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Chamber News

New Scavenger Hunt on Clearwater BeachPresented by: Treasure Kwest

New member of the Chamber, Treasure Kwest, provides for a unique'n excitin' way to explore ClearwaterBeach. This pirate themed adventure provides clues that help to solve Puzzles 'n Riddles while experiencin'interestin' sites and discovering new area businesses. Checkpoints unlock discounts, coupons'n freebies forarea shops, restaurants and attractions. The Chamber team had a great time trying out this Kwest, and you willtoo! Click here to purchase your adventure! If you'd like to become a stop on this Kwest, please contact Jewell Meyer attreasurekwest.jewell@gmail.com

Director of Events & Communications, Ella Markham, and Chamber intern Kelly Cairns uncovering clues atmember business, Sandpearl Resort.

Welcome New Members for the Month of AprilFlorida Citrus Country 301 S Belcher Rd, Clearwater, FL 33765 Florida Citrus Country is pleased to announce the purchase of our new location in Clearwater, FL. The creation ofFlorida Citrus Country was a merger of old Florida Families. W.C. and Nancy Lee and their son Dempsey and hiswife Christina Lee are families who believe in the value of quality fruits and vegetables. The Lees have beeninvolved in the Florida citrus industry since the early 1900s. The history of citrus groves and packinghouses hasbeen a part of the Lee family for over eighty years. The Lee family has their own Florida historical labels such asthe Yellow Kid, Gasparilla, Love-Lee, War Bonnet, and Beauty. These Florida citrus labels are just to name afew.The location of our store has a long tradition dating back to 1946 when Mr. Allison Repetto opened it as OrangeBlossom Groves. Florida Citrus Country will continue the traditions of the freshest fruits and produce, not tomention the famous orange - vanilla swirl ice cream.

We are family owned and operated. We look forward to serving you along with our store manager April Groth whohas worked previously for Mr. Repetto since the beginning of her career.

At Florida Citrus Country we will be here with a friendly smile waiting to take care of all your citrus needs. Youcan purchase our fruit on site or we can ship your citrus orders wherever you would like. We sell fresh citrusvarieties starting in November and ending with sweet Valencia oranges around early June. We hand pick ourcitrus daily to ensure the quality that you deserve. Grapefruit, Navels, Honey bells, Mid-Sweets, Sun Burst,Tangerines, Hamlins, Temples, and Valencia oranges are just a few of the varieties that we offer. Our fruit ispicked fresh, so remember the varieties that are available are truly what we just picked off the tree.

Our gift shop is full of Florida treasures; our warehouse is filled with fresh citrus and produce, juices,marmalades, jellies, taffy and more. Remember, as the seasons change so do the flavors of our ice cream!

Please stop by and sample our many fruits and juices. Hawaiian Honey Cones

Hawaiian Honey Cones are the newest craze in frozen desserts!Unlike your ordinary ice cream cones, Hawaiian Honey Cones are made of 100% Organic corn cane. Producedlocally in Hawaii, it is the healthiest alternative when compared to traditional sugar based cones. They are glutenfree and contain no high fructose corn syrup! The magic behind these cones comes from our Hawaiian Honey Cone machine which produces unique hollowcane-shaped cones that can be filled with ice cream from both ends!

Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park & Funeral Home

Established in 1853, Sylvan Abbey Cemetery is home to Pinellas County's oldest recorded burial. For nearly150 years, families in Clearwater, Florida, have turned to Sylvan Abbey as their final resting place, joining manyof the area's pioneering families and city founders. While rich in history, our memorial park remains vibrant andprogressive, offering a variety of burial options to suit your needs. Much of our 95-acre memorial park is denselyshaded by more than 1,000 mature southern live oaks shrouded with Spanish moss. This "Old South"atmosphere is enhanced by flowering magnolia and dogwood trees throughout, four beautifully landscaped pondssurrounded by stately oaks and bald cypress trees, and colorful azaleas in bloom each spring. A walk through Sylvan Abbey's magnificent grounds reveals structures and statuary by some of the world'sfinest artists and craftsmen. The centerpiece of our park is Peacefield Mausoleum and the Garden of ReflectionCremation Garden. Well on its way to being one of the largest community mausoleums in the state of Floridaupon its completion, Peacefield Mausoleum will encompass 16 mausoleum buildings surrounding twolandscaped atriums with the beautiful Peacefield Chapel at its center. Today, the first two phases have beencompleted, providing thousands of burial spaces nestled among the two atriums and the two-story, open-airPeacefield Chapel. Warm brick and wood accents complement the rich marble interior walls. Magnificent stained-glass windowsdepict spiritual and natural images. In the chapel itself, the wood and glass cathedral ceiling rises nearly 60 feet.The chapel is home to two of the area's largest and most beautiful stained-glass windows, "The Glory of Heaven"and "The Creation." In the Garden of Reflection Cremation Garden, the elements and beauty of nature cometogether to inspire unique and affordable choices reflecting the individuality and beliefs of those choosingcremation. In the autumn of 2004, the Garden of Reflection opened to reveal quiet walkways and graceful palmsthat will provide a place of comfort and reflection for generations to come. The care and attention to detail on which Sylvan Abbey's professional grounds team prides itself have not goneunnoticed. Sylvan Abbey has been recognized by two national landscape organizations. In September 2000,Landscape Management magazine named Sylvan Abbey one of the 'Top 20 Grounds Organizations in theUnited States and Canada.' The Professional Grounds Management Society and Landscape Managementmagazine co-sponsored the2000 Green Star Professional Grounds Management Honor Award bestowed uponSylvan Abbey for excellence in the Green Industry. Located on the grounds of Sylvan Abbey Cemetery, SylvanAbbey Funeral Home opened its doors in 1992. As a combination funeral home / cemetery location, SylvanAbbey offers families the convenience and comfort of making all arrangements for funeral services,merchandise, flowers and memorial property from one beautiful location.

Clearwater Business SPARK Celebrates One Year ofAssisting Entrepreneurs

Read Original Article HEREWhen Clearwater SPARK launched last year, the business network targeted the needs of area entrepreneurs andstart-up companies. The initiative planned to be a support system for these businesses, offering them a varietyof services at all levels, from conception to operations.

At the time, the program brought together five partners: the city of Clearwater's Economic Development andHousing Department, the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Small Business DevelopmentCenter at Pinellas County Economic Development, Florida Business Incubator (formerly known as TAFFIE) andthe Clearwater Public Library System. Each partner had something different to offer small business ownersand SPARK would serve as the conduit between the organizations involved and local entrepreneurs.

SPARK introduced its partners to the community at its March 2016 kick-off event at the Clearwater Main Library.Now, as SPARK partners reflect on its first year, the network will host another event at the library, Wednesday,May 24, 6 to 8 p.m.

"It really feels like we've come full circle," says Audra Aja, Clearwater's Economic Development Coordinator."Here we are a year later bringing the community back to the library."

The business initiative has a lot to celebrate, adds Aja, who fields calls for SPARK from her office at City Hall. Inits first year, she made around 150 referrals to the initiative's partners.

"The community has really responded to us and shown its support," she says. "We bring a much-neededservice to the community."

SPARK has also welcomed two new partners since its launch. In January, Prospera, formerly known as theHispanic Business Initiative Fund, joined the network as a way to reach out to Hispanic-owned businesses inClearwater.

The latest partner to join forces with SPARK, Pinellas County SCORE, will be formally introduced at the May 24event. SCORE, a nonprofit association with thousands of business experts worldwide, offers mentorship for smallbusinesses and other educational resources.

The organization has been involved with SPARK from the beginning. They held business workshops at the MainLibrary. "They just weren't an official partner," Aja says.

SCORE brings new resources to the table, she adds. "They'll be able to help those in the beginning phases ofexploring their ideas and getting started. That's something we didn't have in our network. SCORE comes in at theentry level." In addition to accepting more referrals from SPARK, SCORE will also offer one-on-one consultations at Clearwatervenues as well as more workshops.

The May 24 event will also serve as an open house for the library's Maker Studios, Aja says. The Main Libraryhas five studios spread throughout the building: the Creation Studio, the Discovery Studio, the Innovation Studio,the Multimedia Studio and the Heritage Studio, which will open in July. The Maker Studios launched last May.

During the open house, guests will tour the Multimedia and Innovation Studios, where they will learn about thefree programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and view hands-on demonstrations of the equipmentavailable in these spaces. Software, programs and equipment available for use include business databases, 3-D printers and scanners, design and production software, and audio and video equipment.

Rino Landa, Maker Studios coordinator, says not many libraries offer a makerspace. So the Clearwater MainLibrary stands out as a space for entrepreneurs and small businesses, he says. The wide range of offerings -from painting and sewing classes to tools for start-ups to genealogy resources - is also remarkable. "We areunique in that we have multiple spaces throughout the library and so much to offer on each floor," he says.

