Wow, where did 2018 go? I can’t believe we are staring at November/December and the end of the year already. It has been a great year for us. Our little magazine maintained it’s steady growth throughout the year, and we were able to promote this special region of the state and all the wonderful events and activities it has to offer. We have met many people over the life of this book (advertisers, readers, travelers…) and we look forward to serving everyone in the future. We had the opportunity to have a booth at the Cedar Key Seafood Festival and the Fall Winter Fair at the Florida Welcome Center in October. It was a nice way to close out 2019 and show off all our hard work from the past year.
Our December book has a listing of all the fun holiday events going on throughout the area. Anything from Christmas festivals and bazaars to boat parades and Santa Claus. If you have never seen a Christmas boat parade please take the time to check it out. It is a truly unique way to see the holiday lights and you will be amazed at all the different ways you can decorate a boat (of all sizes!).
Our usual advertisers are in with us for this edition, plus a couple new ones. Jeff Cary has an informative article about the Icketucknee Springs and UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation has an update on the Lone Cabbage Reef restoration project and the Cedar Key Dolphin Project has contributed an article on the ongoing progress in the area.
Finally, we have included a page from the American Red Cross in our current edition. We had a couple sleepless nights tracking Hurricane Michael as it came up the Gulf and thank goodness we were spared. Unfortunately, our neighbors to the northwest were not and our hearts were broken as we saw the damage and misery left by this terrible natural disaster. Contributions of any size will help and along with your thoughts and prayers. They have a long road back to recovery and we wish them all the best.
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy and healthy new year. Thanks for reading our book, thanks for a great year and we look forward to 2019!