Fourth of July parade and fireworks Monday
Independence Day on Fort Myers Beach will again be -excuse the baseball terminology- a day/night doubleheader.
For the fourth straight year, Estero Island will host a parade in the morning and a display of fireworks in the evening to celebrate our nation’s 235th birthday on Monday, July 4.
First off is the Fort Myers Beach Civic Association’s fourth annual Fourth of July parade. The event begins at 10 a.m. and is expected to last one hour.
Beach resident Anita Cereceda will be the parade’s Grand Marshall. Cereceda was Estero Island’s first official mayor back when the Town of Fort Myers Beach incorporated in 1995.
Fort Myers resident Lorena Placencia, 2011 Miss Florida US International, will be the lead pageantry figure in the parade, and will sit atop a convertible seat in the procession. She will be followed by Miss Cape Coral, Miss Fort Myers, Miss Teen Cape Coral, Miss Teen Fort Myers, Miss Southwest Florida and Miss Estero.
The parade floats and marchers will line up on Oak Street and will proceed north along Estero Boulevard to Times Square.
Parade awards sponsored by the Beach Observer and Beach Bulletin include Best Musical Unit; Best Decorated Float; Best Patriotic Theme; Best Overall Theme; Best Decorated Bicycle; Best Car; Best Truck; Best Marching Unit; Best Business; Best Non-Business and Best of Parade.
Officials are still seeking parade entries and sponsors. All participants are asked to be at the stating line by 9:15 a.m. as the bridge will be closed from 9:45 until just after the parade finishes.
Those interested in being in or sponsoring the parade can contact FMB Civic Association members Dennis Boback at 462-8798 or Lee Melsek at 470-3407. Parade entry fees are $40 for businesses and $20 for non-profit organizations.
Also, vendors will be set up at specific locations along the parade route. A vendor’s fee is $100. Interested vendors should also call Boback or Melsek.
This year’s parade will be broadcast live by Meridian Broadcasting. After the parade, the awards will be presented at The Lookout Lounge, the upstairs bar at The Beached Whale.
Sponsors include The Mermaid Lounge; Mango Bay; The Beached Whale; Charley’s Boat House; Surf Club; Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grill; Sunset Boat Tours; Winds; Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa; and Yucatan Beach Stand Bar and Grill.
The annual holiday parade has become a prelude to the island’s spectacular fireworks show off the pier just after dark. The fireworks show is regarded as the finest and most popular in all of Southwest Florida and draws tens of thousands of people to the island and along the shoreline.
Once again Garden State Fireworks — a team of federally licensed pyrotechnic experts who manufacture their own fireworks and are protected by a $5 million liability insurance policy and hold an outstanding safety record — and The Semmer Team will partner to shoot off another spectacular man-built and electronically-produced fireworks show from the Beach Pier at dusk on Monday, July 4.
The Beach fireworks set-up takes about two days to build from transporting sand to the pier to placing the mortar to building the wooden framing for the grand finale and wiring everything together.
Joanne Semmer said “everything is ready to go” involving this year’s fireworks. In the past, she has stated that Estero Island’s display is “probably one of the biggest events for the Fourth of July celebration in Southwest Florida.”
Even with the dry conditions and wild fires blazing over parts of the state, the Beach fireworks are safe because the display is at the end of the Beach Pier and will be shot over the Gulf.
Fireworks fundraisers for the show have been held steadily for several weeks, and contributing businesses such as Semmer Electric, Surf Club, FMB Golf Club, Mermaid Lounge and Liquors, FMB Civic Association, the Town of Fort Myers Beach and the many volunteers that are involved in the fund-raising process.
Sponsors for this event include Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe, Yucatan Beach Stand, the Beach Chamber of Commerce, Surf Club, the Mermaid Lounge & Liquors, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and the Fort Myers Beach Golf Club.
“The 4th of July Fireworks Committee is always looking for volunteers to come out and help with fundraisers and activities leading up to and the day of the 4th of July, such as selling t-shirts and other celebration items all day on the 4th of July, as well as cleaning up the pier area after the fireworks,” said Tracey Gore, Joanne’s daughter. “The Fort Myers Beach Fourth of July Fireworks has always been possible because of the support of this community.”
Call Tracey Gore at 849-3603 or Joanne Semmer at 470-4993 for more information about volunteering, making a raffle donation, or sponsoring any of the Fourth of July Fireworks events.
Special trolley service July 4
LeeTran will operate two trolley routes on Monday, July 4, in honor of Independence Day, according to Joanne Haley of LeeTran.
Trolley service from Summerlin Square on the mainland to Bowditch Park at
the north end of the island, will run every 40 minutes starting at 7 a.m.
The last trip off the island will depart Bowditch Park at 11:40 p.m. and drop passengers at Summerlin Square at 11:55 p.m.
Beach trolley service, which travels on Estero Boulevard from Bowditch Park to Lovers Key State Park, will run every 30 minutes from 6:45 a.m. until the last stop at Bowditch at 11:40 p.m.
The adult trolley fare is 50 cents per boarding; the discount fare (seniors
65 and up, disabled persons and students with required I.D.) is 25 cents per
boarding. Exact change is required.
