PHOTOS: Let It Snow in Dunedin!

Got memorable photos like this one from Jack Merryweather taken at the Dunedin Holiday Parade and Old Fashioned Christmas? Share them in this community album!

Did you catch the snowfall downtown on Saturday? Jack Merryweather shared this photo of a little boy wondering in the magical glow of a street lamp at Dunedin's Old Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 8.  "It almost looks like a painting. The man with the boy on his shoulder just walked by as I shot it. His face is priceless," Merryweather wrote to Dunedin Patch. The city brought in about 26 tons of ice from Gainesville Ice that was chipped into tiny snowflake-like pieces through a mulcher.  Much of it was used to form a "snow mountain" where children could sled. The rest was used for a play area and "falling snow" on Main Street and Pinellas Trail. Patch readers Stacy Mixon, Monty Seidler and Debbie Hubbard also contributed photos from the …

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Snow in Forecast for Dunedin Saturday

Local Parks & Recreation Athletic Coordinator Greg Svendgard is calling for snow this Saturday evening for the Dunedin Holiday Parade and Old Fashioned Christmas.

The National Weather Service may only call for a low of 64 degrees this Saturday, but Greg Svendgard is going to make it snow in Dunedin. Svendgard is coordinating the near weather miracle on Main Street for the city's annual Dunedin Holiday Parade and Old Fashioned Christmas, for the first time in about five or six years. About 23 tons of "snow" from Gainesville Ice will arrive in the form of ice blocks and be chipped into tiny snowflake-like pieces through a mulcher. It's enough to cover a 6- to 8-foot-high slide about 25 to 30 feet long in the parking lot between Blur Night Club and the Dunedin Historical Museum. The "snow mountain," as city staff refers to it, will allow children to simulate sledding downhill. Another three tons will …

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Good Neighbors

City's Giving Tree Signifies Start of Operation Twinkle Food Drive

The City of Dunedin is soliciting community donations of non-perishible food items, grocery gift cards and new children's toys in the lobby at City Hall, now through Dec. 20.

Correction: The Giving Tree will accept donations through Dec. 20. An earlier version of this story had an incorrect date. Dunedin's "Giving Tree" is back at City Hall this December. That nautical-themed decor on the oak tree outside City Hall, named "The Giving Tree" by staff, signifies the start of the second "Operation Twinkle," an annual, city-sponsored food and toy drive. The city is soliciting community donations of non-perishable food items, grocery gift cards and new children's toys in the lobby at City Hall, now through Dec. 20. The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at Our Lady of Lourdes Church was chosen by the Social Services Committee to distribute all the community donations collected at City Hall. Last year, Operation Twinkle …

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Reader Spotlight: 'Super Popular' Christmas Concert at The Kirk

Dunedin Patch highlights interaction with our readers. Today, it's a reader-posted event listing for a Christmas concert at the Kirk of Dunedin.

Thanks to Patch reader and concert organist Terry Charles, who posted this event listing for his upcoming Christmas concert on our site. Charles will present "A Christmas Fantasy" on Friday, Dec. 14 at the Kirk of Dunedin. See more details in the event listing. Got an event of your own? Post it in the Dunedin Patch events calendar for free to get the word out! Dunedin Patch is an interactive community site, and we want you to get involved! Post a comment at the bottom of any story. Upload your photos to our Pics & Clips gallery. Post an Announcement to share your news, or add an Event to our calendar. Post a blog in our Local Voices section to let everyone know about your group, your expertise or your opinion. 

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How to Track Down the Hottest Toys

Tips for getting the presents they want without having to hoof it from Dunedin to the North Pole.

Santa’s awesome, but he doesn’t always deliver the hottest toys of the season on demand to Dunedin, no matter how nicely we ask. If the kids – or wannabe kids – in your life happen to have their hearts set on presents that are hard to come by, it can be torturous running from store to store only to find what they really want just isn’t available. Whether your little girl has her sights on the latest Lalaloopsy, your son wants a Hot Wheels R/C Terrain Twister or that “big baby” in your life is yearning for a copy of Halo 4, here are some ideas on how to track down what’s in demand without putting miles and miles on your vehicle in the process: Tips for Shopping in Town If you hate ordering online and love the gratification of being able to …

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Best Holiday Recipes: Share Them on Dunedin Patch

Whether you only venture into the kitchen to turn on the microwave or you’re a gourmet at heart, chances are you have a favorite holiday recipe. We want to hear about it!

If there’s one thing about the holidays that almost everyone can agree upon loving, it’s the food! Decadent desserts, scrumptious roasts, to-die-for sides, homemade breads–you get the idea. The spreads that start popping up in homes and offices this time of year make the holidays memorable for many. As Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah approach, we want to make it easy for Dunedin Patch readers to plan out their menus. That’s why we’re inviting you to share your favorite recipes right on the site. It doesn’t matter if you have an elaborate turkey dish to share or your favorite is a simple cookie recipe that gets your family in the holiday spirit each year: We want to hear from you! Just share your favorite recipes–and photos if you have…

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Poll: How Does Your Family Celebrate Christmas?

Should presents from Santa be wrapped? What should go on the top of the tree? Is it OK to open any presents on Christmas Eve? Help us answer these and other burning holiday questions.

  There's the North Pole, the South Pole, and now we bring you some of the polls in between. While you're reflecting on the meaning of the season over the weekend, help us answer these five burning holiday questions. Happy holidays!

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'Solar Bear' Swim Grows From Polar Tradition

After the presents and food, you can join Dunedin's "solar bears" for the annual dip into the St. Joseph Sound.

After a wild morning opening gifts this Christmas, you may find fun at the Dunedin Boat Club beach. That is the spirit behind Dunedin's version of The Dunedin Solar Bear Swim on Christmas day (formerly called the Dunedin Polar Bear Swim). The name changed this year. Kathy Carlson said 11 years ago, her sister Jennifer Dickinson, visiting from Buffalo, NY, "had this brilliant idea that instead of falling asleep on the couch after presents and mass quantities of food, we could swim, be refreshed and start anew." The two once participated in a chilly February polar bear swim in Lake Ontario in February. This year's forecast looks promising. The National Weather Service calls for a 77-degree high, light winds, overcast skies and a 30 percent …

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Holiday TV Schedule: Which Special Is the Best?

Here's when and where to find your favorite holiday specials and movies on TV this week. Which does your family like best?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer won't replay on television again this holiday season, but it's not too late to catch some other favorite holiday specials. Whether you sit down and watch the programs live or set your DVR so the grandkids can tune in when they're in town, Patch has you covered. Check out our list of holiday-specific programming below (we checked it twice), and be sure to vote for your favorite holiday special in our poll.  Looking for something else on TV? You can find a complete schedule of college bowl games at SportingNews, or full local listings of everything that's playing this week at TVListings.aol.com. 5 p.m.  7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 9 p.m. 10 p.m. 5 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 7 p.m.  7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.…

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Alex Tiegen

9:54 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011

It's "Muppet Christmas Carol" for me. "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" is a close second, followed by "Die Hard."   more ›