In a matter of a few years (this is its sixth) the Creekside Festival has grown into the county’s largest attraction of its kind. It’s benefiting from good weather and more recognition this year.
Leisure & Tourism
Color and Provocation Surf Through Hollingsworth Gallery’s Latest Show
The new show features eight local artists whose sensibilities range from explorations of the darkest human impulses to the brightest harmonies, with creative chaos in between.
“They Don’t Give a Damn”: Flagler Beach Wants Pier Restaurant Owners Who Do
A consultant’s report was as if tailor-made for Raymond Barshay, owner of River Grille on the Tomoka in Ormond Beach, to take over and remake the dilapidated Flagler Beach Pier Restaurant.
Palm Coast Hispanic Festival Ramps It Up From Puerto Rican Power to Colombian Folklore
The fourth annual Hispanic festival, held at Town Center over three days, aimed to exceed last year’s attendance of 10,000 despite an eventful weekend in Flagler County.
Flagler Beach’s Great Bed Race: The Nuttiness, The Bed-Hopping, The Photo Gallery
Flagler Beach’s second annual Great Bed Race featured 14 contesting beds with five contestants each, and plenty of bed hopping. The full photo gallery.
All Maya All the Time: How the Government Building in Bunnell Became Archeology Central
The four-day Maya at the Playa Conference at the county and school building gathered the leading experts in Maya archeology and history from nine countries and 29 states, drawing some 160 participants.
Remember: 3 pm Today, The Great Bed Race in Flagler Beach
The bed race will be preceded by a parade of the beds, all part of Flagler Beach’s fall celebration. The event raises money for Flagler County’s neediest children.
Census: Flagler’s Population Stalls at 91,600; 28% of Housing Units Vacant; Poverty Rising
The 2009 population figures mean that Flagler will almost certainly not cross into six-figure territory when decennial census figures are announced. Figures on housing, income, poverty and insurance were also released.
Income, Employment and Labor Data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 Census Bureau Community Survey
Detailed, charted table of the Census Bureau’s employment, income and labor data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 American Community Survey.
Palm Coast Consistently Beating Florida As Taxable Sales Indicators Continue to Improve
Tourism and retail sales, and fewer people traveling elsewhere to buy goods, are keeping Palm Coast’s taxable sales among the most-improved in the state, compared with 2009.
Joining Palm Coast, County Administration Disputes Arts Foundation’s Conference Center
The tourism council recommends spending up to $50,000 on a marketing study for the center. The county administration disagrees. It’ll be up to county commissioners to decide Monday evening.
Blaming Poor Sales, Sea Ray Lays Off 170 From Palm Coast Plant; Future Uncertain
The The Brunswick Corp.-owned boat manufacturer is one of the largest and best-paying private employer in Flagler County, and the beneficiary of generous local government subsidies and incentives.
Grumpily, Tourist Council Extends Aging Grant for Princess Place Preserve 1 More Year
The $35,000 matching grant from the council was awarded in 2006 to improve the preserve’s museum. It’s been poorly handled since, though the preserve’s value is indisputable.
Revving Up Speed Zones, State Tells Flagler: Manatees More Endangered Than Boaters
A local committee had recommended mostly hand-off, unregulated speeds on the Intracoastal. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission staff rejected the approach.
Palm Coast’s Waterfront Park, Carving Out Tranquility on the Intracoastal, Opens
See a photo gallery of Palm Coast’s newest jewel, the 12th in its collection of parks. It opens Saturday with special booths and walking tours around the 20-some acres.
Tourist Tax Increase Clears Key Hurdle With 4-1 County Commission Vote
The Flagler County Commission must now hold a public hearing on the increase of the tax from 3 to 4 percent, but the 4-1 vote suggests the measure is headed for approval.
Burned Just 4 Months Ago, County Cooks Yet Another Risky Deal With Ginn on Public Dime
The $4.75 million acquisition of 980 acres around Pellicer Creek is almost 10 times the land’s appraised value. Part of the buy rests on a creative but risky, long-term scheme.
In Split Vote, Tourism Council Approves Raising Bed Tax to 4% For More Marketing
The additional 1 percent would raise an extra $275,000 to $300,000, which the council wants to spend on more advertising for Flagler. Several council members objected, setting up a possible battle at the County Commission.
Harmonic Shock Meets Art at Hollingsworth Gallery’s “Music Is the Muse”
The latest show at City Walk’s Hollingsworth Gallery features works by 18 artists inspired by particular songs or pieces of music, which will also be playing–through Sept. 28.
“Burn the Koran Day” in Gainesville: When Crude Isn’t the Only Thing Mucking Up Florida
Terry Jones’ “Dove World Outreach Center” in Gainesville slimes Florida, but no more so than Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin are sliming American values in the name of the worst of Western civilization.
It’s Raining Taxes: Despite Rising Revenue, County Considers Increase in Bed Tax to 4%
The increase to 4 percent would fuel the backlash against other local tax proposals and increases.
