“We have traffic on the Digital Graffiti website from all over the world – nearly 100 countries,” said Kelli Siler of Alys Beach.

It’s amazing how Digital Graffiti has put Alys Beach, 30A, Florida, and the U.S. on the map for digital art.”

DJ Chachi

Music has always been an integral part of Digital Graffiti, particularly when the party on Saturday night is in full swing at Caliza Pool. This year will be no different with guest DJ Chachi flying in from New York to spin tunes from a very special location at the pool on Saturday night.

Friday night’s Gallery Stroll will allow guests to interact with the artists in a more intimate salon-style setting, with Caliza Restaurant taking a limited number of reservations for dinner. There will also be a cash bar at the Caliza Pool on Friday night, but the big party at Caliza isn’t until Saturday.

When Saturday night arrives, VIE magazine is teaming up with Digital Graffiti to introduce “me + vie = dg: Meet me at the Red Carpet,” a pre-party for all festival attendees. The red-carpet event will be held at Fonville Press from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.—until the gates open for the Digital Graffiti festival. Along with VIE’s complimentary signature “VIEtini,” wine, beer, champagne, and tapas will be available for purchase. Photos of the party will be published in the JULY/AUGUST 2012 issue of VIE and online at viezine.com. The party is free for Digital Graffiti attendees.

Digital Graffiti guests are also encouraged to download the free 30A iPhone and 30A Android apps prior to attending this year’s big event.

We’re working with 30A.com again this year to create the ultimate mobile companion for the Digital Graffiti festival,” said Siler.

“The free 30A mobile apps will feature information about all exhibits, enabling attendees to learn a little about each artist and entry real-time, at their own pace. The mobile Digital Graffiti guide will also feature helpful facts about event parking, ticketing and other festival-related info.”

Siler said that the information will be available during the festival on June 8th and 9th, on both the 30A iPhone app and the 30A Android app. Both mobile apps are available for free download now at 30A.com.

Adult tickets are $30 for Friday night’s Gallery Stroll, and $50 for Saturday night. Children’s tickets (12 and under) may be purchased for $10 for each night online at www.digitalgraffiti.com or at Fonville Press in Alys Beach.

…We’re gonna need a bigger boat...

Every year, over 70 teams from around the globe show up at Baytowne’s marina. There’s a mad dash across Choctawhatchee Bay into the Gulf for a few days of serious sport fishing, and then the fleet returns, one-by-one, each boasting trophies that draw ooohs and aaaahs from a dock of spirited spectators.

This is a family-friendly event that grows in size each year, just like the tales of “the one that got away.”

For more info about this year’s tournament (to be held June 20-24, 2012), check out www.fishecbc.com.

Basically, you start with the iconic white walls of an entire town, Alys Beach. Okay, so it’s an entire town-in-progress, but it’s an entire town nonetheless. You then invite digital and video artists from around the globe to submit extraordinary, surreal, algorithmic, kaleidoscopic, and moving works of art.

Then, you wait for dark.

The result is a stunning larger-than-life explosion of colors and compelling visuals, projected 2 and 3 stories tall onto the white homes and businesses of an entire community.

“Our town literally becomes the world’s largest blank canvas,” said Kelli Arnold, Alys Beach’s Events Coordinator.

Each year’s festival attracts digital artists, filmmakers, musicians, interactive designers, photographers, VJs, producers, celebrities, agency executives and fans of art, technology and architecture. Thousands of dollars in cash prizes are awarded to artists, with digital submissions being received from as far away as Israel, Austria, Canada, Germany, London, India, France, Italy and China.

The jaw-dropping evening culminates in a truly collision of sight and sound at Caliza, which is also host to the Noche de los Muertos Halloween costume party every October.

What makes this event so much fun is that it’s intended for everyone,” said Shawna Harris, events director for Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

“From the novice to the expert, the Beach Bicycle Tour is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the options of a 15, 30 or 60 mile ride along the beautiful Emerald Coast.”

On Saturday, 30 and 60 mile rides will begin at Baytowne Marina at Sandestin and head East to Scenic Highway 30A. The 30 mile ride will stop at Grayton Beach then return to Sandestin. The 60 mile ride will continue down 30A and turn around just past Rosemary Beach. On Sunday, the 15 mile loop will begin at Sandestin’s Baytowne Marina and head West to Scenic Hwy Old 98. The ride follows this road to the end where cyclists will turn back to Sandestin. All routes are flat and include gulf views. All rides will be led by Robin Wilkes of Robin’s Bikes and Fitness and will start at 8 a.m. at Baytowne Marina with pre-tour instructions at 7:30 a.m.

The Sandestin Beach Bicycle Tour will benefit Alaqua Animal Refuge, an independent, non-profit organization located on Florida’s Emerald Coast that advocates the general welfare and humane treatment of animals by providing shelter, prevention of pet overpopulation and adoption services. The Marina Bar and Grill will be participating in Dine for The Dogs on Saturday, May 19 from 6 – 9 p.m. with a portion of the proceeds going to help animals in need.

For more information, check out www.sandestinbicycletour.com.

In addition to truly spectacular fireworks displays in virtually every beach community along 30A, there’s also an annual Fourth of July Parade. It’s a decidedly small town affair with decorated bicycles, golf carts, cars, and even dogs. The parade usually begins around 8 a.m. in Seagrove Beach and concludes in the town of Seaside, where a panel of (quite bribe-able) judges awards prizes for the most creative procession.

