STARKVILLE — The sound of bubbling pots and the smell of Cajun seasoning are about to fill the air at Fire Station Park once again, as the King Cotton Crawfish Boil returns for its seventh year this Friday.
This year, the all-you-can-eat crawfish boil will be larger than ever, according to Paige Watson, director for Main Street with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.
“This has turned into one of our best events, and the one that people seem to come out to and enjoy the most,” Watson said. “… We pack out Fire Station Park, and it ends up just being about capacity. Our goal is to sell 800 tickets, and that’s not including the teams.”
The King Cotton Crawfish Boil is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Main Street Association and is expected to raise at least $35,000 this year.
During the fundraiser, teams and businesses from the city cook for the community, trying to impress the community and win the title of King Cotton. Watson said 18 teams will be cooking more than 3,000 pounds of crawfish, while citizens enjoy cajun and creole music and the all-you-can-eat seafood from 6 to 9 p.m.
In the past, the winner has been decided based on a people’s choice vote, but this year, the judging has changed to a three-part judging standard, Watson said. This includes a pick from guest judges, a “Country Pleasin Pick,” chosen by the event sponsor, which is also providing the sausage for the boil, and a people’s choice award.
“We will have Jay Reed, who is a local food aficionado, and then we’re going to have Martha Foose coming from Hattiesburg,” Watson said. “… We’re excited to have her as a celebrity culinary judge. … They won’t know whose crawfish is whose, and they are going to judge off of taste, flavor, ability to peel, etc.”
Watson said there will also be another secret celebrity guest judge involved in choosing the “Country Pleasin Pick” that has not been announced yet. But she said it is “someone people will know.”
Justin Lindley, who is shooting for his third win in a row at the boil this year, said his favorite part of the boil is getting people together.
“It’s the greatest time of year,” Lindley said. “We love it. … We bring all of our employees and a lot of our friends together. … We always do the best we can do and we have the most fun.”
Watson has been over the boil since 2019 and said she has seen it grow since then, both through sponsorships and citizens’ support. She said the boil has even become popular for out-of-town visitors, who come out to enjoy the crawfish.
“This year, we have some people coming into town from North Carolina to support a team,” Watson said. “Most of our community events, we get people from within a 40- to 60-mile radius … but we have a few teams that are from out of town that are staying in hotels.”
Watson said tickets are selling out fast. Pre-ordered tickets are $25, but prices will increase at the door to $35, and day-of sales will be cashless.
How to Go
■ WHAT: King Cotton Crawfish Boil
■ WHEN: April 21, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
■ WHERE: Fire Station Park, 503 E. Lampkin St., Starkville
■ HOW: Advanced tickets are available at kingcottoncrawfishboil.com for $25. Day-of tickets available on-site for $35.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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