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Beach Tennis National Tour Begins in Clearwater
March 2009
The first event of the 2009 National Beach Tennis USA Tour will happen in Clearwater as the Tampa Bay Open begins on March 21 at 10 Pier 60 Drive. Sponsored by Beach Tennis USA, the organization that launched the sport in North America about 5 years ago, the Clearwater event will last throughout the weekend and include amateur competitions and a men's and women's pro division.
In conjunction with the national tour, Beach Tennis Tampa Bay has announced the opening of a new academy, which will serve the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. Run by pros Mike Edison and Brett Johnson, the academy – located at Countryside Country Club – will offer a variety of clinics, lessons, camps, and leagues for all ages and skill levels.
Beach tennis is a combination of tennis and beach volleyball and is a fast-paced game that has begun to attraction international attention.
Junior - March 14 and 15 (Countryside C.C.)
Adults - March 21 and 22
Clearwater to Host Baroque Music Festival
March 2009
The Cultural Affairs Division of the city of Clearwater, in conjunction with various local musical organizations and ensembles, will be hosting an Early Music Festival, featuring music and other arts of the Baroque era. The events will be held at various downtown locations from March 6 through 20.
The festival will kick off with a gala concert on Friday at 7:30 at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church on Harrison Ave. It will feature a multi-media performance of Sorrowful Mysteries, Lenten Sonatas of Heinrich Biber, for countertenor, harpsichord, organ and Baroque violin. The concert will be sponsored by Chamber Music on the Beach.
Other events include harpsichord and organ recitals on March 7 at the First United Methodist Church, a March 10 screening of "The Duchess" at the Clearwater Public Library, and a concert at the Presbyterian church featuring the music of Bach and Palestrina, with the Clearwater Bach Choir, soloists, Baroque instrumentalists and members of the Florida Orchestra under the direction of Carol Alexander.
The final event of the festival will be a Madrigal Concert with Lute, featuring the St. Petersburg College Madrigalians and John Robison on lute. The finale will take place at the Church of the Ascension on Orange Ave.
All concerts are free but a donation is encouraged.
Foundation Hosts Wine Tasting Fundraiser
March 2009
Abilities Foundation, an organization which provides services from job placement to housing assistance for Florida residents with a wide range of disabilities, is sponsoring their 20th annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction fundraiser on Saturday, March 7 at Tropicana Field. They're hoping the event, their biggest fundraiser of the year, isn't affected by the downturn in the economy.
To insure attendance at the event, the organizers have rolled the prices back to where they were 10 years ago. Tickets for a VIP reception plus the grand tasting are $100 in advance and $125 at the door. Tickets for the grand tasting alone are $50 in advance and $75 at the door. The event normally attracts hundreds of attendees from the region and beyond and has developed a reputation as one of the best food and wine festivals in Florida.
More than 40 chefs will be on hand at the event to offer tastes of their best dishes and 400 different wines will be available for tasting, including selections from Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California, Italy, France, Argentina, New Zealand, and many more countries throughout the world. An auction and live entertainment will also be part of the festivities.
Gilligan's Island Coming to Clearwater
February 2009
The road tour of the new musical "Gilligan's Island" will be coming to Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall in March with two shows, one on March 4 and one on March 11. Both are daytime performances and a pre-show lunch is available on March 4.
"Gilligan's Island: The Musical" is based on the popular television show of the 1960s and early 1970s. The show is directed by Pamela Hall with choreography by Gene Castle, and is written by Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz and Hope and Laurence Juber. Sherwood Schwartz was the creator of the original television series.
The national tour will also visit Glendora, California; Jacksonville, Florida; Wichita, Kansas; and Olympia, Washington. Audience members will be reintroduced to favorite characters from the TV show, including Skipper, Gilligan, The Professor, Mary Ann, Ginger, and Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Howell III. However, the plot takes on a bit of a 21st century twist.
Clearwater Sponsors New Sunday Ciclovia Event
February 2009
On Sunday, March 1 from 8 am to 2 pm, the City of Clearwater will sponsor their first Sunday Ciclovia (See-clo-VEE- uh) event, a car-free festival that will be organized along Cleveland Street and open to the public free of charge.
The event will stretch for two miles along the thoroughfare and include a variety of activities for those who city officials hope will arrive on bicycles, roller blades, or on foot.
