The 17th Annual Pink Flamingo Home & Garden Tour is a day-long event featuring Gulfport’s Marina neighborhood homes.
Abby Baker
For Gulfport, the Pink Flamingo Home Tour is a spring staple that neither COVID-19 nor 2020 could keep down.
Each year a group of homeowners agrees to open their doors to tour-goers looking for inspiration.
On Saturday, Mar. 5, curious visitors will take over Gulfport’s Marina District and lead their own quest through 11 waterfront homes from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
It’s a way to connect, and a way to raise money for the Gulfport Merchants Chamber.
According to GMC treasurer Kelly Wright, it’s the biggest moneymaker the chamber hosts each year, historically beating out Gulfport’s staple Gecko World events.
When it’s not COVID season, that is.
“Typically we make about $15,000 each year and the overhead is very small,” Wright told The Gabber. “But this year and last year ticket sales have been slower.”
People are wary about strangers in their homes and those who would normally attend the tour worry about crowds, she adds.
With triple vaccinations more readily available and the tour partially outdoors this year, the chamber hopes to ramp up participation.
The tour serves as the biggest fundraiser for the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce.
Abby Baker
What’s New
The tour includes everything from bungalows tucked away on side streets to modern mansion-types on the water.
“There’s a lot of pride and ownership here in Gulfport; everyone wants to put their personal flair on their home,” said Stacey Purcell, owner of Gulfport Realty. “It’s an artistic community, and the first thing people do when they come here is work on their homes.”
Gulfport Realty is one of the tour’s main sponsors in 2022.
It’s Purcell’s face that will smile at Saturday’s groups from a spot on the wristbands, and she’s no stranger to the home decorating scene.
“I wasn’t artistic before I came to Gulfport [but] right now I’m painting an antique door so I can distress it and turn it into a headboard,” Purcell added.
Aside from the tour including interiors and gardens this year, there’s also a change in transportation options.
Gulfport’s special events trolley is a tad wide to safely navigate through side streets without forbidding street parking, says Justin Shea, City of Gulfport Cultural Facilities Events Supervisor.
“It’s just too large to operate safely and we would need 75 plus ‘no parking’ signs on those side streets,” Shea said.
Because of this, the trolley will load at the southwest basin of the city marina and travel down the main roads from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., still taking people along the perimeter of the tour.
It’s a reliable way to get around, but organizers encourage people to use their bikes, golf carts, and scooters, too.
At one home, visitors can see a Keith Stillwagon mural; according to organizers, the homeowners said Stillwagon wanted them to share it.
Abby Baker
Home Spotlight
One of the newer Gulfport homes on the tour belongs to Nicole Bramesco and Chuck Kichler.
The couple finished building their tri-colored waterfront home in 2019. It’s inspired by the modern work of American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, says Kichler.
It’s also built to withstand a Category 5 Hurricane.
“We wanted to use cool colors and cool colors can become cold, or for lack of a better word, depressing,” Kichler said. “That’s not the case here.”
Most of the flooring is turquoise, and the patio area overlooks the waters of Boca Ciega Bay.
It’s the couple’s dream home, made sweeter by the fact that they lived in apartments and hotels for the two years it took to build.
“We decided to do the tour because we wanted to become a part of the community … and we wanted to support the Chamber,” Kichler said. “We chose Gulfport and we’re very happy with it.”
Every ticket holder gets a commemorative booklet with map, addresses, and photos.
Gulfport Pink Flamingo Home & Garden Tour Boca Ciega Yacht Club, 4600 Tifton Dr. S. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $25. visitgulfportflorida.com/pink-flamingo-home-tour
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