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)Subscribe to CommentsComment