FloridImagine.Com Blog

In spite of the very un-Florida like cold, teams from around the south are getting ready for Pig Fest.

The freezing temperatures didn’t stop barbecue teams from setting up Wednesday and Thursday at Firemen’s Field for the annual Central Florida BBQ Festival, or Pig Fest, which begins at 8 a.m. today and ends at about 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The event is more than BBQ. Attendees will also be able to enjoy a live blues concert, tractor and classic car parade, hog calling, and of course food. Brave the cold and head out to Fireman’s Field, located at the corner of Kenilworth Boulevard and the Sebring Parkway across for Sebring High School.

No confirmation, but I just heard a story on the radio that said Cypress Gardens and Splash Island Water Park will close as of today.

Searching I found this at the News Chief:

After months of rumor surrounding the possible sale or closing of Cypress Gardens, the owners announced this afternoon that Florida’s oldest theme park is closing effective today.

The following statement was released by Bob Morgan, the park’s director of sales and marketing:

“From the earliest moment that our firm purchased Cypress Gardens and Splash Island Waterpark, our highest priority has always been to maintain the park’s beauty and protect its proud traditions as a mainstay of the state’s history and natural treasures. It is with these ideals in mind that we must announce that the park will be closed for business as of Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

“During the last two years, Land South Adventures LLC has explored numerous management frameworks and exhausted every possible approach to keep the park running in its traditional form. Now, we are in the process of negotiating with several potential purchasers and lessees for all or part of the property, and do not feel it is fair to our employees, the guests, or the public to continue operations heading into the fall with the future of the property in flux.

“We are optimistic that the outcome will be in the best interests of both the park and the residents of Polk County and the state of Florida.”

More on this when it becomes known.

Tropical storm Erika has formed in the Atlantic. Here’s what the National Hurricane Center had at 5am:

AT 500 AM AST…0900 UTC…THE POORLY-DEFINED CENTER OF TROPICAL
STORM ERIKA WAS ESTIMATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.0 NORTH…LONGITUDE 59.0
WEST OR ABOUT 280 MILES…455 KM…EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS.

ERIKA HAS BEEN MOVING GENERALLY WESTWARD NEAR 5 MPH…7 KM/HR…AND
A WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION AT A SLIGHTLY FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS
EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. ON THE FORECAST TRACK THE
CENTER WILL PASS NEAR OR OVER THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS DURING
THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH…85 KM/HR…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

The latest five day forecast track has the storm just north of the Bahamas by Sunday. We’ll be watching.

Good morning! Some of you may have wandered in from my post at bRight & Early. If you found us some other way, here is what I said over there:

I am looking for people who would like to write on Florida sports, events, news, people, and attractions. If you are a writer from here in the Sunshine State please let me know if you are interested in contributing.

It’s true. I’m looking for writers who would like to post on Florida people, places, news, and events. If you are interested in writing about these topics leave a comment with a valid email address (I’ll be able to see it, but it won’t be displayed for others), or send an email to blog at floridimagine dot com. Here’s what I’d like to cover:

• Florida Sports
• Florida Attractions
• Events, Entertainment, Night-Life
• Local News and Issues

I hope to hear from you soon.

Don’t forget, you can follow @FloridImagine on Twitter.

I was honored to participate in the 2,996 project remembering Neil Dollard in 2006. D.C. Roe, who organized the first blogburst, is coordinating the project once again.

There is a new website for the project: http://project2996.wordpress.com/

Please go by and sign up to honor one of the victims of that awful day. I encourage my fellow bloggers to please help spread the word as well.

Florida’s new primary seat belt law went into effect at midnight. They are serious about it, too.

The Florida Highway Patrol plans to strictly enforce the law that makes seat belt violations a primary offense. Police have been able to ticket unbelted motorists since 1986 but only if stopping them for another traffic violation such as speeding.

“We’ve always had a zero tolerance policy for some time and we’re gonna continue with that,” said Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Miller. “If we do stop you, you can expect a ticket. We won’t be giving any warnings.”

Troopers, though, will be passing out informational flyers to motorists on the road at their public offices to get the word out about the new law.

Motorists can be ticketed if either they or their front seat passengers fail to buckle up. All passengers under 18 also are required to wear seat belts regardless of where they are sitting.

The penalty is a $30 fine plus administrative and court costs.

I’m switching from “usually do” to “always do”.

Central Florida will be offering some of the best fireworks this weekends and several locations will be spectacular. Disney, of course, will put on a great show. Peggy Macdonald suggests some of the best viewing spots in the WDW complex, as well as some other tips for Disney firework viewing.

Don’t want to head to Disney? Alexa Crosby is counting down the July 4th in Central Florida; top 10 places to be for free or cheap.

There’s plenty to do, and plenty to see. Have a great Independence day!

We’ve upgraded the site to WordPress 2.8 and everything appears to be working as it should. If you see something that is not, please let us know.

We now return to our regular programing.

Fantasy of Flight is a great place to visit for die hard aviation enthusiasts or people with just a casual interest. And now Florida residents can see it for less.

Dads can get in free June 18 — 21 with the purchase of any full-price admission, including adult, senior or youth.

Florida residents can take advantage of $8 off discounts on adult admissions June 22 to July 31. Attraction visitors must present proof of residency. Meanwhile, the attraction is offering from July 1 to Sept. 30 a free admission with the purchase of a full-priced ticket for people who work in the service industry, which includes bars, hotels and restaurants.

I really recommend visiting Fantasy of Flight. The wide variety of exhibits will keep you and your family entertained for hours.

You can follow FloridImagine.com on twitter. We are @FloridImagine there.