The City Pier, directly across from Pier Park is making progress in leaps and bounds. In just four short weeks, they have doubled the length at which the pier extended into the Gulf of Mexico.
There is still much work to be done, as the project is expected to wrap up early next summer. Most of the pilings are in, and much of the pier deck is in place.
The bridge that spans West Bay on Highway 79 is complete and should open any day now. The existing brige in place is new, but has been open for several years now. This new addition is in preparation for future demand of that roadway.
In anticipation of a greater future need, all of the piercaps installed are actually wide enough to accomodate an additional lane.
“It’s stupid,” said one worker on the site, “they’ll have to cut down the entire sidewall in order to expand the bridge [for an addional lane].” The actual brige structure is in place for an additional lane, but in order to expand, the bridge will have to be closed down, the western most bridge sidewall will have to be destroyed, then planks will need to be laid for the concrete work.
“It will be complex,” said another worker, “but at least the DOT is thinking ahead.”
Very few overwhelming experiences have stuck to the memory section of my brain from my childhood like race day. Grant it, my childhood consisted of car races of the stock/indy/GTP variant, and not boat races. However, even though this weekend’s events won’t let you get as close to the racing action, there will still be tons of action, speed and power, lots and lots of power.
The official race-village is at Pier Park on Panama City Beach, in the eastern most parking lot, closest to Calypso Towers. Race crews are already setting up, cleaning their boats and preparing for Sunday’s Race Day.
I’ll be poking around all weekend taking pictures, and encourage all who can to attend. It will be an awesome time. Words can’t describe the massive hulks of power and speed these awesome vessels are capable of. You’ve got to hear the roar yourself.
The Panama City Beach Seafood, Wine & Music Festival is just over a week away and the pre-event kickoff “Charity Wine Dinner” that will benefit the Visual Arts Center is planned for Thursday, October 9th at Breakers Restaurant.
Endorsement will come from the esteemed La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomic society devoted to promoting fine dining and preserving the camaraderie and pleasures at the table.
The menu for this event will consist of:
Appetizer: Ahi Sushi Grade Tuna with a Wasabi and Rice Vinegar Vinaigrette, garnished with a seasonal Melon Salad and Belgium Endive.
Soup: Cream of Oyster Soup with a hint of Smoked Lobster
Salad: Bib Salad with Fresh Rasberries, Almonds, oven dried Plum Tomato and Kaiamata Olives, topped with a LemonGrass Vinaigrette.
Entee: Pettite Filet Mignon, placed on a Boursin Cheese filled Crouton and a Marinated Mushroom, topped with Lump Crab meat and a Garllic Beurre Blanc.
Dessert: Molting Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Beach Ice Cream and O Rasberry Coulisa.
This amazing collection of flavors of land and sea have been designed by the host chefs Dee Brown of Shores of Panama, Debbie Warren-Cook from of Breakers, and Konrad Jochum of Boatyard. The wine partner, RNDC will be pairing the dinner courses with a selection of fine wines to best enhance the dining experience.
Seating will be limited and the cost is $85 per person, or $150 per couple and will include 1 free ticket to the day of choice at the Panama City Beach Seafood, Wine & Music Festival.
To secure your tickets for this limited seating event, call Breakers 850.234.6060
Unique Boutique by Irene & Co.’s Breast Cancer Awareness Celebration In Partnership with Vera Bradley
On October 3, 2008 Unique Boutique by Irene & Co., Vera Bradley and Pier Park will join together in celebration to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month. Starting at 9 a.m., Vera Bradley pink bows will be hung in the promotions area of Pier Park. They will be on display until the end of October (weather permitting).
Then, beginning at noon, Irene & Co. will host a ‘Tickled Pink’ party featuring pink lemonade, pink cookies and pink cupcakes. Customers may also purchase raffle tickets in the store for a chance to win a pink gala dress featured in the Miss Texas USA pageant. Raffle tickets may be purchased for $1 and all proceeds benefit the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation. Special limited edition gifts will be offered by Vera Bradley to customers who make a donation of $5 or more (while supplies last). In addition, Starbucks will provide hot chocolate and coffee during the pink ribbon hanging for all donators, while supplies last.
Please come and join us for this very special occasion!
In celebration of Breast Cancer awareness month, Unique Boutique by Irene & Co. will be selling personalized Vera Bradley pink bows and Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirts from now until the end of October. For a $5 donation customers may purchase pink ribbons and personalize them in honor or memory of a breast cancer patient.
For More Information:
Irene Philips
850.235.0563
This black water bayou is located just off Hwy 30A east of Port St. Joe on the road to Cape San Blas. Wildlife abounds in this area with herons, egrets, gulls and even swimming deer.
Morning Mist
Lone palm reflects off the perfectly calm watery paths through the bayou. Morning mist is burning off as the sun rises.
View more of my nature photos at Sand between Your Toes
Teddy Meeks
Every year, Woodlawn puts on a pretty awesome fall festival with tons of cool stuff to do with the kids. Last year it was at the church, but this year it will be at Pier Park. With the festival, they will be kicking off a pumpkin patch fund-raiser for the youth. The pumpkins won’t have a set price, as I understand it, but will be purchased by us for whatever we want to donate.
