Author: hcmadminister

Our March book is hitting the streets this week! Look for it at local chamber and TDC offices in the region as well as participating advertisers. Can’t find one? Let us know and we will steer you in the right direction! Thanks and enjoy our biggest book yet!

We are very excited to see our book go to 32 pages for this round. It has been a culmination of a lot of work from us and a lot of support from the region. We have added a great map to the area is this edition, courtesy of River Graphics. They have done a wonderful job detailing the area and highlighting all the towns, major highways, rivers, and springs. After much demand, we have also added the tide charts back into this edition as well. Remember, we always have the tide chart link on our website for quick access to tides anywhere in the area. The Local Flavor Page continues to grow. Check out the new additions for this month and please take time to let them know you saw them in The Hidden Coast!  Finally, we have all our super advertisers and article contributors who continue to make our book look sharp! We thank them for their continued support of our magazine because without them we would not be sitting at 32 pages after 14 short months. Spring is upon us and it’s a great time to visit The Hidden Coast. The weather is beautiful and this month’s edition has information on three great festivals happening this month and next. Make sure you follow us on Facebook for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Oar House in Cedar Key. Joe and his wife Kerry have added a great new addition to the restaurant scene and they call it “A Gastro Tavern.” Check out all the high marks and reviews on TripAdvisor! Again, you have to follow up for the chance to win. Please let us know what you think and what we can do to improve. Our goal is to promote The Hidden Coast and inform our readers and visitors! Enjoy the great weather and thank you for reading our little magazine.

Our January edition is out! We fell back to 16 pages for this round due to illness, the holidays and the weather. Being a one-man shop some times makes this job hard, but I guarantee we will be back up to 24, if not 32, for the March book! Many thanks to all our advertisers, old and new, who continue to support our little magazine. And big thanks to all those who contribute such great articles for each book. We try to give our readers a wide range of interesting and informative articles and our writers have done a wonderful job filling that need. We look forward to 2018 and promoting this wonderful part of Florida! As with every issue, let us know how we are doing, and what we can improve on for the new year. Thank you!

Happy New Year! The holidays and have come and gone in the blink of an eye, and we now look forward see what 2018 will bring us. I myself am a little happy to see the holidays go as I was gifted with a cold for Christmas and the flu for New Years. It was passed around our house a couple times over and I am hoping we are over it once and for all.

Our January cover was somewhat of a challenge. Several festivals had inquired about wanting to be part of it, but we only got two, out of the four, that would commit. The decision makers usually take time off during December, and in the end, we just ran out of time. The Fiddler Crab Festival and the Arts Festival are two great events that happen on The Hidden Coast each year. If you have not had the opportunity to attend them I would ask you to make plans this year. Both include great vendors, food, entertainment and local venues for the whole family. Both are also put on by hard working committees that “volunteer” their time to help their communities. If you see them out and about at the festivals let them know how much you appreciate their efforts.

Our January book includes some informative reading from our local contributors. Anything from outdoor recreation to history- we have it covered!  Toni Collins has also put together a schedule of some of the more popular events going on. Our “Local Favors” page is also in the book again. This is a quick guide for some of the tasty restaurant on The Hidden Coast. These are all local owners- no corporate food here!

Thank you once again to all who are part of The Hidden Coast. We appreciate all the support and kind words about our little magazine, and we look forward to promoting this area, and it’s residents, in 2018.

Our November edition is out and we have maintained our 24-page count! Many thanks to all our advertisers, old and new, who continue to support our little magazine. And big thanks to all those who contribute such great articles for each book. We try to give our readers a wide range of interesting and informative articles and our writers have done a wonderful job filling that need. We couldn’t do a book without you and here we are after one year adding to the page count. We are very excited to end 2017 with a “Holiday Themed” book, and we look forward to promoting The Hidden Coast in 2018. As with every issue, let us know how we are doing, and what we can improve on for the new year. Thanks again for a very successful year and we wish all our customers and readers a very happy and healthy holiday season.

