Early voting continues for a couple more days at the New Smyrna Beach Public Library. I went today at about 11am and waited only about 20 minutes. They seemed to be fairly organized and the line moved pretty fast. Over 1200 people voted there yesterday so it is being utilized!

Get out and vote!

2nd Annual Black Cat Ball Charity Raffle

This is a great cause and great fun. The 2nd Annual Black Cat Ball will be held this Friday Night at the Om Bar. Part of this is the Charity Raffle:

The OM Bar in association with No Pet Left Behind and local veterinary hospitals Beachwood Animal Hospital, Glencoe Veterinary Hospital and Val-U-Vet; is helping to raise money for the NSB Beachside Feral Cat TNR Fund. (Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR is the humane approach to feral cat control and the only proven method to reduce feral cat overpopulation. We work with local residents and assist in safely trapping and fixing feral cats, as well as providing for their basic medical needs (including vaccinations) and returning them to the same location where they were trapped.
Since feral cats are wild and generally not able to be socialized, these animals are not adoptable and will be euthanized if taken to a shelter. These cats do not have to be put to death. Stopping the cat’s breeding cycle is the humane and effective way to manage a feral population.

There are TWO WAYS TO HELP

1) Black Cat Ball Charity Raffle: Make a donation of $5 per ticket for a raffle to win a NEW Scooter from Solcat Scooters. Drawing held at Midnight on October 31 at the OM Bar, 392 Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach. Winner need not be present to win.

2) Save a Cat Program: Make a donation of $70 and save 1 cat . Your donation provides for the spay/neuter, FIV/Feline Leukemia testing, vaccination, tagging of one cat, start to finish. As a thank you for your gift of $70 you will receive 1 raffle ticket AND your choice of a souvenir T-shirt or a gift basket donated by Frontline/Heartgard. 100% of the raffle proceeds go to the fund. The money does not go to a national charity but stays Beachside. Last year we raised enough money to TNR 25 cats Beachside. This year our goal is to double that number.

You can stop by the OM Bar on Flagler Ave anytime this week to purchase a raffle ticket or make a donation!

Halloween Parade

The 34th Annual Halloween Parade will be held this Friday at 4pm on Canal Street. It begins at the Orange Ave Parking lot and proceeds down Canal Street to the Chamber of Commerce parking lot. A costume contest will be held immediately following the parade. Only original homemade, costumes will be judged. All age groups through adult can participate!

Things To Do

I don't have a long weekend list of things to do this week. I have been out of commission after an accident last weekend. We will be back to normal this week. Well, as normal as it gets around here!

The Volusia County Fair kicks off this week on the 30th and runs through November 9th. Full schedule and information can be found at the link above.

Early voting continues this week at the New Smyrna Public Library.

Check back tomorrow for the Sunday Stumble!

More Fall Festivals

A few more ideas for Fall fun! The First Baptist Church of New Smyrna will hold a Harvest Festival for all toddlers thru 5th grade on October 31st from 5-7pm at the Family Live Center at 200 Faulkner St.

The Silver Sands Bridle Club Fall Festival is on Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th from 6-10pm. They are located at 625 Tomoka Farms Rd in New Smyrna Beach.

The Great Pumpkin Patch is located in front of the Home Depot on State Rd 44 in New Smyrna, they are open from 10-6 on Mon-Thu and 9-9 on Friday and Saturday, Sunday 1-7. Lots of activities and fall fun.

Great Gift Idea

Here is a pretty nice site and a great idea for a gift for someone. You can search Bed & Breakfast Inn's nationwide and order gifts and gift cards, you can see what Inn's are for sale if you in the market to buy one. It is a great site for just browing around at the different inns.

Three of our local inns are listed, Nightswan, Longboard and Coquina Wharf, so give a gift to a friend or relative that is visiting, support local business and keep your guests out of your hair. Sounds like a deal to me!!!!

Biketoberfest

It is that time again. Biketoberfest is underway, it officially starts this weekend, but many bikers and participants are here. It does not seem to be as busy as last year but it is only Tuesday...there is a great schedule of events on their website above. Enjoy and be safe!

Fall Festivals

Coronado United Methodist Church is having their annual Fall Festival this Saturday, October 18th from 11am-3pm. The Pumpkin Patch is open and there will be plenty of food games and fun for the kids. They are located at Peninsula and Flagler, beachside New Smyrna Beach.

Crossroads Community Church is holding their Fall Festival on Friday, October 31st from 5pm-9pm. They have a ton of information on their website. They are located at 3838 State Rd 44 in New Smyrna Beach.

Who to Vote For? Let Us Help!

Have you figured out who to vote for? If you are still not sure try this.....

Match-o-Matic

Pumpkins and more pumpkins....the pumpkin patch is open at both Edgewater Methodist Church and Coronado United Methodist Church. So....go get a pumpkin. Check back for a complete list of local Fall Festivals

Sunday Stumble

Welcome to a new week! Found some interesting things this week on the Sunday Stumble.

26 Life Lessons - Marc and Angel will give you tips on more productive living. I need some.

Giftstasher - why didn't I think of this?

Mighty Girl (Advice from Mom) - ya gotta love this one!

More Stuff 4 Less - we all need to save money.

And finally.....a clip from the Daily Show, if you have never watched Jon Stewart, he is hysterical no matter who you vote for.

Take A Bike Ride

Since I moved from North Beach to South Beach I have been riding my bike around my new area checking it out. I was riding down Saxon yesterday and noticed all these little breaks in the foliage that looked like a bike trail. So...as big a chicken as I am, dont like bugs, scared of snakes...I went and took a ride thru the bushes, down a dirt trail, no motorized vehicles allowed...I crossed a little wooden bridge.



