What’s ‘Cracklin’ in Cut Off

Gather ’round the Cut Off Youth Center April 2 and that sizzling you’ll hear can only mean one thing: It’s time for the Cracklin’ Cook-Off, Car and Craft Show.

Youth Center director D’lynn Boudreaux said this year’s event includes the cook-off, an antique car show and a variety of craft booths. There will also be plate lunches of white beans and rice, pork jambalaya and grillades for sale starting at 11 a.m.

The main draw, of course, is the crackling. “They start cooking the cracklin’s around 5 a.m.,” Boudreaux said. “The judging for the cook-off begins at 2 p.m. Last year, we had about 18 teams. … This year, we’re expecting between 16 and 24 teams competing.”

Throughout the day, cracklings will be on sale. And around 2:30 p.m., each team sells bags of cracklings as well.

“It’s a family affair,” Boudreaux said. “We’ll have good food, live music and, hopefully, a good time.”

Palamino will keep the crowd entertained, playing from noon to 4 p.m. And Boudreaux said anywhere from 45 to 50 cars are on display. “We have antique, custom and muscle cars and we’ve even added a category this year for custom bikes,” she said.

The craft show includes sweets, woodcrafts, specialty candles and more.

Proceeds from the weekend help maintain the Cut Off Youth building.

For more information, call the Youth Center at (985) 632-7616.