are also in the works, with one published by the North Okaloosa Heritage Association and the Baker Block Museum, and one published by the Crestview News Bulletin, the Northwest Florida Daily News and the Destin Log.
WANT TO HELP?
Okaloosa County officials welcome suggestions for events and activities celebrating the county’s 2015 centennial. Send ideas to county public information officer Kathy Newby, 651-7515, knewby@co.okaloosa.fl.us; or Crestview Mayor David Cadle, 682-3812, davidcadle@cityofcrestview.org.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hotspot map, road rally, geohunt among Okaloosa centennial ideas