Conservation Park’s Ribbon Cutting

Yesterday, October 27th, Conservation Park held its official ribbon cutting ceremony. The park has been in planning for ten years, and is now a reality for those in and visiting PCB. Walkers, bicyclists, park rangers, firefighter, police, donators, and those behind the project were all out to celebrate the new park in Panama City Beach! Bay County’s Chamber of Commerce and Panama City Beach’s Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon, as this was a joint effort between the two.

What is Conservation Park?

With over 3,000 acres near Panama City Beach Parkway and Highway 79, Conservation Park is now home to “Gayle’s Trails,” bridges, eight boardwalks, picnic areas, and an outdoor classroom. The boardwalks curve around the trees that were already there so that none needed to be removed for the paths. Trails and bike paths are over 22 miles long in total. There are hopes to extend the trails to St. Andrews and Camp Helen in the future. The park is not only intended to serve as a place for recreation and outdoor fun, but to help recharge the wetlands in the area.

The park is in connection with a wastewater treatment plant nearby, where the water will be distributed through fourteen stations into the wetlands. This water distribution will help to keep West Bay clean. Approximately 18 million gallons of wastewater will be sent to the park each day, so that it can naturally be filtered back into the water cycle.

Celebrating the New Park

Saturday, October 29th, a family fun day will be held at the park to celebrate its opening. Starting at 8am, there will be a family fun run (a 10K, 5K, and one mile) followed by giveaways and hotdogs/hamburgers for lunch. (Lunch will be served from 12-2pm) The park is located at the end of Griffin Drive, past Business Commerce Park.

Stop by and look at the new trails and outdoor recreational area!

Here are some pictures of the ribbon cutting and the park:

An Update on the PC Dream

The semi-pro basketball team coming to town,The Panama City Dream, held another round of tryouts this past weekend.

The team will consist of 12 men, and with two spots currently filled. Seven men were invited back after trying out this weekend, and the coach is prepared to sign three who were not in attendance this weekend. The Dream are also looking for more women to join the 10-member dance team which will cheer on the Dream at the games. More information about future tryouts and signings is available at their website.

The season is expected to begin December 4th and tickets are already available online. Tickets will be $8 in advance, and $10 at the door for the 15 home games in the December-March season. Season passes are also available for $100. The PC Dream is still looking for a permanent location for games.

Are you excited about the new team in Panama City?

Here are some pictures from tryouts:

A Fun-filled Fall Weekend at the Beach

The cooler weather is rolling in, but it isn’t stopping the events in Panama City Beach! Here is a look at some of the events around town this weekend:

Marshalls Grand Opening

October 27, 2011- Pier Park

Marshalls, where you should “never pay full price for fabulous,” is ready to open its doors this Thursday! Marshalls shops year round to provide brand names and popular fashions at low price. Pier Park will be it’s newest home.

Margaritaville’s Coast is Clear Locals Party

October 27, 2011- Margaritaville, Pier Park

Celebrating the end of summer and peak season, Margaritaville is hosting an event for the PCB locals. Enjoy live music, drink specials, $5 food specials, prize giveaways,and get your Locals VIP Card! From 5:00 to 8:00 pm, prizes will be given away each hour, including one pair of tickets to see Jimmy Buffet live in concert! Thank-you Margaritaville for celebrating the locals!

Gulf Coast Chiropractic & Rehab’s Ladies Night of Indulgence Fall Luau

October 27, 2011- Gulf Coast Chiropractic and Rehab

From 5:30-7:30 pm, ladies are invited to indulge in complimentary drinks, heavy hors d’oeuvres, free massage, and entertainment. This is a free event from Gulf Coast Chiropractic and Rehab which will include skin care product demos, jewelry, self-spray tanning, hair feathers, art, pilates, health and wellness, microdermabrasion treatments, yoga, orthotic testing, and more. All for free, so ladies- don’t miss this event!

Conservation Park Grand Opening

October 29, 2011- Conservation Park

It’s opening day at Conservation Park and promises to be a day full of fun! Hot dogs and hamburgers will be served from 12pm-2pm, along with giveaways and other fun activities. A 10K, 5K, and 1 mile family fun run will start at 8am to commemorate the event. More information about the run is available here. The premise behind this park is to reclaim wetlands that were altered through tree-farming practices. Many trails and bike paths wil run through the property, as well as a wood-framed porch for park guests. Enjoy a day in the Florida outdoors!

