PEPPER CROWD LIKES IT HOT

ST. MARTINVILLE — From the mild to the fiery, every type of pepper and pepper patron turned out for this year’s 18th annual St. Martinville Pepper Festival.

Cool fall temperatures greeted festival goers this year, as hundreds of people came and went throughout the day. Last year’s one-day event brought in approximately $13,000 after expenses for the St. Martinville Kiwanis Club, sponsor of the festival. This year’s attendance numbers and event proceeds won’t be available for several days because of delayed returns from various vendors, but Gerry LeBlanc, festival chairwoman, expects sales and attendance for 2009 to be every bit as good as last year’s.

Beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting until 7 p.m., by mid-afternoon hundreds of people were packed along New Market Street, cordoned off for the festival in downtown St. Martinville. LeBlanc said it was difficult to determine how many people had been coming and going since the morning’s opening.

“I’m not good at estimating crowds,” LeBlanc said. “But I know that people have been steadily arriving since this morning, and there are a lot more people here now.”

The crowd was thickest around the bandstand trailer as Grammy nominated musician Geno Delafose and his band French Rockin’ Boogie played, to be followed later in the day by the Nik-L-Beer Band.

While there were dozens of well-dressed and skilled dancers in front of the stage, Alexander Pratt and his wife, Rose, stood out thanks to the style of their clothing and skill in dancing. Married for 40 years, both were stepping lively to the music of Delafose, and only returned to their seats after several songs worth of graceful two-stepping.

“Wait until you hear me sing,” Pratt said, joking. “He’s (Delafose) going to call me up on the stage any minute, just wait and see.”

Always a favorite with the crowds, this year’s hot pepper eating contest drew more contestants than previous years, as men and women contestants volunteered for the torturous ordeal. Each contestant was provided with a plate of five various peppers, including a banana pepper, red pepper, jalapeño, cayenne, and finally, the habanero, arguably the world’s hottest. The contestant who consumed the most won both a trophy and bragging rights.

St. Martinville resident Maybelle Payne was this year’s winner in the women’s competition, and accepted her trophy while sipping the complimentary milk given to soothe each competitor’s burning mouths.

A record-setting nine men participated in this year’s contest, with each given a minute and a half to eat as many peppers as possible. Contestants began with the same number and variety of peppers as the women, but began with two plates instead of one. Local resident Tim Gunter, a previous five-time winner of the hot pepper contest kept his crown by coming within one pepper of finishing both plates in a 30-second overtime match.

LeBlanc said this year’s festival met all expectations for turnout, with crowds arriving even late in the afternoon when some festivals begin to wind down.

“They kept pouring in, even after 4 o’clock,” LeBlanc said. “The crowds were great. I think it was as good as last year.”

Proceeds from the event go to support the various programs of the St. Martinville Kiwanis Club and local children’s charities.