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GeckoFest 2008

By
Industry Observer with No longer practicing real estate as of 2008.

It's that time of year again!  In case you hadn't noticed, the Geckos are once again invading Bradenton.  These aren't the small little creatures you normally see either.  These are large 6 foot long geckos that are being spotted all over downtown Bradenton on the sides of buildings!  These brightly colored hand painted creatures are a sight to see!  The really are works of art.

The Bradenton GeckoFest first debuted in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Village of the Arts, creating an important bridge between the business and arts communities -- a brilliant pairing. Schools and social groups got involved, and funds were raised to augment the County's shrinking art education budgets. City residents and tourists alike were treated to these family-friendly colorful six-foot geckos crawling up and down sides of buildings throughout Downtown Bradenton.

You can visit the BradentonGeckoFest website to see pictures of all of them and a trail map to all of their locations.  Trail maps will also be available at ArtCenter Manatee, the Arts Council of Manatee, at most galleries in the Village of the Arts, and at the South Florida Museum.

The geckos will remain up until mid-March, when they will all be taken down and sent to the Bradenton Auditorium and auctioned off to the highest bidder.  If you're interested in attending the auction, sign up early.  Last year they sold out!

Here are a few that I was able to get pictures of yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

*Copyright © 2008 Becky Troutt.  All rights reserved.

Comments (8)

Linda Scanlan
A Fan of AR - Burleson, TX
Becky, I LOVE your lizards!! They're one of my favorite things and to see that they're celebrated in your town...Wow.
Feb 02, 2008 02:28 AM
Chris Frantz
EDU Real Estate Group - Indianapolis, IN
Very cool, thanks for sharing.
Feb 02, 2008 03:03 AM
Leesa Finley
RED Properties - Wake Forest, NC
RED Properties - Raleigh NC Real Estate
Becky - those are really awesome!  In Raleigh we have wolves painted just as funky and colorful.  You have inspired me to go seek them out and take some pics with their meaning.  You get full props for the idea!!!
Feb 02, 2008 09:43 AM
Josué E. Silva
Tierra Antigua Realty - Tucson, AZ
interesting i must say, very colorful and artistic.
Feb 04, 2008 06:55 AM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS
Love it!  What a fabulous idea!
Feb 04, 2008 08:59 AM
John Hurbon
Homesmart International Tucson,AZ - Benson, AZ

Dear Becky,

I loved your Geico blog.

John Hurbon

Benson, Az

Piranha Trainer, Real Estate Agent

Benson Horse Property

Feb 04, 2008 12:11 PM
Tchaka Owen
Galleria International Realty - Hollywood, FL
Awesome!!!  I love this type of art.  Back in 2001 the DC area put up about 60 (or maybe more) donkeys and elephants which were all painted in different styles.  I wish Hollywood would do that.
Feb 04, 2008 03:15 PM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

We had something like that here a few years ago that involved cows, who knows why they choose cows, but it worked out pretty well and we still have a few floating around town.

Feb 16, 2008 08:48 AM