Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. -- Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it, or have a festival for it in the heart of downtown Beaufort.
The 13th annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival held in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, gave patrons a chance to sample some of the Lowcountry’s crafts, cuisine and more Oct. 5 and 6.
“The festival is held to raise awareness and support the local shrimping industry,” said Catherine Hipp, the Beaufort tourism and marketing manager. “This year’s festival was an enormous success.”
On the first day of the festival, live music from Zach Deputy and Plane Jane entertained crowds as they ate shrimp and watched the sun set.
“We’ve had a great turnout for the events,” Hipp said. “The festival has been packed.”
On the second day, the event kicked off with a 5K Run/Walk Through History with miniature shrimp boat trophies and door prizes available.
“It was energizing and exciting to see the Marines and sailors running the course with their flags,” Hipp said. “Their cadence was really loud and it motivated the other runners to go faster.”
“When we saw the Marine Corps and Navy flags come down the street, it gave us a sense of pride,” said Bill Brown, the Air Stations’ athletic director and a race coordinator.
“You could hear the Marines’ cadence before you could see them.”
As food booths opened and live music began to play, hundreds of people showed up to sample the local restaurants finest shrimp-inspired cuisine.
“It was a good mixture of Lowcountry fare,” said Col. Gregg Brinegar, the Marine Aircraft Group 31 commanding officer and a judge for the shrimp cook-off. “The restaurants prepared a wide variety of shrimp dishes.”
This year’s shrimp festival proved to be a fun-filled event for the thousands that attended.
“It’s a very well-rounded weekend for everyone to enjoy some great food and other people in your community,” Hipp said. “We look forward to next year’s festival.”