DUNEDIN, Fla. — People got an early start Tuesday morning to get their chairs in place along the parade route.
Decorations were up everywhere and the last minute beer deliveries were on the way.
It’s Mardi Gras time in Dunedin.
“It’s gonna be a day,” said Kassie Schmidt.
Schmidt owns Salty Soul Island Kitchen.
Her outside seating right along the parade route is sold out.
“It’s awesome. It’s wild. It’s fun. It’s energetic. So much energy. I saw beads in the trees from two years ago. We are looking forward to it,” she said.
Carly Jensen grew up in Dunedin and now helps run the family business, Jensen Brothers’ Seafood Market.
“It’s just great to see the town so lively, especially this time of year with Spring Training and Mardi Gras. It’s so much fun. It definitely enhances business and the local economy, which is so great especially following the hurricanes and everything,” said Jensen.
Dunedin moved its Mardi Gras celebration back to Fat Tuesday after trying it on Saturday.
Streets are shut down and the day there is music, food, drinks, highlighted by the parade.
Among the groups with a float is the Scottish American Society of Dunedin.
“We’ve put together our version of the Loch Ness Monster. So, if anybody doubts the Loch Ness Monster is real, you’ll see it on the parade tonight,” said McHale.
Dunedin’s Mardi Gras started in 1992 when a few business owners wanted to bring more people downtown.
Now tens of thousands show up.
“These spectacles like this parade, Wines and Blues, the holiday parade, they bring the community out just to bring a sense of fun. And after the storms last year, people of Dunedin really need that sense of fun and that brings everybody together and makes us stronger as a community,” said McHale.
Florida woman faced $373,000 bill after 'approved' treatment to save eyesight
After going through her insurance, she thought she was covered. Her insurance company sent an approval letter and she went ahead with treatment. But months later, she was hit with a bill that could have bankrupted her.
