This post documents my experience on September 18, 2016.
When I walked onto the festival grounds…
…to check out the St. Augustine Turtle Fest…
…I had just missed the 2:00 pm turtle race.
Soon the band began to play again…
…and I headed to the betting table for the final race at 3…
…where I placed a $2 bet on Equity Eili (#7).
Meanwhile, festival goers were either shopping for blankets and jewelry…
…or they were trying their luck on basket raffles…
…and silent auctions.
The more hardcore gamblers played card games in the Merchants Building.
In another building, kids were playing various games…
…taking a chance in the toy raffle…
…getting their face painted…
…jumping a bunch…
…or learning about some visiting birds…
…especially this falcon and owl.
In the Floral Hall…
…stations were set up to serve chicken breast, swiss steak, and tacos…
…while an adjacent table offered cake upon donation.
I ended up going to the outdoor food truck…
…and got myself a corn dog…
…(as well as some cake in the building)…
…and ate my food in time for the crowd to return for the final race.
And once the turtles were loaded…
…they were off.
Well, one turtle was off…but it wasn’t mine.