The Best Amateur Radio Club in Florida

Category: Events Page 2 of 11

THE PARADE AND EVENT ARE POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER. THE MAKE UP DATE IS IN SEPTEMBER ON THE 12TH.

THE PARADE AND EVENT ARE POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER. THE MAKE UP DATE IS IN SEPTEMBER ON THE 12TH.

 

We are excited to host the BIGGEST AMERICA 250 EVENT in Okaloosa County this Saturday, May 9! Join us in celebrating the USA’s 250th birthday and making history right in the heart of Crestview!

 

EVENT SCHEDULE:

🎸 America 250 Celebration 🎶

Start Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Steps of the Courthouse, 101 E James Lee Blvd

Country Music Star Coffey Anderson will headline the celebration, along with performances by local school bands. Official remarks will be made to kick off the patriotic Grand Parade.

 

🇺🇸 Grand Parade 🦅

Start Time: 4:00 p.m.

Route: From S Main St to W Cedar Ave

Mia Manganello a Crestview native and three-time Olympic medalist, will be our Grand Marshal for the parade!

 

⚠️ ROAD CLOSURES 🚧

Please be aware that roads in the vicinity will begin closing at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, to facilitate event preparations. We encourage attendees to refer to the event map and plan their travel routes accordingly.

 

📍 PUBLIC PARKING & TRANSPORTATION 🚍

For your convenience, designated public parking will be available at the following locations.

 

Transportation will be available at select* parking lots from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The buses will run every 15 minutes.

 

– Twin Hills Park Parking Lots* (including Children’s Park and Bark Park)

– Twin Hills Gymnasium Parking Lot

– NWF State College Parking Lot

– Lifepoint Church Overflow Parking Lot (S Main St/Griffith Ave E)

– First Baptist Church Parking Lot (Mapoles St/E Hickory Ave)

– Tractor Supply Parking Lot* (Hwy 90/N Lloyd St)

– New Beginnings Church Parking Lot* (Hwy 90, near Animal Health Center)

 

📧 Points of Contact 💬

Hon. Graham W. Fountain, Okaloosa County America 250 Commission Chairman | america250@myokaloosa.com

Melissa Carter, City of Crestview Special Events Coordinator | carterc@cityofcrestview.org

Shae Bonifacio, City of Crestview Public Information Officer | pio@cityofcrestview.org

 

For more countywide America 250 events throughout the year, visit GetTheCoast.com/America250 or follow us on Facebook at Okaloosa County America 250!

We look forward to celebrating America’s 250th together as a community! Thank you for your cooperation and participation.

 

Crestview Bulletin WAAZ FM – The Good Country Get The Coast Northwest Florida Daily News Mid Bay News WEAR ABC 3 News, Pensacola WKRG #America250 #OkaloosaCounty #CityofCrestview

Pile-Up Action!

What a great Sunday Pile-Up at PARC! Projects abound from solar battery recharge kits, radio programming, power supply options, equipment recommendations, radio programming, system upgrades, and item sorting! The Playground Amateur Radio Club certainly dives in on full scope! If you’re planning on joining the ranks of a great Amateur Radio Club then Playground is the place to be with the experience to help you navigate the airwaves! Be sure to check our club calendar and participate so that you may catch the RF!

The ARRL NFL QST is published!

The ARRL NFL QST is published! You’re going to want to read this!

 

https://arrl-nfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/01-QST-NFL-May-2026.pdf

 

 

Saturday, in the Park, not on the 4th of July!

Team PARC united in droves for the Florida QSO Party despite the rain. Covering multiple bands and operating methods, the day featured plenty of mentoring, instruction, and live demonstrations. Public visitors, local officials, event coordinators, and passersby all got to experience the fun and energy of amateur radio firsthand! Be sure to watch the Club Calendar and participate with and at the Club and get your Ham On!

Florida QSO Party Apr 25, 2026!

The #FloridaQSOParty and team PARC #W4ZBB will be at this event on Saturday April 25th! Come knock out all 67 Counties via RF with us!

A Great Time at Mobile!

Some of Team PARC assembled to gather in Mobile at their Hamfest and boy howdy what a great time! We took time to sell, swap, trade, barter, see friends, make new ones, and experience the joy of our wonderful hobby! If you weren’t there, you missed out on a great time! We sure made the best of it and took it all in! Made a few stops and saw some cool stuff along the way as well! Be sure to join in with PARC as we continue to explore the world of Amateur Radio! Fo you want to k ow what’s next?! Go the the club calendar and see for yourself! 

Mobile or Bust! 18 Apr 2026!

Yard Sale Supporting FWB Jr Bombers

PARC joined up with the FWB Jr. Bombers Market and showed off what Amateur Radio is! We set up vhf/uhf/hf and demonstrated our capabilities!

POTA Hootenanny!

Parks on the Air (POTA) is an international radio sport award program that encourages licensed amateur radio operators to visit, enjoy, and operate portable equipment in parks and public lands worldwide. Founded as a nonprofit in January 2018 to continue the legacy of the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air event, it promotes emergency awareness and communication skills while operators respect park regulations and other users. 

The program involves two main roles: activators, who set up temporary stations in designated locations, and hunters, who search for and contact these stations from home or other locations.  To count as a valid activation, an operator must make a minimum of 10 contacts (QSOs) from a specific park within a single UTC day, logging them on the official website to earn awards based on bands, modes (voice, Morse code, or FT8), and total contacts! 

Our Teammate KR4FWK continues to experiment, hunt and activate! Here is an example of him attempting to perform the above at Fred Gannon  Park in Niceville Florida! Thank you for sharing and keep the key down!

Thank You for Attending!

From our Group to yours, thank you for a wonderful event! The 56th Annual Playground Amateur Radio Club Hamfest is proud to have sponsored another great adventure in Amateur Radio!

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