New Smyrna Beach Mom

Wonderland Children's Theatre

2013-05-19T20:02:00.002-04:00

Once again this summer the Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach is holding the very popular Wonderland Theatre Summer Camp. There are camps for ages 5-15 and are held at the theatre on 3rd Avenue in New Smyrna Beach. Get more information and register here.

NSB Summer Skate

2013-05-19T12:32:00.002-04:00

Learn to skate this summer at New Smyrna Skate Park. This youth camp offers skateboarding lessons, safety instruction and arts and crafts. Lunch also is provided. They will offer week long sessions that run daily for 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. The park is located at 254 Industrial Park Avenue. It is open to students age 6 - 14 years of age. The cost is $105.00 for city residents and $110.00 for non residents. You can register your child at the NSB Rec Department at 1000 Live Oak Street or go online.

Get more information by calling the New Smyrna Beach Recreation Department at (386) 424-2175 or the NSB Skate Park at (386) 427-8417.

June Turtle Watch Program

2013-05-14T21:34:00.005-04:00

The June Turtle Watch Program gets underway tomorrow, May 15th. Starting at 9:00 am call 386-428-3384 to make reservations.The program is open to anyone over the age of eight. They don't guarantee a sighting but their record is pretty good. Get complete details here.

Buckler's Craft Fair

2013-05-14T21:20:00.001-04:00

Buckler's Craft Fair is this weekend at the Volusia County Fairgrounds. It is May 18th & 19th, adult admission is $6.00/buy one get one free. Kids under 12 are free. Check out some of the things you can find at Buckler's here.

Wine (Women Into Networking Everyday) Party

2013-05-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

Calling all local women! The NSB Observer in conjunction with NSB Happenings and me (woo hoo me!) will be hosting the very first WINE (Women Into Networking Every Day) Party. This awesome event will be on Tuesday, May 28th from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Barracuda's Bar & Grille. There is a $5.00 admission fee which will include food, half off house wine, free chair massages, and a raffle ticket for a chance at some great prizes. This is a great way to connect with other local business and professional women! It is also a unique opportunity to market your business to other local women and get some great advertising. If you have a prize you want to donate or would like to hear how to be a sponsor drop me an email. We are very excited about this event and look forward to meeting some terrific women!

Pancakes in the Park

2013-05-08T10:57:00.001-04:00

The washed out Pancakes in the Park has been rescheduled to this Saturday morning. It is from 7:00 am - 11:00 am and the cost is $6.00. Should be a beautiful day!

Timeless Memories

2013-05-05T03:00:00.000-04:00

NSB Mom (me), Ed Safford & Samantha Hicks

I had the pleasure of sitting down with World War II Veteran Ed Safford last week at his home in Edgewater. Ed has some fascinating memories of his life, both growing up and living most of his life in the same house in Grosvenor's Corners, NY to his time spent serving our country in the Army.

Ed was a Radio Technical Sergeant in the Army Air Corp (what is now known as the Air Force). He flew 32 missions in 1944 and 1945 over enemy territory. The stories he has to tell are incredible....I learned first hand how these young men who had never met came together to train in Ardmore, OK. They were divided into air crews, assigned planes and flew off to defend the US in World War II.

Ed laughs as he tells me how his crew shipped out and soon after leaving their stopover in Goose Bay Labrador they lost an engine, then they lost a second engine. Happily they were not past the point of no return and sent out an SOS, Greenland answered the call and got them back to Goose Bay. Ed remembers, "I was thinking this was not a good sign we did not make it very far and had plane troubles."

In those days a tour of duty was 25 missions, shortly before Ed and his crew reached 25, the number changed to 28, then 32. Much like the enemy they were defending against it was an elusive target. All in all Ed flew 32 missions, medical missions, weather missions and bombing missions over Germany and the Balkans.

B-17 picture courtesy of Dick Reynolds

Only once did he and his crew have to parachute out of their plane. They were flying a weather mission...suddenly the "bail out bell" went off. Ed thought to himself, "they better turn that off or we will have people jumping out of this plane." He headed to the cockpit and sure enough the plane was on fire.Their flight engineer's parachute had burned up, luckily for him their pilot always made them carry an extra chute. Ed remembers his friend was still reluctant to jump. So Ed pushed him out of the plane, surely saving his life.

