Letters to the Editor - Nov. 12, 2009

A new home town

Dear Editor,

In 1959 Hilllsborough County, Florida was booming. Mel Larsen, a businessman from Wisconsin purchased a large tract of dairy land. He developed that parcel and created Clair-Mel City. An affordable community where  my father, mother and many others bought their first homes. They paid a down payment of $100 and the monthly payment was about $50. Schools, churches and stores popped up and a community was formed. As kids, in the 1960's and 70's, we went to Clair-Mel Elementary School and Dowdell Junior High School. We attended  church  with our parents. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Saint Marks Lutheran, the catholic kids went to Blessed Sacrament and the episcopal ones went to Saint Cecilia's. Unfortunately, our community was changing. Many of the people who struggled to pay a hundred dollar down payment became more affluent and moved to nicer neighborhoods. Busing issues separated the kids who had grown up in school together into four different high schools. The community was disintegrating and the residents scattering to the four winds. By the time the 1990's rolled around only a few of the original residents remained. My parents and many of my friends parents had died. Saint Cecilia's, and Saint Mark's closed the doors,  Grace Covenant was sold to an A.M.E. church and is thriving with a whole new congregation. Blessed Sacrament is hanging in with mostly Spanish speaking parish. The place we remembered as our home town existed in name only. There was no place to return, reminisce,  and see our old friends. That was the case until this past weekend. After connecting on Classmates.com, a group of twenty-five old friends accepted my invitation to visit Cedar Key to organize a Clair-Mel City reunion. They came from all over Florida and  two came from out of state. I knew Cedar Key would be the perfect spot but I had to convince everyone else. During their October meeting, I met with the Chamber of Commerce and pitched the idea to them to ask for help. Tom Liebert, Cedar Key Kayaks was there with an issue of his own to discuss and eagerly volunteered to assist. He set up a golf cart tour of the town for 8:00 am. Tom Duggan,of Gulf Kart Rentals,supplied the carts.  Our meeting was at 10:00 am, and Mr. Liebert had about and hour and a half to work his magic. He was magnificent. He wowed them with facts about the Cedar Keys and the wildlife that abounds. He took them by the Community Center where I was going to propose we hold the reunion and stopped by the Cedar Key Bed and Breakfast to meet some town folks. Bill and Alice Phillips served them cookies and charmed the group senseless. Tom toured them around Dock Street. He sped past the new "Tasteless" Clam restaurant and diverted their attention lest their opinion of Cedar Key be tainted.  When we got back to my house, without my insistence, the group voted unanimously to make Cedar Key their "new" home town and have our first, hopefully, annual reunion here. The planners conservatively estimate  200  families will attend, at the same time, making provision for more if necessary. I am very happy my friends chose my town as their own. I hope they won't be disappointed. Bobby McCabe   Restaurant wants CK on the map   Dear Editor,  Let's talk about the c-word ... clam.  Has anyone looked that up in the Urban Dictionary?  How about clam bag, clam bake, clam chowder?  Perhaps I should have opened a restaurant called The Clam Box...look that up.  Even the Happy Clam takes on a not so quaint meaning.  Maybe the problem word is clam, not bearded?  Or maybe the current outrage over The Bearded Clam is hiding something...fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of the economy.  Fear of competition.  Fear of sexuality or the lack of it.  Even the age-old fear of women.  Eve started it all but Adam took the bite.  Nothing has changed.  Sex still sells.  The American purient interest is insatiable and I did not create it. As for the First Amendment, what offends one person makes another giggle.  Imagine all the jokes you would have missed were it not for the First Amendment, even the vulgar ones that made you snicker.  Laughter is good for the soul.  If The Bearded Clam made a few people giggle it was worth offending a few because a joke would have never helped those souls who chose to be offended in the first place.  Their "clam" is just shut too tight and even if I tried to pry it open, it is probably full of sand. (Note: If offended, please replace "clam" with "mind".) As for The Bearded Clam name, how about the Clam Good Time t-shirts?  The can of Heinz Spotted Dick?  And that disgusting little naked pink pig on Byron's Butt Rub.  I wonder if any innocent children have seen that?  Loosen up people! I myself was unaware of the urban meaning but now it is the talk of the town.  Who's fault is that? The Bearded Clam pirate is a caricature mascot of the restaurant. Period. As for insulting the clam industry, I went to a pillar in this town - a friendly, highly-respected bearded man, to personally let him know I meant no offense. Jeff Schleede said, "None taken."  In fact he gave me a great idea for a t-shirt.  