Sunday Ciclovia kicks off Florida Bicycle Month and will include a morning full of healthy events including an outdoor tai chi class as well as a Zumba class at Station Square Park, the newest public park in Clearwater. A variety of other events will be geared to younger visitors as well. Local restaurateurs will be offering breakfast and lunch specials and shops will feature special one-day sales.
The event will be closed to auto traffic and will include the stretch of Cleveland Street between where State Road 60 splits in the city's East Gateway neighborhood and the end of the street Downtown at Clearwater Harbor. Traffic will be able to cross Cleveland Street in designated spots along the event route.
Florida Reports Record Number of Manatees
February 2009
During the last week in January, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that they counted a record number of manatees off the coast of Florida, an announcement that delighted environmentalists throughout the state who constantly fear the demise of these endangered and unique animals.
According to a press release by the commission, a survey conducted around the 20th of January revealed 3,807 manatees in Florida, 500 more than in 2001, when manatees were at an all time high. Overall, counters spotted 2,153 on the east coast and 1,654 on the Gulf Coast. Areas of growth include northwest Florida, spots along the eastern coast, and on the upper St. John's River.
Manatees are often found wintering along the west coast of Florida, including the Clearwater area. They frequent shallow water, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas.
The leading cause of death for endangered manatees is boat strikes. The animals are generally wounded or killed by propellers or hulls. Destruction of their coastal and freshwater habitats has also resulted in a dwindling number of Florida manatees over the last few decades. Animal advocates see the most recent count as a step in the right direction in the attempt to save Florida's official state animal.
South Florida Gears Up for Spring Training
January 2009
Since 1888, Florida has been the spring home of numerous major league baseball teams. The Washington Senators and New York Giants were the first to head to Florida for the pre-season that year, playing in Jacksonville, and more than 120 years later, 18 teams have joined the Grapefruit League and now spend the months of Feb., March, and part of April in the Sunshine State.
This year, 289 games will be played in 15 Florida locations, including Clearwater, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Lakeland, Kissimmee, Tampa, Bradenton, Port Charlotte, Dunedin, and several others.
The season will begin on Feb. 25 and end on April 4. One of the most anticipated games of the pre-season, the Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, will take place on Feb. 28 in Clearwater, and the World Series teams will have a re-match on March 12 in Port Charlotte, the new training home of the Rays.
Florida Tourist Attraction Added to State Park System
One of Florida's oldest tourist attractions has now become part of the state's park system. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officially welcomed Spring Hill's Weeki Wachee Springs as the newest Florida State Park, aiming to protect the integrity of the spring.
Weeki Wachee Springs, located in Hernando County, has been a Florida tourist attraction since 1946, famous for its "live mermaid" show, which was especially popular with visitors throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, Weeki Wachee is one of Florida's 33 "first magnitude" springs, which means it boasts a flow of greater than 100 cubic feet per second. The DEP is intent on preserving these springs, thus the state park designation.
"We are pleased to welcome Weeki Wachee Springs as the 160th state park in Florida's award-winning state park system," said DEP Deputy Secretary Bob Ballard in a recent press release. "Adding Weeki Wachee Springs to the Florida State Park system has been a cooperative effort between all of the parties involved and we are truly excited to be a part of preserving this unique piece of Florida history."
Weeki Wachee is 40 miles north of Clearwater on highway US 19.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Giving Away Wedding
January 2009
Couples who have always dreamed of getting married at the aquarium, surrounded by lively dolphins, can have their dream come true when they enter the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Valentine's Day "Wedding of a Lifetime" giveaway.
The small Clearwater facility has announced that it will give away a free Valentine's Day wedding package for up to 100 guests. The package will include free use of the facility, a champagne toast, a wedding dress, flowers, wedding cake, photographer and a one night stay at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort.
An ordained minister will perform the ceremony and the aquarium's most famous residents – dolphins Winter and Nicholas – will "assist in the nuptials," claims the announcement for the contest.
Couples wishing to be considered for the "Wedding of a Lifetime" contest are asked to submit a photo of themselves and an explanation of why they should be considered for the honor. Aquarium staff will review the entries and choose a winner on Monday, January 19.
Clearwater Officials Want to "Clamp the Amp"
December 2008
In an effort to crack down on noise pollution generated by loud car stereos in vehicles traveling throughout the city, the Clearwater Police Department is asking residents and other drivers to report offenses committed by those who blast their sound systems so loudly that the whole neighborhood can hear their musical preferences.
