Who Else Wants to Support the Youth of Belle Glade?

     This morning I attended the Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast mixer and had the pleasure of running into James Lee and his business manager Cathleen Laport.  I was pleasantly surprised as they  had stopped in our store yesterday to say hello and thank us for our meager donation from last year.

 The breakfast was well attended and we had a wonderful program on sugar cane provided by the University of Florida (Go Gators!!) Research Center's Dr. Ron Rice.  My head was filled with facts about the soil and farming and how environmentally sensitive the cane farmers are!  Leadership Glades attendees were there in full force ready to load their bus and spend the day getting educated on ecotourism.  Breakfast was provided by Lakeside Medical Center and was great as always.

     Upon returning to my office, I decided to learn more about the James Lee Foundation as I was seeing so much publicity about him in the local news.  Check out his website as he seems like the real deal.  http://www.teamlee.org/about-us/  I love it when to locals go off, make something of themselves and then return to their roots to give back.  I met his mom, Elaine Bain last year in McDonald's at the sign up for his one day football camp.  She was extrememly nice.  I guess the saying "the apple doesn't fall far" certainly rings true in James' case.  I believe we have ourselves a real hometown hero!!

New Cuban Restaurant on Main Street: Prado's

   

     There is a new Cuban restaurant at 612 S Main Street in Belle Glade!  The best news is that it is open Monday through Saturday 5:30 am to 9:00 pm and Sunday 6:00 am till 9:00 pm.  How about that?  We have a new breakfast place right here in town!  They have dine in or take out.  Last week we tried take out with a steak sandwich, a media noche and pan con lechon which is a pork sandwich.   All were really good!
     The menu has soups, sandwiches as well as quite a few specials ranging  from ropa vieja and picadillo to pollo asado and Caribean chicken.  They also have lots of sides that you can choose from.
    We provide the gas for their beautiful new kitchen and we can tell you it is really clean!  Hope everyone comes out and supports this new restaurant!  See you there!

Two Gals Deli Now Open!

There is a new restuarant in Pahokee.  It is located at the base of the levee and is owned by Becky Maynor.  It features  wonderful homecooked specials three days a week.  Monday is Chicken-n-Dumplins, Tuesday is Chicken/Fajita Steak and Thursday is Chicken Pot Pie....yummmmmm, I can smell the wonderful creations right now.  They offer an array of sandwiches, salads and deserts.  You can call them and place an order for pickup at 924-0024 and be sure and tell them we sent ya!

Local Talent

     I recently attended the the Belle Glade, Pahokee Annual Christmas mixer at the Bank of Belle Glade.  It was very festive with lots of food, great trimmings and good folks.  There were bank presidents,  business owners, farmers, high school principals and retirees among the crowd.  The thing I was most struck by was our local talent.  Zarak Lawson played Christmas music for us with his downhome comtemporary style.  Some local women immediately jumped on the microphone and chimed in with song.  Zarak is a local musician who graduated UF (Go Gators!) and has come back to make Belle Glade his home.
       I met a local anesthesiologist named Glen who told me how lucky we are to have Dr. Karis as our local surgeon because he is top notch and extrememly well educated.  I had to agree as he has operated on nearly everyone in my family!
     When it was time for door prizes, I was lucky enough to win a book written by our very own Ann Rust who signed the copy for me.  Although already considered a local hero, someday, I believe  she will be a real celebrity.  I really enjoyed myself meeting new people and reconnecting with some I hadn't seen for awhile.
     We have a lot of talent in the Glades.  Sometimes we get a bad rap from the press but if you come out and visit for a day or so you will meet some of the finest folks in the land. 

Holiday Time!

     Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Everyone is madly trying to get a jump start on the decorations, tree trimming, Christmas cards, gift buying and holiday bustle.  Many stores had their trees and decorations up before Thanksgiving.  Take time to remember the reason for the season....its not about the tinsel and the sparkling lights.  Its about taking time to show someone how much you love them.  Do something extra special for someone less fortunate than you this holiday.  When making your gift purchases this year, remember those less fortunate.
     Many families are struggling.  The unemployment rate is at an all time high.  Perhaps in lieu of a gift for a loved one, give a donation to your church for a family that is struggling. 
     Have a safe, happy holiday season from all of us in the Glades Gas Family.

Propane Incentives for Farmers

    Good Day Farmers!  We are here to share good news with you....The Propane Economic Research Council is offering news of rebates to farmers wanting to go green with propane.        http://www.agpropane.com/Feed/
This website has all the news along with the one page simple application.   http://www.agpropane.com/Feed/files/FEED%20Flyer.pdf   The Propane FEED Program  (Farm Equipment Efficiency Demonstration) was designed to test and monitor propane usage in irrigation pumps and other farm applications.
     There is a fairly simple application.  Fill it out today and see how you can save big bucks and be enviro-friendly as possible.   C'mon FLORIDA FARMERS!  Check out this map to see where they are using efficient propane on the farm:  http://www.agpropane.com/feed/Map.aspx?id=7705  we don't see any of our locals on here.

September News

Hello Friends!
     The summer has come and gone, the kids are back in school or gone off to college and the heat is relentless.  No time to slack on changing or washing out  your air conditioning filter.  Your unit is working harder than ever to keep up with the humidity and the ever soaring  temps.  The afternoon rains are the  only occasional relief we seem to get only to beget more toads and more  mosquitoes.

Should you need work on your central air system, here are some key questions for your contractor:
     

Trane Condensors

• Make sure your contractor is licensed and has adequate workers compensation.
• Verify your contractor's license status. 
• Get a written warranty for your contractor's work
• Take advantage of expert advice. Ask a lot of questions!
• Get a written bid.