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Whiskey Myers
Get ready to peel some crawfish and jam to some fantastic music at the inaugural Southeast Texas Crawfish Festival on Saturday, April 23, at Ford Park. Headlining this massive event at Ford Pavilion is the popular Southern rock/country band Whiskey Myers. This six-piece outfit recently sold out the Golden Nugget in December and have become a mainstream hit.
The band is touring in support of their latest self-titled record, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music chart, and includes the songs “Ballad of a Southern Man,” “Broken Window Serenade” and “Bar, Guitar and a Honky Tonk Crowd.”
Gates for the Crawfish Festival will open at 10 a.m. and price of admission is $5. Patrons will be able to purchase 3 pounds of crawfish with all the fixings for $25, cash only. There will plenty of live music throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m. from Louisiana Express, Chris Hantz, JP Primeaux Band, Thomas Cain Band and Casey Peveto.
There will also be plenty of free kids’ activities including a petting zoo, rock climbing wall, mechanical bull, axe throwing, laser tag, photo opportunity with a live bull, plus local vendors.
Later that evening, the party moves to Ford Pavilion at 5 p.m. for music on the main stage at 6 p.m. with Charlie Wayne Band, Bones Owens, Read Southall Band and the headliners, Whiskey Myers.
Tickets for the music at Ford Pavilion start at $25 for lawn seats and all tickets can be purchased online at fordpark.com or the Ford Park box office at 5115 Interstate 10 South in Beaumont.
So who is the promoter behind the inaugural Southeast Texas Crawfish Festival? Say hello to 29-year-old Bud Trahan.
Born in nearby Sulphur, Louisiana, the former rodeo cowboy opened the popular Bud’s Boil N Go crawfish to-go restaurant in Lumberton in 2019 and has since received rave reviews.
“I go to Louisiana every day and pick up the biggest, pond-raised and purged crawfish,” said Trahan. “I’ve also spent eight months developing my own seasoning. No one else has the flavor I have.”
Last year, Trahan wanted to expand his brand. He will eventually open a second Bud’s Boil N Go next year in Mid County, but he really wanted to go big.
“I thought, let me put on a music and crawfish festival,” he said. “This would be very good way to let everyone who I am.” A great way for festival goers to enjoy Bud’s fantastic crawfish, 10-15,000 pounds, by the way.
What started with a budget of $100,000 has since grown upwards to $350,000.
“I just want to bring something epic entertainment to Southeast Texas,” he said. “This is going to be the smallest Southeast Texas Crawfish we do. This is the first of many. We hope to grow this into a multi-day event.
Trahan will also donate 10% of profits to Kate’ Cause, a nonprofit organization created by Kate Weber, a former Beaumont resident.
“Kate is a personal friend of mine,” said Trahan. “She started the nonprofit after she was diagnosed with embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma of the cervix. She raises money for young women to help pay for fertility preservation before and after cancer treatments, because insurances won’t pay for fertility treatments, no matter the situation. She is a phenomenal person.”
For more information about Kate's Cause, view katescause.org.
Chad Cooper is the Entertainment Editor. Email cooper@theexaminer.com