Dubbed "Clamp the Amp", the program began this month. Those who are reported will receive a letter from the Clearwater Police Department, addressed to the vehicle's registered owner, informing them that someone has complained about their blasting stereo.
Residents who wish to report an offender should write down the date and location of the incident, the vehicle type, tag number and a brief description of the driver if possible. Police, however, will not be able to issue a fine as a result of a civilian report, but officers hope the letters will discourage the offender from repeating his/her actions. If the police in Clearwater do stop a car because of noise pollution from the car's stereo, the owner can receive up to a $91 fine.
Museum Closes, Eyeing New Clearwater Site
November 2008
The Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo will be closing its doors on January 30, 2009 due to space restraints and museum officials announced that they are considering moving to a site in downtown Clearwater and reopening the museum there.
The Gulf Coast Museum of Art, known by many different names since it opened in the 1930s, is currently situated at the Pinewood Cultural Park, a place that isn't highly visible and attracts very little foot traffic, executive director Michelle Turman recently told the St. Petersburg Times.
As the museum closes, it will pay tribute to a local son with a retrospective display from artist Christopher Still, who grew up in the Largo-Clearwater area and now resides in Tarpon Springs. Still, age 47, got his start at the Art Center when he began taking drawing lessons there at age 7. His classes there also helped him earn a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Still says.
The display will feature 57 pieces that are on loan from more than 40 private collectors. Much of Still's works are owned by private parties but others are in museums, historical buildings, universities, and also in the Smithsonian Institution, the St. Petersburg Times article points out. The Tampa Airport and the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater also feature examples of Still's mural work.
Clearwater Aquarium Helps Baby Turtles
November 2008
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), which sponsors a sea turtle nesting program, has announced that its workers safely guided a whopping 7,399 live hatchlings to the Gulf waters during nesting season this year. The baby turtles came from 108 nests found on Pinellas County beaches.
As part of their nesting program, the Clearwater Aquarium oversees approximately 26 miles of beaches in Pinellas County. Workers locate and protect the nests from curious onlookers, ensuring that the turtles will eventually hatch and remain free from harm caused by beach goers. Nesting season lasts from May through October.
Mike Anderson, manager of sea turtle nesting for CMA, told Tampa Bay 10 News that the number of nests found in Pinellas this year increased nearly three-fold from last year, when the number was only 38. He's hoping the trend will continue.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium reports that over the last three years they have helped approximately 20,000 hatchlings make their way to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Clearwater Dolphin Gets New Tail
October 2008
The most famous resident at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium – Winter the dolphin – celebrated her third birthday at the facility last week. Besides the traditional frozen fish cake with candles, Winter received another present that will help make life easier for the once-injured dolphin – a new prosthetic tail.
Winter was hurt when she was caught in a crab trap line three years ago and her injuries were severe enough to cause her to lose her tail. She was rescued and brought to the Clearwater aquarium in December 2005, where she's lived ever since.
Winter has already had one prosthetic tail but it was time to update it with a newer, more efficient version, said experts at the aquarium. The new tail, according to a story aired on TampaBay10 News, is more state-of-the-art, with a smaller joint that should allow Winter's swimming to be stronger and more accurate.
Winter the dolphin became famous among marine animal aficionados world over when she was fitted with the first ever prosthetic dolphin tail shortly after her arrival at the facility.
Tampa Bay Rays Win!
October 2008
Against the odds, the Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series in Major League Baseball. Beating the Boston Red Sox 4 of the 7 games, cinched their spot in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
This is an amazing story for a relatively unknown team in baseball. Their performance throughout the season was phenomenal.
Airline Announces New Service to St. Pete-Clearwater Airport
October 2008
Allegiant Air has announced that it will now run non-stop flights from the Tri-Cities Airport near Blountville, Tenn. to the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, with one-way fares starting as low as $59 each way.
The Tri-Cities Airport serves several communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, including such towns as Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, and Greeneville, as well as nearby Boone, North Carolina.
"We are extremely pleased to again expand the Allegiant brand of low-fare, nonstop jet service to the Tri-Cities communities. This is an exciting new addition for our airline and our customers as we launch yet another way to get to the fun and sun of Florida and the only scheduled service between the Tri-Cities and Tampa Bay,"said Maurice Gallagher, president, CEO, and chairman of the airline.
The non-stop jet service will begin on November 20, just in time for snowbird season when hundreds of cold-climate dwellers head to the greater Tampa Bay area to enjoy the warm sun.
