ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Softball begins PAGE 10 THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
VOLUME 9, NO. 27
Vacation rentals in limbo
Volusia tables decision on short-term rentals as it waits to see what happens at the state level PAGE 3
Family first
One of the best Tripadvisor’s annual list of best beaches placed Ormond as the 12th best beach in the country.
Police lieutenant retires to support his brother’s family PAGE 3
‘A musical outreach’ The Trae Pierce and the T-Stones band is partnering with Kids Rock the Nation. JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The Trae Pierce and the T-Stones band finds inspiration through a variety of music styles. They’re a little country, a little rock, with some pop and hiphop vibes, all a result of their diverse backgrounds. The band is composed of four-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Trae Pierce, his son and lead singer Rae, drummer Felix Molina and guitarist Grant Chase Jones, and their new single, “Be Anything,” is a union of what makes each of the band members different. “It was long time for us to figure out a song that could capture all of us where we were all satisfied,” said Pierce. Their music video was also recorded in parts of Ormond Beach. The band is hosting a single release party at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at Beachside Tarven, located at 690 E. Third Ave. in
Jeanne Figurelli
Tripadvisor, an online travel company, recently released its annual Travelers’ Choice Awards list of top 25 beaches in the United States, and Ormond Beach has made the cut for 2021. Listed at number 12, Ormond Beach outranks other places in Florida including Henderson Beach State Park in Destin, Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, and Clearwater Beach in Clearwater. At the top of the list is another in Florida: St. Pete Beach. No. 2 on the list is Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii. To see the which other beaches made the list, visit tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cTop-g191. This photo was taken by a member of the Casements Camera Club, which has a new show at The Casements, the 28th Ebony and Ivory Show.
Restoration efforts for the Macdonald House are in progress The improvements to the east and west walls could be completed by July.
SEE LOCAL BAND PAGE 9
INDEX
Calendar................ PAGE 8 Cops Corner.......... PAGE 6 Real Estate...........PAGE 14 Your Town.............. PAGE 6 Photo by Jarleene Almenas
JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The exterior improvements to the MacDonald House are now underway, a restoration effort that the Ormond Beach Historical Society has been working toward for over a decade. The contractor, A.M. Weigel Construction Inc., of Daytona Beach, was awarded a $448,650 contract in December 2020 to restore the east and west side of the 1903 home, located at 38 E. Granada Blvd. The house is one of the oldest remaining structures in Ormond, and was pur-
chased by the city in 1979. The project was made possible thanks to $100,000 raised by the OBHS, as well as an ECHO grant and matching city funds. The work is moving along swiftly, and OBHS President Jerry Lampe said they’re expecting the current improvements to be finished by July. Then, if the City Commission approves the second half of the project — the improvements to the north and south walls — he estimates the work to be fully completed by December. “Finally, it’s happening,” Lampe said. Their goals have always been to
both preserve the house and turn it into an enhanced welcome center, to be known as the Ormond Beach Museum of History. Though the OBHS still has a long road ahead, Lampe shared that they do have a vision in mind. “We feel lucky that it’s here, and we want to do as much as we possibly can to make sure that we accomplish our mission, which is to preserve the local history and to share the information about it to the community,” Lampe said. Once the exterior renovations are completed, the OBHS will turn its focus to the interior of the home.