Have a Safe & Happy Halloween!

Art Weekend Contest

Check out the fabulous contest running right now, win a great art weekend in New Smyrna Beach. Go to www.nsbfla.com/art and register to win!

Black Cat Ball

The 4th Annual Black Cat Ball is this Sunday night at Om Bar on Flagler Avenue. This annual Halloween event benefits No Pet Left Behind. There is a huge charity raffle, costume contest and admission is FREE. Break out your best costume and head on over to Om.

Letter To My Children

I am taking a break from my normal programming to speak to my children....and maybe to yours too.

Hello My Baby Girl,

I know you sat next to your best friend this week and listened to her talk about going to a Halloween party that you were not invited to, I know your heart was breaking but you waited to get in the truck on the way home to say, "why, was I not invited?' I was you once...we all were, at one point or another we were all not invited to the "party"..snubbed by the popular kid or picked on by...whoever. You are beautiful and special and please remember...nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING. No matter how bad it is today, it will be forgotten, if not tomorrow, next week, next year, it will be forgotten. One more time, Nothing ruins your life forever....NOTHING.

My Darling Boy,

To the kid who has gone to 5 schools in 7 years and is the only kid at the baseball field whose father has never seen him play. You are awesome..I know I am not the best at playing catch and throwing batting practice and I suck at math. I get that you have had a couple kids picking on you at school, I know you are 6' tall and skinny and goofy, I also know that you play baseball, lift weights and run and the day will come that you will be 6'5" and be a stud and the kid with the trumpet case will be begging to be your friend. Please remember.....nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING. No matter how bad it is today, it will be forgotten, if not tomorrow, next week, next year, it will be forgotten. One more time, Nothing ruins your life forever.....NOTHING.

Someone I consider a friend discovered her 14 year old son hanging in the garage last week. He killed himself because he had been picked on by kids at his school. His mother had no idea. His father was not around.

So, to my beautiful children,  never think something cannot be fixed.  NOTHING you do will ever keep me from loving you.  NOTHING you do could be so awful you can't get past it.

And if someone is mean to you, ignore it if you can. If you cannot, tell someone. If you ever need help and can't talk to me, call your uncles or write a letter, there are many people who love you.   

Finally, treat others as you want to be treated and don't be mean.  Don't let other people be mean.
Stand up for what you know is right. Protect those who aren't as smart or confident or as kind as you.
Treat people's feelings carefully. Be that person you admire.

I love you and I know you know all this but I have to tell you.....it's my job.



Love,

Mom

Trunk or Treat & Fall Festivals

It has not felt much like fall the past few days but here are some family events to celebrate our non-fall weather!

The YMCA will be having a Haunted Forest and Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 30th at 7pm. They are located at 148 W. Turgot in Edgewater.

Venetian Bay United Methodist Church will be having a Fall Festival on Friday, October 29th from 5:30-830pm. There will be live music, free food, inflatables and plenty of fun for all ages.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Live Oak St will be having an All Saint's Eve Party on October 31st from 4pm-7pm.  Carve a pumpkin, trunk or treat, admission is free.

Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church in Port Orange is having a Hallelujah Harvest on October 30th for children to 12 years old. Free Rides, Free admission, puppets, hay rides and trunk or treating, the event will run from 4-6pm.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

New Smyrna Ween - Creepy Crawl

Celebrate Halloween on Flagler Ave with the New Smyrna-Ween Creepy Crawl. Starting at 8pm. Flagler Tavern, OM Bar, Peanuts, Traders and Clancy's will have costume contests, prizes, drink specials and much more for all the adult Halloweeners out there.

Support your local business!

Halloween on Canal Street

Here are some highlights for Halloween in New Smyrna Beach!