Aja says the Maker Studios is the most "underutilized" aspect of SPARK, so the May 24 open house is designedto remind residents that it's available to them. It's also continuing to evolve, she adds, especially as newtechnology is developed. She says the library will add more multimedia tools and expand its workshop schedulein the coming year. "We're really very fortunate that the library has invested in this for the community," she says.

Register for the May 24 event at the Clearwater SPARK website or call (727) 443-0217.

What's Next for Downtown Clearwater?Craft Breweries, Winery, Beer Fest

As the City of Clearwater anticipates a waterfront revival thanks to the recent City Council approval of the ImagineClearwater redevelopment project, Jay Polglaze, executive director of the Clearwater Downtown Partnership andformer city councilor, says the downtown area could get an additional boost from an unexpected source: local craftbrewers.

Over the past 15 years, the Tampa Bay Area has enjoyed the economic benefits of "the microbrewery craze,"he says. This movement has largely bypassed Clearwater, however, because of laws on the books thatprohibited the manufacture and distribution of craft beer downtown. These laws were finally modified last year,when Polglaze was still on council, to pave the way for breweries to operate downtown.

Though he lost his re-election bid in March 2016, he immediately began working for the Clearwater DowntownPartnership, where he focuses on the economic vibrancy of the city's downtown area. One of the major missingcomponents that would help create a thriving downtown is craft beer, he says.

"My best advisors are my 27-year-old son and my 24-year-old daughter," Polglaze says. "When I ask themwhat's missing, they're pretty specific: 'craft beer'."

He recently attended an "inspiring" presentation on "craft urbanism" that featured Tampa Bay-area brewers,including Joey Redner, founder of Tampa's Cigar City Brewing, and Mike Harding, founder of 3 DaughtersBrewing in St. Petersburg.

"You can get this urban core reignited by creating this community of microbreweries," Polglaze says.

He adds, "It works. Look at Dunedin, St. Petersburg, Tampa, all across the country. It's a huge movement rightnow."

This is why the Clearwater Downtown Partnership has partnered with the city of Clearwater's CommunityRedevelopment Agency to launch the first annual Downtown Clearwater Craft Beer and Music Fest Saturday,May 20, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Cleveland Street between Fort Harrison and East Avenues.

The free event will feature more than 50 brewers from throughout the state, including 3 Daughters, Cigar City,Cycle Brewing, Big Storm Brewing Co., Hidden Springs Aleworks, MIA Brewing Company, and House of BeerBrewing, which is one of the co-producers of the event.

Eight musical acts will perform on two stages throughout the day. There will also be a variety of arts and craftsvendors, food trucks, and an activity area for children.

Polglaze says he expects the event to draw between 8,000 and 10,000 people. He also hopes that it will showvisiting brewers the potential of downtown Clearwater. The city is actively "courting" local brewers, including the

Dunedin-based House of Beer. "We're really close to being able to announce our first couple of breweries," he says. He anticipates havingcontracts signed with local brewers and also a local winery by the end of June.

Looking north, Dunedin already has nine breweries within city limits, he says. "So the next logical expansion isClearwater."He hopes to have an anchor brewery open on Cleveland Street with other brewers setting up shop on sidestreets.

The impending downtown renaissance, especially if it features local brewers, will build on what is already apopular tourist destination, he adds.

Polglaze says, "We want to create a great companion downtown to America's number one beach. There's a lotof great things going on in Clearwater. We're getting a lot of movement right now. I really believe the beverage andfood industry will be the spark plug that gets this thing going."

Join us for a fantastic night of baseball as the Clearwater Threshershost Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas, May's Charity of the Month!

The Threshers take on the Lakeland Tigers. Game time 6:15 pm with the best post game fireworks show in town!

All tickets are in the "Hot Corner Cafe" with an all you can eat menu from 5 - 7:30 pm. Items include all beef hot

dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, peanuts, popcorn, chips, ice cream sandwiches, soft drinks and bottledwater! A portion of all ticket sales go direct to Habitat, helping us build hope and homes right here in Pinellas

County!

$18 per ticket for terrace seating in the Hot Corner Cafe.

***Special Suite ticket $40 each. Includes access to the Clearwater Gas suite, food and 2 alcoholic beverages.ONLY 15 AVAILABLE!

Deadline for tickets is Friday, May 19th. All tickets purchased by May 17th will be mailed. Tickets purchased

after the 17th will be held at the group sales window. See confirmation for additional details.

