Blessing of the Stone Crab Fleet

Stone crab season is upon us, which means the hardworking stone crabbers of Everglades City and Chokoloskee are getting prepared for a successful season. Each year the stone crabbers bring their boats with their families and workers over to the Rod and Gun Club for the “Blessing of the Stone Crab Fleet” event. At this event the local pastors from Everglades City and Chokoloskee greet the crabbers and bless each of the boats for a prosperous season.

Tod Dahlke, owner of Tour the Glades and Hole in the Wall Pizza and Other Delicious Things, is the one who started this family event. Dahlke got the idea from an Everglades resident who told him every year a group of people go to the docks on the Barron River at midnight on the 3rd of October to watch the boats head out to drop their traps for season. He knew about the “Blessing of the Shrimp Fleet” event in Fort Myers and thought there should be one for the stone crabbers in Everglades. So Dahlke gathered the crabbers and churches in the area together and thus the event was created! Each year the Rod and Gun cooks a delicious barbecue pig roast for everyone but the first few years Dahlke would get together enough money and cook the pig himself. There are arts and crafts booths set up, contests to win goodies like a homemade coconut guava cake and raffles for people to enter. The churches also participate by selling baked goods, there’s live music and a kids’ frog-jumping contest.

Now it sounds like the game you used to play as a kid where you jump over your friends like a frog, but actually it involves real frogs. Dahlke before the event, would go out a gather a few frogs from Turner River Road so the kids could participate in the contest. “Some of the kids are so scared to touch them, but they work up enough courage to and have a great time,” Dahlke said. The winners of the contest get trophies but everyone who participated gets to go pick out little prizes and candy from the treasure. After the contest is over the frogs are returned to Turner River Road but sometimes the kids want to keep them as pets! Unfortunately, this year Turner River was so dry there weren’t many frogs, so Dahlke improvised with changing the game up a bit and instead the kids pretended to be frogs and hopped.

Over the years, the event has grown bigger, and more people are starting to go to support the stone crabbers, eat delicious barbecue and participate in the contests, but Dahlke doesn’t want it to turn into something it shouldn’t. “I thought it was going to turn out to be a carnival thing, which isn’t what it should be,” Dahlke stated, “It’s for everyone to get together and it’s most of all for the stone crabbers.”

The stone crabbers of Everglades City and Chokoloskee work very hard all year for season to start. Just because season ends in May does not mean they take a break. They go to work daily, fixing crab traps, working on their boats and dropping their traps a week before season, preparing for October 15th when the most exciting day comes rolling in. If you’ve never tried or eaten stone crab claws before I highly recommend you do!

It’s so heartwarming to know how much the people in our community care for each other and put others first. We all want the best for the locals and when people come together for a good cause, it creates a bond like no other. Everglades City is truly a thoughtful and dedicated community. Come on down to Everglades City and get some fresh stone crab claws from our seafood markets and restaurants!

University of Florida student Savannah Oglesby has lived in Everglades City her entire life. A lover of nature; some of her favorite things are sunsets, night lightning and mountains. She enjoys adventures and spending time with family, friends and two orange tabby cats. She also enjoys travelling, taking photos of nature, learning about extreme weather and seeing the world in different perspectives. Savannah’s love for Everglades City, and its history, is endless.