Crawfish Festival History

In 1951 the First Annual Tualatin Crawfish Festival took place. The purpose of this celebration was to honor the new VFW Hall that was built on Seneca St. It was during this year that crawfish had inhabited the Tualatin River to excess. Thus, the idea of Crawfish Festival was born.

This festival is quite possibly the most important event within the city of Tualatin. Area organizations such as The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Tualatin Booster Club, The Tualatin Business Association, The Jaycees, and the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce have all taken part in creating the festival that many enjoy today. In addition to the local support, many government officials also take part in the festivities. Tom McCall and Victor Atiyeh have declared Crawfish Day and Crawfish Week, all in honor of the festival. In fact, in 1962, Mark Hatfield served as “King Kray” for the festival.

As hard as it is to believe, some people find the Tualatin Crawfish Festival a bit unorthodox. In 1961, Tennessee Ernie Ford declared the festival the “only Crawfish Festival in the world”; much to the dismay of Breaux Bridge Louisiana. A letter was sent to Peggy Gensman as well as the Tualatin Times that informed the Tualatin community that the Louisiana Legislature had declared Breaux Bridge Louisiana the “Crawfish Capitol of the World”. In 1976, a self proclaimed Voodoo Queen named Mrs. Shelby Davis placed a curse on the festival for attempting to steal the title to crawfish supremacy.

Is Voodoo real? Well, in 1977 a riot broke out during the Tualatin Crawfish Festival and police had to be called in. Because of this, the festival was almost permanently cancelled. Instead of its demise, the event has grown. The adversity that faced the festival has provided opportunity for continued growth and an opportunity for community celebration.

Through the years, the Crawfish Festival has become a huge success. The average number attendees each year is estimated at 12,000 people. Children and adults alike come to enjoy the activities which include a parade, a dog show, live music, craft vendors, food and of course, the crawfish themselves.