Folks Had a Blast at the 34th Annual Panacea Blue Crab Festival

One of the largest crowds ever turned out for the 34th annual Panacea Blue Crab Festival this past Saturday, May 3, 2008.  The event was held at Woolley Park on Dickerson Bay, where crowds strolled through the plentiful arts and crafts vendors, ate delicious local seafood (and other taste tempting treats), tossed mullet, picked blue crabs, and enjoyed some of the best local entertainment ever.  Event organizer Doris Harrington exclaimed that she had never seen such a long line of visitors at the park entrance gate before.  (Pictured at left:  The Mountain Dew Cloggers entertain the crowd)

The day's activities kicked off with the annual parade through downtown Panacea at 10:00 a.m. (sponsored by the Coastal Optimist Club).  This year's first place honors went to Wakulla Bank, while second place went to The Inn at Wildwood.  Posey's Steam Room in Panacea received third place honors.

First Place Winner Posey's Up The Creek Steam Room 

After the parade, the crowds moved into Woolley Park where the festivities continued throughout the day and into the evening.  The celebration began with singer/songwriter Linda Hargrove performing her song "Little Panacea".  The Blue Crab Festival Committee than presented Hargrove with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for all her  years of dedication and commitment to the Blue Crab Festival.  (Pictured at left L to R:  Blue Crab Organizing Committee member Doris Harrington, Linda Hargrove, and Coastal Optimist member Jerry Evans)

The Mullet Toss was the first organized event, and drew more participants than ever.  There were even some "special guest" tossers, as several members of the Florida State University Women's Softball Team joined in the competition.  Cash, LIberty and Warren, the morning DJ's from WTNT 94.9 Hit Country provided colorful commentary throughout, which added to the fun.

The Mullet Toss was followed by  the annual Blue Crab Picking Contest, which was separated into two categories:  professional and amateur.  Each group is given 3 minutes to pick out as much blue crab meat as possible.  Both groups had an excellent showing, and Jennie King still holds the title for most crab picked out in the pro category.

Young competitor puts his all into it!		Shamika Anadi (left) and unidentified competitor.

Child Division Mullet Toss Winners

1st Place -  Brian Nichols (106' 4") winning $50
2nd Place - Garrett Clark (87' 9") winning $25
3rd Place -  Tristen Runyan (79' 2") winning $10

 Adult Division Mullet Toss Winners

1st Place - ShawnThomas (144' 1") winning $75
2nd Place - Tony Hartsfield (132' 8") winning $50
3rd Place - Robert Williams (132' 6"') winning $25

Professional Crab Picking Competition Winners

1st Place -  Jennie King (8.5 ounces)  winning $150
2nd Place - Barbara Thompson (8 ounces) winning $100
3rd Place - Phillis Thomas (7.75 ounces) winning $75

Amateur Crab Picking Competition Winners

1st Place (Tie) -  Wesley Davis and Shawn Thomas (3 ounces each)
                           winning $25 each
2nd Place - Shamika Anadi (2.5 ounces) winning $10

(Pictured above; top photo L to R:  Child Division Mullet Toss Winners Brian Nichols and Garrett Clark.  Bottom photo L to R:  Pro Crab Picking Winners Phillis Thomas, Barbara Thompson, and Jennie King) 

The entertainment for the 2008 festival was some of the best yet, both musicians and dancers alike.  The lineup included Coon Bottom Creek (bluegrass), the Mountain Dew Cloggers, the Brett Wellman, Telogia Creek, TuBuKu, and the Leigh Mullis Band.  The weather held out for what  spectators are calling the best fireworks display ever seen at the Blue Crab Festival.  A special thanks to From the Heart of Sopchoppy for taking care of the sound and lights for the stage.

The Leigh Mullis Band		Coon Bottom Creek

Event organizers would like to thank all the community members, vendors, event sponsors, volunteers and attendees for making this another great year for the Blue Crab Festival.  They also thanked the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office and the Panacea Volunteer Fire Department for helping with safety and security throughout the day.

The members of the Blue Crab Festival Committee are Jerry Evans, Doris Harrington, Lynn and Clair Henderson, Paige Killeen, Sherrie Posey Miller,  Lulu Noegel, and Lori Pollgreen.

Please click here to view several wonderful photo galleries of the day's festivities!

Thanks to the following event sponsors:

Major Event Sponsor:  Embarq

Gold Crab Sponsors

Ameris Bank
Ben Withers, Inc.
Bridlewood Apartments
CJIS Group
Coastal Optimist Club
Comcast Cable
Dentistry by the Sea
FL Dept. of Agriculture
HardWater Ice
Sheriff David Harvey
Liberty Communications
Silver Glen Subdivision
Talquin Portable Restrooms
Wakulla Bank
Wakulla County Tourist Development Council
Wakulla.com
Mike's Marine
North Florida Medical Center, Inc.
O'Kelley Sammons Advertising
Pepsi

Silver Crab Sponsors

AMS Marine Supply
Auto Trim Design & SIGNS
Brooks Concrete
Edwin G. Brown & Assoc.
Capital City Bank
Crum's Mini Mall
Forest Realty, Inc.
Gulf Coast Lumber
Gulf State Community Bank
Hamaknockers Oasis BBQ
Intuition Creative Group
Nichols & Son's Seafood
North State Title Services, Inc.
Ochlockonee Bay Realty
Posey's Up the Creek
Printing On Demand
Charles Purvis, AIA
Rascal Auto Sales
Smith, Thompson, Shaw & Manausa PA
Wakulla Discount Liquors
Wakulla Insurance
Wakulla Realty
Wakulla Title Company, Inc.

Blue Crab Sponsors

Carroll Appraisal
Harvey-Young Funeral Home
Johnson Insurance Agency
Frances Casey Lowe PA
McKinney Properties
Donnie Sparkman, Wakulla County Property Appraiser
Wakulla Appraisal Services
Revell Realty, Inc.

This article originally published on May 6, 2008.

Written by :

mkwestmark

 

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