In his opinion and probably in the opinion of every hard working clammer (look that up on Urban Dictionary), anytime anyone anywhere for any reason says the clam word it is good for the clam industry. As for the current laws, a sign ordinance needn't be at the top of the Commission's agenda.  How about trash and sanitation? Now that is vulgar. One example is the restaurant oil dumped into our waters recently, not only insulting but seriously harming our clam industry.  Another is the picture on the Cedar Key Beacon website of the children trick or treating next to a pile of restaurant garbage.  Some of the restaurants in this town have been profiting off the beauty of this island for years without doing their fair share of the work.  Get on tripadvisor and read the reviews. "What a gorgeous view...too bad about the food, too bad about the service."  There is little respect for the working staff, little respect for the food and even less for the customer and the pristine environment we have been blessed with.  We live and work in  paradise.  Yet, when was the last time you were greeted with a smile? Hmmm, I wonder why sales and tourism have declined?  The Chamber of Commerce has done a sad job promoting Cedar Key. The number of people I meet who do not know where Cedar Key is astounds me. And so this is now my business...the marriage of tourism and clams. The Bearded Clam will help put Cedar Key on the map...both the island and the clam industry.  I am proud to be a part of a community that is both economically sustainable and environmentally friendly. I love the naturalness of our island. I love the fieriness too. I love that we debate. I love that we are Americans. And no matter what you say about The Bearded Clam I will always feed you...especially if it is a clam, natural and good... sweet and juicy. After all, that's the only kind we produce in Cedar Key. FYI: used cooking oil is now picked up for free and a bar of Ivory soap is still 69 cents. Did I say 69?  My apologies.  Debbie Soldatos The Bearded Clam Restaurant     Help us honor the Birdman of Cedar Key   Dear Editor, The "Birdman of Cedar Key" Owen Freeman had passed away Oct. 23 2009 at Citrus County Hospital. I know he has touched hearts of many people while he spent his many years in Cedar Key rescuing and rehabilitating the many sea birds that call Cedar Key home.  My husband and I are trying to get money saved up to have a memorial in his honor at the Homosassa Wildlife park where Birdman has taken many of his feathered friends. If you know of any way to help raise these funds for his memorial all is appreciated. The 2x6 plaque is $1,000 to $2,400 and will be placed on a bench. You can verify this information at the Wilflife park at 352-628-5343. Thank you for all of your help and for passing the word. Sincerely, Tammie Freeman- Gayer tlgayer71@yahoo.com   You will be missed, Missy   Dear Editor, On Nov. 5, six adults were treated to the final fishing seminar at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Center in Cedar Key conducted by Missy Jackson.  Having been to several of these meetings I had an inkling of what to expect and since I devour any info on our finned quarry I was in fish heaven.  Tides, moon phases, weather. water temperature and their affects on ones success were all covered.  Unfortunately my retention level is sub-normal therefore to hang onto every word has always been my credo and when I have been successful I feel much of it were due to Missy. You will be missed, Missy, Frank Molitor  Diana Topping Charles McClain Luz Kraujalis Jeri Topping Molly Cowart     We prefer fresh oysters   We the people of the United States of America would like to be heard on the new law that takes effect in 2011 – just one more season – that states that oysters out of the Gulf of Mexico must be radiated (gamma rays) before consumption. Gamma rays are deadly to oysters. This law will kill the oyster before market. More people will die of food poison than they would of vibrio vulnificus.  We would prefer our oysters fresh out of the Gulf of Mexico. Raw, fresh and delicious. Not radiated, not dry, not frozen, not dead, but fresh and raw out of the Gulf. Raw, alive, and delicious. We also know that consuming raw shell fish has a small risk, but so does living. Hamburger meat kills 100 times more people than oysters. Also, if vibrio is so dangerous, then why are we still allowed to swim, play, scallop, snorkel, clam or fish in the Gulf during the hot months? Vibrio can enter your body in any of these ways. Please don’t let them take one of our only natural foods away. Oystering has been a lifetime industry. Don’t take the oysters away during the months of Sept. – May. If handled properly by both harvester and consumer, oysters out of the Gulf of Mexico are perfectly safe. Please help. The five minutes you spend to call will save a lifetime industry. Say no to this law.  Nancy Beckham   Call: Governor Charlie Crist 850-488-4441 Senator Bill Nelson 888-671-4091, 202-224-5274 Representative Ginny Brown-Waite 352-799-8354, 202-225-1002 Representative Cliff Stearns 352-337-0003, 202-225-3973 Representative Allen Boyd 202-225-5235 State Senator Steve Oelrich 352-345-3555