Both of Rosemary Beach's Ticketed Holiday Events Pay the Same Lynn Drive Pantry

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, a food distribution opened at 112 Lynn Drive in Santa Rosa Beach. It ran again at the same hour that Friday. Feeding the Gulf Coast had put the address on its list of Hurricane Isaias relief sites, and WJHG reported that the food bank had already moved nearly 350,000 pounds of food and emergency supplies into the Panhandle and South Alabama. The building belongs to Caring & Sharing of South Walton.

About twenty minutes east, Rosemary Beach was reopening on its own schedule. WJHG reported that The Pearl Hotel closed on the Thursday Walton County issued its mandatory evacuation order. General manager Kyle Davis said the hotel had minimal damage and was taking guests again by Sunday morning.

Rosemary Beach's holiday season now starts a month later, and it puts those two scenes on the same ticket. The town's two ticketed holiday events, Rosemary Beach Uncorked and the Holiday Tour of Homes, each name two beneficiaries. Caring & Sharing of South Walton is on both lists.

The organization on both beneficiary lists

Caring & Sharing describes its work as crisis relief through food, financial assistance, counseling and case management. Its assistance page says the pantry provides food twice a month during Monday, Wednesday and Friday service hours. The organization also helps with rent, utility bills and prescriptions. On its homepage, it reports serving more than 850 families a month.

That same caseload is what Feeding the Gulf Coast was supporting when it held two of its post-storm distribution mornings in the Lynn Drive lot. WJHG reported that many households faced a second cost after the power came back, replacing food that had spoiled during days-long outages, on top of their other recovery bills.

Here is how the beneficiaries line up on the two ticketed events:

• Rosemary Beach Uncorked, November 14: Caring & Sharing of South Walton and Children's Volunteer Health Network
• Holiday Tour of Homes, December 5: Alaqua Animal Refuge and Caring & Sharing of South Walton, with 100% of proceeds going to the two partners

Rosemary Beach's free and community events fill the weeks between those two dates. Here is the full run, from this Saturday into early December.

Uncorked is two days out and sold out

This is the 15th year of Rosemary Beach Uncorked, set for Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. Ten Rosemary Beach restaurants each serve three signature dishes, each paired with a wine. The participating restaurants are Amavida Coffee, Blue By Night, Edward's, Cowgirl Kitchen, La Crema Tapas & Chocolate, Restaurant Paradis, CK's Feed & Supply, Havana Beach Bar & Grill, Pescado and Tahona Tacos & Tequileria. Guests visit them in any order during the three hours, and retailers in town pour extra wines at what the event calls SIP Stops.

General admission was $225 and the VIP Experience was $350. The VIP tier is new in 2026. It includes the Audi Lounge in Town Hall, a VIP tent on Town Hall Green, and one extra hour in both spaces, until 5 p.m. VIP guests also get signature cocktails, a mimosa bar, caviar tasting and caviar nachos. Winemaker Tom Garrett will pour Dakota Shy Winery, and Chef Rob McDaniel of Helen in Birmingham, Alabama, is cooking. Saturday is an SEC game day, so the Audi Lounge will have the games on big screens for VIP ticket holders.

Both ticket tiers are sold out. The official site has a wait list for anyone hoping a ticket opens up. From 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, ticket holders will be walking between ten restaurants and the retail SIP Stops all over town.

Thanksgiving weekend happens on foot

The rest of November is free to watch and, for most of it, centered on 30A. The 15th annual 30A Thanksgiving Day Races start and finish on Scenic Highway 30A in Rosemary Beach on Thursday morning, November 26. According to 30A.com's fall events guide, the 10K starts at 7:30 a.m., the 1-Mile Fun Run at 7:35 a.m. and the 5K at 9:30 a.m. That gives the town two separate waves of runners before most people have started cooking.

The next evening, November 27, the Tree Lighting Ceremony & Merchant Open House begins at 6 p.m. in South Barrett Square. The Rosemary Beach Merchants Association organizes it, and shops stay open into the evening after the tree is lit. On Saturday, November 28, Breakfast with Santa runs from 8 to 10 a.m. at Town Hall.

Nothing that weekend raises money for the storm recovery. It sits between the two ticketed events and brings the most foot traffic of the season to the same squares.

Six homes, and a refuge rebuilding in Freeport

The 8th annual Holiday Tour of Homes takes over the town on Saturday, December 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to the Eventbrite listing, it is a self-guided walk through six decorated homes. Tickets start at $28.52, and the listing gives North Barrett Square as the location. Local merchants supplied holiday decor and other prizes for a raffle, and winners don't need to be present. The first 550 adult ticket holders get a commemorative 2026 Cup of Cheer cup. Tickets are required for ages 5 and up, and organizers recommend buying ahead because space is limited.

Caring & Sharing is one of the tour's two beneficiaries. Alaqua Animal Refuge is the other, and it shows a different side of the storm. 30A.com reported that Isaias toppled large trees across Alaqua's 100-acre property in Freeport. The storm damaged fencing and gates and compromised the shelters and pasture enclosures the animals use. The refuge's statement, published by 30A.com, began with the animals: "We feel incredibly blessed that all of our animals are safe and unharmed. Our property is another story, but we can rebuild."

In mid-October, the refuge's team was clearing debris, assessing repairs and working to restore shelters and enclosures. WJHG reported that Alaqua was asking for monetary donations and for volunteers to help with the cleanup. The refuge was also helping other shelters while it repaired its own. According to 30A.com, Alaqua worked with the Florida State Animal Response Coalition to distribute more than 41,000 pounds of dog and cat food donated by Greater Good Charities.

So the Home Tour ticket supports a pantry that was handing out food two days a week after the storm and a refuge that is replacing fences and shelters. Uncorked supports the pantry and Children's Volunteer Health Network. Between them, the town's two ticketed events cover people and animals, and the one name on both lists is the organization on Lynn Drive.

For neighbors who won't make either event

Caring & Sharing's listed address is 112 Lynn Drive, Santa Rosa Beach, and its website has details on its services. Alaqua accepts donations to its Isaias recovery through its storm campaign page. 30A.com reported that financial gifts are the refuge's most immediate need and will pay for tree and debris removal, fence and gate repairs, and restored shelters and enclosures. WJHG listed [email protected] as the contact for anyone who wants to volunteer.

For people who do go, the dates are set. Uncorked runs Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. with a wait list. The races are Thanksgiving morning, the tree lighting is at 6 p.m. the next night, and the six-home tour is on December 5.

At Abbott Martin Group, the Abbott family has watched Rosemary Beach's holiday season grow into a calendar that helps pay for the neighborhood's own recovery. If you'd like a local's take on which events to plan around this year, give us a call. We're always glad to talk about the season, and when you're ready, we'll help you Discover Your Emerald Coast Home.