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As you know, Gulfport is one of the six finalsists on the Rand McNally "Best of the Road" competition in the catagory of "Best of Food"!
The entire town is excited about this honor and the chance to win!
Information provided below is from Rand McNally/USA Today. Please read thoroughly, and read the Gulfport specific updated info below:
Frequently
Asked
Questions
for
Towns
Updated:
June
9,
2011
What
is
Best
of
the
Road?
Rand
McNally
and
USA
TODAY
are
searching
for
the
best
small
towns
in
America.
During
the
month
of
May,
over
20,000
people
nominated
over
600
towns
on
bestoftheroad.com.
Towns
were
nominated
in
one
of
five
categories:
- Most
Beautiful
- Most
Fun
- Friendliest
- Most
Patriotic
- Best
for
Food
How
did
my
town
become
a
finalist?
Six
finalist
towns
were
selected
in
each
of
our
categories.
Four
of
those
towns
were
selected
by
popular
vote
and
our
panel
of
judges
chose
two
additional
towns
based
on
ratings
and
reviews.
What
happens
next?
On
June
23
in
New
York
City,
five
teams
composed
of
two
travelers
will
be
assigned
a
category
to
find
the
Best
of
the
Road
in
a
cross-?country
road
rally
ending
in
Los
Angeles
on
July
15.
Each
team
will
visit
and
review
six
finalist
towns
in
their
category
via
blog
posts,
video
and
photos
on
bestoftheroad.com
and
their
social
media
networks.
When
will
the
winning
towns
be
announced?
The
five
winning
towns
will
be
announced
on
July
22
at
the
Destination
Marketing
Associations
International
(DMAI)
conference
in
New
Orleans.
Which
team
will
be
visiting
my
town?
What’s
exciting
is
that
the
teams
will
find
out
their
assigned
category
on
the
morning
of
June
23,
only
moments
before
they
depart
New
York.
So,
we’re
keeping
it
a
secret
until
June
23.
What
day
will
the
team
arrive
in
my
town?
The
teams
are
required
to
visit
the
top
six
towns
in
their
assigned
category,
but
they
have
the
freedom
to
choose
their
own
route
upon
departure
and
duration
of
time
in
each
town.
However,
the
teams
will
be
provided
with
suggested
routes
and
we
expect
that
the
teams
will
work
through
the
town
finalists
from
East
to
West
over
the
course
of
three
weeks.
When
will
I
know
more
information
about
the
team’s
route?
You
will
likely
be
contacted
within
a
few
days
of
the
June
23
departure
from
New
York.
What
should
we
do
when
the
teams
visit?
Roll
out
the
red
carpet!
The
teams
will
be
evaluating
each
town
to
determine
which
is
the
best
small
town
in
their
category.
Teams
will
speak
with
local
officials
and
residents
to
get
to
know
the
community.
The
teams
will
take
into
account
their
experience
at
sporting
events,
beaches,
concert
halls,
festivals,
amusement
parks
and
restaurants
-?-?-?
even
an
impromptu
parade
-?-?-?
among
other
local
sights
distinctive
to
that
town.
Throughout
the
road
rally,
teams
will
be
comparing
comments
and
reviews
posted
on
bestoftheroad.com
to
validate
their
accuracy.
At
the
end
of
the
rally,
the
town
will
be
judged
by
the
reviews,
videos
and
photos
developed
by
the
team
while
on
their
adventure.
Are
we
allowed
to
give
the
teams
gifts?
Towns
are
under
no
obligation
to
provide
the
teams
with
any
gifts
and
our
teams
are
expressly
prohibited
from
receiving
gifts
of
significant
value
or
monetary
compensation.
However,
the
towns
are
certainly
encouraged
to
show
their
hospitality
as
best
as
possible.
Can
we
provide
the
teams
with
hotel
accommodations?
We
are
excited
to
announce
that
the
Carlson Company
has
signed
on
as
our
hospitality
sponsor.
Teams
will
be
provided
accommodations
at
Country
Inn
and
Suites
hotels
and,
in
some
cases,
Radisson
Hotels
along
their
route.
