Old and new faces at 46th Annual Seafood Festival

This past seafood festival weekend brought with it scores of Apalachicola natives and visitors to what looked like one gigantic family reunion.

Each year at festival time, hundreds of former residents make their way back home to visit family, friends and to take part in Florida’s oldest maritime event most regularly attended while growing up in Apalachicola.

However, this year there appeared to be more former Apalachicolians visiting than in previous years. I had the pleasure of meeting several old acquaintances, classmates, and people that I haven’t seen in years.

In fact, the festival grounds, streets, and neighborhoods alike were busting at the seams with all sorts of outdoor activities attended by both visitors and former residents.

The town started filling up as early as Tuesday Nov 4, in preparation for the annual event kicked off by Friday’s Nov 6, opening day ceremonies, which included the blessing of the fleet and the introduction of the King and Queen.

Also on Friday, the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Oyster Roast outside the festival grounds at the Garden Shop near the end of Commerce Street.

While attended the event Gail and I had the pleasure of dining on roasted oysters, oyster stew, boiled shrimp and crabs while visiting with a very friendly couple from Canada along with Loranne Ausley, candidate for the District 6 Florida Senate Seat that Senator Al Lawson now has, but term-limited in 2010.

On Saturday morning Nov 7, the town awakened to the sound of sirens and marching bands while the parade made it way down US 98 to the festival grounds at historic Battery Park. Once at the park, festivalgoer’s enjoyed their fill of live music and assorted seafood, which included alligator, while kids and the kid at heart braved the mechanical wild rides.

By all accounts, the 46th Annual Florida Seafood Festival was a huge success for businesses in and around the Apalachicola area. The only somber note to cloud the festivities was the recent news of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed ban on the sale of raw oysters for six months out of the year.

Photos by Gail D. Johnson