Manatee Festival

Festival celebrates gentle creatures

[Times photo: Steve Hasel] About 30 food vendors, serving everything from seafood to pita wraps, are expected at the festival.

With food, art and entertainment as side attractions, the Manatee Festival focuses on informing folks about the gentle giant vegetarians who winter with us.

Just as some people do, the manatee comes to Crystal River in winter to spend the cold months in a gentle climate.

With both the manatee and human population reaching their zenith, the 17th annual Florida Manatee Festival celebrates the winter migration this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday, the festival will take place on land and water. The downtown streets from Citrus Avenue to NW Second Avenue will be closed to accommodate the artists, food vendors and performers.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2 and there are six gates around the festival perimeter for easy access.

[Times photo: Steve Hasel] About 170 crafters have booths at the festival this year.

Parking downtown can be a problem, so the best solution is to drive a little farther north on U.S. 19 to Crystal River Mall. There, plenty of free parking is available and a free shuttle bus service will take you to the festival site. The ride takes about 10 minutes.

This year, the festival features a larger gathering of artists and crafters.

The St. Petersburg Times sponsors a fine arts show on Citrus Avenue. The show is juried and cash prizes along with ribbons are awarded to the winning artists. About 70 artists are scheduled to attend.

[Times photo: Steve Hasel] Entertainment, food, a juried fine art show and boat excursions draw crowds.

More than 170 craft vendors also are exhibiting their works at the festival.

An emphasis will most likely be on wildlife art, but also expect to find many handmade jewelry, wood carvings and all types of paintings and sculpture.

The festival food menu features offerings from about 30 vendors, including seafood platters at the Shrimp Shack and Crabbie’s Crab Trap, barbecue, Philly cheese steak and other subs, Greek food, hamburgers, hot dogs and pita wraps, pizza, espresso, turkey legs, smoothies and kettle corn.

Some 14,000 people went to the festival last year, and many of them went on the boat tours of Kings Bay. Pontoon boats operated by local dive companies will take people on a 45-minute tour of the bay. The guides’ local knowledge usually results in a manatee sighting.

[Times photo: Stephen J. Coddington] Education exhibitors get to spotlight their work in the area.

Tickets for the boat ride will be sold at the Chamber of Commerce information booth at the festival. Tickets are $3 for adults and $1 for children ages 12 to 18. Children younger than 12 can ride free.

The boats depart from Crystal River Manatee Dive and Tour at 267 NW Third St. A bus service will take people from the festival site to the boat dock. The buses will leave from the parking lot of First Baptist Church.

Other activities:

• Rock climbing wall, a mechanical bull, pony rides and slot car racing will be on the corner of Citrus Avenue and U.S. 19.
• Manatee education films and materials will be at the gazebo on Citrus Avenue, near the Chamber information booth. Films, rehabilitated animals and other displays will be set up from eight government and wildlife agencies. The films will be shown in the gazebo.
• The Marketplace is a new feature and will include booths from local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
• Children’s games will be held at the Creative Playground adjacent to City Hall.
• The “Sounds Like Buffett To Me” song contest always draws a big crowd of Parrotheads. It will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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