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The holiday season is officially upon us. I’m not so sure I’m looking at it from that point of view, or just happy that the 2024 Hurricane Season is over. The fall was indeed a crazy rollercoaster ride. Starting with our long planned trip to the northeast in Mid-September that was interrupted on day-two by news of the Cedar Key fire and the loss of almost 80% of our apparel line. The following week, upon arrival home from our trip, we had just enough time to drop our bags and prepare for Hurricane Helene. The most powerful storm I have ever experience in my 50+ years of living in Florida. My nose was pressed against the glass that night as I watched age old pine and oak trees twist in the 100mph+ wind like straws. The next morning we found are home town reeling with 95% of the power out and the Hidden Coast region devastated from another hurricane in just over 13 months. We were without power for six days and without phone and internet for another 10 days. Several family members and friends had major damage to their property, some looking everything. Two weeks later the state went through it again with Milton, but thank goodness our area was spared the direct hit our neighbors to the south took. In October our daughter and her boyfriend purchased a house together, proud dad moment. And a month later they were engaged at our annual family trip to the beach for Thanksgiving. In the end we have so much to be thankful for. Our health, our family, our jobs… we can rebuild homes and businesses but you can’t rebuild a life. Once it is gone, that’s it.

Overall, 2024 was a continuous roller coaster ride with many highs and lows. We look to 2025 as a renaissance for The Hidden Coast and also for our lives, both personally and professionally. My wife and I are adjusting to being “empty nesters” and our business took a huge hit from the storms. “Don’t work harder, worker smarter”. That will be our motto going into the new year as we celebrate nine years in business and 30 years of marriage.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. No offense, but the state of Florida is due a good year… a successful year. We have been knocked down quite a few times lately, but we are still standing to tackle the next day.

Enjoy the holiday season, enjoy family time, and we will see you in January.

A date that changed the landscape of this beautiful region overnight.

We have been in business for eight years, starting right after Tropical Storm Hermine hit the area. We adapted to the world and made it through the pandemic. Last year, we took a hit from Hurricane Idalia and again refitted and retooled to keep going. Nothing could have prepared us for the month of September. We lost 90% of our apparel in the fire that hit Dock Street on September 19 and almost 40% of our racks and 90% of our magazine inventory a week later due to Helene. To top everything off, we lost many customers. Not so much customers, but friends. Friends who worked hard and supported us over the years – some from day one. Some of them had just rebuilt and/or reopened from Idalia and lost everything this time… everything.

The stories and images were heartbreaking. So much I could only take a few glimpses at a time online. Like the rest of the state, our home base of Lake City took a major hit. I’ve lived in Florida for over 50 years, and I have never experienced wind like we did the night of the storm. We woke up to devastation everywhere and 99.6% of the county with no power. It would stay that way for us the next six days followed by another 10 days to restore phone and internet service. We picked up, cleaned up and then went and did the same for family and friends over the next few days. Now, as we move into the holiday season, there is some normalcy coming back to OUR lives. But we still pray and think about The Hidden Coast region.

This is our first edition after the storm. And as many of you can tell, it’s a little smaller than usual. Quite honestly, we didn’t know when, or if, we would print another magazine. We turned to the internet and began sharing as much information daily. This came in handy, as we faced our third hurricane of the season. We will continue to do that indefinitely, but we also want to get our product back out on the streets. To let residents know we are here, and to let visitors know, “The Hidden Coast is open for business”. It may not be 100% but there has been much progress made. Debris is being cleaned up, businesses are opening and events are being planned.

As you gather for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, take a moment to look around the table and give thanks for what you have. No tomorrow is guaranteed for any of us, and the world in which we live continues to get faster and faster. It’s easy to overlook the things we take for granted. Our health, our family, our homes and our friendships. Count your blessings for all that we have been given and remember our friends on The Hidden Coast with a prayer or donation.

