5th Annual Hollywood Beach Clambake A Success!

The 5th Annual Hollywood Beach Clambake was an unqualified success, attracting 50,000 festival-goers over the three-day weekend, Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, along the beautiful, newly renovated oceanfront Broadwalk.

The festival featured tons of fresh seafood and live music on two stages, including headliners Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band from Louisiana, and harmonica virtuoso Fingers Taylor.

Other festival highlights included a Tropical Treasure Hunt; sand-sculpting exhibitions by "The Sand Man," world-champion sand sculptor Rich Varano; beach bonfires courtesy of Cub Scout Pack 472 of Hollywood; Broward Beautiful’s Volunteer Beach Cleanup; the annual Best Chowder Contest among beach-area restaurants; special demonstrations and children’s eco-friendly art projects in the Zephyrhills Activity Zone; and an art display by youngsters in the City’s S.E.A. Camp (Science, Education & Adventure) program.

Bragging rights went to Broadwalk Restaurant & Grille for its first-place chowder entry, and DJ I-Dee (whose given name is Isaac DeLima) for winning the festival’s first-ever South Florida DJ Contest. Hollywood resident Fritz Leip won a weekend stay at the Hollywood Beach Marriott for placing first in a Tropical Treasure Hunt based on the music of Jimmy Buffett. Lori Macala took second place and a necklace fashioned from a silver coin from the shipwreck Atocha, courtesy of Dolphin Jewelers.

The Hollywood Beach Clambake is an award-winning event recognized by the Florida Redevelopment Association as "Best Festival" and presented by the Hollywood Beach Community Redevelopment Association. Festival sponsors included the City of Hollywood, Hollywood Beach Marriott, Samuel Adams, Bacardi, Aquapod, Geico and POM.

For information on upcoming beach events, call (954) 924-2980 or visit www.hollywoodbeachcra.org.