What began in 1976 is still as strong as ever 50 years later.
The Middle Keys marked five decades of showcasing one of Marathon’s foundational industries as the Original Marathon Seafood Festival returned to the community park on March 14 and 15. Visitors soaked up the sun – and dodged the rain – while gorging themselves on the bounty from the sea and shopping to their heart’s content at more than 100 vendor booths packed into the park.
Headliners from two solid days of music included perennial favorites like the Red Elvises and the Marshall Morlock Band, plus a visit from the fiddle-playing Nashville country star Amber Leigh. A pair of Marathon High School graduates graced the amphitheater stage for the first time in a decade, as the former Misery Loves Company returned as Abstract Radio.
An army of volunteers, headed by the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce and the Organized Fishermen of Florida, once again were the heart of the festival, from working fryers to clearing tables and slinging drinks.
