I am pretty sure the winner of the World Championship Shrimp Cook-Off is someone from the Port Isabel/South Padre Island area. You might be surprised to hear that there were no participants from "the rest of the world." ;-)
That aside, it is a good reason for a festival... a fiesta... a big public party. It gives some of the local restaurants the opportunity to showcase their shrimp dishes, and allows some amateur competitors (like the local Volunteer Fire Department and Sutherlands, our local equivalence of Home Depot) a chance to show off their shrimp recipes.
There are booths for plenty of other vendors, too. Not being a shrimp-eating guy, I had pizza and a funnel cake sundae! Some fine entertainment: the Rio Grande Valley favorite, The Agency, provided hours of good ol' rock 'n roll. This was their 15th consecutive year playing this event. Of course a local celebration needs to have some school participation, like cheerleaders, drill team, and the high school mariachi band (kinda our equivalence of the jazz band). It was all fun to watch.
We met friends Mike and MJ there. Joan and MJ trying some of the different shrimp offerings...
Getting under the big tent, we could sit and enjoy the music; Mike and MJ...
The Agency...
There are rides and a bouncie-house for the kids. Beer sales for the grown-ups. The local animal shelter has a booth, selling pet items to raise funds. Lots of other stuff besides shrimp.
We also met friends of Mike and MJ's, Gary and Shirley, who came in from the Valley. A good turnout. A look at the crowd and some of the booths on our way out...
There isn't a big cash prize for the winner, but it is great PR for a restaurant to be able to advertise as "the 2015 World Champion Shrimp Cook-Off Winner!"
And, a beautiful day for a party!
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