ARKADELPHIA — The Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce has offered Downtown Crawfest, presented by Southern Bancorp, since 2012. Crawfest features a crawfish boil, a crawfish-eating contest, live entertainment and activities for the whole family.
Activities at the seventh annual Downtown Crawfest will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and at 7 a.m. 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, chamber executive vice president. “We look for opportunities to provide entertainment for the public to enjoy. This event is to provide local entertainment and showcase our downtown area.”
Loe said members of the community and visitors may notice a few different things at this year’s festival.
“We’ve added a mechanical bull for visitors to ride,” Loe said. “It’s not a bucking bull … not a dangerous ride at all, but you do have to be 3 feet tall to ride it. Its base is cushioned, like a bounce house. The cost to ride is $5.”
The Crawfest Mechanical Bull will be available to ride from 5-9 p.m. Friday.
Another difference this year is the entertainment.
“The Zac Dunlap Band will perform from 6:30-9:30 Friday night,” Loe said. “This is a new band for us and features Arkansas talent. They are from East End, outside Little Rock.”
The Zac Dunlap Band, sponsored locally by Southwest Auto Collection, is nominated for several Arkansas Country Music Awards, including Arkansas Entertainer of the Year. The band’s most recent single, “Arkansas’ Mine,” has received radio airplay and is up for song and music video of the year at the Arkansas Country Music Awards in June. The band plays a mix of modern country and popular covers.
Admission to the band’s performance is free and open to the public.
The crawfish boil will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Crawfish and the fixings will be prepared by Sodexo Catering and served in the parking lot at 617 Clinton St.
“Sodexo is a chamber member,” Loe said of the company that provides the food service at both Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. “Many of their employees come to the event. They have always wanted to cater this event. They bid on it and won the bid.
“Sodexo wanted to show they could cater events outside the university setting, so it’s worked out perfectly for everyone.”
In addition to the crawfish boil, 67 Grill, Twisted Ice, The Farmhouse, JavaPrimo Coffee House, Cafe & More, and Slim and Shorty’s will be open to offer food, dessert and drink options.
The Gossip Salon and Boutique will sponsor a Kids Play Zone from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday. The Kiwanis of Clark County will sponsor a Kiddie Korner with face-painting and activities, also from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday.
A crawfish-eating contest will be held at 7 p.m. Friday. Each contestant will eat up to 5 pounds of crawfish within five minutes. Loe said the winner will receive a trophy and “bragging rights.”
The Southwest Sporting Goods Crawfest Baggo Tournament will also be at 7 p.m. Friday. Text Mike Volz at (870) 210-0793 for more information.
Another new event this year is the Friends of the Library Book Sale, which will be held in the Clinton Street library parking lot from
6-8 p.m. Friday and from
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Proceeds will benefit the Clark County Library in Arkadelphia.
One thing that has remained constant at the Downtown Crawfest is the Andy Allison Super Kids Run, sponsored by Southern Bancorp at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at 601 Main St. This run for kids follows the Crawfest Crawl 5K/10K that begins at 8:30 a.m.
Stacy Marlar, senior vice president at Southern Bancorp, said the Andy Allison Super Kids Run is named in memory of Andy Allison, who won the super kids run in 1990 and died later that year as the result of a four-wheeler accident. Andy Allison’s sister, Cindy McDill, also works at Southern Bancorp, and her 8-year-old son, Andy McDill, will participate in the run; Andy McDill is named for his uncle, Andy Allison.
Marlar said proceeds from the run will benefit the Andy Allison Baseball Scholarship at Ouachita Baptist University.
For more information on the Andy Allison Super Kids Run, contact Marlar at (870) 246-5811 or visit facebook.com/AndyAllisonRun.
For more information on the Crawfest Crawl 5K/10K, contact Ashlee at (870) 246-5542 or ashlee@arkadelphiaalliance.com, or Nicole McGough at hdnicole@yahoo.com.
Advance tickets to Downtown Crawfest are $25 and are available at Southern Bancorp, Winner’s Circle and the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce office. For more information, contact the chamber at (870) 246-5542 or shelley@arkadelphiaalliance.com. Information is also available on Facebook at “Downtown Arkadelphia Crawfest.”