Blessing of the Fleet continues comeback in Thunderbolt
While Thunderbolt isn't the shrimping capital it once was, community leaders want to bring back that civic spirit.
RESIDENTS of Thunderbolt and Savannah are looking forward to this year’s Blessing of the Fleet event. Thunderbolt was a shrimping and fishing community when the event first came about in the 1990s. Each year before the fleet would go out fishing, a Catholic priest would come out and bless the entire fleet to keep everyone safe.
I spoke with the owner of Simply Savannah Marketing, Marianna Ganem-Poppell, and Mayor Dana Williams for more information.
Mayor Williams said that there are only a few shrimp boats on the river. However, he still wanted to have the tradition of the Blessing of the Fleet. A lot of people came together and enjoyed the event.
“So my vision was to bring it back. And even if we didn't have a shrimping fleet, we still have a very nautical-themed town where people still have lots of boats. People also do recreational fishing, and pleasure boating and use the waterways. So we wanted to start it off with the blessing of the fleet of everyone, not just the fishing boats. But with the pleasure boats and private watercraft as well,” he said.
Poppell said that there will be over 100 vendors participating this year. She also said there will be a little bit of everything this year. There will be food trucks, different desserts, kids' activities, and clothes. In addition to this, there will also be live music! There will be a beer garden down at Thompson Park for the adults to go and listen to music.
The day of the event will start with a parade. Different schools will perform in the parade, and one in particular will be the Savannah State University’s drumline. The parade will begin at Thunderbolt Marine and head back towards River Drive. Guests will be introduced, and local leaders will be acknowledged.
After this, the event will be opened for everyone to have fun and enjoy what the day has to offer. At 1:30, Bishop Stephen Parkes from the Catholic Diocese will go on a boat and bless the fleet for the year. Usually, the fleet is blessed from land. However, this will be the first year that the fleet will be blessed from the water!
The Blessing of the Fleet had been on a hiatus. When Mayor Williams was elected in 2022, he told the town’s administrator that he wanted the event to come back. That same year, 2000 people showed up to the fleet event. Last year, he said that around 6000 people came!
“We expect this year to be the same or bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if we had, you know, 6000 or more, which is crazy. Our population in Thunderbolt is less than 3000. So we literally had, you know, double our population come out last year for the Blessing of the Fleet, which is amazing," Williams said.
"Community involvement is the main reason I wanted to bring it back. I feel like during COVID, we all just kind of got shut away in our houses. Everybody got very isolated. And knowing your neighbors and getting out and enjoying the town you live in is what keeps that community tight. And I just felt like we were losing our identity a little bit. So this was one of the many things that we have brought back. And this is the cornerstone of all of our events throughout the year. The Blessing of the Fleet, which this was, this was the one that that we use to do that with,” Williams said.
Poppell said that the view of the river will provide major excitement for attendees. She said it’s a little secret in the middle of Chatham County. She went further by saying she loves being able to experience someone else’s first time on River Drive. Visitors will be able to see boats out on the water, see the bishop on a yacht, and all of the vendors that will be present.
“We have tons of children's activities. We'll have different activities for them. We'll have balls, we've got Touch-A-Truck. We've got a fire engine, a police car, Hercules, who is the big boat tow from Thunderbolt Marine. He's fun, the kids love to crawl on him. We also have Way Man's junk removal truck that is here for the kids to crawl on. They love crawling on the vehicles and will have different entertainment throughout the day. And just connecting with your neighbors and your community. Honestly, that's the best part. Such a magical day,” Poppell said.
Mayor Williams remarked that being able to watch people renew and make new connections is one of the main goals of the event. Attendees will be able to enjoy one another and other activities that will be available.
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