The 36^th annual Mauriceville Crawfish Festival will reopen its gates this Friday, April 15 with a theme of “Honoring our law enforcement, military, and first responders.”

Valen Elliott, an LCM junior and first-year festival volunteer, said she loves the current theme and think

“I think it is a great way to honor those who serve,” she said.

There is an ample amount of activities available to do at the festival, such as the crawfish cook-off contest, live music, carnival rides, a parade, festival food and a 5K on Saturday morning. Even more fun activities are listed on the official Facebook page for the event (Mauriceville Crawfish Festival) and the whole family will have plenty to choose from.

“It is an event for all ages,” Elliot said. “It’s a fun time for everyone!”

The money received from ticket sales and other events at the festival funds two scholarships, which go toward graduates of LCM, as long as they attended both Mauriceville Middle School and Mauriceville Elementary.

According to Mauriceville Crawfish Festival Association Board Member Kirista Shenane, the funds received from ticket sales also serves as a gift of $500 to be matched dollar for dollar to the Deweyville Special Needs Program.

The Crawfish Festival Association has been offering support to the Deweyville community since the historic flooding last month. The festival grounds were available for RV’s and board members were in contact with churches during the evacuations. The association also did a lot for the Deweyville High School girls who were affected and collected prom dresses for them to wear.

The LCM Jazz Band will be featured at the Festival, alongside popular acts Micah Tyler and JB & the Moonshine Band. On Saturday, the former will have their final performance.

For more information, visit the website crawfishfest.org or the official Facebook page. The festival will run this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.