It was beautiful and warm this past Saturday, so I decided to stop at Little River Springs on my way down to the third annual Suwannee River Catfish Festival. There were many other people enjoying the spring when I arrived. The parking lot was nearly full and there were a few boats pulled up along the bank of the Suwannee River. People were swimming in the clear, cool spring water, and a group of cave divers was gathering up their gear after a dive into our aquifer. After a short, refreshing swim, I proceeded down to Branford.

I could tell something was going on way down upon the Suwannee River. There were not any parking spots available on U.S. Highway 129. Luckily, I found a spot in the lot next to the former location of Sisters Café (which is in front of the elementary school on 247 now.) As I walked up to the rows of tents, I could hear a band playing “Cheap Sunglasses” by ZZ Top. I knew I was in the right spot.

I followed the sound of the music south of all of the food and merchandise vendors, and there was a stage set up and people were gathered around. Blind Luck was playing classic rock songs and the crowd loved every minute of it. I have seen Blind Luck perform before, and they never disappoint. I really enjoyed their renditions of “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Sultans of Swing.” After talking to some people in the crowd, I realized I missed stellar performances from both The Social Club and Quadravan. The early bird gets the worm and gets to enjoy all of the bands at the Catfish Festival.

There was a wide variety of items for sale at the festival. You could find clothing for you or for your dog. There were stuffed animals for sale and Mystic Jungle brought real ones for everyone to see. You could buy a stun gun or a fancy holster for your revolver. There were some tractors on display, but I am not sure if you could have driven one home immediately after making payment. One of the vendors was selling metal signs. One of the signs for sale said “Man Cave.” I think if someone needs to see a sign to be sure it is a man cave, it isn’t really a man cave.

The kids in attendance were having a blast. There were pony rides, and rides on a plastic barrel train were only one dollar. The kids could also jump really high with the assistance of some thick plastic bands. Hopefully, the kids did this jumping before eating too much catfish, funnel cakes or fried Oreos. The kids could also learn about the county’s library system, the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, and Florida’s many native plants.

The final band to perform was Pronounced from Jacksonville. They played some of my favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes including “That Smell,” “Saturday Night Special,” and “Gimme Three Steps.” Pronounced also played “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers extremely well.

At around five o’clock I decided to have some Suwannee River catfish for dinner. Much like Trump’s tax returns, no one had seen any for a while. I will certainly be back again for next year’s Catfish Festival, and I will have some catfish for lunch.

Eric lives in Suwannee County and is a public school educator. He is an independent contractor. You can reach him at miamistyle8@gmail.com.