During his time in the Air Corp, Ed flew on several planes, after being shot at by the Germans with 88 mm shells the B-17's were filled with flak holes and had to be repaired or replaced. Ed's last aircraft was a more heavily armored plane than it's predecessors. After they took it up for a test flight, the captain said "it flies like a tank with wings." They named it the General Sherman after the Sherman Tank, Ed still has a picture of a tank with wings hanging in his living room.

Ed's last mission was as a "spare", in other words he was filling in as the Radio Officer with another crew. Being the spare was always a concern, a bad omen, Ed remembers "our Navigator flew his last mission as a spare, they were shot down and he was killed." Ed told me, "I jumped out of that plane after that last mission, got down on my knees and kissed the ground"

pictured: Dick Reynolds (my Dad) & Ed Safford

Ed is a member of The Old Soldier's Club which meets at the Timeless Wings and Wheels Museum in New Smyrna Beach. He recently participated in the Veterans in the Classroom program and spoke at Coronado Elementary School to elementary students about his experiences in World War II.

Interested in meeting Ed or some of our other local Veterans? Check out the monthly breakfast at the Timeless Wings and Wheels Museum. It is held the 3rd Saturday of every month from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. You can get more information here.

Take the opportunity to take a walk through history!

Beer Fest for the Pets

2013-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

The 7th annual Daytona Cubs Beer Fest will be held at Jackie Robinson Ball Park tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 today until 4:00 p.m. and $25.00 at the gate. Sample over 100 different beers, enjoy live entertainment and check out the dogs from Second Chance. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Rescue.

The Rescue is also holding an adoption event tomorrow at Five Guys in Daytona Beach.

Around Town-Weekend Events

2013-05-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

There is plenty to do this weekend in New Smyrna Beach.

The Southeast Volusia Relay for Life starts on Friday night at 5:00 pm.

There are Farmer's Markets at both Sam's Ave in NSB and at Norwood's Seafood on the beach.

Also on Sam's Ave in Old Fort Park will be Pancakes in the Park. This annual event is hosted by the Museum of History. It is from 7:00 am - 11:00 am and the cost is $6.00.

Head over to Douglas and Canal Streets from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the month Art Stroll on Canal Street. Local galleries, artists and merchants will offer specials, entertainment and our beautiful weather makes this a nice event. The Food Trucks will be Magnolia and Canal from 3:00 p.m. until 8 p.m. this month offering some excellent options in gourmet food.

Cinco de Mayo will be celebrated on Flagler starting at 2:00 pm on Sunday, May 5th. There will be food, live entertainment, dancing and of course tequila.

On Sunday, May 5th, Second Chance Rescue is holding an adoption event in Daytona Beach at Five Guys, located at 2470 International Speedway. Check out all the animals up for adoption here.

Connect Church

2013-05-01T08:24:00.001-04:00

There is a new church in town and they want to connect with you! Connect Church is geared toward young adults and young families. The atmosphere is casual and fun. Their next gathering is a special event being held at the Coronado Civic Center on the corner of Flagler & Pine. It is on Sunday, May 5th at 6:00 p.m.

Learn more about them here.

Fishing For Cudas

2013-04-29T15:51:00.001-04:00

The 4th Annual Fishing for Cudas Tournament is coming up on May 18th! This year's event is being held at Riverside Park located at 105 S. Riverside Drive in NSB. Their event website has all the information to register to fish or to sponsor the event.

The event is from 11:00 am - 6: 00 pm and will have representatives from many of the sports teams available to answer your questions. Concessions will be available from the R.B.I. Cudas Baseball Boosters, drinks, burgers, hot dogs, nachos and more.

Come out to support the Cuda's Athletic Programs and Fish for the Cudas!

Your Grey Matters 5K

2013-04-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

In February local resident Paul Winkler was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in the form of Glioblastoma Multiforme. This is a very aggressive and tough to treat form of brain cancer. Paul's daughter Brandy thinks her Dad is tougher!

On June 1st the Your Grey Matters 5K will be held in New Smyrna Beach. This is not only to give Paul and his family financial support but also to show Paul he has emotional support from his friends and the community as well!

The race will start at Coronado Community Center, there will be a celebration and silent auction after the race at Clancy's Cantina.

Learn more about the event here. You can register for the event here.

Brandy has set up a Facebook page to keep everyone up to date on her Dad's progress.

I have a bunch of runner friends out there......register now and help out Paul Winkler!!

Around Town - Weekend Events

2013-04-26T13:50:00.001-04:00

The Art & Wine Walk is Saturday on Flagler Avenue.

Farmer's Markets in NSB at Norwood's Seafood and Sam's Ave downtown.

The Halifax Oyster Festival is being held on Manatee Island in Daytona Beach on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

There is a Finance Camp for kids at the NSB Library on Saturday, April 27th from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. No registration is required just go by the library and join in.

The weather should be great for the beach....

Take your dog to the Daytona Cubs game tonight! More information here.

Enjoy the weekend!

April Art & Wine Walk

2013-04-25T13:40:00.000-04:00

The April Art & Wine Walk is this Saturday on Flagler Ave. The Art part starts at 10:00 a.m. and the Wine starts at 1:00 p.m. Take a walk in our gorgeous weather, buy gifts and check out art from our local vendors and taste 20 different wines.

This is also a good chance to drop in the Om Bar and check out their renovations! Grab a sandwich at Manzano's and pick up some fair trade jewelry at Gifts with Humanity!

Enjoy the weekend!

Career Expo - Diversified Career Tech Program

2013-04-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

The NSBHS Diversified Career Technology Program will host the 2nd Annual Path to Success Career Expo on May 9th from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. Employers, military reps, colleges and technical schools will be there to give information and advice to students. This is open to junior and seniors and will help those students figure out what the next step is after high school. If you would are a company that would like to join the expo please call Tara Shea at 386-424-2555 x 38549. Check out a partial list of those attending here. You can get more information on this event on their website.

Turtle Day

2013-04-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

The Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, will be holding their 11th annual Turtle Day on April 27, 2013. This free event will run from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Visitors will be allowed in to see the sea turtle rehabilitation center, the bird rehabilitation center, the sting ray touch pool, and all of the other exhibits.

The Marine Science Center has many great programs and activities. A complete list is here. You can take a look at their calendar of events here.

Local Summer Camps

2013-04-21T10:32:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe we are a few weeks away from summer vacation. The 60 degree temperatures this weekend and the deserted beach had me thinking it was January....

Volusia County has a bunch of summer camp offerings. Get the complete list here.

The City of New Smyrna Beach is holding their Summer Fun Camps at Babe James Center. The schedule is here. Information and registration form is here.

If you would like a complete list of summer camps from all over the county Volusia County Moms has a pretty complete list. You can find it here.

Summer Concert Series

2013-04-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

The New Smyrna Beach Parks & Recreation Summer Concert Series will being June 6th. Concerts are held on Thursday nights in Riverside Park on Riverside Drive. If it rains it moves indoors to Brannon Center. The show starts at 6:30 pm. Get the complete schedule here.

Sailing Camp

2013-04-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

New Smyrna Beach Parks & Recreation is registering for their annual sailing course. It is open for students from 12-20 years of age. The course will include hands on training, terminology, sailing techniques, wind, currents, safety precautions and more. Class size is limited to 12 students per class. All students must bring their lunch, drinks, sunscreen, sunglasses, sneakers or boat shoes and swimwear.

Get complete information and registration form here.

Ann Lee Miller

2013-04-13T19:28:00.001-04:00

I am excited about this upcoming event! Author and former NSB resident Ann Lee (Fetterman) Miller is coming to town.

She will speak and sign books at the Library in New Smyrna Beach on Thursday, April 18th from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. and will be at the Farmer's Market downtown on Saturday, April 20th from 7:00 am - 12:30 pm.

In addition there will be a discussion of her first book Kicking Eternity at Crossroads Christian Church at 2:00 pm on Sunday, April 21st. The church is located at 3838 SR 44 in NSB.

She will also be speaking to NSB High School Students during 6th period on Thursday.

Ms. Miller will also be presenting a Teen Fiction Writing Workshop at Atlantic Center for the Arts, Saturday, April 20, this event is from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m and will be $20, and each teen will receive a free e-copy of one of Ms. Miller’s novels. Register by calling Atlantic Center for the Arts at 386-423-1753 ext. 11.

