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Home My Public Portal AboutCOTI_PR20080514_BeachBum08.pdfMAYOR Jason Buelterman CITY COUNCIL Wanda Doyle Charlie R. Brewer Barry Brown Eddie Crone Dick Smith Paul Wolff CITY OF TYBEE ISLAND CITY MANAGER Diane Schleicher CITY CLERK Vivian Woods CITY ATTORNEY Edward M. Hughes P.O. Box 2749 – 403 Butler Avenue, Tybee Island, Georgia 31328-2749 (866) 786-4573 – FAX (866) 786-5737 www.cityoftybee.org PRESS RELEASE: Contacts: Jason Buelterman For Immediate Release (912) 786-4573, x108 Keeping the Fun in Beach Bum Tybee Island, Ga. – (May 14, 2008) The summer season officially kicks into full swing at 6PM on Friday, May 16th, with what has become a 21 year old Tybee Island tradition, the Annual Beach Bum Parade. Starting from the North Beach parking lot near the Tybee Island Lighthouse, the douse fest wends its way down Butler Avenue and Tybrisa to an watery end in the 18th Street lot near Tybee‟s Parker Pier and Pavilion. The parade will be followed by live entertainment with food and drinks under the stars in Memorial Park near the Gymnasium, and then the Beach Bum Luau on Saturday afternoon from 4 til 9PM, which will include more music and entertainment, refreshments, children‟s activities, and hula hoop and limbo contests. The origin of the Beach Bum Parade has been embellished and retold enough times, perhaps we‟ll never know the real story. For certain, Lloyd “Jiggs” Watson and Jack Boylston decided a little exercise was in order for their social entourage, so they created the Beach Bum softball team. In the understandable rivalries that ensued, a water shot was fired over the bow of one of the teams, whether by their opponents or by the onlookers. So was born an annual affair that no doubt results in the sell-out of squirt guns Island-wide and further! The event has grown to include more than just the parade. Tybee Fest hope that funds raised during this event can help with their other annual events, like Pirate Fest and the Christmas Parade, t he weekend festivities also will include activities from other community organizations. The YMCA will host a Volleyball Tournament in Memorial Park, which requires pre-registration to compete. Teams can phone the Y at 786- YMCA, or visit their web page, www.ymcaofcoastalga.org/tybeeisland. A bocce ball tournament will run all day at the 7th Street beach crossover, which will benefit the American Diabetes Association‟s annual Kiss-a-Pig fund-raising campaign. Please remember, if getting wet is not your idea of a good time and you find yourself on Tybee Island around dinner time on Friday, be sure to use alternate routes to reach your final destination! By the same token, the event is meant to be fun for all, and the City and organizers ask that residents and visitors use some common sense in choosing and soaking your targets. Tybee Island‟s Mayor Jason Buelterman notes, "The City of Tybee and the organizers of the parade recognize that many of our neighbors in other parts of Georgia are enduring ongoing drought conditions. Out of respect for these communities, we are encouraging folks to take a few steps to conserve as much water as possible during the parade:  “Use water guns rather than garden hoses and buckets. P.O. Box 2749 – 403 Butler Avenue, Tybee Island, Georgia 31328-2749 (866) 786-4573 – FAX (866) 786-5737 www.cityoftybee.org  “Do not begin activities along the parade route until the parade actually begins. “Tybee Island takes great pride in our recent designation as a „Water First‟ Community and is working to ensure that the 20-year-old Beach Bum Parade will continue to be a Tybee tradition celebrating the beginning of the summer season." In addition,  Water balloons, buckets, and pressure washers are not allowed; they can hurt people and damage things, neither of which are fun!  Ice water is not allowed. We want everyone to have fun, not suffer!  Please restrict your targets to parade participants and on-lookers.  It is illegal to open car doors or homes to spray inside. Open windows may be fair game, but people close up for a reason. Please do not abuse them!  It is also illegal to squirt police officers. Such activities will result in incarceration and a $700 fine! By following these few guidelines, everyone can have a great time. Come join the fun on Tybee this Friday and Saturday, too. Be prepared to GET WET, and be sure to wrap your dry change of clothes in a plastic bag! The squirting ends after the parade, but the fun continues! For more information about the City of Tybee Island, visit us online at http://www.cityoftybee.org. Tybee Fest is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing entertainment, events, and festivals on Tybee Island for the enjoyment of Tybee Residents and visitors alike. All proceeds are used to fund Tybee Fest events. Tybee Fest events would not be possible without the support of the City of Tybee Island, Tybee Business Sponsors, Corporate Sponsorships, and other volunteer community support. Visit http://www.tybeefest.com/. The YMCA of Coastal Georgia reaches from Tybee Island to Hinesville, Richmond Hill to Rincon, with ten operating branches in and around the greater Savannah area. With continuing emphasis on family, the YMCA offers a broad selection of activities including preschool childcare, school age care, summer camps, parenting groups, youth and adult sports, family activities, teen fellowship, and spiritual rejuvenation, adult wellness, weight management, nutritional counseling, stress management, weight training, aerobics, dancing, yoga, swimming, and much... much more. http://www.ymcaofcoastalga.org/ The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading 501(c)3 nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of communities. The mission of the Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. http://www.diabetes.org/ # # #