Each October the International Sea-Bean Symposium is held at the Cocoa Beach Public Library.
Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com.
It’s time!
What: 14th Annual International Sea-Bean Symposium and Beachcombers’ Festival
When: Friday, October 16th (9am to 5pm) & Sat. Oct 17th, 2009 (8am to 9pm).
Where: Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 North Brevard Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Cost: Free and open to the public.
What are sea-beans and what is this Symposium all about?
Sea-beans are plant seeds of all shapes and sizes. They are special because they are the kinds of seeds that can float long distances and wash up on beaches where people can discover and collect them.
Some people collect shells. Other people like to collect sea-beans. It’s exciting to find a new sea-bean, identify it, and marvel that it may have drifted all the way from Africa or South America. Sea-beans artists polish the beans to a high luster and turn them into beautiful jewelry and works of art. You’ll see plenty of both at the Symposium.
Collector Bill Blazek shows off his magnificent collection of sea-beans at last year's Symposium. Even kids love 'em.
All four walls inside the Symposium are lined with exhibit tables and hundreds of curious people come and enjoy the free display.
Not only will you see sea-beans of all kinds, jewelry and works of sea-bean art, you’ll also be able to see and hear slide show presentations and talk to some really fascinating beachcombers. You can also participate in the “Bean-A-Thon” and win prizes by going out on Saturday morning and seeing how many different varieties of sea-beans you can find on the beach.
Look for more blog posts about the Symposium right here on BlogTheBeach later this week. I’ll tell you about some of the interesting characters you’ll meet at the 14th Annual International Sea-Bean Symposium and Beachcomber’s Festival.
