Over the heat yet?

I never thought I’d say it…being from New Yawk and all.

But yes, when you’re 4 year old doesn’t want to play outside…

Houston, we have a problem.

On a cool note.

This newsletter edition is pretty cool.

The mailing address says Palmetto, but it sits on Moccasin Wallow, the road half of Parrish drives every morning.

About five minutes from the 301 light.

It's the 46,000-square-foot outpatient building, not the hospital.

The 154-bed hospital next door is still a 2028 project.

No pediatrics on the list, so this one is for the grown-ups for now.

Hours "will vary by service," and Saturdays are promised later.

Our take: a lab draw or an X-ray without crossing the river is the real win here.

Call before you drive over the first week, because "this September" is not a date.

Details: BayCare HealthHub (Manatee)

The county heard Ivy Run, Villages of Amazon South, and Crosswind Point at its September 3 land-use meeting.

As of Monday morning, the county hadn't posted an action summary and no local outlet had reported the results.

So we're not going to guess.

The video of the meeting is on the county's agenda site if you want to watch it yourself.

We'll print the outcomes the minute they're official.

Agenda: September 3 Land Use Meeting

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The Manatee County Fire Chiefs' Association holds its Tribute to Heroes at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Rossi Park, 452 3rd Ave W, downtown Bradenton.

Honor guard, flag ceremony, 21-gun salute, dove release.

Free, and about 25 minutes from Parrish.

Closer to home: the Boys & Girls Clubs hold a short remembrance at 8 a.m. at the Palmetto Marriott, 600 US-41, Palmetto, about 15 minutes out.

It's a quarter century this year.

Kids at Parrish Community High weren't born yet.

Details: Tribute to Heroes at Rossi Park

Keep Manatee Beautiful runs the International Coastal Cleanup from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The closest site to Parrish is the Manatee River at Woody's River Roo, 5717 18th St E, Ellenton, about 12 minutes down 301.

You meet in the parking lot and clean the service road and the riverbank.

Free, all ages, and they hand you gloves, grabbers, and buckets.

Closed-toe shoes and a water bottle are on you.

Register so they know how many buckets to bring: Coastal Cleanup sign-up

North River Charter Academy cuts the ribbon on its new campus at 13020 Rutland Rd (CR 675) from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday.

Free and open to anyone, not just families enrolled.

Two bounce houses, an inflatable axe throw, and food trucks including Two Guys To Go, Ryan's Coffee House, and Kona Ice.

It's a weekday morning, so this is for the preschool crowd, the homeschoolers, and grandparents.

Park where they point you; Rutland is two lanes and there's no shoulder to speak of.

Details: NRCA ribbon cutting

Head north on 301 about 25 to 30 minutes, cross into Hillsborough County, and you hit a state park most of Parrish has never been to.

215 Lightfoot Rd, Wimauma. (813) 671-5005.

Open 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year, $5 a car.

The river is blackwater, tea-colored and clear, and the park's own photos show manatee moms and calves in the oxbows in summer.

Canoes rent at the ranger station, first come, about $5 an hour; call to confirm.

Now the catch: the 6.5-mile North Trail has been closed since November 2024 and it's still closed.

Don't drive up for that hike.

Go for the south side instead: 15-plus miles of shared trails, the Dude Lake loop, riverside picnic pavilions, and a playground.

Dogs are allowed.

Details and the park map: Little Manatee River State Park

Parrish still has no branch, so the two that count are Rocky Bluff, 6750 US-301 N in Ellenton (about 10 minutes), and Braden River, 4915 53rd Ave E in Bradenton (about 25).

Rocky Bluff runs family storytime all month; doors close at 10:05 a.m., so don't be the family in the parking lot at 10:06.

Both calendars: Manatee Library events

8003 US-301 N, Unit 102, Parrish. (941) 776-9927.

Monday through Wednesday 9 to 5, Thursday and Friday 9 to 7, Saturday 9 to 6, closed Sunday.

Seventeen issues in and we've never featured a barber, which is an oversight in a town this full of dads and boys who need a cut before picture day.

Head Quarters is family-owned and the calling card is a fade with a razor edge and a hot-towel finish.

Men's cuts, beard trims, head shaves, and a hot-towel shave if you want the full treatment.

Our take: the Thursday and Friday 7 p.m. close is the whole reason to know this place.

A working dad can get the kid a cut after practice and still make dinner.

Prices aren't posted online, so call ahead and ask what a basic cut runs; it saves the awkward moment at the register.

Saturday is the busy day on 301, same as every barbershop in America.

Listing: Head Quarters Barbershop

Nine years ago today, on September 8, 2017, the first cars crossed the Fort Hamer Bridge.

It wasn't open yet.

The county threw it open early so Parrish could evacuate for Hurricane Irma, and a Parrish couple filmed the drive from their phone.

The official ribbon came six weeks later, October 18, 2017.

Here's the part newcomers never hear: the county first set aside money for a bridge at Fort Hamer on September 9, 1909.

Then it sat.

Decade after decade, somebody proposed it and somebody else killed it, until most people forgot it was ever planned.

What got it moving again was an eighth-grader's history-fair project.

A Parrish kid at Nolan Middle dug through leather-bound commission minutes at the Carnegie Library in Palmetto in 2010, found the 1909 vote, and his research ended up in front of a county commissioner who pushed to build it.

Ground broke in March 2015.

The final bill for the bridge and the road work on both ends: $32.6 million.

Two lanes, about a half mile over the water, with sidewalks and bike lanes.

Before it, getting from Fort Hamer Rd to Lakewood Ranch meant 301 or I-75 and a whole lot of your morning.

Now it's the reason half the Rye Rd subdivisions exist, which some of you consider a mixed blessing.

Either way, 108 years from the first vote to the first car is a Parrish record nobody wants to break.

More: Your Observer, October 2017

Male hound mix, a year and a month old, ID A138869, Kennel J4.

He came in on August 29, so he's been there a week and a half.

Hound at one year old means long legs, big ears, and a nose that runs the show.

He needs a yard, a leash that gets used, and somebody who thinks a dog talking back is funny.

He's at Manatee County Animal Welfare, 305 25th St W, Palmetto, about 20 minutes from Parrish.

Call (941) 742-5933.

Tuesdays are half-price adoption days, and fees are waived for veterans and first responders with ID.

Tango's exact fee isn't on the listing, so ask when you call.

See him: Tango on 24Petconnect (he's on the first page, sorted by intake date).

If the HealthHub opens before Segment 2 of Moccasin Wallow finishes, you'll be able to get your blood drawn and your alignment checked on the same trip.

Until next week — stay gritty, stay healthy, and keep Parrish strong. — Greg.