Spring Training

VIDEO: Hooters Girl Makes Foul Play on Fair Ball at Phillies Game

The Rays' Shelley Duncan was awarded a double after the ball girl fielded a fair ball and threw it into the stands.

A Hooters girl, who was a ball girl for a weekend Rays and Phillies game in Clearwater, could only bury her face into her glove after she accidentally fielded a fair ball and threw it into the stands. The play resulted in a double for Rays outfielder/first baseman Shelley Duncan after the ball girl grabbed the ball he hit sharply down the third baseline.  According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rays manager Joe Maddon was complimentary of the woman's play on the ball.  "I thought she presented her hands to the ball very well also," Maddon told the Times. "The overall package was very, um, efficient." Watch the video above on YouTube.  Sign up for the free Clearwater Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.

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Hooters Girls Making Clearwater Appearances to Hawk New Calendar

The 2013 calendar is now on sale.

Hooters provided the following information:  The 2013 Hooters Calendar is on sale now, and several 2013 Hooters Calendar Girls will be at Tampa Bay area Hooters Restaurants Nov. 28-Dec. 1 meeting fans, signing calendars and posing for pictures. Hooters is also hosting "Operation Calendar Drop" again this year, which is a great way to put smiles on all of our troops serving overseas. Guests can purchase a calendar at the restaurant, attach a thank you note to it, and Hooters will ship the calendar to a base overseas. Calendars are $12.99 in-store (plus tax), or $13.95 online (plus tax and shipping) at www.hooterscalendar.com. The Hooters Calendar Girls will be at Tampa Bay area Hooters, including the two Clearwater locations: Friday, Nov. …

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Wing King Crowned in Clearwater

Joey Chestnut ate 144 wings in 10 minutes to win the belt at the World Wing Eating Championship Thursday night at the original Hooters, besting 10 others, including Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas.

Maybe third time is a charm, at least when it comes to chicken wings, competitive eating and Joey Chestnut. Chestnut ate 144 wings in 10 minutes finally beating Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas at the World Wing Eating Championship Thursday at none other than the original Hooters on Gulf to Bay Boulevard. Thomas, who weighs 100 pounds, had beaten Chestnut twice in other chicken wing eating endeavours. She finished third eating 131 wings. Adrian "The Rabbit" Morgan from Baton Rouge, LA, took second place, finishing 140 wings. Seat At The Table Participants earned a place at the championship table by competitively eating at 12 previous events. The contest was sanctioned by Major League Eating, which regulates and supervises competitive eating …

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Joey Chestnut Crowned Wing King at Hooters Wing Eating Championship

Joey Chestnut ate 144 wings in 10 minutes to win the belt at the World Wing Eating Championship Thursday night, besting 10 others, including Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas.

Joey Chestnut ate 144 wings in 10 minutes to win the belt at the World Wing Eating Championship Thursday night, besting 10 others, including Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. Chestnut won $7,500 for his top finish at the competition held at the original Hooters on Gulf to Bay Boulevard. Thomas had beaten Chestnut twice in other chicken wing eating endeavours. Thomas, who weighs 100 pounds, finished third with 131 wings. Adrian "The Rabbit" Morgan from Baton Rouge, La. took second place, finishing 140 wings. All 11 participants earned a place at the championship table by competitively eating at 12 previous events. The contest was sanctioned by Major League Eating, which regulates and supervises competitive eating events.

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Original Hooters to Host Wing-Eating Contest

The stars of Major League Eating are coming to Clearwater on Thursday for the Hooters Wing-Eating Championship finale.

Some of the world's biggest eaters will be chowing down in Clearwater this week at the Hooters Wing-Eating Championship. Hooters and Major League Eating (MLE) have teamed up for a circuit of wing-eating contests across the country, and the finale takes place Thursday night, July 26, at the original Hooters, 2800 Gulf to Bay Blvd. The party starts at 6 p.m. in the parking lot with music by The Black Honkeys, with the contest to follow at 7. Thursday's chowdown will include a showdown between Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas — who at 100 pounds is the world's top-ranked female eater and current five-time National Buffalo Wing-Eating Champion — and Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the reigning Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champ. Prizes of $15,…

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Beach Restaurant Brings Hooters 'Full Circle'

The company is going back to its roots with its new restaurant on Clearwater Beach.

