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.

What's Tourism have to do with Bootlegging and Oil Rigs

OCTOBER 30 SHOW SUMMARY

The Real McCoy Rum Runner Party to celebrate the grand opening of the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum (formally known as the Maritime and Yachting Museum for Florida) spawned a conversation between Talkin' Tourism host Gary Guertin and co-host Robin Hicks-Connors about the real 'Real McCoy' and his legend on the Treasure Coast as a fisherman and part-time bootlegger/rum runner. There were some amazing and interesting tidbits of info tht can be very useful at a cocktail party this Season.

Anne Schmidt, chairperson for the Real McCoy Rum Runner planning committee and Allison Partin, a committee member specializing in recruiting local restaurants to provide samples of their specialties at events, described what is going to be a great event. The party takes place at Indian Riverside Park on Friday, November 13, begins at 6:30 p.m. and will "last until the rum has run out!" (That's the official wording straight from the postcard invitation!)

After the rum talk, the discussion turned to tourism's impact upon the Treasure Coast community. Host Gary Guertin expressed his opinion on whether the local community truly really appreciates and understands the importance of the tourism industry or not.

A few statewide issues surfaced during the hour. Not pleased that Florida is considering allowing the drilling for oil on the state's west coast? Then you may want to learn about 'Hands Across The Sands,' a grassroots effort fighting the drilling initiative. Next, listeners learned what has 1,094 brand new guest rooms and sits directly in the middle of International Drive in Orlando. If you missed the October 30 show, you can download and listen to it HERE.

Coming up this week, tune in to find out if Francis Langford aka 'History Lady' was a smash at the Meet Me at the USO party in downtown Stuart on Halloween night. Until then, be safe, have fun, and enjoy life and living on Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast!

Prohibition's "King of Rum Row" - Bill McCoy (The Real McCoy)

Closing out the month of October and the 'slow season,' this Friday, October 30, Talkin' Tourism host Gary Guertin and co-host Robin Hicks-Connors will talk up The Real McCoy Rum Runner Party (November 13th), an event celebrating the grand opening of the Maritime and Yachting Museum (MYM) of Florida's new galleries at the Francis Langford Pavilion, Indian Riverside Park, Jensen Beach, Florida.

Ann Schmidt, a MYM of Florida board member and event chairperson, along with committee member Allison Partin, will join us in the Talkin' Tourism studio to share party details. The last of the local 'Rum Runner parties Radio Man (aka Gary) remembers were Sunday afternoons on the banks of the Indian River at the infamous Mr. Laff’s of yesteryear. Who knows, History Lady (aka Robin) may just fill us in on all of the great Bill McCoy legends! For more information on The Real McCoy Rumm Runner Party, click on the poster below.

This week, Gary and Robin will also discuss a variety of tourism topics. Time permitting one of those may include a new four state alliance, comprised of North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The alliance is aimed at preserving and expanding coastal resources—the very resources the four states depend on for business and tourism. Other topics on the agenda: Florida lawmakers review of the $20-million pledged by the state for a animation studio at Tradition; the opening of the world’s largest Doubletree hotel in Orlando; and of course a continuation of the “Drill or Don’t Drill” discussion.

Will Gary survive the Owl's Howl Halloween Gala Ghoula at Harborage Thursday evening? What did he go as? What was the most extreme costume at the masquerade? And, what did the Harborage Yacht Club culinary team come up with for this year's event? To find out, tune in Friday, October 30 (WPSL 1590 AM or http://www.wpsl.com/) at 10 a.m. for another fun-filled show from the Captain’s Lounge at Harborage Yacht Club and Marina!