Rene Cantrell and Capt. John Lee at the Seadrift Fishermen Celebration.

On October 15th, Seadrift, Texas was alive with music, dancing, great food, stunning artists and most importantly, fine fishermen!

The 6-week project reports nothing but success; approximately $4,000 was raised in the one day on Seadrift’s bay front. The goal was simple – to raise money to capture local fishermen’s stories for a project known as the the “Seadrift Fisherman’s Legacy Project”. The group wanted to get a reputable company with experience in documentaries to produce a professional project. Future goals include the development of a book that would be easy to transcribe once the interviews were held.

Janie Waghorne, Diane Wilson, Donna Sue Williams, Sabrina Williams, Laurie Weaver and Pam Booton were all crucial in the organization process. The ladies first became involved with the Seadrift Centennial Committee because they wanted to implement this project alongside the centennial.

There was vast variety of items which were auctioned off; paintings, photographs, jewelry and books. The committee felt there were such wonderful, supportive people who helped to make this event exceed their expectations. The bands were rockin’. Jeff Inman, Alan Cantrell of Seadrift and Kitt Elliott opened for Ponty Boone and the Squeezetones. Captain John Lee embraced the coastal theme and was proud to be the emcee. His father was a boat builder in Florida, specifically for shrimp boats. The food was fantastic! An all-you-can-eat-shrimp boil was provided by Bubba’s and coleslaw was provided from Barkett’s.

“This is for Seadrift and in honor of how it began. When the City of Seadrift was established it was a fishing town. We felt like we needed something to preserve those stories,” stated Janie Waghorne.

Plans began to fall into place when Diane Wilson spoke with the head of the Texas Legacy Project, David Wiseman. Since the Texas Legacy Project is very similar with how the project in Seadrift was envisioned, Wiseman was able to steer them in the right direction.

Supporters came from all over the state: Austin, Houston, many were fall visitors who heard of the event via word of mouth. Artists brought supporters, plus band followers came to jam. Tickets were sold in Austin by Pam Booton; locally and online via PayPal for $30.00 in advance and $35.00 the day of.

“It’s an important part of our heritage. I grew up in Seadrift and it’s a part of who I am. We want to not forget that part; our town was founded with fishing.” Janie voiced.

A portrait artist, Rebecca Byrd Bretz of Austin, will produce the 15 fishermen’s portraits which will be on display to the public at a local establishment in Seadrift. Three portraits are finished thus far: Bucky Chatham, Dennis Wittenbert and Rod Taylor. Rebecca is presently working on Thay Nugyen’s portrait. Plans are to present them to the families following the centennial in December of 2012.

Not only shrimpers are to be featured, a diverse group is to be documented. The committee wanted all four industries, ethnicities and all age ranges of fishermen featured; including shrimpers, crabbers, oysterers and fin fishermen.

A majority of them no longer fish commercially, but did so for a long time. “It’s crucial to document their stories before they start to dim,” said Janie.

Calendars featuring the fishermen and our beautiful coast were sold to raise funds, plus proceeds from Diane Wilson’s Diary of an Eco-Outlaw: An Unreasonable Woman Breaks the Law for Mother Earth. Both are still available. Please contact one of the committee members for info.

Starting in January 2012, fifteen fishermen will be documented. Diane Wilson will be in charge of the interviews which will be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and other social media websites. They will also be available at the Centennial Celebration of Seadrift’s incorporation in December 2012 on DVDs. Each interview will be one hour in length.

In addition to publishing a book, a second calendar is in the works. The group is in much need of funding and support as they have used their own money to implement the project. For more info go to http://www.seadriftfishermencelebration.org.

Till next time!

Fishermen Celebration photos by David Wilson

Let the fun begin! Special thanks to all of the volunteers, artists and community members who helped to make this event successful.

Bubba Hall, owner of Bubba’s Cajun Food provided an all-you-can-eat shrimp boil.

he authentic accordion king, Ponty Boone jams out at the Seadrift Fishermen Celebration.

Various artists donated paintings and photos to help fund the celebration.