LABELLE, Fla — LaBelle is celebrating its 100th year as a city, and one of its biggest traditions is marking the occasion - the Swamp Cabbage Festival! Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works in the are daily, so we went to see that this milestone means for the community.
Watch what festival goers and the mayor of LaBelle told Austin:
As part of the annual event, people danced to live music while barbecue sizzled on the grill and the famous swamp cabbage fritters fried. Crowds gathered at the iconic armadillo races, cheering on the competitors in one of the festival’s most unique traditions.
The Swamp Cabbage Festival has been a staple in LaBelle for nearly six decades. But this year, it carries extra meaning as the community comes together to celebrate 100 years of the city’s history.
“It means a lot, you know, because it’s our roots, and so many of us grew up here,” said one festival goer. “It really means a lot. We love our little town of LaBelle,” another added.
And if you’re wondering where the festival got its name - swamp cabbage comes from the heart of the Sabal palm, Florida’s state tree. Last year, Dwayne and Lucas Pratt took Austin out in the woods and demonstrated how it’s harvested. This year, like every year, they were back, serving their famous fritters and sharing its history as a major food source for Native Americans like the Seminole - a tradition that continues today.
“It’s really important to me and really special to know that we’re keeping a legacy alive,” said Lucas Pratt. “It’s something to be proud of, you know what I mean?”
But the festival isn’t just about food—it’s about LaBelle’s place in history. Mayor Julie Wilkins says this year’s theme, “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” honors how travel and innovation shaped the city.
“Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Firestone all came over here and developed stuff here in LaBelle. It’s part of our history,” Wilkins said. “So that’s the automobile tie-in. We have planes from crop dusting and such. And trains used to go through here. So vehicles and their history all tie into LaBelle.”
From past to present, LaBelle is celebrating its roots this year, and continuing to make history of its own.
