Scallop Festival Kicks off Friday!

 

The 21st annual Florida Scallop and Music Festival arrives at Port St. Joe’s George Core Park this weekend, with plenty of music, food and fun for kids of all ages.

The 21st annual Florida Scallop and Music Festival arrives at Port St. Joe’s George Core Park this weekend, with plenty of music, food and fun for kids of all ages.

This year’ festival also happens to fall on the last days of the 2017 scallop season in St. Joseph Bay.

The festival was originally moved to October, initially outside of scallop season, in search of cooler temperatures, but the delay in opening the 2017 scallop season means this year’s festival carries a strong link to the bivalve.

Where and admission

George Core Park is located along Third Street and beyond Baltzell Ave. next to the Port St. Joe Marina along St. Joseph Bay. Driving directions as well as registration for the Scallop Gallop, Scallop Cookoff and contact information can be found at www.scallopfest.org or by calling 227-1223.

General admission is $5 on Friday, $5 on Saturday before 5 p.m. ET and $10 after 5 p.m. ET Saturday. Active military with ID and children ages 9 and under are admitted free. There are a limited number of two-day VIP tickets available for $100 with preferred seating and appetizers.

Live music

The music begins at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday on the stage at George Core Park, with rocking country band Tobacco Road headlining at 8 p.m. ET. Tobacco Road’s breakout was “Stiff Drink” and the band has opened shows for Josh Turner, Jake Owen, Justin Moore, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell and Brantley Gilbert. The music starts back up at 12 noon ET Saturday and will continue throughout the day. Headliner Love and Theft will take the stage at 8 p.m. ET. The Nashville duo has firmly established themselves as one of country’s hottest young acts with such memorable hits as the No. 1 country smash “Angel Eyes” and the Top 10 hit “Runaway.”

Among the other artists performing over the two days are Brian Bowen (4:30 p.m. Friday), Dirty Bird and the Flu (6 p.m. Friday), Cypress Trio (noon Saturday), The New 76ers (2 p.m. Saturday), Southern Satisfaction (4 p.m. Saturday) and Stevie Monce (6 p.m. Saturday).

King and Queen

For the first time, the festival will crown a King and Queen. All the seniors from Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka Jr./Sr. High Schools had the chance to place their names and contact information in a bucket, one for boys and one for girls. Today, buckets will be collected and a name drawn from the boys’ and girls’ buckets. The two individuals selected will be named the king and queen of the Scallop Festival. The king and queen will be given a crown and prizes. The winners will be crowned Saturday at the festival.

Bocce Ball

A ball game similar to lawn bowling, a Bocce Ball tournament begins at 4 p.m. ET on the beach side of George Core Park and will continue until dark before it picks back up again at 10 a.m. ET Saturday.

Kid’s Zone

The Kid’s Zone opens Friday afternoon until dark with a rock climbing wall, pony rides, a petting zoo and inflatable bounce houses. The Kid’s Zone will be open all day on Saturday after gates open.

Scallop Gallop 5K Run/Walk

The Scallop Gallop 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. ET on the Port St. Joe Trail. The entrance to the Trail is located on State 71 (Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Blvd.) just past Woodward Ave.

Scallop Cookoff

The Scallop Cookoff will be held 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET Saturday under the Cape San Blas Lighthouse.

The Midway

The Midway will be hosting more than 50 vendors, a record for the festival, on Friday and Saturday, with food of all flavors, arts and crafts and more.