Rock the Arches Cinco de Mayo concert to be held at Erickson & Jensen Seafood this Saturday

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An oil painting of the arches by Jane Ellen Atkielski for the new town hall to replace the mural that was in the old town hall that was demolished

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an oil painting of the arches by Jane Ellen Atkielski for the new town hall to replace this old mural that was in the old town hall that was demolished

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The remnants of the arches off Main Street on Fort Myers Beach.

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A new sign was posted by Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches at the site of the remnants of the arches on Main Steet on Fort Myers Beach, replacing a monument that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Photo provided

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For the last eight years, the Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches group has been working on a dream of constructing a mini replica of the beloved arches that greeted Fort Myers Beach visitors for decades when motorists crossed over a draw bridge to get onto the island before the Matanzas Pass Bridge replaced it.

The group has been holding onto some of the stones from the original arches while it has been working on plans to build a tribute to the arches that seemed like it was close to becoming to fruition several times but continues to be delayed. The group’s current plan is to build a mini replica at Bowditch Point Regional Regional Park on Fort Myers Beach, which has been on hold since Hurricane Ian.

On Saturday, the group will host its fifth free “Rock the Arches” concert to benefit its efforts. This year, the concert will take place at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on Main Street in Fort Myers Beach and will celebrate Cinco de Mayo two days in advance and what organizer and Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches founder Steven Ray McDonald says will be a celebration of “Mexican heritage.”

The concert will be heavy on Latin music, including a Mariachi group from Miami, Tejano and Cumbia music, salsa music, Mexican games, Latin vibe music and a low ride show to kick the day off.

“It should be a good time for everybody,” McDonald said.

The San Carlos Island shrimp fleet home at 1100 Shrimp Boat Lane will be the site of a day of music, raffles and giveaways to support the group’s mission to build a tribute to the arches. The festivities begin at 12:45 p.m. and will run to 10:30 p.m. and will also include a mix of rock and country music. The Unforgiven Country Band will close out the show. More than $7,000 in raffles and giveaways are expected to be distributed including tickets to Key West Express and vacation stays.

McDonald said he has been in talks with Lee County officials about getting the work done independently of the county in order to keep the costs down. McDonald estimated the entire project would cost the group around $70,000, which is roughly what he says the group has on hand before funding its latest concert. The group announced in 2022 it had raised $77,000 and its website states that the group has raised more than $90,000 since 2017. Its fundraising activities have included selling memorial brick pavers for the replica site at Bowditch Point Park and its annual “Rock the Arches” concert. McDonald said Saturday’s concert will cost the organization an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 and he hopes to break even.

The original Arches stood 26-feet high and was 104-feet wide while the replica will be much smaller at 10 feet and six inches high, and 20-feet wide based on the most recent plans.

In 2019, Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass proposed the county fund a replica of the arches at Crescent Beach Family Park. That plan was rejected by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council. The county then considered funding a replica at Bowditch Point Regional Park before McDonald’s group offered to fund the project themselves.

McDonald said the group recently spent $1,000 to put up a sign commemorating the arches at the Lee County Park and Ride parking lot off Main Street, where a monument to the arches had previously stood next to part of the original arches stone. The monument was lost during Hurricane.

In the meantime, McDonald said that the group was able to donate an oil painting of the arches by Jane Ellen Atkielski for the new town hall to replace the mural that was in the old town hall that was demolished. McDonald said the oil painting was paid for by the Freeland family, who intend to incorporate a tribute to the arches at their new Arches Bayfront hotel they are proposing at Moss Marina.

“I think it’s important to save our history,” McDonald said.

Rock the Arches Cinco de Mayo fundraising concert for Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches group to be held at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on Saturday

Cost: Free