…Ken Hurley passed away on the eve of Christmas Eve, the second Patriarch of Pass-a-Grille to leave us in 2014. Gone, but not forgotten.
…The ESPN St. Petersburg Bowl was the ‘Bitcoin Bowl’ this year, played on the day after Christmas at the Trop. Junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the NC State Wolfpack made certain that the ACC’s first appearance in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl was a victorious one. Named NC State’s game MVP, Brissett completed 15-of-26 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown and Matt Dayes added a pair of rushing scores to lead the Wolfpack (8-5) to a 34-27 win over American Athletic Conference co-champion UCF (9-4) in the seventh annual St. Petersburg event. While the day started grey, it cleared up into a beautiful sunset and stayed perfect for days. The bowl helps fill a bit of a pre-holiday void at some of our resorts. The Zamora, Sirata and Alden were host hotels this year, and Madeira Beach hosted the Beach Bash two days earlier.