If you want to get a pumpkin for a good price, and know that your money is going to a good cause, this is the place to do it.
The fall festival is this Saturday from 10am to 2pm, but the pumpkin patch will be open Monday – Saturday 10 am to 7pm at Woodlawn United Methodist Church, across from Arnold High School on Panama City Beach. You can get more information by calling Woodlawn United Methodist at 850 234 3196.
Friends, fellow bikers and non-bikers alike, over the weekend, a reader was here participating in Bike Week and fell victim to theft. Saturday night, September 27th, Joe was at Ms. Newby’s on Thomas Drive and left his bike, along with many others, parked in the Moby Dick parking lot, just down the street from Newbys. Sometime between 9:30 pm and midnight, his bike was stolen.
The bike is a 2007 Harley Heritage, Dark Cherry and Pewter in color. It has flame grips, rider floorboards, passenger floorboards, front brake pad, shifter pads, and a timer cover. It also has Rush Slip-on pipes, and American and POW/MIA flags attached to the sissy bar. According to Joe, the bike was parked under one of the lights in the parking lot.
Joe was told by the owner of Moby Dicks that no bikes were towed from his parking lot all weekend, nor do they have a security camera that may provide any leads.
A report has been filed with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Please be on the look out for Joe’s bike, and if you should see something that looks suspicious, please contact the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, or you can contact me at jason@pcbdaily.com and I’ll forward any messages on to the owner of the missing bike.
I am not a food critic, nor have I been to every restaurant that competes with this one, but I can say that the food I ate there was phenomenal and the service was even better. Hidden on Thomas Drive next to where Ruthy T’s used to be is arguably Panama City Beach’s most delicious Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria.
Red Rose Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria has been around for several years, but the new owners have only been here since February. Fred and May moved to the area with their daughters Sidney and Ella to be close to the water and get away from the big city life of Cincinnati, Ohio. When they purchased the restaurant, they added JEMS to the end and made it home. I won’t tell you the meaning behind JEMS, you’ll have to ask them the story.
What started this all was a quick lunch there of Friday. I had been to Red Rose in the past, but a buddy suggested this as a good place to have a quick meeting. Being a sucker for a good Calzone, I asked Sidney to prepare mine like she would her own. It was absolutely delectable. The texture of the bread was just right. The ingredient/bread ratio was perfect. Everything was not too dry, but not too moist and the sauce that came on the side had the right amount of tang and seasoning.
The Calzone that was prepared for me had ricotta cheese, blend cheese, hot sausage, peperoni, roasted peppers, onions and mushrooms. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Also on the menu is everything you’d expect at an Italian restaurant from specialty pizzas to stromboli to spaghetti and meatballs. Everything is made fresh from scratch from fresh ingredients, they even grown their own herbs. If you’ve not eaten at Red Rose, I highly recomend it.
Again, they are next to where Ruthy T’s (Wahoo’s now) used to be on Thomas Drive right down from Joan Avenue. If you are going east from Joan, it is just past Moby Dick’s T-shirt shop.
Be sure to tell them you read about them on pcbdaily.
Red Rose Retaurant and Pizzeria
8501 Thomas Drive
32408
850-249-4367
www.RedRoseJems.com
This weekend, the Bud Light Offshore team returns to Florida’s Gulf Coast for the Panama City Beach Super Boat National Championship. Dave Scott and team are looking to steer the Bud Light 50’ Mystic to another win in the Superboat Unlimited class.
This race could hold even more importance, as it will give the team a chance to check out other teams they will likely see at the World Championship in Key West, Fla., next month. Throttleman Johnny Tomlinson will be watching closely to size up the competition.
“It will be good to get back in the ocean,” Tomlinson said. “Since it’s an SBI venue, there will be some boats there that we’ll go up against in the world championship. We’ll be able to get a feel for the competition that will be down in Key West and have a better idea of what we need to do to win.”
“I was there my second or third time racing, in 1987 or 1988,” Tomlinson said. “I haven’t been back there in years, but it’s very similar to racing Destin or Orange Beach. With that in mind, I feel confident that we’ll do well. We’ve got a good team, and we just need to continue on with our momentum.”
In 2007, Scott and crew won their tenth National Championship at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. They also brought home the checkered flag in six regular season races. The team won its classes at the Lake Ozark Fire Rescue shootout and secured its eighth World Championship in Key West, Fla. The team’s most recent win of 2008 came at the Captain Ron’s Shootout, securing the Top Gun title with a speed of 178 mph.
Festivities for the Panama City Super Boat National Championship begin Friday, Oct. 3 as the race village opens at 9 a.m. On Saturday, all classes take to the water for testing at noon. National Championship racing begins Sunday at noon.
The Dave Scott Bud Light Offshore Race Team is one of the most successful offshore race teams in history, having earned eight world championships and ten national championship titles since 2001. The team is also the proud owner of six offshore speed records. Dave Scott, Johnny Tomlinson and Mike Seebold have more than 40 years of combined experience in offshore powerboat racing.
PCBDaily 