Clearwater to Host Beach Tennis Championship
October 2008
Top professional beach tennis players from the 2008 Beach Tennis USA National Tour will descend upon Clearwater Beach on October 11 and 12 for the first ever Masters Series Championship. The event will be held at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill and will include some of the top names in beach tennis, including favorite native sons Brett Johnson and Mike Edison.
Launched in the U.S. as a pro sport in 2005, beach tennis is a combination of tennis and beach volleyball, played on a sand court that measures 30 by 60 feet. Players use regulation tennis rackets and try to hit a specially-designed beach tennis ball back and forth without touching the sand.
Beach Tennis USA, the umbrella organization for the sport, has hosted tournaments in California, New York, and Florida. The sport has been televised on Comcast SportsNet, SunSports, and the Tennis Channel and continues to gain popularity with traditional tennis players.
The Clearwater event will commence on Saturday at 10 am with the Junior's and Men's & Women's Doubles Divisions. On Sunday, the Pro Division Masters Series Championship will begin at 10 am and end at 3 pm with the finals.
New Hotel to Open in Downtown Clearwater
September 2008
Construction workers are busy putting finishing touches on a new downtown Clearwater hotel, and local government is hoping that the new structure will serve to touch off a desire by others to open businesses in the downtown area as well.
The new hotel is a 115-room Marriott Residence Inn, scheduled to hold its grand opening on Thursday, Sept. 18. The Court Street location for the 100,000-square-foot hotel was purchased from Senior Citizen Services last year for $1.7 million. The franchisee, Clarkson Group of Jacksonville, spent another $12.5 million to build the structure.
"It's just one more piece of the puzzle," said Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard. "Its greatest benefit is that it's a signal to other industries that Marriott believes that downtown is worthy of investing in."
The mayor also notes that the hotel has brought 50 new jobs to the area and that the city will offer Clarkson Group tax incentives of about $400,000 for building "in an area where development is being encouraged."
The downtown Clearwater area currently lacks hotels because many of the city's old ones have been converted to residences or other businesses, notes an article in the St. Petersburg Times.
The Marriott Residence Inn is especially designed for visitors who require an extended stay, boasting full kitchens with stainless steel appliances, a fitness center, barbecue area, free wifi, and an outdoor pool. Meeting rooms will be available as well.
Clearwater Company to Manufacture Fuel Saving Device
August 2008
Green Technology Manufacturing of Clearwater is introducing a new fuel saving device they say will make cars more fuel efficient and save money for drivers.
Tom Delor, inventor, retired aeronautical engineer, and owner of the company, says his invention – the Moment-O-Meter – will help drivers take advantage of a car's inherent momentum in order to improve fuel consumption.
Moment-O-Meter adheres to the windshield and plugs into the car's cigarette lighter. The device indicates the automobile's momentum, allowing users to coast by, moving their car effortlessly by force of the inertial mass generated, Delor explains. A green light indicates the driver can coast while a red light indicates the need to use fuel to maintain the car's speed. "It's like a personal trainer telling you what to do," Delor quips.
"Every driver can take advantage of their car's momentum to drastically increase their fuel efficiency if they are shown how," he said. "You will save 20 percent to 50 percent gas the very first time you use it."
"To make it work for everyone, it had to be simple and visual," adds the inventor. "Moment-O-Meter is very simple; just react to the device's lights to save gas. I personally save 50% ... It still depends on the driver's skills, but improvement is expected as driving efficiently will become second nature," concluded Delor.
Criss Angel Escapes Imploding Clearwater Hotel
August 2008
Almost 25,000 people gathered in front of Clearwater's old Spyglass Hotel last week as master illusionist Criss Angel escaped from the building just seconds before it crumbled to the ground.
Though Angel's escape didn't go quite the way it was planned, the young magician/illusionist did make it out of the building after being shackled to a sixth floor balcony, attempting to pick through a series of five locks to make his get-away via a helicopter that hovered above the roof. And though Angel never made it to the waiting whirlybird before it was forced to take off without him, he did indeed emerge from the rubble – a bit dusty but otherwise unscathed. He promised his mother this was the last dangerous stunt he would try.
The show was watched by an estimated 2.2 million people, says an article in the St. Petersburg Times, and it was a huge boon to the Clearwater tourism industry.
