It's Sago Sports Bar Week in Destin!

This was a week where we spent a lot of time at Sago Sports Bar at The Palms. On Monday Sunshine Cindy and I met Julie, Matt, Ace, Chris and Kalab there to watch the hockey game. Rhett was there when we walked in. He loved our Crab Island Mambo tee shirts and ordered three from us. That was cool. Tommy had us all set up in front of the 100 inch TV’s. Izzy waited on us and took good care of us while we watched the game.

What a great game it was. Chicago came back to score two goals in 17 seconds with only about a minute left to win the game and the Stanley Cup. We went from planning where we would watch game 7 on Wednesday to thinking it was going to overtime to celebrating the Blackhawks win. It was a fun time with good friends.

The outside view of the pool area at Sago

Tuesday we stayed in. I was able to get more Mambo computer work done. Wednesday we were back at Sago delivering the tee shirts Rhett ordered. He lives in the condo. We got there and sat at the bar. Stephanie was working the bar. Rhett came down and picked up his shirts. Wednesday’s is ladies night at Sago. They had a live band playing outside and a DJ setting up inside for late night dancing. A decent crowd was coming in. Ladies drink free from 7 pm so that is a good draw. Tommy came and sat next to us. He was in rare form cutting up with everyone.

Sunshine Cindy and Ace

Tommy pointed out the Auburn football helmet they have on the wall. It was just autographed by Bo Jackson. It turns out Tommy and Bo are old friends. Bo has been going out on Tommy’s dads charter fishing boat since he was in college and he and Tommy became good friends. Bo was in town last week. Tommy had pictures of all them having dinner at Boschamps Oyster House and then back at Sago. Tommy says Bo is just a down to earth great guy who happens to have been voted the best athlete ever!

Crab Island Mambo is working on bringing in some Trop Rockers over the next few months. We have The Teddy Bear of Trop Rock, John Friday playing at Crab Island Cantina on July 20th from 3-7 pm. Put this date on your calendar as John always does a great show. We are working on a few other things too. I will announce them as they get firmed up.

John Friday

I have seen some pictures from the new Monkey Hut bar that opened on the harbor. It looks like it is going to be a fun place. Other than that place opening, everyplace else is going full blast as the town is packed to the gills with tourist. This weekend will see a big group come into town for the 4th of July holiday. Time to get some patience!!!

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!!!

Destin benefit for Baby Liam

The awesome summertime in Destin continues. The big event this weekend was the benefit on Sunday for baby Liam held on the harbor at the Tipsy Turtle. At first we were not sure it was going to happen. It rained all morning. They pushed the start time back but it worked out fine. The skies cleared and a big crowd came out to support one of Destin’s own. All the local fish-heads and Mambo’ians were there. I don’t have a final figure on what was raised but it had to be several thousand dollars. A great job by Missy and Whitney putting this together.

Prior to the Sunday Funday we were busy. Thursday evening I stopped at Landshark Pizza. A ton of takeout and delivery orders were coming in as Brian, Paige and Sue ran around keeping everything going. I had a pizza and chatted with some of the folks in there. As I left, a big thunderstorm was popping up. I had the top down on Badass so I left at just the right time. There were lightning bolts all over the sky as I drove home. Mother Nature put on quite a show.

All pics from the benefit

Friday Sunshine Cindy and I headed to Panama City Beach. My cousin Steve and his wife Jane were vacationing on the beach. We met them at the Barefoot Beach Club. Our Trop Rocker friend Gene Mitchell was playing. We had a great time with them. It had been several years since I had seen Steve and Jane. We laughed, drank, danced and told old stories. Steve talked to a 90 year old guy who was sitting at the bar. He was in fantastic shape. We talked to a couple that had recently joined the PCPHC. Randy and Liz were super nice folks. All in all we had a blast.

As we drove back to Destin, we decided to stop in at Fridays for a night cap and some snacks. Brittney was behind the bar. We had not seen her in a while. A guy came in and sat across the bar. Turns out it was Cajun Mike. He came and joined us. We talked and finished our snacks. It was late and time to head for home.

