"Ding, ding, ding, ding, dong," sounded
the Ferris wheel at the North Carolina Seafood Festival. If you're
looking for a place to come for the weekend and ride on all sort of rides,
eat all the different existing seafoods; and maybe watch a crab race going
on, then come to the North Carolina Seafood Festival on the Morehead City
Waterfront on the first weekend in October!
Over fifteen years ago, a group of business
and civic leaders wanted to create a festival to promote the seafood industry
and also to help the local merchants in the "shoulder season" in coastal
North Carolina. According to Sarah Weinhold, former director of the
Seafood Festival, the "shoulder season" is the time from Labor Day to early
spring when business is kind of slow. This group of people wanted
to attract more tourists to the area during this off-season. They
worked very quickly to organize the first festival held in 1987.
For fourteen consecutive years the Seafood Festival has both educated the
public about our state's seafood industry and attracted tourists to our
area to enjoy it all. The festival has continued to grow in size,
attendance, and the cost of the event. The first festival was attended
by 40,000 visitors, and the 2000 year festival attracted over 150,000 people.
The 1987 budget of fifty thousand dollars has increased to three hundred
fifty thousand dollars for the 1999 festival.
The Seafood Festival allows visitors
to learn about our local natural resources, history of the coastal region,
and the seafood industry. The Seafood Festival has a variety of children's
programs, and activities for children to participate in. All ages
will be entertained by storytelling, and the live animal demonstrations.
Area artists and musicians share their talents. Boat builders and
decoy carvers demonstrate the rich culture of our area.
The real highlight of the festival is
the delicious seafood! Nearly 100 food booths sponsored by restaurants,
school groups, churches, and civic organizations, provide a variety of
seafood. Visitors can also sample corn-on-the-cob, popcorn, pizza,
and hushpuppies. For dessert you enjoy funnel cakes, cotton candy,
snow cones, or ice cream. No one should walk away hungry from the
Seafood Festival!
You'll also enjoy the entertainment!
Three stages are set up in the area of the blocked off Waterfront Street.
Concerts of all types are featured throughout the weekend. Vendors
of all kinds line the streets. Come join us for the Seafood Festival!
A. Wainwright
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