alicechauvin
2005-04-01 11:54:30 UTC
Louisiana Crawfish Festival kicks off today
Event to feature food, rides, entertainment
Thursday, March 31, 2005
By Carroll Nox Devine
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
It's time once again to celebrate the crawfish with a festival in its
honor.
The Louisiana Crawfish Festival, an annual four-day event hosted by the
Knights of Columbus Rummel Council 5747, runs today through Sunday on the
grounds of the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette.
Hours are today from 5 to 11 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight,
Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.
The festival will feature live music, rides, games, arts and crafts
vendors and other attractions. The main attraction, though, will be
crawfish served nearly every way, from boiled to bisque to bread.
The smorgasbord also will include crawfish etouffee, crawfish pasta,
crawfish po-boys, crawfish boudin, fried crawfish tails, soft-shell
crawfish, crawfish cakes and crawfish beignets. Soupy offerings include
crawfish and artichoke soup, crawfish and corn bisque crawfish and sausage
gumbo and crawfish potatoes, pizza and fired rice. Also among the many food
booths visitors will find crawfish and sausage jambalaya, crawfish pies and
eggplant pirogues, crab cakes, grilled catfish and shell noodles -- each
with crawfish sauce. Rounding out the lengthy menu will be grilled
catfish, po-boys, fettucine, pizzas, shish kebabs, corn dogs, hot dogs,
French fries, popcorn, onion mums, nachos, spinach and artichoke bread and
alligator, chicken and shark on a stick.
On the sweet side, visitors will find cookies and ice cream, smoothies,
cotton candy, snowballs, funnel cakes and candy bars. Drinks will include
coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks and beer.
Carnival rides are a major part of the festival, said Don Hulin, the
event's public relations coordinator.
"We have rides for anybody from 2 to 102," he said. This includes a
special kiddie section as well as all the popular adult rides and
attractions.
Hulin said individuals may purchase pay-one-price ride tickets, which
allow them to ride as many times on as many rides as they wish during
four-hour blocks for $16. Pay-one-price ride times are today and Friday
from 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 10
p.m.
No festival would be complete without live music, and this festival
promises a varied slate of entertainers, Hulin said. The band At Fault
kicks off the music tonight from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by The Molly
Ringwalds from 8 to 10 p.m.
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town play Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m., followed
by The Irene Sage Band from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday's lineup is LA 46 from noon to 1 p.m., Andy Hoffman and B-Goes
from 1:30 to 4 p.m., Lenny McDaniel from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and The
Chee-Weez from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. The Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band takes
the stage Sunday from noon to 2 p.m., followed by Amanda Shaw from 3 to 6
p.m., and The Bucktown All-Stars from 7 to 10 p.m.
During band breaks each day, the entertainment will continue with crawfish
races, and throughout the four days there will be rock climbing, games and
other attractions. "People will just have to come and find out what they
all are," Hulin said.
The Baby Miss and Master Louisiana Crawfish Festival pageant will be held
Saturday at 10 a.m. Categories include baby master, newborns to
11-month-olds; tiny master, 12- to 23-month-olds, and sweet master, 2- to
3-year-olds. The girls' divisions are baby miss, newborns to
11-month-olds; tiny miss, 12- to 23-month-olds, sweet miss, 2- to 3-year
olds; little miss, 4- to 6-year-olds; young miss, 7- to 9-year-olds; and
pre-teen miss, 10- to 13-year-olds. Registration will take place Saturday
beginning at 9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $25.
A portion of the proceeds from the Crawfish Festival will benefit
Children's Hospital of New Orleans, public and parochial schools of St.
Bernard Parish, the St. Bernard Battered Women's Shelter and youth
programs including Boy Scouts and summer camps.
"We try to give to those who need it," Hulin said. "At the festival we
also put up tip jars at the soft drink and beer booths to help Children's
Hospital."
Hulin, a Knights of Columbus member who has been working with the Crawfish
Festival for more than 10 years, said the festival has grown each year.
"If we had more room we'd be even bigger than we are now," he said. "It
draws people from all over."
