Parade, festival, parties, fireworks mark 100-year anniversary
Anna Maria celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Anna Maria City Pier with a two-day celebration that was two years in the making.
The centennial began with a parade and ceremony May 13, that featured the unveiling of a historic marker at the entrance to the pier and a party in the pier parking lot hosted by The Islander newspaper, the Anna Maria Island Privateers and the City Pier Restaurant.
May 14 brought the party back to the City Pier Restaurant and parking lot for music and food and Pine Avenue closed for the first Food and Wine on Pine festival, showcasing local restaurants, top vineyards and local talent.
A wind and rain storm cut short the street fair, but provided celebrants time for a siesta before the centennial finale — a fireworks display on Tampa Bay. The parking lot rocked, and VIP guests at the T-end of the pier had a party of the century.