New Smyrna Beach Mom

Memorial Day

2012-05-24T08:14:00.001-04:00

There are three Memorial Day Events scheduled for our area on Monday, May 28, 2012.

VFW Post 3282 is holding a Ceremony at 10:00 am at Veteran's Park in the City Center of Port Orange. There will be a fly -over, 21 gun salute and a wreath ceremony. The VFW also holds a picnic at 1:00pm at their post, 5810 S. Williamson Blvd. The event is open to the public and they ask for a $5.00 donation at the door.

New Smyrna Beach will hold it's ceremony in Riverside Park. It is at 11:00am and is hosted by the VFW Post 4250. This is an annual ceremony and speakers include Mayor Adam Barringer. I went to this one last year and it was very nice.

American Legion Post 285 hosts the ceremony held at the Edgewater - New Smyrna Cemetery. The cemetery is located at 700 S. Ridgewood Ave. There are several speakers, music and a fly-over. The Legion Post also hosts a reception following at their facility located at 4497 Ridgewood Ave in Edgewater. I went to this one two years ago with my children and it was also excellent.

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Aqua Park Summer Swim Camps

2012-05-24T05:30:00.000-04:00

Aqua Park in Edgewater is offering Summer Swim Camps for both High School and Middle School Students. They will offer the camps on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Prices are excellent and they will focus on swim strokes, starts, turns and preparing for high school competition. They are also offering swim lessons for kids of all ages.

Call them at 386-689-4068. This is sponsored by the Barracuda Swim Boosters.

Support your local athletes!

Father's Day Car & Truck Show

2012-05-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 17th is Father's Day. The 3rd Annual Crossroads Father's Day Car & Truck Show will be held at the Church which is located at 3838 SR 44 in New Smyrna Beach, FL. There will be all types of kids activities, a free lunch sponsored by Chick-fil-A and an assortment of classic cars and trucks to check out with Dad.

The show is from 9am-3pm, admission is free and if you have a classic car or truck that you want to exhibit, registration is also free!

Get more information on the show here. You can also email Jon Fleet for more information!

Panheads Pizzeria

2012-05-23T07:06:00.001-04:00

We have not talked pizza in awhile...Due to my (typical) poor planning we found ourselves at 7:30 pm with no dinner. Two starving (aren't they always) teenagers constituted an emergency. Cereal was not an option and Mikey's, our favorite beachside pizza is closed on Tuesday. So, trying Panheads seemed like a good choice.

I drove over and took a look at the menu and chatted with the bartender about my white pizza options. I ended up ordering a large "White Wedding" Pizza, half of which I asked for plain. After about 20 minutes he brought me this HUGE pizza ready to go. It was fantastic, hot, delicious. Love their crust, fresh toppings. All around excellent.

You can check out their menu and their website. I saw on the board they have daily specials and are now serving wings. We will definitely be enjoying some Panhead's Pizza again and going back for the wings.

Panheads is located at 113 S. Orange St - right behind Thai Mango off Canal Street. They are open every day except Sunday!

Support your local business!

Field Dedication to SSG Arthur C. Williams IV

2012-05-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

Join the community in dedicating the practice field to SSG Arthur C. Williams IV. Sgt. Williams lost his life serving our country in Iraq on December 8, 2004. Williams was a 1991 graduate of New Smyrna Beach High School and the only Barracuda to die in Iraq.

This dedication will take place at the High School at 3:30 p.m. It will begin in the gym and move to the field immediately following the ceremony in the gym.

Get more information on this event in the News-Journal.

Fishstock 2012

2012-05-21T19:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend is the 10th annual Fishstock Tournament in New Smyrna Beach. The events include a 5K run, Boat Show, Entertainment, Food, Fishing Seminars and of course he fishing tournament. Most of the events are going on in and around Riverside Park.

One of the events that should be good is Thursday evening. The band Outbound Road is playing from 4pm-9pm in the Beer Garden. They are what is considered a Hard Country sound with some Southern Rock thrown in. I have heard a bit of them and they sound pretty good! Worth taking a ride over and listening to. You can hear a bit of them on their website.

Get the whole list of entertainment on the Fishstock site.

Art & Wine Walk

2012-05-20T21:08:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is the monthly Art & Wine Walk on Flagler. The Art Walk begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs until 5:00 p.m. The Wine Walk starts at 1:00 pm. Get a Wine Passport at the corner of Flagler and Cooper or at 113 Flagler Ave.

Grab Some Food!