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Event to feature food, rides, entertainment
Thursday, March 31, 2005
By Carroll Nox Devine
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau
It's time once again to celebrate the crawfish with a festival in its
honor.
The Louisiana Crawfish Festival, an annual four-day event hosted by the
Knights of Columbus Rummel Council 5747, runs today through Sunday on the
grounds of the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette.
Hours are today from 5 to 11 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight,
Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.
The festival will feature live music, rides, games, arts and crafts
vendors and other attractions. The main attraction, though, will be
crawfish served nearly every way, from boiled to bisque to bread.
The smorgasbord also will include crawfish etouffee, crawfish pasta,
crawfish po-boys, crawfish boudin, fried crawfish tails, soft-shell
crawfish, crawfish cakes and crawfish beignets. Soupy offerings include
crawfish and artichoke soup, crawfish and corn bisque crawfish and sausage
gumbo and crawfish potatoes, pizza and fired rice. Also among the many food
booths visitors will find crawfish and sausage jambalaya, crawfish pies and
eggplant pirogues, crab cakes, grilled catfish and shell noodles -- each
with crawfish sauce. Rounding out the lengthy menu will be grilled
catfish, po-boys, fettucine, pizzas, shish kebabs, corn dogs, hot dogs,
French fries, popcorn, onion mums, nachos, spinach and artichoke bread and
alligator, chicken and shark on a stick.
On the sweet side, visitors will find cookies and ice cream, smoothies,
cotton candy, snowballs, funnel cakes and candy bars. Drinks will include
coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks and beer.
Carnival rides are a major part of the festival, said Don Hulin, the
event's public relations coordinator.
"We have rides for anybody from 2 to 102," he said. This includes a
special kiddie section as well as all the popular adult rides and
attractions.
Hulin said individuals may purchase pay-one-price ride tickets, which
allow them to ride as many times on as many rides as they wish during
four-hour blocks for $16. Pay-one-price ride times are today and Friday
from 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 10
p.m.
No festival would be complete without live music, and this festival
promises a varied slate of entertainers, Hulin said. The band At Fault
kicks off the music tonight from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by The Molly
Ringwalds from 8 to 10 p.m.
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town play Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m., followed
by The Irene Sage Band from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday's lineup is LA 46 from noon to 1 p.m., Andy Hoffman and B-Goes
from 1:30 to 4 p.m., Lenny McDaniel from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and The
Chee-Weez from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. The Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band takes
the stage Sunday from noon to 2 p.m., followed by Amanda Shaw from 3 to 6
p.m., and The Bucktown All-Stars from 7 to 10 p.m.
During band breaks each day, the entertainment will continue with crawfish
races, and throughout the four days there will be rock climbing, games and
other attractions. "People will just have to come and find out what they
all are," Hulin said.
The Baby Miss and Master Louisiana Crawfish Festival pageant will be held
Saturday at 10 a.m. Categories include baby master, newborns to
11-month-olds; tiny master, 12- to 23-month-olds, and sweet master, 2- to
3-year-olds. The girls' divisions are baby miss, newborns to
11-month-olds; tiny miss, 12- to 23-month-olds, sweet miss, 2- to 3-year
olds; little miss, 4- to 6-year-olds; young miss, 7- to 9-year-olds; and
pre-teen miss, 10- to 13-year-olds. Registration will take place Saturday
beginning at 9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $25.
A portion of the proceeds from the Crawfish Festival will benefit
Children's Hospital of New Orleans, public and parochial schools of St.
Bernard Parish, the St. Bernard Battered Women's Shelter and youth
programs including Boy Scouts and summer camps.
"We try to give to those who need it," Hulin said. "At the festival we
also put up tip jars at the soft drink and beer booths to help Children's
Hospital."
Hulin, a Knights of Columbus member who has been working with the Crawfish
Festival for more than 10 years, said the festival has grown each year.
"If we had more room we'd be even bigger than we are now," he said. "It
draws people from all over."
E-mail This
Print This