We all knew Pier Park would be a game changer when it exploded onto the Panama City Beach shopping scene almost two years ago. But in addition to being a great place on Panama City Beach to shop and dine, Pier Park is also a great place to hold awesome events and fundraisers. With the huge expanse of pavement Pier Park happens to be the perfect place to stage fun and fundraising runs and walks.
Continue reading “Excercise for a Good Cause at Pier Park This Week(end)”
Q. How long has Fahlgren been in business?
A. Fahlgren was established in 1962.
Q. How many offices do you have and where?
A. Fahlgren, Inc., is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and has a total of seven other locations including Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Toledo, Ohio; Parkersburg, W.V.; Denver, Col. Plus, our media partner, Real Media Solutions, is based in Tampa.
Q. What makes Fahlgren the ideal agency for PCB?
A. We believe Fahlgren is an ideal partner for PCB for many reasons as we outlined in the cover letter of our proposal:
– We have offices in key areas including Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Atlanta and the Midwest (Ohio).
– We have the same consumer research tools and resources of the largest agencies, but we are independently owned and able to serve our clients nimbly and attentively.
– As an integrated marketing agency, we are experienced in all forms of media, and we understand how to build a synergistic overall program.
– Fahlgren has a dedicated tourism and leisure practice area focused on serving tourism clients and analyzing key trends.
– Having worked for many years as the agency of record for VISIT FLORIDA, our firm has extensive knowledge of Florida tourism.
– As a result of this experience, our media team has relationships and “buying clout” in key feeder markets.
– Our team also developed and managed the industry-standard of co-op programs with VISIT FLORIDA.
– We have received accolades from the Florida’s Governor Charlie Crist on our efforts promoting tourism in the Sunshine State.
– We have airline and launch event experience.
– We are established and strong in the areas PCB values most, including creative, media planning, and social media.
Q. What were you initial thoughts on Panama City Beach’s image?
A. We view Panama City Beach as a fun place for everyone. We have several staffers who’ve vacationed there with their families, have been there during spring break, and one associate who even had a destination wedding there this past spring.
Q. What are your preliminary plans to change PCB’s “party” perception?
A. We know a lot of research has already been done on this topic, and we look forward to better understanding all sides of the issue and working with the CVB and area partners to develop the right plan for the community.
Q. Is there any particular creative direction that you foresee going in right off the bat?
A. We’ve got more creative ideas at this point than we know what to do with, but we look forward to applying the right strategy to develop a marketing campaign that gets the results the CVB and its partners seek.
Q. Do you have any comments on the creative direction of Panama City Beach’s past?
A. We know an evolution of the creative direction has already begun, and we’re excited to add a new dimension that builds on that momentum.
Q. How will you use the new airport as a spring board for PCB’s future?
A. We know that the airport is a total game changer. It puts a national spotlight on PCB like never before. It opens up new possibilities for partnerships and promotions, and it allows us to truly compete for tourists from cities that weren’t a possibility before its existence.
Q. How do you plan to use your talent to boost Panama City Beach’s off-season tourism?
A. Overall, we strive to use our talents to develop striking creative and place it in traditional and nontraditional areas that we know are meaningful to our audiences. Our creative has to get noticed and it has to reach consumers at the right place at the right time to engage them to take action. We’ll be developing a year-round plan to boost tourism on and off season. Specifically, we’re looking at possibly tapping into our current client base to create some unique partnerships.
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 marks the 24th Annual Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up – the world’s largest volunteer effort of its kind. Panama City Beach is planning to join the 400,000 volunteers across 104 countries and 42 U.S. states by hitting the sand for this grassroots event.
The Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce “Green Leadership Committee” will spearhead the local event and is encouraging the community, civic organizations, public and private businesses to join in the effort.
The clean up efforts will take place at two main thoroughfares along the Panama City Beach shoreline including Rick Seltzer Park on South Thomas Drive from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Russell Fields City Pier at Pier Park from 4a.m. to 6p.m. Trash bins, gloves and bottled water will be provided.
For more information on the “Green Leadership Committee” and Ocean International Coastal Clean Up Day, contact Marta@PCBeach.org or 850-235-1159 or visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=icc_home.
