HOLMES BEACH – Come to Hurricane Hanks on Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 4-6 p.m. for good food, live local music and live and silent auctions to help raise money for sea turtles and shorebirds.
The Third Annual Turtle Watch Wednesday is a fundraiser for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, whose volunteers protect sea turtles and shorebirds on Anna Maria Island beaches.
Loggerhead sea turtles, a threatened species, and green sea turtles, an endangered species, both nest on Island beaches, as do least terns, a threatened shorebird species.
The indoor-outdoor event will provide plenty of room for safe social distancing with an outside bar, and newly-designed Turtle Watch masks will be available free to everyone who attends.
Limited VIP seats will be available inside Hank’s to follow COVID-19 precautions, and will include a T-shirt, swag bag, free drink specials and more for $75; call 941-778-5788 for reservations.
Appetizer specials will be served during the event, with $1 donated to Turtle Watch by Hanks for every food item or drink sold. The first 75 people to attend will receive a complimentary first beer or wine courtesy of A Paradise Realty and Vacation Rentals.
Volunteer auctioneer Bob Slicker will emcee silent and live auctions, and a 50-50 donation raffle also will be up for grabs. New Turtle Watch T-shirts will be available for a $20 donation.
Local music legend Mike Sales will provide the entertainment and has a special surprise for attendees, who will be the first to… well, you have to attend to find out!
Ample parking will be available this year courtesy of Hancock Whitney Bank next door.
The first annual event in 2018 raised $3,000, with the total increasing to $13,000 in 2019. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Sponsors are A Paradise Realty, Mike Sales Entertainment, J n’J Graphics, Florida Underwater Sports, CabanUp, Harbor Lane Court Vacation Rentals and The Anna Maria Island Sun.
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