The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 25 - April 20, 2016

FEATURE

Good times at Cortez picnic

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

CINDY LANE | sun

The Cortez picnic was held on the Albert Few-Miller public dock
on the Cortez waterfront on Sarasota Bay.

 

CORTEZ – A cool breeze blew off Sarasota Bay, and mullet splashed near the Albert Few-Miller public dock where the close-knit residents of the historic fishing village of Cortez gathered on Saturday at their annual Cortez Community Picnic.

Students from the Manatee School for the Arts presented a maritime art exhibit with photographs and paintings of Cortez, and entertained with readings from books about Cortez.

All enjoyed the potluck lunch featuring fresh mullet – a Cortez staple – with shrimp, hush puppies, vegetable side dishes and homemade desserts, including a tart made with guava, another Cortez staple.

Residents shared photos and stories and caught up with each other's family events as fiddler Soupy Davis and his band provided homegrown music.

The picnic began in 1990 on the grounds of the Florida Maritime Museum, formerly the Cortez Rural Graded School, where many picnic-goers attended elementary school.

The event is sponsored by the Cortez Village Historical Society, which recently opened its Cortez Cultural Center on the FISH Preserve, east of the museum on Cortez Road.


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