Our November book is scheduled to hit the streets on the 15th, and this is a special edition for us. We are celebrating our one-year anniversary! What a great first year it has been. We have met so many wonderful people all over The Hidden Coast. These include our first-year advertisers, our contributors, and our readers. The support and kind words we have received over the year have been greatly appreciated. Publishing is all I have done for 20 years and my wife and I took a leap faith when we started our little book a year ago. I thank her for all her support with this project and all my years in the graphic design field. She has always been my biggest cheerleader, along with our two kids. Both of who are involved in our magazine as well. This is the perfect time of the year to be celebrating our anniversary for we have indeed been very blessed.

Our November book is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Chiefland will be celebrating it’s annual festival and parade in December, and our book has the complete schedule. The Old Florida Celebration of the Arts will be held in Cedar Key in March 2018. We information on last year’s winners as well next year’s event. Toni Collin’s has two great articles on the historic Suwannee River, and IFAS will be celebrating it’s second annual WOW event in February. Finally, we are introducing a new feature in this edition called “Local Flavor.” It’s a quick run down of restaurants in the area and we hope to add to the list in 2018.

There are so many people to thank for our first year, but I will not name name’s only in fear that I will leave someone off. You know who you are, and you all have been a big part of making this magazine a “working success”. We look forward to the new year and making this magazine even bigger. If you have a business, a story, an event or even an idea for a future edition, please let us know. Our number one goal is to promote our beautiful state and The Hidden Coast.

We wish all our advertisers and readers a very safe and happy holiday season and all the best for a happy and healthy 2018.

Our September edition is out and we are very excited to say we have expanded to 24 pages! Big thanks to all our advertisers and article authors. We couldn’t do a book without you and here we are after one year adding to the page count. Thank you for reading our little magazine and please let us know how we are doing. We have included a small ad on the front inside cover just for that reason. Send us your pictures from the area, or events that you may be having or an idea for a future article or cover. We like to show off The Hidden Coast and let everyone know just how unique this area of Florida is. Thank you again, and enjoy the new edition!

Fall is coming on The Hidden Coast and with it are several events to note. The first is the Cedar Key Pirate Invasion September 15-17th and the International Coastal Cleanup Day September 16th. The following weekend is the opening of the IFAS facility in Cedar Key on September 23rd. The annual Cedar Key Quilting Retreat will also be taking place that weekend on September 21st-23rd.  The 48th annual Cedar Key Seafood Fest is happening October 21st-22nd and finally the grand opening of the Big Bend Shellfish Trail. Lots to do, Lots to enjoy. Our September edition has information on all the events. Plus, we have our usual great advertisers and informative articles covering the entire region. So get out and enjoy Fall and enjoy The Hidden Coast!

“One of the biggest impacts to our Town was the loss of our scallop season. Our town has a small retail business sector and a successful scallop season is vitally important.” Words written by Horseshoe Beach Mayor Talmadge Bennett in this month’s edition of The Hidden Coast. Almost a year later and the after effects of Hurricane Hermine are still being felt in the area. Governor Scott signed an executive order opening the season early for parts of the region. Many of the local businesses rely on the season for their livelihood. If there are no scallops there are no visitors and it only spirals downhill from there.

If you have never been scalloping give it a try. You can usually get out and back to the dock in half a day. If you don’t have a boat you can’t rent one at several of the marinas scattered throughout the region. You will also need a mask, snorkel and fins. That’s it! Of course, fill your cooler with plenty of drinks and snacks and PLENTY of sunscreen. The Florida sun gets really hot, really fast! You pick up the scallops with your bare hands (they do not bite) and fill your bucket. Once you have it filled drop it off at one of the local road side  vendors offering to clean them. A nominal price for a dirty job. After that, you are set to enjoy your Florida Bay Scallops in a variety of recipes! You can’t buy a dinner entree any fresher!

Take a peek at the great articles written in this months edition. You can catch up on scallops as well as the Riverboat history of the region. We also have information and tips from FWC as well as the tide charts for July. Last of all we have our wonderful advertisers who continue to support our little magazine. We are still humbled by all the kind words and support offered by them and the citizens of The Hidden Coast. Have fun, be safe and enjoy the scalloping season!

Scalloping season opened June 16th in a portion of Taylor County and all of Dixie County. The season started early due to Hurricane Hermine last year. All other zones in the area open officially on July 1st. For more information check out FWC’s website. Enjoy, have fun and be safe!

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops/