Cortez Fishing Festival celebrates momentous times

The year 2017 marks the 35th anniversary of the annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival — the proud celebration of the historic fishing heritage of the Cortez community. It has been through the grit and hard work of generations of folks that first settled here along the shore of Sarasota Bay that this village has been able to preserve its way of life and tradition of harvesting food from the sea.

Thirty-five years is a notable milestone; a lot has changed over the decades. But this anniversary does not simply mark the passage of time. Much more importantly, it marks the realization of a dream.

The Cortez community, spearheaded by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH), has finally negotiated the purchase of a key, strategically located parcel of land that will complete and unify the FISH Preserve. The preserve includes almost 100 acres of land and mangrove wetland habitat along the Sarasota Bay shoreline.

It has been a long journey. The first major purchase of land for the preserve was in 2000. Then, as now, the festival was the sole source of funding for these land purchases. Each year nearly 200 volunteers work to make the festival happen and keep the funding coming to complete and restore the preserve.

Think about it: That is an astonishing accomplishment.

You can be sure that this latest land acquisition did not come without a price tag. The community must now raise a lot more money. The 35th edition of the festival will be as important as ever in the quest to fully fund the preserve.

In our festival “Dock Talks,” during which we talk about the history of the village and local fishery resources, I always include the important point that the festival is a Festival-with-a-Mission. All proceeds go towards development of the preserve. This mission has been endorsed by famed ocean-explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau. I trust that some readers still remember the legacy of the Cousteau family name.

Good news: Readers will have the opportunity to enjoy an enriching and fun-filled day in Cortez village at this year’s festival (Feb. 18-19; www.cortez-fish.org) while contributing toward the completion of the preserve. How can you turn down that kind of invitation? You can be sure some of your friends or neighbors will be there.

There will be plenty to see and do. Tour the Florida Maritime Museum. Members of the Cortez Village Historical Society will be on hand to walk you through the lovingly restored Cortez Cultural Center. Don’t forget to visit the folks at the Boatworks to see how they skillfully build and repair boats. See the progress being made in restoring the preserve. In addition, there is live music for dancing, art work to view and purchase, a marine-life touch tank for children of all ages to experience. And, of course, plenty of delicious seafood to eat.

The Cortez Fishing Festival has been so successful because of its authenticity. When you stroll through the streets of Cortez, you are visiting a little piece of what old-time Florida used to look like. The 130-year-old community, with its 97 historic buildings, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When Cortez was first settled by North Carolina fishermen in the 1880s, it is fair to say that Cortez was part of the wild American frontier and the American dream.

All it takes is a drive west on Cortez Road in Bradenton and it is like taking a step back in time.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Cortez Fishing Festival celebrates momentous times."