The Wild Shiners, a secretive Lake Wales Mardi Gras krewe, believe their clan originated in the Center of the Universe. To date, no one has been able to disprove the claim.

In the beginning, Assoul the Great lay down asleep after a night of hysterical debauchery and woke up in a puddle and the Wild Shiners were born, seen only as a reflection in the viscous liquid. From this moment the Shiners were spawned into the waters of Crooked Lake, now their ancestral home, and have multiplied. Although Assoul the Great has moved on to take his anointed place at the Center of the Shiner Universe, his followers carry on his great works clandestinely, surfacing publicly only at the Wild Shiner Ball and the Lake Wales Mardi Gras Parade.

However, secret meeting halls are scattered hither and yon throughout the land wherever Wild Shiner signs are observed along roadsides. Once inside these secret crypts, upon uttering the appropriate secret mantra and making a secret subtle gesture, members then pass by the fish tanks and tackle and enter into the inner sanctum where they commune with their brothers and do, well, whatever Shiners do.

The exact number of Wild Shiners today is not known, as they only surface ephemerally in small Skools. It is possibly that they number in the thousands. The group’s connection to the wild shiner bait fish is clouded in myth.

Unbeknownst to most of the populace, for many years about the time of Mardi Gras, a throng of modern humans in central Florida gather in a large cave-like edifice for one evening of uncharacteristically unmodern mayhem. Primeval music activates gut instincts and generally sets things afire. A constellation of black lights creates an Aurora Borealis over the tribe of 2 legged, upright Neo-neanderthals.

This phenomenon was known as the Wild Shiner Ball and had occurred for, lo, the past four decades under the direction of a mysterious group, known, coincidentally, as the Wild Shiners. Sadly, the tradition of the Shiner Ball came to an end due to the contamination of the popular event by outsiders and agitators. This was compounded by a worldwide contamination of the air the neo-neanderthals breathe.

In late 2021 a new “Guppy” was spawned in the ancestral waters with a vision of a new age in the history of the Wild Shiners and the Shiner Ball. So, he set forth to make this vision a reality….

After the new guppy O-Fish-aly completed his trials of, groveling, floundering and hard work, he was forever named “Reviveoul” (Re-vive-oul)

For the third year in a row the Wild Shiners will host a Blacklight Ball on Saturday February 3rd 2024 at The Grove House Grill (Formerly The Coop), not far from the ancestral spawning grounds of Crooked Lake.  The party will begin at 7-PM and go until the drain plug is pulled around Midnight. The local favorite bands “The Joe Willy Band” &  “Free Whiskey Band” will be on hand to get everyone moving.

To better experience the event, party-goers are encouraged, to alter their appearance to any degree they desire, preferentially to glow under the influence of the blacklights that are strewn about.

Cost will be $20.00 per person or $45 per couple (Go figure).  Please direct all questions Denny Wittman (863-258-7772) dennywittman@gmail.com the assistant to Reviveoul who is organizing the festivities.

Entry Fees and Raffle Tickets are CASH only.

Grove House Grill (Formerly The Coop)  1475 N Scenic Hwy, Babson Park