We added two new publications to our library plus a new website, my daughter graduated from nursing school and passed her boards and we are closing in on 1MM views for our Real Estate Magazine website. Goals reach but we’re not done! We look forward to the Fall Season and increasing our advertising both in-print and online. While at the same time promoting the best of The Hidden Coast region.

The fall season brings a couple great BBQ festivals to the area so plan to get out and enjoy one if not both of them. The Smokin’ In The Pines festival takes place September 20-21 in Perry and the BBQ from the Hart festival takes place October 19 at Hart Springs Campground in Bell. Also, don’t forget the Central Florida Peanut Festival taking place October 5 in Williston. Lots to do and more reasons to get outside and enjoy some (hopefully) cooler weather!

Fall is a beautiful time here in Florida. Take advantage of the vacation rentals and campgrounds advertising with us. These are some great places that will welcome you with open arms.

Don’t forget to check out our online store for Last of Old Florida apparel and knick knacks. You can also find them in person at The Rusty Hook on Deck Street in Cedar Key.

Until the next time, chill out and relax. Fall is near.

The end of summer is coming quickly. We find ourselves in August and already our first (and hopefully last) hurricane behind us. Debbie followed almost the exact same path of Idalia last year, but thank goodness she was not as strong or destructive. A lot of rain and wind, but most of our customers (and us included) were able to clean up and move forward very quickly!

The scallop season is also winding down, and from what we have heard it was a big success for many of the communities in The Hidden Coast region. Trust me, these folks deserve it and we are very happy to hear the news.

As we move closer to fall, and some cooler weather, we are promoting two upcoming festivals in the area. BBQ from the Hart, Hart Springs, and the Central Florida Peanut Festival, Williston, will both be happening in October. BBQ from the Hart is a somewhat new event and the Peanut Festival is over 30 years old. Mark your calendar now and make plans to attend one, or both, of these fun festivals.

Our usual writers have given us some outstanding articles again for this month. This includes Jamie Chewning, Antoniette Meyer, Nikki Douglas and all of our charter captains.

One other part of our magazine which we seem to overlook each month is our real estate. We have close 20 realtors who advertise with us monthly or throughout the year. These folks are true professionals and excellent in what they do. Thinking of moving to the area or investing in some rental property? Contact one of them and get all the help you will need!

Finally, we finished our two special sections for the summer. Our Business Card Directory and Voters’ Guide were something new we wanted to offer to our readers and visitors to the area. We have close to 60 businesses who took part in our inaugural Business Card Directory and we couldn’t be more happy. Look for it throughout the region and also online at www.FLAcoastBCD.com Our Voters’ Guide didn’t get the feedback we were hoping for so we kept that section online only. We appreciate those candidates who did take part and you can find their answers to our questionnaires on our social media pages. The Hidden Coast is changing quickly and we feel this is a very important election year. Please educate yourself on the issues and candidates and cast your vote.

Until the next time, enjoy The Hidden Coast.

Busy Busy Busy as Professor Hinkle would say. So much going on around the region as we hit the midpoint of summer, plus a lot going in our North Florida Media Service office.

Our July edition will be 64 pages of scalloping content! We have local businesses, charter captains, TDC offices and IFAS all promoting the annual season in The Hidden Coast region. Please make sure to pick up a copy throughout the region and support all the local communities and businesses who are advertising with us.

We are also working on our inaugural Business Card Directory for The Hidden Coast region. This publication will be distributed from Perry south to Crystal River, plus we will promote it both on our websites and social media pages. Be on the lookout for it!

Another publication in the works is our 2024 Voters Guide. We have reached out to all the candidates running in five counties we cover. These counties are centrally located in our distribution area and include most of our racks and drop points. Again, be on the lookout for it!

We also have a new addition to our online store – custom patch hats! 8 different styles to chose from. Please click on the link to check out these styles, along other items we have for sale. https://thehiddencoastmag.com/store-2/

Finally, one other bit of good new we have. You can now buy our Last of Old Florida Apparel and novelties at the Rusty Hook Bait Shop on Dock Street in Cedar Key! Several items will be on display just in time for the 4th of July holiday.

