Killer hits the airwaves to kick off summer tournament fishing season

The Harborage Yacht Club & Marina Reel Sassy
fishing team at last year's Frances Langford Memorial
Tournament, comprised of Heather Oblaczynski,
Dierdre Murray, Robin Hicks-Connors and
Desiree Mufson

It seems like just a couple of weeks ago we were getting ready for the 2009-2010 sailfish tournament season on the Treasure Coast.

But summer is just around the corner, and that means Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast is ready to hit the waters for this summer's inshore and offshore tournaments.

It sure feels like the summer season is kicking into gear earlier and earlier, especially with the number of tournaments added year-by-year. For decades, tournament fishing - and fishing in general - has been able to reel in both local and out-of-town fishermen who want to land some local catches. Martin County and the Treasure Coast are blessed with some of the most diverse fishing holes in this part of the country. With the Bahamas just a hop, skip, and a jump from most of the Treasure Coast and South Florida, the fishing crowd can't go wrong stopping by our area to try their luck.


On Friday, we'll get together with local fishing guru Ed Killer, whose headshot and byline are probably pretty familiar if you're a Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers subscriber. As the area's outdoors reporter, Ed is one of the best resources for the area's angler history and current fishing climate. Ed will hit on the key fishing happenings coming up, including the Frances Langford Memorial Inshore Tournament, the world-famous “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing” seminar this weekend, and a host of terrific tournaments hitting our shores in the next few months. Ed will shed some light on how the summer tournament scene shapes the area's marine and related tourism. And, per usual, no fishing topic is sacred when Ed's in the house.

Ever wonder how the fastest fish in the sea became know as a wahoo? Maybe Ed knows.

The man behind a 24-year Memorial Weekend staple, Greg McCampbell, will also stop by to talk about the Treasure Coast Builders Association's 2010 inshore and offshore tournament. Be sure to check it out what the chairman has assembled with his committee for the May 28-30 event at Pirates Cove Resort and Marina.

As always - well, most of the time - History Lady will be in the co-host seat with all of her regular segments, and Radio Man, a.k.a. Caribbean Cowboy, has your Bahamas update. Tune in Friday, 10 a.m. on WPSL AM 1590, or at http://www.wpsl.com/ and help Talkin' Tourism ring in the new fishing season!

From Golden Gate to Morocco, and hitting the road AAA-style

Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast learned how to help out at home by going worlds away this week, and it all comes down to a historic building in need of restoration in Stuart, Fla.

Flahama - the Bahamas-to-Florida tourism linkage - is one thing, but how could meandering through Morocco benefit the Treasure Coast? Sally Dadko, a world traveler and former Martin County Preservation Board chairman, and Saadia Tsaftarides, born in Morocco and now a Stuart resident, have brainstormed a plan to skip a continent away while supporting restoration efforts for the Golden Gate Building.

The pair plans to raffle off a trip to Saadia's home country, while the proceeds will help bring the Golden Gate Building back to its classic state from when it was first built in 1925. With Saadia as the hometown tour guide, the 8-day, 7-night Moroccan trip promises to peruse through some incredible history, culture, and maybe even a party or two with Saadia's family.

It was truly fascinating to learn what Morocco was up to in terms of bringing in tourism - many thanks, Saadia and Sally, for stopping by!

Padiddles, paduncles (both with surprising amounts of rules for being played inside a car) and the latest word on the American Automobile Association - or AAA - were the areas of expertise shared by guest Sandy Snyder, a 30-year veteran of AAA. Who would have guessed that an organization founded in 1902 to promote more roadways for Americans would lead to an organization 50 million strong in North America? Listen in to hear what AAA has in store for its members these days. They're not just the tow-truck and mapbook folks, that's for sure.

This week's show also recapped how a friend of Talkin' Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast is spearheading an children’s eco-project on the island of Bimini, who declared that “Fridays are Free” until September 30th, 2010, upcoming fishing tournaments in the Abacos, and most important, where History Lady ran off to last week.

As always, you can catch Radio Man and History Lady at 10 a.m. Fridays on 1590 AM WPSL, or http://www.wpsl.com/.

VISIT FLORIDA Insider blogs about Indiantown

Two show's ago, VISIT FLORIDA Insider Hilda Mitrani was a guest on Talkin' Tourism. After the show, Hilda set out off the beaten path to explore Indiantown in western Martin County. Check out her adventures in the heart of Florida's cattle and citrus country and the array of activities to be found.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Jim Morse

Road Trippin' with AAA and Moroccan the Kasbah

There 's no question that Americans have a love affair with the automobile. Since the invention of cars, we've passionately scoured our highways and byways, unearthing new experiences and adventures once unimaginable. Our old four-wheeled friend usually stirs up memories of car-packed-to-the-brim family vacations. Without a doubt, culture and lifestyle in the states have been molded by the modern automotive.

Everyone remembers - or was - that brother or sister: “Daddy, are we there yet?...Daddy, I don’t feel so good..." We counted padiddles (cars with one headlight) to pass the time. Stuckey’s and Pedro’s South of the Border billboards, The Berma Shave signs, all of these helped shape our family vacation memories on the open road en route to our personal Wally Worlds.

This week, Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast meets up with Sandy Snyder, who is dedicated to serving drivers on the Treasure Coast. Sandy, who works with the Stuart American Automobile Association, or AAA, can attest that AAA is more than just emergency road service, maps and tour books. Founded in 1902, AAA was a response to the lack of roads and highways suitable for cars, and has evolved from 1,000 original charter members to 50 million North Americans with AAA cards today.  

Our next guests will show how a trip more than 4,000 miles away can help preserve our local history. Sally Dadko and Saadia Tsaftarides will share their efforts to restore the Golden Gate Building, which was constructed in 1925, the year Martin County became Martin County. Sally and Radio Man have a long history of tourism related initiatives, including Martin County International Club. To raise funds for this preservation effort, the group is raffling off a trip to exotic Morocco, complete with a party hosted by Saadia's family! Saadia, who lives in Stuart, will lead a tour of the country, specifically her village, where her family will show how the Moroccans party at her grandfather’s Kasbah!

So listeners, get ready for another wild and informative show. And, by the way, we may even learn where History Lady went when she went underground last week.

As always, tune in Friday at 10 a.m. on WPSL AM 1590, or check us out online at http://www.wpsl.com/!

Photo from www.morocco-holidays-guide.co.uk