Palmetto Bay’s home grown game of “Where’s the Big Red MEGA Shed?” Palmetto Bay’s own live version of "Where's Waldo?”

Just like the book series,  "Where's Waldo?” the rules of Palmetto Bay’s home grown game of “Where’s the Big Red MEGA Shed?” are simple enough: comb through the acres and acres of Village property  to find Palmetto Bay’s Big Red MEGA Shed, with its its Waldo-esque red and white decor.

The MEGA shed was first spotted at Village Hall in December 2018. (CLICK HERE to view an updated post of March 8, 2019, Update on the wild MEGA red shed placed at Village Hall.) Then once enough people found it, it moved on to its new location in early March, 2019 (WARNING – spoiler alert – do not read on from here if you have yet to located it yourself) to . . .

Palmetto Bay Park!

Photo credit - FOSDU 3-12-2019

Where it will move next? And has this location been permitted and inspected?

Palmetto Bay’s Manager has upped this game as the shed has now been outfitted with wheels (see Pic #2 below) to up this game into a real moving “whack a shed” game. It could get as frustrating as the old PC game, Minesweeper. I’ve heard rumor of side bets going on between evening park goers, betting on whether this shed used its landing gear to roll the shed from out from Village Hall to Palmetto Bay Park, down US1 under the cover of darkness. (Oh, please, someone must have pictures to send to me!)

This game is not the first of its kind. Some may remember the North Dade “outhouse gang” – and the City of Hallandale in Broward once had its own version, see: South Florida Sun Sentinel online, archives from November 18, 2011: Outhouse Gang gets away with Hallandale Halloween prank — again by Sergy Odiduro, Forum Publishing Group

Pic #2 note the fold up wheels that can be deployed for a quick getaway!

Hallandale’s game may have been the work of insiders, much like Palmetto Bay’s. It was reported in this 2011 article that “The Outhouse Gang got away with their Halloween shenanigans — again.” 2011 marked the 82nd consecutive year where a masked crew known for potty-related antics eluded the Hallandale Beach Police Department despite its best "efforts."

1929 marked the start of Hallandale’s annual game of cat and mouse with police. Palmetto Bay's game has started 89 years later.

Hallandale's perennial prank led to the annual Outhouse Festival, which caters to children with costume contests, bounce houses and more.

Could the recent antics in Palmetto Bay be foreshadowing the start of an annual Palmetto Bay Big Red MEGA Shed Festival catering to our children with costume contests, bounce houses and more? Time will tell, but for now, the Manager is not giving away any secrets!  

I will say, Palmetto Bay’s game of Where’s the Big Red MEGA Shed is a new twist and provides residents with distractions from the mundane as well as the controversial. This is a family-friendly game. We have yet to hear the prize, but perhaps that will be revealed at the next State of the Village Address.

Until then, Play On! Keep me apprised of the location of the Palmetto Bay Big Red MEGA Shed, an item of Palmetto Bay folklore as mythical as the Palmetto Bay Freebee, only there are those who have actually seen the Palmetto Bay Big Red MEGA Shed within the municipal boundaries of the Village of Palmetto Bay.

                                    (Above Left) Palmetto Bay's Red MEGA Shed as previously seen at village hall, 
                                    then *poof* only some slight discoloration remains (above right) as it has left the
                                     building during the evening of March 12, 2019.