Crawfish Eating Contest
The first annual Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Fest and Cook-off was held on May 4 on King Fisher Beach where the weather was perfect. This event will benefit King Fisher Beach and Park for maintenance and a new pavilion. Chamber President, Mary Jo Walker stated that it may take some time to raise all funds needed for this project but the Chamber estimates that over 600 people attended this year’s event and they are well on the way to make this goal a reality. The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce is happy to report that a net profit of $10,000 was raised that will go into the building fund for the new pavilion.
This event was free to the public with the Chamber selling Crawfish plates and drinks as their fundraiser. The Chamber sold booth spaces to 20 plus vendors and 17 crawfish cookers. Winners of the Crawfish Cook off was Best Crawfish –POC Mud Bugs; Best Cajun Dish– Boggy Boilers; People’s Choice–Broome Boiloholics; Best Booth—Teresa’s Chicks and Crawfish. We can guarantee that everyone had a wonderful time. The crawfish eating contest was a huge draw with people cheering on their favorite contestant. David Waynand of Brenham was the winner of this contest. It was amazing to co-coordinator Donna Pyle, the generosity of the winners donating their prize money back to the Chamber for the pavilion fund. “It was a great day,” stated Pyle.
Guadalupe Surfers, Bill Pekar and the Rainey Brothers, Andrea Marie and Magnolia Band and the Andrew Wade Band all donated their time and talents to play throughout the day. This was coordinated by our very own Jeff Bartz, who amazed us all with his talented friends. People of all ages brought their chairs or sat on the grass to listen to the wonderful music. It was truly a day at the park with families enjoying each other, the festivities, and the weather.
There were games for the kids and adults alike. Horseshoes and washer games abounded on the volleyball court. The kids enjoyed sidewalk chalk drawing, ladder golf and bean bag toss. Some families then went on to spend time at the beach and play in the shallows of the bay.
If you missed the festival this year, mark your calendars for May 3, 2014. Join us for the 2nd annual the Crawfish Fest & Cook off benefiting King Fisher Beach and Park. If you would like to be a part of the planning stages for 2014 contact Donna Pyle at dmp3485@tisd.net and we will put you on a committee. It takes us all to be successful.
Cub Scout Pack 116 Scouts and family members helped at the Crawfish Festival by supporting the clean up crew. Pictured here are Kerri Fowler and sons, Wolf Ashton Albrecht and Bear Harley Albrecht.
Congratulations to the POC Mud Bugs on winning the Craw- fish Festival Cook Off. Pictured left to right: Bridget Sprague, Darrell McMahan, Lilly Gossett, Kyle Gossett, and Tess Gossett. The winning team was sponsored by Port O’Connor RV Park, who donated the winnings back to the Chamber of Commerce.