2012-05-20T16:55:00.000-04:00

The 125th Anniversary Celebration will be happening in New Smyrna Beach the weekend of June 8th. Part of that means the Food Trucks are rolling back into town. They will be at Riverside Park from 5pm-9pm on June 9th.

You can get a full calendar of events on the NSB Loop Waterfront Website.

Cudas Baseball

2012-05-17T22:25:00.001-04:00

So is anyone in town following high school baseball this weekend? They will play in the State Semifinals this Saturday in Port St. Lucie. If you cannot go you can follow the updates on the R.B.I. Cudas Facebook Page.

If they win on Saturday you can watch them in the finals on Sunday afternoon on Brighthouse.

If you haven't been keeping up with all the news check out the News Page on the R.B.I. Cudas website. All the articles and news is on that page. Good stuff!

The R.B.I. Cudas is the Booster Club for the High School baseball program, they raise money to supplement the meager budget that high school athletics is given these days. They help attract quality coaches, buy equipment, help pay for the fields (yes the city charges us to use the field at NSB Sports Complex), operate the concession, find sponsors and all sorts of other crazy things. The R.B.I Cudas also operates the feeder team for younger kids wanting to play high school baseball. If you have a child in elementary school or middle school that is interested in playing baseball in New Smyrna Beach head over to this page and sign up to get email updates on the program.

If you are a business and are interested in sponsoring the Cudas, you can email them. Someone (probably me) will get back to you within 24 hours. Now is a GREAT time to get your name on one of our banners, support our 5K run in October or sponsor a player. You can check out some of the current Cuda Baseball Sponsors here.

Thanks for reading and Go Cudas!!

2012-05-17T15:46:00.000-04:00

The Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church is holding a Gospel Music Festival and Health Fair at Old Fort Park on Saturday. The event is from 10am-5pm. Music from several music groups, health screenings, food and plenty of children's activities. Admission is free.

Prism Concert

2012-05-16T19:25:00.000-04:00

The Barracuda Band Prism Concert is this weekend. The first concert is Friday night at 7:00 pm in the High School Auditorium. The Dinner and Concert is Saturday night. The festivities begin at 5:00 pm in the Cafeteria and the Concert is at 7:00 in the Auditorium. I was not able to find much information on this so if anyone has more information please comment with it below!

YMCA Benefit

2012-05-15T09:29:00.001-04:00

Do you know this man?

You probably do, you just don't know it. He is the Assistant Varsity Coach of the Regional Champion Cudas Baseball Team. He is also supporting the Volusia Flagler YMCA this weekend in their benefit at the Athens Theatre in Deland! There are shows on Friday and Saturday and all proceeds go directly to our local YMCA in Volusia and Flagler County. You can get information here and even buy tickets online. The theme is "A Tribute to the Ed Sullivan Show." It should be a great time and it is all to support our local YMCA!

Venetian Bay Charter School

2012-05-13T17:19:00.000-04:00

There is a feasibility study happening right now to determine interest in a Charter School for Venetian Bay. Currently there is a charter school in Samsula that has a waiting list. This school would be for grades K-5 with plans later to add another charter school for grades 6-8. Please check out their website which includes links to the feasibility survey being conducted. This survey MUST be turned in by May 25, 2012. If there is enough interest the school could begin operations August 1, 2012. There is a ton of information on this website.

Crimes of the Heart

2012-05-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

Crimes of the Heart will be presented at The Little Theatre beginning on May 18th. It runs the 18th all the way through the 27th of May. There are both evening and matinee performances on select days. Tickets are available at the box office. More information is available on their website.

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

I wish you all a Happy Mother's Day.

My brothers and I were fortunate to watch our parents honor our grandmother all the days of our life. She was my Dad's mother and lived up the road from us, we visited with her daily, took her dinner, mowed her lawn, never opened a Christmas present until we had picked her up to join us. We could count on her to keep the stray cats we found, nod and smile when we complained about our parents. We played cards and Scrabble with her, watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune with her, fed her cat (that one we found that she kept), you get it, Grandma things....

As she grew older, my brothers and I would take turns sleeping at her house to be sure she was safe, my mother made her dinner every night and my father took it to her and sat with her while she ate it. My parent's did everything for her...at the end of her life, my brothers and I were gone to college and work and life and they had to have help, she went in a nursing home, they visited her every single day. She died in 1989. I still miss her.

