Press Release
For Immediate Release
December 26, 2006
The Shell Factory & Nature Park
US 41
North Fort Myers
(239) 995-2141, Ext. 110

The 7th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest will take place on Sunday, January 28, 2007 at The Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. All proceeds benefit The Nature Park Environmental Education Foundation.

The 7th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest will take place on Sunday, January 28, 2007 at The Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. All proceeds benefit The Nature Park Environmental Education Foundation.This family event will center on a Gumbo Cook-Off (New Orleans style) between area restaurants, which will be judged by local celebrities, and the public. The children’s activities section will double in size including; a bounce house, slide, games, Swamp Art Coloring Contest and Mardi Gras Mask Making.

Gates will open at 11:00a.m. and the event will feature live entertainment throughout the day. “Cracker Blues” and the “The Yard Dogs” will open for the “Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys,” a fun energetic Zydeco Band from New Orleans. Know as the Zydeco Sweetheart, Rosie has carved out a unique spot in the Zydeco pantheon, a spot that is defined more by her special style than that she is one of a handful of female accordionists. Singing in both Creole French and English, Rosie is known for her songwriting ability, as well as her bluesy, sexy singing voice. In fact, her music has often been described as “blues with an accordion.” Cracker Blues and The Yard Dogs are local favorites always certain to keep the toe’s a tappin’ and hands a clappin’.

Tickets are $6.00 for adults and children under 12 are free. Coupons for $1.00 off are available prior to the event at participating sponsors, restaurants and at The Shell Factory.

Gumbo, Beads, Music, Hurricanes, Crawfish –n- good old Cajun fun “aplenty.”

Chaired by: Tom Cronin, Jr.
Co-Chaired by: Pam CroninAttire: cool and casual

Price: $6 adults/ kids free

Location:
The Shell Factory and Nature Park
2787 N Tamiami Trail, US 41
N Fort Myers, FL 33903
Contact: Irene
(239) 995-2141 x110

A picture of some of our Shell Factory employees singing at the annual Shell Factory Employee’s Christmas Party. More pictures can be found in our picture gallery. 

A picture of Fred at the Shell Factory haming it up!  More pictures on Fred can be found in our picture gallery.

Article written & submitted by the North Fort Myers Neighbor 
By JENNIFER MOSSCROP
nfmneighbor@breezenewspapers.com

Bring in a $10 toy with a receipt to help needy kids and get a slice of fudge in return.

That’s the sweet deal Rose Ann Heuglin, owner of Rosie’s Gourmet Fudge Shop, is laying down to local business owners and residents this holiday season to support the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.“It makes me so happy when the toys are awarded to families and I see how happy they are,” said Heuglin, who has been a Cape Coral resident for 20 years. “Even if I have to give away a lot of fudge for free, it’s worth it.” Rosie’s Gourmet Fudge has been up and running in the Shell Factory for 27 years and this is the seventh year they are participating in the program. Read the rest of this entry »

Exotic African animal joins others at petting zoo.Young zebra added to nature center.
by Monique Green.
mgreen@news-press.com

A black-and-white beauty at the Shell Factory and Nature Park is just a little bit blue since she left her home. The 15-day-old zebra, named Princess, arrived Wednesday at the North Fort Myers nature center from an exotic farm in western Kentucky.

She spent the day prancing in the rain, but she cried periodically as she became accustomed to her new habitat at the petting farm. “She’s just a baby and has all these new smells and people around her,” said Nancy Mitchell, CEO of the Shell Factory. “And she just came from a long ride on a trailer, so she can get a little skittish and nervous. But she’s getting so much attention.”

Park attendants crowded around the mild-mannered zebra Wednesday afternoon to stroke her striped coat. Princess, who has a few front teeth, drinks warm milk formula now, but she will start her diet of alfalfa and grass in four weeks. She’s fed every six hours. Read the rest of this entry »

Uses recipes dating back to the 1830s.

By Terry Brady.tbrady@news-press.com

Rose Ann Heuglin takes pride in being old-fashioned. That’s why her fudge tastes so good. But she also takes pride in being cutting edge, which is why her flavors are a tough find anywhere else.

Heuglin, using recipes she said date back to the 1830s, has been making fudge from scratch since 1979 at Rosie’s Gourmet Fudge in the Shell Factory. She said her recipes from the 1830s came from an acquaintance of hers who lives in Michigan.

“The only difference how I make my fudge (from those who made fudge in the 1800s) is the utensils and the gas (burner used to heat the batter),” Heuglin said.

While the basic flavors are recipes that have been around for years, she uses the old-time cooking process when it comes to her gourmet recipes, which she created herself.

Most area candy stores carry about six flavors of fudge, but Heuglin’s store has as many as 30, many of which are her own recipes. Heuglin learned to cook fudge when she was hired at the shop, which she now owns. Read the rest of this entry »

Shell Factory puts on liquid fireworks show nightly in North Fort Myers.

By Andrea Stetson

Sometimes fireworks can be too loud for children who scream and cover their ears as the colorful blooms explode. But when the colors burst with only the soothing sound of water and music, the reaction is quite different.

In North Fort Myers the Shell Factory boasts its “liquid fireworks.” It has all the colors and a variety of patterns like typical fireworks without all the noise.

Waltzing Waters, the fireworks show made up of colorful dancing waters, is shown twice a night there in a man made lake. Families sit on two long rows of bleachers that line the north side of the lake.

As people arrive, dozens of large ducks entertain them by hopping on and off the wooden platforms that hold the fountains. But on cue, as the first notes of music begin, the ducks leap from the platform and scurry to the lake’s edge to avoid the bursts of water.

The show begins with some slow classical music. Then the fountains spring to life. There are swirls of red, green, blue, gold, purple and pink. The water forms arches, twists, and diagonal crosses. Sometimes it looks like a large oriental fan. Other times it towers into the sky. Read the rest of this entry »