Thanks Sherrie and Matt for hosting this event

Saturday we didn’t have anything planned. I know, you don’t believe it. We got a lot of things done around the house but as the afternoon wore on we got the itch to do something. We decided we would go to Sago Sports Bar to watch the hockey playoff game. Julie was joining us. Sunshine Cindy and I got there first and noticed the bar was packed with people in suites and black dresses. It was a private party for Edmund James. Okay, time for plan B.

We called Julie and we decided to head to Landshark Pizza to watch the game. She U-turned and got there first. We had a great seat at the bar with a big TV right next to us. We stayed and watched the entire game. It was a great game that went right down to the wire. Between Sue, Kenny, Trish and Bree, they kept everyone in the place happy. A lot of food and drinks were being consumed. Chicago won the game. I have a lot of Chicago friends so I am rooting for them. One more game to go.

Cajun Mike made it here too

Sunday we stopped at the Freaky Tiki Bar after we left the Turtle. Ricki was behind the bar. Wade was doing a shrimp boil. Scotty and some of the local “Harbor Dock Queens” were in there. Wayne was with us and we talked about Sunshine Cindy and my wedding plans a little. The night was real nice. We walked back to the car. Tim from Aloha Pontoon rentals let me park Badass in his lot so we had a convenient upfront spot. On the way home we passed the ice cream place Shakes. I could not believe how busy it was. There must have been 50 people there. Wow!

Scotty was in the house

This weekend there was a Blue Marlin fishing tournament out of Baytowne Wharf. A 613 pound monster was caught. What a fish that was. Also this weekend the Monkey Hut bar opened. It is where the old KJ’s was down on the harbor. We will get by there soon and give an update. I also heard Johnny O’Quigley’s has changed their menu and name. They are now O’Quigley’s Seafood and Steamer. They will have a lot of seafood on the menu. I am interested to see how that goes with the sports bar theme they have.

We are getting ready to head to Sago Sports Bar to watch tonight’s hockey game. Have a great week. See ya Thursday….

Here we go Destin....

A lot has been happening in Destin this week. Monday night Sunshine Cindy and I met Julie, Matt and Ace at Sago Sport Bar to watch the Blackhawks and Bruins hockey game. We saw Tommy there and Izzy took good care of us. It was a good game. Ace had a great time. He takes after his dad big time!

Tuesday we stayed in but on Wednesday we headed down to the harbor. We had not been down there for a couple of weeks. Our first stop was the Tipsy Turtle to grab a cold one from Matt. Tony was sitting there and showed us a picture of a huge fish he caught. Another guy showed us a picture of a 26 lb Red Snapper he caught. The fish are hitting for sure.

Matt with his "Kenny" 'stash...

As we left the Turtle we stopped at The Sinkin’ Weenie to talk to Brian. He is happy with the advertising he is doing with us on the Crab Island Mambo web site. He is a nice guy and seems to be doing well. Stop by and grab a bite to eat the next time you are on the harbor.

Sunshine Cindy and I walked down to Crab Island Cantina. As we walked by the old Lucky Snapper building they now have an artist rendering of the new Margaritaville hanging in the lower level. It looks like it is going to be awesome. As we passed Harry T’s we saw Michele working the outside Dave’s Dogs booth. We chatted with her for a while. At the Cantina Kyle was working. We had not seen him in a while also.

Judy came over and talked with us about some future plans we want to make. All I can say is keep May 17, 2014 open on your calendar! We stayed for a while enjoying the view and watching all the people come and go.

100 inch TV at Sago Sports Bar

As we walked back up the harbor we stopped in at the Crazy Lobster to see Jesse. The inside was empty with just a few folks outside eating. Jesse said the crowds seem to come in later. Sure enough, in the hour or so we were there the place filled up. One group alone must have had 20 people. I was shocked how fast it filled up. I got my Abita Amber fix and off we went back to the Turtle.