If
there
is
a
Country
Inn
or
Radisson
near
the
finalist
towns,
teams
will
most
likely
be
staying
there.
In
towns
without
a
Carlson
Company
hotel
in
close
proximity,
towns
are
welcome
to
offer
teams
accommodations.
What
do
the
winning
teams
receive?
Each
of
the
five
teams
has
received
a
“most
expenses
paid”
cross-?country
road
trip.
Rand
McNally,
USA
TODAY
and
our
sponsors
are
providing
the
teams
with
cars,
hotel
rooms,
gas,
video
cameras
and
spending
money
for
their
trip.
The
team
who
visits
the
most
sights
and
develops
the
most
creative,
original
and
descriptive
reviews
of
the
finalist
towns
in
their
category
will
receive
a
cash
prize
of
$10,000.
The
winning
teams
will
be
announced
on
July
15.
What
do
the
winning
towns
get?
The
winning
towns
will
be
featured
in
the
2013
Rand
McNally
Road
Atlas
and
on
bestoftheroad.com
as
well
as
highlighted
on
USA
TODAY’s
Travel
page.
Winning
towns
will
also
be
announced
at
the
2011
DMAI
conference
in
New
Orleans
on
July
22.
What
should
we
do
now?
Get
ready!
Plan
the
party.
Alert
the
local
media.
Can
I
publicize
my
town
as
a
finalist
in
the
inaugural
Best
of
the
Road?
Absolutely!
We’re
as
thrilled
as
you
are
that
your
town
has
been
selected
as
a
finalist
for
the
inaugural
Best
of
the
Road.
We
have
high-?resolution
images
available
for
you
to
use
if
you
would
like
to
promote
your
town’s
honor
on
your
Web
site,
letterhead
or
office.
Who
do
I
contact
for
more
information?
For
general
questions,
please
send
an
email
to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
For
media
inquiries,
please
contact:
Lauren
Lane
at
212-?445-?8303
or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
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Gulfport Specific "Best of the Road" Information:
The Best of the Road team coming to Gulfport is The FunFinders.
"We're Jim and Bonnie Parr. Jim is a natural clown around kind of guy. He's a big Elvis fan and takes his karaoke box with us every where we go to entertain. I'm Bonnie and was going to clown school when I met Jim. We do a lot of work in our community with the homeless and our church and the clown spirit we share helps us bring joy wherever we go. We can make anything FUN and spend all of our time doing exactly that for many people that are less fortunate than us." Read more...>>
We can help The FunFinders and Gulfport win by participating as they post on their social media: facebook, blog (theParrClowns.com), and twitter!
The FunFinders blog:
TheParrClowns.com
They will be here during the 4th of July weekend!
Please join in the fun and find out about Gulfport's "Best of the Road" event on facebook here!
15 Gulfport restaurants are participating in this exciting event by offering their own “Best of the Road Sampler Plate” and include:
Backfin Blue Café, Habana Café, Isabelle’s at Peninsula Inn & Spa, Island Flavors and ‘Tings, La Cote Basque Winehouse, O’Maddy’s Bar and Grille, Peg’s Cantina & Brewpub, Neptune Grill, Pia’s Trattoria, Smokin’ J’s BBQ, Stella’s Deli, T & Me Tea Co., Tangelo’s Grille, Village Pub and Yummy’s.
You can download the Best of the Road Sampler Menu below by clicking the image:
"Best of the Road Sampler" Contest!
If you are enjoying the samplers offered by Gulfport's restaurants, you may want to enter the contest sponsored by Gulfport! Magazine, LocalShops1, and GulfportFlorida.us by downloading the entry form and having wait staff initial each restaurant's box as you visit all 15 restaurants!
Best of the Road Sampler Contest entry form
For more information
Contact Lori Rosso at 727-343-4445
or rsvp@seabreezemanor.com.
The Sea Breeze Manor Bed and Breakfast
Voted "Best of the Road" for "Best Romantic Hotel"
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