The Beach Show Goes Gangnam

A Happy Note from Karen…

This is intended to bring great joy to you by the complete humbling of myself and the exposure of my complete lack of dignity through the art form of the gangham style dance.
It is worth the humiliation however for the greater good…..Britt and I are dancing for our friend Aaron Nichols who is in great need of medical equipment.
Please stay tuned to hear more about our project and see even goofier videos that I hope will bring a smile to your face. We had an amazing time learning this dance and I realized that I must join Weight Watchers ASAP after viewing. That is a whole other story!!! So be watching that progress as well.

Thanks so very, very much for all the support and love that all of you show me in consistent fashion. I cannot believe the growth of our sweet little Beachy Beach and the reason is clear… it is all of YOU!!!
I have a saying that I live and run my business by and it is, ‘The only people we have to get even with are
those that have helped us’
Thankfully my list has gotten long and many of
you are on it!!

We will back in full force with both beach shows NEXT WEEK so until then be sweet and thanks for your kindness and support!!!!

with the greatest of gratitude,
~Karen

Chateau Motel Hosts “Retake the Beach” New Years

With great success, the Chateau Motel, one of Panama City Beach’s vintage hotels, hosted an event they called “Retake the Beach”, the 1st annual celebration of the end of tourism season. Live music from bands like Heritage, Nothing Short of Pure, Kevin Jacobs, Nate Pennington and more, free food, free drinks, games, giveaways, football on big screen TVs and, best of all, an uncrowded beach just for you. The event was a hit for locals and locals-at-heart and, by popular demand, the Chateau Motel is bringing “Retake” back, this time a New Year’s celebration that will rival anything on the beach.

Imagine, if you will, avoiding the traffic and crowds for your New Year’s celebration and, instead, lounging on your beachfront balcony, a live band rocking the stage, while you sip on a midnight toast, enjoy the last seconds of 2012 and start 2013 with fireworks and good friends. Sound good? Yeah? Well here’s what you need to know.

Retake The Beach Details

Retake the Beach New Years will be held at the Chateau Motel on New Year’s Eve 2012, with live performances by Heritage, Kayavibe, and Nothing Short of Pure! The event will include music, a free midnight toast and fireworks. Rooms start at just $89/nt, and are expected to fill quick!

Go here for more information and reservations

Or call direct at 1.888.84.BEACH

Retake The Beach Gallery

White HOT Christmas Party at Fred Astaire

Feliz Navidad from Team Astaire!!!

Put your dancing shoes on for a good cause as Fred Astaire once again uses their gifts to help others in the spirit of “Celebrate the Arts”, a fundraising vehicle for local charities.

Help them “Dance for Aaron” as they welcome everyone, even and perhaps especially beginners for two FUN group dance classes and then stay for a fun night of dancing with the students and professionals of Fred Astaire Dance Studio on Thursday, December 20th.

“Aaron”, is Aaron Nichols, a former Bay High graduate who experienced a traumatic car accident a few years that left him permanently injured. Aaron needs a piece of equipment to help with his recovery and has not been able to purchase it because of lack of funds. The “Celebrate the Arts” event last November got the ball rolling, but several more thousand dollars are still needed to pay for the RT300 he needs.

Thursday night’s event party will start at 6:30 with a group class of that infectious “horsey dance” to “Gangnam Style”.

Fred Astaire will show you all the new moves of the latest pop dance that can’t help but put a smile on your face.

Following the Gangnam style class will be a beginner Latin group class at 7:15. Then a Latin Dance Party starts at 8 pm for you to try out your new salsa moves! Fred Astaire encourages you to bring your friends and share the experience!

Cost of this entire evening of fun is only $30 per person and includes an additional PRIVATE lesson to be used at a later time for new adult students. Guests may also choose to just do the Gangnam Style dance for $15. Fred Astaire will also be taking donations for Aaron, during the dance party.

To sign up for the event call the award-winning team at Fred Astaire of Panama City at 850 873 6269 or sign up for the event on their Facebook Event Page.

If you are a local business owner that would like to help out with your own fundraising idea using your product or service to help out folks like Aaron Nichols , email Britt@beachybeach.com or send a message to www.facebook.com/celebratetheartspcb.

If you know Aaron and cannot make event on the 20th, you may also make donations to his equipment fund at www.beachybeach.com/celebratetheartspcb.