Until the next time. Happy summer and stay cool!

Summer time is here. When the quiet little towns of The Hidden Coast get invaded by treasure seekers looking for the elusive scallop among the sea-grass beds. A fun time, for the whole family, and if you have never tried it please make plans to do so this year. We did every year when our kids were growing up and have great memories of those summer days. Doesn’t cost a lot and all you need is a mask, snorkel, flippers and a bucket. At the end of the day look forward to sautéing them in butter and wine and serving them over a batch of pasta. Nothing better and nothing fresher!

We are also running all types of specials for the summer. A new business card directory, buy 3 ads get 1 free and leaderboard ads for $99. If you are trying to get your business and name out there this summer give us a try! Look of our magazine throughout the region.

We kick off June with a packed 56-page issue of information on local venues and outdoor activities. Besides scalloping there is much to do and see in this area, so please take time to see “The Last of Old Florida” and all its beauty. And please be patient wherever you go (boat ramps, stores, restaurants…). This area welcomes visitors with open arms so please be respectful and remember they live here year around. Pick up your trash and be courteous on the waterways and roadways. Most of all BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN!

Who better to lead us into the summer than a trio of queens? Thank you to the Chiefland Watermelon Festival for adorning our May cover again this year. 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of this event which takes place downtown Chiefland on Saturday, June 1st. My wife and I made the trip a couple years ago and it was a fun time indeed, and yes they have plenty of watermelon to sample!

Our May edition is down a little in size due to all the past events coming to an end in April. We appreciate all the local TDC and Chamber offices supporting us with advertising dollars since January. We know times are still tough for many and advertising dollars are at a premium. We thank you for putting your trust with us in getting the message about your events. Which we might toot our horn just a bit, with our leaderboard advertisements performing so well since October. The Cross City 100th Anniversary shattered our records with a 4.0% CTR for less than 30 days on the site. In addition to that, our overall CTR went up 6% in the last 60 days and we are very excited to share those numbers. Our little magazine is being see, in-print and online, and we like to brag a little bit when we get the chance.

We also have two more projects we will be introducing this summer, a business card directory and a voters’ guide. We have done research on both and feel they will be great additions to the market. The directory will be a little more manageable for those on a tight budget (12 month shelf life) and the voters’ guide will be an additional tool for our readers and residents to help make up their mind at the polls. Times and landscapes are changing quickly throughout the area, and we want to help all the candidates get out their message. Look for it throughout the region and please remember to vote this year.

Finally, scallop season is almost here, and we are hoping to give you our best products ever. It will be fall before we know it, so we want to squeeze in as much as we can, in all of our magazines, and let visitors know what a beautiful place they have come to visit.

Until the next time, enjoy The Hidden Coast.

We come into April with good news and blessing for our family. Our son’s wedding in March went about as perfect as we could have asked for. The weather, the food, the company and the event was outstanding! We are very proud of him, and his new wife, and we know they will do just fine in life. They both come from strong families, have the Lord in their life, and love and appreciate all around them. What else can we ask for?

Another bit of good news comes from our daughter who just finished her toughest semester in nursing school (She called it her toughest week of school ever, lol). It was a grueling 12 weeks that was both emotional and stressful. In the end she passed with flying colors and we are so very proud of her efforts. She gets her tender and kind heart from her mother and her stubbornness from me. It has a been a long road for her and she is down to her last semester (fingers and toes crossed). 

Our magazines continue to flouring both in print and online. We are getting 1-2 new customers each month and our online numbers keep growing. Summer is approaching so the last piece of the puzzle will be our apparel line and see how that goes through the scallop and warmer months. We look forward to promoting the beautiful area of Florida this summer and hope that we can exceed our goals as we move into the fall (can you believe it?).

