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eNewsletter · October 2013 |
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Greetings From Mexico Beach
October is a special month in Mexico Beach—it’s when our Special Events Committee sponsors the annual Art and Wine Festival. This event is held to generate funds for our annual 4th of July Best Blast on the Beach and pay for the fireworks show. The Art and Wine Festival is always a big hit and we are looking forward to our largest turnout ever. We thank everyone who supports this event, and if you are not able to come this time, we hope you can attend next year on Columbus Day weekend.
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Recap of Music in the Park
September is a special month in Mexico Beach. It’s when we sponsor the Music in the Park concert series at Sunset Park. This year we had better attendance than any other year. As a special treat and service to our visitors during the concert, the Mexico Beach Volunteer Fire Department served hamburgers and hot dogs for a donation to the fire department. We would like to thank all the firefighters for their volunteer service and the great food.
Last year we reported that the Utz family visited us from northern Alabama, and we’re happy to report they visited us again. The family has seven children who all play musical instruments and sing. They performed two songs during the September 12th Music in the Park concert and then performed one song at a local church the following Sunday. They are a talented family, and they are pictured here on our chair with Grandma Pat, who is a music teacher and an inspiration.
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Our Art & Wine Festival Giveaway Winners
 Our Art and Wine Festival is just around the corner and will be held at the Driftwood Inn. To showcase this event, we gave away four entry tickets to the festival along with a complimentary bottle of wine. And the winners are:
Anna Pelletier (Panama City, Florida), Janie Pettit (Sugar Hill, Georgia), Kevin VanValkenburgh (Navarre, Florida), and Regina Marek (Navarre, Florida) each won an entry ticket. Tom Halloran (Tallahassee, Florida) won the complimentary bottle of wine. Congratulations, and thank you for reading our newsletter!
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October Giveaway
 This month, we would like to invite someone to be our guest for dinner at Toucan’s Restaurant on the beach. Please send your name to [email protected] and we’ll pull a name out of the hat for a $50 gift certificate to Toucan’s. Be sure to include your contact information and where you will be traveling from!
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Coming Up
 November is a somewhat slower month in Mexico Beach with everyone getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. But, we’re gearing up for the return of our snowbird friends!
Also, each year we put out a calendar with pictures of Mexico Beach. We expect the calendars to arrive in the next couple of weeks. If you are interested, they’re $5 at the Welcome Center, or if you can’t make it down, we will be happy to mail one to you for an additional fee. Just send an e-mail to [email protected] and we will let you know the cost.
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 Mexico Beach Art & Wine Festival
October 12
The 15th Annual Mexico Beach Art & Wine Festival, held at the Driftwood Inn, will feature fine wines, a live auction, musical entertainment and, of course, ART! Hope you will join us!
Click here for more information.
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 Blast on the Bay Songwriters’ Festival
October 17–20
Blast on the Bay Songwriters’ Festival is back! With over twenty talented singer/songwriters visiting from Nashville, you will have plenty of chances to see them perform at local restaurants and bars. Now in its fifth year, this event brings the talent to the beach and the music to go along with it.
Click here for more information.
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 Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
December 1
Mexico Beach will be transformed into a winter wonderland Florida-style for Christmas! The annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place at Sunset Park (next to El Governor Motel) on Sunday, December 1. This year’s event will begin at 6:00 p.m. (CST). There will be great music and the singing of Christmas carols to get everyone into the holiday spirit, as well as delicious homemade desserts and hot chocolate. After the lighting of the Christmas tree, the golf cart parade will come down the street and Santa will follow behind to make his visit with all the boys and girls. We ask those who wish to have pictures taken with Santa to please bring their cameras.
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Recipe of the Month
Picante Shrimp ’N’ Peppers Pasta
We thank Gail and Gary Woodham for sharing this delicious fish recipe from the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association cookbook.
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. rigatoni or favorite pasta
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried basil, crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup picante sauce, your choice of heat
Grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, peppers, mushrooms, garlic and basil. Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp is cooked through and peppers are almost tender—about 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and picante sauce. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes, stirring often. Add pasta and mix well. Serve with cheese and additional picante sauce. Makes 4 servings.
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Thoughts for the Month 
The wisdom of Phyllis Diller:
Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age. As your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.
The reason women don't play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public.
I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them.
Aim high, and you won't shoot your foot off.
Any time three New Yorkers get into a cab without an argument, a bank has just been robbed.
The only time I ever enjoyed ironing was the day I accidentally put gin in the steam iron.
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