Main Street Beaufort is gearing up for the 15th Annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival, to be held Friday and Saturday, October 2-3, 2009, at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
This two-day festival is a celebration of local food and fun in the Lowcountry and this is the first year the festival will be produced by Main Street Beaufort.
“Beaufort has come to know and love this event and I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’ve been given the opportunity to produce and manage it,” said Main Street Beaufort Director LaNelle Fabian.
The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday and include live music by Hilton Head Island’s Deas-Guyz and several area restaurants, which will be previewing their shrimp dishes for Saturday's competitions. All restaurants will be using Wild SC Shrimp.
“We’ve been advising people to be ready to ‘dance their shrimp tails off and come with an empty stomach’,” Fabian said.
The festival’s popular 5K Run (USTAF certified course) and Walk Through History will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Popcorn Shrimp Run for ages 7 and under will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the corner of Bay and Newcastle Streets. All require advanced registration.
Saturday’s events continue at 11 a.m. with live music, childrens’ games and activities and arts and crafts. Local restaurants will put their unique spins on fresh local shrimp, available to attendees, and will compete for the “Best Shrimp Dish" and "Best Booth Decoration", voted by a panel of judges, and the “People’s Choice”, chosen by festival attendees. The overall winner will be awarded the prestigious "Silver Cup." Alternative foods will be available for the shell-fish intolerant.
Additionally, adults will be able to participate in a shrimp heading competition and children in a shrimp peeling competition for various prizes.
For more information or to register for the runs and Walk Through History, visit www.beaufortshrimpfestival.com or call (843) 684-1987 or (843)525-6644.
The mission of Main Street Beaufort, USA, is to support and promote a vibrant, cohesive mixed-use district that reflects Beaufort’s historic small town, home town values through strategic economic development initiatives.
