Bed & Breakfast Tour

The Annual Bed & Breakfast Tour is December 9th. Tour three of the areas most beautiful inns all decked out for Christmas. The Night Swan, Longboard Inn and The Riverview Hotel will all be open from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.


 

Lights on the Loop

There are three chances for you to sit back and take a ride around the NSB Waterfront Loop and check out the lights! December 8th, 15th and 22nd you can take a free holiday light tour. It starts at Christmas Park on the corner of Canal Street and Live Oak.

The tours take about 30 minutes and run from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

 Reservations are required and can be made by calling NSB Parks & Recreation at 386-424-2175.

Light Up Flagler

The annual street festival lighting up Flagler Ave is December 7th. It all starts at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 7:30 p.m. The merchants of Flagler Ave light up their shops, there is entertainment, food, shopping and a visit from Santa! This is always a family-friendly fun time for all!


 

Breakfast with Santa

There are a couple of local opportunities to have Breakfast with Santa.

The first is on December 1st at Volusia Mall. There are three seating at 8:30, 9:00 or 9:30 am and will be held in the food court. Go here for more information and to register. You must register by November 27th to guarantee a seat.

The Central Florida Zoo is also holding a Breakfast with Santa on December 8th. They offer breakfast and brunch, check their website for more details and prices.

Finally on December 15th, the City of Ormond Beach is hosting a Breakfast with Santa at the Casements on Riverside Drive. The cost is $5.00 and they will have all kinds of fun events for the kids. Get more information here.




 

Visit Santa in Christmas Park

Santa is visiting New Smyrna Beach, his house is in Christmas Park, which is on the corner of Live Oak and Canal Street. Santa's next visit will be this Friday November 30th. You can get the complete schedule here.

 

IMAGES Tour of Homes

The IMAGES Tour of Homes is December 1st from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. Tour six of our local homes decorated for the holidays in gorgeous fashion.

 Tickets for IMAGES Tour of Homes are $20 each. They are available at the Images office, 214 S. Riverside Drive (BACK DOOR ONLY), at Arts on Douglas at 123 Douglas Avenue and Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1414 Arts Center Avenue in New Smyrna Beach.

For more information call 386-423-4733 or you can send an email.

 

Pictures with Santa (for the pets)

Take your furry friend over to the Edgewater Animal Shelter on Saturday, December 1st for a picture with Santa. Starting at 10:00 am, Santa will be hanging out at the shelter for pictures with your dogs, cats and other critters...he will be there until 2:00 pm and reservations are being accepted. Call 386-957-3994 for more information or reservations.

 

New Smyrna Beach Parades

The New Smyrna Beach Christmas Parade is December 1st at 4:00 pm. This traditional parade starts at the Flagler Ave Beach Approach and runs over the North Causeway to Canal Street.

 Once you finish that parade head on over to Riverside Park for the Boat Parade which starts in Edgewater and runs along the river to the North Causeway.

Both of these events are great fun for the whole family!

 

Holiday Food & Wine Festival

Norwood's 17th annual Holiday Food & Wine Festival is November 30th through December 2nd.

Friday, November 30th is an evening of Food, Wine and Jazz. Saturday is the Grand Tasting from 1:00 - 4:30 pm. Sunday is a brand new event, a Jazz Brunch.

Tickets are on sale now, complete details and prices can be found here.



 

Happy Thanksgiving

Christmas on Canal Street

Christmas on Canal Street kicks off this Friday! The first event is Spark the Spirit Tree Lighting beginning at 4:30pm. There will be a tree lighting ceremony, entertainment and judging of the window displays along the Canal Street Historic District. Then on Saturday join the merchants of Canal Street for the Coastal Christmas Market. Great deals on local merchandise, food, entertainment and a visit from Santa Claus!

 Get the whole schedule of events on the website.


 

Operation Christmas Cheer

This is the 23rd year that the New Smyrna Beach Police Department has put on Operation Christmas Cheer. The food and toy drive is going on now through December 19th. Toys, canned goods and clothes can be dropped off at City Hall, 210 Sams Ave, the police department at 246 Industrial Park Ave, either Fire Station - 103 Faulkner St or 500 E. Third Ave or Southern Trends at 334 Canal Street. The donations are distributed right her to families in SE Volusia County.


 

Yard Sale for Amy Sue

There is a Yard Sale today and tomorrow to benefit Amy Sue Root. This huge yard sale is happening at 164 Godfrey Rd in Edgewater. It is Saturday and Sunday from 8am-1pm. They have all kinds of different things for sale and it all will benefit this sweet little girl and her family!

 

Community Thanksgiving Dinner

The Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held on Thursday, November 22nd at the First United Methodist Church. located at 310 Douglas Street in New Smyrna Beach. A traditional Thanksgiving meal will be served from 11:30 am until 3:00 pm. This is free and all are welcome.

I am fortunate to work with many of those that will be cooking and serving this meal through the Hot Meal Program, they are a great group of people and also pretty good cooks!



 

Around Town-Weekend Events

There is plenty to do this weekend at the beach....

The annual sidewalk sale on Flagler Ave is Saturday from 9:00am - 5:00pm. The Merchants of Flagler will price their merchandise to move before the holidays!

The Edgewater Legion Auxiliary is having a Bake Sale at 4497 US 1 in Edgewater, proceeds go to local scholarships.