It was not so hectic down on that part of the boardwalk. We talked to Matt for a while. Missy came by. She is the driving force behind the special benefit they are having on Sunday at the Turtle to help a local family with medical bills from the premature birth of their son. Come down to the Turtle Sunday to help support these folks. Kerby also stopped by as people were out enjoying a beautiful night.

The new Destin Margaritaville

We made one more stop at the Freaky Tiki bar. Scott is now the bar manager there. Bonnie was working the bar and they had a decent crowd in there. We talked to a tourist from Houston who was there with his daughter. The guy with the crawfish boil was there. He was closing down and gave us a couple of cups of his food. Man it was good! All in all it was a fun time on the harbor.

News continues to swirl in Destin about Dolly Parton opening some type of dinner theater. They have bought up a lot of acres and are now tearing down some buildings including an old bank building. No one is officially saying what will be built but I suspect we should know something soon.

I mentioned the new Margaritaville above. A lot of work is now going on there. They hope to be open before the end of the year. The new zip line at Harborwalk is close to opening too. The towers are done and they have lines running between them now. A new rock climbing wall is almost done too. Pretty soon you won’t be able to move down there.

Ed with his booty

Have a great weekend. I hope everyone will join us Sunday at the Turtle for the benefit. A full report on Monday on all the fun. See ya then….

Summer comes to Destin

The weather is now in full time summer mode in Destin. Hot and humid during the day, warm and humid at night and a chance of thunderstorms every day. I love it!

Sunshine Cindy and I started the weekend on Thursday by stopping at Landshark Pizza. Kenny and Brian were sitting at the bar. Sue, Paige and James were working. There was a steady stream of folks coming in and many takeout orders were being called in. We have run into Kenny a few times lately. He runs some of the liquor stores in the area. A unique guy. He had a bag of hot peppers that he grew. I tried one and it was HOT. When we left the evening was perfect. A lot of traffic was still around as we rode home under the stars.

Wayne Toups

Friday night was a fun time at Sago and The Palms Condo. Wayne Toups and his Cajun band was playing. I think every Cajun in Destin was there. Sunshine Cindy, Julie and I got a table right up front. At a table next to us was a couple from Louisiana. They had heard Wayne many times back home and were glad to see he was here that night. The show was great. It was non-stop energy. I love how much fun Cajun music is. We had a decent breeze and when the sprinklers came on, it really cooled us off! LOL

Saturday was beach cleanup day. Sunshine Cindy stayed home but I got to the beach at 9:15 am. John, Bo and Wayne had just got there. The parking lot was already getting filled up by the time I pulled in. We had a good turnout of about 20 folks. We did our cleanup and then partied on the beach. I have never seen so many people on the beach as there was on Saturday. The weather was great so all the tourist made it to the sand. The water was a good temp. It took a bit to get used to then it was fine.

Beach Cleanup

Ed and Barb were there with us. Ed has an ability to find sunglasses and goggles under the water. He would walk in about waist deep water looking down and he would find a treasure trove of items. He must have found over a dozen sunglasses, 5 or 6 goggles and some headbands…All items that were lost in the surf. I have never thought to look for those things. I guess you can say our beach cleanup extended into the surf!

Saturday evening Sunshine Cindy and I headed to South Walton county for a beach party. Yes, I spent most of Saturday on a beach somewhere. Larry was having a surprise birthday party for Debra on the beach. It turned out great. He had a beach service set up everything including cooking a low country shrimp boil and have a bon-fire after the sun went down. The guys doing the cooking looked like they came from a hippie commune from the 60’s. It was all “hey dude” come and get it! LOL  It was a great time on the beach with wonderful friends.

Debra's beach party

Sunday we stayed home. I published the Crab Island Mambo Mullet Wrapper. You can read it here: http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Mullet-Wrapper-June-2013.html  In the afternoon Sunshine Cindy’s parents came over so we could celebrate Fathers Day. We had bought 3 lbs of shrimp, wings, pasta salad and some other snacks too. It was a nice visit.

