MangoMania deemed a huge success
Final tabulations have been made and organizers have declared that MangoMania 2016 was a great success – one of the best in years.
The purpose of the annual event, which was held July 16 and 17 on the grounds of the German American Club in Cape Coral, is to showcase all that Pine Island has to offer and to promote island growers and businesses.
“This year’s MangoMania was the best in a decade,” Greater Pine Island Chamber Executive Director Jennifer Jennings said. “Partly clear skies with a little rain around 2 o’clock, but it didn’t stop the people from coming and having a great time and we had an over whelming supply of Pine Island mangos.
“MangoMania went very well,” Jennings continued. “Everyone worked very hard to make this event the most successful one in years. In spite of the heat and a little rain, it was a beautiful weekend. Most people said it was a lot of fun. Plans are already in the works for 2017, the 21st Annual Mango Mania Tropical Fruit Festival.”
Jennings also noted the many vendors that turned out to help make the event such a success.
“A week before the start of MangoMania we had less than 60 vendors,” Jennings said. “But with the help of GPICC Board member Pat Burman, owner of Ad&PrintCraft, we worked many long hours in the final week and we were able to bring in 114 different kinds of vendors to this year’s MangoMania.”
Joe Waters from Tampa competed in the adult Pie Eating contest.
“Well I didn’t win, but it was fun,” Waters said at the event. “I came with six of my friends to spend the day and eat mangos it’s been a blast. The people running the event are so helpful. We learned a lot about mangos and have two full bags of fresh mangos to take home. We have already made plans to come back next year.”
“When the word went out that sign-ups were starting for the first Pie Eating Contest of the day we had so many entries, we were forced to have two different contests,” Jennings said. “One for the kids and one for the adults. The pie eating contest has gotten so popular everyone wants to be a part of it.”
During the festival the air was full of the aromas of shrimp tacos, crab cakes, pulled pork, smoked sausage being cooked and much more. Returning this year was homemade fudge from CW Fudge Factory in Matlacha, and freshly cut coconuts from J.M.C. Landscaping. In addition to the coconuts were freshly cut pineapples.
JoAnn Smith traveled all the way from Naples for the MangoMania fun.
“We brought our entire family plus eight of our closest friends this year,” Smith said at the festival. “We saw the article in our local paper and had nothing else that sounded this much fun so we all got into a van and a car and headed to Pine Island.”
This year’s Mango Mania event added some great new drinks. “We had Budweiser’s special mixed Mango Beer and several special mixtures of adult mango drinks plus Tito’s Lemonade,” Jennings said.
“Our Mango Queen Summer Dooley did a great job this year and even represented us before the County Commissioners,” Jennings said. “Summer also ran all the kids’ contests and games, such as the hat decorating contest and the hat parade, the generation gap relay, Mango Head contest, (where you decorate a mango), Mango juggling, Mango Corn Hole and the ever popular and the Hula Hoop contest. Queen Dooley was very busy.”
The Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce and the MangoMania Committee have issued a public “thank you” to the sponsors of the event: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, LCEC (Lee County Electric Company), Tarpon Lodge, The News-Press (advertising), Ad&PrintCraft (event marketing and program guide), Honc Construction, Budweiser (Suncoast Beverages), Pine Island Eagle/Cape Coral Breeze, Hole in One (Golf Cart Rental and Sales) and Tito’s Homemade Vodka (Tito’s Lemonade samples)
The GPICC also thanks the advertising in the 2016 MangoMania Program Guide: AC Medic 911, Ad&Print-Craft of SW FL, Alden Pines Golf Course, Bokeelia Fishing Pier, Blue Water Realty, Cambio Dermatology, Capt’n Con’s Restaurant, Island Girl Fitness, Island Visions, Jim Roach (affordable Care Act), JMC Landscaping, Joel’s Plumbing, Matlacha Cottages, Melville G. Brinson III, Esq, Pine Island Storage, German American Social Club, Great Licks Ice Cream, Modern Woodmen, Pine Island Animal Clinic, Pine Island Plumbing, PineIslandNews.com, Sandy Hook Fish & Rib House and Two Fish Inn
The committee along with the GPICC Board also thank all the volunteers who worked so hard to make MangoMania 2016 so successful.
“Without their dedication and help, the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce would find it very hard to run this event,” the committee said, praising MangoMania Queen Summer Dooley, Rhonda Dooley, Mike Dooley ,Shane Dooley, Pine Island Community Church Mission Team, Mel Meo, Sharon Dobbins , Bill Hilgenberg, Sandy Rawe, Joanie Clay, Nancy Chandler, DJ Ruscik, Julia Simpson, Siggy Saeks, Beverly Hodge, Lorie Tidwell, Shari Perkins, Toni Trivelli, Paula Eifler, Mattie Travis, Judy Burke, Lu Rokosz, Evelyn Melchiorre, Karen Hillier, Marilyn Kinney, Linda Lee, Helen Andrews, Ginny Neff, LCSO Explorers & Deputies, Captain Matthew Herterick, Paul Skau, Casey Skau, Jordan Skau, Kyle Skau, Morgan Skau, Jim Roach, Juan Castaneda, Richard Shore, Nikki Laumeister, William Podlucky, Sean Nash, Wayne Reed, Louis Farris, Steffany VanHara, Manny Escobedo, Stacey Wood, Pat Lacour, Sheilana Massey, Paul & Trisha Woods, John Sharples, Pat Burman, Melissa Koferl, JoAnne Catlin, Dorinda Borghi, Monique Grinley, Bryan Stockbridge, Elizabeth Martin, David Burns, Jonna Bouchard, PI Boy Scouts Troop 20, and Mel Brinson, Rafael Ramos, Karen Ramos, Patrick Lynch, Olympia Lynch, and Lee Cankar .
Planning is already under way for MangoMania 2017, and the chamber urges everyone to pay a visit to Pine Island.