Shrimp Festival Opens

The second weekend in October can only mean one thing on the Gulf Coast, the 37th Annual Shrimp Festival is underway in Gulf Shores.
There are many reasons people come to the Shrimp Festival. There's music, arts and crafts and of course, shrimp.
However you like your shrimp prepared, it's here. Unless, of course, you're Lydia May of Paducah Kentucky, "I'm allergic to shrimp so I'm here to support the local economy," she says
The Shrimp Festival is one of the last tourist events of the season. After Hurricane Gustav washed out the Labor Day weekend organizers are hoping to make up for some of those losses.
"As many times as we've been here we've never come to the Shrimp Festival. We're always a week early a week late, we wanted to see it," says first time festival-goer Renee Boyer.
The four day event is free to the public and the crowds are already impressing chairman of this years festival Ron Kutter. "The arts and crafts are full, the fine arts are full, you look down the food boardwalk it's full. We have to stages of continually playing music it's just a great event."
Kutter estimates if the weather holds crowd totals could reach three hundred thousand by the end of the weekend.

Shrimp Festival Shuttle Bus Schedule
Cost: $1.00 Per Passenger One Way
Thursday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

North Stops
Gulf Shores Winn Dixie, Hwy 59
Gulf Shores Bruno's, Hwy 59
Walmart, Hwy 180
Bodenhamer Center - 310 W. 19th Ave

East Stops
Gulf State Park Campground
Gulf State Park Pavillion
Orange Beach Winn Dixie
Flora-Bama Lounge

West Stops
Pier 33, Hwy 182 West
Gulf Shores Surf & Racquet Club, Hwy 182 West