So on this Mother's Day, I thank my parents for teaching me how we should all honor our mother(or mother-in-law) for all the days of their life. I hope my children will be for me, what my parents were for her. I hope my brothers and I can be for them what they were for her.

I did not write the following letter, but I did get permission from the writer to share it with you...

"My dear child, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day... the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionally lose track of what we are talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don’t feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you... my darling child. "

Happy Mother's Day

Call Your Mother

2012-05-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

Had to share this very cute reminder about all the things our mothers do for us!! Thanks to Frugal Dad for putting it together!

Source: http://FrugalDad.com

Lunch On Us

2012-05-09T21:09:00.000-04:00

No lunch will not be on me...at least not this time.

The Canal Street "Lunch On Us" Program begins June 1st and runs through August 31st. Here is how it works....groups coming to New Smyrna Beach can hang out and visit the shops on Canal Street, they will receive a "passport" that will be stamped by various merchants along Canal Street, then a free lunch at one of my favorites-Dolphin View Restaurant. Dolphin View has a great location, beautiful scenery and excellent food!

So, if you and your friends would like to visit us in New Smyrna Beach and enjoy some lunch give Sandi Sawyer a call at 386-409-5232. She will be happy to give you more information and a reservation for the program!

For more information on the Canal Street Historic District check out their terrific website!

Home Security

2012-05-09T20:42:00.000-04:00

The last couple of weeks I have been super duper busy and have begun seeking contributors who may want to post on New Smyrna Beach Mom. Morgan is the first of those contributors and I hope not the last!! I am curious about your security? Do you have a system here at the beach and if so do you find it valuable?

Living in a beach community leads to an extremely relaxed lifestyle. When you are at the beach often enough, you adopt a lot of casual habits – you leave the door unlocked more often than not, you may go places barefoot, and you are likely extremely friendly with your neighbors. These are simple advantages and results of living by the beach, and indeed the pleasant atmosphere is what draws so many people to extended periods staying by the beach. However, they can also lead to a lifestyle that is almost too relaxed with regard to basic safety and, more specifically, home security. It is easy to assume everything will always be okay at the beach, and in all likelihood it will be – but, it can never hurt to be careful, which is why you should make every effort to ensure that your beach property has the very best home security.

To begin with, do not refrain from installing a home security system at your beach property. Again, people tend to relax at the beach, and many people do not consider building in these sorts of systems to their beach homes. In fact, for people who don’t live at the beach year-round, they may even consciously avoid security systems simply because they don’t have many of their possessions in the home. However, whenever you or your guests are staying at your beach home, it is still necessary to enjoy the best possible protection, which is why a home security system is still a good idea.

Additionally, if you spend a good deal of time away from your home, it is also a good idea to work on aspects of your security system designed to make it apparent that your home is protected. Certain elements of a security system, such as alarms and motion detectors, are more hidden and secret, but there are other things – such as yard signs and video cameras – that are specifically designed largely to deter criminals from attempting break-ins. Any criminal’s chief goal is to avoid capture or detection, so making it clear that your home will be a difficult target is of vital importance.

Of course, you may also add all sorts of other security features as you desire. Some people enjoy going as far as installing additional locks, laser trip wires, etc. if they truly want to make their properties as secure as possible. However, so long as you at least have some of the basics outlined above, you can at least be assured that your beach property will enjoy reliable and thorough security. This can allow you to fully enjoy the relaxing atmosphere you already love!

Morgan Alston is a writer and blog contributor for HomeSecuritySystem.com. She has covered topics ranging from home improvement to specific security features.

2012-05-09T08:32:00.000-04:00

JB's Fish Camp is hosting an Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend. It is on Saturday from 11am-5pm and there will be entertainment with Jeff White. You can eat(obviously) rent a kayak, enjoy some art and get a Mother's Day gift!

Just A Little More Baseball!

2012-05-07T20:47:00.000-04:00

Not sure if you follow High School Sports....I follow a little Baseball. The New Smyrna Beach High School Baseball team will host Winter Springs tomorrow night at the Sports Complex. They are in the Class 7A - Regional Semi-Final (State Tournament). This is the first time since 1937 that they have made it to the State Tournament. This is kind of a BIG DEAL!

This is a great group of kids with some pretty good coaches that has surprised a whole bunch of people. If you are looking for something to do tomorrow night at 7:00 pm. Come one out to the Sports Complex on Turnbull Rd and cheer on your home team.

There will be a wide array of food and drink available in our fabulous concession stand. Tickets are $7.00 and the whole baseball program appreciates your support!!!

