Bug Hunt - LobsterFest at Schooners!

Panama City Beach, FL - Life is funny. I mean, who would think something so ugly would taste so good! But, there is something about lobster that makes the locals around here crazy. They love it...they just can't get enough of it...and, that's just one reason September is their favorite month of the year.

On Sunday, the chefs in the Schooners kitchen get down to some serious cookin, and the crowd gets down to some serious eating!

Every year about the middle of September, a little local beach club called "Schooners" holds their annual Lobster Festival and Tournament. Divers from all over the country come to Panama City Beach to dive the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and haul their trophy lobsters to the Last Local Beach Club to be weighed, watched, posed with, and finally...you guessed it...devoured! On Sunday, the chefs in the Schooners kitchen get down to some serious cookin, and the crowd gets down to some serious eating! There are lobsters of all sizes and shapes - spiny lobsters, shovel nosed lobsters...ugly lobsters and...beautiful lobsters. There is even a lobster auction, with some of these beautiful bugs going as high as $300-$500.

The lobster festival at Schooners is three days of non-stop fun - and, although the Lobsters are at the heart of it - it's a lot more than just lobsters. There's a giant Lobster Festival sand sculpture contest - one of the biggest in the Southeast, with some of the best sand artists in the country, as well as enthusiastic amateurs competing for cash and prizes. The sand sculptures are amazing, and some a little bizarre! But you can find yourself watching the creations in progress for hours.

Then, when the sun goes down, Schooners does what Schooners does best - Party! and with live entertainment on stage - and the dance floor packed, it can last well into the morning.

This year Schooners will donate the proceeds from the event to Florida Aquatic & Marine Institute (FAMI) and the Children's Home Society of Florida.

More information and online registration for the tournaments may be found at www.schooners.com