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I've seen potato sack races, horse races, three-legged races
and more. But nothing quite compares to the excitement of
a crawfish race! As each crawfish and his human are announced,
the competitors, numbered with liquid paper, are lifted from
a cardboard box and lowered into the bottomless starting bucket,
which is set in the center of the racetrack. The trainers
and spectators squeeze in toward the racing board, a series
of concentric circles. The referee lifts the bucket and—they're
off!
Click on a thumbnail for a large picture.
  
    
The owners pound their preteen palms on the racing board
to encourage movement amongst the crawfish and frenzy amongst
the crowd. The referee's announcement that the losers will
be sentenced to the boiling pot adds to the anticipation.
(But who's he kidding? I don't expect the winners will be
kept as pets alongside the family dog.)
The first race goes off without a hitch. In the second race,
one unsuspecting feller gets bounced onto his back and remains
there through the entire race. The top contenders in each
of three heats square off in the final showdown. And it's
Blanco from Breaux Bridge by a tail!
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