Information and News covering Fort Myers Beaches to the River District Downtown Fort Myers.

The Fort Myers Beach Lions have been boiling and serving local gulf pink shrimp to festival attendees for over 50 years.
This year's festival starts Sunday, March 4 with a Shrimp Festival Queens Social and continues Saturday with the parade and shrimp boil and on Sunday with a second shrimp boil. The secrets of perfectly cooked peel and eat shrimp have been passed from boil master to boil master through the years, as well as the secret recipe for Lions' cocktail sauce served as an accompaniment. It all starts with the finest shrimp the gulf can offer. Delivered straight from the Fort Myers Beach shrimp boat fleet, the gulf pink shrimp is said to be unsurpassed in flavor and versatility.
Beach Lions serve over 1,000 pounds of the sweet pink crustaceans every year, making the Shrimp Boil one of the main attractions of this 54th annual festival. Lions toil and boil for two days, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Following the twohour beach parade Saturday morning, the line forms for plates holding a half pound of steaming shrimp with sauce and slaw. Festival-goers also take the opportunity to browse and buy from the 100 beach crafters and vendors who set up for the day. Tens of thousands of visitors attend the festival each year. Collectable official festival T-shirts, hats and tank tops will be sold and the crowning of the next Shrimp Festival Queen will take place.
Schedule of events: On Sunday, March 4 , the Queens Sunset Social at the Gulf Shore Grill will be attended by all the festival princesses in the running for this year's queen. Admission is $10 and there will be a cash bar. On Saturday, March 10, Matanzas Pass Bridge closes to traffic from 9 a.m. to noon for the Shrimp Festival Parade which starts at 10 a.m. This two-mile long parade runs down Estero Boulevard from the Beach School to the County Park and Festival Grounds. Lions Shrimp Dinners will be available at the Beach Park Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until they sell out.
The 20th annual Shrimp Festival Food Fun & Crafts Expo also takes place Saturday, March 10 with more than 100 vendors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Crowning of the 54th Shrimp Festival Queen will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 10. An old-fashioned family event, it will include the award of scholarships and trophies and will take place at the beach pavilion at the county park. Admission is free. For more information go to www. BeachShrimpFestival.com.

People with blankets and coolers will be on the lawn at the Alliance for the Arts Fort Myers this Sunday, February 26 for the kickoff of the Bruce T. Gora Sunday Sunset Concert Series.
Naples-based boogie-woogie and rocking blues band Little Eddie & the Fat Fingers will take the stage at 5 p.m. They're well known in Southwest Florida for their mix of Chicago and delta blues and '50s rock. The four-piece act features Ryan Bladen on vocals/guitar, Peter Orifice on piano, Eric Jeffcoat on bass and Andrew Galler on drums. Tickets are available at the Alliance for the Arts, located on the corner of Colonial and McGregor in Fort Myers.
General admission is $20. Alliance members can purchase tickets to the entire three-concert series for $45. Davina & The Vagabonds will return on March 18 and Rebekah Pulley & Band will take the stage on April 22. Call 939-2787 or buy online at www.ArtInLee.org. Guests are encouraged to picnic. Concerts begin at 5 p.m. but gates open at 4 p.m.
Proceeds from the concert series will benefit Alliance Education and Outreach Programming.

Why can't I grow a decent tomato? What can I plant when the weather's getting hot? Can I propagate my own basil? Are there organic ways to control caterpillars? These and many other questions will be answered by master gardener Millisa Bell as the Alliance for the Arts brings the GreenMarket into the classroom beginning on Monday, March 5.
Bell runs the Holton Eco Preserve and community garden, the Natives Nursery at the Happehatchee Center in Estero, and has operated her own organic nursery for many years. This Spring & Summer Food Gardens class was developed in response to growing interest among GreenMarket patrons to begin growing their own produce, especially in small spaces.
Southwest Florida's growing conditions are tricky in the upcoming spring and summer seasons. Why learn by trial-and-error when you can start off right from the beginning? Let your garden shine and produce its bounty by learning from a local expert! Bell's class runs three Mondays, from 9 to 11 a.m. beginning on March 5. It's a combination of classroom teaching and practical, hands-on learning on site at the Alliance. Cost is $50 for Alliance members and $60 for non-members, and includes printed materials as well as some seeds and plants to get your garden started.
The Alliance for the Arts GreenMarket works to create a more sustainable community by supporting local growers and artisans and by encouraging people to have their own gardens.
More information is available online at www.ArtInLee. org or by calling 939-2787.