It takes a community

Jul 14, 2010 3 min read

To the editor:

Can any community beat our island in celebrating America’s birthday?

Hard to imagine. We proved that again Sunday with a bash that beat both the competition and the weather.

The island’s Civic Association parade was greeted by thousands of residents and visitors and finished just ahead of the downpour. And the rain got out of the way just before the county’s best fireworks show began lighting up the sky over the Gulf.

The party that is our island’s Fourth of July celebration takes a lot of work to create. It takes a community. Lots of islanders and their local organizations are involved, making it a truly community event.

Thanks to the Civic Association and it’s business partners the parade’s bills get paid. Thank you Kathy, Scott and Valerie at The Mermaid, Eric Beck at The Beached Whale, Bruce Cermak at The Surf Club, Tim Anglim at Winds and Mango Bay, Mike Stanton at Charley’s Boat House, Doc Ford’s and the Times Square Alliance. Their generous contributions make the parade possible.

Thanks to the Observer and The Bulletin for the great coverage and the parade trophies and to Nervous Nellie’s for giving the beauty queens refreshments and a place to get out of the rain after the parade.

Thanks to Topps Supermarket and Town and Country Liquors for letting us use their parking lots as a staging area, and to all of the businesses that bought ads in The Observer’s parade booklet.

Thank you parade organizer Dennis Boback, his wife, Susan and Sandi Suter for the t-shirt sales, Tucker and Chris Patton and Pat Smith for their hard work at the staging area and the five parade judges – Barbara Keene, Lorrie Wolfe, Betty Simpson, Joy Booth and Beach Observer sales leader Tali Bental.

Thanks Suzi Hosfeld for again bringing Miss Florida and all the other queens to our island’s parade.

Thanks to all the local organizations who joined in and rolled down Estero Boulevard in America’s 234th birthday party – The Kiwanis, CERT, Boy Scout troop 999, the Explorers, the Lion’s Club and the island’s fire department. Thanks councilwoman Jo List and Mayor Larry Kiker for being part of it as well as the families of bicyclers who rode along.

Thank you Sheriff Mike Scott for accepting my last minute invitation to be this year’s parade marshall. Thank you Debbie Schaefer of the Mustang Club for agreeing at the last minute to chauffeur the sheriff in your convertible.

Thanks to Frank Schilling for driving the FMB Civic Association car and his wife, Helen, for riding along and tossing beads. Thanks Jimmy Cody for offering your car and driving Miss Florida.

And thank you Bill Semmer, his family and employees for another super fireworks show, the best in the state. While many towns, including Fort Myers, have had to cancel their fireworks shows because of money, our island keeps on ticking with private donations that let the show go on year after year.

No community comes together better and gets it done finer.

Lee Melsek

Board of Directors

FMB Civic Association