The Holiday Charity Ball is this Saturday.

The Festival of Trees is this Saturday.

The Edgewater Union Church is holding a Christmas Bazaar from 8am-2pm on Saturday at the church. All kinds of Christmas things for sale!

The Salt Spray 5K is this Saturday starting at Norwoods. Register online here and get more information on the event.

The Saturday Farmers Market at Norwoods will be Sunday due to the race!



 

Lion's Club Rummage Sale

The New Smyrna Beach Lions Club is holding its semi-annual rummage sale this Friday and Saturday, November 16th & 17th. It is being held at their clubhouse at 2340 Sunset Drive in New Smyrna Beach. Doors open at 8:00 am. They always have lots of good stuff and all proceeds go to their charitable programs, many of which assist the handicapped in our area.

 

Flag Football

New Smyrna Beach Parks & Rec is offering Flag Football! The season starts January 14th and registration ends on November 20th (that is next week). The cost is $50.00 for residents of NSB and $58.00 for non residents.

 My son played flag football when he was in the 5th grade and LOVED it. That would be him in the orange enjoying NSB Flag Football! This is a super fun way to get your kids moving for a small fee.


Online registration

Paper Registration - this form has all the dates and information.


 

Mosquito Lagoon Arts & Craft Festival at JB's

Saturday, November 17th get a jump on Christmas and head on out to JB's Fish Camp for the 3rd Annual JB's Fish Camp Mosquito Lagoon Arts & Crafts Fair. It will start at 11:00 am and run until 5:00 pm. The event is free and there will be live entertainment, food and all sorts of local arts and crafts. Vendors can download an application here.

 

Northern Right Whales at MDC

On November 15th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm the Marine Discovery Center will put on an educational program featuring Northern Right Whales. Each winter these very rare whales migrate south to Florida and are often seen off our coast. This lecture will train you how to monitor the area to become the eyes, ears and voice of these beautiful creatures.

There is no charge or reservations required. The Marine Discovery Center is located on 520 Barracuda Blvd. Contact: mark@marinediscoverycenter.org or phone 386.428.4828 for more information.

 

Holiday Charity Ball

The 16th Annual Holiday Charity Ball is November 17th, 2012 at Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach. The event runs from 7:00 pm - 12:00 am.

The evening features open bar, entertainment, an awesome silent auction, gourmet food from more than 20 local restaurants all to benefit local charities.

This year the proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity, NSB Caps Scholarship Fund and Meals on Wheels.

The cost is $60.00 per person, for more information please call 423-4384. If you are a local business and would like to donate to the silent auction please call Michele at 386-566-1093.
 

The Food Trucks Are Back!

The Food Truck Convoy returns to Flagler Avenue this Thursday, November 15th. They roll in from 5-9pm and will feature everything from dinner to dessert. These trucks are hugely popular and draw a ton of people to Flagler Avenue. Check it out and stroll the shops while you are there and support some local business!


 

School Referendum

The Volusia County School System is in big trouble.

There is not enough money to operate it in any kind of responsible manner. With the failure of the school tax referendum there will be cuts. Teachers, classes, extracurricular activities, entire programs including music, arts and perhaps sports will all be on the chopping block.

Is this really acceptable for the children of this county? Are we all okay with the loss of these programs? Is it not an oxymoron to pay a fine because the county cannot afford to employ enough teachers to meet class size requirements?

 Enough is really enough.

  Ormond Mom Fights Back

   Petition

Food, Wine & Brew Festival

There is a super event going on in Daytona Beach this weekend. It is the New-Journal's Food, Wine & Brew Festival. 

The festival features more than 50 beers, 40 wines and food from all different kinds of area restaurants. It is being held at the News Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St. Daytona Beach. The event runs from 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm on Saturday. VIP admission starts at 5:00 pm.  The cost is $50.00 and includes everything. VIP admission is $75.00. A portion of the proceeds of this event will go to the United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties.

Get ticket information here.

Flamingo Follies

The annual Flamingo Follies is next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, November 10th and 11th on Flagler Avenue. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping with over 100 artisans and vendors, many of them local. There will be music, food and entertainment. Flagler Avenue will be closed for driving for this event.


 

Festival of Trees and Wreaths

One of my very favorite events is coming up on November 16th & 17th. The New Smyrna Beach Garden Club's Annual Festival of Trees and Wreaths will be held at the Garden Club from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. This event features decorated wreaths and trees available by silent auction, raffles, prizes, a Golden Elephant Sale, plant and bake sale. This is a great place to get ideas for your home, and get some great deals on beautiful plants. The trees and wreaths are just a bonus!

The Garden Club is located at 2000 Turnbull Bay Rd, just past the Sports Complex in New Smyrna Beach.


      

Around Town - Things To Do

 A few things to do this month!

 Hollywood Theatre in Port Orange is have $5.00 Tuesday movies starting on November 6th. This is all movies all day! 3D movies are a little bit extra.

 The Volusia County Fair is going on now through November 11th.

 The 16th Annual Holiday Charity Ball is set for November 17th from 7 Pm until midnight at Brannon Center. The annual event supports NSB Caps., Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels. Tickets are $60.00 and can be purchased at the Brannon Center Monday - Friday from 1-4pm.

 The Salt Spray 5K is November 17th. This annual event will benefit the tracl and cross country teams at New Smyrna Beach High School. Get more information on their website.