The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum hosted its 5th annual Wild and Scenic Film, festival on April 13 and 14. For the past five years, The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum has used their Outstanding Natural Area to join over 200 communities around the world to join in the spread in environmental awareness and activism through a series of short films.
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area was federally designated by Congress in May 2008 to “protect, conserve, and enhance the unique and nationally important historic, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational values of the Federal land surrounding the Lighthouse for the benefit of present generations and future generations for the people in the United States,” according to museum website.
Amanda Dixon, program director of The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, explained how the land that is used for this event is anything but ordinary.
“The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum is on federally protected land that would be considered an outstanding natural area at only 120 acres of property.” Dixon said, “Our land contains the Florida scrub which inhabits 13 endangered species that live on that property.”
While being in an area that harbors sensitive natural systems and ancient cultural heritage, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival raises awareness about the surrounding nature to the community that live in this area.
Jupiter was one of the 250 tour dates the Wild and Scenic Film Festival visited on its tour. Tickets sold out, and the event was littered with Jupiter locals ready to spend the evening by the water, watching films hand-selected by the site’s director of marketing.
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum hosted approximately 300 guests on Saturday and Sunday to enjoy the films and food trucks such as Little Moirs, Good Eatz Seafood and Georgia Boy and Ethel’s Famous Wings.
Bands like the Red Shoes Roulette and StratOlites were among the live music that played for guests to listen to before the projector started. Guests were invited to bring beach or lawn chairs to sit in and, enjoy a glass of beer or wine during the films.
By Isabella Pinel