It may be common knowledge that Hooters, the iconic wing restaurant with waitresses garbed in eye-catching attire, was founded on Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater nearly 30 years ago.  What might not be known is the idea for the imagery behind Hooters began a few miles west, on the sun-soaked sand of Clearwater Beach.  That’s where company co-founder Ed Droste and current CEO Neil Kiefer first saw Lynne Austin in a bikini contest in 1982; the pair approached the stunning young blonde and asked if she would like to be the centerpiece for their new wing joint.  “We were out boating … and we were enthralled by (Lynne’s) beauty and her charisma,” Kiefer recalled. “We asked her if she wanted to be the first employee of a restaurant that hadn…

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Hooters on Clearwater Beach: A Construction Timeline

With the latest location of the wing joint set to open on Monday, here is a look at how the site went from a hole in the ground to a Hooters haven.

Hooters, the iconic restaurant founded in Clearwater nearly 30 years ago, finally made its way to the beach. The world-renowned wing joint opens its Mandalay Avenue location Monday, following nearly a year of work that included the demolition of the exisiting building and the construction of a modern three-story structure that includes a rooftop bar. But in the meantime, we thought we'd walk you through the construction phases with a photographic timeline of the work from its early stages to its recent completion. Are you excited about the Hooters opening on the beach? Let us know in the comments below.

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Drinking and Dining Options Multiply on Clearwater Beach

A number of new establishments are popping up in the area, many with strong local ties.

If you haven’t visited Clearwater Beach recently, you might be surprised at all the new bars and restaurants that have sprung up on the island, especially on north Mandalay Avenue. In just the past year, at least five eating and drinking establishments have a foothold on Clearwater’s most popular slice of real estate. And with more eateries under development, the business boom on the beach appears to be just beginning. What’s New to Eat? The first new place hits you right in the face at the end of the causeway: a two-story Hooters that towers over the northeast corner of Mandalay. Construction on the mammoth chicken wing mecca began in late 2011 and, according to Hooters chief marketing officer Denise Williams, is tentatively scheduled to …

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Martha Vasquez, ENGEL & VÖLKERS • Clearwater Downtown • Clearwater Beach

10:01 am on Friday, May 18, 2012

Ate at Brown Boxer last night and had their Restaurant Week special! For less than $18 enjoyed full servings of fish tacos, cheese steak and HUGE piece of chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream. Fabulous value - no, I didn't eat it all at one sitting.   more ›

Hooters Construction to Close Part of Mandalay Avenue Wednesday Morning

The northbound curb lane of Mandalay Avenue north of the Clearwater Beach Roundabout will be closed Wednesday morning for a concrete pour at the soon-to-open Hooters.

Putting the finishing touches on the Hooters at Clearwater Beach will cause part of Mandalay Avenue to close early Wednesday. The northbound curb lane of Mandalay Avenue north of the Clearwater Beach Roundabout will be closed to traffic from 6 to 8 a.m. A flagman will direct traffic. The three-floor structure features the Hooters on the second floor with a third-floor rooftop bar and a Ron Jon Surf Shop on the first floor. The building is expected to open in the space next month, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Call the Traffic Engineering Division at 727-562-4776.

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Five Things We Learned This Week

From seating a new city council to spending Valentine's at the reopened Hooters, here is a recap of some of the top stories on Clearwater Patch.

1. Former Mayor Frank Hibbard and council member John Doran rode off the dais this week. New Mayor George Cretekos and councilmembers Doreen DiPolito and Jay Polglaze took their oaths of office and their seats on the City Council. 2. Post Office boxes are back on the beach. Clint Wilson, who owns the Island Dog Outfitters opened Beach Mailboxes just around the corner at 61 Baymont St. He had the 500 boxes sitting around since he took over the building that once was a Pac N' Send. 3. New members could soon be coming to the Airpark Advisory Board. A recent meeting had an influx of participants some of which filed applications to join the board. 4. Hope you remembered your sweetie on Valentine's Day. One Illinois couple took advantage of the …

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