A little piece of Margaritaville

Musicians crooned Jimmy Buffett songs and people and manatees frolicked during the Florida Manatee Festival.

[Times photos: Steve Hasel] Renate Ryan of Pasco County stands with her binoculars to get a better view of the manatees during a pontoon boat tour of Kings Bay. The tours are popular at the manatee festival.

By JORGE SANCHEZ

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2001

Cajun crawfish were among the choices at the Shrimp Shack food tent at the festival Sunday in Crystal River.

More than 1,500 people boarded pontoon boats during the two-day festival to see manatees and other aquatic animals. Though the boat trips filled up quickly, those who arrived early for the first-come, first-served tours seemed to enjoy the venture

"We saw five manatee, including one with a calf," said Phil Fuchs of Crystal River, who took a boat trip with his daughter Sheena.

Fuchs said they also saw schools of large amberjacks and some snooks.

The manatee trips were organized by Crystal River dive shop operators, who assembled a fleet of pontoon boats and provided guides for the 30-minute tours.

"The guides were really knowledgeable," said John Rogers of Inverness, who took a trip with his wife, Eileen. "They were not in a hurry and really had a great deal of local information."

Crowds clogged the streets of downtown Crystal River this weekend during the Florida Manatee Festival, which ended Sunday. The event included arts and crafts, food, entertainment and games for children.

"They took us where there were some scuba divers observing manatee, and we got to watch that for a while," said Eileen Rogers.

At another part of the festival, an appreciative audience of about 300 people clapped, sang and danced the limbo during the "Sounds Like Buffett To Me" contest. Seven performers competed for a four-day Key West vacation by singing Jimmy Buffett songs.

A copper manatee decoration hangs outside the display for Homosassa artists Jack and Dot Lyons.

The winner was Dave Fogler, a part-time local musician who has a day job with the state Division of Forestry. Fogler played guitar and sang Grapefruit, Juicy Fruit and Pencil-Thin Mustache. The contest was judged by a panel from the local Buffet fan club, Parrotheads of Citrus County. Many members of the audience wore Hawaiian-print shirts and the distinctive Buffett parrot-head caps.

The Creative Playground was also mobbed during the festival by children playing and participating in organized games such as sack races.

The arts and crafts featured a mixture of local and regional artists, with wildlife arts being the most prominent.

Winners of the fine arts show were Gerald Benedict, Best of Show for jewelry; Gregory Jones, Distinguished Award for mixed media; and Tom Sullivan, Award of Excellence for woodwork.

Craft winners were Glenn Thompson, wooden crafts, first place; Ken Strock, etched glass, second place; and Joe Hall, horse swings from old tires, third place.

Organizers said that the festival exceeded their expectations. Many of the crafters said that they were pleased with the turnout and would attend the festival again.

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