Cedar Key 2009 Seafood Festival

Stone crab traps along Third Street await the beginning of the season.

On October 17 and 18 the citizens of Cedar Key will welcome more than ten thousand visitors to our annual seafood festival. Most of our adults and many children will be working as volunteers in the seafood booths in City Park. Clams, oysters, shrimp and grouper sandwiches will abound. Get there early for the clam fritters. Our restaurants will be serving crabs, chowders and more.

Clam bags stacked in piles while oyster bags dry on the fence.

Our seafood tradition has been enhanced by the clam industry that has developed over the past fifteen years. Clamming developed thanks to the foresight of visionary legislators and local fishermen who learned new skills. Paralleling that foresightedness, the community met formally a few years ago for two days to plan ahead. We agreed that protecting the fishing village atmosphere is of prime importance. At the seafood festival we shore that atmosphere and the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico.

Steamed clams.

Less obvious, but an important aspect of Cedar Key is the thriving arts community. Many talented artists live in Cedar Key or nearby. The community supports an art teacher who has classes for K-12. Writers in our community have published numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction. Mystery, romance and nature lore spills from their pens.

Bllue crabs just out of the water.

Seafood Festival visitors should be aware that the volunteers in the food booths are aquaculturists and artists, all who have the pleasure of living in Cedar Key. The non-profit food booths support local charities and school groups. This rare pictorial-editorial is your welcome to our island.

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