Posts Tagged ‘shrimp festival’

Williams House Guests Continue Setting Record

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Goffs and Williams on top porch

 

We always love to see guests return to the Williams House and the Goffs and Williams returned for Shimp Fest this year to establish a new record for guest continuity.  It is the sixteenth year they have returned and stayed at the Williams House for this event.   Same rooms each year….if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.  And, of course already slated to be back next year in the same rooms for the 17th time! They are of course the dream guest for every innkeeper that hopes to create loyalty and enjoy the return of familiar faces and friends.  They even share wine with us when we have a moment to sit and catch up.  We also enjoy seeing their “treaure finds” from days searching the shrimp festival for that perfect item or piece of art.  We look forward to next year already!

another pose

Tags: ,
Posted in Amelia Island Events | Comments Off

Amelia Island Shrimp Festival – 2011

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Shrimp fest visitors explore the arts

The highlight of each Spring season is the Eight Flags Shrimp Festival held the first weekend of May in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island.  More than 300 artists, craftsmen, potters, jewelers, and antique dealers showcase their offerings in booths set up in the center of town.  The variety is amazing, with a little something for every taste.  Speaking of taste, all the food vendors are non-profit groups and they offer more varieties of shrimp than mentioned by Bubba in the Forrest Gump movie. Boiled, fried, pies, twisters, cajun to name a few.  Also available are funnel cakes and Byron’s new favorite this year, New Orlean’s style Biegnets (that’s doughnuts to most of us)!  The weather this year was delightful with high’s in the upper 70′s and not very humid.  Crowds seemed large and lots of visitors were carrying off treasures.  There was plenty of music, a fun center for kids and many familiar faces among the artist’s that return each year.  This year we had a full house but also managed to have a small wedding in the midst of the festival…a new first for Williams House!  As usual parking was a bit crazy with all streets fully engaged and every possible empty lot suddenly producing income as a parking garage.  Pirates roamed the streets and we often saw guests returning from the festivities for a bit of rest and relaxation before resuming their quest for the perfect piece of art.  One interesting addition this year was a psychic reader near the entrance. 

Beautiful lamps

Art and artist

Shrimp pies are popular

Wood as art

Sculpture as art

Creatures of the sea are plentiful

Yard art was also on hand

Bonsai plants

pirates patrol the streets

Shipswheel for sale

Birdhouses

Art work

Tags: ,
Posted in Williams House Happenings | Comments Off

2011 Amelia Island Shrimp Festival Parade

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Honor guard starts the parade

floats of all types participate

Stage coach at shrimp festival parade

One of our favorite times on Amelia Island and the largest festival is the Shrimp Festival, held the first weekend of May each year.  Festivities begin with a parade on Thursday evening and it is the longest of the year at over and hour.  Many residents, businesses and associations participate and awards are given for the best float linking in the parade theme.  It is truly a family affair with many children participating and many more lining the streets to get glimpses of all the fun floats and characters from pirates to Disney type costumes.  Of course pirates abound and the parade closes with the pirate ship firing loud and smokey guns and cannon.  Candy and beads are given out to spectators and everyone vies for the most collected and greatest variety.  This is our sixth year of attending and viewing from the Williams House and this was the first year threatened by rain.  But, rain came just before the parade, stopped for the hour plus of the parade and resumed again soon thereafter.    Once again the parade was dry and fun!  Enjoy the attached pictures.

old fire engine

 

Williams House guests enjoy parade from porches

 

Shrimps abound

 

Characters welcome

 

Another shrimp float

 

This shrimp rocks

 

Dancing in the street

 

Kids enjoy parade

 

Another fun float

 

Beware of pirates

 

Pirates must have a ship

Tags: , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Activities | Comments Off

Williams House Guests Enjoy Amelia Island Shrimp Festival

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Crowds line center street for Shrimpfest

Locals and guests alike enjoy the Isle of Eight Flags annual Shrimp Festival held the first weekend of May.  This year the weather was fantastic with highs in the mid to upper eighties, but with a nice breeze both days to keep the heat and humidity in check.  Exhibitors looked about equal to last year and crowds seemed a little larger than last year.  There were plenty of food booths with great variety from hot dogs to shrimp pie, lemonade, fries, corn dogs, shaved ice and my personal favorite, funnel cakes.  Art came in all varieties from sculptor to painting, glassware, jelwery, pottery, apparel, toys, garden items, antiques, wood carving,  whirlygigs, and much more.  (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Events | Comments Off

New Record Set By Shrimp-Fest Guests at Williams House

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Williams' and Goff's enjoy their favorite top porch hangout

Goff's and Williams' enjoy favorite WH hangout on top porch

Fifteen years of enjoying and celebrating the annual Shrimp festival at the Williams House is quite an achievement.  The Goff’s and Williams’  have been comuing to Fernandina and catching the action at the Williams House since the second year of it’s history as a B&B.  The first year they were too late to get a room, but signed up with Chris and Dick, the original owners, for the next year and they’ve been back every year since.  (more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in Guest Experiences | Comments Off

Shrimp Festival Parade on Amelia Island

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Pirate's ship complete with cannon bring up the rear at Shrimp Parade