Have a safe and fun weekend getting massages, shopping at Marshalls, eating at Margaritaville, and walking around Conservation park!

Trick or Treat at the Beach

Halloween Weekend is here! Panama City Beach is full of events to help you celebrate the holiday weekend right.

Scarecrow Festival

October 28-29th, 2011- Oaks by the Bay Park

Scarecrows will be decorating the streets of St. Andrews State Park for the 3rd Annual Scarecrow Festival. Many places compete based on pumpkin carving, but St. Andrews competes with Scarecrow customizing- make sure you check out this unique festival! There will also be trick-or-treating and events for the whole family! Detailed information is available at the St. Andrews website.

Boo at the Beach

October 28-29th,2011- Pier Park

Pier Park will be hosting family friendly Halloween fun from 10am-12pm, with face painting, pumpkin carving, spooky stories, and a children’s costume contest! Take your kids to the promo area across from Starbucks and enjoy the kid-friendly fun!

Halloween at Schooners

October 28th, 2011- Schooners

Enter to win a costume contest, with a first place prize of $300. A total of $600 in cash and prizes will be given out at the 2011 Halloween Bash! Costume pre-judging starts at 8pm with the contest and awards at midnight. Phar Fletcher will performing during the party. The outside of Schooners will be decked out in full spookiness, but the inside promises to be even scarier for this Halloween party!

ZooBoo

October 29th, 2011- ZooWorld

Dress up and bring a big candy bag to ZooWorld this weekend for trick-or-treating. From 5pm-8pm there will be trick-or-treating throughout the park and costume contests for children under age 15.

Toys for Kids Annual Halloween Bash

October 29th, 2011- Spinnaker Beach Club

Spinnaker will be hosting the Annual Toys for Kids Annual Halloween Bash, raising money for the Toys for Kids Foundation. This year’s theme is “Scary Tales.” Doors will open at 8pm, with at $10 cover for those 21 and up and a $20 cover for those under age 21. Over $1500 in cash and prizes will be given away and recipients including those participating in the costume contest. Judging for the contest will begin at 11:45pm and finals will be at 12:45am. Celebrating Halloween and raising money for local children, sounds like fun for a great cause!

Young Frankenstein

October 31st, 2011- Marina Civic Center

For $50 you can see the re-imagining of Dr. Frankenstein, buy tickets here! Directed by award-winning director MelBrooks in 1974 this black and white film ranks in the top 50 comedies of all time. Don’t miss your chance to see this film in theaters!

No matter how you choose to celebrate this Halloween, be safe and enjoy the holiday!

Relay for Life Kick-Off Begins the 2012 Fundraising Season

Time to kick-off the 2012 fundraising season for the American Cancer Society! Panama City Beach’s Relay for Life will hold the event Kick-off on October 24th from 6pm-8pm at the Palm’s Conference Center. The actual Relay for Life date is set for April 13th, 2012 at J.R. Arnold High School from 6pm till 12pm on April 14th.

What is Relay for Life?

Relay for Life is the fundraising arm of the American Cancer Society, raising money for research and services for survivors and the caregivers as they undergo treatment. Relay for Life is a sixteen hour event (lengths of events will vary) where the community gathers to celebrate the survivors of cancer, their battle and their caregivers support, to remember those who have lost their fights against cancer, and to fight back against this disease. It’s a family friendly event designed to pull the community together for a cause.

Where does the Relay for Life Money go? (partial list)

Hope Lodges
Road to Recovery
Look Good… Feel Better
Reach to Recovery
College Scholarships

You can learn more about Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society online.

What happens at kick-off?

Kicking off this years Relay for Life events: there will be a survivor to speak about the impact of Relay for Life on her journey with cancer, computers to allow you to sign up a team or as a survivor, information about team captain meetings, and most importantly excitement! Kick-off starts off the fundraising for the year officially, with excitement and determination for the day cancer is cured in mind. Kick-off provides the community with all of the information needed to start a team, fundraise individually, or sign-up as a survivor or caregiver.

