The two-day Hibiscus Festival, presented by Main Street Vero Beach, bloomed once again with a colorful variety of art, music, food and activities all along 14th Avenue. The event pays tribute to the Hibiscus City sobriquet, coined in 1967, that highlights the profusion of the flowery plants that flourish in our tropical climate.
“People just loved being outdoors, walking through the art show, listening to the music and laying on the grass in the beautiful weather,” said Janie Graves Hoover, MSVB board member and event organizer.
“It was pretty fantastic. Similar to Downtown Friday, but with a different flavor and feel. One of our goals is to bring people downtown, and we certainly did that,” said Graves.
It was a picture-perfect day for the event, with festivalgoers enjoying live music or marching to the beat of their own drum by joining Brandon Putzke in a Drum Circle on the lawn.
Under the shade of the oak trees, attendees perused artwork, nibbled on snacks and even created sno-cones in a human-sized hamster wheel.
There were, of course, hibiscus-themed opportunities, including the sale of blooming hibiscus plants. At the Heritage Center, art enthusiasts could dip their brushes into vibrant colors to paint their own hibiscus flowers on canvas, or just sip on delicious hibiscus sunrise drinks.
While there, folks chatted with Beth Redman Kray, author of “Open Windows: Reflections of Growing Up in Vero Beach in the 1960s.” And going even further back in time, visits to the Indian River Citrus Museum afforded a colorful history about our local citrus industry.
Heather Stapleton, Vero Heritage executive director, said that to augment their already extensive citrus label collection, they created their own fictional “Dolphinette” label honoring the late Millie Bunnell, who is credited for saving and preserving the Heritage Center when it was marked for demolition.
Sue Gromis became the executive director of MSVB the day after the last Hibiscus Festival was held, in 2019, and was thrilled to be able to hold it once again and to celebrate our rich history.
She said they focused this festival on their Hibiscus Festival Fine Art and Fine Craft Show, a juried show featuring local and regional artists working in a variety of mediums, to differentiate it from their regularly scheduled Downtown Friday events.
The Hibiscus Festival is one of many events held by the nonprofit to increase awareness of historic downtown, raise funds for preservation projects, and promote growth. Proceeds support MSVB programs, a scholarship fund for Miss Hibiscus, who this year will be crowned on June 15, and cash prizes for the art show winners.
Monthly community events include the First Friday Gallery Stroll, Downtown Friday and Coffee with the Mayor.
For more information, visit mainstreetverobeach.org.
Photos provided
