If you think history means a bunch of names and dates, take a new look at it in quite a different light in Gulfport this weekend.
As part of Gulfport History Month, the Gulfport Historical Society will hold its first-ever Flying Mullet 5K and One Mile Doggie Dash this Friday night. The Society kicked off the month-long celebration of the seaside town's fishing history with a photo show Friday night. The show, called Gulfport: Then and Now, features photographs of the town's past side-by-side with present-day photos of the same place. It will hang in the Catherine Hickman Theater throughout October.
This week the festivities continue with the Flying Mullet 5K — named for the fish so popular with past fishermen, not the cyrus-esque hairstyle – and One-Mile Doggie Dash. The race will take runners, walkers and dogs through Gulfport’s Historic Waterfront District. Along the way runners can take in breathing history as they head towards the finish line past vacation cottages turned trendy artsy homes, Cape Cod styled bungalows, and Roebuck kit houses. The run also goes past the reigning Mullet King’s home, where he’ll be waving to the crowds in full mullet regalia.
This will be the king’s final act of his reign, as on Saturday he will turn his crown, fishnet cloak, and scepter (with a fishing history of its own) over to the new king. Only the Society knows who that king will be, but the reigning Gecko Queen – this year a drag queen who was crowned in August at GeckoBall – will stand alongside her king at 11 a.m. Saturday at the decidedly less-athletic birthday bash.
The birthday bash features the traditional mullet toss, hot dogs, fish spread, retro-style kids games, nautically-themed adult games, and trolley tours of Gulfport's history. Street performers will also be portraying the town's founders – blockade runners who fled Key West when the Union took control during the Civil War – to give visitors a taste of Gulfport's origins.
The race starts at the Gulfport Historical Museum at 5:30 p.m. Friday and ends at the water. A trio of dog-friendly bars and restaurants are all part of the after-party: Runners get a free drink at either O’Maddy’s, Salty’s or Neptune's. All three have water views and welcome dogs. The birthday bash starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. Visit gulfportflorida.us for more details.
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2014.