NEW IBERIA — "It's about a $1.8 million impact to our community."
New Iberia Chamber of Commerce president, Thomas Falgout, is gearing up for this weekend's 33rd Annual World Championship Gumbo Cookoff.
Starting on Saturday, Oct. 14, the downtown strip of New Iberia will see "nearly 25,000" people. The Cookoff features events like the 5K Roux Run, a Youth Gumbo Cookoff, live music, and more.
According to Falgout, the cookoff began as a means of "paying off the [Chamber of Commerce's] building's debt;" now, it is one of the largest contributors to the areas economy.
"It's about a $1.8 million impact to our community. Our restaurants are still open and they're still filling with people," Falgout said. "The hotels are full in the area, there's lots of people here, lots of people booking their hotel months in advance, all the B&Bs downtown are full. I mean, it's truly an economic impact to our community."
For information on times, prices, and more, click here.
