Songs set the mood at Lovers Key sunset
It was the perfect setting for a sunset. With sunny temperatures in the 70s, a slight breeze, the beautiful Fort Myers Beach and the scenic view from Lovers Key State Park to the Gulf of Mexico with the acoustic guitar and violin sounds from J. Robert “The Florida Fiddler” and Brent Moyer.
The “Songwriters at Sunset” show brought a crowd of around 200 people to the park to listen to a mix of country, folk, Americana and beach music one day after the new year.
“I must of broke a lot of mirrors in my life,” Moyer sang about bad luck. “I don’t believe in superstition but on my tombstone you can write he must have broke a lot of mirrors in his life.”
The Jan. 2 show was a laid-back time hosted by the Friends of Lovers Key as part of their ongoing efforts to raise funds for a welcome and discovery center at the park.
The state legislature has allocated $4 million to construct the building. The Friends of Lover’s Key are hoping to raise $1.5 million to furnish the interior of the building with exhibits, a community room, visitor information, ramps and decks overlooking wildlife areas. Shelley-Sue Williams, director of The Friends of Lovers Key, said the center will be constructed over the grass at the park which is currently used for overflow parking at the park. The grassy area is surrounded by trees, which Williams said will not be disturbed. Williams said the group is offering naming opportunities at the center to donors.
Williams said the crowd on Thursday “benefited from the holiday. There were a lot of beachgoers on the beach before we even got started.”
Dawn Stahl of Ohio enjoyed the concert from the comfort of her lawn chair on the beach with friends and loved ones. “It’s really an awesome thing,” she said. Stahl described the music as “more natural. Listening to the music, the waves. What else could you ask for?”
There will be three more concerts at the gazebo as part of the series, each on the first Thursday of the month. The next show will be Charlie McCoy on Feb. 6. Williams works with her husband Bob Williams on the planning. He is vice president of Fort Myers-based Americana Community Music Association (ACMA), which is helping to provide musicians for the shows.
To reach Nathan Mayberg, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com