Dunedin Florida - Old Fashioned Christmas Fun & Food

Did I mention all the fun for the kids? They had a children's craft booth, a place they could make their own s'mores. There were old fashioned toys like the hoop, and the walking cans and even stilts! As if all that were not cool enough, they had a train running up and down Main Street, just for the kids! Way cool!

Of course, you may be asking yourself "But what about Santa Claus, Wayne, where was he?" Well, he was there alright. The top left picture in the table below shows one of his helper Elves. If you look closely just left of the Elf's hat, in about the middle of the picture (click on it to enlarge it), you will see his face peeking through the mob. That's right, he was there, but if you were not a determined parent with a child in tow, you were NOT getting near him! :D

I am wrapping up the series on the Old Fashioned Christmas in Downtown Dunedin, Florida, with the table of pictures below. Click on them for large, easy to enjoy, images. There is one on the bottom left of the horse and carriage ride that was available. The other four give you an idea of the variety of edibles that were available. Just getting this post ready is making me hungry all over again. The booths included Funnel Cakes, Chick-Fil-A, Papa John's Pizza, and Kettle Korn, just to name a few. This was a great event for anyone here on a Florida vacation, scouting relocation to Dunedin, or even just out for a nice evening with the family. An excellent event for locals and visitors alike.

Dunedin Florida - Old Fashioned Christmas Live Entertainment

There was no lack of live entertainment at the Old Fashioned Christmas event! Dunedin, Florida did it again, with a wide variety of live entertainment, sprinkled all up and down the street. Everyone enjoyed the music, each of us having a favorite of the evening. Mine was the duo above, The Moon Glow Duo they are called. Excellent, mellow music. Wonderful Christmas cheer. So I bought one of their CD's, and have enjoyed it very much indeed. So, you want to know more, eh? Click here to see their MySpace page, and listen to some of their music.

But I also enjoyed the accordion player at Bellini's too. He was playing Christmas music, but of course, with an accordion, it sounds so delightfully Italian! There was a man playing a keyboard near the Children's Area, but there was so much noise there I could not even hear him. Poor guy. And there was a Scotsman playing bagpipe near Cafe Alfresco. You could not miss the sound of those pipes! Wow. It was neat stuff. I listened for a while, and then decided I needed to share his picture with you. One last note... to all my fellow bloggers that I normally visit every day. The hours are killing me. Have not seen bed before 1:30am for weeks (up before 6am). So although I will visit each day, I will only be able to comment every 2nd or 3rd day. Thanks for understanding.

Dunedin Florida Downtown - Christmas Celebration

First, I must say, if any of you would like to see a daytime shot of the bridge I featured on Bridge day, click here.

The Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration was a big hit. Lots and lots of people having a good time. There were all sorts of food choices, and plenty of live entertainment. You cannot forget the children at Christmas time, and there was plenty for them too.

Santa was sitting with the little ones to have their pictures taken with him. There was a whole section for kids where they played old fashioned games, made crafts and so much more. In fact, down the side street where Erika's and The Enchanted Branch are, they had a whole second street festival setup for kids, where they played with 'old fashioned' toys like hoops, and walking on cans, and walking on stilts. It seemed to be a great time.

There was a concert in the Pioneer Park band shell. Very nice, with different 'acts' from a variety of groups throughout this area. Most merchants were open, providing everything from free drinks to information about their products.

Oh, and let's not forget the carriage and hay wagon rides!! Yes, and even a little train for the kiddies to ride! And believe me, there was more that I cannot remember at the moment, but as I review the pictures for posting, you will hear about anything I forgot. In the meantime, the pictures below include a boy getting a test drive on an old High Wheel bicycle; happy people getting a ride on a hay wagon; and happy dog owners enjoying their happy dogs! There were quite a few dogs enjoying the festivities, and all seemed very well behaved.

Dunedin Florida Downtown - Christmas Celebration

Can you guess where I will be Friday evening? That's right, I will be downtown, checking out the wonderful Christmas goings-on. It should be a lot of fun. The City of Dunedin is putting on what they call An Old Fashioned Christmas. There will be entertainment from local churches and schools, carriage rides, train rides, Santa's Workshop, "Dickens Village" and lots more. And tomorrow night, Saturday, they will have the Holiday Boat Parade and Tree Lighting. I hope to be able to post pictures from these events in future posts.

