Swamp Fest Has Arrived.
Thus was born Swamp Fest, the event that returns super-G carnival experiences and deep-fried dough to central Pasco County. Today, as twilight approaches and lights on the Wade Shows midway begin their siren pulse and twinkle over coach John Benedetto's football practice fields, we shall begin to discover whether the Land O' Lakes Junior-Senior High School Booster Club, which organized Swamp Fest, and Land O' Lakes can make a new festival work. The festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m. today at Land O' Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Hot Time On School Grounds The journey from concept to opening night has not been all cotton candy and klieg lights, though. "I'm OK with it. The guy who owns the midway show has more insurance than God," said assistant schools superintendent Ray Gadd. "But not everyone is completely ... comfortable." Gadd, Ilse and Swamp Fest organizers concede that a shiver of foreboding traces all the way to the top. But given the apparently divine quantity of the midway owner's liability coverage, what's the worst that could happen? "Well, we could burn down the school," booster Steve Carpenter said. OK, so there's that. But given the odds against an out-and-out conflagration, the risk-reward seems tilted in favor of the festival.