Arrg matey!  Welcome to the 2010 Amelia Island Shrimp Festival!  Held the first weekend in May each year, the festival began as usual on Thursday with the parade.  This year definitely topped the record by our count with an hour and 20 minutes to get all the floats and parade members through the process.  It seems like every year more businesses and people participate and that increases the fun and excitement.  People began lining the street outside our Inn an hour before the parade and by the start time it was standing room only.  For our guests, it was mostly on the porches with a comfortable relaxing beverage in hand for the really big show.  Shrimp appeared in every imaginable form, pirates joined in the fun, cars old and new drove thru, all types of police and fire vehicles,  dance groups, bands, and ordinary folks gave the parade its unique small town feel.  Candy and beads were distributed to kids and grownups alike and by the time the parade was over everyone was ready for the festival to get underway.  I’ve attached photos for your viewing pleasure. (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Events | Comments Off

Guest Record Setters

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

William's and Goff's relaxing on upper porch

William's and Goff's relaxing on upper porch

Shrimp Festival this year brought back some return guests who have been coming for the festival and staying at the Williams House for 14 years, a record as far as we can tell.  The Goff’s and Williams (not related to original Williams family) first stayed at the Inn with Chris Carter and Dick Flitz, the original creators, renovators and owners of the Williams House as a bed and breakfast.  The first year they tried to attend the festival they contacted Dick and Chris two weeks before the festival and all they could hear was  laughter, since rooms typically book up months in advance.  The next year they booked early and that began the tradition. They return each year to enjoy the festival, experience their favorite guest rooms (Cove and King Ferdinand), and their own personal wine hour on the upper porch of  the main house.  The breeze upstairs this weekend was delightful, and they  relaxed while watching the ever moving crowd going and coming from the festival.  They also enjoy returning to their favorite restaurants which include Beech Street Grille, Espana and Joe’s Second Street Bistro.  Deborah and I also saw them at the festival in the searching and purchasing mode and they are excellent.  They have already booked again for next year so the record will be unbroken and we will look forward to friends returning for a new record setting stay!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Williams House Happenings | Comments Off

Amelia Island Shrimp Festival – 2009

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Centre Street during Shrimp Fest

Centre Street during Shrimp Fest

The first weekend of May each year, Amelia Island and the historic seaport of Fernandina Beach are transformed into a celebration of  the start of America’s commercial shrimping industry.  What began as an annual race for shrimp boat captains has become a jurored art exhibit with more than 400 artisans and antique dealers displaying pottery, paintings, jewelery and collectibles throughout a sixteen block area of the historic city. It all begins on Friday night with the food booths opening, followed by a pirate ship docking downtown and the pirates seizing the island for the weekend.  Fireworks follow to close out the evening. Exhibitor booths open Saturday and Sunday mornings until early evening. Shrimp is the focus and primary food and its fixed in more ways than Forrest Gump’s friend “Bubba” described in the movie Forrest Gump.  All the food vendors are non-profit groups and it represents a key fund raiser for them each year.  In 2008 an estimated 135,000 visitors came to the island for the festival and based on walks thru town this weekend, it appears there will as many or more this year. The weather this year was fabulous, with highs in the mid-eighties, sunny but with slight breezes.  Based on my sampling the food is great.  Many of the vendors feature fresh local shrimp and it’s always a treat.  I’m also pretty fond of the funnel cakes to round out an afternoon of booth hopping!  Pirates are on display through-out town, groups provide music at the stage area, the marina is filled with boats of all kinds and people line the harbour to devour the variety of shrimp dishes they’ve selected.  There’s also a KID’S Zone for those who need more entertaining than that provided by artistic fare.  Local merchants stay open as well, so visitors can transition from art to other shopping right on the same streets.  One of the joys of staying at the William’s House is the ability to park, leave your car at the Inn and walk to all the festivities.  As you can imagine, parking spaces are precious and empty lot’s you never noticed before suddenly spring to life with ropes and $ price tags for parking.  This is the Island’s largest event of the year and well worth visiting if you have an opportunity to do so.

Pirates at Shrimp Festival

Pirates at Shrimp Festival

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Events | Comments Off

Shrimp Festival Parade

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

shrimp-parade-09-055

Pirate ship in parade

Shrimp Festival 2009 began last week on Amelia Island and kicked off as usual with the Thursday evening parade.  Lasting more than an hour, it seemed everyone and every organization on the Island played a part.  This year’s theme was “Home-Grown Shrimp:The Pick of the Liter”.  Participant’s included police/fire vehicles, city officials, Miss Shrimp pageant contestants, Shriners, service clubs, dance schools, marching bands, sea turtle protectors, karate clubs, and of course the Pirate ship and pirate’s with guns and cannons blazing.  William’s house guests have a front row seat on both the lower and upper front porches as the parade passes down Ash street beside the Inn.  People come from miles around and line the streets.  Parade participants give out candy and beads and other souveniers.  The earliest of the crowd arrived 90 minutes before the parade started and by 6 pm it was standing room only!   Parades here are a local tradition and we have one every 8 weeks or so, but the Shrimp Festival tops them all.  It’s a great small town experience and if you live on Amelia Island you are bound to see many a neighbor participating.

Unique Shrimps on parade

Unique Shrimps on parade

Tags: , ,
Posted in Amelia Island Events | Comments Off

»