Remember this White HOT Latin party, is with a twist! Dress in your white Christmas party clothes with a little twist, like a fun red bow or a green tie….get creative and bring your dancing shoes!

And if you don’t have dancing shoes…come in anyway, Beginners are welcome and you do NOT need a partner.

See you at Fred Astaire on Thursday, December 20th and Feliz Navidad!

Pier Park North Land Clearing has Begun!

Driving down Back Beach Road (Panama City Beach Parkway or US 98) last week you could smell the fresh scent of pine in the air as logging crews harvested the pine forrest located where the new Pier Park North mall will be located. In fact, by Wednesday, most of the trees were gone and crews are expected to begin de-stumping the ground this week.

Here is a panoramic shot of the site as of Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

Having just reported on the [so far] up to date list of stores coming to the development, we’ve had quite a few chime in on their suggestions on the stores that should be included in this development. There was some initial speculation in the recent past on whether this development was even a reality. Of course, with the buzz of Pier Park North, began the buzz of a new Walmart in Panama City Beach that is getting nearer to completion every day. Some commenters have confirmed that it is indeed going to be a Super Walmart.

What do you think of the new Walmart development and the development of Pier Park North?

Amazing Deals on The Beach Show

Deal #1 Wild Heron Bungalow $395,000
4 Bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2,734 sq. ft.
Beautifully furnished! (approx. $75,000)
First floor master, luxurious baths, hardwood floors, gas fireplace
Never lived in, just bring your toothbrush!
Neighborhood pool, fitness center, tennis, canoe and kayak livery, party pavilion…

Deal #2 Palm Bay pool home $360,000
4 Bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,400 sq. ft.
Raised ceilings, 3-step crown, tile floors, bull-nosed corners, fireplace w/built-ins
Large master BR with marble bath, huge walk-in closet
Split bedroom floor plan, upgrades galore
Lush tropical landscaping, oversized lot, pool w/waterfall, outdoor wet bar, indoor/outdoor sound system

Deal #3 Laguna Beach 3-story $289,000
4 Bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,060 sq. ft. w/ Gulf Views!
Granite counters, stainless appliances, breakfast bar, bamboo floors
First floor BR with bath, 2nd floor master with huge balcony
3rd floor loft with balcony, great Gulf views
Incredible rental potential, immaculate condition

September Bed Tax Numbers up 7% Year Over Year

Looking at the bed tax revenue numbers for August, September’s had been released at the beginning of the month! It’s always super insightful to see where September falls as for many, it’s the last big hooray for the summer tourism season. For many still, October proves a strong month as fall tourism is popular at the beach before November and December drop sharply.

This September didn’t feel as frenzied with the lack of TDC planned events like we had last year, but at Panama City Beach Luxury Properties, we were still sold out each weekend through the month. In addition, most of our larger properties enjoyed strong weekly rentals through the entire month.

For the industry, bed tax revenue collections were over 7% up for September 2012 over September 2011 and rang in at a total of $999,168.09

A close look at the numbers.

September 2012 – $999,168.09 – single point: $199,833.62 – 7.65% up over previous year
September 2011 – $928,161.56 – single point: $185,632.31 – 16.7% up over previous year
September 2010 – $795,301.87 – single point: $159,060.37 – 0.0% neutral over previous year (oil spill year)
September 2009 – $795,698.44 – single point: $159,139.69 – 2.1% up over previous year
September 2008 – $467,386.73 – single point: $155,795.58 – 17.7% up over previous year
September 2007 – $397,000.56 – single point: $132,333.52

When considering gains, it’s always fun to look at where we are in comparison to where we were a few years ago. For example, before the oil spill, many considered the 2008 summer tourism season a good baseline for strong tourism. When compared to that year, 2012 is 25.6% up.

Industry wide in Bay County for September 2012, $19,983,361.80 was generated in reported room-night revenue.

The numbers from the previous months this year

August 2012 – $3,007,148.42 – up 1.52% over previous year
July 2012 – $3,007,148.42 – up 1.52% over previous year
June 2012 – $2,737,780.66 – up 19.88% over previous year
May 2012 – $1,408,512 – up 24.95% over previous year
April 2012 – $1,270,835.84 – up 4.45% over previous year
March 2012 – $1,769,821.69 – up 19.38% over previous year