Freedom Fest to march on for Fourth of July

Last year’s Fourth of July brought nearly an inch of rain to Longboat Key, resulting in the cancellation of the annual Freedom Fest. But this year, organizers are hopeful that it won’t rain on this parade.

Freedom Fest is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, July 4, on Bay Isles Parkway in front of Longboat Key Town Hall. Participants are invited to wear their best red, white and blue attire for a patriotic parade around Bay Isles Road.

“I call it the shortest parade in America, if not the world,” said Tom Aposporos, president of the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event. “It’s really a delightful event. I think we probably see every young family on the island.”

Following the parade, festivities move to nearby Bicentennial Park. A breakfast, featuring Blue Dolphin Café’s famous waffles and the Longboat Key Club’s tasty sausage, will be available for the good old-fashioned price of $1 each. Kids can enjoy fun games (tickets are sold in the park). Another highlight of the morning will be the Longboat Key Garden Club’s release of 70 butterflies in the Butterfly Garden.

“It’s a special event that really does celebrate Independence Day in a very small-town kind of way,” Aposporos said.

The event is sponsored by the Longboat Observer, Cannons Marina, Casa del Mar, the Longboat Key Club and Resort, Blue Dolphin Café and the town of Longboat Key.

So, decorate your bikes, trikes, wagons, walkers and pets and join the Freedom Fest parade.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].
 

"BOOM BOOM ON THE BAY"
This year’s Fourth of July weekend will start out with a bang. The annual fireworks display, “Boom Boom on the Bay,” returns this year, with fireworks beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 2. VIP tables are available at Moore’s Stonecrab Restaurant, 800 Broadway, and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, 760 Broadway. For information or reservations, call Moore’s at 383-1748 or Mar Vista at 383-2391.