Above: Larry Andrews with the catch from the Elaina Nicole at
Mitchell Seafood in July. Left: Shrimp boats still at the dock in July.
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Still, shrimping remains in the DNA. The town sign proudly
proclaims Sneads Ferry as the “Home of the Shrimp Festival.”
The annual event, held the second weekend in August since
1970, celebrates the community’s heritage with a parade, a
Shrimp Ball, a pageant, and a fair on the festival grounds featur-ing,
naturally, lots of shrimp to eat.
Shrimping is also in the DNA of those who still go out. It’s a
family affair in Sneads Ferry, a vocation passed down from gen-eration
to generation.
Hostetler begins ticking off the shrimping families.
“The Millises — my grandma, her mother was a Millis; we’re
related to them. The Davises. The Folgers and the Edens. The
Mitchells,” he says. “Somewhere down the line we’re all related.”
Stevie Davis is one of Buddy Davis’ three sons. He and Billy
are shrimpers. Jody runs the fish house with his wife, Vikki.
“I was on a boat when I was 13,” Stevie says. “I’m 55 now.”
The fish house started out as a small bait and tackle store,
built by Buddy’s parents, Theron and Laura Lee, in the 1940s.
“My grandfather used to rent out little skiffs so people could
paddle out and fish,” Stevie says. “He sold bait and stuff here.
My grandmother, she would make lunches and drinks to sell.
When my dad got old enough, he built this fish house.”
Kim Mitchell married into the shrimping business. She helps
run Mitchell Seafood for her father-in-law, and goes out on the
boats when extra crew is needed.