Annual Salute to Pineapples, Rum and Sister City Connections

Max Leary, Robin Hicks-Connors, Christopher Cook (back),
Susan Culmer, Gary Guertin (back), Jody Clifford and
Kingley Bethel "backstage" after the live radio show.

Returning to a broadcast venue after a year has passed means a lot of catching up, and that is exactly what Talkin’ Tourism’s Gary Guertin and Robin Hicks-Connors did this show. Jody Clifford, Maritime and Classic Boat Museum’s executive director, brought listeners and the Talkin' Tourism team, up to speed on new activities, programs and member events, along with the scheduled exhibits visitors will find.

Moving along to the 3rd Annual Rum Runner Party, committee member and museum social media guru Christopher Cooke let us in on some of the fun, music, food and libations attendees will be treated to at this rum-inspired event planned on November 18 at The Mansion at Tuckahoe. It sounds like a party fit for the real Bill McCoy. This annual event is the museum's key fundraiser. Expect an array of extraordinary live auction items to be auctioned off by legendary auctioneer Karlin Daniels. What’s on the auction block? A stay in a private home in Hope Town on Elbow Cay, Abaco, as well as a vacation in a 17 million dollar private residence in Hawaii No skimping on these auction packages! For the right price, they could be your's.

With the kick-off of the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, Talkin’ Tourism was very grateful to welcome back several members of the Eleuthera/Jensen Beach Travel Club, who stopped by to say hello. Every year, the Jensen Beach, Florida/Gregory Town, Eleuthera Sister City relationship is celebrated. This brings a flock of Eleutherans to Jensen Beach to celebrate and provide “our” Pineapple Festival with an authentic touch of the “real Bahamas." As usual, past show guests Max Leary, Kingsley Bethel and Susan Culmer shared their enthusiasm for the Treasure Coast and why they like to return year after year. It's time for Treasure Coast adventurers to gather together and plan a trip to Eleuthera in June to visit the Bahama's side festival in June. Anyone ready?

So listeners and fans, pour yourself a rum libation, then sit back and enjoy your own personal episode of our annual salute to pineapples, rum and sister city connections!

Rum and Pineapples

It's been a while since we last broadcast a show from the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum located in Indian Riverside Park in Jensen Beach, Florida and this week that's where we will be broadcasting from!

In addition to showcasing one of the area’s best nautical museums, we'll be covering a great annual event they have in store for locals and visitors alike—the 3rd Annual Real McCoy Rum Runner Party! Based upon early  history, the theme is certainly fitting as the Treasure Coast area played a significant role in the ol’ rum running days. Museum executive director Jody Clifford will be on hand along with other museum leaders to share the good times that are being planned for attendee’s. 

Also, this weekend is a big weekend for a Sister City celebration. The Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, the largest festival on the Treasure Coast, kicks off this weekend. For over 20 years, Jensen Beach, Florida and Gregory Town, Eleuthera have celebrated their kinship as former major producers of pineapples, the international symbol of hospitality.Via the coconut telegraph, we hear that another strong contingent of Eleutherans are in town and will make a guest appearance on the show. It was a rockin’ show last year so we expect more of the same once again!

See you Friday morning at 10:05 am on WPSL 1590 AM or streaming live at www.wpsltv.com for this week’s broadcast of Talkin’ Tourism.

A trip to Gregory Town, Eleuthera in the Bahamas, summer travel tips, and travel rituals

Indeed the pineapples were sweet last week as special guest co-host Ed Griffith and Jensen Beach, Florida Chamber of Commerce executive director Ron Rose provided a marvelous recap of their experience at the recent Pineapple Festival in Gregory Town, Eleuthera. Amazingly, the Sister City relationship between Gregory Town, Eleuthera and Jensen Beach, Florida has been in existence for 21 years! This down home event, celebrates Eleuthera’s roots as a major pineapple producer and an island rich in Bahamian culture and history.

Ed and Ron focused on many details that made the trip so great, but the conversation always came back around to the extreme hospitality displayed by Eleutherans everywhere the two went.

The rest of the show was devoted to a random group of interesting and fun topics including a list of retailers and merchants who are helping travelers with the price of gas, what vacation destinations in the U.S. are the “coolest” (in more ways than temperature), what are some peculiar PDR’s (personal travel rituals) that some travelers perform, and last but not the least important, nine thrifty travel tips to help stretch your travel budget.

As always, it was great to have Ed in the studio and always a pleasure to share some time with the one and only Ron Rose.

The show's audio file will be posted as soon as it is available. See you all next week and thanks for listening!

Rum Running, Pineapple Rum and Lots of Laughter!

Rum Runners, pineapple rum, fundraisers, lots of laughs and nautical flea market were all topics of lively conversation and laughter this week!

Leading off the show, Maritime and Classic Boat Museum executive director Jody Clifford gave listeners the scoop on the museum’s origins, current happenings, and future vision for a new facility at Indian Riverside Park in Jensen Beach, Florida. As the show photos attest, if you have a “thing” for old boats and nautical memorabilia, put the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum on your "must see" list. 

