LoCash Cowboys Play at Tootsies

If you were following my Tweets Saturday night, then you know I was at Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Pier Park in Panama City Beach covering the LoCash Cowboys performing live, and boy were they awesome – tons of energy and talent.

They came by in promotion of their appearance in BamaJam and in promotion of the event as a whole. BamaJam will actually feature Kid Rock, Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, The Black Crowes, Taylor Swift and tons of other big names.

With their huge fancy looking tour bus parked on the sidewalk they performed with all their hand and head accesories shining in the stage lights. The dance floor was packed with old and young alike getting their groove on and enjoying the live music. One old guy was playing the “air” fiddle with his cane on his arm. Welcomed by “Preston,” one of the lead singers, he signaled his violinist to play a solo in encouragement of the crowd’s enthusiasm.

The LoCash Cowboys put on a very energetic performance that included boisterous movements all over the stage. I actually quite enjoyed it, even though I’m not a huge country music fan.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-04-14

Happy Easter! #
Just watched LowCash Cowboys rock the house at Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Got some great pix to share later #
Doing a shot from the train, should be pretty cool. #
Shooting right into marble slab creamery. People are looking at me weird. #
At pier park shooting timelapse. If you come out, stop and say hi iif you see me. I’ll be all over #
At pier park shooting timelapse. Good times. – Photo: http://bkite.com/06oR2 #
You guys have to ride the carousel at pier park – Photo: http://bkite.com/06oli #
Wow, when they say go, its like a child stampede. #
On the roof of bww. I don’t think I’ve ever been up here during the day. #
Happy mob of eager easter egg hunters – Photo: http://bkite.com/06odA #
Going to the pier park easter egg hunt. Omgosh is it gorgeous. And packed! #

Guy Harvey's is Open and Coming for an Appearance

Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, a chain of family-friendly restaurants with retail stores, opened its fifth restaurant-retail concept in Panama City Beach, Florida last week. The new 10,000 square foot restaurant is located in Pier Park, a one million square foot, open-air, lifestyle center across from the beach in the heart of Panama City Beach. Pier Park was developed and is owned by Simon Property Group.

Currently with four coastal locations in the southeast including Grand Cayman, Marco Island, Key West, and Orange Beach, Alabama, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants offer a variety of Americana fare and fresh, sustainable seafood in a unique dining atmosphere. The décor is accented with Guy Harvey’s distinctive marine, wildlife original art and prints, and Guy Harvey Artist’s Collection Wines can be paired with each dish.

Guy Harvey enjoys a storied career as a world-renowned artist, photographer, diver and scientist whose focus has always been beneath the waves. His artwork is in galleries, stores, and at fishing tournaments, and his conservation efforts to save marine life in the oceans are well known. So, it’s only natural that Harvey should enter into the restaurant business with Guy Harvey’s Island Grill. Each Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurant offers not only fresh, sustainable seafood in a casual dining atmosphere, but also a retail store and gallery that features original Guy Harvey artwork, signature clothing, and giftware.

“The restaurant-retail store concept, first established in my hometown of Georgetown, Grand Cayman, has proven so successful, that we have chosen to expand the Guy Harvey brand through this prototype into other markets including Panama City Beach,” said Guy Harvey. “With a booming local market and more than 7 million tourists who come each year for the fishing, sun, and surf, Panama City Beach is an ideal location to expand the Guy Harvey’s Island Grill concept. We believe this will be a very successful market for us,” concluded Harvey.

“Despite the volatile economic environment, 2008 was a banner retail sales year for Guy Harvey, Inc. and we are continuing to introduce the Guy Harvey Island Grill restaurant-retail store concept into additional growth markets throughout the southeast,” said Steve Stock, President of Guy Harvey, Inc. “Our new location at Pier Park in Panama City Beach fits perfectly with our expansion plans into select coastal markets.”

“Guy Harvey’s Island Grill will be an excellent addition and important asset to Pier Park. Its combination of Americana food, impressive array of retail selections, and commitment to conservation, all under the Guy Harvey brand, are very powerful and productive,” said Felicia Cook, Director of Mall Marketing and Business Development for Simon.

By expanding its restaurant-retail store concept to additional markets, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill hopes to increase awareness not only for Guy Harvey’s restaurants, Guy Harvey Wines, artwork and licensed products, but also for his efforts to save and conserve the ocean’s marine life.

As part of his ongoing commitment to researching and conserving the ocean’s marine life, Guy Harvey has insisted his restaurants serve only carefully selected seafood that has not been over-fished. Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants do not serve over-exploited or threatened species such as swordfish, grouper, Chilean sea bass or any species of billfish or shark. By excluding these fish from its menus, Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants aid in the long-term improvement of these fish stocks. A simple, responsible seafood guide, detailing what fish to eat and avoid, is available at all Guy Harvey’s Island Grill restaurants to raise awareness of carefully selecting seafood for sustaining the oceans and marine wildlife.

