Boynton Beach has planned an inaugural Marina Summer Fest at the new Marina Village & Ocean Avenue. Think of it as a festival/block party that will hopefully become a summer tradition. Boynton has struggled in recent news, so I hope an event like this can showcase some of the many thing Boynton Beach has to offer.
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Marina Summer Fest, which begins Saturday at 1 p.m. along Ocean Avenue and Casa Loma Boulevards, will feature island music, more than 30 art vendors, a green market, wine tasting, children's activities and backpack giveaways.
It also will mark the Ninth Annual Two Georges Fishing Tournament and launch the Avenue of the Arts Walking Tour, featuring one-of-a-kind artwork.
"The CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) was looking for an opportunity to host a free event that would attract people downtown during the slower summer months, and coordinating the date with Two Georges annual fishing tournament made perfect sense," said CRA Executive Director Lisa Bright. "Months ago, while still in the planning stages, we decided to broaden the scope of the event from the marina area and schedule activities up and down Ocean Avenue, with locations including Ocean Plaza and the Schoolhouse Children's Museum."
The Boynton Beach Police Department is also taking part, deciding to hold its annual National Night Out event from 1 to 6 p.m. that day, offering free backpacks, safety information, a specialty police vehicle exhibit, fingerprinting and DNA kits.
Ocean Avenue from Seacrest Boulevard to S.E. First Street will be closed for the event. That area will feature free children's activities including a rocking climbing wall, arts and crafts booths, a bounce house and face painting.
That's also the site of the Schoolhouse Children's Museum, which will stay open until 6 p.m. and offer Fun with Fins, a hands-on program featuring sea creatures kids can touch. The 1 p.m. event is free with museum admission ($3 for kids and $5 for adults).
Music will waft from three venues - the marina, Ocean Plaza and Veteran's Park - and food and beverage will be available at several spots as well.
The east end of Ocean Avenue also will feature activities from 1 to 8 p.m. including art vendors, food and music at the marina and Ocean Plaza. The Ocean Plaza will set up 12 to 14 tents in its parking lot, featuring children's activities (for a nominal charge), including pineapple bowling, bracelet making, face painting, chalk art and pottery painting. There will also be $1 a minute massages, a dunk tank and an art display featuring work created earlier in the day at the marina.
Across the street at Two Georges Waterfront Grille, things will start earlier with the fishing tournament, which begins at 7 a.m. Prizes totaling $4,000 will be awarded in five categories, including Lady Angler and kids 12 and younger. There will be an awards party when the boats return at about 3 p.m.
The event also will feature the artwork from Avenue of the Arts and the artists who created them. The large pieces, made of a variety of materials such as steel and bronze, have themes ranging from music to the ocean.
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