5 Things to Know Today: Thursday, July 21

1) The winning cities for the USA Today/Rand McNally "Best of the Road" Rally will be announced today. Gulfport is one of six finalists for the "Best for Food" category. Stay tuned to the contest website, Facebook page and Twitter updates. The winning towns will be announced at the Destination Marketing Association International Conference in New Orleans today. As for the winning road rally team . . . . . did not win the $10,000 for best team. Gone with the Wynns took home the big check and a 2011 Saab 9-4X.

2) So49 is recruiting volunteers for the upcoming 4^th Annual Tangerine Blues Fest! Volunteers will receive an orientation before the September 24^th event and opportunities include, but are not limited to; entrance monitoring, parking, beer truck and ticket booth. This year promises to be bigger and better than last year and will again benefit All Children’s Hospital of St. Pete.  Volunteer opportunities will be in a variety of areas so get your spot now! Contact Walt Dill at so49web@aol.com or you can call him at 727-515-4941.

3) All 220 pages of James O"Reilly's Proposed Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2011/2012 are available to view or print from the city's website. Public hearings for the Fiscal Year 2011/2012 budget are set for Thursday, September 8 and Wednesday September 21 at 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall.

4) If you missed Pinellas County Commissioner Kenneth T. Welch's Community Office Hours last night at the Gulfport Public Library, don't worry, you can contact him anytime via email at ktwelch@pinellascounty.org or by calling the Pinellas County Commission at (727) 464-3614.

5) Here is your Thursday forecast! We have a 20% chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Otherwise, it'll be mostly sunny with a high near 90. We'll have a south southwest wind between 5 and 7 mph. Tonight, a 20% chancce of rain before midnight. It'll be partly cloudy with a low around 80 and a west wind at 7 mph becoming south southeast.