SEBASTIAN — More than 60 vendors offering everything from handcrafted jewelry and wood-carved boxes to backyard showers and even real estate have invaded Riverview Park in Sebastian, along with untold thousands of shoppers and those hungry from clams during the annual Sebastian Clambake.
The festival has been “pretty darn good, actually,” said Mike Weiner, of Micco’s Mother Nature and Us, a natural line of jewelry.
This is the fourth year he and his wife, Gabbi, have come out to the Sebastian Clambake to sell their pieces of wearable art.
Last year, the weather was cold and rainy, keeping many from the park and opening their wallets.
“The first two years were awesome,” Weiner said, which is why they came back.
Fellow vendors Marsha and Roger Alexander, of Creative Gifts by Marsha, also returned – though for their second time.
“It’s been fair,” Marsha said of the sales.
Roger said the festival continues to have strong attendance, which is something they look for when determining whether to set up a booth.
He said they made enough money last year, despite the weather, to be interested in coming back.
“That’s the bottom line,” Roger said, adding they plan to return again next year.
Tina Reagan was one of thousands who came out to the Sebastian Clambake Saturday, making the trip north from Jensen Beach.
“I usually come out for the festival,” Reagan said – adding that she comes more for the clams than the shopping.
However, on this particular trip, one item caught her eye – stone coasters that absorb the condensation from cold bottles and cans and sized for a vehicle’s cup holder.
Reagan said that it was something she had just been thinking about when she passed by the booth.
She explained the thought came to her after noticing the bottle cozy she had was saturated with moisture to the point it was dripping. The absorbent coaster could help resolve that issue in her husband’s car.
Fellow shopper Jennifer Bickford got a jump on her holiday shopping. She picked up a couple rubber band guns for two of her five kids and was continuing the hunt for more presents.
“You can’t get these at Target,” Bickford said, adding that she was enjoying shopping at the festival because of the unique finds she can’t find anywhere else.
“They’ve got some really cool stuff,” she said.
The Sebastian Clambake and Lagoon Festival reopens today at 10 a.m. and closes for the year at 5 p.m. Activities on the schedule today include a performance by the Sebastian River Sharks Marching Band at 11:30 a.m., the Clam Chowder Cook-Off and crowning of the Chowder Queen at 1 p.m. and the Clam Chowder Auction at 3 p.m.
Admission and parking are free. The festival is located at Riverview Park, 600 US 1, Sebastian.
