Panama City, Florida - Where Life Sets Sail
Uniquely PC - The Insider's Guide to Destination Panama City
Register to Win a trip for Two
    Street Festival, Watercolor Art,
& Jeep Beach Jam!
 

Feel the heat at this month's Heard it on Harrison "Cinco de Friday". A family-friendly street festival occurring on the first Friday of each month, Heard it on Harrison is a
fun-filled night with lots of great food and family fun. Thomas Drive Band will be performing for live entertainment. Shops are open for extended hours and there is also a kids' fun zone.

 

The Southern Watercolor Society 40th Annual Juried Exhibition will be on display at the Panama City Center for the Arts all through the month of May. Stop in to admire the one-of-a-kind watercolor paintings. The Panama City Center for the Arts showcases art, sculpture, jewelry and ceramics. The Center also hosts music and film events during the year which represent the community. Visit their website to view their current schedule for upcoming exhibits and shows.

 

Calling all Jeep enthusiasts! Thousand of Jeep owners and club members will gather in Panama City Beach for Jeep Beach Jam on May 17-21. This is a 5-day festival with a long list of activities for the entire family. Explore the 60+ top Jeep industry vendors in the Vendor Village while your kids test their skills at the remote-control Jeep obstacle course in the Official Jeep Kids Zone. Don't miss the opportunity to participate in the Scavenger Hunt. Two of the stops include visiting the Panama City Visitors Center to take a picture playing a ukulele and going to Mosey's in Historic Downtown to take a picture of yourself tossing pizza dough! For a full list of activities and to register your Jeep, visit the Jeep Beach Jam website.

Discover more events by visiting our website.

   
 

 

 

Anniversary of 1000 Beck Avenue

 


The Panama City Visitors Center is located in a historical bank building, and this month we're celebrating our 109th building anniversary!

The Bank of St. Andrews was built in 1907 and officially opened its doors for business on May 27th, 1908. The bank eventually shut down, and a multitude of other businesses popped up in its place including a police substation, a thrift store, and a bakery to name a few. In 2005, the inside of the bank went under major construction to recreate what the original bank once looked like. You'll feel like you stepped back in time when you visit this little piece of history, from the vaulted ceilings and woodwork all the way to the original 100 year old checks displayed on our walls! Visit us to take a tour of the building, and our always friendly staff will guide you in planning the rest of your stay in Panama City!

A couple blocks down the street at the Panama City Publishing Museum, you can view the original brushed copper tiles that once lined the ceiling of the Bank of St. Andrews. Also on display is the original safe that was used in the bank. While you're there, schedule a historic walking tour through historic St. Andrews to learn more about the history of our area!

 

 


Artists Laurette and
Jeff Greenfield

PC Made
 


Panama City's sparkling blue waters and breathtaking sunsets are the perfect inspiration for creativity. As a result, talented artists of all stripes and colors call Panama City home. Every month we feature the handmade objects and inspiration of this creative core. This month, meet jewelry makers Laurette and Jeff Greenfield.

Meet PC Artists Laurette and Jeff Greenfield

How long have you been doing this and how did you get started?
I have been creative all of my life through drawing, music, scrapbooking and now beading. I have been creating beaded jewelry for around eight years. My mom shared her beads and my late grandmother's beads with me. I fell in love with beading instantly and had to have more beads to create more pieces with. I found old magazines and books among my grandmother's stash displaying the different varieties of beads and techniques. Through these books I taught myself techniques like bead weaving and wire bending.

Jeff has been creating pieces for about four and a half to 5 years. He's been in the construction field for nearly 30 years which has given him a love for wood working. He was given a lathe as payment for a job. He started spinning wooden vessels and then bracelets. He fell in love with how the exotic and domestic woods brought out their grains during the lathe process.

How has your work and technique evolved over time?
I have evolved my own style of creating, by
improving my materials, hand-picking my beads and always researching and looking through old and new styles of accessories. I began beading to help me cope with emotional and physical loss. Now, I create pendants, bracelets and earrings that assist others with their healing and with their losses. I create custom orders hoping the wearer and recipient will feel the intention of love and comfort I send to them as I create their jewelry.

At first, Jeff was spinning wooden bracelets on his lathe. Then he saw pictures of some cuff bracelets and it took him back to his teenage years. He wanted to bring cuff bracelets back. After several tries of developing cuff style that was sturdy enough with the wooden grains he found a design that works very well and holds up to pressures. His brother came to visit us and showed Jeff colored pencil art. Together they gathered all of our children's colored pencils and adventured into the creative process together. They experimented with glues, epoxy, resins all kinds of different ways to keep the colored pencils together and make them strong enough to create cuff bracelets. By the time his brother left they had the perfect bracelet. That's how the cuff colored pencil bracelet came to fruition.

How do you source your materials?
Jeff and I shop together when it comes to wood, pencils or beads. We like to handpick our wood and our beads. Some items are donated like the aforementioned beads from my mother and my grandmother's beads. As for colored pencils we normally buy them new.

How does living here in Panama City influence your work?
Our family relocated here from Danville, Virginia. Living in Panama City has been a huge change. The sun is always shining which creates a much happier environment. I love the colors of the sky with its big cotton ball fluffy clouds and the white sandy dunes and beaches set against the aqua, and often emerald green of the water. The atmosphere of artisans feeds my ambition to create. The environment definitely encourages artistry.

You can view and learn more about their work by clicking here.

 

   

 

 
   


The Destination Panama City Visitors Center is now open! Visit us at 1000 Beck Avenue for free local information.

 

1000 Beck Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401
850-215-1700 - info@destinationpanamacity.com - destinationpanamacity.com

Download a Free Vistors Guide
 
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