St. Martinville Pepper Festival starts Friday

This weekend the City of St. Martinville will host the 23rd Annual St. Martinville Kiwanis Pepper Festival Friday through Sunday at City Fair Grounds near Bayou Teche on North New Market St.
Enjoy great food, music, dance performances, crafts, carnival rides for children and just plain fun all for $5/day ($1 for children under 12), and the proceeds go back into the community for youth-oriented projects.
Never a group to sit still, the First Pepper Sauce Backyard Barbecue Cook-off joins the Festival this year on Sunday.
Courageous and innovative chefs will try their hand at recipes using habanero or jalapeno in their sauces. And you get to taste all of their efforts!
Got some innards of steel or just like hot peppers? Try the pepper eating contest on Saturday. Come hang out with Emily Husband, the Pepper Festival Queen, along with all of the other queens and members of the Kiwanis Club, a really fun and dedicated group of people.
Schedule of events:
Friday, Sept. 19
•4 p.m. - Gates Open, Carnival Rides, Food and Craft Booths
•5 p.m - DJ Matt Castille
•5:30 p.m. - Opening Ceremonies
•6-7:30 p.m. - Lil Nate & the Zydeco Big-Timers
•8-9:30 p.m. - Nik-L-Beer
•10-11:30 p.m. - T. K. Hulin, G. G. Shinn & Smoke
Saturday, Sept. 20
•7 a.m. - Registration Pepper Festival 5K and Pepper Sauce Backyard Barbeque Cookoff
•8 a.m. - Pepper Festival 5K run and Pepper Sauce Backyard Barbeque Cookoff begins
•10 a.m. - Gates open
•12:30 p.m. - Pepper Sauce Backyard Barbeque Cookoff Judging begins
•4:45 p.m. - Untouchable Twirler Academy performers
•5-6:30 p.m. Nathan Williams & Zydeco Cha-Chas
•6:45 p.m. - Cajun Line Dancers
•7-8:30 p.m. - Side Show
•8:30 p.m. - Pepper Eating Contest
•9-11 p.m. - Krossfire