‘Holiday Bliss, Island Style’ party is set
Food, activities and entertainment will highlight the annual “Holiday Bliss, Island Style” celebration on Dec. 6 at the Matlacha Community Park.
Pine Island and area residents and visitors are invited to decorate their bicycles, wagons, go carts, themselves and their dogs for the parade. The fun will begin at 1 p.m. with activities and performances.
For adults there will be performances in the community center building and on an outdoor stage all afternoon. The Pine Island Elementary school choir, the cloggers and the Pine Island dancers will perform indoors.
Outdoors there will be entertainment by Gil from Alice Grouper; 95-year-old Guy Galinski on the harmonica; songstress Megan Coice from Pine Island; and Gary Simmons from Matlacha, his daughter and two other professional musicians in a quartet playing holiday songs.
Those attending are urged to bring their lawn chairs to watch the entertainment and the parade.
Santa will arrive at 3:15 p.m. by fire engine and photos with kids will be from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
During the afternoon, children will be able to participate in three different art activities with professional artists arranged by the WildChild Gallery, plus writing letters to Santa, face painting and making snowflakes, Christmas cards and angels for a tree. Youngsters can also learn to clog with the clogger group and ride on a steam engine train.
There will be a 50-50 raffle to benefit the Pine Island Food Pantry, and the Matlacha Civic Association will accept canned goods and donations.
The civic association will serve hot dogs, drinks and cookies free for kids and to adults for a donation to the association. For seniors there will be free coffee and cookies in the community building during the performances.
At 4:30 p.m., the Matlacha Hookers will sing Christmas carols, then the costume parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. The Pampered Pup is sponsoring the dog costume section and the civic association is providing a $50 prize for the best child’s costume and a $50 prize for the best adult costume.
The parade will go around the park and then over to the Old Fish House where the winners will be announced. Coffee, hot chocolate, beer and cookies will be served.