I’d like to take a moment to bid a proper farewell to a spot that holds a special place in my heart. Over the years, it has meant many different things to many different people. For the locals, employees, and seasonal residents, it’s referred to as “The Dirty Bird”. But most will remember it by it’s surname: Toucans.
A staple in the community
As long as I can remember, Toucans has been a staple in the beautiful community of Mexico Beach. For over 30 years now, locals and tourists alike have been enjoying it’s laid back atmosphere and delicious food. I considered it a community center for the locals and a welcome center for the tourists. If you were visiting or passing through Mexico Beach, odds were you’d end up at Toucans. Toucans was much more than just a local restaurant. It was also a watering hole, a dance club, a concert hall, a wedding venue, a retail store, and most importantly, it provided a vast array of job opportunities for people of all different professions.
They took a chance on us
Our fist gig ever
It holds a special place in my heart primarily because it was the place where Justin and I played our very first gig. As a band it’s where we got our start, and as a team it’s where we made our finish; It was the last gig we ever played.
Over the course of our music career, our musical team and the Toucans employee team underwent some major changes. We got new band members, they got new managers and bartenders. We changed our name, they changed owners. But one thing remained clear, they always loved us and man did we love them back. From 2006 to 2014, Justin and I drove the 35 mile stretch to Mexico Beach, and back home a minimum of 500 times. We played four wedding receptions, 5-6 New Year’s Eve celebrations, 3-4 Halloweens, 2 St. Patrick Days, and countless birthday parties. They became our second family of sorts and we planned to continue performing there for many years to come.
I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye
After Justin died in 2014, I couldn’t bring myself to go back. The staff reached out to me multiple times but I could never get up the nerve to stop in. It was like I believed that somewhere in that building we were both still happy, and playing music together. When you lose somebody, over time you continue to lose different pieces of them. Toucans is another piece of Justin, our life, and our music that is now lost. Washed away by Hurricane Michael with the rest of Mexico Beach. Mexico Beach was often referred to as “Florida’s Forgotten Coast” because it was the one place that managed to escape the draw of “The Franchise” and managed to remain authentic to it’s natural beauty. There weren’t any McDonalds or Walmarts to junk it up. It was as pure and as local as it got.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Mexico Beach! Thank you for giving us so many wonderful memories!! I feel honored to be able to say that I worked, performed, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful places in the world!!
We hope that you can rebuild!!!
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