Llano Crawfish Open still going despite rain
LLANO — It’s not a dish one expects to find in the Deer Hunting Capital of the World.
Nonetheless, hundreds of Llano residents and crawfish enthusiasts are expected at this weekends Llano Crawfish Open, which organizers said will still go on despite threats of rain.
Proceeds benefit the Llano Special Opportunity Center.
The 21st annual event got under way Friday at the Llano Golf Club and County Park, 123 Robinson Park Drive, and continues Saturday, April 17, officials said.
The event will include hundreds — if not thousands — of pounds of crawfish for guests to enjoy in traditional tail-biting, head-slurping fashion.
Saturday’s events include a charity golf tournament with shotgun starts at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Llano Golf Course, followed by a washer-pitching tournament beginning at noon.
Crawfish races will be held for children throughout the afternoon, while a motorcycle fun run starts around midday Saturday at the park’s Ray House.
Music on Saturday includes Cajun music by Sean Virdrine Zydeco from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Radney Foster & The Confessions 8-10 p.m. Both concerts will be held at the park’s pavilion.
The event began in 1989, according to the event’s Web site. A group of deer hunters from Beaumont held the first Crawfish Open as a way of thanking Llano residents for providing a home away from home during deer season.
Though the first crawfish boil wasn’t a huge success — 300 of the 500 pounds of crawfish went uneaten — the event continued, growing into a major fundraiser for the opportunity center.
The center, 206 E. Main St., provides services for mentally and physically challenged adults. The center receives some state funding, but must ask the community for the remainder of its operating budget, organizers said.
For more about the crawfish festival, call (325) 247-5354.