The view from the bridge. It was beautiful, trees, shrubs, spanish moss and the reflections off the water.


Right across the bridge is a great gateway to the Callalisa Creek. Gorgeous scenery, no people.


This was at 730am, I want to check it out again at sunset, on a day with no storms, I am sure it is even more beautiful. Take a bike ride, or a walk, you never know what you might find.

Fact vs. Fiction

I am sure you get the mass emails full of "information you must forward to every voter you know." We are also seeing a huge number of political attack ads from both sides here in Florida. Do you wonder what is fact and what is fiction? I sure do. Here are two good sources for checking to see what is garbage and what is not.

Snopes is great, just type in the candidates name and scroll away. Fact Check is another good one, this site verifies or disputes with actual facts the information that is in the ads as well as the drivel that is coming out of the candidates mouths. As with anything else, don't believe everything you hear or read!

Florida Wildlife

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservations Commission has a great website. They offer everything from GIS and Mapping information to Disaster Preparedness. You can look up waterway regulations, boating, fishing, hunting licenses and all sorts of of other things. For a limited time you can obtain a free issue of their Wildlife Magazine. A subscription is 15.00 per year, but go ahead and get a free one and check it out!

Thanks Ann over at Ann-Crabs for the scoop on this free offer.

Flu Shots

Time to get your flu shot. Here is information on who should get one and why from the Volusia County Health Department. If you are brave and wish to go to the Health Department for a flu shot they are 30.00 for the shot and 40.00 for the mist. Three Volusia Locations are providing shots at certain times.

Here is the Port Orange Fire Rescue Schedule of times and locations for their flu shots. They will be giving them in Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach.

The Council on Aging is providing shot to seniors at the locations and times here.

Around Town

There are a few interesting things on this week around town, the 10th annual Billfish Invitational is October 9-12th

October 10th-13th is the Uncorked Wine and Food event along Flagler. The complete schedule of events is available above.
The weekly Farmers Market on Canal Street takes place from 7:30am-12:3o pm in the old News Journal parking lot at Rush Street. They block off Rush Street so don't go down that one unless you are on foot.


I hit the Farmer's Market a couple times a month, they have great prices on produce, they have fresh bread but it is a little pricey, orchids that are VERY reasonable. Crafts, baskets, all sorts of stuff. It is worth checking out for sure.

VP Debate

Soooooo, I finally finished the torture of the debate. Sarah Palin put on a great show. She was polished, professional and appeared to have a brain. BUT, she just did not answer the questions, instead she babbled out her memorized script. I did not come away feeling like she could run the country. Joe Biden was...well, he was Joe Biden. No big surprises there. Wish we had a third choice.

I did enjoy this. Especially Queen Latifah. She is great!

Sunday Stumble

Here are some interesting sites I came across this weekend. No particular order, no rhyme nor reason!

15 minute tomato sauce - I made this today, it was this easy and tasted great!

Download anything - really they got it all and its free.

Garden Plans - I am not planning one but if I was this site is GREAT!

Best Kisses - love this one!

Electoral Vote - this one is great, this guy compiles ALL the polls and comes up with where the votes are and who is winning based on a compilation of data.

If you have not registered to vote, tomorrow is the last day in Florida....go do it!

I Want To Live Here

I want to retire here. That is if I am ever able to retire which is doubtful. Surrounded by water, sun and no room for kids or pets. Bliss.......

Did you watch the VP Debate Thursday night. I have not commented on it yet because I taped it and I have not made it thru the whole thing yet. I am close, I think I have about 20 minutes left. I keep rewinding and going back to see if I heard things like I think I did. It is interesting to read and listen to the news and commentary to hear what all the people with credentials think about who won.

So Napa

I had a chance to grab a glass of wine and a salad at the new restaurant in the Publix plaza beachside this week. So Napa! opened not to long ago and features a wine membership that allows you to purchase wine at a significant discount. As a bonus the food was fresh and delicious.

They are open Sun-Wed from 1130am-10pm and 1130am-11pm on Thu, then on Fri & Sat 1130am-2pm. You can access a great deal of information including menu and wine selection on their website.

Support local business whenever possible!

New Smyrna Beach Weekend

Plenty to do in New Smyrna and surrounding areas this weekend.


Port Orange Family Days are this weekend. A Carnival tonight, family and children's activities all weekend.

Oktoberfest is tonight from 5-9pm on Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach.

Weather is about perfect for today and tomorrow, rain on Sunday. Enjoy the weekend!

Found this post this morning for some Friday Humor. Smile!

Register to Vote at the OM Bar-Special Event

Voter Registration Drive

Come on out to the OM Bar tonight for a a special nonpartisan event. Starting at 7PM they will be viewing the HBO Documentary "Hacking Democracy". This cautionary documentary exposes the vulnerability of computers - which count approximately 80% of America's votes in county, state and federal elections - suggesting that if our votes aren't safe, then our democracy isn't safe either.

Then at 9PM they will be airing the Vice Presidential Debates on the big screens. Plus, volunteers from Florida for Change will be on site doing voter registration and address changes.

OM Bar is providing a complimentary draft beer or glass of wine to everyone who registers tonight or updates their address information.

This is a great opportunity to get informed about our candidates and engage in lively conversations with friends on both sides of the aisle. Your vote counts, but only if you vote!

The OM Bar is located on Flagler Ave, New Smyrna Beach.

Register to Vote by October 6th

The last day to register to vote is October 6th. The Department of Elections website has great information, check your precinct, change your address, find out about early voting. Early voting starts in New Smyrna Beach on October 20th and runs thru November 1st. It is taking place at the Public Library on Dixie Freeway. It runs Monday thru Saturday from 8am-4pm.

Need a ride to vote? Votran will take you for free with your voter registration card.