MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (Dec. 19,
2019) – The annual Town of Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival beneficiary and craft show applications are now available at ExperienceMountPleasant.com. The 2020 festival is Sunday, April 26 at Memorial Waterfront Park.
Nonprofits that serve the Mount
Pleasant community and wish to participate in the festival by providing event
volunteers are encouraged to apply before the application deadline on January
24. The beneficiary will be announced on February 12.
Since its inception 33 years
ago as a way for local shrimpers and fishermen to thank their supporters and
give back to the community that supports them, the Town of Mount Pleasant has
chosen local 501(c)(3) nonprofit beneficiaries to receive the net proceeds from
the event.
Proceeds from the festival,
which is free for the public to attend, are largely dependent upon event-day
memorabilia sales and sponsorship revenue. The selected beneficiary is required
to recruit and organize a minimum of 50 volunteers who are vital to the
festival’s success.
“Our nonprofit partners play an
essential role in our ability to offer this wonderful cultural event for our
community,” said Special Events Manager Nicole Harvey. “Our volunteers
work so hard to help us celebrate our town’s maritime heritage and are truly
the lifeline of the event.”
The Blessing of the Fleet &
Seafood Festival aims to promote local fishermen and the town's seafood legacy,
educate the public on the importance of supporting local fishermen and
shrimpers by buying wild-caught and local seafood, and to give back to the
community by giving proceeds to a nonprofit that supports its residents as well
as the event.
Crafters and artists who
conceive their own designs and execute original finished products are invited
to apply to participate in the Arts & Crafts Show. Applicants are juried
simultaneously with the best entries in each category selected on a limited
basis to offer a diverse and balanced show. The application deadline is
February 28.
The last Sunday of every April,
local ministers bless the local fleet for a safe and bountiful season ahead. Since
2013, each Shem Creek shrimping or fishing boat owner who registers and
participates in the blessing boat parade has received $500.
For more information, visit ExperienceMountPleasant.com or facebook.com/ExperienceMP.