Additionally, a portion of all proceeds from restaurant and retail store sales of Guy Harvey artwork and licensed products fund marine research for the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. Through Guy Harvey’s Ocean Foundation, new marine research and educational outreach programs are conducted to better inform recreational and commercial fishermen and the public of the need for additional conservation and best management practices for a more sustainable marine environment.

In the end, whether it’s Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, with its carefully appointed seafood menu, Guy Harvey’s distinctive marine wildlife art, or his marine research and conservation efforts, it’s all about the ocean

Pier Park Easter Egg Hunt Awesomely Successful

Saturday, the first annual Pier Park Easter Egg Hunt attracted hundreds of kids and parents to enjoy beautiful weather, the furry Easter Bunny and tons and tons of candy. The first three rounds of egg hunts were for the kids and the fourth and final round was all for the parents, no kids allowed.

“There were 7,000 total filled eggs layed out today,” said Felecia Cook, Director of Marketing for Pier Park in Panama City Beach. The hunt took place in the festivity grounds or the grassy area in between the sand volleyball court and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The first age group sent for the hunt included kids 2 to 3 years of age. When Cook said go, it was a mini stampede across the grass in a scramble to collect as many eggs as possible. It was less of a hunt and more of a race to collect the most, but it was apparently fun for all as parents hurried to keep up with their kids.

The last round, reserved for “parents only” included candy-filled eggs mixed with prize-filled eggs from the retailers in Pier Park. Prizes included anything from charms from Shimmering Seas to free t-shirts from various retailers to soccer balls, volleyballs, pizzas and other foods. When Cook said go for the parent’s round, the crowd went wild, literally and scurried to their hands and knees to collect as many eggs as possible.

The weather was perfect, the turnout phenomenal and the energy high. I talked to my buddy at the new carousel and they had droves of kids riding most of the day.

Walton County TDC to Raise Bed Tax for New PC Airport

Following in the footsteps of Bay County, Walton County is looking to increase their bed tax from 4 cents to 4.5 cents. The anticipated increase in revenue is expected to be around $1 million.

If approved, the TDC plans to use the funds to step up their marketing efforts for the Emerald Coast and attract a low-cost carrier to the new airport slated to open in Panama City of Highway 388 in May 2010. The ultimate goal is to help attract more businesses to the Walton County area. Walton County is right next to Bay County and stand to benefit greatly from the development of the new airport.

Other ideas for the use of the increased revenue include a new complex that could include sports fields, an amphitheater and performing-arts venue.

As with in Bay County, Walton County has its own set of opponents claiming that there is no real plan of action for how to spend the funds, and that the ideas seem to “flip-flop”.

The vote will be in front of Walton County Commissioners tomorrow night at their regularly scheduled meeting.

Quoting Investing.Businessweel.com:

Southwest Airlines was mentioned several times at Wednesday’s TDC meeting during a presentation about the results of a marketing study.

The presentation, given to show the possible new markets that the new airline would serve, focused on the cities Southwest already flies out of. The top five markets are Nashville, Houston, Orlando, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Mares said that with the right marketing, the local tourism industry could reach more than 3 million households that fit the demographic profile of visitors to South Walton.

The study determined the top markets by categorizing visitors by age, income and net worth. Also included was information such as their preferred lodging and dining preferences, magazines they read and the television and radio programs they listen to.

New PCB Website and Summer Marketing Campaign

On the agenda for the next regularly scheduled TDC meeting will be a presentation of the launch of the VisitPanamaCityBeach.com campaign, the summer marketing plan, “Focus Group Learnings”, and a report of the visitor’s surveys from the first quarter from the Klages Group.

You can download the agenda here, or read it below.

AGENDA

COMBINED BOARD MEETING
Bay County Tourist Development Council
Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.
Panama City Beach
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:00 a.m. Council Room, PCB City Hall

I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER

II. ROLL CALL

A.    Invocation
B.    Pledge of Allegiance
C.    Approve Minutes From the March 10, 2009, and March 26, 2009 Meetings

III. REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON AGENDA ITEMS (3 Minutes)

IV. UPDATE ON BED TAX COLLECTIONS, Ms. Charlene Honnen, Tourist Development Tax Specialist

V. BOARD ACTION ITEMS

A.    Discuss and Consider for Approval CVB/TDC Financial Statements Dated February 28, 2009, Mr. Dan Rowe, President
B.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant 05BA2, Amendment #3, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
C.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant 07BA2, Amendment #1, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
D.    Discuss and Consider for Approval FDEP Grant H6BA1, Amendment #4, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
E.    Discuss and Consider for Approval Coastal Planning & Engineering 3-Year Monitoring Survey Scope of Work and Fee Proposal, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC
F.    Discuss and Consider for Approval Coastal Planning & Engineering Invoice #90326 and Invoice #90338, Mrs. Lisa Armbruster, Sustainable Beaches, LLC

