[StBernard] Louisiana Crawfish Festival, Redfish Series, Easter Egg Hunt all this weekend at Torres Park in Chalmette

[Westley Annis]

2010 Louisiana Crawfish Festival in Chalmette Thursday, March 25 through
Sunday, March 28

2010 HT Professional Redfish Series to Host Tournament March 26-27 at
Louisiana Crawfish Festival; Pay-one-price arm bands available for festival;
Easter Egg Hunt Sunday

 

The 2010 LOUISIANA CRAWFISH FESTIVAL will be held FREE to the public this
week, Thursday, March 25 through Sunday, March 28 on the grounds of the
Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center at 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. 

 

This year, the HT Professional Redfish Series will be held in conjunction
with the festival with exciting live weigh-ins on a stage adjacent to the
main stage on the festival grounds.

 

Redfish Tournament: Building on successful professional fishing tournaments
held in St. Bernard Parish in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009, a new Redfish
Tournament will host its event in Chalmette. The HT Professional Redfish
Series will call Chalmette its home bringing to town 60 professional teams
from the Gulf South Region.  This year the tournament will be held in
conjunction with the Louisiana Crawfish Festival with live weigh-ins on
March 26th and March 27th at 3 p.m. each day.

 

St. Bernard Parish will welcome the 60 teams to our community that includes
some of the best professional anglers from all over the South including
Florida, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana who will compete at the Chalmette
event for $20,000 to the 1st place team. 

 

The public is invited to come out and enjoy a great sport fishing event
featuring exciting live weigh-ins at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The
weigh-ins will be held during the Crawfish Festival on the grounds of the
Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center at 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. will hold his second
annual President's Challenge Fishing Tournament on Friday as well with teams
of local officials competing for the coveted trophy hand crafted by local
renowned artist Luis Colmenares that was won last year by a team headed by
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. The weigh-in ceremony is Friday at 2:45 p.m. 

 

This HT Professional Redfish Series is sponsored by the Louisiana Office of
Tourism and St. Bernard Parish Government and many generous local businesses
that help support the success of this event.

 

Crawfish Fest has a long history: The Louisiana Crawfish Festival that began
in 1975 has grown to become a Louisiana tradition. Patrons frequent the
festival annually from all areas of the United States for the spring event
that features authentic Cajun cuisine. Boiled Crawfish with all the "fixins"
& Crawfish Dishes such as Crawfish Bread, Crawfish Pasta, Crawfish Pies,
Crawfish Rice, and Crawfish Jambalaya adorn the limelight while many other
food booths tickle just about everyone's pallet.

 

Cajun entertainment and current hit parade bands explode on stage to draw
crowds to the sounds and glitter of showmanship. The entertainment committee
assures that everyone attending will at some point enjoy the performances.
Thursdays and Fridays entice the listeners to prepare for the weekend filled
musical finale on Sunday night.

 

Arts and crafts lure hundreds to see real hand crafted products. Cups,
plates, belts, straw hats, sun glasses, tennis visors, personalized home
crafts, license plates and key chains are just a few of the treasured values
offered. 

 

There's always a giant midway with carnival games, cotton candy, candied
apples and rides to thrill the toddler through the roughneck and even the
Ferris wheel for Maw Maw and Paw Paw. The awesome clinking on the tracks,
the air brakes, the laughter amid the flashing lights with noisy horns and
squealing sirens draw thousands to conquer their inhibitions.

 

Easter Egg Hunt: This year, in addition to the wonderful festival food,
bands, crafters, rides and the drama of a professional fishing tournament,
the third, annual St. Bernard Parish President and First Lady Easter Egg
Hunt will be held Palm Sunday, March 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Torres Park in
Chalmette during the Crawfish Festival.

 

Hundreds of children enjoy the event annually, and parents should bring
their cameras to take pictures of their children with the Easter Bunny, a
new addition to the event. 

 

Since 2008, Parish President Craig Taffaro and his wife Debbie, who have
eight children, have sponsored the event for children ages 0 to 9. There
will be separate hunts for children ages 0 to 4 and for those who are 5 to
9. There also will be face painting and refreshments. A drawing for door
prizes will be held at the end of the event.

 

Pay-One-Price Information: Pay-One-Price arm bands will be sold on the
grounds of the Crawfish Festival for $20 each. The pay-one-price times are
as follows: Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., Friday from 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday
from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

 

Pageant: The Children's Pageant will take place Sat. March 27. Registration
is 7 - 9am. The Pageant starts at 9:30am. The Teen & Miss Pageant is April
10. For more info visit www.lacrawfishpageant.com
<http://www.lacrawfishpageant.com/> . 

 

Festival Schedule

 

THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2010

6:00 p.m-10:00 p.m.             THE SOUL DOGS

 

FRIDAY MARCH 26, 2010

2:45 p.m.:       WEIGH-IN FOR REDFISH SERIES PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE

3 p.m.:            WEIGH-IN FOR THE REDFISH SERIES 

6-7:30 p.m.:   THE MEDICS

8-11 p.m.:       BAG OF DONUTS

 

SATURDAY MARCH 27, 2010

12-3 p.m.:       BOBBY CURE & THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

3 pm.:             FINAL WEIGH-IN FOR THE REDFISH SERIES 

4-7 p.m.:         AT FAULT

8-11 p.m.:       THE CHEE WEEZ

 

SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2010

12-2 p.m.:       BRUCE DAIGREPONT

1-3 p.m.:         ST. BERNARD PARISH PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY EASTER EGG
HUNT 

3-6 p.m.:         THE GASHOUSE GORILLAZ

7-10 p.m.:       THE TOPCATS

 

For more information about the professional fishing tournament, contact the
Office of Tourism at (504)278-4242 or visit our website at
www.VisitStBernard.com <http://www.visitstbernard.com/> . For more
information about Louisiana Crawfish Festival, visit
www.LouisianaCrawfishFestival.com
<http://www.louisianacrawfishfestival.com/> .

 

###