CORTEZ – For the first time in the five months since a hurricane swamped the area, people were once again smiling and enjoying the camaraderie of their friends and neighbors at the 43rd Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival.
“I’m so proud of Cortez right now,” Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS) vice-president Paul Dryfoos said on Saturday afternoon. “After all that everybody has been through and to pull off a festival like this and make it successful is so great.”
This year’s theme, “Swamped but Never Sunk,” was an appropriate nod to the resilience of Cortez.
On the same streets where, in September, Hurricane Helene’s storm surge flooded many homes throughout the village, thousands of visitors gathered on the first day of the weekend festival on Feb. 15 to enjoy live music, local seafood, crafts, educational displays and kids’ activities. The festival continued on Sunday.
“There’s been a steady stream of people today,” Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Treasurer Jane von Hahmann said.
Unsure that there would be a 2025 festival due to the hurricane damage, in November the FISH board held a meeting asking for Cortez residents’ opinions about holding the annual festival. Many residents agreed that a festival would be uplifting.
100% of the proceeds from the volunteer-run festival will benefit FISH and its mission to preserve the village of Cortez and continue the conservation of the 98-acre FISH Preserve.
On Saturday, von Hahmann introduced Manatee County District 3 Commissioner Tal Siddique and Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown.
She thanked Brown for arranging to have the 2025 Bradenton Area River Regatta rescheduled to Feb. 22 to avoid its conflicting with the festival.
Dr. Angela Collins, extension scientist for the Florida Sea Grant program at the University of Florida, presented educational Dock Talks on Saturday. - Leslie Lake | Sun
