Art Fiesta in New Smyrna Beach!

Art. Music. Food. Fun. 

The 54th annual Art Fiesta is this weekend at Old Fort Park in New Smyrna Beach. More than 250 fine artists and crafters will set up in and around the park and the historic district. The Art Fiesta will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., February 27-28, across from City Hall at 210 Sams Ave.

Old Fort Park and surrounding side streets will be lined with fine artists and crafters. There will also be food, stilt walker, face painting, balloon art, and live music.

Saturday Music Schedule

9:30 - 11 a.m.  Matheus Duarte

Noon - 2 p.m.  MaxQ Band

3 - 5 p.m. Vivacity

Sunday Music Schedule

10 - 11:30 a.m.  Don Nedobeck Trio

12:30 - 2:15 p.m. The Jam - Jeremy & Andrea Mix

 3 - 5 p.m.  Ronnie Rogers Band

There is public parking in the historic district and a few public lots, which are listed on this map. 
The New Smyrna Beach Farmers Market will be displaced for the day. You can find it in the First Baptist Church parking lot, just one block west of its usual location, on Faulkner Street.

Admission to the fine arts and crafts show is free. For more information, please call the City of New Smyrna Beach Parks and Recreation Department at 386.424.2175, or log on to www.cityofnsb.com

 

Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells 

Happy Valentine's Day - Things to Do with Your Love!

Happy Valentine's Day from Creative Florida Living! Celebrate love, whether you are in a relationship or single. We have put together a few suggestions for you on this heart-filled day! 

This year Valentine's Day is on a Sunday, which lends itself to doing something extra special for you and your significant other, or, if you are single, for yourself!

From your standard romantic fare, to exhilarating nights at the speedway, the Daytona Beach Area is sure to have something for YOU this Valentine’s Day.

For an elegant evening with beautiful views, try the Chart House. Fine dining with lots of atmosphere is sure to get the romance going. Call for reservations because they fill up quickly!

Lobsters mate for life! Well, not this lobster...

Adam’s Kitchen a unique small restaurant in Port Orange, is offering its Valentine’s Special on Friday, February 12. Call to reserve your spots for a gourmet dinner to remember! Adam's you will get friendly service paired with exceptional food and fabulous wines.

Daytona’s art movie house, Cinematique, is offering Wuthering Heights as a Valentine’s Day special at 2pm – ultimate romance! Heathcliff! Heathcliff!

For some adrenaline and excitement, visit the famous Daytona Beach Speedway. On Valentine’s Day, you can experience the Daytona 500 Qualifying – where the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 is determined. Exciting stuff!

Of course you can’t forget to buy some unique local chocolates at Angell & Phelps.

Pick up a bottle of wine or bubbly at Wine-Me on Beach Street and while you’re there, enjoy brunch with bottomless Mimosas on Valentine’s Day! 

Whether you are visiting or you live in our beautiful coastal area all year round, there is something for you and your love on Valentine’s Day!

 Creative Florida Living

Janet Sells 

Lunch on the Farm

Farm to table events are becoming increasingly popular as awareness about our agriculture and food industry is rising.  More and more people are seeking out local, organic, sustainable produce from local farmers markets.

Outdoor farm-to-table experiences bring the freshness of fields and orchards directly to your table. Chefs procure bountiful ingredients from local farms and prepare simple but beautiful dishes for guests to savor while sitting near fields, orchards, and ranches where some of the ingredients were harvested. These special experiences not only deliver amazing meals in unforgettable settings, but also a chance to see and learn firsthand how farmers and ranchers make the most of organic, sustainable farming. 

Lunch on the Farm

One such event is coming up on Sunday, February 21, 11AM at Tomazin Farm in New Smyrna Beach! Lunch on the Farm is an annual event hosted by the Port Orange Cooking and Wine meetup group.

Tomazin's Farm - a family owned, third generation Florida  farm. The Tomazins practice sustainable, organic agriculture and sell their produce at many markets, to restaurants, and to Florida Hospital.

Upon everyone's arrival on the farm on February 21, you can enjoy a refreshing beverage and a few farm-fresh munchies during introductions.

THEN Paul Tomazin, the so called “barefoot farmer” himself, will give you a tour of his farm, where the most amazing organic vegetables are grown. You may have the opportunity to pick and purchase some of that awesome produce directly at the farm.

After the tour, you will sit and enjoy a farm-fresh buffet-style lunch which the event organizer, Alicia and I, Janet, will have prepared for you! There will be lots of vegetarian options and refreshing drinks!

Lunch will be enjoyed al fresco - rain or shine (in the case of rain, we will be under cover)!

Event price is $25 for adults (children’s prices are available) and includes lunch, drinks, farm tour, and the unforgettable experience. 

To purchase tickets, click HERE.  Seating is limited and the event fills up fast – so hurry!

Lunch and drinks are included in the price. If you wish to purchase produce, please bring cash.

• Lunch on the Farm
• Farm-to-table event with food, drinks, and farm tour
• Sunday, February 21, 2016, 11AM
• Tomazin Farm - 191 South Cucumber Lane, New Smyrna Beach, FL 
• Cost: $25 for adults

 

Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells 

Manatees - Florida's Gentle Marine Mammals

The Florida manatee, Florida’s state marine mammal, is a large aquatic relative of the elephant. Like other grazing animals, Florida manatees play an important role in influencing the plant growth in the shallow rivers, bays, estuaries, canals and coastal waters they call home.

  

Here are some manatee facts: 

• There are three different species of manatee
• Manatees are closely related to elephants
• They only live in warm water
• Manatees are found along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Brazil
• Manatees are born underwater.
• They can stay under water for up to 20 minutes
• Manatees are herbivores
• Manatees eat 10% of their body weight a day.
• A 1,000-pound manatee will eat about 100 pounds of plants every day
• Their gestation period is 12 months.
• Babies stay with the mother for about a year
• Manatees have no natural predators
• Humans are their biggest threat

Habitat loss is a big problem for manatees, as are run-ins with human objects or vehicles. Manatees can get stuck in fishing gear or accidentally eat fishing line. Motor boats are especially problematic, as manatees are too slow to get out of the way of their sharp propeller blades.

Three different laws help protect them: The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, all of which make it illegal to kill or hurt a manatee in the United States.

These laws and the reduction of boating speeds are paying off: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just proposed that the West Indian manatee be moved to "Threatened" from "Endangered." 

Learn more about manatees by visiting the Save the Manatee Club 

You can become a member, adopt a manatee, inform yourself, and find out where to see manatees. 

Blue Spring Park

One of the most ideal places to view manatees in their natural surroundings is Blue Spring Park. 

Blue Spring State Park includes the largest spring on the St. John's River. Blue Spring is a designated Manatee Refuge and the winter home to a growing population of West Indian Manatees. During manatee season, which approximately runs from mid-November through March, several hundred manatees can be viewed atop the spring’s overlooks. The spring and spring run are closed to all water activity while manatees are present during this time.  Swimming or diving with manatees is not permitted; this rule is strictly enforced.

Travel times are fairly minimal:

From

Port Orange 30-40 minutes

New Smyrna Beach 40-50 minutes

Daytona Beach Shores 50 minutes

 

Creative Florida Living 

Janet Sells