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Delcambre shrimp festival: A vital boost to local economy
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DELCAMBRE, La. (KLFY)-The Delcambre Shrimp Festival is not only a celebration of seafood but also a vital boost to the local economy.
The Delcambre Shrimp Festival is a unique event where local pride is showcased through food made by community members rather than outside vendors.
Delcambre Mayor, Tipper Esponge, shared why this festival means so much to the shrimp economy.
"I think this shrimp industry and the shrimping community define Delcambre, without them, I mean we wouldn't be here today, we wouldn't have the shrimp festival today," said Esponge.
The festival, which has been a tradition for 75 years, serves as a crucial support system for the local shrimp industry, helping to sustain the community amid challenges from imported seafood.
"This is probably the 73rd annual, but I think it's been around for actually 75 years, we lost two years with COVID, but now it's a long-standing history for the festival and everyone looks forward to it every year," said Esponge.
Despite facing competition from imported shrimp, local shrimpers receive support from initiatives like the Twin Parish Port Commission and Delta Direct Seafood, which help promote their catch directly to consumers.
"Imported shrimp definitely hurt our community for sure, thankfully, we have the Twin Port Commission and the Delta Direct Seafood that they started that allows for the direct seafood to get the word out for shrimpers," said Esponge.
As the Delcambre Shrimp Festival continues through the weekend, it stands as a testament to the resilience and community spirit of Delcambre. Esponge offers locals and visitors to come celebrate and support what the festival.
"We're one of the few festivals that have our own people that make our own food, we don't have any outside vendors, that's a really unique thing and I hope we can continue to do that, the food is great, the weather looks like it's going to be awesome, so come out and enjoy," said Esponge.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.