Paradise Grill opens for the season

Paradise in Long Neck is once again open as Paradise Grill in Pot-Nets Bayside opened for the summer  the weekend of May 6.

The first weekend brought with it the first major event of the season, the Land and Sea Show, which allowed patrons to hang on the beach, shop for a new car and test-drive a boat. 

On one side of the Paradise Grill parking lot were vehicles from Preston Motors, which could be purchased, financing included, on-site. On the other side were boats and Ski-Doo watercraft from Short’s Marine. In both cases, customers could test-drive and purchase vehicles on site. 

Events Coordinator Barbara Ann Racine said the event, which also included Cinco de Mayo specials, served as the kickoff of the season. 

Randy Sharrock, sales manager for Short’s Marine, said, “It’s a really neat thing to do. The customers seem to really like it; being able to get out on a boat they like. It’s a really cool thing to do.”

Also on hand for the show was My Extreme Bike, an electric bike invented by Long Neck residents Michele Berdelle and Lisa Kalbach, who had bought other electric bikes but never found one that had exactly what they were looking for.

“We thought, ‘Why not design our own bike?’” Berdelle said.

They did, and a year later they founded My Extreme Bike, which sells three styles of e-bikes on their website. 

Paradise Grill’s next big event will be a fireworks show Thursday, June 21. It will also feature the annual crush contest, where restaurants gather to serve up the best crush drink. The contest raises money for Beebe Oncology Services; the 2022 event raised $22,000.

Among the more popular summer events at Paradise Grill are the fishing tournaments. This year’s schedule includes the first kids’ tournament, the Pond Pounder, set for 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 3, open to kids ages 3-12.

“It’s like a fishing derby for kids, and we’re going to do it on land for those who have families and don’t have the means to get out on a boat,” Racine said.

The main tournaments will be held later in the summer, with the Paradise Bay Tournament set July 15-16 and the Flounder Pounder Open scheduled Aug. 16-20.

For more information on Paradise Grill, go to paradisegrillde.com.