Seabreeze Jazz Festival at Pier Park

A full lineup of award-winning artists are ready to hit the stage in Panama City Beach, Fla., the new home of the Gulf Coast’s annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival. Panama City Beach’s Pier Park sets the stage for a jazzy, all-star weekend, April 16 – 19, expected to draw music lovers near and far. The lineup includes nationally acclaimed smooth jazz artists: Boney James, Wayman Tisdale, Will Downing, Nick Colionne, Warren Hill, Joyce Cooling, and more.

“We’re proud to be the new home of the Seabreeze Jazz Festival,” said Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Pier Park provides the perfect setting for this nationally recognized event.”

The weekend kicks off Thurs., April 16, 7:00 p.m., with the three-hour Smooth Jazz Dinner Cruise on beautiful St. Andrew’s Bay presented by the Bay Point Marriott Resort and Spa. Enjoy the upbeat, funky-style performance of the renowned jazz keyboardist Alex Bugnon aboard the Solaris, a 125-foot yacht known for exceptional cuisine.

Friday begins with a performance by the Urban Jazz Coalition, 6:00 p.m., followed by The Smooth Jazz All-Star Jam Show featuring festival host Nick Colionne, Four80East, Alex Bugnon, Brian Simpson, Shilts, Nils, Matt Marshak, Althea Rene and Jackiem Joyner. The evening concludes with dancing and revelry at the Jazz Under the Stars party at Pier Park’s Reggae J’s.

Great performances continue all day Saturday, starting 10:00 a.m., with high-energy artists and ending with another Jazz Under the Stars party that will send all your blues away. Saturday’s performers include Wayman Tisdale, Will Downing, Joyce Cooling, Four 80 East, Eric Darius, Althea Rene’ and more. The weekend finale is a day of live entertainment, Sunday, beginning 9:30 a.m., with performances throughout the day and evening by Boney James, Warren Hill, Nick Colionne, Brian Simpson, Nils, Jackeim Joyner, Roman Street, and Jones and Company.

“With expanded on-site parking, great beaches, extensive shopping and dining options at Pier Park, plus an abundance of hotel and condos nearby, the 2009 Seabreeze Jazz Festival will have it all,” says Mark Carter, the event’s organizer. “The weekend brings together a collection of great artists and people who love contemporary smooth jazz.”

Horses Will Be Hung Tonight on New Carousel in Pier Park

The crew is onsight and the gears are falling into place on the new carousel in Pier Park in Panama City Beach. Workers have been bringing all the parts and peices over all day and the frame is up right now, as of 5:45 pm.

“We’ll hang the horses tonight, they have a terrible habit of coming alive and walking off in the middle of the night.” said the forman of the crew. “This is a Herschell Carousel,” he said, “this is a ride out of Jersey, from a time when these things were actually rides.” He was telling me that the new ones will last 10 years, if they are taken care of, but the old ones like these, they are still in use all across the country. Apparently this is a great carousel – nice job, Teddy.

Set to open April 1, the carousel should be completely assembled by tomorrow or Sunday. Then, all they have to do is clean it up. If you are on the beach tonight, you should stop by and take a look.

11 Drowned in 2008, Why Can't We Get Lifeguards?

Tuesday the Bay County Commissioners “balked” at the idea of giving the City of Panama City Beach $108,000 to fund lifeguards at Rick Seltzer Park because of the expense and liability concerns. Seriously? I mean, come on. We went through this last year, all the controversy, and we had 11 tourists that drown here on our beaches! Pensacola has had 4 drownings in five years, Walton County had none last year, we had 11! Eleven drownings in one year! That’s more in one year than we’ve ever had! How does this not deeply concern those in charge?

Today, a Letter to the Editor was published in the News Herald that’s quite good. In fact, some of the above was sourced from it. Read it here.