Make plans to be at the Tipsy Turtle this Sunday. There is going to be a benefit to help a local Destin family that has mounting medical bills due to the premature birth of their son Liam. He was born weighing only 1 pound and 7 ounces. Liam was only given a 5% chance of living but he is beating the odds. Come down to the Tipsy Turtle on the harbor Sunday from noon to 6 pm. There will be a silent auction and raffle items with tons of awesome prizes. Matt and Mindy will be playing music and any all donations will be appreciated.

On Saturday there will be a “Pub Crawl Bingo” event hosted by GUSU, AJ’s and Destin Accounting Group. A $25 entry fee ($30 the day of the crawl) gets you registered for this fun event. Go to Facebook and search events for all the details.

Plan to be at one or both of these events this weekend. Let me know if you need any info on how to help one of our own! 

Square Grouper in Destin

This has been a week of playing catch up since I got home. A lot of things are going on in Destin now that it is summer. For one the tourist are here in full force. The economy looks pretty good judging by the number of people spending big bucks to come to Destin. Our roads, restaurants, bars and shops are packed. The harbor boardwalk area is full of folks from Crab Island Cantina all the way to the yacht club. A lot of people have money to spend.

Tuesday I met Sunshine Cindy for lunch at Friday’s. Rick was working and as soon as I walked in he congratulated me on the engagement. That was nice. Sunshine Cindy met me and we had lunch. After lunch I went home to finish unpacking and taking care of everything from the trip.

Cheers!

Tuesday night we went to Landshark Pizza. We wanted to get some of the wedding plans in place. Sue, James and Becca were working. Brian was on his usual bar stool. Sunshine Cindy and I grabbed a table. We spent time making plans. We have a date in May in mind. If we can secure the location we want to hold the wedding it we will make it official. It was a nice evening. As we left, there was still a lot of traffic on the roads as people were coming and going.

Wednesday was spent at home. I had Crab Island Mambo work to do and I wanted to watch the start of the hockey finals between Chicago and Boston. I expected a great game and I was not disappointed. This is going to be a fantastic series.

Crab Island Girls

The big news in Destin this week was the Square Grouper caught off the East Pass in the Gulf of Mexico. Square Groupers are more command down in the Keys but we get some up here from time to time. Square Grouper is not a fish but rather a bale of drugs packaged into waterproof bricks and wrapped in a bale. Some fisherman found this bale floating in the Gulf and brought it to the Coast Guard station. It had 25 Kilo’s of cocaine worth an estimated $2.5 million. That is a big haul taken off the streets.

The other news on the restaurant/bar front is the old Club Overboard sale to A.J. Tusa, who owns Crazy Lobster and several other places in town, is not going forward with purchasing the building. The For Sale sign is back up as this place continues to stay empty.

Parrothead Fun!

Crab Island Mambo with the ECPHC will have a beach-up this Saturday at Beachwalk #2 on Okaloosa Island. Come out and join us. Clean-up starts at 9:30 with a beach party to follow.

Have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

Put in Bay, Ohio - Phlocking Fun!

I know the blog is a day late but it was a long travel day yesterday. Due to delays, I didn’t get home till almost midnight. But anyway, it was a great trip. I had to go without Sunshine Cindy as her schedule would not allow her to go and I missed her not partaking in the fun.

My first stop was in Cleveland where I visited with my family. The first night I went out to dinner with my Mom, my Aunt and my Uncle. I had not seen them in years. It was an enjoyable time having some great Italian food. The next night my brother and his family came over. We visited a while and then headed to dinner. My niece Emily graduated a couple of days earlier so it was a chance to celebrate with her.

Wayne and Jerry

Thursday Wayne and I headed to Put in Bay, Ohio. It was cold and rainy but that didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. The Kaley’s put on this fun event called Phlocking of the Phaithful. A couple of hundred people register for it and make the trip to PIB. Jerry Diaz opened the musical entertainment. As he tried to get the sound right he enlisted me to help. There I was on stage repeating over and over…check 1,2,3 check 1,2,3…till everyone was about to throw me off the stage. Jerry finally got it right and put on a great show.

