The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 23 - April 6, 2016

FEATURE

Good start, wet ending

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

tom vaught | SUN

The Skinny's food truck, above, was larger thn most
of the food trucks. The truck to the left served barbecue.
Most of the trucks were converted delivery vans but one,
a customized 1951 Ford truck, had a pizza oven built into the bed.

 

Mother Nature rained on two festivals on Anna Maria Island Saturday, forcing them to shut down early.

The inaugural Beach'N Food Truck and Music Festival at Coquina Beach parking area was going strong Saturday morning with visitors coming in. There was a huge stage where the musicians played with Mike Sales acting as emcee. The aroma from the colorful food trucks was drawing hungry people.

Then, the storm came.

"We held out hope that we might be able to reopen," said Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce President Deb Wing. "There was supposed to be a lull after the storm passed, but it kept on blowing and raining t."

While Wing is sorry the festival was cut short, she was optimistic it would become an annual festival.

Bradenton Beach Police Lt. John Cosby was impressed.

"The crowd was good, and it was well organized," he said. "This is the kind of event we like to see.

Meanwhile, the vendor tents were closed at the Arts and Crafts Festival for the Butterfly Park at Holmes Beach City Hall field at the storm blew through. They didn't reopen Saturday, but they did Sunday, as planned. Organizer Nancy Ambrose said they attracted a good crowd on Sunday

The forecast for next weekend indicates it would have been a better date for festivals.


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