Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” will broadcast live from Fudpucker’s in Destin on Friday morning as part of the show’s “For All America” RV road trip celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
- Co-host Steve Doocy will be on the ground throughout the morning show, which airs from 6 to 9 a.m. Eastern. The Destin stop is one of six cities on a seven-week national tour sponsored by Camping World.
Rich Neal, Chief Operations Officer at Fudpucker’s, said the restaurant jumped at the chance to host the broadcast.
“When we were told us about this opportunity, we were very excited,” Neal said. “It’s an opportunity to showcase our restaurant to the world.”
Neal said hosting a celebration tied to America’s 250th birthday carries extra weight in a community surrounded by military installations.
- “Salute to our military because they put their lives on the line, and we enjoy the freedoms because of what they do,” Neal said.
Neal said Doocy will be greeted by pirates from the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, which is taking place this week, along with live alligators from the restaurant’s free alligator park. Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner is also expected to appear during the broadcast.
“You’re going to have 50 pirates from the Krewe of Bowlegs,” Neal said. “They’re going to be escorting the camper as Steve Doocy pulls up.”
The Fort Walton Beach High School Stars Dance Team will be at the restaurant for the full three hours of the broadcast, and local band Jones and Company will perform live.
Neal said Fudpucker’s is a fitting backdrop for a national audience.
“We have a free alligator park. No other place has that around here,” he said. “We have one of the rare few places you can come hold a live alligator, feed an alligator, get a picture taken with an alligator.”
He added that the restaurant’s merchandise has made it to nearly every continent, including Antarctica and the Great Wall of China.
At each stop on the tour, one attendee is randomly selected for a chance to win a fully outfitted, America250-branded RV. The six selectees will each receive a key during a live giveaway on the July 3 edition of “Fox & Friends” in New York City. Only one key will unlock the RV for its new owner, and Fox News said it will cover the associated tax obligations.
The tour kicked off at the Armadillo Palace in Houston and will continue to Jekyll Island, Georgia; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Wildwood, New Jersey, before wrapping up June 12.
Neal said the restaurant’s staff will arrive at 2 a.m. Friday, with the event kicking off around 5 a.m. Organizers expect a crowd of 300 to 400 people. Security will include wand screenings at the entrance.
“It’s going to be a very fun-filled, festive atmosphere,” Neal said.