Thunder Beach Productions & Oaseas Resorts is the new official location for the infamous Kick-Start Party for 2009 at Shores of Panama Resort. The large, stunning pool deck will now play host to the popular event featuring live entertainment and the Official Miss Thunder Beach preliminaries.
From 6 to 10pm on Wednesday, September 23rd, the beautiful Shores of Panama Resort will kick of what is to be an fun-filled chromed-out weekend! “Shores” is bringing in legendary show band, ELI – the band that defines “High Energy”. Shores of Panama poolside is the perfect setting to get your engines revving for the first Preliminary of the Miss Thunder Beach Pageant. Beautiful ladies, fantastic live music and great food and drink…what a way to crank up your favorite Rally-by-the-Sea!!
When the Kick-Start party is over, just walk or ride next door to Pineapple Willy’s “After Party” – going on until 12:30.
For more information click here to go to Shores of Panama website or here to go to Thunder Beach Productions.
There is something to be said of abandoned amusement parks. Even in dilapidation and neglect, they all carry still a sense of fascination and forlorn delight; even moreso in a park as personal to its community as Miracle Strip Park on Panama City Beach. You see, it’s the silence that gets you.
Where once dazzling lights, laughter and thrills enchanted tourists and locals, where once the heart of Panama City Beach radiated and made clear nights electric there stands the graveyard of classic Panama City Beach. The park is silent now; dark. Erect still are the pieces to be cleared in the coming weeks by Dickens Land Clearing and Rock World. The forgotten wonders; Abominable Snowman, Dante’s Inferno, The Haunted Castle, these pieces, gravestones really, are now considered eyesores. In weeks it will all be gone and so too will the lingering miracle, the fascination that captured Panama City Beach lovers for so many years.
The saddest part of the final clearing of the derelict land is that to this day the park’s fascination, the miracle as it were, still lingers behind those sagging green fences. It is that fascination, that magic which still compels the passerby to climb the fence to peek at the beloved relic, causes adults to tell their kids about Panama City Beach’s old park, pushes the bored teen to sneak in after dark and release his mischievous adolescent energies in a place that is no longer accepting them. The smell of hot dogs, the cloying of sweet cotton, the echoing screams of delight still exist on those grounds.
That will end in the coming weeks.
As the city wipes out its eyesores to make way for a newer, brighter Panama City Beach, Miracle Strip Park has always been at the top of the eradication list, but has taken the longest to be completed.
In a strange way, I, like many residents, sort of hoped they would never take it all. Secretly, I hoped that this one eyesore they might leave to remind us of a more thrilling time. You see, I met my wife at Miracle Strip Park. I had my very first job shifting between working in a candy stand, the arcade and the “ring a bottle” game. Miracle Strip Park was the biggest outlet for all my teenage energies.
This is not the first time the city has said goodbye to the park. I suspect we keep saying goodbye because deep down we all know how much Panama City Beach needs a place like Miracle Strip Park even if as just a memory. Miracle Strip Park provided that spark, that unfailing “Thing to Do” where $5 could buy you the night of your life. The concept of reincarnation has always been an enigmatic prospect in my mind. But in this regard, and for the sake of the city’s future, I hope the spirit of our once beloved park can be brought back. The beach needs it.
Otherwise, we’ll all be left to purchase the pieces of our youth, our memories of Panama City Beach on EBay.
The Junior Service League of Panama City has announced that the 20th Annual Holly Fair event held from November 6th through 9th, 2008 at Boardwalk Beach Resort & Conference Center has raised $197,000 for local service projects.
Funds raised from Holly Fair, which this past season boasted over 75 merchants from around the United States, are used to support local programs and many Bay County organizations.
“Each year, the Bay County community and every Junior Service League member is committed to making our annual Holly Fair an exceptional event and this year, with economic conditions as they are, it was wonderful to be able to exceed our goal from last year,” said Event Co-Chair Lacey Obos.
The Junior Service League depends on the success of Holly Fair to support its mission of promoting volunteerism and improving the community. Through Holly Fair funds, the Junior Service League has become the primary source of clothing for deserving children in Bay District Schools providing over 2000 children in 2008 alone with new outfits for both school and play. In addition to supporting educational and charitable programs including elderly outreach, the Junior Service League also contributes to other local agencies. Past recipients have included the Children’s Home Society, Life Management Center & St. Andrew’s Bay Center.
