[StBernard] Louisiana Crawfish Festival kicks off tonight

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Crawfish Festival kicks off tonight

Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 7:30 AM     Updated: Thursday, March
22, 2012, 12:06 PM

 By Becca Chapman 

It's that time of year again folks: the mudbugs are boiling, the crawfish
bread is rising and the people are gathering from far and wide for some good
food and fun with friends. Since 1975, St. Bernard Parish has been home to
the Louisiana Crawfish Festival, and tonight organizers will kick off their
37th annual festival in Chalmette.

 "The Louisiana Crawfish Festival has hit the boiling point," said Cisco
Gonzales Sr., festival chairman and a member of the Knights of Columbus
Archbishop Rummel Council 5747, which sponsors the event.

According to Gonzales, nearly 100,000 people are expected to attend this
year's festival, which runs through Sunday on the grounds of the Frederick
J. Sigur Civic Center, 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. Hours are
tonight from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 to midnight, Saturday from noon to
midnight and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Festival-goers will be able to feast on nearly 30,000 pounds of crustaceans
boiled up piping hot by Today's Ketch of Chalmette, as well as an array of
crawfish dishes, including crawfish bread, rice, pasta, gumbo and jambalaya.
Other items on the menu include hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, funnel cakes,
beer and daiquiris.

With more than 35 food booths and crafts vendors, the festival also will
feature a plethora of carnival rides and live entertainment for visitors to
keep their groove going throughout the weekend. Hit N Run will open the
festival tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by At Fault from 8 to 10 p.m.
On Friday, Kayla Woodson will entertain from 6 to 8 p.m., and Bag of Donuts
will follow from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. On Saturday, Bobby Cure and the
Summertime Blues will perform from noon to 3 p.m., Groovy 7 will be on stage
from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Category 6 will play from 7:30 to 11 p.m.
Sunday's entertainment will be provided by the Wiseguys from noon to 2:30
p.m., The Boogiemen from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and The Top Cats will close out
the weekend from 7 to 9 p.m.


Gonzales said tonight has been dubbed "Family Night," with a $15
pay-one-price fee for rides from 5 to 10 p.m. Rides are being provided by
Mitchell Brothers Rides and Amusements. Pay-one-price ride tickets for
Friday through Sunday are $20 and will be available for one hour longer this
year. Pay-one-price ride sessions are Friday from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday
from noon to 5 p.m. and 6 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and 4 to
9 p.m.

Another exciting thing on tap this year is the fact that the festival will
coincide with the 2012 HT3 Outdoors Professional Redfish Invitational
Series. Running today through Saturday, the series has brought 35
professional angler teams to the waters of St. Bernard Parish to cast lines
for prizes based on their catches. The public is invited to watch the
anglers weigh-in their catch today and Friday at 3 p.m. at Breton Sound
Marina in Hopedale. The final weigh-in will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at
the festival. For more information about the series, visit
www.theredfishseries.com.

Festival organizers also have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to
help them increase their stock in food items for the needy. Donations of
non-perishable food items will be collected throughout the weekend in front
of the Civic Center. The first 25 people to donate 20 or more items will
receive one free ride session armband.

Each year, the Louisiana Crawfish Festival holds several pageants in
conjunction with the festival. On Saturday, girls from infant to 13 years
old and boys from newborn to 5 will participate in a children's pageant at
11 a.m. in the Civic Center. Admission to attend the children's pageant is
$2 for ages 7 and older and free for those 6 and younger.

A Teen and Miss Louisiana Crawfish Festival Pageant will be held Sunday at 3
p.m. in the Civic Center. The competition is open to young Louisiana females
ages 14 to 23 who have never been married or had a child. Admission for the
teen and misses pageant is $5.

For information, contact Carrie Gagliano at premiercrawfishqueen at yahoo.com.

Gonzales said what keeps this festival growing by leaps and bounds each year
is the family atmosphere. At the end of the day, Gonzales said, "It is all
about family."

While admission to the festival is free, Gonzales said guests are prohibited
from bringing ice chests and outside food or drinks. Also, parents are urged
to provide their children with an identification card and cellphone number
for emergency purposes should they arise.

For individuals in need of lodging in order to attend the event, call the
St. Bernard Parish Office of Tourism at 504.278.4242.

 Becca Chapman lives in Chalmette and writes about people and events in
Chalmette. She can be reached at chalmettematters at gmail.com or 504.481.6516.

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