The committee is currently recruiting teams to help in the fight against cancer! You can sign-up or donate at the Relay for Life Panama City Beach page, and you can register survivors there also! If you’d like to stay up to date on events for this Relay for Life, you can also follow them on Facebook.

Back Beach Near Pier Park Drops to 45MPH

The recent drop in speed limit on Back Beach Road near Pier Park stirred up a lot of discussion on our Facebook wall, and we’d like to hear more thoughts on the speed change from 55mph to 45mph.

Why?

From Hills Road to Colina Circle, the speed limit has been changed from 55mph to 45mph. These changes were due to the amount of traffic, accidents, and the struggle for cars to pull out of Pier Park safely. The decrease was also inspired by the recent number of tragedies in the area in past months. One thing to consider is that the area will soon be seeing a Wal-Mart.

Community Feelings

While it’s too early to tell how people feel about the change, it seems that opinions are split. Those who live in the neighborhoods around Pier Park seem to lean in favor of the lowered speed limit, while those who pass through see it as ineffective. A common standpoint seems to be that the change isn’t going to be fun, but if it keeps people safer – then it’s a necessary one.

That being said, how do you feel about the speed limit being lowered to 45mph around Pier Park?

Getting Ready for Halloween in PCB

Several events this weekend are geared to stir up some Halloween-focused excitement!

Haunted House

October 21-22, 222 East Beach Drive

For only $7, you can enter the Jaycee’s annual haunted house! The Jaycee’s is a young professionals group in the Panama City area. The haunted house is open from 7pm till close each Friday and Saturday night. Proceeds from the haunted house go to local charities.

Haunted Trail and Pumpkin Patch

October 21-22, The Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida

For the twelfth year in a row, the Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida brings you the Haunted Trail and Pumpkin Patch! Event admission will be $5 per person between the hours of 4:00pm and 10:00pm. The trail has been re-vamped from previous years and is fun for children age 7 and up. For children under age 7, there is a peak-a-boo trick-or-treat adventure featuring characters from favorite children’s stories.

The pumpkin patch will have games, crafts, and a haunted homestead full of non-scary experiments. There will also be a costume contest each night at 5pm, including a group category. Detailed information about this event is available online.

Howl-O-Ween

October 22-23, Seacrest Wolf Preserve

At 9:30am on the 22nd, the 10th Annual Howl-O-Ween begins at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve. Tours will start every 1 1/2 hours beginning at 10am each day. There will also be hayrides beginning at 10:30am and a hayride to a campfire at 6:45pm. There will be a haunted hayride, not recommended for children, after the campfire. The campfire will include a flute concert from Marcia Johnson and her stories of the Choctaw Tribe. Her concert can also be heard at noon. Dog-o-ween costume contests will have sign ups from 10am till 2pm, with judging beginning at 3pm. On Sunday, the last hayride will be at 4:00pm.

More information is available at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve website.

We will post more Halloween events as they occur, Happy Hauntings this weekend! To view non-Halloween events in Panama City Beach this weekend, please click here.

Little Black Dresses, Tigers, Clowns, and Jazz Music- Oh My!

Three events take the stage this weekend in Panama City Beach; the Little Black Dress party at The Boatyard, the Cole Brothers Circus, and the 11th Annual Jazz by the Bay Festival. No matter your interests one of these three events are sure to keep you entertained!

Little Black Dress

October 20th, The Boatyard

It’s the third Thursday of the month which means live entertainment, gift bags, appetizers, and for the ladies- free champagne! Chef Konrad will also be creating a new dinner special for the event. There will be live entertainment from 7pm till 10pm when DJ Vladi and DJ Beachhouse takeover till the party ends. Go to The Boatyard and have fun! Remember all profits go to the American Cancer Society and the fight against breast cancer!

Cole Brothers Circus

October 20th-23rd, Frank Brown Park

Coming to Panama City Beach and Frank Brown Park is the Cole Brothers Circus, known as “The World’s Largest Circus Under the Big Top.” This circus strives to provide family-friendly entertainment to their visitors in a clean, courteous, and safe environment. Shows are at 7:30pm on Thursday and Friday, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, and 7:30pm on Saturday, and on Sunday at 1:30pm and 4:30pm. You can buy tickets at the Cole Brothers Circus website. General admission tickets are $14, with reserved tickets priced at $17 and VIP tickets being $20. You can also learn about the different acts and circus stars at the website. Enjoy the motorcycle stunts, tigers, clowns, aeriel ballerinas, and more!