Chamber Events

CANCELLED - Thursday, May 18th - CYP: Author. Entrepreneur. Geek. - 5:30-7:30pmThe Capitol Theatre - 405 Cleveland Street, Clearwater

Thursday, June 1st - Ambassadors - 8:30-9:30amClearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce - 600 Cleveland Street, Suite 200, ClearwaterInterested in becoming a volunteer representative of CRCC? The Clearwater Regional Chamber Ambassadorsare highly motivated business professionals who support the Chamber's mission. The Ambassador team is agroup of Chamber member volunteers who believe in supporting the membership at-large in return for theopportunity to brand their business through repeated exposure. For more information, please contact JohannaKossifidis at 727-461-0011 x226

Wednesday, June 7th - Legislative Breakfast - 7:30-9:30amRuth Eckerd Hall - Margarete Heye Great Room - 1111 N. McMullen Booth Rd. Clearwater, FL 33759This breakfast is designed for business community members to hear first-hand from lawmakers and industryexperts on how legislation within all levels of government will affect their businesses' bottom line, job creation,growth and expansion. Register HERE Friday, June 9th - Chamber on the Road Membership Luncheon - 11:30am-1pmHoliday Inn Harbourside - 401 2nd Street, Indian Rocks BeachJoin the Clearwater Regional Chamber for our monthly membership luncheon! Be there to represent yourcompany's footprint, welcome other members to your area and meet members from around our community. Thismonth, hear from Kevin Dunbar, Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Clearwater. Register HERE Tuesday, June 13th - Member Orientation- 11:30am-1pmClearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce - 600 Cleveland Street, Suite 200, Clearwater, FLJoin us for our monthly New Member Orientation, catered by Bayou Catering. Hear from the CRCC staff and othernew members, as well as prospective members. Register HERE Thursday, June 15th - AchieveHERs Women Sharing Wisdom Luncheon: ConstantCompromise - The Incubator of Regret - 11am-1pmFeathersound Country Club - 2201 Feather Sound Dr., Clearwater, FL 33762Join us to hear from Gail Ryder, Vice President of BayCare Behavioral Health, as we discuss the short and longterm effects of stress on women in and out of the workplace. Dr. Ryder will share insights to a nationallyrecognized mental health epidemic surfacing with women from years of high level multi-tasking in an effort to be"Wonder Woman" to everyone. Learn how to identify warning signs, and be part of the discussion about how wecan leave a better legacy to the next generation of women. Register HERE Tuesday, June 20th - Government Affairs & Economic Development Committee - 7:45-9amClearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce - 600 Cleveland Street, Suite 200, Clearwater, FLThe Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce coordinates government affairs efforts on behalf of its membersand the Clearwater business community. The Chamber's member driven Government Affairs Committeeincludes establishing positions on issues that impact our members and the economic advancement of the region,educating elected officials about these issues and encouraging membership involvement in the Chamber'sadvocacy efforts. Thursday, June 27th - Tourism Partners Meeting - 3-4:30pmSheraton Sand Key - 1160 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater BeachTourism Partner Meeting taking place 3:00 - 4:30 followed by networking on site at the Sheraton Sand Key. Featured Speaker - Troy Taylor of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. Register HERE

Member News

Call to Artists: Seeking Images Suitable for Usein "Thinking Outside the Box"

Clearwater Arts Alliance is looking for Tampa Bay artists interested in being a part of the Thinking Outside the

Box project - bringing art and beauty to Clearwater by installing artistic images on traffic signal boxes atintersections all over town!

LEARN MORE

West Coast Players Presents:Psycho Beach Party, by Charles

Busch | Directed by Keven RenkenThe award-winning author of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife gives"Gidget" beach party epics and Hitchcock psychological suspensethrillers a shotgun marriage! Chicklet Forrest, a teenage tomboy,desperately wants to be part of the surf crowd on Malibu Beach in 1962.One thing getting in her way is her unfortunate tendency towards splitpersonalities. Among these are: a check out girl, a radio talk showhostess, a male model, and the accounting firm of Edelman and Edelman. Her most dangerous alter ego is asexually voracious vixen with nothing less than world domination on her mind.

"A comic trash compactor of a play that takes an already silly genre - early 1960's surf and beach blanketmovies - and sends it to camp heaven." -The New York Times

Click here to purchase your tickets now!

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Clearwater Regional Chamber, 600 Cleveland Street, Ste. 200, Clearwater FL 33755

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