City Of Dunedin Florida - Pioneer Park Bandshell

I know this is in Pioneer Park, in the City of Dunedin, but I am not sure one would call it a band shell. Stage perhaps, covered stage? Either way, it is a lovely structure, and it looks great in this park downtown. I can also tell you that they have a Green Market here, and show movies in the park here from time to time. Usually older movies. Some recent titles have been Arsenic and Old Lace, as well as Casablanca.

From here, many shops and restaurants are in walking distance. They are too many to name, but some that I have mentioned before include Casa Tina, Cafe Alfresco, The Enchanted Branch Gift Gallery, and Palm Latitudes. In the future, you will see more and more of these places, as I do my best to capture life in Dunedin, Florida in pixels, for you.

Dunedin Florida Decorated Light Pole Contest Pt II

I have been hunting down more of the decorated light poles in Downtown Dunedin. I found these just the other day. A matching pair out in front of a local Law Firm. Trying saying this fast: Frazer, Hubbard, Brandt, Trask & Yacavone, Attorneys At Law. In fact, if you click here to see their website, at the top of the page you can see the light pole, without decoration, that is now the "Nice" list. Pretty cool eh?

I have to correct some earlier information now. In an earlier posting, click here, I posted a photograph of a light pole decorated with a Dia de los Muertos theme. In that post I described the City of Dunedin's Light Pole Decorating Contest. Foolishly, I assumed that pole was a part of that contest. So, when I walked by the other day, looking for more decorated light poles, the pole had changed! It was still decorated in a theme that seemed Mexican in origin, but it was NOT the same. So, I walked into the Mexican restaurant across the street to ask some questions.

The restaurant is called Casa Tina. When I asked about the light pole, I got the scoop. They had decorated that pole alright, but the Dia de los Muertos theme was for Halloween! They simply hadn't taken it down and put up the Christmas holidays theme decorations yet. I see, said the blind man! Casa Tina is a really cool place, and if you click here you can check out their website and their menu. And in a future post, I will show you more of the decorated light poles that I found!

Dunedin Florida SKATES!

That's right, Dunedin is proud to introduce their very own skate park. Over 10,000 square feet of rolling, flying, curving, swirling concrete skating action. The park was completed in August of this year. It's called Stirling Skate Park (click here to see the City Of Dunedin web page about it). Don't let the similarity to an empty swimming pool fool you, this place is built for action. This is a City of Dunedin owned and run skate park, with very reasonable fees for using it.

I researched the builders of the park, Team Pain, and have linked their website to their name here. However, due to the coding they are using on their website, the link will only take you to their home page. You must then choose "Concrete Skate Parks" on the left, and then choose "Stirling Skate Park - Dunedin Florida", in the list on the left (it is the second one down). Once there you will be rewarded with some interesting pictures of the park being built, and then being enjoyed. I was surprised to see that the have also built several parks in Belgium!

Speaking of awesome, have you seen the Amazon.com skateboarding store? They have tons of skateboarding must-haves, because really, there's no excuse. You can also support Dunedin Daily Photo by shopping with these advertisers:

Dunedin Main Street Shops

This will probably end up being a series also, in as much as there are a number of neat shops that I want to share with you. I believe the name of this shop is Palm Latitudes, and it fits! They have all kinds of cool stuff in there. Ceramic frogs that look so cool and awesome pirate t-shirts and napkins with funny sayings... you know the kind that have you standing there reading them for twenty minutes while you laugh your butt off! And lots and lots more stuff. Really cool. I rarely make it past this store when I am downtown. It is just too much fun. If you remember Cafe Alfresco, from a previous posting, then it will make sense when I tell you this shop is just down the sidewalk from there. But don't worry if that doesn't make sense to you... just get downtown and you will find it all. :) Oh, and yes, Brasov Daily Photo, the bench will be there waiting for you, on the waterfront.

Dia de los Muertos in Dunedin?

This awesome sight can be found adorning a light pole in Downtown Dunedin. As it turns out, they have an annual "Winter Holiday Pole Decorating" contest, sponsored by The City of Dunedin and the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee. As crazy as it sounds, I like it! Here is an excerpt of what the official press release says about it all:

" The objective is to dress up Downtown Dunedin for the holidays and create a festive and sparkling, family-friendly atmosphere. Light poles are to be 'adopted' and decorated by the local merchants and organizations. The contest sponsors are seeking applicants to get into the holiday spirit and help 'dress up our city for the holidays.' "

Now I have to admit, the Dia de los Muertos theme seems to be at odds with Christmas and the Holiday Spirit, but then it is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November, so maybe it's not so out of sync after all?? And then, this pole IS just across the street from a Mexican restaurant!