11th Annual Jazz by the Bay Festival

October 21st-22nd, Oaks by the Bay Park

Bringing attention to jazz music, the Gulf Jazz Society is hosting the 11th Annual Jazz by the Bay Festival. In Historic St. Andrews, the two-day jazz music appreciation festival will be held by the water. Six bands are scheduled to play, including the all-star Dixieland and famous Bud Leeds Classic Jazz Band. You can read more about these bands here. The festival is free and open to the public, so bring a date or your family and listen to several different styles of jazz music.

Whether you want to meet new people and raise money for the American Cancer Society, take your friends or children to the circus, or relax and listen to some amazing Jazz music- be safe and have a great weekend!

Pink Beards for Breast Cancer

Taking “real men wear pink” a step further are the men who dye their beards pink! Pink Beards for Breast Cancer is an organization where men dye their beards pink to show support for breast cancer survivors, and hold events to raise money for research.

About the Event

Fighting back against breast cancer in three cities, the 2nd Annual Pink Beards for Breast Cancer Awareness will be held October 19.The event will be held in Springfield and Fairborn, OH and at the C-Level Bar and Grill here in Panama City,and is in memory of Eileen Meyers. Proceeds from the event will be donated to breast cancer research, including profits from T-shirt sales. The event will include live entertainment and charity auctions.

About Pink Beards

Founder, Michael Compton, dyed his beard for breast cancer in 2010 and it dawned on him that others might want to make the same statement. The first event was held on October 27, 2010 in both Panama City and Springfield, OH. Compton has goals to make this cause and the event nationwide.

You can learn more about Pink Beards for Breast Cancer at their website.

Sterling Resorts Receives Award for Innovative Marketing

Last summer, in response to the BP Oil Spill and the lull in tourism, Sterling Resorts began a “Happy Hour” promotional campaign. This campaign countered the increasing number of cancellations and led them to win the Flagler Award, which recognizes outstanding tourism marketing on behalf of the Florida Commission on Tourism.

About the Award

A competition for the Flagler award is held in conjunction with the Annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism This award is based on the pillars of creativity, innovation, vision, and commitment. The standout entry in the Flagler Awards is also awarded The Henry Award, which Sterling Resorts received. They were awarded top scores by five judges in the Direct Marketing segment. Sterling Resorts was competing against top competitors in areas like The Keys/Key West and St. Pete/Clearwater. The awards are open to all individuals, private businesses and not-for-profit organizations offering a product or service that promotes tourism to or within the state of Florida.

The Happy Hour Sale

The campaign involved a weekly email sent on Friday afternoons to offer exclusive savings to regional subscribers with time-sensitive offers. These offers were available at select Sterling properties located in Panama City Beach, 30-A, and Destin. They also used weekly Gulf updates and offered a ‘100% Clean Beach’ guarantee. The promotion was aimed at reassuring travelers and combating cancellations, similarly; it produced more then 2,600 inquiries and 300 reservations. This campaign generated $212,000 in revenue and provided for many vacation relationships to be built. The Happy Hour Sale was brought back this summer by popular demand.

About Sterling Resorts

Sterling Resorts is one of the leading vacation rental companies in the Southeast, a division of Encore Enterprises. They have over 20 condominium resorts in Panama City Beach, Destin, and 30-A. In Panama City Beach, they manage Laketown Wharf, Calypso Resort and Towers, Celadon Beach Resort, Emerald Beach Resort, Emerald Isle, Grand Panama, Ocean Villa, Majestic Beach Towers, Ocean Ritz Resort, Splash, Southwind, Reflections at Bay Point, Sterling Beach, Sterling Breeze, Sterling Reef, Sunrise Beach, Tropic Winds, Tidewater Beach Resort, and Twin Palms Resort.

Congratulations to Sterling Resorts and all of those involved in the Happy Hour Sale!