IN PICTURES: THE LAGOON ON GRASSY KEY REVIVES EARTH DAY MURAL FEST

Every wall of the Lagoon’s buildings was a painter’s playground as muralists from South Florida descended on Grassy Key for the two-day celebration.

Grassy Key lived up to its tagline as “the place to be” to celebrate Earth Day in Marathon. Reviving its Mural Fest for the first time in three years, the Lagoon on Grassy Key celebrated mother nature with two days of live music, a board sports extravaganza, a mangrove cleanup and the reopening of the park’s Saloon Surf Shoppe. As promised by owner Matt Sexton, renowned artists from throughout Florida spent the weekend overhauling “every paintable surface,” at the Lagoon, bringing fresh creations of flamingoes, undersea scenes, abstract pieces and more to life.

Photos by SANDRA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY/Keys Weekly.

Alex Rickert
Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.