WEEKLY UPDATE NEWSLETTER MARCH 7th, 2012

WEEKLY UPDATE NEWSLETTER
MARCH 7th, 2012
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*WORKNET PINELLAS
*VISIT FLORIDA
(Click on image for more
information.)
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*TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
*TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Memories & Memorials
Happy and sad, hellos and goodbyes...what a
week it has been. Our Appreciation Party for
John Doran was fun and full of wonderful
memories. Many of John's friends spoke and
shared their most memorable stories of John and
the positive difference he has made to Clearwater
Beach and the City of Clearwater. We have been
blessed to have someone like John whose
commitment and passion for this area has touched
many of us who live and work here. We thank you
Dear John for your caring nature and for making
our lives richer.
As many of you know, John Doran is one of the
Founding Fathers of our Beach Chamber. When
preparing for John's party, I went through the
Beach Chamber History Scrap books and so
enjoyed seeing the past 16 years and what has
occurred along the way. I brought those books to
the party for all to enjoy and the memories were
circulating the room with great laughter. They will
become a part of our future History Museum one
day.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LINKS
*CAPITOL THEATER
*RUTH ECKERD HALL
*STRAZ CENTER
*SUNSET CINEMA March 9th: Hook - PG
March 10th: The Phantom of the Opera - PG13
March 16th: How to Eat Fried Worms - PG
March 17th: Blue Crush 2 - PG13
March 23rd: Puss in Boots - PG
March 24th: The Three Musketeers - PG13
March 30th: Happy Feet 2 - PG
March 31st: Footloose - PG13 (newer version)
WELCOME TO OUR ELITE CHAMBER
PARTNER
The Beach Chamber is happy to
have formed an elite partnership
with Clearwater Gas System and we
are looking forward to working
closely with them during our 2012
events.
SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
Support Our
Advertisers!
Want to know how you can
advertise here?
Call Us!
*****
1960's era photo of Clearwater Beach with Palm
Pavilion in the background.
We had to say good bye to another Clearwater
Beach icon, Howard Hamilton. As we listened to
all the wonderful stories about Howard's life at
his Memorial Service, and the difference that the
Hamilton family has made on Clearwater Beach, it
was yet another example of people whose lives
have been full of love and compassion. What a
wonderful man Howard was and the hundreds of
people that he touched in his lifetime is a
testament to empire the Palm Pavilion.
Darlene Kole
RESTAURANT WEEK 2012 SPONSORS SPOTLIGHT
Thank you to Bright House Networks who has once again
agreed to be the Presenting Sponsor for this wonderful
event.
Shephard's Beach Resort
601 S. Gulfview Blvd.
Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
442-5107
Bright House Networks sponsored Restaurant Week last
year and aired our great commercial that Christopher
Della Penna created. The success of the event was in
great part due to the exposure that the event received
being aired on so many channels of Bright House.
Please watch for the commercial to air on Bright House
Networks starting on Easter Sunday. To learn more about
the event, visit
www.shephards.com
WEEKDAY BUFFETS ARE BACK!!
Click this LINK to see our delicious
buffet menus!
CHAMBER INFORMATION
Clearwater Beach
Chamber Tourism
Video
Contact Us:
Darlene Kole, Pres./CEO
Liz LaJoy, Office Manager
Tammy Knuth, Office Asst.
Peter Vandernoot, Office Asst.
Office Volunteers:
John Cagle
www.clearwaterbeachrestaurantweek.com or call Chair
Fran Bartlett 727-808-3268, or Darlene Kole at the
Chamber office, 727-447-7600.
UPCOMING CLEARWATER BEACH BLOOD DRIVES - PLEASE
SUPPORT FLORIDA BLOOD SERVICES
They had a great blood drive at the
Sandpearl Resort on Feb. 28th!!! They saw
22 donors, collected 23 pints of blood and
had 6 BRAND NEW donors!!!
Thank you so much for your support as 69
patients will be touched by your efforts!!!
The Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites will also be sponsoring a blood
drive at their facility on Friday, March 9th, from 11:30am4:30pm.
All blood donors receive a special gift from Florida Blood
Services, a mini physical, and the amazing opportunity to
SAVE 3 LIVES!!
Anyone 16 and older can donate the "Gift of Life".
THANK YOU!!
Maria
Beach Chamber Mascot
MEMBER ACCOLADES!!
BRING THE KIDS AND HAVE SOME FUN!!
