What to Know if You Go: Veterans Boat Show With a Twist of Parrot

This weekend the Safety Harbor marina and Veterans Memorial Park will be the site of a Veterans Day extravaganza called the Veterans Boat Show With a Twist of Parrot. 

The three-day event, which will benefit an artificial reef project as well as a number of local veteran’s organizations, kicks off at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon and will end some time around 8 p.m. Sunday.

In between, the show will feature tropical music acts, a kids playland, a VIP area, food and drink vendors, artists and water performances by the Cypress Gardens water ski team. 

“The boat show is to benefit (the reef) and those who fish and use the water year ‘round,” event organizer Glen Caristinos said. “It also benefits veteran’s groups … the public, business and the entire county.”

In addition to the boat show, the city of Safety Harbor will hold a “brief celebration” at the marina park on Sunday, according to special events supervisor Joe Cooper.

Cooper says Mayor Steingold and other elected officials will be on hand, as well as members of V.F.W. Post 10093 and American Legion Post 238.  The celebration will start at 11 a.m. and should last about 30 minutes.

As another point of interest for locals, the event will mark the first time the new waterfront park property will be open to the public.

Caristinos says there will be bleachers set up along the shoreline and other parts of the show will take place in the area behind the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa that was purchased by the city earlier this year.

"It'll be like a trial run for how the park can be used in the future," he says.

Officials say getting in and out of the area should be much easier this weekend now that the construction work on the south section of Bayshore Boulevard is complete. 

And according to Caristinos, there will be a free trolley shuttle service running throughout the event that will make a loop around the downtown, picking up and dropping off patrons who park in neighboring city lots. 

That's a lot of stuff going on downtown over the weekend. To help you get a handle on things, here's a rundown of what you need to know if you’re heading to the show. For a complete breakdown of the schedule, please visit the event’s website.

• What: Veteran’s Boat Show With a Twist of Parrot
• Where: Safety Harbor marina, 110 Veterans Memorial Lane
• When: Fri., 2pm - 10pm; Sat., 10am - 10pm; Sun., 10am- *8:00pm (*approx.)
• Cost: Admission to the event is free; food, drink and merchandise will be available for sale at varying prices
• Events/Activities: Live music at the Parrot's Perch soundstage; kids area Parakeet Playland; military tributes; live water shows by the Cypress Gardens ski team; boating seminars and classes; exhibits. 
• Parking: Parking is available in many of the neighboring downtown lots. A free shuttle will run a loop around the downtown area starting one hour before the event opens and ending one hour after the event closes each day.

For more information, visit the Veterans Boat Show With a Twist of Parrot website or Facebook page.