Donnie Courville stepped back Saturday (Oct. 19) when the crowd was its biggest and knew his team of volunteers was having a great day.
“This was our best year ever,” Courville said. “I can say that confidently. I could tell that by looking at the crowd. We’ve done a lot of fine tuning of this thing to make it more well-oiled. We had great sponsorships leading into the events. All of our sponsors came back, and we had a few more add on.”
Courville is the Big Thicket Hogs & Strings Cookoff & Music Festival chairman. The volunteer-led event boasted a crowd of approximately 1,400 visitors and 200 volunteers, all for a great cause.
The event benefits Indian Springs Camp, Special Needs Camp in Kountze, which is a 501 c3 offering outdoor programs for children, Veterans, the physically challenged and underprivileged, giving them a chance to experience life-at-one with nature. Programs include activities and curriculum designed to be fun and educational while helping participants gain a fresh perspective on life, organizers say.
“There are so many different things we need within that camp, maintaining property and upgrading things that are old,” Courville said. “This is a 35-year-old camp. The last seven years with this festival allowed us to raise money to support that effort and, more importantly, bring awareness and get the word out about the camp.”
Call 409-781-3074 or visit indianspringscamp.net for more information about Indian Springs Camp.
The festival and cookoff was open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., featuring numerous cookoffs and bands, including headliner The Band of Heathens.
Courville said this year’s record attendance was likely tied to stronger advertising and a well-oiled machine of volunteers.
“Through the past seven years, our volunteers have found the places they fit the best,” he said. “They really took the bull by the horns for the particular area that they manage. That was true this year more than ever. It’s kind of like we know what to do now.”
One of the leading fundraising opportunities comes from cookoffs and special item sales from volunteer cook teams.
H.B. Neild Construction, with approximately 20 volunteers, contributed throughout the weekend and served as one of many dedicated cook teams.
“H.B. Neild through the years has started cooking and has become a platinum sponsor,” Courville said. “Those guys help us through all those levels. We can’t be grateful or thankful enough. It’s amazing. We’re blessed to have those guys in our corner.”
