The Red, White and Tunes Music Festival brought Southwest Floridians great live performances and delicious barbecue in downtown Fort Myers to top off Memorial Day weekend. “The bomb truck, a robot dog… the fire department is here with the ladder truck and a massive flag display, which is really cool,” said organizer Katie. “We have some great barbecue.” “It’s a beautiful thing because it takes away the stress and the stuff that you have to deal with when you do go back,” said attendee Thomas. Zachary Gasho, who ran an axe-throwing booth, explained why it was important for him to be one of the vendors at the festival. “I still remember the fallen, like my brothers and sisters from Iraq,” Gasho said, “but you know, it’s just… it’s different, definitely, today than any other day. I mean, most people are at home grilling, just thinking it’s a nice three-day weekend, but I still look at the pictures of the people that we lost.” Other attendees shared personal connections to people in the military who had sacrificed their lives in wars, and everyone WINK talked to was thankful for the ability to still hold festivals at all, not even a year after Hurricane Ian. No one took the Caloosa Sound Amphitheater for granted.