Hurricane Helene: ‘Head Ding Dong’ keeps longstanding Pass-a-Grille tradition alive despite storm’s wrath

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. – Despite Hurricane Helene, a Pass-a-Grille tradition continues to live on in the St. Pete Beach neighborhood.

Every night, Jim LeBlanc, known as the “head ding dong,” makes sure someone rings the bell on Pass-a-Grille Beach at sundown.

He certainly wasn’t going to let Helene stop the 34-year tradition. A video from Friday evening shows him ringing the bell as waves came crashing into the area.

RELATED: ‘Head Ding Dong’ in charge of ringing sunset bell every day in Pass-a-Grille

FOX 13 first reported on the longstanding tradition. LeBlanc said the bell at Paradise Grill in the area must ring every night.

He conducts a bell-ringing ceremony every evening, and he’ll usually approaches someone hanging out at the beach and asks them if they’d like to ring the sunset bell.

Whoever takes the responsibility then writes in a log their name, date, where they’re from and why they are ringing the bell. When it’s filled up, the log becomes a permanent record in the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum on Pass-a-Grille.

“There is a charm that goes with it. It’s great to see the little kids light up and get all excited. It’s kind of a neat thing,” LeBlanc told FOX 13 back in 2022.

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