With the cause well established, Chris Cooke gave the scoop on the upcoming Real McCoy Rum Runner Party. This 'spirited event' will be the talk of the town. Food, fun, entertainment and plenty of rum will ensure a good time by all attendees. Wrapping up the weekend will be a super Nautical Flea Market and Classic Boat Show. Committee member Julie Lentine described what to expect. Boating and marine enthusiasts, as well as their families, will enjoy this special day at Indian Riverside Park!

With the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival on everyone’s radar screen, what could be better than having seven visiting Eleutherans in the studio to share their perspective on Gregory Town, Eleuthera’s 20 year Sister City partnership with Jensen Beach, Florida! Lead Junkanoo’er Avian Morley headed up the conversation with his love of the Treasure Coast. Glenda Johnson, senior executive with the Eleuthera Ministry of Tourism, shared her impressions of 20 years participation in the event. Did you know there is a Jensen Beach Travel Club in Eleuthera? Max will tell you all about it. There are even Eleutheran high school students here that will spend time with the music students at Jensen Beach High School during their stay. And folks, those are just the highlights!

Download the November 5th show and share in the fun, good times and great information that made this show truly special.

Rum and Junkanoo--A PERFECT Combination!

Are you ready for some Junkanoo?
(PHOTO CREDIT: DeusXFlorida@Flickr.com.)

The season is starting to crank-up along the Treasure Coast and the Talkin’ Tourism crew is revving up to bring you all the action. Taking a quick road trip this week, show hosts Gary and Robin will be stopping by the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum located in Jensen Beach, Florida. This unique museum is home to some of the finest collections of maritime memorabilia and classic boats in South Florida.

A signature event sponsored by the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum is the Annual “Real McCoy” Rum Runner Party, which is slated for November 19th, 2010. Featured this week will be the museum's executive director, Jody Clifford, Rum Runner Committee member Chris Cooke, and Nautical Flea Market and Classic Boat Show Committee member, Julie Lentine. Collectively they will talk about future plans for the museum, describe the current collections and detail their collaboration with other local marine institutions and organizations. And of course, they'll give all the details on the Real McCoy Rum Runner Party, and the Classic Boat Show & Nautical Flea Market, which follows on November 20.  So, what does William (Bill) McCoy have to do with the Treasure Coast?  Myth, legend or fact? Expect History Lady to shed some light on this one.

Another huge festival on the Treasure Coast approaching this weekend is the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival. Celebrating 23 years and a 20 year Sister City relationship with Gregory Town, Eleuthera, Bahamas, Talkin' Tourism will have some Eleutheran friends in the studio! Avian Morely, lead Junkanoo’er, along with Glenda Johnson, Eleuthera Ministry of Tourism, and VIP Bahamian friends will share their relationship with the Treasure Coast and describe what they find appealing about our region. How is a Junkanoo costume made? Where does the word Junkanoo come from? These Bahamians will give listeners the real deal.

So fellow tourism fans, sit back and enjoy another round of Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond). It's the show that keeps you informed and entertained about things to do, places to go and people to meet on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond!). See you all Friday morning.

The Underwater World of the Treasure Coast

Goliath grouper residing on a Martin County, Florida
offshore reef, smiles for the camera.
Photo credit: Reefmaker Artificial Reefs.

Radio Man and History Lady have covered many topics dealing with “things to do, places to go, and people” to see ABOVE the sea. This week, hosts Gary Guertin and Robin Hicks-Connors will dive into things to do, reefs to explore and fishes to meet UNDER the offshore waters of the Treasure Coast! They won’t be suiting up with masks, fins, snorkels, weight belts and air tanks for this edition of Talkin' Tourism, but they will be talking with guest Glenn Hair, a PADI instructor with Deep Six Dive and Underwater Sports. With Glenn's supervision we'll explore the bounty, beauty and undersea adventures just waiting to be found in the waters of the Treasure Coast. From fantastic artificial reef systems to beautiful natural reef systems, join us for this underwater exploration.

In preparation for the show, Radio Man was wondering just how many visitors and locals take advantage of these wonderful resources? He's uncovered some numbers that will certainly encourage our regional tourism promoters to keep this niche “out in front” of our tourism promotional efforts.

Speaking of diving, there are many coastal clean-ups and other initiatives designed for the purpose of educating us not trash our coastlines, but what about the trash and debris that ends up under the sea? Meet Captain Don Voss, a Vero Beach diver and boat captain, who has established the not-for-profit organization Marine Clean Up Initiative, Inc. He will share with listeners a campaign he has organized to rid our ocean and our coastal environments of this debris and yes, you can help!

Now that we are getting closer to turning the corner of the winter season, spectacular events and activities are literally coming out of the woodwork. The Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, the Stuart Air Show, championship fishing tournaments, and a whole lot more. As always, Radio Man and History Lady will touch upon places to go and things to do, as well as so much more, on this week’s edition of Talkin’ Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast (and Beyond!). So, tomorrow at 10:05 a.m., tune your radio dial to WPSL 1590 AM or your Internet browser to http://www.wpsl.com/ to join us for another week of edutainment!

