Florida Scallop & Music Festival Rolls into Port St. Joe

A long-standing Florida tradition returns for the 14th year this August in a celebration of the Gulf region and Florida�s beautiful �Forgotten Coast�.

The Gulf County Chamber of Commerce hosts the Florida Scallop & Music Festival, formerly known as the St. Joseph Bay Scallop Festival, which brings arts and crafts, music, and the ocean�s bounty to the Waterfront at Shipyard Cove on Friday August 6 through Sunday August 8.

A weekend of fun for the whole family with attractions from local businesses and regional food at an inexpensive price gives the Southeast an easy way to experience the best of the Port St. Joe area in Florida�s Northwestern Panhandle, approximately 35 miles southeast of Panama City.

The kickoff on Friday features an all-day merchant sidewalk sale, where local vendors and artists will showcase their best, and will include a Patron Dinner featuring many award-winning chefs.

General festivities begin on Saturday with the traditional opening ceremony. A variety of vendors will serve scallops to festival-goers and other vendors will also be serving refreshing snacks and meals. While feasting on the festival�s namesake, guests can also peruse the merchandise of many artists and craft vendors throughout the day, and enjoy live music.

The fun continues on Sunday with the returning vendors and activities. Scallops and snacks will be served by various vendors until Sunday evening.

Admission for children ages 10 and younger is free, as is for those 65 years and older and military personnel with valid I.D. General admission to the festival is $5 per person on Saturday, and $5 per person on Sunday.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information on the Florida Scallop & Music Festival visit http://www.gulfchamber.org/scallopfestival

SOUTH BEACH WINE AND CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZA

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is a one-of-a-kind extravaganza � a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world�s most renowned winemakers, spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.

The Festival will take place in and around the sun and sand of Miami�s South Beach this February 25-28, 2010, debuting some new events and returning classics.

True to fashion, the ninth annual wine and culinary extravaganza returns with events highlighting the latest trends in the industry. The 2010 Tribute Dinner honoree is world-renowned culinary master Daniel Boulud, a winner of multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and recipient of the Chevalier de la L�gion d�honneur from the French government for his contribution to the advancement of French culinary culture, among several other accolades.

The celebration will feature dishes from some of the finest chefs: Eric Ripert, Paul Bartolotta, Claude Troigros, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Festival host hotel Loews Miami Beach executive chef Gordon Maybury.

Exciting new additions to the 2010 Festival include:
The Festival highlights the talents of the hottest new dining destination in Miami, the Miami Design District, with a one-of-a-kind dining opportunity to taste the culinary expertise of chefs from Senora Martinez, Michael�s Genuine Food & Drink, Pacific Time, and Fratelli Lyon � all in one evening!

The Barilla Interactive Lunch series at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables receives a makeover as the Festival debuts a Barilla Interactive Dinner hosted by Lidia Bastianich and her son, wine specialist Joe Bastianich.

Ming Tsai will host a late night Dim Sum & Disco party under the alluring atmosphere of the Setai.

Food Network stars including Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), Paula Deen (Paula�s Best Dishes), Pat and Gina Neely (Down Home with The Neelys), and Sandra Lee (Sandra�s Money Saving Meals) will be on-hand for culinary demonstrations and book signings at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village, late night parties, and more!

Enjoy the Wine Spectator wine seminars with executive editor Thomas Matthews and senior editor Bruce Sanderson. Also, wine aficionados Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Zraly and Mark Oldman will be on-hand to help navigate both novices and experts thru the finest selections in the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio at the Bank of America lifestyle seminars.

Festival favorites return, re-invented with fresh new faces:
The Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray presented by Allen Brothers will feature top burger-making gurus, like the Shake Shack, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Laurent Tourondel, along with People�s Choice Award Winner from the 2009 Festival, Spike Mendelsohn.

The Festival�s perfect pairing of barbeque and champagne on the beach will return with a BAM, as the Perrier-Jou�t BubbleQ hosted by Emeril Lagasse. Last year�s tribute dinner honoree will play host to some of the finest names on the grill, including John Besh, Dean Fearing, Chris Lilly, Adam Perry Lang, Todd English, Aar�n S�nchez, and many more.

Wine Spectator�s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America will return at the illustrious Fontainebleau Miami Beach, the picture perfect setting to find some of the world�s best winemakers personally pouring their selections alongside premier chefs serving their delicacies. Among the list of participating wineries for this year is Au Bon Climat, Caymus Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Opus One Winery, Rubicon Estate, and several more additions to come. Culinary participants for Wine Spectator�s Best of the Best in 2010 include David Burke, Scott Conant, Paul Liebrandt, Michael White, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, and others.

The Festival�s family favorite, South Beach Diet presents Fun and Fit as a Family is going into its third year, and will take place again at the tropical grounds of Jungle Island in Miami. Fun and Fit as a Family will again feature the Kellogg�s Kidz Kitchen, plus the wildly popular Food Labs hosted by Food Network and Share Our Strength�, where kids can cook healthy recipes alongside top chefs; plus fitness activities, healthy food tastings and more! Jungle Island is also home all year long to the Children�s Sustainable Food Garden, which features different herbs and vegetables of a completely organic nature and provides an opportunity for children to interact with these items in a way that engages all of the senses. Check out the fun at www.funandfitasafamily.com.

All proceeds of the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfilment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world�s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. In addition to receiving a first-rate education in one of the country�s most diversified hospitality and tourism markets, these students are provided the opportunity to work hands-on with some of the industry�s most experienced leaders.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com .

For more information about other top events in Florida, take a look at The Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

HOLIDAYS BEGIN WITH LIGHT UP NIGHT IN THE NATION�S OLDEST CITY!

The City of St. Augustine will begin its annual Nights of Lights celebration during the Nights of Lights Light-up Night on November 21, 2009.

At 6:30 p.m., St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles, along with several past St. Augustine mayors, will �Flip the Switch� that will turn on more than two million tiny white lights lining the historic buildings, plaza and narrow, brick-paved streets transforming the Nation�s Oldest City into an enchanting destination that has become one of the South�s most popular holiday getaway destinations.

In a manner befitting the Nation�s Oldest City, this inspiring display of light is based on the tradition of the town�s original Spanish colonists who placed a white candle in their windows to brighten the nights during the Christmas holidays. Continuing through January 31, 2010, St. Augustine�s Nights of Lights provides a fantastic backdrop for more than 50 festivals, special tours and events throughout St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches. For a complete list of Nights of Lights events, visit http://www.NightsofLights.com.

This year, visitors to St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches can save money during their holiday-time visit with the destination�s recently launched discount program, The Getaway Card. This exciting new discount program provides an array of discounts to some of the area's most popular attractions, restaurants, hotels, resorts, golf courses and shopping venues.

Visit http://www.MyGetawayCard.com to print your free Getaway Card and preview a list of participating outlets and offers. In addition, participating businesses in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches visibly display the Getaway Card logo so that visitors can easily identify where they can save.

For more details on other annual top events in Florida, visit the Top Events Florida page at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html