"If you watched it on TV, it was beautiful and our Beach Walk was shown off to the extreme," said Sheila Cole, executive director of the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce. "The palm trees, the surf, the sand, it looked like an ad for Clearwater Beach rather than the Mindfreak show."
"The name Clearwater was bantered about the entire show and the pictures of Beach Walk were spectacular," Mayor Frank Hibbard agreed. "It's terrific publicity, and it showed a really good face on Clearwater Beach."
Hotels and restaurants also experienced a huge increase in traffic during and after Angel's spectacle, citing fully-booked rooms and bars teeming with patrons until the wee hours of the morning.
Clearwater Opens Attractive New Beach Walk
July 2008
Last weekend, Clearwater's new $30 million Beach Walk opened to rave reviews. The Beach Walk, which puts visitors closer to the water with nothing blocking their view, is a welcome replacement for the town's narrow, cracked sidewalks that were hard-pressed to accommodate Clearwater Beach's crowds.
According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times, the new walk includes two broad, paved promenades that comfortably accommodate walkers, bicyclists, and skaters. One path runs along the sand, the other in front of the stores and restaurants across from the beach. The transformation also included the planting of new palm trees, plants, and flowers along the promenades, adding more green to the area.
Beach Walk is still a project in the making, the article points out. Local officials expect the tourist-friendly boulevards to attract more stores, restaurants, and hotels hence more visitors. The city is also contemplating building a public parking garage nearby. Parts of the walk will also be wide enough to accommodate sidewalk cafes and public seating.
"Beach Walk was designed to be a beautiful attractor – to attract new hotels and restaurants and to attract visitors who wanted an experience off the sand," the article states. "Already, it is doing both. Clearwater officials have good reason to be proud of the result."
Loggerhead Turtle Nests Reach 78
July 2008
The number of Loggerhead Turtle nests in Pinellas County has climbed to seventy-eight with a little over one month left in nesting season. That's an increase from only thirty-eight nests found last year. The number of Loggerhead Turtles has diminished largely because of commercial fishing during the last decade.
These amazing sea creatures can live to be sixty years old or older. They can reach 3 feet long with a weight of 200 to 350 pounds. They can travel from Florida to as far as the Mediterranean Sea and the Azores.
The female Loggerhead reaches sexual maturity at about thirty years old. When she is ready to lay eggs, she crawls up onto the beach and buries her eggs in the sand. She usually lays between 100 and 126 eggs. This is usually the same area as she was born. About 90 percent of Loggerheads in the United Stated nest in Florida.
When the hatchlings are born, instinct leads them to the sea and they follow the light of the moon and stars. Sometimes street lights and lights of nearby condos and dwellings confuse the hatchlings and leads them to the danger of the road. When that happens, humans intervene. Land based lights are shut off and the tiny hatchlings are carried to the water. According to Biologists, aproximately only one in one-thousand hatchlings survive to sexual maturity.
Clearwater Registration for Spring Break Camps
March 2008
Registration for camps at Clearwater recreation facilities is now open. Camps are held between March 31 through April 4, 2008. Space is limited. Contact any of the local Clearwater recreation centers for details, schedules and fees.
Clearwater must cut budget
March 2008
The recent passage of property tax Amendment 1, which limits property tax increases and makes them portable, has caused a projected shortfall in tax revenue. Clearwater is looking at a $9.2 million reduction to next year's budget. The current 2007/2008 general fund budget is $123 million.
Lowry Park Zoo gets African black-footed penguins
June 2007
Tampa's family-friendly zoo has added 10 new penguin residents to its population of over 1,800 animals. With names like Rufus, Taren, Pepper and Scooby, these unusual south-African penguins are sure to warm the hearts of those lucky enough to visit the zoo. The newly created $50,000 exhibit replicates the feel of south-African beach with a Cape Town-style cabana.
Rescued Dolphin may get new tail
April 2007
Clearwater Marine Aquarium has been taking care of Winter, the 18 month-old dolphin, who lost her tail as a baby in 2005 after being entangled in a crab trap rope. Rescued from certain death, Winter is now a permanent resident at the Clearwater Aquarium. Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics is donating the cost of development and fitting of an prosthetic tail. Development and fitting of the new tail will continue of the next months.
Downtown Clearwater Renovation
Starting January 2007, the downtown area of Clearwater will get renovated. Improvements include making the area more pedestrian friendly, the addition of new benches, bike racks, decorative street lighting, landscaping and medians with space for public art.