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Entertainment

Repeat after me, Parrotheads: Party!

Palm Harbor's annual street shindig will be a "last hurrah" before a planned 13-month reconstruction of Florida Avenue.

By NORA KOCH
Published April 23, 2005

PALM HARBOR - If you're looking to waste away tonight, go to Palm Harbor, not Margaritaville.

Parrotheads are expected to pack downtown Palm Harbor for the fourth annual street party in their name, featuring music, food, libations and Floribbean fun.

"It's the last big hurrah before construction starts," said Lesley Klein, president of Old Palm Harbor Main Street, the nonprofit revitalization organization that is sponsoring the event.

A month or so after the strains of Jimmy Buffett's music fade away, Pinellas County plans to begin a 13-month reconstruction of Florida Avenue, the village's main drag.

Last year about 6,000 people turned out for the event, which will feature a cheeseburger cookoff and Buffett cover band the Caribbean Chillers. Proceeds from the event benefit Old Palm Harbor Main Street and the charitable endeavors of the Tampa Bay Parrotheads In Paradise Club.

Local Parrotheads are expected to flock to Palm Harbor tonight, said club first mate Susan Blankenship, who describes herself as "an over-40 victim of fate." (In non-Parrothead speak, Blankenship is a 48-year-old business owner and vice president of the local club.)

Besides the band, she said, the location of the party is a draw.

"That part of Palm Harbor is very Floribbean, and Parrotheads are pretty Floribbean," said Blankenship.

The street party, which will feature nine food vendors and about 40 other vendors, including artists and tropical-style crafters, will also have a Parrothead Playground for children.

"This is something we can bring our kids to," said Blankenship, who will be there with her two grandchildren, ages 3 and 4. "You can't always bring your kids to hear a Buffett cover band when they're playing at a bar."

While revelers are dancing in the street, the night could feel bittersweet for business owners who know that soon the Parrotheads will be replaced with construction workers.

Next month the County Commission is expected to approve the construction bid package, which totals about $2.8-million, to reconstruct Florida Avenue from Alt. U.S. 19 to County Road 1, said county public works project manager Joe DeMoss. If the board approves the contract, DeMoss said he hopes work will begin at the end of May.

Business owners have been dreading construction for years, fearing they could take a hit from a torn-up roadway and scant parking.

So when construction takes over, Klein's organization will boost its efforts to lure people to the business district. They'll move their signature events a few short blocks away to an area near Harbor Hall, a newly renovated banquet hall and chapel that doubles as Old Palm Harbor Main Street's headquarters.

But the one event that construction might put off is next year's Parrothead party. Klein said it may be postponed so the next party can be on the newly renovated Florida Avenue.

For now, they are focusing on plans to stay afloat during construction, Klein said.

"We will definitely be open, and be more aggressive in trying to market other events we have coming up," said Klein, who owns a metaphysical bookstore on Florida Avenue.

Michael Flowers, co-owner of the Thirsty Marlin Grill and Bar on Florida Avenue, admits he is not thrilled about the impending construction. On popular nights, finding a parking space at the popular restaurant and bar can be tricky, even without construction.

"I don't think we need it, but they're going to do it and we don't have a choice," Flowers said.

During construction, the Thirsty Marlin will offer valet parking, he said.

Meanwhile, Flowers and his staff are getting ready for the Parrothead Party. They'll decorate the restaurant Jimmy Buffett-style, open a tiki bar and sell street revelers lobster salad sandwiches in pita bread, he said. Servers will get festive with grass skirts and bikini tops.

"Too bad I have to work," he said.

Parrotheads will take over downtown Palm Harbor today from 4 to 11 p.m. for the fourth annual Palm Harbor Parrothead Party on Florida Avenue. The Caribbean Chillers Band, a sanctioned Jimmy Buffett cover band, will perform, and food and drinks will be for sale. Revelers are encouraged to bring beach chairs but not coolers.

[Last modified April 23, 2005, 00:54:19]