I am excited to actually meet her, I have read (and enjoyed) all of her books that are set right here in New Smyrna Beach. I have chatted back and forth with her in recent weeks and she is warm and engaging.

You can get more information on Ann Lee Miller and her books right here.

Around Town - Weekend Events

2013-04-12T16:32:00.002-04:00

Hopefully it won't be a weekend washout, but we do need the rain!

A few things going on...the Canal Street Cruise is Saturday from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm on Canal Street. The East Coast Cruisers will be out there with their classic cars. This is a great family event!

The Edgewater United Methodist Church is holding their annual chicken barbecue and car shoe this Saturday starting at 9:00 am. The church is located at 211 N. Ridgewood Ave in Edgewater. The cost is $8.00 per person and they stop serving food at 2:00 pm.

The Smyrna Yacht Club is holding the annual Lipton Cup regatta this weekend. More information here.

Sacred Heart is holding their "Fly Like an Eagle" 5k on Saturday at Riverside Park. The Race starts at 8am. Register or get more information at raceit.com

Farmer's Market's in Edgewater at Hawk's Park, Norwood's on beachside and Sam's Ave in NSB.

What else is happening?

Line Dancing Classes

2013-04-11T10:41:00.002-04:00

New Smyrna Beach Parks & Rec offers Line Dancing Classes at the following locations and times:

New Smyrna Beach Women's Club - Mondays from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
New Smyrna Beach Women's Club - Wednesdays from 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Coronado Civic Center - Fridays from 9:00 am - 11:30 am

You can jump in on these classes anytime, they are ongoing!

The cost is $4.00 for city residents and $5.00 for non-residents. Call 386-402-7382 for more information.

New Smyrna Pizza

2013-04-10T22:18:00.001-04:00

I visited New Smyrna Pizza tonight. They are the newest addition to pizza in NSB. I have my favorite pizza...Mikeys and Panheads. Add New Smyrna Pizza to the list, it is the real thin crust NY pizza. My favorite....I dropped in and chatted with Steve, the owner. Very nice guy, he has been in NSB for about 5 years and is quite obviously from NY. He is super nice, the guys working there are were also very nice and chatted with me as they made pizza, went out on deliveries and so on.

I ordered a cheese pizza and a white pizza. Two of my kids favorites... I hung out and chatted with Steve while they made the pizza, flipped the dough and all that. Both pizzas were excellent! There were some pizzas available by the slice with fresh veggies and other toppings on the counter. They all looked awesome!

New Smyrna Pizza is in the little strip mall by Beachside Tavern, between the Wine Warehouse and the Hair and Nail Salon. They have some tables so you can eat in or they deliver in NSB and they have take out.

Their address is 634 E. 3rd Ave and you can call and order at 386-424-1006. They are open until 10 Monday thru Thursday and til they stop getting orders on the weekends. You can also download the Grubhub.com app on iPhone and Android and check out the menu, order online and leave a review.

They have a Facebook Page and Steve is planning on setting up a website. I am planning on a return visit this week to try a sub and a salad. My teenagers loved the pizza and are looking forward to trying some other "stuff" this week.

This is one local business that will be easy to support..worth a try for sure!

Men's Garden Club Plant Sale

2013-04-09T13:01:00.002-04:00

Did you know there is a Men's Garden Club of Volusia County? I was not aware of them until this morning. The good news is they are having their annual plant sale this weekend. It will be held Saturday, April 13th from 8:00 am until 12:00 noon. It will be in front of the New Smyrna History Museum at 120 Sam's Ave downtown NSB.

There will be hundreds of plants available, many of which were grown by the Garden Club members. They sell them at excellent out the door prices. This is the Garden Club's major fundraiser for the year, it allows them to engage in community beautification projects and other outreach projects including providing support to the Cuda's FFA program. (I love groups who support our schools)

They hold monthly meetings at the New Smyrna Library, these meetings feature an informative guest speaker and are open to everyone! If you are interested in joining or learning more about the Men's Garden Club check out their Meetup Page.

Food Festival

2013-04-06T09:48:00.001-04:00

The 4th Annual Food Festival is Thursday, April 18th from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 pm along Flagler Avenue. Local restaurants will offer samples of their various specialties and there will be entertainment and shopping. If there is food involved I am there! I went to this one the last couple of years and it is a good one. It is an nice way to get out and walk and check out our local restaurants.