Two-day Event Packed with Live Music, Entertainment and Great Food

PINE ISLAND, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2014) – The Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island will hold the annual Taste of Pine Island on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The event will take place at Phillips Park (5675 Sesame Drive) on Pine Island Road behind the Pine Island Fire Station in Bokeelia. Single day tickets are five dollars, two-day passes are eight dollars and children 10-and-under are free. Event planners expect over 5,000 in attendance per day.

The Taste of Pine Island will feature over 100 food and craft vendors. The live entertainment on Saturday will be Strange Arrangement (11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.), Wild Caught (1:30- 3:45 p.m.) and Grayson Rogers Band (4:25- 8 p.m.) On Sunday the lineup will be Pine Island Steel (11 a.m.), The Whole Tones (12- 2:15 p.m.), Justin (2:15-2:45 p.m.) and Wild Caught (2:45- 5 p.m.) The Taste of Pine Island is family-friendly event with children’s activities including rock climbing, face painting, bounce houses and rides. No Coolers or pets are permitted.

In conjunction with The Kiwanis Taste of Pine Island, the eleventh annual Southwest Florida Chowder Cook-off Contest will take place Saturday and the third annual Chili Cook-off Contest will be held Sunday. The public will be able to sample and judge the entries. The Fish Drop Drawing will also take place at the event with a $1,000 grand prize, $500 second place prize and $250 third place prize. Fish Drop raffle tickets and Taste of Pine Island tickets may be purchased at the event or in advance at Century 21 Realty in St. James City, Ad&PrintCraft Marketing in Bokeelia Capital Bank in St. James City, and the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce in Matlacha.

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island has also incorporated a canned food drive to be held at the Taste of Pine Island. “We are collecting for the local food pantry, so that in our celebration of the great culinary options in Pine Island we don’t forget about those that are in need,” said Taste Chairman Pat Burman.

The Taste of Pine Island is the primary fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island Youth Scholarship Fund. This year the club hopes to raise over $25,000 at the event to assist Pine Island students with their higher education costs. Since 1985, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island has provided over $200,000 in scholarships and has helped other island organizations.

The 2014 co-sponsors of The Taste of Pine Island are: Cambio Dermatology, SunTrust Bank, Lee County Electric Co-op, Budweiser, Cabot Cheese, Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, Pine Island Water Co., Inc., Adams & Brinson, Attys., PineIslandNews.com, Champion Self Storage, Ad&PrintCraft Printing & Marketing, Honc Industries, Capital Bank, Pine Island Realty, Inc., Stonegate Bank, Pine Island Eagle & Breeze Newspapers, Cover Farms, Island Visions, 96.9 More FM. 93X and 94.5 The Arrow.

•The Grayson Rogers Band was formed in March of 2013 in Cape Coral FL and is considered the fastest growing country band in the entire state of Florida. The band has won many awards in Southwest Florida, such as the best band of the year, best country band of the year and also best male vocalist for the lead singer Josh Grayson.
They also competed in a regional competition for country bands and were voted by the fans as the the number one band out of 1600. In the finals and they became the runner-up of the Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City. They have appeared at many fairs and festivals in Florida and have entertained the crowds with performances that excite the crowds just as well as any Nashville artist.

They perform many of the top 40 old and new hits, by artists such as Kenny Cheney, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson and many more. They professionally recorded their first single “Too Loud” and it can be found on iTunes. They are also planning to go to Nashville in the near future, to record several more of their originals.

• STRANGE ARRANGEMENT®
THIS BAND IS FUNKED UP — GET DOWN !!! Love it... Local Island Hip Hoppin Dance Music for the masses complete with funky outfits. While at a Strange Arrangement® show you will be entertained. This is a group of friends and musicians experimenting with music and enjoying life. The Brothers Van Kirk Warren and Gregory invite friends to join the fun in the studio or on the stage talented musicians who add personality to the music they perform, music focused around having a good time, and the energy captured in that moment. All ages family-oriented fun enjoy the music and get involved capture the spontaneity with Strange Arrangement®.

• The Wholetones back By Popular Demand
Hometown: Marco Island, Florida. Members: Alex Dorris - cello, guitar, banjo, vocals. Taylor Freydberg - guitar, harmonica, vocals. Mayo Coates - Drums and Russ Depa - Bass.

