The tourists, the crowds, the cars, the traffic....something our little island doesn't experience very often.  But as you can see above, 2nd Street was beyond packed.  On any given day one might see a handful of people on this main street of ours.  But not during the annual Seafood Festival weekend.  People come from far and wide.  They generate income for the island, they enjoy our wonderful farm grown clams and blue crab, they have a great time.....and then.....they go home.....leaving us the sleepy little fishing village that we are.

Traffic was prohibited from 2nd Street and vendors lined both sides with everything from plants to doggie items, jewelry, hand made wood sculptures, silk scarves, art work, and just about anything you might be looking for.  The weather cooperated.....sunny and low 80's.  I haven't gotten any figures yet, but judging from the cars parked in every square inch of space and the crowds, I think Cedar Key did well this year with the festival. 

As I'd mentioned, Ray and I circulated for 2 hours getting signatures on those petitions.  I don't have a tally yet of how many we acquired overall, but I myself managed to get about 150.  We need 2000 total to present to the Governor.  Most of the people were very supportive....quite a few who live in Levy County were more than willing to sign and a huge amount of people from out of County and out of state gave me a lot of support.  I heard a lot of "good for you for doing this."  It was rewarding.  It truly made me feel even more a part of my small town and community.  However, one woman in particular stands out in my mind........When I asked her if she lived in Levy County, she said yes.  When I explained what the petition was, she became hesitant and said, "I don't know that much about it."  I said "Do you own property here?"  Yes.  Then I said, "You might want to learn more about this.  Taxes in this County are doubling and tripling."  Says she, "Oh, I'm alright."  It was very obvious that as long as SHE was alright....she didn't give one iota of thought to those less fortunate, those that are not alright.  I looked her right in the face and said, "Yeah, well, "I" am alright too, but there's many on this island that are far from alright with what's going on."  And I walked away.  Call me naive and foolish....but I guess I'll just always fail to understand how just because you might be okay, you're not willing to help those not quite as fortunate.  Human nature, right?  In it's finest, I guess.

So after we completed our time slot, then it was time for Ray and me to indulge in the Festival.  We walked around the vendors tables......bought some really cute doggie scarves for Holly and Duncan and I got a nice pair of ear rings for my granddaughter, Kaela.  We're members of the Eagles here on the island, so we strolled over to the clubhouse.  A huge contingent of Eagles from Port Orange were there, drinking, eating and enjoying themselves.  Ray and I sat outside in the shade and had a drink.  Then over to City Park where all the seafood was.....I indulged in some clams and shrimp.  We had a parade earlier in the morning and the Eagles had a float all decorated......

I'd say it was a great Festival weekend.....but I'm not sorry we've now returned to just our 900 permanent residents.  Maybe even the fish are happy to have their solitude back........See you tomorrow......