It was a good weekend to work for the newspaper because in Sarasota the 4th of July is as synonymous with super boats as it is with fireworks, and my weekend assignment was the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a motor-head. But I do love a good time, and to live in Sarasota, Florida over the 4th of July weekend is always a good time.
Lido beach was packed practically shoulder-to-shoulder with people, and the set-ups were incredible. Partying people, before they’re drunk yelling “Hi, Mom” to a reporter carrying a notebook and not a camera, are incredibly inventive.
There was a bar made of a corrugated plastic complete with a generator and blender! I would have preferred to drink the top-secret, special-Colorado-recipe, pineapple-infused margarita, but the virgin peach daiquiri was as refreshing and delicious as a dip in the gulf on such a hot, sunny day.
Beyond inventive, people are a little nuts. They camped out overnight and brought furniture to the beach. One guy brought a pull-out couch he bought at Goodwill for ten bucks, and the group of kids that pulled the seats out of their van and brought a coffee table with them slept on it Saturday night.
These are the weird little tidbits that just don’t work for the newspaper, but if the kid emails me the picture like he said he would, I’ll be posting that here too—about 10 kids piled onto a pull-out couch sleeping on Lido Beach. Not necessarily news-worthy but a funny photo. They said they were trying to break the world’s record for the most people to sleep on a pull-out couch.
It was an interesting, fun, sandy weekend…glad to walk away with so many stories…wish I had more pictures. I took this one on my way home just because it dawned on me what a great day it’s been when you’re driving home from work with sand on your feet.
Boats by the Bay draws a big crowd
Fans flock to the shore for Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix
