All Aboard Fest set to fight breast cancer
A Fort Myers Beach festival by the Back Bay this weekend will donate proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Southwest Florida Affiliate.
The second annual “All Aboard Fest” is set for this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 19-20) at Snook Bight Yacht Club and Marina at 4765 Estero Blvd. (located behind the Publix Shopping Center). Boaters can find the site at Bay Channel Marker 27, VHF Channel 72 or GPS 26’26.205 N 81’55.160W.
The festival is being presented by the owners of Snook Bight, Bayfront Bistro and Marine Max, who are teaming up for the second consecutive year to join the fight against breast cancer. Last year, the event donated more than $70,000 for the local Susan G. Komen affiliate (which equated to 7 percent of the Southwest Floirda affiliate’s entire donations for 2009). The 2010 expectations have been set higher.
“This year, our goal is to give $100,000,” said Joe Yerkes, president of Snook Bight Yacht Club and Marina. “The fight against breast cancer is so important. This disease touches everyone in a family. We simply must do everything possible to win this battle.”
The festival starts Friday with an exclusive wine tasting on the promenade followed by a wine dinner and live auction at the award-winning Bayfront Bistro, the on-site restaurant which was honored with The Wine Spectator Magazine Award of Excellence and National Restaurant Association’s 2010 Neighbor Award Florida for its community service activities including last year’s Susan G Komen success. For dinner reservations, call 765-4371.
On Saturday, the festival continues at the marina with a free public event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring activities for young and old. For adults, there will be a Sea Ray Yachts in-water boat show and demonstration, a dice-rolling chance to win a Sea Ray sport boat (if sea ray is spelled out with the six dice), hands-on demonstrations of the all-new piloting systems from MerCruiser and a day-long raffle offering fishing and boating excursions, weekend packages, gift certificates and more. For children, a fishing competition (featuring one parent and child fishing in the mangroves with a guide) highlights the day as well as a bounce castle, face painting, crab races, sumo wrestling in fat guy suits and an 25-foot activity trailer filled with 10 Xbox games and two large Wii screens on the exterior provided by The Game Guys.
“We have far more family activities on Saturday this year,” said Yerkes. “Pink Shell Resort is bringing their activities director down here. The kids get to keep the fishing gear during the competition, and we’ll give out four trophies for first to fourth place. Bob-FM will be broadcasting all day and will give away 10 keys to the key box for giveaways.
Live music will be performed throughout the day, while The Dance Academy will hold a demonstration on Irish dancing and clog dancing. There will also be a barbecue with food and drinks for children and adults and sushi on the promenade Saturday.
A portion of the dinner proceeds and all proceeds from the auctions, raffles and chance drawings will directly benefit the Komen Southwest Florida Affiliate whose promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
“From wine to food to kids competitions and entertainment, there will be something for everyone,” said Yerkes. “I hope everyone will support this important cause and help us make our goal.”
For more information about the events, please visit www.SnookBightMarina.com or www.allaboardfest.org or call 765-4371.
For many weeks, Bayfront Bistro has donated $2 off each sold drink to the local Komen cause in a promotion called “All Aboard Cocktail for the Cure.”
“We can’t thank Snook Bight and Joe Yerkes enough for their belief in our charity,” stated Miriam Ross, executive director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Southwest Florida Affiliate, on the marina’s website. “I know that this will be an amazing weekend due to the special group of people dedicated to making it a success.”