“For Our Forests Day” Retailer Campaign Kicks Off! (Tallahassee & Callahan, Florida)

Redwing Shoes and Dave Williams State Farm in Tallahassee, FL (left), and Callahan Barbeque in Callahan, FL were the first two sites hosting these events!

July 15, 2017 – Tallahassee
Friends of Florida State Forests, along with the Florida Forest Service (D4) held the first “For our Forests Day” held at Redwing Shoes & Dave Williams State Farm Insurance near our state office on Saturday, July 15th. A brush truck was on display along with our forest table with booklets for kids, maps of our state forests, info on our new state forests camping reservation system and small giveaways, and much more!

I joined Marti Miller, our District 4 Recreation Coordinator, who provided the district display and Forest Ranger Brent Nichols brought the brush truck. Redwing customers increased during the week leading up to the event as he shared with his new customer database, and Dave Williams State Farm also participated using their new tent handing out giveaways greeting customers throughout the early afternoon. Both stores were new at this location for only a year.

Thanks again to Tallahassee Forestry Center’s Center Manager, Chris Colburn, and District 4’s support, as we grow these events statewide.

August 4, 2017 – Callahan

Enjoyed attending our 2nd “For our Forests Day” event held Friday, Aug. 4, as this one was at Callahan BBQ in the Jacksonville District. Over 300 stopped by for lunch and visited our forestry display, learning about wildfire prevention, state forests nearby and recreation opportunities, our new camping reservation system, and many kids walked away with coloring books, pencils, stickers, and much more! Thanks to Noah Wyatt, D7 Recreation Coordinator along with Matthew Klindt, Senior Ranger, and Matthew Nelson, Ranger, for all their support and setup, and to Jacksonville District Manager, Jennifer Hart, and District 7’s support.

Special thanks to Danny Murray, owner at Callahan BBQ for hosting our event for his customers and he plans to host again next year as well. This was our first restaurant to hold a For Our Forests Day event, as many more restaurants will join in hosting these events during the year. As the Program Coordinator for Friends of Florida State Forests, I look forward to assisting other districts as more events are held statewide. If your business is interested in hosting a “For our Forests Day” event, please contact, info@floridastateforests.org