EDITORIAL: No need to fish for compliments; fest was a keeper

Thirty can be a tough year for anyone. After all, it’s easy to get into a rut when you are middle-aged.

But the 30th Annual Destin Seafood Festival showed that old fish don’t necessarily stink. They took a fresh approach by bringing the festival back to its roots on the harbor, and the gamble paid off big time.

More than 36,000 people voted with their feet this weekend when they attended the festival. That shattered last year’s record of about 30,000. And while organizers are non-committal about the event’s future location, we don’t mind casting our lot with the harbor boosters.

The reasons for keeping the festival on the docks next year are many.
•It just makes sense to keep a seafood festival on a working harbor.
•It is also good publicity for our fishing fleet at a time that they need every bone we can throw their way.
•The festival’s new home pays homage to this city’s fishing village origins. At a time that condos loom higher than history, our roots musn’t be buried further.
•Putting the festival in walking distance of the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo scales makes both events even more successful.

So what’s the catch?

Well, the harborfront festival created some logistical problems. Traffic was backed up all the way to Okaloosa Island. Parking was a problem as nearby neighborhoods became on-street parking lots. Festival-goers were packed like fish in a barrel as they queued up for food.

But the crowds stayed upbeat and the tastes, sounds and sights trumped any minor headaches.

Simply put, this is one fish tale where success needn’t be exaggerated.