The Shell Factory showcases all types.Special sauce: Bayou battle a big hit.

By Ralph N. Paulk.rpaulk@news-press.com

From one side of The Shell Factory to the other, the smell of gumbo filled the air Sunday afternoon.

The lines at the sixth annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest in North Fort Myers were long with hungry and curious gumbo aficionados.

While some simply tasted the varieties of gumbo, others devoured them. At the end, there wasn’t much left even to sample. Gumbo, a dish born in the Louisiana bayou, was a big hit.

For David Rabidoux of Cape Coral, the festival was more than about gumbo. “I think a festival like this gives people a chance to appreciate what a great place The Shell Factory is, too,” he said.

“It’s our first time out, and we’ll be back,” said his wife Angela Rabidoux. Gary and Nancy Hawald, snowbirds from Detroit, made the trip from North Port just to sample the gumbo. But Gary Hawald had more than gumbo on his mind. “I came to look at the motorcycles,” he said as he dug his spoon deep into his bowl. Read the rest of this entry »

By Terry Brady.tbrady@news-press.com

Since the 1800s, Groundhog Day has belonged to Punxsutawney, Pa., and its world-famous, weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.
But it looks like Punxsutawney’s favorite rodent will have to share the spotlight now that The Shell Factory and Nature Park in North Fort Myers has a new groundhog exhibit to be christened with a Groundhog Day celebration on Feb. 2.

That’s what The Shell Factory volunteer Richard L. Dunmire, 73, is hoping for, anyway.
Dunmire, who as a boy growing up in Punxsutawney had a pet groundhog, donated more than $5,000 for the creation of the 20-by-21-foot habitat. The habitat will be the year-round home of three groundhogs — two of which Dunmire said are pregnant.

The groundhogs are scheduled to arrive at the park this week, in time to offer insight on winter’s end at the celebration.
“I think one day it might grow to be as popular as Punxsutawney’s,” he said of the celebration. “I want it to become a Lee County tradition.”
While The Shell Factory is preparing for about 500 people to attend the ceremony, it has a long way to go before it matches Punxsutawney’s thousands of spectators. Read the rest of this entry »

By Laura Ruane

North Fort Myers: Home of the Groundhog Winter Estates. What? You hadn’t heard?

The Shell Factory & Nature Park, a 68-year-old granddaddy of local tourist attractions, is going into the winter forecasting biz. And you can be part of it.

Vice President of Fun Stuff Pamela Cronin gave me the 411 on Monday. Seems her dad, longtime high school instructor and coach Richard Dunmire, was born and reared in Punxsutawney, Pa., home of that celebrity groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

Ever since the Shell Factory added a 3-acre animal park to its retailing and entertainment operations in 2001, “he’d say, ‘you ought to have a groundhog habitat,’ ” Cronin said. “Plus, they’re just kind of fun little critters.” Read the rest of this entry »