Jean Varn, owner of The Segway
Adventure on Clearwater Beach was
featured in a really cool story in the
Tampa Bay Times Newspaper. CLICK
HERE to read all about it!
FREE family event!! Come out and PLAY!!
Play Unplugged... Just What the Doctor Ordered is a
one day event that will transform Largo Central Park
into a huge play space for kids to come together,
use their imagination and play! The park will be
filled with hands-on games, discovery stations, and
recycled play environments, reinforcing the
importance of open play and creativity in our youth.
No video games, TV or computers at this event!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED OUR JOHN
DORAN APPRECIATION PARTY!!
MEMBER UPDATE!!
Each week we will be highlighting one
of our members. If you want your
business highlighted, please contact
us at the office: (727) 447-7600.
Thank you!
Symanski and McKnight, PA CPA,
offers a wide range of services to
their individual personal tax clients as
well as their small business clients.
Because their firm is relatively small,
their clients benefit by getting
personalized, quality service that is
beyond comparison. Tel#: (727) 7258272. (Click on the logo above for
more info.)
SURF STYLE VISITOR CENTER
Introducing our new Visitor Center
"uniform" shirts. Very beachy!
We are getting a new sign put up at
the Surf Style Mega Store. It will be
displayed on the windows facing
Coronado Drive. We are super
excited about getting this extra
exposure to
our Visitor Center at Surf Style. This
is what the sign will look like:
Our Visitor Center at
Surf Style
Donna Dennis, Manager
Donna also does "House Calls" to
businesses that have groups of
people wanting to learn more about
our beautiful piece of paradise. She
puts together welcome bags filled
with all kinds of useful information
for our visitors.
Darlene presenting John Doran with his Appreciation & Gratitude Award
Bob Clifford, Clearwater Regional Chamber; David Little, Founding
Father and John Doran, Man of Honor
Visitor Center Volunteers:
Nancy Gardinier
Roxie Maggio
Patricia Kangas
Christie Hanna
Pete Meydag
Toni Batianis
Carol Rockwell
Tell Your Guests:
Our Visitor Centers Sell
JOLLEY TROLLEY
All Day Passes
and
All Day
PARKING PASSES!
RECENT FAMILIARIZATION TOUR
Sending out an S.O.S. Our Beach Chamber needs your
help! We are looking for a large flat-screen television for
our Visitor Center in Surf Style. We play our Chamber
video on it for all to see what our beautiful little piece of
paradise has to offer. Please if you know of anyone that
can help us or if you have one to spare, please contact us
at the office: (727) 447-7600. THANK YOU!!
Thank you to Happy and staff at the
Clearwater Beach Hotel for taking us
on a familiarization tour last week
and for providing a yummy snack for
us. What gorgeous water views from
both sides of the hotel!
The Clearwater Beach Hotel is
situated on the southern end of
Clearwater Beach overlooking the
Clearwater Harbor. Just across the
street is the Gulf of Mexico. They are
only one block away from the sugar
sand, the sparkling waters and
spectacular sunsets at Clearwater
Beach. Their outdoor courtyard lined
with tropical flora is ideal for small
weddings and receptions, while the
heated pool allows their guests to
relax and unwind with beautiful views
of the harbor. All their newlyrenovated guest rooms are equipped
with refrigerator, microwave, coffee
maker, iron and ironing board;
complimentary cable channels and
free high-speed internet access.
Clearwater Beach Hotel is 100% non
smoking.
These tours really help us gather
important information that we can
then pass onto our visitors. They also
help us to explain what the rooms are
CLEARWATER BEACH RECREATION COMPLEX NEEDS
YOUR HELP.
On April 6th, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. the Clearwater Beach
Recreation Complex is hosting their annual egg hunt at
Mandalay Park, 532 N. Mandalay Ave. The event is FREE
to the public and is for all ages. They are asking
companies for donations to use as prizes. Any type of
donation would be appreciated, gift certificates, free
passes, etc. They can be picked up or you can mail them
to:
Clearwater Beach Recreation Center
69 Bay Esplanade
Clearwater, FL 33767
Announcements will be made during the event to
recognize the businesses that donated prizes.
Please call Dan Crider, Recreation Programmer at (727)
462-6138 with any questions.
THANK YOU!!
JOIN THE FUN AT THE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
(March 1 - 11th!
(Click on the logo for more info.)
like and what to expect from the
hotel. Having had a visual helps us
give visitors the best information we
can.
Donna will be scheduling more of
these in the upcoming months.
