Indian River Blog

Indian River County Fair, with an average attendance of 50,000 visitors, offers an environment of family fun and entertainment. While showcasing the youth of Indian River County in livestock and agriculture, we also provide a sense of self-esteem to every child. The feeling, which arises from accomplishing something and being rewarded for that accomplishment is very satisfying, we believe hundreds of youth over the years have come away from the fair “as winners”.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Indian River County Burn Fund, Local High School Scholarships, Fair Ground improvements, other Various Charitable organizations, and for the benefit of Public Safety. The fair is located at the Indian River County Fair Grounds at 7955 58th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32967. For more visit www.firefightersfair.org.

On September 29 you’ll get chance to taste BBQ from Florida’s best teams as they compete for cash at the Grant BBQ Fest. Categories include Chicken, Pork, Pork Ribs and Beef Brisket. The Grand Champion Prize is $1500 and $1000 for the Reserve Champion. Cash payouts run through 5th place for each category with trophies going to winner of each. Proceeds will benefit Toys 4 Kids.

Parking and admission are free, entertainment features The Usual Suspects and Elgin Hooper. There is also a Marketplace with arts, crafts and more.

Visit Grant BBQ Fest at www.grantbbqfest.com.

By Kirby Collins

I’m happy to unveil my new blog, the Florida PhotoBlog with many unpublished photos I’ve taken over the years. Almost all of the photos at Florida PhotoBlog are available for use on your website or blog under the Creative Commons License with Attribution and are hosted on flickr.

I have many photos of Vero Beach, Sebastian Inlet and Indian River County. The photos range from beach scenes to wildlife and are high resolution with sizes up to 1000 X 750. For more view the Licensing Guidelines.

This is the best time of year in Florida, many complain of the heat but you can tell they’re not beach lovers because if so, they would agree. July and August is when the seas lay flat and the water is clear.

That’s another reason Sebastian Inlet is so popular this time of year, the water is as clear now as it gets this far north, and snorkeling is very popular at Sebastian Inlet State Park.

Fishing is also good for summertime species like mangrove snapper and snook, however snook must be released until September.

Other activities at Sebastian Inlet include swimming, surfing and exploring.

A performance by the musical group HairPeace will be in concert at Riverview Park tomorrow, June 1, 2007 in Sebastian, Florida. Please call (772) 589-5969 for details regarding this event.

According to CNET news, “Sebastian River High School, a 1,960-student school in Sebastian, Fla., is on the forefront of turning school lunch lines into an automated window-shopping experience for kids. During the last school year, the school district’s technology specialist installed four of the high-tech vending machines, called Horizon OneSource Healthy Vending, under a pilot program with its maker Horizon Software, which introduced the vending machines in 2006.” Read more here

According to Buisness Wire, “Fitch Ratings upgrades the city of Sebastian, Florida’s $5.1 million outstanding stormwater revenue bonds, series 2003 to ‘A+’ from ‘A’. In addition, Fitch affirms the ‘A+’ rating on $9.9 million in outstanding infrastructure sales surtax revenue bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable for both ratings.” Read more here

According to Newsweek magazine, Sebastian River High School ranks in the top 1,000 of the nation’s schools. Read more here

Orange juice prices have increased 20 percent in the past year, although demand has decreased by 11 percent according to the Florida Department of Citrus. Growers report sales are still going strong thanks to health-conscience advertisements. This year’s projected orange crop will be the smallest since the 1989-90 freeze season. Read more here

The O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro will be showcased on Fuel TV starting on May 21, 2007. This hour-long program will be airing 11 times. Read more here