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Winter Solstice's Blustery Tradition

12/23/2021

 
For the 5th year in a row, Winter solstice was cold and windy at Shell Mound.

About 35 hearty folks came out to celebrate the shortest day of the year with Friends of Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs. The hot tea was a hit and disappeared quickly. The iced tea and lemonade . . . not so much. 

Musicians John Thalacker, Doug Lindhout, and Sandy Lindhout came to entertain, but their instruments and fingers refused to play in the misty cold.

Donna Thalacker led a guided walk along the Dennis Creek Trail and Peg Hall along the Shell Mound Trail.

We all stood on the pier and watched the sky where we knew the sun was setting behind the clouds. We thought good thoughts about our Indian ancestors and about our Refuge that protects this legacy for all of us. 

We will be back for Summer Solstice in June and maybe next December, we will see the Winter Solstice sun set in a cloudless sky near Palmetto Mound. Plan to come!
Picture of people On the Shell Mound Trail
On the Shell Mound Trail
Picture of people gathering near the kiosk
Picture of bird on railing in the wind
Picture of canopy over the snack table
Picture of people on the pier
Picture of people setting up the canopy
Picture of cloudy sky over Palmetto Mound
Sun is setting there behind the clouds
Picture of people hunkered down in the cold under the canopy
Picture of 3 people by canopy
Picture of 3 people chatting in the cold

Winter Solstice Event at Shell Mound December 21 from 4:00 to sunset

12/16/2021

 
Picture Sun setting over Palmetto Mound with an overcast sky in 2019
Sun setting over Palmetto Mound with an overcast sky in 2019
Picture of A group of Friends members and visitors watching the sun set over Palmetto Mound on a blustery Winter Solstice day in 2018
A group of Friends members and visitors watching the sun set over Palmetto Mound on a blustery Winter Solstice day in 2018
Friends will host a Winter Solstice event at Shell Mound on Tuesday December 21 starting at 4:00 and ending with the setting of the sun near Palmetto Mound. All are welcome, rain or shine, and the event is free. For the past several years, the weather has been cold, overcast, rainy, even stormy. It has nevertheless been a wonderful place to be for the solstice. This year, we hope for warmer and sunnier.
Why at Shell Mound? Shell Mound is a large shell-bearing archaeological site that was once the location of special gatherings for Native American groups across the broader region. This 10-page booklet tells the Shell Mound story. 
A major part of the story is that Shell Mound is on one of the arms of a huge, U-shaped dune, much of which has eroded since it was formed by ice-age winds. The dune is aligned with the solstices. The sun sets near the open end of the dune and rises over the closed end, as the booklet linked above relates.
Palmetto Mound is at the other end of the two arms at the open end of the dune. Native peoples buried their dead at Shell Mound, near where the sun sets at Winter Solstice. Shell Mound is a sacred and storied site. You will hear more if you can come and join the event.
The event will include:
  • Guided walks for those who chose them at Dennis Creek (about one-mile) and Shell Mound (about 1/2-mile) trails. The walks will begin at 4:15 at the trail-head parking area on the left as you come down the road toward the Shell Mound pier which is at the very end of the road. You can park at the trail-head, or come to the pier parking and walk back to the trail-head. The walks will last about 30 minutes. 
  • Some of the SongFarmers of Cedar Key will provide music by the pier.
  • Friends will provide light snacks and stories about the place and its history. 
  • Nature will provide the Winter Solstice sun setting near Palmetto Mound.
Picture of a group of Friends members and visitors hoping the overcast lifts enough to see the sun set.
Friends members and visitors hoping the overcast lifts enough to see the sun set.
Picture of the sun setting over the pier looking toward Palmetto Mound, 2017
It lifted, just enough to be magical
See our blog posts from earlier Winter Solstices here:
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • unfortunately, none from the pandemic year

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Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
P. O. Box 532
Cedar Key, FL 32625
[email protected]
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

  • Explore
    • Maps >
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      • Places of Interest
    • Hunting >
      • Overview
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    • Fishing >
      • Kayak-fishing Trails
    • Junior Ranger
    • Wildlife
  • Heritage
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      • Dennis Creek Trail
      • Hog Island Paddle
      • Long Cabbage Paddle
    • Vista >
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    • About Friends >
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