Everglades Seafood Festival

Southwest Florida are you ready to celebrate and have an amazing time at the Everglades Seafood Festival, in Historic Everglades City? The Festival showcases the great tasting seafood that is caught locally, and prepared in a variety of ways to satisfy our appetite for amazing seafood. The event opens, Friday February 5th at 5pm, and will continue through Sunday February 6.



The Everglades Seafood Festival offers something for the entire family. Friday, "Opening night" is Family Night, so come on out and enjoy the festivities. There will be a variety of country musicians, arts & crafts, a fun fair and of course outstanding seafood to sample.

Make the day trip down with family and friends over the weekend to the Everglades Seafood Festival, kick back, relax and enjoy an outstanding Southwest Florida Tradition!

Photo by Cletch

Enjoy Southwest Florida,


Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

Get Motivated! Business Seminar

I attended the Get Motivated! Business Seminar at Germain Arena in Estero on Wednesday January 26, along with over 8,000 other movers and shakers in Southwest Florida. Each attendee was treated to ten incredible speakers sharing their knowledge, skills and personal experiences in perseverance, motivation, leadership, business skills, teamwork, and sales & negotiation.



The event exceeded my expectations as it went above and beyond in providing many ways to stay engaged and motivated in everything we do.

The speakers included Rudy Giuliani, Gen. Colin Powell, Rick Belluzzo, Laura Bush, Lou Holtz, Krish Dhanam, James Smith, Alan Andrus, Julie Ziglar Norman and Stephen Pierce.

I would highly recommend attending a Get Motivated Business Seminar if one is held in your area. It will no doubt be a game changer for you and your organization. To learn more visit their website: Get Motivated!

Enjoy Southwest Florida,


Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

2011 NFC and AFC Championship Games

Football fans were treated to two tremendous games in this years NFC and AFC Championship games. The first game, the NFC Title Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears turned into a defensive battle between two teams that have played each other many times. It was a thrill to see these two teams play each other in an intense rivalry, with the Packers prevailing 21 to 14 and moving on to the Super Bowl.



The Second game, the AFC Title Game between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers was another great battle. Early in the game it appeared that the Steelers would handily defeat the Jets as they were up 24 to 0 at one point. The resilient Jets came storming back to narrowly miss defeating the Steelers 24 to 19.

The Steelers will face the Packers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 6. The Super Bowl should be a tremendous contest between two outstanding teams. Sports fans, whether you are rooting for the Steelers or Packers, may your team play a physical and error free game, and your team prevail.

photo by Ed Yourdon

Enjoy Southwest Florida,


Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

Freedom Park

Have you had the opportunity to visit Freedom Park in Naples? The park is located off Golden Gate Parkway, between Airport Pulling Road and Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples. Freedom Park is designed as a water quality park to capture water and reduce harmful pollutants before the water enters into Naples Bay. The park is a hidden gem in the city of Naples, where residents, visitors and children can enjoy.



The park has a raised boardwalk through the wetlands and has a number of shade structures to sit under and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Freedom Park. To the West side of the park you will see the treatment ponds and marshes that will purify the water and remove the pollutants, before the water flows back naturally into Naples Bay.

The Education building contains information on Freedom Park programs, reference materials, and a Fair Trade Gift Shop. Park hours are 8am-Dusk year round. The Education building is open 8am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday, and closed on major holidays. For more information on Freedom Park, please call 239-252-4060 or 239-252-4024.

Freedom Park is a wonderful partnership between the Public and Private Sectors.

Enjoy Southwest Florida,


Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

Southwest Florida Holiday Boat Parades

Southwest Florida are you ready for the holidays and enjoying these wonderful cool days? For your enjoyment and to get you into the holiday spirit, there are some outstanding holiday boat parades around Southwest Florida.



Tonight at 6pm, at the Village on Venetian Bay, 4200 Gulf Shore Boulevard North, in Naples is holding their Holiday Boat Parade. On Saturday December 11, Bonita Springs holds their Christmas Boat Parade at 6pm. It starts and ends on Little Hickory Bay, 5025 Bonita Beach Road. The Naples Christmas Boat Parade is on December 11 at 6pm. It starts at the Naples City Dock, 880 12th Avenue South. Marco's Christmas Island Style Boat Parade is on December 18 at 6pm. It starts in Factory Bay and will travel upriver to the Marco Island Yacht Club. The Punta Gorda Boat Parade is on December 18 at 6pm.

Take time with family and friends to experience and have fun watching these parades of light.

photo by Emilo

Enjoy Southwest Florida,

Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

2010 Hurricane Season Closes

Southwest Florida is thankful that the 2010 Hurricane Season has ended, without directly experiencing the effects of a hurricane. The 2010 season produced 19 named storms of which 12 became hurricanes with five of those storms achieving the status of a Category Three or higher on
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, according to NOAA. The Islands in the Caribbean were not as fortunate as we were and experienced loss of life and extensive property damage. Our prayers and support have gone out to help those rebuild and recover from this tragedy.


As we move into the off-season for hurricanes we can be thankful that communities along the coast of the US were minimally impacted. Hopefully, future hurricanes will not be as active and cause as much damage. The key take away is to be prepared and have a plan of action in case you are required to evacuate. Remember your personal safety, that of your loved ones and your family is the most important.

photo by CoreBurn

Enjoy Southwest Florida,

Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com

Collier County Adult Education

Southwest Florida are you interested in learning a new skill, taking your hobby to the next level, or wanting to sharpen your computer skills? Have you considered taking a serious look at your local Adult and Community Education Program? The Collier County Adult Education Program offers a number of outstanding classes and instructors on a variety of topics, for a reasonable fee.

Over the last year, I have taken the following courses: Blogging 101, Blogging 102, Social Networking, Marketing & Sales Strategies For Small & Medium Businesses, Finance - Charting Stocks, Finance - Options, Health - Natural Therapies, Square Foot Gardening and Real Estate. I have enjoyed these classes immensely, learned a lot and have met some great people.

If you interested in pursuing a new endeavor, want additional instruction or want to turn your hobby in a business do yourself a favor, and look into your local Adult and Community Education Program.

Enjoy Southwest Florida,

Robin Bishop
swflfun.com
southwestflfun@gmail.com