4th Annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival

Saturday, May 26, 5:00 pm

Mark your calendar for the Wharton Memorial Foundation / Bower Center for the Arts’ 4th Annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival, generously sponsored by Dr. John Bower and Edna Curry. Join us for live Zydeco music and the party of the year in Bedford!

The food is fabulous and a rare treat in these parts… large freshwater crawfish are brought to Bedford live and boiled on the spot… chicken gumbo and red beans & rice are made from old Louisiana recipes… crawfish etouffe, a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine, is most popular in New Orleans and in the bayou country of the southernmost half of Louisiana. The base of an étouffée is a dark roux. As in many Louisiana dishes, onions, green peppers and celery (a combination often referred to as the holy trinity) are added to the roux. The étouffée is usually seasoned with cayenne pepper, white pepper, fresh garlic, fresh parsley, salt, sometimes paprika, and, depending on the chef, a host of other seasonings! Last but not least, save room for corn on the cob!

Location & Date
The festival will be held on Saturday evening, May 26th in the beautiful Wharton Garden.

In case of rain… the festival will be held in the old Murray Bolling building at 317 Jackson Street… just across the street from Bower Center and behind Dave’s Auto.

Don’t know where we are? Click on Find Us in the menu bar above.

Tickets
$25 in advance online, $30 at the gate

Included in ticket price: “all you can eat” (on site… no carry-out), tea/lemonade, and great music!

Beer/wine available for purchase.

Note: No coolers allowed

Interested in volunteering?
The festival requires much more help than the Board and committee members who normally support our operations can accomplish alone. Tasks we could use help with: setting up tables and chairs in the garden, collecting tickets, selling wine and beer and removing tables/chairs at the end.

We need volunteers both on Friday, May 25 for early preparations and on Saturday, May 26, the day of the Crawfish Festival. Please contact the Bower Center to discuss what time you would be available and the duties you might like to do. Some tasks require strong arms, but there are many that are not strenuous! If you’re interested, please call 540-586-4235 or email us. Thank you!