The Greater Pine Trash Bash A Big Success

       The work started at 8:00 am on Saturday morning, April 9, 2000 as local residents of Pine Island received their bags from various island businesses. Over 35 people signed up to help in the Trash Bash they received two trash bags, 1 for aluminum cans and 1 for trash, a ticket for lunch and drinking water. As you drove the streets of Pine Island you could see bags of trash lined up along the main highways from all the hard work of the volunteers. The collections started from Pine Island Road in Matlacha to Stringfellow Road from the northern point of Bokeelia to the southern point of St. James City. The residents of Pine Island could be seen early in the morning putting on their orange vests for safety so that they could be seen in the early morning sunlight, of which there was a lot. While the volunteers were working on trash removal there was a whole other crew setting up tents, tables and chairs, preparing food, cold drinks, getting ready for some hungry and hot kids and volunteers.
       The entertainment started around 11:30 with Kip Lawrence,  (photo above) opening the show with some of his original local favorites. Other 
performers were "Low-Key" (photo above), Mike Burman on guitar accompanying Ila Valcarcel on bass guitar and vocals with a set 
that included "Chevy Van" and "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. Ila also performed one of her new to be released songs "No Words" a song about September 11th.
 Sarah and Joanna Mahan, (photo below) a mom and daughter team performed their own set of original songs with their trademark harmony. Ray Jardine, well know around Pine Island followed with his 

Pine Island Residents Support Breast Cancer Awareness
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September 11th and during the performance one could hear a pin drop and see quite a few tears. The evening ended with the Trouble Starters rock and roll band. The sound system was provided by Cove Systems, Inc. in St. James City. Pat Burman from Ad&PrintCraft in Bokeelia mixed the sound for the acts. The entertainment started at around 6:00 PM until 11:00 PM. With a crowd of people began to arrive with chairs, small tables and lots of coolers around 5:30 PM. The chairs were set up in front of the stage and wrapped all the way around the building and into the parking lot. You didn't even need to bring 
your own chairs truck loads of chairs were brought by local residents and set up for all to use, just grab a chair and enjoy a night of island entertainment.
       Raffle tickets were being sold all night long. At one point, Ray leading the line, marched the "Pine Island Marching Minstrels", made up of embarrassed audience members, through the parking lot collecting money for the raffles. The crowd  estimated at  300+ were really getting into the music, some were dancing and singing along but most were clapping their hands and stomping to the music Good fun, good music, good prizes, good drink and good friends for a good cause. 

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