Everyone please help the Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show and Music Festival to continue. We need your help pronto in regard to it continuing at Panama City Beach.
City of Panama City Beach City Council will vote on Thursday, January 24th, 2002 at 2:00 p.m. to approve the special events permit for the Gulf Coast Charity Celebration Walking Horse Show and Music Festival to be held at Aaron Bessant Park, the only place at present available for us to use for this year.
It is really important that these Council members hear from as many people as possible or we are likely to lose the Horse Show as an event for our area this year.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW OR POINTS TO WRITE ABOUT ARE:-
If you would please write a letter or fax to each of the following Beach Council members (please copy the Gulf Coast Horse Show at 610 W. Beach Drive, Panama City, Fl 32401 or fax to us at (850)763-6653 .) and give them a call at home. Your letter and call SHOULD make a difference for our community and to this show.
1. Tell them who your are and what you do.
2. How long you come to our beach to stay for this event.
3. How many people you bring.
4. How many times you have come to the Horse Show.
5. How many people you plan to bring and/or have brought.
6. What it means for the equine industry and the beach or your business.
Write and tell them what the show means to you, your family or business; what a great economic impact it has and its potential for growth, how many days you come and what you do while here(spend money, shop, eating at restaurants, gasing up, staying in motels etc.), and any other points you believe would make a difference to them that you think they should consider.
The Beach Council needs to have a 1st and 2nd motion and a 3rd vote of the five council members for approval for the special event permit to allow us to have it at the park. Presently there is no where else to have it. The permit has not been denied as of yet and we are hopeful it will be approved on January 24th, 2002.
We need hundreds, if not thousands of letters and calls from you, all members of your family, friends, fathers, mothers, horses, etc., get as many letters as you can get written in support of this event. We know this takes time, but we desperately need your help. If there is anything else you can think of , please proceed.
Also note the following:
The Horse Show won the top award for the "Best Multi-Day Horse Show of the Year" in the Country. This is an award given to the Gulf Coast Charity Celebration over other shows that have been in existence for year. This industry or person who is writing or both wants this event in Panama City Beach.
Several people from around the Country who had never been to Panama City have even purchased property and many return at other times of the year for vacations.
This event brings people to the area during a very slow season. Hotels and Motels have already booked for this year's event. Participants stay usually for the entire week, not just the three days of the event, taking their children out of school and making it a real family vacation.
1. The Gulf Coast Celebration gave $84,000.00 to three local charities this year:
2. Purchased 4 vehicles from Tommy Thomas for Hospice to assist Hospice clients(people & families in need).3. Provided Habitat for Humanity with $22,000.00. This is the money required to buy materials to build a house for someone. The lot was already available.
4. Gave $12,000.00 to Gulf Coast College. In the three years this event has been in existence, Gulf Coast College has received over $120,000.00 from the Horse Show.
5. The estimated economic impact to Bay County as projected by the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau is $4,955,492.00.
Realize we are doing everything on this end we can do, getting local businesses, and persons etc. to write and call. Our time can be best spent by contacting these people, even getting your mayors or council members to write or call who know the potential of this show and what it means to our area or your or the industry.
Please forward all letters to the Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show at the following address:
Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show
610 West Beach Drive
Panama City Beach, FL 32401