Treasure Island plans three-day festival
Mardi Gras event will feature a 5K run, car show and more Feb. 20-22
By LEE DIEKEMPER
| Article published on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009 |
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TREASURE ISLAND – A visitor to Florida can get an idea of how bad the local economy is by taking a brief trip through Pinellas County’s barrier islands. All too common are the sights of “for sale” signs in front of homes, apartment buildings and condominium complexes if not “for rent” signs.
Walking through Treasure Island’s downtown area it sometimes seems more businesses are shuttered than there are places open.
It’s for this reason Treasure Island commissioners have been grasping for ways to get more visitors to the community which means more dollars spent which means more revenue.
In that effort, Commissioner Phil Collins had hoped to start a fall event of sorts with music and other happenings. But too short on time, Collins was unable to pull it off. Instead, he teamed with the Kiwanis of the Gulf Beaches to host a Mardi Gras festival for the final weekend of February.
Collins discussed the three-day festival at a very light and brief Treasure Island City Commission meeting and workshop Jan. 6.
The festival will be three days beginning Feb. 20 and will include a Mardi Gras masquerade ball, a motorcycle poker run, a 5K run and mile walk, an antique car show in addition to plenty of music and revelry.
All the proceeds will go toward the Kiwanis of the Gulf Beaches with much of the proceeds to benefit The Miracle League, a baseball league for special needs youngsters.
The masquerade ball will kick off the weekend at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Treasure Island Community Center. Tickets are $50 per person but will include Cajun food and music along with door prizes.
The 5K run and mile walk will begin and end at Rosselli Park in Treasure Island. For a registration fee of $20, runners and walkers will get gifts, free beer, a T-shirt and door prizes. The run will start at 8 a.m. with the mile walk beginning shortly thereafter.
The antique car show picks up where the run and walk ends. Held at the Treasure Island Community Center, participants pay $15 to show off their classic rides.
The motorcycle poker runs highlights Sunday’s events. It begins at the Harley-Davidson shop at 2805 54th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg and ending at Ricky T’s, 10601 Gulf Blvd. The poker run is $20 per person and starts at 11 a.m.
Of course, Cajun music and the aroma of Cajun foods will fill the salt air of the beach. From noon through 10 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, hungry and thirsty visitors will mingle on the beach and move to the sounds of music commonly heard in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Along with music, food and beer tents, a kids zone also will be among the highlights.
“This is the first time we’ve had an event like this on Treasure Island,” Collins said. “Hopefully it won’t be the last.”
For more information on the Mardi Gras weekend along with registration forms for the various events, interested parties are encouraged to visit www.kiwanismardigrasweekend.org.
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Article published on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009
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