Are Chunky Sunday Parties Beach Bound?

"No parking" signs recently installed near some North Greenwood parks may have pushed Chunky Sunday parties onto Clearwater Beach.

The North Greenwood parties that have occured Sundays since about April  moved to an area south of Pier 60 for Memorial Day weekend May 26. Recently, "no parking" signs were installed around some park areas in North Greenwood, according to city officials.

Members of the Clearwater Beach Association heard a report from Clearwater Police that an estimated 1,500 people gathered south of Pier 60 for the Chunky Sunday party May 26.

Wendy Hutkin, president of the neighborhood group, said she was not familiar with the community gathering before hearing about it at the meeting.

She was appalled after watching a YouTube video of the parties posted April 16. The nearly seven-minute video, titled "Chunky Sunday 2013 - Clearwater, FL 'Wick City'," shows raunchy dancing by scantily clad women in Cherry Harris Park.

The behaviors shown in the video at the parties does not seem to mesh with Clearwater Beach's more family-friendly atmosphere, Hutkin said.

“That type of gathering does not seem very family-friendly," she said. "I’m all for people enjoying our beach, but it should remain a family-friendly environment.”

Those illegal activities are no more, Rob Shaw, Clearwater Police spokesman said.

While there was a Chunky Sunday gathering at Pier 60 on Memorial Day, Clearwater Police officers did not anticipate the event coming back to the beach.

"We don’t have any indications that will be the case," Shaw said. "However, we have no way of knowing."

Related coverage:

• Chunky Sunday Concerns Come to Council
• Parties Get Chunky, Sundays in North Greenwood