Girls play under the glow of the red lantern dress that formed the centerpiece of Joan Matey’s artistic creation. [ David Adlerstein | The Times ]
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Dressed for the night

Seventeen years after it first started in 2007, Lantern Fest, an outdoor festival known for its display of colorful, hanging lanterns, once again illuminated the night surrounding the Crooked River Lighthouse outside Carrabelle.

The brainchild of Carrabelle artist Joan Matey, with contributions by local artists, the festival on Saturday night, Nov. 9 has evolved over the years from an assortment of traditional lanterns into more offbeat, artistic creations.

This year, Matey was inspired by a photo “The Dress Lamp Tree” by British fashion photographer Tim Walker that appeared in a 2004 issue of Vogue, which featured a dozen dresses, lit from the inside, hanging on an oak tree.



Matey made the centerpiece a vintage red dress bought at a San Francisco dancer’s estate sale, and surrounded it with a half-dozen other dresses.

Master Zheng player Dr. Haiqiong Deng and members of the Florida State University Chinese Music Ensemble performed, as did Killavil, a trio of siblings Michael, Rachel, and Dan Stribling performing traditional Irish music.

There was a glow-in-the-dark performance from the Tallahassee State College Dancers, choreographed by Mindy Whitehead and directed by Aurora Hansen.

Festival goers enjoyed evening tower climbs, museum exhibits, and desserts from Beacon Bistro, with monies going to support the preservation of the lighthouse, an 1895 maritime landmark.



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Meet the Editor

David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.

Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.

Wendy Weitzel The Star Digital Editor

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