For more information, contact LeeTran Customer Service at 533-8726.
Miss Florida International
Fort Myers resident Lorena Placencia was born in Quito, Ecuador, and is fairly new to pageants. She has recently gained a new respect for the trade and those who have grown up through the elaborate and showy events.
“I wasn’t really into pageants until last year,” she said. “I now have a different perspective of what pageants are. I’ve had an amazing opportunity to win and serve our community. This has led to many opportunities in public meetings to being a public speaker and to encourage people to be an inspiration for youth.”
Placencia moved to Miami at “a very early age” and graduated with honors, top 10 percent with a 4.0 GPA from American Senior High School in Miami Lakes. Four years ago, she changed Florida coasts to the Fort Myers area and has been busy with college, work and the various facets of pageantry involvement.
The 24-year-old is attending Florida Gulf Coast University and is majoring in Management/Marketing.
“I believe with my career in management and marketing and my experience with modeling, acting and pageantry, I would like to mix both and create a television show that covers main issues that our youth faces today,” she said about aspirations beyond college.
Crowned in November 2010, Placencia has noticed a change in her outlook in life since she began the beauty queen grooming process.
“It’s been a blessing for me. Besides it being a personally gratifying achievement, it gives me the opportunity to work for people in need. It also represents a remarkable opportunity of being a role model for youth and women to strive for excellence and success and to never give up in pursuing your dreams.”
Last year, Placencia participated in the Fourth of July parade as Miss Suncoast. She enjoys the beach, but hasn’t crossed Matanzas Bridge in a while. She’s been too busy to hit the sand on Estero Island.
“It’s going to be really fun and exciting to go back to Fort Myers Beach,” she said.
Her hobbies include dance, photography as well as playing tennis and volleyball. She would love to pursue photography later in life.
“I’m just really busy right now with studying, working and being Miss Florida International,” she said light-heartedly.
Some of Miss Florida US International’s past appearances include Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Party; Festival de las Americas; Telemundo Party; Coconut Point Fashion Show; D’Latinos TV Show Interview; Miss Cape Coral Pageant; St. Andrew’s Festival; North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce BBQ event; Pug Fest at Bell Tower; Trini Salon’s Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting and Fashion Show; Crowning Miss Fort Myers; Promoting the education speaker at a gala in Hernando County; Edison Parade in Downtown Fort Myers; FOX 4 TV Interview; Cancer Survival Awareness Event; Crowning Miss Naples; Crowning Miss Bella in Tampa; Dawn Center Gala – Stop Domestic Violence Awareness Speaker; Coconut Point Fashion Show; El Celivato movie recording; Miss Florida Training Haitian Pageant; and Latin Music Billboards Red Carpet.
She recently was the Commencement Speaker for six-grade students at Estero High School and will be involved in the “Back to School Fashion show” at Miromar Outlets in Estero on July 23 and the “Big Back to School Bash” at Harborside Event Center on July 24. On July 30, she will be representing Florida at the Miss US International 2011 Competition in Michigan with hopes to compete in China for the Miss International title.
Besides being bilingual with her Spanish heritage, Placencia believes her upbringing has been an important step in her growth as a woman today.
“I’ve been very blessed to have this kind of family because they have always taught me good morals and values that have helped me grow to be a better person in life,” she said. “I think that is very, very important to have and to stress to other kids so that they can do the right things in life.”
Placencia said close family live in the Fort Myers area, but most of her uncles, grandmother and other family members live in Ecuador. Her focus now is on future endeavors.
“It’s been really, really fun and it has kept me really, really busy. The preparation has been good, not only mentally but also physically and emotionally,” she said. “People don’t realize that being in pageants is tough. They think that sometimes it’s easy and all you have to do is go up there and smile. But, you really have to be intelligent and know about different current events and how to inspire different people.
“It’s really a job, and I feel really proud to be representing Florida. I would love to represent the United States in the International pageant.”
Placencia credits Director Suzi Hosfield for grooming her into a pageantry winner.
“Suzi has been an amazing state director,” she said. “She is always working hard for us. She’s a great trainer, a great person and, most importantly, she is an amazing friend.”
Vendor area set up for July 4th parade
Recently added to the annual Fort Myers Beach Fourth of July parade (hosted by the FMB?Civic Association) and fireworks display later that night (hosted by the FMB Fireworks Committee and Semmer Family), thousands of island visitors that day will also have a chance to do some shopping while perusing the Civic Association’s vendor spot, set up at The Mermaid Lounge and Liquors, 1204 Estero Blvd.
“We’re going to have 30-40,000 people coming to Fort Myers Beach on the Fourth of July,” said Dennis Boback, Civic Association Parade chairman. “This is the perfect opportunity to set up and sell some great things to the community.”
The Mermaid is one of the greatest places to set up a vendor area, as it’s located toward the end of the parade route and right near where the fireworks display will be taking place.
Vendors can set up at 8 a.m. Monday, July 4 and sell as late as they want to – after the fireworks display around 8 or 9 p.m. if they’d like.
Vendor spots are still available, so call Dennis Boback (462-8798) or Lee Melsek (470-3407) for any further questions or to reserve your spot.
– Text by MELISSA SCHNEIDER