EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
Evansville may not have a Bourbon Street, but it's home to plenty of Mardi Gras traditions. Fat Tuesday may just be the peak of the celebration.
2000 lbs worth of crawfish get boiled and served to customers at Stockwell Inn during Mardi Gras. This is the third year for their party and owners say it seems to get bigger each time.
In fact, it's such a hit with patrons, the Stockwell Inn plans to host another 'unofficial' Mardi Gras Celebration mid-year.
"We will be doing it again in September, just because everybody has such a good time," said Andrea Will with Stockwell Inn. "We're going to bring it half way through the year too, and do it again."
They've been boiling crawfish, serving raw oysters and other cajun dishes for six days in a row now. Fat Tuesday wraps up the celebration.
"It's been a long week, but it's alright," said Will. "I mean you're geared for it. The adrenaline is flowing. Everybody's having a good time, so it make it a lot easier."
Another Mardi Gras party is being hosted across town at Lamasco. They're also boiling up crawfish. Bartenders there say it's one of their favorite weeks out of the year.
"We've had phone calls all week," said bartender Mallory Cook. "We had a really hectic, busy weekend, and tonight will be packed. We love it. If you couldn't tell by the decorations, we kind of go all out."
Both businesses do their best to keep the celebrations authentic.
"Jambalaya, gator, oysters on the half shell, red beans and rice, and gumbo," said Will.
"We're having a blues night with Boscoe France, so he's always a huge crowd drawer," said Cook.
Both of those celebrations are still underway. They'll wrap up around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.
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