Pink Flamingo Tours the “Garden District”

Posted by: Helen J. Simon in Community, Gulfport March 8, 2017

Sue Harle, left, and Rose Price, both of Gulfport, pose amid the art work at the Blueberry Patch, which neither had visited before Saturday’s Pink Flamingo Tour. “How did we miss it?” asked Rose. Said Sue: “It’s the coolest thing in Gulfport even though Gulfport has lots of cool things.” The Patch, located at 4923 20th Ave S., was founded by Dallas Bohrer in 1977.

Scores of people got to see inside of a diverse array of private homes and properties in Gulfport’s “garden district” during the 2017 Pink Flamingo Tour of Homes Saturday, March 4.

“I’m really enjoying seeing all the houses and possibilities,” said Nancy Plumer of Stone Ridge, NY, as she visited her eighth or ninth home on the tour with a group of friends. “I’m most impressed with all the outdoor gardens.”

Exploring possibilities was what it was all about: the properties on view ranged from a modern 2004 two-story on the 5100 block of Newton Avenue S. and a fully restored 1925 traditional Florida home to Gulfport’s Community Garden and the Blueberry Patch artists’ retreat, with a bounty of artwork made from recycled materials.

The Pink Flamingo Tour of Homes is held on the first Saturday of March every year as a fundraiser for the Gulfport Area Chamber of Commerce. Each tour focuses on a different section of the city, and this year the focus was on an area centered around Tomlinson Park, which itself had its new playground and fitness equipment area on display. Next year’s walk will feature the area around Stetson University College of Law.

Artwork at the Blueberry Patch made from recycled materials.

Patty and Ray Bowers stand in front of the painted fireplace of their 1920s home on the block of 5300 block of 18th Avenue S. while visitors explore. “It’s just right for us,” said Patty. The house had been completely renovated and restored by the previous owner when they bought it five years ago.

Artistic duo Marcia Bradwick and Bill Salsinger in the kitchen of their 1950s house on the 1400 block of 52nd St. S. “I like my home a lot,” Marcia said of the house they have occupied and lovingly restored together since 1985. One of their favorite spots is the porch just outside the kitchen door, where they can hear the waterfall in their back yard. Most of the plants in the carefully tended gardens surrounding the home are Florida natives that “pull in the butterflies and birds,” Marcia said.