“On behalf of the over 90 volunteers who make up the Junior Service League, I am grateful to each sponsor, each merchant, each business & media partner and the over 12,000 people who embraced and supported the 20th Annual Holly Fair,” added Tracy Rudder, Event Co-Chair.
The 2009 Holly Fair is scheduled for November 5th through 8th at Boardwalk Beach Resort. For more information, contact (850)785-7870 or visit http://www.jslpanamacity.org.
On Saturday September 12th, the Miracle Strip Carousel at Pier Park will be hosting a fund-raiser for the Miracle League of the Emerald Coast. Miracle League is a baseball league for children with disabilities. 100% of the proceeds from all ticket sales between 12-4pm will be donated to the Miracle League to help defray the costs of uniforms, bats, balls and other supplies needed by the league. Single tickets are $3 per ride or $5 for an all day pass.
Join us to help a great cause.
Teddy & Jenny Meeks
Miracle Strip Carousel
History of the Miracle League of the Emerald Coast:
After realizing there are 5,000+ children in Bay County between the ages of 3 and 19 who are unable to participate in conventional baseball leagues due to physical or mental disabilities the Rotary of Panama City Beach decided to spearhead the development of a local Miracle League.
The Panama City Beach Rotary Club, a small club of 55 members and a lot of heart, approached the City of Panama City Beach for assistance. The Panama City Beach City Council seeing the need for “an adaptive recreational facility open to children of all ages and abilities where no child is turned away” unanimously voted to designate an area of Frank Brown Park for the development of a facility that would accommodate Miracle League players. The sportsplex could not have been a more perfect location as the entire infrastructure is in place.
The City agreed to assume responsibility for scheduling, maintaining and operating all programs provided the Panama City Beach Rotary Club along with the Miracle League of the Emerald Coast assumes the task of organizing the new league and generating funding for the fields construction.
Massage Envy at Pier Park hosts Massage for the Cure benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
During this one-day event, Massage Envy will offer $35 one-hour therapeutic massage sessions, with $10 from each massage being donated directly to the Panama City Beach, FL affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The event is open to the public, but does require an appointment with Massage Envy.
Since the first Massage for the Cure event in 2005, Massage Envy has raised more than $800,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Appointments can be made by contacting the Pier Park Massage Envy at (850) 563-0070, or visit www.MassageEnvy.com.
Has the recession got you down? It seems these days, everyone’s blaming everything on the recession. Ad sales are down, blame it on the recession; business is slow, blame it on the recession; tourism numbers are down (actually they were up, more on that later), blame it on the recession; my iPhone is working and 3G is great but sometimes it just doesn’t seem to pick up in brick buildings, under bridges or in between condo towers, blame it on the recession!!
We’ve teamed up with local businesses, friends, and ourselves and decided to offer a little relief in the form of giving all kinds of stuff away. In fact, as long as people keep giving us stuff to give away, we’ll keep giving it away to you!
So, here’s what we’re giving away this week:
100 Two Color, One Sided 3.5 x 2 inch Business Cards, printed on high-quality hand-made paper. The winner gets their choice from 3 custom designs and let me tell you these cards are sweet. Everything from Fresh Impression is done by hand on a Letterpress, and if you’re not familiar with what a Letterpress is: it is a rather large mechanical piece of machinery that imprints a custom design on really thick paper. While it “presses” the patter/design, it inlays ink that is applied by hand to a “plate” leaving an inked “impression” that leaves a HUGE impact on your customers.
If you have any questions about letterpress or if you want to see samples of their work, you can contact the guys at Fresh Impression.
To win, just post a comment below telling us how you are going to use the cards, and yes, feel free to plug your business. At the end of the week (or next Monday, rather) we’ll draw one lucky person from all the comments and put you in touch with the Fresh Impression guys. Be sure to use your correct name and email address so we can get in touch with you.
If you are a local business and want FREE ADVERTISING on the most read web site exclusively about Panama City Beach, email me and tell me what you have to give away and we’ll get you in line for the PCB Stimulus Giveaway!
Coming soon will be an all new video show from your’s truly, pcbdaily.com. With commentary on the most updated news and information on Panama City Beach provided by myself, Cebo and guests, you’re sure to be “compelled” and entertained.
That’s all for now, more info coming soon!
PCBDaily 