The Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce E-Newsletter February 2023

Activities around town.... Mark your calendars! TOMORROW!! Saturday February 18th 10am -2pm CARRABELLE BRANCH LIBRARY The Friends of Franklin County Public Libraries invite you to a Souper Celebration!   The Annual Soup, Bread and Book Sale! Come enjoy live music from Kevin Andrew & the Rockulla Performers and displays from the Carrabelle Artist Association and the Lanark Village Wandering Star Quilters. You will find delicious homemade soups, freshly baked artisan breads and baked goods, vintage books, art and more. The proceeds support the local library programs in Eastpoint and Carrabelle.   You may take part by making some bread or soup for the event. Sign-up sheets for soup, bread, and baked goods will be in the Eastpoint and Carrabelle libraries as well as on the Friends website at “friendsfcpl.com.” Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council.

Special Exhibit: Honoring our African American Soldiers Opens Jan 31, 2023, on display until Feb 25 In commemoration of Black History Month, the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum will present a special exhibit to honor our country’s African-American Servicemen. This exhibit will focus on the 473rd, one of the Black Amphibious Truck Companies that served at Camp Gordon Johnston during World War II, as well as go into more depth on the segregation and Jim Crow laws that our African-American service members faced. This exhibit will open Tuesday, January 31, 2023 and be on display until Saturday, February 25. The museum is open every Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm and there is no charge for admission.    African Americans served in large numbers during WWII in spite of being denied full rights as American citizens. African Americans served in segregated units in both the Army and the Army Air Corps, one of the most recognizable being the Tuskegee Airmen. Many trained at Camp Gordon Johnston in transportation units like Amphibious Truck Companies, and even these support units worked close to combat and under fire. The 473rd Amphibious Truck Company trained in the use of the amphibious truck known as the DUKW, using the bay and sandy beaches in Carrabelle and all along the Forgotten Coast to practice operating, loading and unloading these truly amphibious vehicles. The 473rd Amphibious Truck Company, along with the 471st and 476th who also trained at Camp Gordon Johnston, went on to be a part of a 21 unit force from the Army that deployed with the 4th and 5th Marines for the campaign on Iwo Jima. A recent find of a full roster of the 473rd is allowing us to research this company’s men.   Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum is located in Carrabelle, directly across from Carrabelle Public Beach Park at 1873 Hwy 98 West. For more information, contact the museum at (850) 697-8575 or museum@campgordonjohnston.com. Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development    Saturday, March 18, 2023 10 am - 12 pm. C-Quarters Marina Upstairs Room 501 Hwy 98 in Carrabelle This program will explore the many facets of the legend of Tate’s Hell, the fate of Cebe Tate and how Tate's Hell State Forest got its name. The FSU Department of Communications’ 1983 short film, “A Tale of Tate’s Hell” will be shown.   There is no fee for this program. Donations are gladly accepted to defray costs. Sponsored by C-Quarters Marina and Shaun Donahoe Realty. Funding in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council. Seating is limited and masks are optional. Attendees are asked to follow health guidelines. For more information, contact 850-697-214 Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum honors Canines and Cartoonists Presenting two special exhibits throughout the month of March – one to honor our country’s canine military veterans and the other to recognize the role of cartoonists in WWII. The museum is open every Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. There is no admission charge for but donations are gladly accepted. Exhibits open Tuesday, February 28 and will be on display at the museum until Saturday, April 1 National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history. Dogs served in many capacities in wartime, including in WWII, as messengers and sentry dogs, but did you know that they were also trained for mine and explosive detection, finding injured soldiers and flushing enemy troops from hidden spaces? Dogs’ keen sense of smell and acute hearing made them valuable assets in war and today for national security. This exhibit will recognize the important service that they loyally performed during WWII. During WWII, the press was essential for keeping the public informed in wartime, but cartoonists and cartoons played a unique role in bringing the war to citizens. The cartoon figure and possibly America’s earliest meme, Kilroy, is actually engraved on the WWII Memorial in the National Mall in Washington DC. Camp Gordon Johnston Museum will share images of familiar characters like Private Snafu, Donald Duck, Willie and Joe, and Kilroy who all play a prominent part in WWII history. The exhibit will also present the works of cartoonists like Bill Maudlin and Dave Breger, as well as the animated works by Disney and Warner Brothers that served as both propaganda for citizens and training for servicemen. If you have not renewed or signed up to be a member of the Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce please get signed up! Soon we will be updating the member list on our website and we do not want to unpublish those of you who want your information available there. It's easy! Print the form and mail to our PO Box DD in Carrabelle 32322, or stop by! Thanks for all your support through the years! Our 2023 Membership Applications are available on our website, or you may also stop by or give me a call 850-697-2585 We're all in this together!  ‌

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