ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The annual Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s Passport Program is a fun way for residents and visitors to the Island to get out and discover Island businesses with a passport offered for free by the chamber.
Participants are encouraged to get their passports stamped at four participating chamber-member businesses in each of the four defined areas: Bradenton Beach, Cortez, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria. Anyone who completes the challenge is rewarded by the chamber with a T-shirt for their achievement. For most, the task is completed over a few days, weeks or even months, but for one Bradenton Beach man, it only took five hours.
Roy Cuddahy, a 69-year-old retired “snowbird” who spends three months a year in Bradenton Beach, saw the Passport Program as a challenge he thought he could knock out in record time, so he set out to do exactly that.
“I hopped on my e-bike and did the four in Bradenton Beach, four in Cortez, four in Holmes Beach and four in Anna Maria,” Cuddahy said. “It took me five hours and 22 miles, and I made it to the chamber to get my T-shirt just a few minutes before they closed.”
Cuddahy said there were eight businesses he knew and eight businesses he had never been to, which is exactly why the chamber does the program each year; to allow people to explore new businesses and get to know the Island, while at the same time stimulating the local economy.
Roy is no stranger to e-bikes. Back at his home in Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, he owns and operates an e-bike business. While on the Island, he visits the newly opened e-bike business, Better On Bikes in Bradenton Beach, offering his knowledge and assistance to them. He also conducts an Island e-bike tour on Wednesday mornings where participants can either bring their own e-bike or rent one for $35. The guided ride lasts about two hours and is free, but he accepts donations for the Robinson Preserve trail fund. The rides are from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will continue through Wednesday, April 10. Anyone interested can contact Better On Bikes at 877-426-4386.