It was a pretty late night as Wayne and I hit several of the local establishments on the island. We passed Bob Bannerjee as we walked by the Roundhouse Bar and we all went in. Bob was crazy and we all had a good time. Wayne and I ended up at the Beer Barrel Saloon. They have the longest bar in the world. Something like 450 feet or so. We watched some drunk dude basically pass out on a bar stool. Security and the cops got him out of there.

Rich found a new use for the Crab Island Mambo koozie

Friday the fun continued with Rich coming over from Detroit. He is an old friend of Wayne’s. It was a full day of music and going from one place to another. The temps were still cold. It only got up to 58 during the day. We managed to find a way to keep out of the cold though. I was glad I brought several long sleeve Crab Island Mambo Tee’s with me. They were perfect to ward off the cold. I ended up at the Beer Barrel where some young guy started talking to me. I guess he was surprised to see an old man there at 1 am! He asked me my age and said he wants to be just like me when he gets to be my age. I THINK that was a compliment! LOL

Saturday it warmed up and the island got packed. I think every golf cart on the island was rented. How some of these kids don’t get themselves killed is beyond me. Youth and booze is not a good combination. The Phlocking fun continued all day and into the night. We packed the Boardwalk to listen to Corned Beef and Curry play late night. Wayne and I closed down the Boardwalk and we walked over the Put in Bay Brewery. We ended up closing it down too. I don’t know where we get the energy from.

Bob playing the fiddle at the Boardwalk

Sunday was more laid back. Corned Beef and Curry were playing an afternoon show at the Boardwalk. About the time they were finishing a big group of Phlockers came in. The party was on at that point. They played longer to the delight of the crowd. A group of us left there and headed to Mojito Bay. From there everyone went to the houses at the Island Club to help finish off food and drinks. Michele took Todd and John from the band plus Wayne and myself there in a golf cart. It was a crazy ride as Todd and John are really funny.

As we left the Island Club house Michele and her husband John rode us back to the Boardwalk. Wayne joked about taking us around back and here goes John between dumpsters and into an alley that was barely big enough for the cart to fit though. It was a wild ride. The rest of the evening was pretty laid back since we had to travel on Monday. 14 hours or so later and I was home.

John and Todd relaxing at Mojito Bay

Back in Destin while I was gone there were several deaths from people drowning in the gulf. Rip Currents were very bad and people ignored the red and double red flags. I have heard tourist say they spent their money to come on vacation and they were going to swim no matter what.  Mother Nature is powerful and you have to respect her. We have lifeguards risking their own lives to try and save these people. Come have a good time on our beaches but look at the flags and don’t become a statistic. Sorry to close on that somber note but this is not Disney where everything is perfect.

Okay, time to get back into the regular routine. See ya Thursday….

On the road...

I have made it to Ohio. The flights to Cleveland were uneventful except for the original flight out of Ft. Walton being delayed that caused our connection in Atlanta to be tight. We made it without issue.

Wayne is traveling with me. He is seeing his Mom while I visit with my Mom. Wayne's sister Becky picked us up at the airport and took us to get a rental car. When Wayne dropped me off at my Mom's it was about an hour or so before I thought we would make it as we made good time.

The weather is cool but sunny. It was in the 40's last night. When we hit Put in Bay for Phlocking of the Phaithful it will be low 70's during the days and 50's at night. I think I will survive! LOL

Back in Destin, the Destin Log officially announced the new Margaritaville will be opening in late 2013. Buffett meets the Destin harbor!

Crab Island will be in full swing this weekend too. With Bowlegs done all the attention will turn to Crab Island with bands, food and fun each weekend.

This is a short posting (and a day early and no pictures) as we head to Put in Bay tomorrow morning. Let the fun begin on the island in the middle of Lake Erie!