This Week, Three P's Took Center Stage---Pineapples, Pirates and (air) Planes

Gary and Robin were reunited this week back at the Elliott Museum “studio". Eventhough the crew was home, the show could not get into gear without first recapping the Talkin' Tourism adventures on Eleuthera last week. Without question Robin will be going to Eleuthera sometime soon as she continues her quest for exotic sportfishing locations. Right Robin?

Having gotten past the Eleutheran adventures Radio Man and History Lady launched in to this week’s show by introducing Mike Roberts, president of the Road To Victory Military Museum. Certainly Robin had lots to say as she IS the CEO of the Elliott Museum! The big news was Mike’s conversation about the upcoming Stuart Air Show, which the Road to Victory Museum is now commanding. Mike shared some interesting facts on what his group will be doing to inject some new activities into the very popular weekend event. It’s pretty cool stuff!

Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ron Rose was not shy about sharing what he feels makes the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival such a great success. Now in its 23rd year, the event will also mark the 20th anniversary of the “Sister City” relationship the town of Jensen Beach, Florida shares with Gregory Town, Eleuthera. Besides talking about the entertainment line-up, Ron gave details on the Bahamian Marketplacewhether event goers can expect a Junkanoo rush-out.

If you can swagger, and talk like a pirate, the Treasure Coast Pirate Fest may be just the event for you and your family. More about this popular event, which is in it's third year, in the show.

Here's the link to download or listen the audio file of this week's show. See you in a week for another action-packed hour of Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast (and Beyond)!

Pirates, Planes, Pineapples and Party!

As we begin to approach autumn, the calendar begins to fill quite rapidly with events and festivals for enjoyment by locals and visitors alike. Not wanting to get behind the proverbial eight-ball, this week Radio Man and History Lady talk fun, fun and more fun.

Back from Eleuthera, (be sure to check  out the Free Companion Airfare promotion) Radio Man and Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond) would be remiss if we did not talk about the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival. Slated this year for November 5-7, this year’s event marks te festival's 23rd anniversary and 20th anniversary of the Sister City relationship with Gregory Town, Eleuthera, home of the original Pineapple Festival. Ron Rose, executive director of the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, will discuss planned highlights for this year’s event.

One of the most popular events over the last ten years has been the Stuart Air Show, whose lead sponsor had been the Visiting Nurses Association of Florida. The big change this year is that the Road to Victory Military Museum is now the lead sponsor. This year’s dates are November 13-14. What, if any, changes are in store this year for this fabulous event?

The Treasure Coast would not be the “Treasure Coast” if it were not for our history of pirates, blunder and wenches. The Treasure Coast Pirate Fest, will be sailing into Downtown Stuart, Florida September 10-12. This festival will certainly please every scallywag, buccaneer, privateer and matey.

Like music? Ron Hart, the self-appointed Cultural Ambassador to Downtown Stuart, will share his excitement about “Rockin’ Riverwalk” coming in October for the winter season.

Tune your radio dial to WPSL 1590 or your computer's browser to www.wpsl.com at 10 a.m. for Treasure Coast fun and more on this week’s episode of Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast (and Beyond).

Oct 23 Show Recap: November full of fall fun on Florida's Treasure Coast!

Nothing to do? Then come to Stuart! Martin County is full of fall fun.

Dan Crow, the air show coordinator for the approaching Visiting Nurses Association Air Show, and Ron Rose, the executive director of the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, which produces the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival, both shared the guest microphone today to talk up their respective events.

Bookending the week of November 6 through the 15, the two festivals combined are expected to draw a total of 100,000 people. How close is that to the entire current population of Martin County? If you missed today's show, you'll be able to answer that question by downloading today's show (show audio will be posted in a day or two).

Ron Rose reminded us Gregory Town, Eleuthera, Bahamas and Jensen Beach are Sister-Cities—both with pineapple histories. Just one more Treasure Coast-Bahamas connection!

For more information on the events, here are links to the respective web sites: http://www.pineapplefestival.info/ or http://www.vnaairshow.com/

Happy birthday to who? Co-host Robin 'History Lady' Hicks-Connors took the upper hand as host Gary Guertin became the subject of an interview about 'Radio Man’s' involvement in the Tourism Industry in Martin County. How old is Gary? For that answer, download the show HERE. It's all there!

Last, but not least, there is always Robin's 'This Week in Martin County History' and 'What’s Hot This Weekend'.

It’s all about fun, good times and spreading the word about our fabulous Treasure Coast, Florida, and beyond. Don’t forget to thank a visitor, or valued-seasonal-resident for helping to keep Florida green.

'See' you next week on Friday at 10 a.m. for another show of Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast!

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PHOTO: Ron Rose and Gary Guertin check the Bahamas Information Map to view how close the Treasure Coast is to the island of Eleuthera.