BRADENTON — It sparkles daily in the sun and nightly in the spotlights, and when the breeze blows, it sings to the Manatee River.
The new “Singing River” sculpture at the east end of the Bradenton Riverwalk on the Manatee River will be dedicated on Wednesday, May 13, at 3 p.m., and it’s the pride and joy of Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown.
“I was on the council when we approved doing the Riverwalk East and it was important to do that for the neighborhood, bringing in the history of the singing river and the history of the park.”
The colorful sculpture, suspended above the grounds of Manatee Mineral Spring Park, 1312 Second Ave. E., is made of brightly colored hollow aluminum pipes of varying lengths and diameters.
Artist Reinaldo Correa Diaz was inspired by the book, “The Singing River: A History of the People, Places, and Events Along the Manatee River,” written by Joe and Libby Warner in 1986. They describe a mysterious “singing” sound made by the river, thought to be caused by a reaction between tannic acid from vegetation and river water during rainfall.
Other local legends attribute the sound to the wind blowing over exposed oyster beds.
“The Manatee River was the Oyster River originally,” Brown said. “People came to it for the peacefulness.”
Funded by the Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency, the $525,000 artwork was chosen from among 119 submissions for display in the neighborhood, which was revitalized with the 2018 addition of the Preserve at Riverwalk Apartments next door to the sculpture.
The Riverwalk, featuring a skateboard park, concert space and other sculptures, including one by James Bond film actress Jane Seymour, has brightened the locale since its opening in 2012.