‘Canada’s Paul Harvey’ to visit PCB on Friday

Prior Smith will stop by the Convention & Visitors Bureau during the Winter Resident SunCard sign-up

Prior Smith, known affectionately as the Canadian version of Paul Harvey, will bring his homespun warmth to the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau Friday to sip coffee and share donuts with northern visitors.

The event is part of the Winter Resident SunCard sign-up program from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the The Visitor Information Center located at the corner of U.S. 98 and State 79 in Panama City Beach.

Besides an opportunity to chat with Smith, CVB personnel will be on hand to issue the official Winter Resident “SunCard” to new winter residents, said Dana Lent, CVB communications manager. Panama City Beach winter residents can use their free SunCard throughout the area for value-added programs and discounts at participating restaurants, hotels and other area attractions and events.

The Winter Resident SunCard Program, which began in November 2000, has issued more than 12,000 SunCards to seasonal guests, with more than 2,000 cards issued this winter season alone, Lent said.

Smith and his program, Canada Calling, have come to personify the information that Florida’s 2.5 million annual Canadian visitors crave, including snippets of news, sports, stocks, weather and the type of gossip that has been warming Canadian hearts for 32 years.

Canada Calling is heard on more than 20 radio stations throughout the Southeast and broadcasts locally on WLTG-AM and WDIZ-AM from November through April. The show has been on the air for more than five decades and keeps Canadian visitors and winter residents informed on news from home while they are wintering in Florida.

During his visit to Panama City Beach last year, more than 450 snowbirds flocked to the CVB center to meet with Smith.

Pat Kelly – News Herald Panama City