COLUMN: The Yuppies strike again: September Seafood Fest defies tradition

It is a sad day in Destin when I see you have let the money Yuppies break from the tradition of having the Seafood Festival on the first Saturday in October as it has been the last 31 years.

Let me say, I live in North Alabama (360 miles away) and I have not missed a Destin Seafood Festival since it begin in 1978. I got all the T shirts and posters.

Last year, my family and I were elated you moved it back to the harbor, and this year I was hoping it would be the same.

How shocked I was to learn that, yes it will be near the harbor, but that it will be held in the middle of September. Given the mesas that has happened to Destin with the BP disaster, you would think The Destin Chamber of Commerce would try to keep something normal in the loveliest fishing village, but obviously someone has bought them as per usual these days in Destin.

I feel for Ms. Helen Donaldson, who has so wonderfully run the Rodeo for so long and has used the festival’s presence to enhance the beginning of the Rodeo. I agree with her. I hate it too Helen!

The chamber’s Shane Moody is blowing smoke trying to sell the festival as being a kick-off for the Rodeo.

Hosted by Fishing Fleet Marina, Capt. Kelly Windes of all people should realize the tradition behind having the festival the first Saturday in October and what it has meant all these years.

Last time I looked, a kick-off is traditionally held at the beginning of the event. Even the pre-Rodeo dinner is held a week before, but to say this is a kick off for the Rodeo 11 dang days before it starts is a stretch.

As Paul Harvey used to say, I wonder what the rest of the story is?

To move this tradition to the middle of September, which is probably the least amount of a tourist month there is, with school back in session and all, totally makes no sense.

Whatever the case, we were so looking forward to the first of October in Destin with the Rodeo start and the first Saturday weekend and the Festival. Now, sadly, as bad as Destin needs the business, I am afraid we will be breaking with tradition and not coming this year.

It sort of feels like my family and I have been violated. And once others find out about the change, I think they too will not be there.

And I bet a few of the uninformed will still come thinking it’s going to be the first of October. And will they ever be in for a disappointment! It is truly a sad loss for Destin as the middle age Yuppies take away another tradition that was truly part of Destin.

T.R. McGraw is a Huntsville, Ala., resident and regular Destin visitor.

THE BACK STORY

September Seafood festival heads east early on the harbor in 2010