Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival set for this weekend

Most people think of the Cortez Commerical Fishing Festival as full day of great live music, activities for kids and adults and, of course, tons of fresh-from-the-boat seafood.

For John Stevely, though, what's really exciting about the festival is the good it does for community and the environment.

Stevely is one the organizers of the seafood celebration, which is set for this weekend in Cortez Fishing Village.

"This is the 33rd year," he said, "and I was here for the first one."

The festival's been so popular over the years, Stevely said, that organizers don't feel the need to tamper with the formula. If you've enjoyed the festival in the past, you're likely to enjoy it this year.

But for Stevely, what's important is that FISH -- the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage -- has raised enough money from the festival over the years to start work on a long-term environmental project.

"One important new development this year is that we've broken ground on a habitat restoration area," Stevely said. "The FISH preserve is about 100 acres of land adjacent to the village, and we're trying to bring it back to a more natural state."

Organizers expect about 20,000 people to attend this year's festival, and chances are that habitat restoration won't be foremost on the minds of most of them.

For most of those people, the fresh seafood, the artists selling maritime art, the games and children's activities, and the two full days of live music from local bands are going to be most important, at least for those two days.

The music starts at 10 a.m. Saturday with a set from the Shanty Singers. Manatee River BlueGrass Band plays at 10:45 a.m., Doug Deming &the Jewel Tones at 12:30 p.m., Eric Von at 2:30 p.m. and Razin' Cane at 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, the music lineup is Soupy Davis and his Band (10:30 a.m.), Jason Haaram (12:30 p.m.), Shot Gun Justice (2:30 p.m.) and Lost Boys (4:30 p.m.). Von will also perform Sunday afternoon on the Bratton Store porch.

The village itself is one of the main attractions, Steely said.

"You turn off Cortez and you have a chance to walk down the street of a historic village," he said. "And you get a chance to see where your seafood comes from. All the fresh local seafood comes in through Cortez."

The crowds can be intense in the middle of the day, so Stevely offers some advice for people who don't want to deal with traffic and parking hassles and shuttle buses.

"I always tell people to come early or come late," he said. "If you come between 12 and 2 you're going to encounter the big crowds. If you come at 10:30 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon, you can walk right up."

Details: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 14-15, Cortez Fishing Village, 4415 119th St. W., Bradenton. Tickets: $3 adults; children ages 12 and younger free. Offsite parking available at G.T. Bray Park overflow parking at 5502 33rd Ave. Drive, W. or Coquina Beach with shuttle bus to Cortez ($2.50 round trip). Additional parking will be available east of the village off Cortez Road. Information: 941-722-4524 or cortez-fish.org.

Marty Clear, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-748-0411 ext. 7919. Follow Twitter.com/martinclear.

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival set for this weekend ."