May is one of our very favorite months here in Paradise.
Spring break is over and the snow birds have mostly returned to their northern climes, where some have still encountered the last vestages of winter. It was a busy height of season, that persisted into the shoulder season as dropping room rates attracted families and retirees looking for some more affordable warmth after a long, cold and stormy winter for many. For an update on the area’s tourism see page 30.
We continue to enjoy the cooler morning temperatures, nights when we can turn off the air conditioning and let the breezes from the gulf bring fresh air into our homes. Afternoons in the high 70’s or low 80’s make it a a perfect time of year to enjoy all that the incredible Tampa Bay area has to offer. Summer is on the horizon, with the inevitable official launch of hurricane season on June 1. In preparation for that, St. Pete Beach is hosting a “Hurricane Forum” on May 12th at the St. Pete Beach Community Center and Gulfport on May 31st at the Catherine Hickman Theatre.
Memorial Day Weekend is May 26th – 28th. The Florida Orchestra celebrates the occasion with a “Patriotic Salute” Friday night at the Straz and Saturday at Mahaffey. Also Saturday night is the annual USO Dance at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. We will be there with some of our friends for the GI Jive Band performance from 7-11pm. Come join us!
We wish all women a Happy Mothers Day.
As all know, advertising is the lifeblood of this publication (and most others). Regular readers may have noticed an uptick in advertising in Paradise NEWS in the past few months. We welcome Gator Jim’s Tackle Outpost, Fort Desoto Canoe and Kayak Rental, Bamboo Beach Bar and the Snack Shack in Madeira Beach, Baycare, Lord’s Lighting & Solar, Custom Cafe & Catering, Crosslet Insurance, Jackie Grande and The Ideal Assistant to our happy advertiser family.
We hope to be making such welcome announcements more frequently in the coming months as we are presently interviewing sales people for the fall and winter season.
We also wish to thank our long time advertisers for their loyalty as we approach the quarter century mark of publishing what we are told daily has become your favorite publication.
As part of our Silver Anniversary Celebration, we plan to introduce some reward opportunities for readers and new subscribers to our electronic newsletter and more to come later.
Thanks to all of our readers for making Paradise News part of your monthly routine and for letting us know how much you enjoy our labor of love.