Sanibel-Captiva to celebrate the Fourth of July with fun, food and fireworks
Written by: Linda Christian
Publicized in:
Breeze Newspapers
Publication Date: June 27, 2008
Local legends Sam, left, and Francis Bailey will be
the grand marshals for the 18th Annual Sanibel Fourth of July Parade.
Sanibel-Captiva is known for its fun and
family-oriented Fourth of July celebrations, and this year appears to be no
exception.
Traditionally, a massive number of Sanibel-Captiva
residents and visitors celebrate our nation s birthday by lining
Periwinkle
Way to watch
the annual parade before they head out for an afternoon of beaching, boating and
barbecuing before settling in for the fireworks display off the Causeway. Kids
love scrambling for the candy, necklaces and toys tossed from the floats, and
adults appreciate the sidewalk sales and live entertainment. (Those who plan to
bring water guns are asked to use them with caution). The Sanibel-Captiva
Optimist Club s Road Rally is another popular way for Islanders to spend the
holiday, and The Dunes will host its 10th Annual Fourth of July
celebration.
Parade anyone?
The 18th Annual Sanibel Independence Day Parade looks
to be a perfect way to get the holiday started, as dozens of festive floats
representing Sanibel-Captiva businesses and organizations are expected to
participate by representing this year s theme of Blast From The Past. The
legendary Bailey Brothers, Sam and Francis, are scheduled to be the grand
marshals, and FOX 4 personality Patrick Nolan will also appear in the
parade.
The event will start at 9:30 a.m. at Island Inn
Road (near
Tarpon Bay
Road and
Periwinkle) and end at approximately 11 a.m. at Casa Ybel. Parade T-shirts are available now and
after the parade for $10 at Bank of the Islands, and they will be sold during the
parade.
Prizes will be awarded in several float categories,
including: Lighthouse Award (Best Historical Theme), Ferry Award (Best Float),
Algiers Award (Most Imaginative), Sanibel Packing Company Award (Best
Participation), Blast From The Past Award (Best
Music/Performance).
Parade co-chairs Lisa Newmeyer-Cochrane and Trish
Bissell Phillips are proud to follow in their respective father s footsteps.
Until their passing, Don Bissell and Tom Newmeyer had always been the two
driving forces behind the Sanibel parade.
It s pretty much in our blood. I always wanted
something to do with (the parade), Newmeyer-Cochrane said. We re definitely
trying to carry on the tradition. Islanders love it, and people fly down just
for the event. Newmeyer-Cochrane added that her father s trademark 48 Jeepster
will be driven by a team from ReMax in the parade this
year.
Newmeyer-Cochrane is pleased the Bailey Brothers will
be on hand to lead the parade.
They re a huge part of Sanibel, she noted. They have
ancestors from way back who really did so much for the Island to get it where it is today.
Along with Newmeyer-Cochrane and Phillips, the other
parade committee members include: Lorin Arundel, Rob Lisenbee and Holly Smith.
Phillips mother, Ginny Bissell, was a committee member until her death earlier
this month.
Sam Bailey is looking forward to the
Fourth.
It s nice to look out and see all the people that you
know and they re interested enough to come out and sit on the side and watch and
wave at you, he said. It s an Island thing, it s a joint thing, it s a community thing,
it s a friendly thing. It gets people together.
His big brother agreed.
I (enjoy) the crowds and just seeing people and their
smiling faces and everybody s having a great time, Francis said. It s a
community and that s what we re all about.
Sanibel resident Evelyn Spencer, who is 93 years old,
has fond memories of the parade.
I think it s wonderful to have a little town like
this and everybody comes out to see it, she said. I can remember one year when
Porter Goss came back for a visit and he was roller skating. I took a picture of
him and sent it to him. A lot of people come out and hundreds of people come
over from Fort
Myers to see our
parade, and there s free food and candy, so it works out fine.
Road Rally time
The Sanibel Optimist Club s 29th Annual Road Rally
theme is Rhyme Thyme. The event starts at the Schoolhouse Theater at
noon with the contestants leaving at two minute intervals
to begin their quest to answer a checklist of 150 questions. It is not a race,
and it takes participants just over two hours to complete. The teams finish up
at Biddles Buckets (formerly Gasparilla s Grill) for a post-rally party. The
first, second, third and last place teams will receive prizes.
Rally master Dani Howard is expecting 35-40 teams
this year, and she encourages Islanders to try it out.
The Road Rally is a set course throughout
Sanibel
island, she explained. We
sometimes venture to Captiva. We vary the course to keep people on their toes.
You don't need to have knowledge of our islands to participate. We supply
detailed instructions for the route, specific questions, a team T-shirt and a
needed goody bag, along with an answer sheet to be filled out along the course.
All you need to do is pay attention, play well with the friends you bring and
have fun. All Rally cars create their own special names for their teams to best
reflect their ideas of Island spirit, fun and the Rhyme Thyme theme. We always
encourage teams to decorate their vehicles for fun and entertainment.
The Optimist s event has become a part of Sanibel
lore.
The Road Rally is a true Island tradition, Howard said. It actually began before
Sanibel had a Fourth of July parade. It is a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of
July holiday, you still have time to enjoy the parade and have plenty of time
after the Rally to enjoy the rest of the day with family and friends.
Not only does the Road Rally give participants a fun
way to spend the Fourth, their $35 entry fee (per car) is guaranteed to go to a
good cause.
The proceeds from the Road Rally go to our
Scholarship Fund, and part of the funds we collect will go to the
Rec Center s summer program to provide Free Lunch Friday for
the kids, Howard said.
Take in some fiery bling with an evening of
fireworks
After spending a relaxing day with family and
friends, Islanders will likely turn their attention to fireworks. The Dunes will
have live music, kids activities and games, local vendors selling food and
drinks, and a great view of the fireworks during its 10th Annual Fourth of July
Celebration from 5
to 9:30
p.m. Parking is $5, and
private tables with personal servers are available for $100.
A large crowd is expected to line the Causeway to
watch another display of dazzling delights that will start just after dark. Last
year, eight-year-old Hannah Logan was fascinated by the
fireworks.
'They were really pretty and colorful, and they were
really big,' she said. 'I liked the (finale) the best.'
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