Daniel Samess, president and CEO of the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the 49th annual Marathon Seafood Festival.
The festival will be held this Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9 at Marathon Community Park.
Samess said it’s “year number 49, started in 1976 and a great local Middle Keys tradition. But of course, it’s a come one come all event that has something for everyone. We love seeing guests from the mainland, all over the country and even different countries, come and enjoy the Marathon Seafood Festival, as well as our amazing locals and Keys residents that love coming up or down for the events, depending where in the Keys you are, and just a great way to see other friends, neighbors, experience something a little different for this weekend. Get out and have some great fresh local seafood, some great shopping and vendors that have something for everyone, as well as even a boat show and people here, including myself and our visitors, love live entertainment, music, and we literally have it the entire weekend, live music, live bands and performers playing at our great amphitheater, which is at the Marathon Community Park as well. So all kinds of good stuff for the kids, the adults and locals and visitors to enjoy.”
The festival had rather humble beginnings.
Samess said, “It really began with our local commercial fishermen and their families, kind of just doing a local fish fry and cookouts for them and their families after enjoying all the fruits of their labor and the really labor they put in, because it is not an easy profession. So we’re eternally grateful to our commercial fishing industry here in the Keys. Over the decades, it kind of outgrew the original location and moved over to the west end of Marathon Airport for a couple of decades, and then the Marathon Chamber got involved in the 90s, and then when the city of Marathon incorporated and then eventually finished its community park, we moved it over there in 2007 and have been there ever since. It’s a great partnership as well with the city of Marathon and all the great staff and city council members there. It’s just it’s really been neat and fun to see the growth, the change, the improvements over the years that we’ve been able to make, to make it an event, still for locals and celebrating our commercial fishing industry and the foods that they provide, the seafood, but as well as an event for visitors that brings a lot of heads in beds in and provides a really positive economic impact. When I run my economic impact analysis, it comes in at least six plus million dollars, just for our two day event, when you factor in the heads in beds, the bed taxes and sales taxes generated, the visitor spending, and then how those monies circulate because, as we all know and love, when you do business locally, the average dollar circulates seven times when spent with a local business, versus maybe only one or two times with an out of area business. So the impact is that much greater and that’s something we really push as the Chamber of Commerce, of course, but something we love that the festival does as well.”
Admission is $5 for adults to get in per person per day.
Samess said, “We haven’t changed that in as long as I’ve been doing it, which has been since 2008, so we really pride ourselves at keeping the event’s entry a low barrier, easy to get in. Kids, 12 and under, with an adult, are free. Always have been and on Sunday, veterans, active military, law enforcement, are all free as well, because we salute them for their past and current service and everything that they do to protect us. So again, we really pride ourselves in making it affordable and then once you get in, we’ve got we got cold beers, we’ve got craft beers. We’ve got frozen drinks, margaritas, Bloody Mary bar. We’ve got wines, mimosas, and then soda, Coca Cola, products for those who don’t want an alcoholic beverage and then all the food. There’s a lot going on. I’d also be remiss to not thank our amazing sponsors, including yourself, Michael at KeysTalk radio and everything you and your lovely wife do and team do for the chamber and the event and the community. We greatly appreciate that. Our title sponsors, Tom Thumb Food Stores and Valero are the title sponsors this year.”
The funds raised will be given back to the community.
Samess said it includes “scholarships to youth sports to high school seniors and other charitable organizations like CARE and Habitat and FIRM that give a lot back to the community. So it’s such a team and community effort to put on an event like this, which I equate to a small, small town for one weekend that takes a while to build up and then breaks down so much quicker than it does set up. But it’s always amazing to see.”
There will be more than 200 vendors.
Samess said, “If anyone wants any information about what vendors will be there, getting a vendor map, the Program Guide, which will be we’ll have on site, we’ll be distributing those at the front gate. But if you want to get it ahead of time, see the lineup, the sponsors, all that good stuff, directions, go to marathonseafoodfestival.com and you will find everything you need.”
The festival is from 10am to 9pm on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Samess said, “Remember, we’ve got Daylight Savings Time on Sunday, so set your clocks forward. Spring forward one hour. It always coincides every Sunday of the Seafood Fest, because we’re always the second weekend in March. I always like to remind people, because we open at 11 on Sunday, often people will then show up at 10 thinking that’s when it starts.”
Parking will be limited.
Samess said, “We advise everyone to just be patient, and it’s really park where you can. Some places right across the street will offer parking for a small fee. Stanley Switlik Elementary School, which is one of our official parking places, it’s almost just across the street in a block or two over, you could park there. There will be teachers and students helping you to park and they just take a donation. It all goes to the kids at our local Switlik Elementary School. So it’s a great place to park. Everything is a good and safe and then we have MCSO. They’re helping for you to cross US 1 right across from the park. Other than that, please use local taxi companies, Uber as well from your house or vacation rental or hotel, they’ll pick you up. It’s typically like $5 to $7 each way, very reasonable, and it’s a great way to get to and from the event safely without dealing with parking also. So something to just be aware of.”
For more information, click here: https://www.marathonseafoodfestival.com/