As I sat in church last night listening to the keynote speaker, I couldn't help but linger on the first point he made. Naturally, a good speaker will open with a funny comment or a joke which helps to ease the crowd and create better listeners. His said, “Surfside ... wow” and that he can't help but not take the name serious. He had never been to the area and assumed it was a beach-side church with a lot of surfers. It was quite funny to hear it from that perspective, which is always the case when you listen to an idea outside your box. But then I couldn't help but wonder about the issues behind the joke.

Thinking like a marketing strategist, such as the well-intentioned Denise Triece who spoke to the council about creating a break-away chamber of commerce, one will know the importance of a name or label for any market; including tourism. The power of a label convinced me for years to purchase an overpriced product that made my back ache, but hey, those shoes looked good on me! And the perception I wanted others to have of me had no dollar limit and was resistant to back pains - which I'm paying for now.

As a community we have labeled our town as The Family Beach and it doesn't get any more clear than that. It's obviously understood which kinds of people, activities and businesses we want in our town. When people hear New York City, they think it never sleeps. When people hear Florida, they think retirement. When you hear Surfside, what do you think? South of Myrtle Beach? The Pier?

The Family Beach? What do you desire other people to think about Surfside? Are they thinking family beach or are they thinking a beach-side town of surfers? The places I mentioned above have been labeled based on the behavior of the area and those identified there. For instance, the Big Apple is always active, 24 hours a day. Do I even have to mention which city is The City of Sin? They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I think that's only because it's illegal everywhere else. Florida is a refuge for retires and has been identified by the population of its people.

With that said, how does Surfside represent the label, “The Family Beach?” Does it feel like a family? If so, is it the kind of family that never talks to each other and only comes together during the holidays, or perhaps the type of family that doesn't take too kindly to outsiders? During the summer, I can't help but noticed a majority of families tending to congregate around the Myrtle Beach area and not so much the Family Beach area. Does that mean our neighbor meets the criteria of a family beach better than we do? After all, we're the Family Beach. It's puzzling to think about all those things but it's something very important to consider.

Sometimes people and places can be overrated. For example, a 6'5”, 290lbs boxer may seem like a sure champ; but if he's got a glass jaw then he may not live up to his nickname, “The Bone Crusher.” Can the same be said for a town? Are we not living up to the hype? At the height of his career, Mike Tyson was unstoppable. They called him the champ, he performed like a champ, and when the match was over - there was no doubt who the champ was. They called him Iron Mike Tyson because of his famous knockout blows. When people want to take a vacation to gamble, the first place that comes to mind is Vegas. So when families want to go on vacation, why shouldn't they first think of Surfside?

What does Surfside stand for and what does it mean to you? These are questions that each individual must come to terms with. It's great the way it is and it could probably get better. But every family experiences growing pains and eventually, at every stage in life, we learn to accept our own identity. Regardless of what the world may think or how they perceive all us “Surfers,” one thing remains certain, our high values make us one helluva town!