A full report on Monday after I get back! See ya then!!!

Billy Bowlegs weekend

What a weekend in the Destin and Fort Walton Beach area. It was the Billy Bowlegs pirate festival weekend in downtown Ft. Walton. It started on Thursday night with a kids walk, a pub crawl for the adults, a parade and a zombie costume contest. Sunshine Cindy and I had an appointment to get her ring on order so we could not partake in all the fun. As I drove through the downtown area on my way home from work about 4 pm the crowds were already building. I am sure it became pretty nuts there a while later.

Harborwalk Village in Destin started their Thursday night “Red, White and Blue” celebration that ends with a big fireworks show over the harbor. This draws huge crowds to that area snarling traffic as everyone looks for a place to park. Hwy. 98 is pretty much a parking lot in Destin during the tourist season.

Kelly and Julie at Landshark Pizza

When we left the jewelry store we headed to Landshark Pizza. I jumped on the back roads to avoid the mess on 98. At Landshark Paige was almost as excited as Sunshine Cindy about the ring. I took some pictures of it and she loved it. James and Kenny were also working. Brian was having a few beers and there was a decent crowd there. We had some food and decided to leave when a little league baseball team came in. It was going to get real busy!

At home we sat on our porch and could listen to the concert coming from the Mattie Kelly center. We could hear it almost perfectly. It sounded like a big crowd was there too. So on a Thursday night in the Destin area you had pirates and fun in Ft. Walton, a big party on the harbor and a concert at Mattie Kelly. No wonder traffic was a mess. LOL

The Parrotheads getting ready to march in the parade

Friday was the fireworks in Ft. Walton Beach so the harbor was not as crazy as normal. Sunshine Cindy and I went to the Tipsy Turtle to meet Bob and Darla. We had a nice time talking to them. The weather was great. Matt was his usual funny self. Kenny and Leanna stopped by too. During the spring, the “Sinkin’ Weenie” food boat was moved down in front of the Turtle. It has a good selection of food. Sunshine Cindy and I had some hot dogs. They were a special for Turtle customers at 2 for $5. A good deal and the dogs were good too.

From the Turtle we walked down to the Boathouse where Kenny and Leanna had gone to. Another “Ken” was there that we recognized. Shanae from TGIFriday’s was also there with a girlfriend. Jason was playing some good country music. We had a good time.

Hank and Jane (Thanks for the pictures Jane)

Saturday was a mixture of work and play. I posted the Crab Island Mambo May events pictures. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/May-2013-Crab-Island-Mambo-events.html  Sunshine Cindy was working on some housekeeping. In the afternoon I headed to the harbor to talk to some folks about advertising on the Mambo web site. Of course I ended up at the Tipsy Turtle. Tommy was there. A good crowd sat around the bar. Cory was working the bar then Matt came to take over for the night. I watched a steady stream of people stop at the “Sinkin’ Weenie” getting food, drinks and ice cream. It looks like it will be a good fit down there.

The "Sinkin' Weenie"

My friend Steve stopped by and we talked for a while. He is a funny guy. We left the Turtle and I stopped at the Freaky Tiki. Bonnie was taking over behind the bar. Scott was there too. Wade was cooking up some crawfish. He is a true Cajun and the smell of the crawfish told me he had it down pat! I stayed for a while. It was long enough to watch a drunk chick stumble in. She had a friend to take care of her but it was funny. I made a stop at Landshark Pizza on the way home. They were slammed with pick-up and delivery orders. Almost no one was in the restaurant but the pizza oven was constantly full as Kenny made one pie after another.

The Tipsy Turtle is back!!!

Sunday was a nice relaxing day. We dropped some stuff off at our storage building, had some lunch at Friday’s and then went to the pool for several hours. A bunch of our neighbors were there. It was a gossip session for the ladies.

I will be on the road to Ohio to see family and a Parrothead party on South Bass Island this week. The Thursday blog might be early if I can find a computer. See you then….