The writer goes on to say that one could make a worthy argument that safer beaches could, in fact, be used as a marketing ploy to help draw people to our area. We want a WOW marketing campaign, how’s this for a nugget: “Feel Safe on Panama City Beach” – that will draw families. How does the bad press look when potential visitors hear about 11 people drowning in our waters in one year, as opposed to none in our neighboring Walton County, whom I might ad is our direct competition. Are people scared of coming to our beaches? Are our beaches deemed dangerous to tourists looking to come to our area? State your opinion in the comments section.

I understand there are legal ramifications for everything and liability issues with every action we as a community make, but why aren’t we taking tourism and city officials from our neighboring areas out to lunch to pick their brains on how they are doing it. This isn’t some novel idea that no one’s figured out how to do. Communities are doing this, communities have been doing this for a long time, there is a formula that works, and we need to employ it in Panama City Beach.

The author of the article reminds us that Chairman Jerry Girvin backed away from supporting this Tuesday after receiving conflicting reports from lawyers concerning liabilities of the County. What!? So, find another lawyer, read the precedents he proposes and make a more informed decision. Again, others are doing this, and the success is obviously apparent.

Commissioner Mike Thomas was concerned about the idea of spending $100k on something that primarily benefited tourists. Yea, benefitted tourists LIVES. 100 grand to save a few lives is more than worth it – the good publicity we’d get off it alone would make it worth our while, saving lives would be icing on the cake. Oh, and may I remind you that tourists are the lifeblood of our area? We have NO industry here except tourism. We scare them off, we’re screwed.

St. Patrick's Day at Pier Park

pattys_day_2 Pier Park will be filled with Leprechaun spirit in celebration of St. Patricks Day. Every year various forms of liquid are dyed green, including water, soda, beer and even the Chicago River, yes, they dye the whole thing.

The history of St. Patricks day started in the 5th century when St. Patrick, a converted Christian traveled the island and converted the people of Ireland. One of many myths tell of him ridding the island of Ireland of all snakes, although, the History Channel says there were never snakes in Ireland. Many historians explain this as an analogy of converting all the pagans. The date is believed to have come from the day St. Patrick died, and the holiday is celebrated every year around the world, with many countries taking the day off work. Many in Ireland spend the morning in church and the afternoon celebrating.

Today, you’ll find green beer at Hofbrau Beer Garden and live entertainment at Tootsies Orchid Lounge and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Hofbrau will have two for one drinks and Margaritaville will have food and drink specials all day long, serving the signature “Who’s to Blame” green margarita.

For more information, call Pier Park at 850 236 9974.

Miracle Strip Carousel coming to Pier Park

About two weeks ago, a buddy of mine and contributing author, Teddy Meeks emailed me sharing that he had a new venture that he was embarking upon. He has purchased, and is installing right now, the original carousel that was in the Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Pier Park.

Teddy was telling me that he had the idea of putting a carousel in Pier Park about a year ago, that’s when the search began. They looked all over with the employing the assistance of several brokers before finally finding one that looked promising.

This particular carousel had been in storage since 2004, and the listing included a picture. “This carousel looked familiar, I think it’s the one from Miracle Strip, the original from the 70’s,” Teddy said. “No way, that thing was auctioned off after the sale of the park!” said his wife.

Teddy said that after inspection, they were able to identify it as the original from 1970 that was used at Miracle Strip Amusement Park.

When they approached Pier Park with the idea, they were, of course, ecstatic. This is a great opportunity to blend a little nostalgia with the new. The historical aspect will be a great addition to Pier Park.

The carousel will open by April 1st.

Pier Park to Host 5k Sports Clinic on Saturdays

Well, I missed the gun this week, but fortunately for those of you that rely on me to keep you up to date, this particular event will run every Saturday for the next 4 weeks.

Pier Park is hosting a 5k sports clinic at the Aaron Bessant Park Ampitheater at 7:30 am. I guess you could still make it this morning if you wanted.

Details:

K SPORTS CLINIC AT PIER PARK
Runners welcome to train and learn with Freedom Sports

WHAT:
For five Saturdays in March and April, runners are invited to Pier Park for the 5K Sports Clinic hosted by Freedom Sports.