History & Mystery Tales & Tours
Take a tour of New Smyrna Beach’s Historic Canal Street downtown that will include mystery and historical stories performed by recreated personalities from our city’s past. Start at the New Smyrna Beach Museum of History, 120 Sams Ave. There will be a special appearance by Scott Marlowe, the cryptozoologist/ monster hunter from Monster Quest on the History Channel. Tickets are $6.00 and are available at:

The New Smyrna Beach Museum of History, 120 Sam’s Ave; Southern Trends, 334 Canal Street; The Pennysaver, 223 Canal Street; Coastal Comfort, 421 Canal Street; The Brannon Center, 105 S. Riverside Drive; The New Smyrna Beach Visitors Center, 2238 S.R. 44

Halloween Parade & Costume Contest
The City of New Smyrna Beach will host the 36th Annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest on Saturday, October 30th at 4pm. The Parade will start on the corner of Orange Ave. and Canal Street. All participants are encouraged to be there by 3:45 P.M. The Parade will go east on Canal Street to the Chamber of Commerce parking lot for the judging of the costume contest.

All costumes judged must be original costumes. Age groups for the Costume Contest are as follows: 4 years & under, 5-7 years, 8-11 years, 12-17 years, and 18 & over, and group award.

Happy Haunting!

Chili Cook Off Update

 
I have had a couple questions about last week's Chili Cook Off. Flagler Seafood took 1st place, Flip Flops was second and the Seahorse Inn was in 3rd place. The event raised $5,000 to be split between Susan G Komen Foundation and Save the TaTas!

Great job and thanks to all who participated!

Halloween Fun

Taking a look ahead to Halloween, here are a couple of local things to do next week!


The Obedience Club of Daytona is sponsoring "Ghosts & Goblins with Paws Fun Day" from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 30 at the Port Orange City Center amphitheater, 1000 City Center Circle. The event includes a group walk around the lake, doggie Halloween contest, games and contests. There will be a variety of sponsors and vendors. Proceeds benefit local animal rescues. Pre-register by calling 386-788-4268 or register at 7:30 a.m. at the event. $15 includes T-shirt and all activities.

The 20th annual South Daytona Enchanted Forest hay rides will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 28th - Oct 30th. Take a hayride through the forest of Reed Canal Park, 919 Reed Canal Road, local high school drama clubs perform skits based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes. This popular event sells out in advance every year, so purchase tickets early at the Piggotte Community Center, 504 Big Tree Road. Cost is $3 per person. Children 2 and under are free. For more information, call 386-322-3070.

The Annual Fall Festival at Silver Sand Bridle Club will feature a haunted house ($4), hay ride ($5), pony rides ($1) and games. The festival is from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 22-23 at Silver Sands Bridle Club, 625 Tomoka Farms Road, New Smyrna Beach. Admission is free and there will be a food court. Proceeds benefit various local youth programs. For more information, call Nora Galbreath, 386-689-3690.

More to come stay tuned!

Salt Spray 5K

The 2nd Annual Salt Spray 5K will be held on Sunday, November 28th. Registration to participate in this event is going on right now and you can get your registration forms here. You can also sponsor participants, get the schedule of events and much more. This race is held on the beach there will also be a fun run for the kids!

 

The proceeds from this annual event support Halifax Health - Hospice of Volusia/Flagler and the New Smyrna Beach High School Cross Country Team.

 

Register now and support your leaders of tomorrow! 

 

SE Volusia Chamber of Commerce

Art & Wine Walk on Flagler

 The monthly Art Walk and Wine Walk will be held on historic Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach from 10am to 6pm on Saturday October, 23rd. Take a stroll along Flagler and enjoy a variety of arts, crafts and other vendors. The Wine Walk begins at 1pm, wine tasting passports can be purchased for $20 at the tent at the northeast corner of Flagler Avenue and Cooper Street or at Ta Da Gallery, 113 Flagler Avenue.  The Art Walk and Wine Walk information flyer includes the Art Walk prize drawing punch card, so pick one up and get it punched at each of the four sponsoring galleries for a chance to win a prize. This months prize sponsor is Palms Up Pottery.

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out

The Friends of Canaveral will host the first annual Canaveral Seashore Paint Out from Monday, November 8, through Saturday, November 13, 2010. 

