by Kurt Zuelsdorf
Long before the sun had a chance to wake the birds and burn my brow, a positive rustling began in Clam Bayou. Smiling city workers scrambled to place parking barricades and set registration tables for a combination of events that gave us a look into the future while revealing “what’s possible” when utilizing our wonderful parks.

It was a giant step forward to move the annual marina yard sale into Clam Bayou. Aside from a parking shortage, vendors should be thrilled about the scores of people that passed their display tables showing everything from stainless screws to, well…the kitchen sink! I saw an old pair of binoculars that my dad gave me as a kid and the years reeled back… I was a kid in a park again and perhaps I wasn’t alone…

Meanwhile, operating in seamless coordination on the old Osgood pad, was the staging area for the Clam Bayou clean up. Smiling faces once again accompanied the sunrise on the nicest day so far this year. Hearty volunteers of all ages rummaged through the undergrowth for their own treasures of cups, cans, papers & bottles. Kayaks & canoes paddled the waterways skimming the surface for debris while a hoisted sail cut the veil of a settling fog prompting an image of our motto – “Gateway To The Gulf.

On Saturday I saw it and heard it…it was right there! The possibility of bringing a Mullet fest or a Seafood fest into the park. I saw a day when a nice band is strumming away the old Hank Williams tune on a lighted stage “Jambalaya”! Food vendors line the green way and sure, why not? A beer vendor.. it’s a nice touch on a sunny day with “a-jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file’ gumbo”!

 Fest-goers walking and picnicking through the park with Fido and the family. Why not open the Coast Guard Aux building as the headquarters for the event to collect the cash for food tickets? We sure could use it. Flanked on the sides by the towering masts in our wonderful marina and the growing oaks on the hill, this makes a unique setting that provides a great environment, an upbeat and positive element…just the attitude needed to regain and build high(er) standards for Clam Bayou. “…son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on de bayou.”

WATER MONKEY STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING!