Festivalgoers at the sixth annual Downtown Crawfest may notice a few new things this year. Among the most noticeable differences will be the addition of carnival rides and crawfish prepared by a local restaurant.
The Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the family-friendly event, which will be presented by Southern Bancorp on Friday and Saturday in downtown Arkadelphia.
“The chamber has a great partnership with Southern Bancorp, the city of Arkadelphia and the Downtown Arkadelphia organization,” said Shelley Loe, executive vice president of the Arkadelphia Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce. “We look for opportunities to provide entertainment for the public to enjoy. This event is to provide local entertainment and showcase our downtown area.”
Highlights of the annual event include a crawfish boil and a crawfish-eating contest on Friday night and a variety of activities on Saturday.
“This is our make-it-or-break-it year. The board decided to expand the festival a little and see how it goes,” Loe said.
“We want to see if the community wants this festival to grow. We have contracted with Miller Spectacular Shows Inc. of Greenbrier to have a carnival Wednesday night through Saturday,” she said.
“There will be lots of rides stuffed into our downtown. We will block off Main Street from Sixth to Eighth streets,” Loe said. “Patrons will be able to buy a book of 20 tickets for $20. Tickets will be available at the chamber and various places throughout Arkadelphia.
“We have also contracted with The Cue Eatery and Pool Hall here in Arkadelphia to provide 1,500 pounds of crawfish. That’s a lot of crawfish.”
Loe said members of the Planning Committee recently attended a crawfish boil at The Cue.
“It was so good. We decided we ought to try to go local [for the festival],” she said.
“It is not the traditional pool hall of my day,” Loe said, laughing. “They have a lot of [pool] tournaments there, and that keeps them busy.
“It’s bright and airy and so pretty, and the food is phenomenal. They have a good local following. It’s something new for our little town.”
Aaron Reed and his wife, KaCee Reed, opened The Cue in late 2016.
“Not long after we opened, we had a crawfish boil and had a huge response. Some of the chamber people were there and liked our food,” Aaron Reed said.
“We are definitely happy to be involved with this festival. We want to be involved in the community,” he said. “We are up for the challenge.
“I am from northern California, but my wife is from Malvern. I have always cooked; I had several restaurants in California.”
Advance tickets for the crawfish boil, which will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday, are $20 and are available at Southern Bancorp and the chamber of commerce office. Crawfish will be served with potatoes, corn and a drink in the parking lot at 617 Clinton St. in downtown Arkadelphia.
The crawfish-eating contest will begin at 6:30 Friday. Each contestant will eat up to 5 pounds of crawfish within five minutes. Last year’s winner was Jason Pagan, sponsored by Danfoss, who, Loe said, ate his 5 pounds “in less than five minutes.”
Also new to Friday’s lineup of events is the Crawfest Cupcake Wars.
Contestants must bake at least two dozen cupcakes — one flavor — to be entered in the People’s Choice Contest. Additional flavors are allowed but must be in addition to the original two dozen. Cupcakes will be cut into fourths for the public to taste-test. Prizes will be awarded to the People’s Choice winner for Best Baker.
Contestants for the cupcake wars may sign up at the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce or call (870) 246-5542.
The band Dixie Jade will entertain the crowd from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday on Clinton Street.
“The crowd really liked them last year,” Loe said.
“There is no admission charge to hear the band. Bring your lawn chair, order crawfish, and listen to the music,” Loe said.
The band, which is based in Nashville, Tennessee, features Andrea Crisalli on vocals and piano, and Dominique Ruiz on vocals and lead guitar.
Dixie Jade recently opened for Thompson Square, Love and Theft and Kevin Fowler and played the BMI [Broadcast Music Inc.] Key West Songwriters Festival 2016. In April 2015, Dixie Jade released their debut EP, With a Little Grit, recorded on Music Row at Warner Music Studios.
In addition to the crawfish boil, 67 Grill, JavaPrimo Coffee House and Cafe, and Slim and Shorty’s will be open to offer food and drink options. Additionally, the Little Penguin Tacos and Twisted Ice food trucks will have made-to-order tacos and shaved ice.
Other Friday-night activities will include the Southwest Sporting Goods Crawfest Baggo Tournament, the Kiwanis of Clark County’s Dunking Booth and a kids’ zone sponsored by the Arkadelphia Police Department.
On Saturday, the Crawfish Crawl 5K and 10K will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Clinton Street, along with the Southern Bancorp Andy Allison Super Kids Run at 10:30.
Loe said the 5K is certified this year by USA Track and Field.
“Nicole McGough and the Arkadelphia Running Club organize and oversee the 5K, 10K and assist with the Southern Bancorp Andy Allison Super Kids Run,” Loe said. “This event takes a tremendous amount of volunteers to make this a success.”
Kids’ activities will continue through 1 p.m. Saturday with the Cajun Classic Dog Show, hosted by the Humane Society of Clark County, beginning at noon.
“We invite all area businesses to participate in these activities to make the Downtown Crawfest truly a community event,” Loe said.
For more information on Downtown Crawfest, call the chamber at (870) 246-5542.