Thirty of the most talented landscape artists from Florida and the Northeast will bring their paint boxes and easels to the seashore and surrounding areas in Mosquito Lagoon, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and historic downtown New Smyrna Beach.  They will create one-of-a-kind paintings "en plein air " (in open air).

More than 30 Artists will be painting from dawn to dusk for the five days of the Paint Out. As paintings are completed, they will be hung in an on-site “wet room” in the Eldora House and will be available for immediate sale. 

You can meet the artists at a Wine and Cheese Reception at Arts on Douglas, 7 pm, Wednesday, November 10. This event is open to the public. Paintings produced the first 3 days will be on display and for sale. There will be a Sunset Paint In at JB's Fish Camp on Thursday, November 11, 3-7 pm.  Open to the public.

There will be a Community Quick Draw and Family Fun Day at Canaveral National Seashore on Saturday, November 13th from 10am until 2pm. Bring your easel and paint with the pros. There will be free events for the kids. 

Check out The Friends of Canaveral Event page for more information.

5th Annual Harmonica Championships

Come on out to the Beachside Tavern for the 5th annual Florida Harmonica Championship. This is Florida's biggest harmonica show, there will be fifteen players backed by a hot blues band. The show will be set up outside with a festival atmosphere with BBQ, Pizza, and other vendors. The whole show will be broadcast inside on the huge screen. The fun starts at 12pm this Sunday, October 17th. The Beachside Tavern is located on 3rd Avenue, New Smyrna Beachside.

Jam Fest 2010 - Edgewater Ranch

 

Celebrate Biktoberfest at Edgewater Ranch! Jam Fest 2010 featuring Uncle Kracker and Tracy Lawrence will take place this Saturday, October 16th. You can get the full schedule of events on their website. Bring a chair to sit on, no coolers or pets allowed. Gates open at 3:00 pm.

The Edgewater Animal Shelter is a benefactor of this event. Please bring a bag of dry dog or cat food to the gate and it will all be donated to the Shelter.

Chili & Chaps

Flagler Avenue will be closed this Saturday, October 16th for Chili & Chaps. Beginning at 12noon come on out and enjoy the annual Chili Cook Off, purchase a wristband for $10.00 and taste over 20 different chili's All proceeds will go to benefit the Susan G Komen and Save the Ta Ta's.There will also be live music, beer tasting and a huge bike show. Flagler will be open to motorcycle parking only from about 11am-6pm.

Enjoy the weekend!

Halloween Spooktacular Dinner Cruise

Join the crew of the Pastime Princess on Friday, October 29th for a special Halloween Spooktacular Dinner Cruise on the river. The cost is just $19.95 for this event, dinner, DJ, costume contests and fun aboard our favorite local boat. Be one of the first 100 to purchase tickets and receive a $10.00 off coupon for your next fishing trip. Call 386-402-8859 to reserve your spot. You can also stop by the Dolphin View Restaurant for more details.

Here Comes The Sun

Come on out to the Marine Discovery Center this Sunday, October 10th from 11am-3pm for the Here Comes the Sun Energy Expo. This is a day to celebrate climate solutions. There will be fun, food, music and the MDC staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide information!

Police Athletic League

New Smyrna Beach Police Athletic League has a ton of things happening.

Basketball registration is going on through October 15th, camp starts the week of the 18th and the season will follow. They have a new tutoring program and their karate continues to be popular with Officer Otto.

You can get forms, schedules and information on their website. They are also on Facebook, join the group for updates and information.

Support your local PAL!

Sugar Rush

 

I went out to dinner last night to celebrate a friends birthday (Happy Birthday Susan!) The highlight of the evening was the birthday cake. (yes that is the cake in the picture). This gorgeous cake was made by Jennifer of Sugar Rush cakes in New Smyrna Beach. This cake actually looked like a leather purse and makeup bag. I have never seen one of these custom cakes up close and was amazed. Yes, we did eat it and it was as delicious as it was gorgeous. You can email Sugar Rush or check out photos of their other cakes on their Facebook Page. 

Support your local business!