The mayor, ladies and gentleman. Credit: Cathy Salustri

This weekend the geckos invade Gulfport! On Friday night, head to the Gulfport History Museum to hear Craig Pittman speak about his New York Times bestseller, Oh, Florida! On Saturday, as if to drive home all things Oh, Florida-y, Gulfport struts its style full-force with Geckofest, a daylong street party that culminates with what I can only describe as the most Seussian walking parade ever. Spend Sunday recovering (or brunching at Little Tommies Tiki) and then dive in to a tradition even older than Geckofest — The Lion's Club fish fry. It's about as small town as you can get, but in a way only Florida can do. 

Oh, Florida porch party with Craig Pittman

Gulfport History Museum, 5301 28th Ave. S. Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m. Event page on Facebook.

Geckofest

Beach Blvd., Gulfport. Sept. 3, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. geckofest.com.

Lion's Club Fish Fry

4630 Tifton Dr. S. Sept. 5, 4-8 p.m. Event page "LABOR DAY FISH FRY" on Facebook.

This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 1, 2016.

Cathy's portfolio includes pieces for Visit Florida, USA Today and regional and local press. In 2016, UPF published Backroads of Paradise, her travel narrative about retracing the WPA-era Florida driving...