Marathon Seafood Festival

Byline for the Festival is: See Food and Eat It

Eric Stone Band on the Main Stage to open the Festival

The cold snap is over this morning.  It was down to 70 degrees yesterday so we wore lightweight long pants and a light jacket to go to the 37th Annual Original Marathon Seafood Festival.  The festival was held on the high school football field and neighboring community park.  It featured a “Main Stage” (only stage) with bands playing all day.  The bands were great, one was a family of boys and they had all been playing together all their lives.  The family had 9 boys and 1 girl and currently 4 brothers and a girl friend were in the band.  They were great! And a little girl of about 3, their niece, was up on stage with her tiny fiddle dancing like a pro.  A 4 year-old nephew also played (or pretended) to play a little guitar.  Various other brothers and sisters and relatives got to sing a song or two.  With all these upcoming members, the Doerfel band could be playing a long time.  There was also a Caribbean band, and a group of high school kids that were terrific.

An array of food tents sold lobster, shrimp, fish platters, conch chowder, conch salad, conch fritters, Cuban and the usual assorted ‘fest foods’.  We noted the lack of ice cream and can you believe it …. Only one beer tent for several thousand people.

Whole Florida Lobster and Peel and Eat Shrimp

Near the entrance was a giant map of the US where you were invited to put a pin in your hometown.  The attendees were from all over the country, with a good representation from Milwaukee/Chicago area.  We had to put our pin way out in the middle of Lake Michigan there were so many.  There was a small art fair and about 200 vendors had booths ranging from rattan furniture to shirts and shorts, beach glass jewelry, gourmet dip and drink mixes, scuba gear and binoculars.

Many Loopers were at the festival and we met up with Bob and Carol (Southern Cross sailboat) from Minneapolis.   Bob and Martha (Field Trip) from Lodi, WI have been traveling with us for several weeks and they have rented a car for the last week so we have been getting to places with greater ease than usual – we much appreciate their willingness to share.  Bob and Loretta (yes, lots of Bobs) are departing this marina on Carol Ann this morning.  We will probably catch up to them again in the next weeks as we travel north up the Florida east coast.

Boby and Carol from Southern Cross

 

Four Young Ladies going bungee trampoline jumping