Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Bigger John's Pass plans party
The shopping, dining mecca will celebrate Saturday.
By SANDEE DAVIES, Times Staff Writer
Published February 6, 2008
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
|
[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
The boardwalk on Monday evening. The expansion includes 40,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and a parking garage.
|
|
MADEIRA BEACH - No longer a sleepy fishing village, John's Pass Plaza & Boardwalk has a whole new look. A grand opening will be held Saturday to reintroduce the beach destination. The celebration is the culmination of a three-year, $19-million project at 129th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard, at the southernmost end of Madeira Beach. The expansion of the quaint historic area that rims John's Pass includes 40,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and a parking garage. Early risers can start the day at 7 with breakfast at the Friendly Fisherman. Look for deals on clothes, jewelry and nautical-themed and handmade items. Seafood reigns at this event, with a newly opened fish market at Hubbard's Marina or cooked-to-order fare at several restaurants. Kiwanians will serve hamburgers and hot dogs. A beer tent will be open so shoppers can take a break. Kids can enjoy face painting, character appearances and more. Bill Allan and Friends will perform at the Friendly Fisherman beginning at noon. From 1 to 9 p.m., the main stage will come alive when Tom Gribbin and the Saltwater Band and the Mad Beach Band reunite, finishing with a jam that will include numerous local musicians that have played with the band over the years. The merchants and the Old Salt Fishing Foundation have teamed up to raise money to put up a Florida Fishermen Lost at Sea Memorial for west-central Florida. John's Pass has been a busy port for fishermen since 1848, when a hurricane cut the pass and sent many a fisherman to his doom. The model for the proposed monument will be unveiled Saturday. Activities and music are free. For more information, call 397-8764 or visit www.johnspassplaza.com.
[Last modified February 5, 2008, 20:18:55]
Share your thoughts on this story
Comments on this article
|
by Joy
|
02/10/08 08:40 AM
|
|
This is all well and good I guess, but I still wish it stayed the way it was -- before the fire. Nice and Quaint. Now it's just another strip mall.
|
|
by Dave
|
02/09/08 03:02 PM
|
|
Love John"S Pass. Evertytime I'm in Mad Beach Renting a Condo eating at one of the great Reataurants or visting the Church by The Sea.Wish i was threr right NOW!!!
|
|
by judd
|
02/08/08 01:12 PM
|
|
loved johns pass for 15 yrs! hope to go again soon! alan is that you? such a grump! get over your petty self!
|
|
by Frank
|
02/08/08 08:40 AM
|
|
I was at the first grand opening, It was a very good time at worst. I am glad to see the Hubbard family keeping up the Fun.
|
|
by TERRI
|
02/06/08 03:30 PM
|
|
I will assume that Alan has experience with the "chics" out to get money for showing some skin. Seems like he has been burnt by these chics. Not all of us are like that....
|
|
by MP
|
02/06/08 03:25 PM
|
|
For those who grew up with JP, the old Atlantis fleet and the old bridge...this is a good thi9ng..pls keep that old village alive!
|
|
by Paul
|
02/06/08 03:19 PM
|
|
Alan - it appears as though your dementia is kicking in. The article is referring to "Johns Pass" not "Ybor City" !!! But if you happen to be looking for something like that in the Johns Pass area try walking over the bridge to Gators.
|
|
by Dennis
|
02/06/08 12:17 PM
|
|
Great job, We look foward to john`s pass
every year,See you March,
|
|
by tOm
|
02/06/08 11:48 AM
|
|
to say that the hurricane of 1848 "sent many a fisherman to his doom."
is pure hogwash......speculation at best, and so typical of the poor state of so-called journalism practiced so poorly by the times.
|
|
by Tammy
|
02/06/08 10:48 AM
|
|
Jimmy Buffet and his 'house'band often played there. Later (as my father tells the story) true 'beach people' would keep things going till the wee hours. Then came the condo folks who did not even want fishing boats in the area. Alan must be one.
|
|
by kitty
|
02/06/08 10:41 AM
|
|
OMG!!!! The Mad Beach Band???!!! Does anyone know if Larry Sanchez is still the drummer?
|
|
by George
|
02/06/08 10:28 AM
|
|
Everyone to their own venue. The place is always filled with vacationers to spend money and support the local economy....
|
|
by Joe
|
02/06/08 08:27 AM
|
|
Let me guess Alan...you're a 70 year old condo commander that lives nearby. John's Pass is and always has been a great local attraction.
|
|
by Kelly
|
02/06/08 08:25 AM
|
|
Wow, how cynical of you Alan...did all the pretty girls snub you or something?
|
|
by alan
|
02/06/08 06:51 AM
|
|
john's pass is nothing more than a three story bar ,,filled with young money grabbing chic's just out to get a free drink for showin some skin,,what they now call a party place,,that's why there is law enforcement just around the corner ..waiting.
|
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Letter to the editor
