Top Stories Montgomery

By

Alex Pappas

October 09, 2009, 7:00AM

(Press-Register/Bill Starling)Festival
goers walk along the lanes between the vendors during the last day of
37th annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores on Sunday, Oct. 12,
2008.

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Organizers of the 38th annual National Shrimp
Festival, which continues today, hope an abundant supply of Gulf Coast
seafood will encourage some 300,000 event visitors to support local
food producers.

“We
want people to buy local, buy fresh,” said Don McPherson, special
events coordinator for the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce,
the festival’s sponsor.

This year, the event has partnered
with the Farmers Market Authority, a state agency that promotes the
importance of local agriculture, and Eat Alabama Wild Shrimp, a
committee that encourages purchasing only Alabama wild shrimp.

Dozens of food booths serving shrimp, crawfish,
gumbo, alligator and red beans and rice, among others, will be set up
along the beachfront event throughout the weekend.

The
event at the Gulf Shores public beaches is free and continues through
Sunday afternoon. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. daily,
except Sunday, when the event closes at 5 p.m.

Stillings said
visitors are encouraged to park and ride one of the BRATS shuttles for
traveling to and from the festival. Continuous shuttle service, which
costs $1 per person, per trip, will originate from locations across the
area.

Some of this weekend’s happenings include:

• A
  live entertainment lineup of nearly 50 music acts on two stages. Grammy
  Award winner LeeAnn Womack is scheduled to play from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
  today and ’80s rock band Foghat is set to appear from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
  Saturday.
• A “Children’s Activity Village” that includes a booth from the
  Dauphin Island Sea Lab. There is also a free arts and crafts booth and
  a stage for entertainers, among other activities.
• A 10K race,
  part of which runs along the Gulf of Mexico and Alabama Gulf State
  Park’s Lake Shelby, is set for 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
• More than 300 merchant booths that include jewelry, clothing and art.
• The
  second annual Chefs Challenge, whose victor will be crowned today and
  awarded a $2,000 prize. Restaurants were solicited to enter and prepare
  a recipe entry.
• A sand sculpture contest Saturday, with
  registration beginning at 11 a.m. and judging beginning at 3 p.m. All
  types of sandcastles are welcome, organizers said.

• Download a map of Shrimp Fest.

• See the Music Schedule.