COST:
This event is free and open to the public

WHEN:
Saturdays at 7:30 a.m.
March 14, 21 and 28, 2009
April 4 and 11, 2009

WHERE:
Pier Park – Amphitheater
600 Pier Park Drive
Panama City Beach, FL 32413

MORE INFO:
Felicia Cook, Director of Mall Marketing
(850) 236-9974 or simon.com

Red Robin to Give Away Free Child ID Kits

Red Robin to give away FREE Child ID Kits and donate 50 cents from every gourmet burger sold during grand opening week to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (Red Robin) – known for serving high-quality gourmet burgers in a kid- and family-friendly atmosphere for the past 40 years – will open a new Red Robin(R) restaurant in Panama City Beach, located at 100 Bluefish Drive, off of Highway 98 in the Pier Park development, on Monday, March 9, at 11 a.m. To support child safety efforts in the Panama City Beach community, Red Robin will give away Child ID Kits for FREE* during grand opening week from March 9 to 15. In addition, to celebrate Red Robin’s ongoing commitment to kids and families, the Panama City Beach restaurant has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to host a Burgers With A Heart(R) fundraiser during grand opening week. Red Robin will donate 50 cents from every gourmet burger sold during this time to NCMEC to support its child safety initiatives.

“We look forward to serving crave-able gourmet burgers to the community in the Panama City Beach area, while also supporting child safety efforts in the local community through our Child ID Kit program,” said Eric Houseman, Red Robin president and chief operating officer. “We invite everyone to come to Red Robin to enjoy one of our more than two dozen high-quality gourmet burgers, learn more about child safety, and help us support the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.”

Red Robin focuses its philanthropic support on local and national causes that promote the health, welfare and education of children, families and citizens in the communities it serves. Because Red Robin is all about kids and families, its ongoing partnership with NCMEC continues to grow through the company’s new restaurant openings and additional programs such as “Red Robin’s Kids’ Cook-Off.”

“On behalf of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, I would like to thank Red Robin for their generous support of our mission,” said Robbie Callaway, NCMEC co-founder and past chairman of the board. “It is important that we empower families to make safer decisions for their children, and communication and education are vital tools in that effort. With Red Robin’s support, we are able to reach many more families across the country through our child safety initiatives.”

The 5,495-square-foot Panama City Beach Red Robin(R) restaurant will seat 164 guests and offers:

A family-friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere
Birthday celebrations complete with a free sundae and special birthday song, and an online eClub that awards kids a free kids’ meal and adults a free gourmet burger for their birthday
Kids’ menu featuring trans-fat-free favorites like mac’n’cheese, as well as fruit and vegetable side options, such as apple slices, baby carrots with ranch dressing and mandarin orange slices
Detailed allergen information that is also easy to understand
A unique Unbridled culture that inspires Red Robin team members to consistently put guests’ needs first and perform random acts of kindness that enrich the lives of their fellow team members and guests, and that positively impact the community
In-school programs designed to create caring communities, including the U-ACT(R) Champion Program, a national character-building initiative and grant program specifically designed for middle and junior high schools each academic year

For more information about Red Robin and to find additional restaurant locations, please visit www.redrobin.com.

Red Robin in Pier Park – Gourmet Burgers and Bottomless Fries

Adorned in bright red and various other bright colors the walls are covered with the likes of movie posters, new and old, posters from various bands, such as the Beatles, and other seemingly random protrusions that all help complete the feel of “wholesome fun and entertainment for families.”

Tom Sweet, hailing from the cold streets of Ohio was talked into coming to our quaint little beach town (without much persuasion, might I add) to participate in what some may deem a revolution of sorts for Panama City Beach – Pier Park. Now, I don’t have to tell you all the great things about Pier Park, I have a whole category dedicated to that, but I will tell you that Red Robin is a welcome addition to the family.

When asked about the signature menu items, Sweet said it’s all about the gourmet burger, bottomless fries and shakes. “Bottomless fries AND bottomless shakes,” I hopefully asked. The answer was a quick “no.” I had to try. How are the fries? “Insanely delicious seasoned steak fries.”

