Hating Florida is our most important hobby, episode six

My parents used to visit St. Simons every year. Dad had a conference down there and he'd take the family for a mini-vacation. Recently the folks re-visited SSI after a couple decades away. When they returned I asked them how they liked it. Not surprisingly they didn't want to leave.

I can relate. If I could live anywhere on Earth it'd be in Athens GA. Next, it would be St. Simons Island. So when it comes to GA/fla weekend, I always prefer to stay there for these reasons: 1) Dawg friendly 2) beautiful coastal town 3) it's in Georgia where I prefer my hard earned dollars to go.

And each year before I leave for the coast, I always make this plea on behalf of everyone who enjoys St. Simons as much as I do, but mostly for everyone who lives there - clean up your trash. Don't act like you wear jorts and date your sister. It'll be a much better experience for everyone if you all just manage you own waste.

Unlike this guy...

Tebow can't heal what ails that guy.

Now, if you are heading to the beach on Friday to get your drink on, here's some late breaking news from a SSI resident.

Bulldog fans who stop in St. Simons to celebrate on Friday prior to the Georgia-Florida football game should be aware that the traditional site for tailgating will be unsafe due to high afternoon tides, and festivities instead will take place near the Coast Guard station.

Ample parking, as well as live radio broadcasts from 103Q and 104.0 The Wave, will be available near the station, just a little farther up the beach. High tide will peak at 3 p.m.

The following day, fans are invited to join UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, units of the UGA Office of Public Service and Outreach, at the seventh annual St. Simons Island Beach Sweep. The clean up will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 1, with volunteers meeting at the Coast Guard station beach boardwalk.

Held in partnership with Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful, Glynn County, Green Scene of Coastal Georgia, Brunswick Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce and Georgia’s Coastal Resources Division of DNR, volunteers will pick up cans, plastic foam coolers, cigarette butts and other litter left behind by tailgaters.

In 2013, county workers and volunteers collected over 21,000 pounds of litter from St. Simons beaches, parks and parking lots during the three-day weekend.

Tailgaters are being urged to leave their plastic foam coolers at home, as they can easily break apart and enter the ocean. To support this message, Parker’s convenience stores on St. Simons Island will sell special 100 percent recyclable UGA-themed coolers. From October 30-November 1, they are offering to switch these out for free in exchange for fans’ undamaged foam coolers, while supplies last.   (h/t Buddy)

So, who would you rather look like this weekend: the guy cleaning up the trash..or the guy about to get taken out with it?