Short and sweet and to the point....that's me...well, sometimes not so "sweet". I'm gonna bitch about the bitchin' that doesn't seem to stop in my paradise called OD. I do my very best to get along with everybody. Don't have a clicque that I belong to, don't have a dresscode I have to follow, don't care if you're a religious fanatic or an atheist....You be nice to me and I'll be nice to you. Pretty simple. I'm now a grown-up and if I don't like something or someone I don't have to be around it or them.
Our once peaceful little community of beach folks are tearing each other apart! Heck, they're even tearing apart folks and things they know nothing about! Can't go here, gotta go there....a major "we'll show them" attitude. Once upon a time folks moved here to OD in the hopes that they could become and share the lifestyle that had attracted them from their high school years on. There was something for everybody here in OD. There were rides for the kids...there were churches for folks from all denominations...there were restaurants serving everything from hamburgers & hot dogs to Calabash style seafood. There was a jukebox in every club and bands playing every weekend.
The more folks moved here, the more they wanted to change it to what they thought it should be. Now there are groups for this and groups for that...and groups against anything that isn't the way they want it. Now they're fussin' and fightin' and callin' names all over Facebook, and on the streets, about whose idea of what Ocean Drive should be is correct. You're ALL correct, dammit! This is a beach community, rooted in beach music, fun and families! There are plenty of places to hear the music YOU want to hear, whether a DJ is playing it or a band is playing it. The kids STILL like to ride the rides when they come to the beach. SO! You can't park outside the door of your favorite club any time you want to go? We USED TO WALK! I've walked from Cherry Grove to Ocean Drive just to hear the music at the old Pavilion, or Fat Jack's....and we HAD FUN doin' it. And we made MEMORIES.... that tugged at us and made us want to move here.
Folks....let's all grow up! Memories are NOT all we have to cling to. We ain't dead...yet. Let's make NEW memories...and NEW friends....and realize that there is plenty of room for a little bit of everything here at Ocean Drive! YES, things change...but bitchin' about things that have always been here and are diverse enough to keep folks coming back and spending their money so we can keep our shops, restaurants and clubs open doesn't make sense to me! Do you think that the handful of folks with closed minds and hearts can keep downtown business doors open?
Change those frowns to smiles and be glad that you can come to OD, whether on vacay or to live here, and find something that you love to do in whatever door you CHOOSE to walk through. This new mentality of "MY" people and "YOU" people is going to cripple what we all came here for in the first place.
Bless Harold Bessent's heart and soul...He has seen what it takes to stay in business on this beach. He caters to NO one crowd. He provides excellent staff, DJ's AND bands so that his club is the fullest one in town on a regular basis. YES, things change..but the times have also changed. The rent for a storefront or building on this beach cannot be paid by catering to one small crowd on special occasions. There have to be people walking through the doors every day...and spending money...and having a good time. The Fat Man's had the right idea all along.
Can't we all just "get along" without everybody liking the same things?
So you want to make, or have made, OD your home? Well, please let the kids ride the rides, let the DJs play their music, let the bands play on, let the T-Shirt stores work beside the beach music stores......Let our beach survive! Instead of constantly bitchin' about the place, either hush up or go somewhere else!
Which direction are YOU goin'?
Some folks have me a titch bothered...can you tell? Well, I'm just gonna go downtown and dance it out!
I asked for it...how about a comment? But if it's a bitchin' comment fuggettaboutit!
Folks....let's all grow up! Memories are NOT all we have to cling to. We ain't dead...yet. Let's make NEW memories...and NEW friends....and realize that there is plenty of room for a little bit of everything here at Ocean Drive! YES, things change...but bitchin' about things that have always been here and are diverse enough to keep folks coming back and spending their money so we can keep our shops, restaurants and clubs open doesn't make sense to me! Do you think that the handful of folks with closed minds and hearts can keep downtown business doors open?
Change those frowns to smiles and be glad that you can come to OD, whether on vacay or to live here, and find something that you love to do in whatever door you CHOOSE to walk through. This new mentality of "MY" people and "YOU" people is going to cripple what we all came here for in the first place.
Bless Harold Bessent's heart and soul...He has seen what it takes to stay in business on this beach. He caters to NO one crowd. He provides excellent staff, DJ's AND bands so that his club is the fullest one in town on a regular basis. YES, things change..but the times have also changed. The rent for a storefront or building on this beach cannot be paid by catering to one small crowd on special occasions. There have to be people walking through the doors every day...and spending money...and having a good time. The Fat Man's had the right idea all along.
Can't we all just "get along" without everybody liking the same things?
So you want to make, or have made, OD your home? Well, please let the kids ride the rides, let the DJs play their music, let the bands play on, let the T-Shirt stores work beside the beach music stores......Let our beach survive! Instead of constantly bitchin' about the place, either hush up or go somewhere else!
Which direction are YOU goin'?
Some folks have me a titch bothered...can you tell? Well, I'm just gonna go downtown and dance it out!
I asked for it...how about a comment? But if it's a bitchin' comment fuggettaboutit!
