🌱Highland Games & Festival Today + Electric Bike Trail Use Survey

Morning, Dunedin! Here's everything you need to know to get this Saturday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy, a drenching t-storm. High: 78 Low: 70.

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Here are the top five stories in Dunedin today:

1. Dig out your tartans and kilts. It's time for Florida's biggest ceilidhs! The Scottish Gaelic word for "gathering" or "party," the ceilidhs has been a fixture in the Scottish American town of Dunedin since the 19th century. But it wasn't until 1965 that Tampa Bay's largest Scottish festival, the Dunedin Highland Games and Festival, organized by the Scottish American Society of Dunedin, became the city's signature celebration. This year, an estimated 10,000 people will attend the event TODAY in Highland Park, according to Eric MacNeill of the Dunedin Scottish Arts Foundation. Head to Highlander Park today to enjoy traditional Scottish Highland games like the caber toss and weight throw, bagpipes bands, foods such as haggis, cranachan, and stovies, and Scottish step dances and ghillies. Tickets are available at the door. (Dunedin Patch)
2. The City of Dunedin has released an update on the restrooms at Weaver Park, which were shut down earlier this week. The restrooms will remain closed until Wednesday, April 6 while they remove the beehive from the building. Porta-potties will be available for public use and the park and playground remain open. (Dunedin Patch)
3. Likely you've noticed a growing number of electric bikes being used downtown and along the Pinellas Trail. The popularity of e-bikes grew as more people sought to get outdoors during the pandemic and bike shops had trouble stocking traditional bicycles. Last year, Pinellas County asked trail users to help create a vision for the next 30 years and many who responded to the county's survey commented about e-bikes. As a result, Pinellas County is conducting a new online survey to better understand why people are choosing e-bikes and how they are blending in on our trails. They also want to learn more about what traditional bike riders and other trail users think about e-bikes. Click the link to take the short survey before it closes on April 22. (Newsbreak)
4. Authentic Florida listed the Fenway Hotel as one of the top historic hotels in Florida, highlighting the hotel's unique history. "Built in 1924, the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin was an icon of the jazz age and hosted many amazing guests like explorers, artists, musicians, and more. The resort has always been popular, due to its location on the St. Joseph Sound, facing Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. Interestingly enough, the Fenway Hotel was the home of the county’s very first radio station from 1925 – 1927. The hotel continues its dedication to music to this day, with live music and a mantra of 'the carefree Floridian spirit of figuring it out as you go.'" Read the full article to learn about some other historical hotels in the Sunshine State! (Authentic Florida)
5. While seasonal reclaimed water restrictions in Pinellas County went into effect on April 1, the City of Dunedin does not follow the county’s program. Dunedin’s reclaimed water system is completely separate from Pinellas County and the City’s schedule has not changed. The city is broken down into eight watering zones with each zone scheduled to water two hours three days a week. Residents were provided with a Reclaimed Water Report Card at the end of January with their reclaimed consumption from the past couple of years as well as their watering schedule as a reminder. Reclaimed rates, surcharges, irrigation schedule and zones can be found on the city's website. (Dunedin Gov)

Today in Dunedin:

• Dunedin Highland Games & Festival 5K Trail Run in Highlander Park (8:00 AM)
• Dunedin Highland Games & Festival in Highlander Park (8:00 AM)
• Dunedin Downtown Market in Pioneer Park (9:00 AM)
• Grief Support Group at the Unity Community Church (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Happy anniversary to Blur Nightclub which opened its doors 15 years ago on April 1, 2007! Click the link to see photos of the building when the club first opened and be sure to stop by for a celebratory drink this weekend! (Facebook)
• Pinellas County and the Florida Department of Transportation installed a fully operational traffic signal on SR 580/Skinner Boulevard at the Pinellas Trail in Dunedin. As a pilot project, a traffic control indication light specifically for bicycles on the Pinellas Trail was also added to alert trail users of when it is safe to cross. The use of this new technology in the County is to promote safety and encourage all road and trail users to obey traffic rules. (Facebook)
• A Canadian restaurant and bar known for its large selection of independent Ontario craft beer is coming to Dunedin! TALLBOYS made the announcement on its Facebook page, saying: "We are proud to announce we have purchased a bar in Dunedin, Florida and will be moving Tallboys south of the border. With our love of the Jays, the craft beer scene in Florida and the fact that on April 1 we can wear shorts instead of the madness that is Toronto weather today, the decision was bittersweet, but easy. " (Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today! See you tomorrow morning for your next update.