And Now...The REST Of The Story

Ok, for all the new people (AKA “virgins”) you'll be asked to help in the kitchen, no worries it is fun, right next to the beer truck and you get to meet everyone :-)

Here is a quick history of December Festival:

(Now more frequently known as December Fest)

Back in 1974, a group of college students decided to camp out at The East end of St. George Island (it was not very crowded then) after the end of the first semester (or quarter, as it was known then) before going home for Christmas.....they did it again the next year on Little St. George.....then again and again and so on.

Eventually, all through the 80's and 90's it grew to a little festival with 250 to 300 people camping out, usually primitive camping....30 to 40 people would donate $50 or more each to have their name on an official invitation and everyone else donated $10-$20...We had a fancy meal on Friday night, BBQ food on Saturday night, and a huge breakfast on Sunday for all who wanted to attend. Everyone went around meeting everyone, playing games, canoeing, debauchery, etc. There were skits very professionally done and music...and "a fun time was had by everyone". Back in the day, a different spot was found to camp all over Florida and no place was repeated.

Through the 2000's things started to change; people started having families, careers took over in importance, and it was getting hard for people to camp.... but December Fest continued. It was getting harder to find a location for 200 people to hang out and have fun together (many state parks do not allow alcohol, etc.). People moved away and holidays with family became more important, so it was hard to make time for camping out just before Christmas.

We started looking for sites with cabins and electric hookups; basically, getting older and slowing down a bit. December Fest was still a time to run into friends that now you only see once a year or so and remember those who are no longer with us.

Well, we never stopped, it got down to where only 40 to 50 would show up, etc. In the last few years, the group has started to grow. We found Convict Spring (Suwanee River Rendezvous) which has welcomed us every year since 2008! They have all we need: wilderness-primitive camping (some beautiful sites on the river) camping with water and electricity, RV sites, cabins, rooms, a big area for us to hang out and cook, and, of course, the river. You can swim in the spring, canoe to a few other springs, or even go to the pool or hot tub they built in the RV area.

Anyways, this will be the 52nd year and we will have the traditional music, fun and laughter. The donation top hat will be located near the beer truck. See the General for T-shirt purchase! This is a party we throw for ourselves, to hang out, enjoy nature, see old friends, meet new friends, and just plain have a heck of a time. I have been inviting 'virgins' or new people to our little group in hopes more people will join. Our catchphrase is GENERAL DRINK! (To learn more about that, read the story on Decemberfest.net)

So … General Drink! 

 This version was written by Jose and lightly edited by the webmistress.