ANAHUACThe Texas GATORFEST 2007 will be held Sept. 14 through the 16 in Fort Anahuac Park in Anahuac.
The gates will open Friday from 6pm until midnight, 10 a.m.m until midnight and Sunday 12 noon until 6 pm.
Fort Anahuac Park located on the mouth of the Trinity. The combines the alligator, family and good old fashioned Texas two-stepping fun! A celebration of the alligator and its wetlands habitat, this family oriented festival has something for everyone. Adult carnival rides, kiddie rides, a petting zoo, assorted vendors and arts and crafts booths offer something for almost everyone. Unique attractions like airboat rides, Trinity River Boat Tours and of course the star of the festival, the American Alligator, offer festival goers a coastal Texas experience like no other!
The Great Texas Alligator Roundup, the premier event of GATORFEST, invites Texas alligator hunters to bring in their “harvest” to compete for cash prizes. The festival coincides with the opening of the 20 day alligator season in Texas and the Roundup sees an average of 10% of the alligators harvested from the wild in Texas annually. Previous years winners have been over 13 feet long!
The Alligator Education Tent, where government and private organizations that deal with the alligator and its wetlands habitat, along with the live alligator displays throughout the festival provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife and specialty vendors offering alligator products, combine with the Roundup to give guests a rare opportunity for an “up close and personal” look at this fascinating reptile.
There are four stages of continuous entertainment along with a variety of walkaround entertainers to keep guest amused. Our entertainment is as varied as our guests, from rock & roll to country & western to zydeco to rhythm & blues, folk or gospel. Street dances are held Friday and Saturday nights in front of the stage located in the beer garden. Friday night’s headliner is Al White and Chapparal while Saturdays entertainment includes Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and headliners Cory Morrow and Jack Ingram, with Hunter Hays and Wayne Toups closing the show on Sunday.
All of this combined with over 25 food and drink booths offering a variety of fare, including alligator prepared in an assortment of ways, make for a bargain in family entertainment. Ticket prices are Adults: $10.00; Students, 18 and under: $5.00; Seniors over 65: $5.00; Children Under 5: Free; Parking: Free.
Texas GATORFEST is a combined effort of The Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce and the citizens of Anahuac inviting visitors to come and see our beautiful and historic community. With a population of only a little over 2,000, the festivals totally volunteer staff of over 500 workers, says something for the pride that our citizens have in their community. GATORFEST brings over a quarter of a million dollars into the community annually benefitting many of the civic and non-profit organizations, along with area businesses.
