LOCAL

Goodland history draws thousands for Mullet Festival

Jordyn Matez
Naples Daily News

The mullet fishing industry in Goodland is more than just a way to bring in fresh seafood.

The history and culture surrounding mullet have drawn visitors from throughout the United States to Goodland each year for the annual Mullet Festival, and the new decade marks its 35th anniversary. 

This year, the Mullet Festival runs Friday night through Sunday night and is expected to draw thousands to the small Collier County town southeast of Naples. 

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My Lady Katie dances for the Queen Buzzard Lope dance contest during the  33rd Annual Mullet Festival in Goodland, Fla., on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017.

Festival-goers can expect live music, arts and crafts and various food vendors, along with the expected spread of fried and smoked mullet to couple with the full lunch menu at Stan's Idle Hour Restaurant that hosts the festival. 

According to Steve Gober, the late Stan Gober's son and current owner of Stan's, the original Mullet Festival stemmed from the fishing market in Goodland in the mid-1980s. 

"Years ago, fishermen used to be able to fish for mullet with nets, so we had a contest for that," Gober said.

"Whoever caught the most mullet was the 'Mullet King' back in the day, and then on Sundays we'd crown the 'Mullet Queen.' They banned netfishing in the '90s, so they can cast net for them now, which is why we still sell them today and why we named it the mullet festival after the fish."

Though the Mullet Festival certainly has a central focus on the fish, Gober said the most notable moments of the festival come from his father's iconic Buzzard Lope Song, which has inspired an annual dance competition each year at the festival. 

"My dad wrote 'The Buzzard Lope,' which is like a chicken dance," Grober said. "They did that one night in the bar and decided to put that together with the mullet festival and have a dance contest."

This year, the festival will host two dance contests. The first will be for children at 4 p.m Saturday, while the adult dance contest will is at the same time on Sunday. The winner on Sunday will be crowned this year's "Buzzard Lope Queen," an honor that has been bestowed to many each year since the festival began. 

The three-day festival is free, and food will be available for purchase both through vendors and at the restaurant. The event is family-friendly and all are welcome.

For more information on the festival, call 239-394-3041 or visit stansidlehour.net.

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