Either way, it adds some great color and culture to an ordinary light pole! Here is a link to the Wiki entry on Day of the Dead.
*******
I have to correct some earlier information now. In an earlier posting, click here, I posted a photograph of a light pole decorated with a Dia de los Muertos theme. In that post I described the City of Dunedin's Light Pole Decorating Contest. Foolishly, I assumed that pole was a part of that contest. So, when I walked by the other day, looking for more decorated light poles, the pole had changed! It was still decorated in a theme that seemed Mexican in origin, but it was NOT the same. So, I walked into the Mexican restaurant across the street to ask some questions.

The restaurant is called Casa Tina. When I asked about the light pole, I got the scoop. They had decorated that pole alright, but the Dia de los Muertos theme was for Halloween! They simply hadn't taken it down and put up the Christmas holidays theme decorations yet. I see, said the blind man! Casa Tina is a really cool place, and if you click here you can check out their website and their menu. And in a future post, I will show you more of the decorated light poles that I found! ******

Dunedin FL Downtown Pt II - Entrance

Welcome to Downtown Dunedin Florida! This welcoming entrance brings you into the area that I posted a photo of earlier. It is one of those downtown areas that has been made so welcoming and attractive that you would enjoy going for a walk here just to experience the feeling, as if all the dining and shopping choices we not even there :). But you might want to consider a Downtown Dunedin lunch while you are here! When you come to Dunedin, or the Greater Tampa Bay area, you will want to visit Dunedin's Downtown!

Logistically speaking, this area is less than a mile from the Dunedin Marina, Dunedin City Hall, Mease Dunedin Hospital, and lots of beautiful housing and Dunedin real estate (Lots of which I will be posting on this site in the future). Not to mention a wonderful waterfront trail for walking, biking or skating.

Dunedin Homes - WATERFRONT!

A beautiful example of Dunedin homes, Dunedin real estate. There are some fine, fine homes on the waterfront here. This house sits just across Edgewater Dr. from Clearwater Harbor. That is also the Intracoastal Waterway as it passes our area. Check below to see what their view is like. And yes, that's my shadow, stretching wraith-like across the road, reaching for the next good shot. The City Of Dunedin has done a great job of making this stretch of waterfront accessible. There is a beautiful walking/biking path right at the water's edge, complete with benches and trash cans. It makes for a wonderful place to catch the sunset... And if you are thinking relocation, this is a great place to sit and watch the boats go by.

Dunedin Loves Their Children

When I saw this sign it stopped me in my tracks. I thought how wonderful that politics and red tape did not prevent the City of Dunedin from posting this sign. And I thought, how can you not love a place that will post a sign like this? And speaking of great communities, I am very pleased to have been accepted into the City Daily Photo Community! I look forward to sharing with and learning from the members of this awesome global community.

Veterans Day - Dunedin FL

This is a Veterans Memorial monument in Dunedin, FL. It is located at the Dunedin Marina. I could have posted a picture of a downtown street scene, or some clouds, or some kids playing, and felt the same respect and gratitude for the veterans that have served our country. Because it is all about freedom. The freedom for children to play without fear, the freedom to walk down the street enjoying a conversation with a friend, the freedom to just lie on your back in a public park and watch the clouds pass by over head. I enjoy the opportunity to live free, and to enjoy all these things and more. And I thank you, Veterans of America, who have secured this freedom for us through your sacrifice and dedication.

Dunedin GEM!

Dunedin is so Green in so many ways! How can you not love a city that puts these totally Green, electric cars in their fleet? I came across this utility billing GEM during a lunch time walk. I am so impressed with the City of Dunedin for going this route. The meter reader had parked it on a side street while he walked through the neighborhood reading meters. This is the coolest little car. We should ALL get one! In fact, if you'd like, click here to read more about Global Electric Motorcars. In the meantime, if you would like to see more views of how the City of Dunedin has this one setup, click on the thumbnails below for full size pictures.