Volusia News Now

Campaign encouraged by ICBA and Gateway, Intracoastal, Reunion and Surety

DAYTONA BEACH -- The Independent Community Bankers of America and the local community banks including Gateway, Intracoastal, Reunion and Surety, are kicking off ICBA Community Banking Month by encouraging small business owners and consumers to bank locally.

By doing so, customers will make a hometown investment they can be proud of because community banks put local deposits back to work right where it belongs-in the community.

Photo for Headline Surfer / The Saints and Sinners Cemetary in Oak Hill is among the oldest burial places in Florida with 130 internments on record, dating back to the 19th century.

OAK HILL -- Attention all saints and sinners: Your help is needed at the local cemeteries of the same name at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Photo for Headline Surfer / Mark Barker, Holly Hill's top cop, is gearing up for the city's annual spring clean-up program.

HOLLY HILL -- Police Chief Mark Barker wants city residents to mark their calendars for Saturday, April 20: That's the date for the city's annual community "Spring Clean-Up."

Barker said the event "provides residents with an opportunity to get ready for summer by sprucing up their home and neighborhood as we work to protect and beautify the environment."

Headline Surfer photo by Henry Frederick / The 2013 Daytona 500 was full of thrills as shown here, with the race won by Jimmie Johnson.

PORT ORANGE -- State Senator Dorothy Hukill was able to get her Bill 1394 relating to Motorsports Entertainment Complexes approved today by colleagues in the Commerce and Tourism Committee, a big step in gaining eventual sales tax incentives for a private $250 million modernization of Daytona International Speedway.

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / Palmer Wilson is shown here outside the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach during a 2010 charity event. He was first appointed to the SE Volusia Advertising Authority last summer by then-County Chair Frank Bruno, at left inset, and re-appointed Thursday by County Chair Jason Davis. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Palmer Wilson has been appointed and re-appointed to the board of the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority by two consecutive county chairs, sandwiched between the 2012 general elections.

The retired Maryland cop was first appointed in July by then-County Chair Frank Bruno to fill the remainder of a two-year term on the ad authority and then re-appointed Thursday for another two-year term by County Chair Jason Davis, who won in November.

Overnight tourism stays were with Speedweeks/Daytona 500 and Bike Week

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Finally, more than a dozen hot air balloons were launched early Sunday. Only a few hundred people, however, saw them ascend into the morning skies as they headed inland to their destination in Port Orange.

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / At far left, a young man takes a photo of his girlfriend near a cow Sunday at the New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest. A miniature horse uses the under-saddle blanket of his companion to take care of an itch.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- With hot air balloons taking to the skies just after dawn and few people on the ground, farm animals stood out at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. There were a couple of mini horses, several majestic horses, a big ol' cow and half a dozen floppy-eared bunny rabbits.

Among the few hundred people at the airport on the final morning of the three--day weekend New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest with a dozen or so large balloons being launched, nearly a quarter of them paid as much attention to the animals as they did the balloons -- young and old alike.

Headline Surfer photos by Henry Frederick / A Re/Max balloon is all that is visible in the way of balloons Saturday at the New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest. The early morning manned hot air balloons that were supposed to take to the skies couldn't because of gusting winds. That was a bummer for Latoya King and her girl, Semayah, shown here in the cockpit of an airplane, who got to the municipal airport at dawn in hopes of seeing the majestic balloons in flight.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Latoya King brought her 6-year-old daughter Semayah to the New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest on Saturday for one reason: The hot air balloons. But they were grounded due to gusting winds and it's possible the same scenario could play out again at dawn on this third and final day.

At left is a snapshot of the lead item in the Google news Directories early Saturday: Headline Surfer called into question legitimacy of attendance figures promoted by local print media in advance of the three-day New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest. 

DAYTONA BEACH -- If there was any hope of the New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest living up to the attendance hype in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the opening Friday night cancellation puts the predicted 50,000 attendance figure to rest.

There's still a possibility that with gusting winds, the manned hot air balloons might not float their way down to the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport during the exected 7 a.m. hour, if the winds are gusting.