VI. PRESENTATIONS

A.    Launch Campaign for VisitPanamaCityBeach.com, Ms. Susan Estler, VP of Marketing
B.    2009 Summer Media Campaign Plan, Mr. Peter Yesawich, YPartnership
C.    Review of Focus Group Learnings, Mr. Peter Yesawich, YPartnership
D.    Review of Visitor Survey Results for First Quarter of 2009, Dr. Walter Klages, The Klages Group

VII. BOARD DISCUSSION ITEMS

A. Review of 2009 mtvU Program, Mr. Dan Rowe, President

VIII. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

IX. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

X. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

XI. ADJOURNMENT

Skim Jam Competition at Edgewater Beach Resort

You’ve skimmed a long way baby! The 11th Annual Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam is going down Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19, 2009 at Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort, a property of The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach. There have been 10 events before but, this year’s competition might be the best yet.

The first competitive skim event was held behind Pineapple Willy’s in 1998, hosted by Tony Johnson owner of Mr. Surf’s Surf Shop. Back then the event consisted mostly of locals, but boasted nearly 80 competitors. The event proved an instant hit and was later taken over by Skim USA, becoming a full-on tour with Panama City Beach being the tour’s favored destination.

“What’s unique about this event here in Panama City Beach,” Tony Johnson said, “is the city itself. After the first competition, all the Pros showed up and had never seen anything like Panama City Beach. They’d never seen the white sand or experienced an atmosphere like this. Just the same, all the kids who came out, witnessed the guys they saw in magazines shred their beach. The weather was great, the event was competitive and it just blew up from there. They love PCB because its organized, its friendly and we’ve got an awesome beach.”

Nearly 100 competitors are expected to vie for this year’s title. With the weather report projecting sunny skies, the turnout is expected to be high as well. Admission is free. Proceeds from the event will go to various non-profit organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and Skim USA.

Though always a competition, this year’s event intends to expand upon the teaching. The reigning Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam champion, Morgan Just, will come early to the beach and host a skim camp on Friday morning. Everyone is invited to come out and learn how to skim. Global Surf Industries and Surftech’s Surf will host stand-up Paddleboard Demos and Regattas throughout the competition.

There will be cash prizes for the winners, but everyone who enters will get more than just sport. Tony Johnson said, “Every kid will feel like a winner. Grab bags will go to those who enter into the competition. We want it to be competitive, but we want to really create a fun vibe.”

Meet and greet the skimboarding pros at pre-check-in on Friday, April 17. The annual Zap Pro/Am Skim Jam Contest will begin on Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. and will run until 4:00 p.m. A treasure hunt in the sand for kids 11 and under called Panama Jack’s Lil’ Sandiggers Treasure Hunt will be held at 1:00 p.m., along with other fun-filled family activities on the beach. Sunday’s events will begin with Church On The Beach, a non-denominational praise and worship service, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. before the Skim Jam Finals begin at 9:00 a.m.

The day will culminate with an awards ceremony for the competition’s winners.

To sign up for Morgan Just’s skim camp, contact him directly at mojust88@yahoo.com

Groundbreaking New Library

Mayor Gayle Oberst and the City of Panama City Beach broke ground Thursday for the new Panama City Beach public library. Architectural design by Collins & Associates and construction by the Construct Two Group, the new building will sit on the corner of Hutchinson Boulevard and Lyndell Lane and will be nearly triple the size of the current public library.

Under roof, the new building will house 11,000 square feet and outside will have 240 parking spaces. Panama City Beach Library Branch Manager Frank Walker said, “They’ll be more computers, more shelf space, and a children’s room with children’s programs. We’re thrilled about it.”

Mayor Oberst expects the new library to be a history making event, “Panama City Beach isn’t a very old city,” She said. “A public library builds a history and enriches a community.”

The architectural design went through a few phases before the final decision. With help from the library administrative staff and employees, the new building will have an open space feel, spacing out the shelves to add more walking area. Rooms dedicated to reading, children’s programs and a literacy meeting room will provide additional space for those activities. There will also be more room for books, which means a better overall selection and an upgraded research system.

Although this seems like a large task, the completion date for the new library is set tentatively for February 2010. Charles Lewis, Director of Construction Operations at the Construct Two Group believes that date is reachable. Mr. Lewis said, simply, “That’s more than enough time.” Mayor Oberst is optimistic about the date as well; “By this time next year we’ll be able to walk through the doors of this beautiful new building.”

