Police Department message to residents

The Homestead Miami Speedway is hosting the rebranded Florida Truck Meet this weekend. While a large percentage of truck enthusiasts will be in South Florida for the three-day event, Daytona Beach Police are anticipating some will arrive here.

Truckers are welcome in Daytona Beach, but they are also expected to respect our community. Burnouts, loud horns and music, driving through residential neighborhoods and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.

In anticipation of potential traffic congestion and disruption, Sheriff Mike Chitwood has designated a special event zone where many traffic fines will be doubled, and vehicles may be towed for both criminal and non-criminal violations. Florida’s recently enacted law targets non-permitted events and allows the designation of an area with enhanced fines for non-criminal traffic violations. Vehicles may be towed and impounded for up to 72 hours. The special event zone includes the peninsula from Plaza Boulevard in Daytona Beach to Dunlawton Avenue in Port Orange. The zone will be in effect as long as is reasonably necessary to ensure public safety and welfare.

City offers Baby & Me swim program

Registration is open for the city’s Baby & Me swim program, which is from 10 to 10:45 a.m. every Saturday at the Cypress Aquatic Center at 981 George W. Engram Blvd. The swim program is for youth ages six months to three years old. The registration fee is $30 and financial scholarships are available for qualifying youth.

Juneteenth Festival returns to Daytona Beach

The City of Daytona Beach is a proud sponsor of this year’s Juneteenth Community Celebration Festival, which is Saturday, June 18, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Thanks to the commitment of an all-volunteer committee, Daytona Beach’s festival is one of the longest-running and largest Juneteenth celebrations in Florida. The celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Midtown Community Complex, 925 George W. Engram Boulevard. Admission is free to this community event featuring food and beverage vendors, merchandise and sponsor interactive activity booths, live music, dancing, children’s games, educational activities and a pound cake contest.

For those who don’t know about the origins of Juneteenth, it marks the effective end of slavery in the U.S. It is the oldest known public celebration of the end of slavery. After the end of the Civil War and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a number of people remained enslaved in the U.S. It was on June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and read the statement, “In accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,” which finally meant freedom for those 250,000 people still enslaved in Texas. Juneteenth is not only a celebration of freedom, but also one of opportunity, equity and access. Observation of Juneteenth is a visible way to demonstrate the commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Tickets on sale Friday to see Ron White

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday to see comedian Ron White, who is performing at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at Peabody Auditorium. Tickets will be available for purchase online or between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Peabody Box Office. Ticket prices are $45 and $65 plus applicable surcharges.

Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White, who first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue-Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon, has long since established himself as a star in his own right. Don’t miss your opportunity to “Catch the Tater” live, Daytona Beach! For mature audiences.

July 4th Veterans Parade on Main Street

There will be a Fourth of July Veterans Parade, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, July 4, on Main Street in Daytona Beach. This is the event’s second year. The parade will pay tribute to veterans and first responders. Organized by the Marine Corps League Daytona, the parade’s lineup will feature nearly 30 local military organizations, as well as combat veterans, and the city’s police and fire departments.
The parade will begin on Main Street at Atlantic Avenue and travel west on Main Street to the base of the Main Street Bridge. The public can view the parade from the sidewalks along Main Street.
Interested veteran organizations, youth groups and bands wanting to participate in the parade, should contact Rolf Mattar or Daytona Beach Zone 4 Commissioner Stacy Cantu.

In addition to the parade, there will be a special July 4th Veterans Ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. by the Clock Tower between the Boardwalk and the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort at 100 N. Atlantic Ave. that will be presented by the Marine Corps League Daytona and is sponsored by the city.