By Martine Wolfe-Miller, PIO

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (May 5, 2010) – The 23rd Annual Town of Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival presented by East Cooper Medical Center, postponed due to inclement weather, has been rescheduled for Sunday, May 16, from 12 noon to 6 pm at Memorial Waterfront Park.

“The annual parade of shrimp boats will not be held during the rescheduled event, as a private blessing occurred on April 25 at the Geechee Dock. Instead, we will be offering a memorial wreath in memory of seafaring lives lost during the year,” said Town event planner Su McManus-Frost. “The weather may have delayed the festival, but we plan to celebrate the heritage of our Mount Pleasant shrimp fleet with most of the favorite activities you have come to love and expect.”

Blessing of the Fleet activities will include local seafood from East Cooper restaurants, live music by East Coast Party Band, DJ Jim Bowers, shag and shrimp eating contests, a juried craft show, Sweetgrass basket displays, children’s activities, and appearances by the South Carolina Aquarium, the Seafarers Society, and the Kiawah Island Nature Reserve animal display.

The festival will kick off at 12 noon with DJ Jim Bowers, followed by a memorial and wreath blessing ceremony on the main stage at 2 pm. East Coast Party Band will begin playing at 2:30 pm. The Shag and Shrimp Eating contests will begin at 4 pm and the festival will conclude at 6 pm.

Overflow parking and free shuttling to Memorial Waterfront Park will be available at Patriots Point Soccer Complex. A free shuttle will run from the Farmers Market parking lot on Simmons Street to the Memorial Waterfront Park beginning at 11:30 am.

The Blessing of the Fleet Committee will be selling the official event merchandise to include tee-shirts, hats, visors, bags, and koozies.

The Blessing of the Fleet is sponsored and supported by the Town of Mount Pleasant Office of Community Development & Tourism, the Accommodations Tax Committee, and the Blessing of the Fleet Committee. The Southeast Tourism Society has ranked the Blessing of the Fleet among the top 20 events for the month of April 2010.

Admission and onsite parking are FREE. For more information about the 23rd Annual Town of Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival, contact Su McManus-Frost at (843) 884-8517, or visit us online at www.townofmountpleasant.com.