This month also marks the end for Brian Bowen, Southern Edges Studios, as one of our monthly contributors. Brian is an incredibly talented photographer and we feel very lucky to have had him for a short time with us. Remember his name, because we have a feeling you will be seeing it again in the near future. Good luck my friend and thank you for everything. 

Another of our long time contributors, Jeff Cary, Cary On Destinations, will be taking a step back for a few months. Jeff too stays very busy and we feel fortunate to have crossed paths with him early on with our business. Jeff is a jack of all trades; writer, photographer, diver, explorer, adventurer. He has opened up many doors for us over the years and for that we are eternally grateful. Good luck to you as well Jeff, and we hope to see you back real soon. 

Until the next time, thanks for reading and enjoy The Hidden Coast.

A somewhat unique blog this month as I sit on the east coast of Florida (Crescent Beach) preparing for the marriage of our son tomorrow morning beachside, at sunrise. Yes sunrise, as I’ve had to repeat that many times over the last few months, not 6:30 PM, but 6:30 AM. Our family has been arriving since Wednesday and we officially kick of the festivities tonight at the rehearsal dinner.

It’s been a little tough this week as I think it finally hit home. As I drove around town it seemed every place I went reminded me of when he was so much younger (which seems like just yesterday). His old elementary school and high school, the parks, the soccer fields… all jarred such good memories. But in the end, we aren’t really losing a son, we’re gaining a beautiful, smart and kind daughter-in-law who is the perfect fit for our Nick.

Our March editions are at the printer, all early this month so we could concentrate on this weekend. Our customers and contributors were all understanding and had their material to us early, which we appreciate so much!

The theme of this issue? Festivals and more festivals. The BrewFest in Perry, The Lower Suwannee Art and Nature Fest in Suwannee and the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts in Cedar Key. All great events so please plan to attend one, if not all of them!

Our Fishing Lowdown publication will be out as well, with the second edition since we started back. Feedback and comments are all positive and we are very excited to have it back on the streets.

Finally, we hit a big milestone this week. We topped 3 million views on our website! A big number which we are so excited to share. Of course, we couldn’t do it without our advertisers, contributors and readers. Thank you, thank you for your continued support. We are proud of our magazines and look forward to promoting this area for a long time to come.

Until the next time, Happy Spring!

February is here, but where did January go?!? Time continues to be my worse enemy – I need more of it!

On a positive note, we are one month closer to warmer weather and that 7-10 day stretch in the spring that gives us that “perfect” Florida weather. Not too hot, not too cool and the colors of the trees, bushes, plants and sky all brilliant. With that being said, what better time to start planning to attend some of the local festivals we are promoting in this month’s issue. The Fiddler Crab Festival in Steinhatchee (February), the Lower Art & Nature Festival in Suwannee (March) and the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts in Cedar Key (April). All fun family events put on by some great volunteers in these communities. So put it on your calendar to attend one, if not all this year. You can enjoy the beautiful weather, help support these local venues and have a great time.

We have maintained our 56 page count again for this round, and I am so thankful to all of our wonderful advertisers and contributors. They make this happen (I just put it all together) so you can have a monthly magazine filled with stories, history, shopping, real estate, restaurants and information. All focused on The Hidden Coast!

While we are happy to announce our continued pages in The Hidden Coast, we are even more excited to announce the return of The Fishing Lowdown. This is our monthly tab we started last year, but it was put on hiatus after the hurricane. After much contemplating, and feedback from readers and contributors, we decided to bring it back this month. Look for it where you pick up your copy of our other magazines and check out our website as well. We have webcams, weather information and the entire issue for you to read, each month. Also don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

One a side note, we are happy to be a sponsor of the North Florida Gulf Fishing Club again for 2024. They put on monthly tournaments throughout The Hidden Coast region and give away some hefty prices of both cash and goodies. Check them out on their Facebook page and look for the 2024 schedule in this month’s edition of The Fishing Lowdown.

Until the next time. Enjoy, explore and discover this beautiful area we call “The Hidden Coast.”