7 reasons why you should check out the Cortez Fishing Festival

The biggest event of the year is back in Cortez.

The 36th annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival kicked off Saturday with a bang. The seaside event brought in thousands seeking food, fun and a chance to learn more about the historic fishing village.

The sprawling festival goes on for blocks. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll run into another winding trail full of new entertainment opportunities.

But the festival is only here for the weekend, so here’s seven reasons why you should give the Cortez Fishing Village a visit Sunday.

It’s cheap

The organizers of the festival are only charging $4 for all-day admission. That grants you access to all of the goodies on offer. Children under 12 are free.

It’s charity

The event is put on by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Preserve, which tends to about 100 acres along the Sarasota Bay shoreline. Dr. Angela Collins, an expert on reef fish, said the festival is really just one big fundraiser.

“All the proceeds go back to environmental restoration to keep non-native species out of there and to keep that ecosystem healthy,” she said.

According to the festival’s website, the event usually brings in 20,000 visitors. That goes a long way toward supporting their cause.

It’s full of food

The Cortez area is known for a lot of things. One of them is its deep seafood culture. You can be sure to find your favorite dishes in one of the 30 food tents set up at the festival.

Grouper sandwiches, crab cakes and mounds of rice stacked with shrimp and veggies can be spotted at the festival. Not to mention that they’re all prepared by locals who know a thing or two about how to filet a fish.

It’s a chance to support local artists

If there’s an ocean of places to eat, there’s even more to shop for handmade crafts from local artists. You can find wooden sculptures, paintings, handmade necklaces and more.

The mission of Cortez restoration runs deep. The walkway for artist booths is racked with cutesy signs that read “don’t be a litter bug,” “keep calm and fish on” and “be kind to our planet.”

One of the many vendors sold metal sculptures crafted from recycled roofing metals. Micheline Grenier runs 10th Avenue West Studios along with her husband, Kevin Webb. She said their art is well in line with the festival’s conservation efforts.

“Recycling has always been a theme of ours,” Grenier said. “My husband can look at anything and see something else in it.”

Grenier said their shop has been attending the Cortez festival for the last 10 years. Her favorite thing about attending every year is the people.

“It’s a day when everyone is just so happy and open-minded.”

It’s educational

“Dock talks” are one of the essential highlights of the festival. They’ve been fine-tuned this year, too. The speakers this year are Collins and Dr. Theresa Bert, a retired marine biologist who worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for 32 years.

Each of them stood alongside giant bins full of sea critters on ice. Collins used her fish expertise to answer questions, while Bert did the same for crustaceans.

Bert explained the life cycle of some of Cortez’s staples, such as stone crab and pink shrimp. She also advocated for the proper way to yank the arms off of a stone crab.

“Some people say to twist, but you should never do that,” she urged. “If you do that, you’ll pull all the muscle out of its arms. Always snap.”

According to Bert, this method gives them a slight chance to survive while they grow their prized claws back.

“If you fry this grouper, there’s a 100 percent chance it’s dead. If you boil this blue crab, there’s a 100 percent chance it’s dead,” Bert said, gesturing to the dead sea-dwellers in her bin. “Stone crabs have about an 8 percent chance of survival. Which would you take?”

It’s kid-friendly

Just because little kids get in free doesn’t mean there’s nothing for them to do. There are a handful of activities to get your children involved in the fun.

Most kids will enjoy the bounce house, pony rides and face painting but there’s even more for them to do than that. Lots of artists have items made specifically for kids such as shirts and wooden pirate sticks.

If all else fails, they’ll love getting their hands on all sorts of whacky sea critters in the interactive touch tank along the dock. That’s where they can get up close and personal with shrimp, horseshoe crabs and more.

It’s an excuse to drink

Perhaps most importantly, the fishing festival is an an excuse — no, a reason — to enjoy a day out drinking. And the booze is flowing all over. Almost every turn will lead you to a vendor happy to pour you a cold pint.

The most popular of them all is the rum coconut, which is a mixture of fruit juice, coconut water and every pirate’s favorite liquor, all served in a giant green shell.

Details: Feb. 17-18, Cortez Fishing Village. $4; children under 12 free. 10 a.m-6 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 941-254-4972, cortez-fish.org. Shuttle: There are remote parking areas at G.T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Drive W., at Coquina Beach Bradenton. ($1.50 one way, $3 round trip).

This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 5:15 PM with the headline "7 reasons why you should check out the Cortez Fishing Festival."