Email Us: clewistonchamber@embarqmail.com

Festivals

Celebrating its first decade in 1996 the annual Sugar Festival takes place each April at the close of the sugar harvest. Spread out, under the large oak trees in the downtown area's surrounding Civic Center Park, the festival is noncommercial, featuring entertainment, exhibits and art and craft booths.
  The arts and crafts sale is supported by the local Business and Professional Women's club. A Sweet Taste of Sugar contest takes place at the historic Clewiston Inn and the sweets are sold at silent auction along with cookbooks featuring the recipes of the entries.
  A Brown Sugar Arts Festival, in connection with the sugar harvest, is celebrated the first Saturday each May in the nearby Harlem community. It features Afro-American foods and crafts with many activities taking place during the week of festivities.
  The Hendry County Fair and Livestock Show takes place every March at the Fairgrounds in Clewiston. The fair is a showplace for livestock and exhibits by the county's youth along with entries of local artists, home makers and gardeners.  A large midway provides excitement for all ages and each night features special entertainment, including the selection of Miss Hendry County.
  Other nearby festivals include a Swamp Cabbage Festival (celebrating a favorite local delicacy) in February in Labelle and Chalo Nitka Festival (which means "big bass" in the local native American language) in March.

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Library

  The Clewiston Public Library is outstanding for a small town. Built in 1967 and donated to the town by the United States Sugar Corporation, the library was recently renovated, doubling its space with modern features to serve the community's needs into the twenty-first century.
  Located at 120 East Osceola Avenue in the heart of the downtown Clewiston recreational center, it is open six days and four evenings each week. A friendly and knowledgeable staff will provide information about the library's resources.
  Visitor's cards are available and the library promotes the enjoyment of its facilities through timely exhibits, study corrals, special displays and a large children's section.   Area daily newspapers and magazines are available in the reading room.
For information, please call (941) 983-1493.

Bird Watching

  The Clewiston area is a paradise for bird watchers. Egrets, Wood Ibis, Sandhill Cranes, Anhingas, Blue Herons and other exotic birds are here in great numbers. Bald eagles return to their nests each year to raise their young and other migratory birds flock to this part of the Everglades. Many species may be seen from the roadside.
The rare Everglades Kite is found in the southwest section of Lake Okeechobee, drawn by the supply of Apple Snails which are their main diet. Colonies of Smooth-Billed Anis make their permanent home in Clewiston and may be sighted in many locations around town. Painted Buntings and Indigo Buntings return each year is greeted with joy by local residents.
  A large flock of Seagulls hang out near the lake and are often seen in parking lots. The flight of the Cattle Egret each morning and night is a beautiful sight as they go back and forth to neighboring pastures to feed. Cardinals are year-round residents in back yards and surrounding fields and woods.
  Many varieties of birds, although not common to the area, sporadically appear, sometimes in great numbers. Migrating Warblers often cover the tree tops in spring and fall during their annual trips.

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Golf

  Clewiston enjoys a superb 18 hole, city-owned golf course. The clubhouse facilities have recently been renovated and enlarged. The course is seldom crowded and offers a challenge to golfers of any ability. There is a Ladies Golf Association which meets for play and lunch each Tuesday. The country club is run the board of directors.

Tennis

  Municipal tennis courts are lighted for night play and the courts have been recently resurfaced. They are open year round and instruction is available through the city's recreation program. Tournaments take place during the year for players at every level. The courts are provided free of charge.

Swimming Pool

  A city-owned swimming pool is located across the street from the Library and Youth Center on Osceola Avenue in downtown Clewiston.
  Open in the summer months, the pool has a learn-to-swim program for all ages.

·Museum · Festivals · Library · Bird Watching · Golf · Tennis ·
·Swimming Pool · Other Recreation · Service Clubs · Fishing ·

Other Recreation

  The Clewiston Recreation Department offers many recreational opportunities.
Senior citizens--and some not so senior--meet each Monday morning at the Senior Citizens' Building in the Sugarland Park recreational complex on W.C. Owen Avenue.
They enjoy covered-dish suppers, bridge games, field trips around the state, pool, theater trips and other programs geared to their tastes.
  The John Boy Auditorium, which seats 750 people, has smaller meeting rooms and an efficiency kitchen available for group meetings. There are also meeting facilities at the youth center in the downtown recreation center.
  A local theater group, Actors Community Theater, affords many opportunities for active participation. The ACT works with young actors for children's productions throughout the year, as well as producing several high-quality plays for the entire family. There is a varied program which takes place all year.
  The Youth Center and Library are natural gathering places for young people after school each day. A summer day camp program offers planned and supervised play for the younger group, with professional instruction offered in several sports.
  Many athletic fields and playgrounds are located in Clewiston to give children in each neighborhood convenient access to public park facilities.
  Football, baseball and softball programs, under the leadership of volunteers, provide an opportunity for organized sports for many ages in Clewiston. Local merchants sponsor many of the teams.

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Service Clubs

  Chapters of international service clubs such as Rotary and Lions are actively represented in Clewiston. There are four chapters of the International Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, a Business and Professional Women's Club, two garden clubs and various other social and welfare groups.
  There are two fraternal groups, the Elks Lodge and Moose Lodge, and a veterans' organization, the Veterans and Foreign Wars (VFW).
  Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups meet regularly, as do other support groups.
  A listing of times and places for the meetings is available from the Chamber of Commerce at (941) 983-7979 and is published in the Clewiston News.

Big Bass Country

  It is impossible to be modest about the fabulous fishing in Lake Okeechobee. Bass fishing is excellent throughout the year, with some of the largest fish caught in the summer. There is no closed season for freshwater fishing, and the best time for bream (and shellcrackers) is from April through September. Speckled perch (crappie) bite best from November through March, but night time fishermen catch limits through the summer.
There are two public boat launching ramps near the dike off North Francisco Avenue. There is ample parking space and there are public restrooms. New floating docks have been installed at the city's boat basin and the facilities are free and available to the public.
  Full service marinas are conveniently located on nearby waterwaysl, and offer complete sports fishing services including some of the best freshwater fishing guides in the country.
  Airboat rides and boat rentals are available for those who would like to take a look at the beauty of the lake. The marinas also offer guide services for both hunting and fishing.
  Hunting, of course, is quite good for quail, duck, turkey, dove, deer and wild hog, but is allowed mostly on privately-leased land.

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License Fees

  License fees are set by the Florida Legislature and are subject to change. Please look for current rates to be posted where you purchase you license.
  Florida residents 65 years of age or older must carry a senior Citizen Hunting and Fishing Certificate which can be obtained free from county tax collectors.
  Nonresident freshwater fishing licenses are valid for seven days from designated date of fishing. All others are in effect from July 1 of year of purchase through June 30 of the next year.

Fees:

Resident:
Fishing-Hunting Combination:
$22.00

Resident Fishing:
$12.00

Nonresident:
12 Month:
$30.00
7-Day Continuous:
$15.00

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·Museum · Festivals · Library · Bird Watching · Golf · Tennis ·
·Swimming Pool · Other Recreation · Service Clubs · Fishing ·