Formed in 2007 when Alex Dorris and Taylor Freydberg met at a local bluegrass jam, the Wholetones were later completed with the addition of Russ Depa, on upright bass, and Mayo Coates on drums. They pay a unique mix of bluegrass, folk, jazz and metal all translated through acoustic instruments. Combining impressive technical skill with the spontaneity of jazz and drive of bluegrass, they put on a captivating live show, jumping from folk to metal as easily as they do from banjo to cello.

The Wholetones’ blend of genres is a result of the four members’ enormously varied musical appetite. They play and listen to reggae, metal, hip-hop, bluegrass, and everything in between, and the end product is a truly original sound.

• Pine Island Steel Drum
The youngest performer of the Taste of Pine Island is Mariner High School junior Cameron Swartz, 17, of Pine Island Steel.
The young musician moved to Pine Island seven or eight years ago and began attending North
Fort Myers Middle School Academy of the Arts. Swartz said he wanted to attend that school because of its involvement with steel drums.
After he graduated from middle school, he decided to buy his own steel drum, which has furthered his passion for the instrument.
This is the Second year he will be performing at the Taste

• WildCaught band started as a duet last may featuring Brett Emerson and Michelle Bundy.
Brett Emerson and Michelle Bundy performed at an open mic with which Scotty Player, Ernie Dunham, Bryan Horrell and Butch Gay jumped right in and started playing with us. WildCaught became a six piece band overnight!
There was instant chemistry with the music all six of them grew up listening to and now have fun performing every month!

Since May they have had the pleasure of performing for the Pine Island Elementary Fishing Derby, MangoMania, Taste of Matlacha and one of our favorites, playing live on the Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island Fourth of July Float!

This is WildCaugh's first time playing at the Taste of Pine Island!

WildCaught plays originals, classic and current country, bluegrass music and everything in between. Watching WildCaught perform is just as much fun as listening to them.

They have washboards, fiddles, a stand-up base spinning around as they kick up dust with their Pine Island Reeboks. WildCaught has a motto “Catch Us If You Can!”. Folks come on out and catch WildCaught Sat. January 25 from 1:30 – 3:45 and Sun. January 26th from 2:45 – 5:00.

Come early and stay all day Taste of Pine has two full days of music, food, drink and fun. This is a family event.
WildCaught band members are: Brett “Ernie” Emerson, Michelle “Trailer Park” Bundy, Scotty “ RumPunch” Player, Ernie “Freightrain” Dunham, Butch “Blue Cadillac” Gay and Bryan “Slappy Toes” Horrell.

Entertainment Lineup

Saturday, Jan., 25
• 11:00 –11:30 – Pine Island Steel
• 11:30 –1:00 – Strange Arrangement
• 1:00– 1:30 – Announcements Push Fish Drop
• 1:30 – 2:30 – WildCaught
• 2:30 – 2:45 - Chowder Cook-Off Starts
• 2:45– 3:45 – WildCaught
• 3:45 - 4:00 – Announce Chowder Winner
• 4:25 – 5:25 – Grayson Rogers
• 5:45 – 6:45 – Grayson Rogers
• 7:00 – 8:00 – Grayson Rogers

Sunday, Jan., 26
• 11:00 – 11:30 – Pine Island Steel
• 11:30– 12:00 – MC with Vendors
• 12:00 – 1:00 – WholeTones
• 1:00 – 1:15 – Chili – cook-off starts at 2:00
• 1:15 – 2:15 – WholeTones
• 2:15 – 2:45 - Justin
• 2:45 – 3:45 – WildCaught
• 3:45– 4:00 – Announce chili winner/do fish drop
• 4:00– 5:00 – WildCaught & fish drop winner.

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island is a community service organization that meets every Friday at Bert’s of Matlacha. For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Greater Pine Island and the Taste of Pine Island, e-mail chairman, Pat Burman at info@PineIslandKiwanis.com, call (239) 558-8207 or visit www.TasteofPineIsland.com.

Media Contacts:
Pat Burman, Greater Pine Island Kiwanis Club, info@PineIslandKiwanis.com or (239) 558-8207