Free concerts, food, fun and, of course, fireworks can also be found in the neighboring communities of WaterColor, Rosemary Beach, Sandestin, Grayton Beach and Alys Beach.

If you prefer to lounge by the pool, WaterSound’s Beach Club offers one of the most luxurious swimming pools in all of South Walton.

In fact, you’ll find four swimming pools in this exclusive community, as well as parks, greens and preserved woodlands and wetlands.

For golf enthusiasts, WaterSound also has access to three Santa Rosa Beach golf courses, including the Tom Fazio designed Camp Creek Golf Club, the Greg Norman designed Sharks Tooth Golf Club and the Davis Love III designed Origins course.

The family-owned 5,300 square-foot dinner/dance yacht (built right here in Walton County) features two dining salons, a full-service gourmet galley and a full-service bar.

After the cruise, hop on the boardwalk that leads away from the marina and meander through moss-draped oak trees over to The Village of Baytowne Wharf. There you’ll find some seriously fun and funky blues, a dueling piano bar and tons of other nightlife options.

30A‘s 19-mile paved bike path (sometimes referred to the “Timpoochee Trail”) parallels the entire length of the scenic road and passes through all of its famous beach communities, from Dune Allen in the West to Seacrest and Alys Beach in the East. Enjoy the thrill of biking over rare coastal dune lakes and discovering a side of South Walton that’s difficult to see from a car.

For the slightly more adventurous, there’s Eastern Lake Trail, located within Point Washington State Forest. The trail system has 3-mile, 5-mile and 10-mile trail loops.

Bike rental and repair shops can be found throughout South Walton, including Bamboo Bicycle Company in Rosemary Beach, and Yellowfin Ocean Sports and 30A Bike Rentals, where you can also buy some official 30A gear.

Their extensive portfolio features a wide selection of luxurious gulf front homes, beach villas, seaside cottages, condominiums, and town homes all along the quiet beaches of South Walton. Should you prefer the Destin area (also known as “the Luckiest Fishing Village in the World”), Dune Allen Realty has great rental properties there as well.

“Our website, BeautifulBeach.com, makes it very easy to view, and safe to book your vacation beach rental online,” said Beth Godwin, General Manager of Dune Allen Realty. “Or, if you prefer personal assistance in planning your beach getaway, or if you need special arrangements to be made for you and your family, please don’t hesitate to call us.”

It’s your vacation and we want it to be perfect, from planning the dream to living the dream.”

The team also works very hard to keep their fans updated on community events.

“It’s important to us because we know that planning your vacation activities is part of the excitement as you look forward to your family’s beach time,” said Godwin. “Not only do we update you on our website with events and our newest properties and accommodation specials, but we also update you daily on our Dune Allen Realty Facebook and Twitter pages with beautiful beach photos, local events, and contests, where you can win cool 30A t-shirts, beach towels, dinners, and spa or golf packages.”

The team’s high quality and well cared for properties, as well as their exceptional service and competitive rates, explain why guests have made returning to their home away from home with Dune Allen Realty a family tradition.

For more info, check out BeautifulBeach.com or call (888) 267-2121.

Steel Drum Palm

Born in the United Kingdom, Garrett’s training and early career as a painter was of the transatlantic kind, working his way through media and techniques in London and New York. In the mid-eighties, he was introduced to the medium of Venetian plaster, skills for which he honed with leading faux-finishing artisans, producing interior details for clients such as Jackie Onassis, The Rockefellers, Yoko Ono and Donald Trump.

Yet it took the perspective and boldness that only certain artists possess to take a medium of the decorative realm and bring it to the world of fine art. Garrett’s luminous landscapes that fracture categorization are now featured by galleries and found in private collections in both this country and abroad.

Modern-day Venetian plaster had its origins in the construction of villas and churches in the lagoon waters of Venice. It replicated the appearance of marble without the dangers of its weight. It is a combination of ground marble and lime, emulsified into a silky consistency. Each of Garrett’s pieces is made of multiple colored layers of Venetian plaster, applied with a variety of trowels, plastering blades and knives.

They are paintings devoid of paint, created without a single bristled brush.”

At early and late stages, Garrett will purposefully wash away surface areas, revealing hidden hues and creating a subtle interplay of color and tone.

The final phases include a vigorous polishing that not only produces a glossy appearance, but also draws out color. A varnish is applied to seal the work and add a desired luster. Garrett intends the works to be frame-less, hung as if floating away from the wall. For this he uses sheets of birch wood ply to form the main support with a hidden frame structure behind.

For some works, such as Steel Drum Palm, Garrett builds trees using recycled steel collected from an industrial factory. Spiral metal pieces, remnants from the cutting of the lathe, comprise the majority of the trunk and branches. Due to the multiplicity of items manufactured, the remnants offer myriad forms of corkscrew-like pieces with diverse metallic surfaces and varying flexibility. Fragments and shavings are then selected for the foliage, including a scattering of broken tempered glass. Once complete, the work is forever sealed in lacquer.

Garrett’s exhibition is on view at The Hidden Lantern Gallery in Rosemary Beach through June 9, 2012.