RADENTON BEACH – It was a perfect night for a party and the Anna Maria Island Privateers know how to pack people in for a worthy cause.
Last Saturday evening, thousands of people flocked to Bridge Street for the annual Holiday Boat Parade and street party. Bridge Street was closed to traffic and people were free to roam the shops, restaurants and bars, one of which was home to the Privateers’ annual Christmas at the Drift In fundraiser.
This year’s fundraiser featured plenty of food available for a small donation and two big raffle prizes. There was a lotto board with hundreds of dollars’ worth of lottery tickets, won by Jennifer Newburg, and a booze basket won by Tony Markvicka. No Privateers holiday party would be complete without Santa, who enjoyed VIP status on the pirates’ sleigh as he met with kids of all ages in the parking lot of the Bradenton Beach Post Office next to the 42-foot Christmas tree.
Money raised from the event will go to the Drift In AMI scholarship to be awarded in June 2024. The Privateers are still calculating their booty, but said the turnout was one of their best yet.
The Privateers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to assist kids and the community through scholarship programs and other initiatives that help local children.