Spring has returned, signaling the arrival of Woodbine’s Annual Crawfish Festival. Now in its 33rd year, this festival is the official Crawfish Festival for the state of Georgia. Consisting of plenty of crawfish meals, a parade, a 5K run/walk race, live music and plenty of kid-friendly activities throughout the two days, this will be one festival to add to your social calendar.
Scheduled for the last week of April, the events kick off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 27th. The arts and crafts booths will open at that time, along with the children’s activities. Crawfish dinners will be available at the start of the festival as well. After a dinner and some browsing, take in some local entertainment starting at 7:00 p.m.
While there are some new sponsors this year, some sponsors return year after year because of their appreciation of what the festival offers the town of Woodbine. Cindy Barrington, owner of Family Martial Arts, is a returning sponsor and shared her reason for sponsorship:
‘This is not the first year we have been a sponsor, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. As a business owner of Downtown Woodbine, I appreciate the diverse attendance the Crawfish Festival brings to our community. I really enjoy the Crawfish Festival experience whether it is walking in the parade and demonstrating at the Gazebo with my martial arts students, or even as spectator shopping and listening to the music’.
There will be a 5K run/walk race Saturday morning. The 8th Annual Doreen Myers 5K honors the life of Ms. Myers, a well-respected child abuse investigator killed in a head-on collision back in 2011. Barrington added: ‘With Family Martial Arts being strong advocates against child abuse and April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, I really appreciate the Doreen Myers Walk/Run Fundraiser which is hosted by the Crawfish Festival.’
The race will begin at 8:00 a.m. and registration is required. If registering before April 26th, the fee is $28.00 Online registration can be completed here. There will be awards given in the seven different age groups, ranging from 12 and under to 60 and over. All runners will be entered in a raffle drawing and will each receive a goodie bag from sponsors.
Probably the biggest draw to the festival is the Saturday morning parade. For the past two years, Debra Carter has been the contact for parade entries. Ms. Carter stated that the parade usually has an average of 40 entries per year. She elaborated, ‘Woodbine Elementary usually has an entry. The ROTC of the High School leads off the parade and the High School marching band always participates. This year Bennett Chevrolet is a sponsor and will be pulling the float with the Grand Marshall.’ Carter also shared that about half of the float entries are repeat participators.
Spectators can plan on seeing clowns, bands, and horses during the float parade. The parade step-off point is E. 8th St. will travel down Highway 17 and will end after turning off 2nd Street and Camden Avenue.
The money raised from the festival will be put back into the community, in support of other community projects such as the Woodbine Elementary School Jack Christmas Read Aloud Club.
Want to be a part of the planning for next year’s festival? Membership into the Woodbine Citizens Steering Committee can be obtained by anyone who is willing to go to the meetings and be a volunteer at the two-day event. Meetings are held the second Thursday of months January through May and September through November.
Here’s the full schedule of events for this year’s festival:
Friday, April 27, 2018
- 6:00 PM Tracie Maddox (Waterfront)
- 6:00 PM Arts & Crafts Booths Open (Riverwalk)
- 6:00 PM Crawfish Dinners Available (Waterfront)
- 6:00 PM Children’s Activities Open (Waterfront & Riverwalk)
- 6:00 PM Food Booths Open (Waterfront)
- 7:00 PM Bluegrass Music (Old School)
- 7:30 PM Shaw Davis – Entertainment (Waterfront)
Saturday, April 28, 2018
- 6:30 – 7:45 AM Doreen Myers 5K Walk/Run Registration (4th Street)
- 8:00 AM Doreen Myers 5K Walk/Run Start (4th Street)
- 8:00 AM Arts & Crafts Booths Open (Riverwalk)
- 8:00 AM Food Booths Open (Waterfront & Riverwalk)
- 9:00 AM Doreen Myers 5K Walk/Run Awards (Waterfront)
- 10:00 AM Children’s Activities Open (Riverwalk)
- 10:00 AM Parade (U.S. Hwy 17)
- 10:30 AM Crawfish Dinners Available (Waterfront)
- 11:00 AM Bar-B-Que Dinners Available (Old School)
- 11:00 AM Music in the Auditorium (Old School)
- 11:30 AM Pak’s Karate Demonstration (Waterfront)
- 11:30 AM Family Martial Arts Demonstration (Gazebo)
- 12:15 PM Major Scales – Entertainment (Waterfront)
- 12:30 PM State Prison Cloggers (Gazebo)
- 1:00 PM All Alumni Open House and Program (Old School)
- 1:00 PM Diva Dolls (Gazebo)
- 1:45 PM Matt Brantley – Entertainment (Waterfront)
- 2:00 PM Family Martial Arts Demonstration (Gazebo)
- 2:00 PM – DROP TIME DEPENDS ON TIDE Rotary Club Duck Race (Bridge)
- 2:30 PM Line Dance Fever (Gazebo)
- 2:45 PM Parade Awards (Waterfront)
- 3:00 PM Music (Gazebo)
- 3:15 PM Randall Bramblett – Entertainment (Waterfront)
- 4:45 PM Adam Wakefield – Entertainment (Waterfront)
- 7:00 PM Country Music (Old School)