MEMBER HAPPENINGS!!
Plant City held its first festival in 1930. The local Lions
Club had an idea that the strawberry, a major part of
community agriculture, should be celebrated in a big
way. In 1948, American Legion Post 26 brought back the
festival after a six-year absence because of World War II.
Now the festival is considered one of the top 40 fairs in
North America. Last year, about 524,000 attended, said
KeeLee Tomlinson, festival spokeswoman.
Read the full story on the festival HERE.
If any of our members have
something interesting that is
happening or coming up and they
want it mentioned in the
newsletter, please e-mail it to
tammy@beachchamber.com
Thank you!
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
JET PROVISIONS, INC.
Ernie Trefzer, Owner
14101 Honeywell Road
Largo FL 33771
E-mail: ernie@jetprovisions.com
(727) 536-5568
www.boarshead.com
Chamber Executives from the entire Tampa Bay Area
were invited to Plant City to meet with all all those
involved with the Strawberry Festival.
ARE YOU BOOKED??
In our continuing effort to help all our Hotel/Motel/Inn
members, we would love for you to fax or e-mail
us your daily availability of rooms. And if you are
offering any deals on rooms, we want to know about it so
that we can send people your way! We are being
inundated with room requests and we want to put heads
on pillows in your establishments!
E-MAIL TO: sun@beachchamber.com
or
FAX TO: (727) 443-7812
ROAD CLOSURES
MARRY ME MARY
Mary Adele Cluck, Certified
Wedding Officiant, Ordained
Minister
E-mail: marrymemary@verizon.net
(813) 361-3614
www.marrymemary.net
UPDATE ON OUR INCOMING SUMMER
INTERNS!!
**Cleveland Street from S.
Highland Avenue to
Belcher Road will be
closed to traffic from
March 8 to 15, due to a
milling and resurfacing
project.
Drew Street and Gulf-toBay Boulevard can be used as detour routes.
**Haverhill Drive at Winding Wood Drive will be closed to
traffic on March 8 and 9, due to an underdrain
construction project. Peachtree Circle can be used as a
detour route.
**Sunset Point Road from Edgewater Drive to Douglas
Avenue
will be closed to traffic due to installation of reclaimed
water lines. This stretch will be closed for the month of
March. Local traffic will be allowed access. You can use
Union Street, SR 580 or Drew Street as detour routes.
Romain Della-Guionie, Melvin Pells,
Sarah Houmeau and Charlotte
Heinschild will be joining us at the
Beach Chamber this Summer. They
are all coming from the University
of Bordeaux. They arrive June 1st
and will be with us for 3 months.
Call the Traffic Operations Division at (727) 562-4776
with questions or visit www.myclearwater.com.
INTERESTING WEBSITE TO VISIT
Adventure Island will open this Saturday, March
10th for daily operation.
CLEARWATER BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
IS NOW SELLING BUSCH GARDENS &
ADVENTURE ISLAND TICKETS!!
Also, the Busch Gardens Length of Stay with One
Free All Day Dine pass is now being offered.
Directions will be on the voucher explaining that
you will need to take it to one of the kiosks at the
front gate of the park. They will scan the voucher
and you will receive 2 hard tickets: one for the
Busch Gardens Length of Stay ticket and one All
Day Dining ticket. The All Day Dine is good for one
day and the Busch Gardens Length of Stay is good
for 14 consecutive days.
WWW.ONEBAG.COM
There's no question: overpacking
tops the list of biggest travel
mistakes.
Thus this Web site, which offers
exhaustive (some might say
exhausting!) detail on the art and
science of travelling light, going
pretty much anywhere, for business
or leisure, for an indefinite length
of time, with no more than a single
carry-on-sized bag.
(Click on the picture above for more
info.)
DID YOU KNOW THESE PLACES ARE IN
FLORIDA??
NATIONAL HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD
LABORATORY
The only facility of its kind in the
United States, the National High
Magnetic Field Laboratory (less
formally known as the Magnet Lab)
is the largest and highest-powered
magnet laboratory in the world,
headquartered in a sprawling
370,000-square-foot complex near
Florida State University in
Tallahassee.
CLICK HERE for more info.
BP SETTLEMENT WITH NO CAP ON PAYMENTS
Here are the
important parts of
the BP Settlement
reached today with
the attorneys.
So the BP settlement
has NO CAP on
money being paid by
BP but BP estimates
it will cost them 7.8 Billion dollars.
CLICK HERE for all the info.
