Gumbofest draws a crowd
With the weather warm and sunny, thousands enjoyed Cajun food and Zydeco at the Shell Factory on Sunday for the 19th annual Gumbofest.
Several local eateries brought their version of gumbo to go along with the chicken and seafood versions sold by the Southern Grill, as well as jambalaya, gelatin shots and more traditional food if the thought of gumbo was a little too hot for them.
Pan Cronin, owner of the Shell Factory, said she was confident that people would come out for a day of fun and music just after the door officially opened.
“We’re filling up the parking lot, the seats are full, Sam Galloway Ford is sponsoring for the 15th straight year. There’s just a lot happening,” Cronin said. “We’ve tried to distance as much as possible and we’re asking people to sit at small tables together. We have our masks and doing the things to be careful.”
The big star of the day, of course, was the gumbo.
“I like the people, getting outside and enjoying themselves during the pandemic,” said Jennifer Jones of Lehigh Acres, who came to Gumbofest for the first time. “We tried the chicken gumbo and it was really good.”
“I really enjoyed the gumbo. We’re going to get some more,” said Jennifer’s friend, Kenny Beckler. “We’re also going to get the low boil.”
Jean Hlavacek, who winters in North Fort Myers but hails from Iowa, came with a bunch of friends and enjoyed the gelatin shots.
“I love it. I’ve come here for four years and we were staying in rental homes, but we loved it here so much we bought a place at Pioneer Village. The gumbo is great. I like it a little spicier, but it’s good and the Jell-O shots have a kick to them.”
While the Southern Grill’s chicken and seafood gumbo scored points, some of the other try-it offerings drew some debate from a pair of purists from Louisiana.
Dean and Vicki Pulley, from the southern part of the state, had an issue with the traditional authenticity of “what they called jambalaya.”
“Jambalaya should never have shrimp in it, and there’s a difference between Creole and Cajun,” Pulley said. “Creole has tomatoes and the gumbo had tomatoes.”
Most, though, were pleased by the food and the fun atmosphere with live music, as always, rounding out the event.
As usual, Dwayne Dopsie & the Hellraisers were the headline group, with the Porch Dogs opening. Greg Taillon, lead singer and co-founder of the Porchdogs, said his group has performed at Gumbofest since the beginning.
“The first year, they didn’t have the stage. We played out on the pier. It was very simplified and it got bigger and bigger,” said Taillon, whose band has been together for 29 years. “We have a bigger stage, bigger sound and more people.”
“They keep asking us back and it’s in the top two or three favorite shows we do,” said co-founder Andy Burr. “It’s always a nice crowd and it’s such a nice place. People are just great around here.”
The event also featured a $5,000 reverse raffle, where the last ticket drawn wins, with all proceeds from the raffle and the event going to benefit The Nature Park Environmental Educational Foundation, which funds school buses for elementary schools to bring their kids to the Nature Park.