Mia Bella’s Dancers: From Non-Existent to National Champions in Seven Months
Brie Valenti opened her Mia Bella dance studio last January at City Walk, and returned from a competition in Tennessee with two national trophies this week for her students and her choreography.
Ormond’s River Grille Owner Closer to Taking Over Flagler Beach’s Pier Restaurant
The iconic Pier Restaurant’s lease is up in two years. The city owns it. The city will negotiate with a new owner immediately, to the displeasure of locally owned Flagler Fish Company.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s Methods Assailed Again–Unjustly, Its President Says
“They didn’t come up with any substantial numbers, or at least verifiable numbers,” a tourist council member said of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s plans for a banquet center.
This Week in Orlando: Culture Worth The Miles
The British Invasion’s Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone, Henry James’ “Washington Square” on stage, Ntozake Shange, play, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide,” violinists Olga Feroni, and Julia Gessinger in “Strings of Passion,” and much more.
Tennis Tourney, Hispanic Festival and Maya Conference Cleared for Tax Subsidies
The $20,500 in bed-tax dollars will help the three organizations publicize their events in coming months.
Botox for Historic Holden House, Age 92
The $23,400 renovation will restore one of the county’s oldest buildings’ original color and windows and lend the Flagler historical society’s headquarters even more of a museum feel.
Sunshine Fusion: Florida Art, Music & History Merge in Landmark Symphonic Performance
Mark your calendars for this one: A uniquely Florida, uniquely artistic performance of “A Historic Portrait in Sound” combing painting, music and words Sept. 18-19 in DeLand.
Flagler and Volusia Unemployment Rising Again, Florida’s Dipping for 3rd Month
Flagler’s 15.4 percent unemployment rate makes it the second-worst in the state after Hendry County’s 16.1 percent.
Flagler Manatee Committee Report Concludes: Against Speed Zones. Just “Education.”
No surprise: a local committee stacked with boating advocates is recommending against most manatee-protecting speed-zone recommendations on the Intracoastal by a state conservation agency.
Florida Beaches Stay Open Despite Tar Balls and Sicknesses
Despite EPA warnings that some Florida beaches may be unsafe, people are taking to them–and getting sick.
Portrait of a Transcending Mind: J.J. Graham’s Hollingsworth Gallery Genesis
J.J. Graham is remaking Palm Coast’s art world through his Hollingsworth Gallery, which he opened at City Walk in January 2009. He’s remaking more than the art world.
How Marineland Got Public Dollars To Build a (Mostly) Private Marina
Marineland will spend $500,000 in public dollars to build a marina that will mostly benefit a private developer, though it will also help redevelop the town.
Raging Skies Redux: The Fireworks in Palm Coast’s Town Center
Palm Coast’s July 4th celebration starts in Town Center at 7 p.m. and culminates with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.
The Gods Must Be Crazy: Rain Slams But Doesn’t Stop Flagler Beach Parade
Clouds thicker than menace mobilized offshore, then struck, but the Flagler Beach Independence Day parade held on anyway.
Flagler Beach’s Independence Day Fireworks No Longer a Solo Act
Flagler Beach’s traditional Independence Day fireworks display will be held on July 3rd, and will be followed by another celebration in Palm Coast’s Town Center on July 4.
Tourism Panel Clears Half-Step Toward Palm Coast Arts Foundation Center, But Questions Persist
A $50,000 study is recommended for the smaller scale of a grand plan for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s arts, culture and conference center in Town Center.
Palm Coast Roller Derby Scrimmage Against Ocala in a First–and Set Sights on Carver Gym
Palm Coast’s first roller derby team falls to Ocala–and talks about moving to embattled Carver Gym in Bunnell.
Drill This: Hundreds in Flagler, Thousands Across Globe’s Sands Link Against Oil
The moment was as symbolic as it was literal: a human chain in Flagler Beach against off-shore oil drilling and for alternatives to fossil fuels.
Flagler Beach Again on Collision Course With Boating and RV Parking Regulations
It’s one of three issues–dogs on the beach and surfing near the pier are the others–that get Flagler Beach residents really, really ticked at whatever the commission decides.
The Epic Is Here: Bigwigs Sneak Preview Town Center Theater Tonight Before Friday Opening
The 14-screen theater in Town Center is opening to great anticipation for action on screen and, economically, beyond its walls.
Flagler Has 30 Days Left to respond to 5 Proposed Manatee-Protection Speed Zones
Flagler’s committee is at the half-way point of responding the state’s proposed speed zones in the Intracoastal.
Meet the 2010 Miss Flagler County Contestants
Your starting point to brief profiles of Miss Flagler County contestants in all age categories.
How the Oil Slick Is Fouling Florida’s Government Budgets–And What To Do About It
The oil spill is Florida’s 9/11. People won’t die. A way of life will. The Florida Legislature should be in crisis mode, not in recess, anticipating what to do next.