DESTIN — The flock has arrived.
The Destin Snowbirds held their big registration event Monday afternoon at the Destin Community Center. The registration, scheduled to run from 2 to 4 p.m., began early because dozens of snowbirds started arriving at about 1 p.m. to register.
“It’s a packed house. I don’t think there’s anybody else left up north,” said Timi Millar, this year’s president of the Destin Snowbirds Association.
View a slideshow from the event.
By about 3:15 p.m. Monday, roughly 800 people had already registered for this year’s snowbird season, said treasurer Ken Lemire. By the end of the day, he was expecting that number to grow to 1,000, which would bring their total membership to about 1,300.
Future registration events have been scheduled for Jan. 14, 21, 28 and Feb. 4. Lemire said he hopes to beat last year’s total of slightly more than 2,000 members.
The Destin Snowbirds group draws members from around the country and Canada. Although not as warm as South Florida, where many people go during the winter, Lemire said Destin is a great spot for northern folk wanting to avoid harsh winters.
“The weather is a little cooler, but the prices are cheaper,” Lemire said. “The businesses and restaurants welcome us with open hands and open arms and they just treat us good. And we like to treat them good and trade it back to the community.
“(I’m looking forward to the) good times, meeting old friends, making new acquaintances,” he added. “There are always new snowbirds coming in and providing activities and friendship.”
Minnesota resident Judy Stewart has been coming to Destin for 14 years and said Monday it felt wonderful to be back at her second home.
“We just like the little bit warmer weather and just to do something different,” Stewart said. “We’ve stayed at the same place for a long time, so it’s just nice to see our friends and do things with them.
“It’s nice to not have the ice,” she added.
The club offers its members numerous programs, such as casino trips, fishing trips, a chorus, tennis club and golf. Representatives from several local golf courses attended Monday’s registration event to offer special deals and promotions.
A snowbird column will run in the Sunday editions of the Northwest Florida Daily News. It will highlight the upcoming week’s activities and the club’s website, destinsnowbirds.org, will be updated regularly.
Mike Krueger, golf coordinator for the club, said he was looking forward to spending another winter in Northwest Florida.
“It’s our Florida family. You come down here and after a few years you start making some friends through the snowbird club, which is a great way to do it,” Krueger said. “It’s become a way of life for us three months out of the year. We tell people it’s not a vacation, it’s a relocation. We’re down here with our two dogs and this is it till April 4th.”
Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.