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE BUDGET BLINDS GRAND
OPENING
When: March 8th, 2012
Where: 600 Mandalay Avenue,
Clearwater Beach
Time: 5:30 P.M.
THE CITRUS TOWER
The Citrus Tower was built in 1956
on once pristine orange grove lands,
on the unusually high, rolling hills of
Clermont. The tower rises 226 ft.
above ground level, putting the
total height above sea level to more
than 500 ft. The chosen site is in
stark contrast to the rest of Florida's
boring, flat landscape.
Built as a tribute to Florida's citrus
industry, the attraction was highly
popular in its pre-Disney glory days,
bringing hundreds of tourists to its
observation deck every day. The
attraction is still open today, and
one can still ride the elevator to the
top and see downtown Orlando's
skyline (26 miles away), iconic
structures such as EPCOT's
SpaceShip Earth, and Space
Mountain.
Though from the Citrus tower, an
astonishing 8 counties are visible,
don't expect to see much Citrus, as
the orange grooves are long gone,
replaced by a seemingly endless
landscape of parking lots and
suburban sprawl.
Appetizers, beer & wine will be served.
See their beautiful products showroom and home
design center.
First 10 people to arrive will get a $100 gift certificate
towards the purchase of custom window treatments!
Please RSVP to Carolyn at
727-400-6870
or
ctricoli@budgetblinds.com
UTILIZING THE PINELLAS SMALL BUSINESS
ENTERPRISE (SBE) TO REGISTER FOR THE 2012
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION'S (RNC) SMALL
BUSINESS
NETWORK
All local small businesses that are
registered and approved through the
City of Tampa, City of St. Petersburg,
Pinellas County, or Hillsborough
County will be eligible for the RNC's
Small Business Network. (Click on the
image for more information)
Applications for the Pinellas SBE
Program will be accepted at the Small Business
Development Center. Local business people may make an
appointment for assistance by phoning (727) 453-7200 or
emailing cyjohnson@pinellascounty.org.
PHILLIES SPRING TRAINING 2012
The Phillies Spring Training kicked off on February 29th, at
Bright House Field.
Bright House
ST. AUGUSTINE AIRPLANE
GRAVEYARD
Close to the St. Augustine airport,
behind a run down barbed wire
fence that implies (though doesn't
out right state) that the land behind
it is private property, rests at least
eight decaying airplanes. Strewn
throughout the overgrown flora, the
skeletal remains of these hulking
planes are slowly losing the battle
with nature, painting a picture of
technology overtaken.
The planes themselves are 60s and
70s naval bombers, specifically
Grumman S2 Trackers. A first of
their kind, they were designed to
combine detection with armament
for the search and destroy of
submarine vessels from an aircraft
carrier. These specific planes, the
S-2Cs, were also equipped to
perform photo reconnaissance.
They are currently owned by a man
who lives in the area, and have
reportedly been in the field for at
least fifteen years. He stripped most
of their parts, removing engines,
propellers, wings, electrical
devices, seats, etc. to sell back to
the Grumman Corporation, then left
the planes in the large yard where
they have since been slowly
consumed by encroaching plants.
It is illegal to enter the premises,
but a relatively easy-to-find opening
in the fence has yet to stop
photographers and curious
passersby alike. The property is
surrounded by a small neighborhood
though, so caution is advised when
visiting these relics.
Major League Baseball teams
arrived to camps across
Florida and Arizona earlier
this month, with Clearwater
once again welcoming the
Philadelphia Phillies and
nearby Dunedin playing host
to the Toronto Blue Jays.
(CLICK ON IMAGE FOR SCHEDULE INFO.)
SAVE THESE DATES!
March 1-11 Florida Strawberry Festival
March 8
Budget Blinds Ribbon Cutting
March 10 Wild Splash (Coachman Park)
March 11 Daylight Savings Time Begins (Spring
Forward!)
March 17
St. Patrick's Day (Luck O' The Irish To Ya!)
March 18
Spring Fest (Sand Key)
March 26-30 Spring Break
STUNNING PHOTO OF SUNSET ON
CLEARWATER BEACH!!
(taken by one of our interns)
Join Our Mailing List
About Clearwater Beach Chamber of
Commerce
Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce
333C So. Gulfview Blvd
Clearwater Beach, Florida 33767
727-447-7600
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce is to promote
and position Clearwater Beach as the premier tourist destination and to be
the advocate and resource center for the development and success of our
membership, as well as the entire community.