Swampy joined fans of the television program, ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ in Cocoa Beach Saturday for the annual “Jeannie Day”. The event was held at the old Mousetrap watering hole, now a ‘Durango Steakhouse’.
The series took place in Cocoa Beach, though practically none of the series was filmed in Florida. Throughout the five seasons of the program Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, now Kennedy Space Center, are often the focus as the series was about astronaut Major Tony Nelson and his friends at the base and there troubles after Nelson finds a Jeannie in a bottle.
At the midday event here were stories Cocoa Beach and the television series, film and a recorded ‘Hello’ from Jeannie herself, Barbara Eden.
There was even a look-a-like contest. Swampy is seen with the winner, above.
Barbara Eden’s favorite dessert is Key Lime pie, so Swampy gets in the mood of the day and digs into a slice.
Swampy visits Zephyrhills and makes a stop on US 301 at ABC Pizza …. or is it? This location was an infamous, Pinellas County based, Biff Burger until the mid-70s when the whole chain fell through. Click here for the whole story.
As time went on the many locations changed into other businesses and some were torn down. Two still exist serving burgers: 1 in North Carolina and the original location in St. Petersburg.
Above is a very altered location in Zephyrhills. Not long after Biff Burger shuttered, the long time Tampa restaurant opened a franchise there. The Greek-American pizza parlor did well until a fire gutted the place three years ago. ABC Pizza took what was left of the classic Biff Burger frame and took off the right wing and incorporated the rest into one structure. Wanted to get a photo of the inside, but it’s surrounded by mirrors. So below Swampy sits and waits for the Wednesday special of baked spaghetti. It was delicious!!!
Click here to learn more about ABC Pizza.
Click here for directions to this spot in Zephyrhills.
Swampy jumped into the ‘Hands Across the Sand’ in Cocoa Beach on Saturday, June 26th, for one reason: Tourism is more important than endangering our economy and, moreover, the public safety of Florida’s citizens.
There sure were a lot of people there and many thanks to those willing to hold a Swampy’s paw! If you look close you’ll see Swampy in between the two ladies above. The one in black is one of the organizers.
Here’s a preliminary sketch of a new character entering the strip soon. Ma is a Swamp Ape hunter and is after Swampy. Problem is he ain’t easy to catch and he moves around a lot as shall shortly be seen. Watch for Ma Ashley coming soon to Swampy’s Florida.