The new library will cost just over 2 million dollars and was funded by impact fees and donations through donor recognition programs. Construction is set to begin this month.

New Publix, Office Depot, Dunkin Donuts Close to Opening

Each day, the new Publix and Office Depot leap closer to opening day. The parking lot is paved, much of the landscaping is in and workers are tying up loose ends on cable and patching up walls. With blue skies above and mild weather, working outside this time of year is almost a dream.

The building facades are pretty much done and looking nice. They still need to line the parking, but most of the rest of the outside work is complete. I’m pretty sure that nothing has been done inside any of the buildings. I had been told that projected opening dates were in April, but at this time, it seems unlikely that anything will be open before May.

Many of you have asked what is going in at the old location, and unfortunately, at this time, I don’t really have any good info on that. I did call Equity One, the publicly traded company that owns it along with many other retail properties all over the southeast, and they declined to tell me anything. So, I guess we’ll find out sometime in the future!

Condo Auction in Mexico Beach

Ten condominiums in the prestigious and new Tranquil Harbour community on Florida’s beautiful Mexico Beach will be sold by absolute auction (regardless of price) on Saturday, May 2nd. The beautifully-designed units will be auctioned by The National Auction Group, Inc. of Gadsden, Alabama, an elite team of highly-trained specialists in the marketing of one-of-a-kind, high-end properties. The company has established a significant track record in recent months, selling more than $87 million worth of condos on the Gulf Coast from Panama City to Gulf Shores since last May. Also to be sold separately on auction day are a dozen lots on beautiful Cape San Blas.

Situated directly across from the Mexico Beach Pier, Tranquil Harbour consists of two three-story towers with all units enjoying mesmerizing water views. Options include two, three and four bedroom units. Each of the 10 condos is beautifully-designed and richly-appointed with the first class amenities one would expect at such a superb resort community. Featuring unique designs that are both attractive and functional, all units come with an assigned boat slip with quick access to the Gulf, as well as covered parking and expansive storage areas.

Tile floors and granite countertops add special touches of quality while the over-sized, open rooms with crown moldings and nine-foot ceilings offer plenty of windows to take full advantage of the wonderful vistas. In the kitchen are top-of-the-line GE Profile or equivalent appliances including microwave, self-cleaning oven, dishwasher and side-by-side refrigerator, as well as an undermount stainless steel sink. All condos have solid core interior doors, designer light fixtures, ceiling fans in living rooms and bedrooms and high quality faucets and plumbing fixtures.

Bathrooms feature framed vanity mirrors, a separate shower in the master baths, cultured marble vanity counter tops and tubs and raised height cabinets.

Located on the Florida panhandle, Mexico Beach is a community on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico but miles from anything else. Along this stretch of scenic Highway 98, there are no high-rises and no rush-hour; just breathtaking views of sea oats, white sand and the emerald Gulf water. You may stop for a family of beachgoers crossing the road, but never for traffic lights.

Visitors take part in swimming, kayaking, fishing, recreational diving, eco-tours or just plain old relaxing with a beach chair and a good book. When it comes to supper time, if you haven’t caught your own dinner, you can visit one of the many restaurants, either on the beach or across the street.

Nature lovers relish the bird watching and aquatic animals. Look for bald eagles in the winter months and loggerhead turtle hatchlings in the late summer. Dolphins dive through the waves all year long. Visitors can also explore the shops of Mexico Beach for souvenirs, artwork, antiques and fine clothing. For golf enthusiasts, St. Joseph’s Bay Country Club, just to the east of Port St. Joe, offers 18 holes of challenging play.

The 12 residential lots are on Cape San Blas which is located between Port St. Joe and Apalachicola and has been called one of America’s “Top 10 Beaches.” Several of the lots are located directly on the Gulf of Mexico amidst spectacular sand dunes and have breathtaking views of the aquamarine water that is unique to the Florida Panhandle.

“For someone looking for a good buy on a vacation get-away, business retreat or resort rental property, the condominiums and facilities at Tranquil Harbour offer an extraordinary opportunity to the discriminating buyer to purchase luxurious and picturesque accommodations on Florida’s Emerald Coast,” said William Bone, president of The National Auction Group, Inc.

The properties will be open for inspection by appointment beginning April 17th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling 1-800-503-0010 or (256) 547-3434. Beginning April 17th, call on site at (256) 504-5201 and (256) 504-6858. Those bidding on the condominium units will be required to pay 10% on auction day and must have $5,000 in certified funds for each two bedroom unit; $10,000 for three-bedroom units and $15,000 for the four-bedroom units. The Gulf front and Gulf-view lots will require $5,000 each. The auction will take place at Tranquil Harbor which is located at 101 36th Street in Mexico Beach.

Click Here for a printable fact sheet