Photo by Suzanne Townsend | The Crow’s Nest.
By Suzanne Townsend
It’s not quite blueberry season in Florida right now but Gulfport has its own ever-fruitful Blueberry Patch.
This is not a place to pick fruit. Rather, it’s a place that blurs the lines between backyard, art installation and concert venue. During any of the four monthly events at the Patch you’ll be sure to find barefoot dancers, drummers, tie-dye wearers and poets. It’s a nonprofit which touts the title of Florida’s oldest artists retreat and is completely operated by volunteers.
The genesis of this unique spot was on July 7, 1977 by the late Dallas Bohrer. As he stood in a wild blueberry patch somewhere in Texas, he thought it was the greatest place on earth. He also felt there was a need for a place where art could flourish without money as a motivator–art in its purest form. The official name of the nonprofit is “Sharevival,” a name which Bohrer coined because of his philosophy that we need to share to survive and survive to share.
According to the Blueberry Patch website, Sharevival’s mission is to maintain a place where industry castoffs can still thrive, to “Nurture musical and visual arts and other types of artistry, organizing events to celebrate the artistic experience, in reverence and devotion to the miracle of co-creation….Promote wise use of natural and recyclable resources by encouraging constructive activity.”
“The very fact that we are surviving all of these years, that we are still energizing, still offering a space and a stage for those artists who want to share and give off their goodness, that is a blessing all by itself.”
Dallas Bohrer
Bob Feckner has been with the nonprofit since 2002 and is currently the Vice President. He highlights that he and all of the other board members and volunteers do what they do to maintain the Blueberry Patch because they truly care about it. “Nobody gets paid except for the bands and the sound people, but everybody else that you see are volunteers,” Feckner said.
Feckner mentioned that the Blueberry Patch, like all nonprofits, share one main problem. “The biggest problem we always face is getting volunteers. We really need the younger generation to come support,” Feckner said.
Jenarose Hodge, a Blueberry Patch regular who attends many of the nonprofit’s events, which are always on the first, seventh, 11th and 22nd of every month. “These events give me something to look forward to and have brought amazing people into my life. It’s my favorite place in the area hands down,” Hodge said.
Every February the Blueberry Patch hosts the Dallas Bohrer Peace, Love & Blueberries Fest. Bohrer’s birthday was in February so the festival is a tribute to his life and mission. It was a rainy afternoon on Feb. 17 but the event was still on, rain or shine.
Anyone who could brave the dampness and find a dry enough spot to sit could enjoy the bands that played long into the night. Some visitors sought shelter under tents decorated with beads and paintings, others danced in front of the stage, unconcerned about the weather.
They reflected Bohrer’s spirit which is evident in some of his writings–“The Patch is still here and we’re getting better all the time. We’re going forth abundantly. That is what I want to be understood. Come on over, snatch a piece of paradise. Golly, you are all so welcome.”