Around Town-Weekend Events

2012-05-05T08:44:00.001-04:00

Another week has flown by....20 something days of school left..YIKES!

Farmer's Market's today at Norwood's, Hawk's Park and Old Fort Park. The Green Market is at the Pavilion in Port Orange til 12:30.

Cinco De Mayo Celebration on Flagler from 5pm-9pm tonight.

The Supermoon will rise tonight over our beach at about 7:50pm.

Don't forget from 9am-3pm the 3rd Ave Beach Ramp is one way ON the beach!

Enjoy the weekend!!

Dog's Night Out

2012-04-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

Sammi & Stoney 2005

Very cool event tomorrow night at Dairy Queen in New Smyrna Beach. Dog's Night Out sponsored by Silly Willie's and Dairy Queen. From 6:30-8:30pm bring your dog to Dairy Queen. There will be prizes for best costume and best trick. If you bring a pet food donation to Sophie's Circle you will get free ice cream!

If you are not familiar with Sophie's Circle please read about them here. Also, please remember they are moving their warehouse to NSB this week. Their new address is 560 Wayne Avenue. Pickup day is now Tuesday from 8:30am-12:00pm. Let's show Sophie's how much pet food New Smyrna Pet Lover's can provide to support them!!!

Around Town-Local Stuff

2012-04-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

Interesting stuff going on in NSB. Not quite sure I understand the inner workings of our City Council...empty property on North Causeway...someone wants to pay the city money to bring a riverboat hotel/restaurant here that would create jobs, maybe bring some visitors. It gets turned down....why? well someone else "might" want to lease the property. Funny up to this point one other person has tried to lease it, they were turned down too. Doesn't seem like there is a line forming to utilize this property and there is sure no urgency by the city to do anything with it.

On the good news front - Danny Veltri is back at Flip Flops, I keep hearing they are closing, but now it seems they are under new management and new menu. Let's hope so, hate to see another good restaurant close.

K-Mart is closed. Sad to lose all those jobs. The up side of that is we don't have to watch those guys riding the bikes up and down 44 with those awful signs anymore. So now there is like what one thing in that plaza? Call the bulldozers. It is an eyesore. Empty it will be really dismal.

I understand Dollar General is going into the old Food Lion on the beach side. Someone commented to me that they did not think they could sink lower than Food Lion. Well.......

The Ford Drive One Program raised $8,000 for New Smyrna Beach High School. That is good stuff!

The Varsity Baseball Team won the District Championship last night. That is great stuff!

Here is a pretty cool list of surf websites.

Starting next weekend, the 3rd Avenue beach ramp will be one way onto the beach from 9am-3pm. This is an experiment to see if it cuts down on traffic backups and gets people on quicker. You can still get off on 27th and Flagler.

That is all my rambling for tonight...I will seek out more fascinating and mostly useless information for you later in the week. Right now..the laundry awaits. Carry on!

Around Town-Weekend Events

2012-04-27T21:42:00.000-04:00

So much to do this weekend!

Art & Wine Walk on Flagler - Art starts at 10am, wine at 1pm.

Farmer's Markets in Old Fort Park and Norwood's

Jammin in the Park at Hawk's Park on Saturday to support the NSBHS Band 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Walk the Talk for Epilepsy Walk is tomorrow at 9am at Mary MacLeod Bethune Park. Registration starts at 8:00 am.

The NSB Police Department is holding a prescription drug take back program tomorrow at the Police Station from 10am-2pm. Expired, unused and unwante prescriptions can be dropped off, no questions asked.

There is racing on Saturday at New Smyrna Speedway.

Great Beach weather! Enjoy the weekend and support your local business!

Alice*

2012-04-27T19:19:00.000-04:00

The International Thespian Society Troupe 1903 of New Smyrna Beach High School has qualified for the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. This festival is June 25-30th. This is a huge honor and the students need to raise $20,000 in order to attend. The drama club will be holding two weekends of performances of their one act musical version of Alice In Wonderland.

It's called Alice* and it plays at the New Smyrna Beach High School Auditorium May 4, 5, 11, and 12 at 7 pm and May 6 and 13 at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and FREE for teachers and children under five. I am told that it is completely family friendly and a whole lot of fun. All your favorite characters will be brought to life. My favorite is the Mad Hatter (big surprise), but the March Hare, TweedleDee and Dum, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and the whole gang will all be there.

Come on out and support Troupe 1903. It will be great fun!