Friday Meanderings

Happy Friday!

I’m still trying to get over the Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival.  It was such a great event again this year.  But it really wears me down.  So much planning goes into every little detail!

I want to make a big SHOUT OUT to all of the volunteers.  There is no way that this festival could be run as efficiently and as cost effectively as it is without the volunteers.  Everywhere you look, orange shirts.  And I ran out of shirts this year so we had a few people incognito!

Terry and I tried to put a list together of all of the volunteers because we have a dinner every year to celebrate their efforts.  Our list went to well over 70 people! Pretty good for a small community with only 110 members in the Homosassa Civic Club that sponsors the event.

Terry with Clyde, two of our over 70 volunteers!

Now….let me tell you about the festival.  I do the photography (and the t-shirts, website, and social media).  So on Saturday morning I was snapping photos for the judging.  This guy got best of show.  I think he got it last year, too.

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival
Best of Show Winner in the center.  Judges on either side.

The Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival is run by the Homosassa Civic Club and it is always the second weekend in November.  All proceeds go back to the community–scholarships, youth groups, veterans, and more.  Terry and I started volunteering for the festival in 2015.  He became chairperson in 2016.  We’ve come a long way since then!

There were a lot of complaints about the quality of the vendors going down back in 2015 when we first started volunteering.  Also the food was all deep fried.  It was a nightmare for the arts and crafts vendors to set up and tear down. The arts and crafts committee now juries all the entries.  While there is still deep fried food, there are also healthy alternatives.  Now there are volunteers that take the vendors to their spot when they first arrive and parking people to direct traffic for the tear down.

We first started having musical entertainment in 2015 with two bands each day.  This year we have a professional musician who volunteered to run the entertainment.  It was non-stop music from 10 am to closing both days.

And we allowed pets in this year!

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival
Food Court

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival

entertainment
Hey, look! There’s Myrna and Kevin!
Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival
This makes me want to get a drone. These shots are so cool. So many trees in Old Homosassa!

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival

Homosassa Arts, Crafts, and Seafood Festival
Me! All Smiles!

We’ve got the volunteer dinner scheduled and we are getting ready for next year!

Friday Meanderings

Good Day!

Sooooooo…..

It’s the BIG WEEKEND OF THE HOMOSASSA ARTS, CRAFTS, AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL!

Lots of work but lots of fun because we have lots of volunteers.  I’ll be in the t-shirt/information booth.  And taking pictures. And at the gate.  And……

Last Saturday was crazy busy!

Started out at the Veterans Service at the Old Homosassa Veterans Memorial.

Commissioner Ron Kitchen spoke.  Usually one of the commissioners do.  This time while he was speaking a very tall man with an even taller staff walked up to the podium and stood with the dignitaries.

I was like “who is that?”  It was kind of scary with all the awful things going on.

He just stood there in his star spangled shirt and acted like he belonged until the Homosassa Elementary Chorus came out to sing and he strode out and announced “Jesus said let the little children come to me!”

Youth pastor, Troy Allen, then quietly pulled the guy aside.  Troy was at least a head shorter than the trespasser so I was totally impressed!  Shortly after that a deputy stepped in followed by a couple other deputies for backup.

All was good.

Then I went on to the Blues and BBQ event.  Sarasota Slim, one of my favorite bands, opened the day up with a rock version of Star Spangled Banner.  This same intruder marched up to the stage and stood front and center during the entire song.  I alerted a volunteer but when the song was over the guy just walked off into the neighborhood.

So it was totally harmless. Probably just looking for his 15 minutes of fame.

But I’ll be on the look out for the guy at the festival!

Stop by to say hi!  I’ll be in an orange shirt.  As well all the other volunteers!

Have a great weekend!

Kathy