With the First Place Blue Ribbon across the top of their web site, Red Robin is proud that they landed on the “10 Best Family Restaurants” list. The whole place is designed in a way that is fun for everyone, even the adults. Right when you walk in, you are greeted by Mini-Lady Liberty.

The restaurant is sit-down style with menu items ranging from burgers to salads to healthy kids-choice menu items such as apples and celery. Prices range from just above $9 to just over $12 and all burgers come with bottomless fries. Seems kinda high for a burger joint, but we’ll see just how good they are next week.

They are located in the north side of Pier Park, right across from Baja Grill, in the same building as the Great American Cookies.

They are doing a soft training opening next week (that I’ll surely report on) with the official first day of business on March 9th.

The Menu

Seabreeze Jazz Festival Brings Nick Colionne

The 2009 Seabreeze Jazz Festival coming to our very own Pier Park on April 16th through the 19th is bringing International Instrumental Artist of the Year for 2007 Nick Colionne.

With the warmth of spring in the air, artists in addition to Colionne such as Shilts, Boney James, Wayman Tisdale, Will Downing, Warren Hill, Eric Darius, Joyce Cooling, Alex Bugnon, and Four 80 East will fill their smooth music through the hearts and souls of all those attending. Colionne will also host the event’s All Star Jam.

As a guitarist and vocalist, Colionne’s live performances defy categorization. His shows incorporate all the music he loves best and the influences he’s had throughout his career. You are as likely to hear Nick sing the blues or some heartfelt R&B as you are to hear his blazing guitar licks, or even the hint of metal, recalling the beginning of his career as a heavy metal guitarist. From that diverse musicality comes an incredible live performance that showcases the talent, vocal ability and yes, comedic timing, of this charismatic entertainer.

Colionne was named International Instrumental Artist of the Year for 2007 by the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards and is nominated for this prestigious award again for 2009. He joined the ranks of today’s premier jazz artists with his TOP TEN 2003 Album “JUST COME ON IN” that included two mega hits “High Flyin'” and “It’s Been Too Long”. His 2006 CD “KEEPIN’ IT COOL” propelled him to the top of the charts once again with 3 TOP TEN singles. This CD was also TOP TEN CD of the YEAR for 2006.

His current CD “NO LIMITS” on KOCH Records was released in July 2008 and was named TOP TEN CD of the YEAR for 2008 by Smooth Jazz News. Says Colionne of the project: “No Limits” is my latest adventure. I wanted to explore doing some different things with my music and not limit myself to one genre or style of playing”. Colionne teamed up with two Grammy-award winning writers for the CD: Jim Peterik who wrote “The Eye Of The Tiger”, the theme from the film “ROCKY”, and Paul Richmond who wrote “Shining Star” for the Manhattans.

Chicago-native Colionne is also an endorsee for Epiphone Guitars and Gibson Strings & Accessories as well as prestigious clothier Stacy Adams and is featured in their global advertising campaigns.

According to Nick, “The most exciting part of all of this for me to that I am actually living my dream, getting a chance to perform for people around the world. The greatest moments come when I look at the faces in the audience when I play, and realize that I’m making them feel what I am feeling. That’s a fascinating level of communication.”

Related on PCBDaily

Seabreeze Jazz Festival Information
Nick Colionne’s Web Site

Randy Houser – Another Big Name comes to Tootsies in Pier Park

As the word gets out, Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Pier Park continues its success with another appearance from a big name in the world of honky tonk and country music. Randy Houser recently showed up and played a few sets as fans watched and marveled at how the word has gotten out that little ‘ol Panama City Beach is the place to go if you are a country star and are wanting to go to the beach.

With our sugar white sands and awesome winter weather, who wouldn’t want to come here, right? Alright, enough with the PCB commercial stuff.

According to his web site, Randy Houser was born and raised in central Mississippi. His mentor and main motivation for his musical career came from his father, who was also a singer/songwriter.

With several videos on CMT.com, he seems to be quite popular and definately a welcome addition to the many that have come and will come in the future to Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Pier Park.