This year’s Rice Festival event hosted a variety of new features and returning favorites.
The 75th Annual Bay City Lions Club Rice Festival was pared down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned earlier this month with a fully stocked schedule.
This year saw the addition of the first-ever Brent Marceaux Gumbo Cook-off and car show.
Buddy’s Seafood, Orsted, and K-2 Steakhouse sponsored the cook-off and there were nine entries.
Award plaques were given to first-third place winners for their best gumbo recipes.
Matt Kibodeaux won first place.
Scott Cheek took the second place award.
Third place went to a team featuring Eric Frankson, Nathan Russell, and Tyler Montgomery.
The car show drew entries for trucks, cars, and motorcycles from locals to out-of-county participants.
The top five winners in each division were awarded a plaque, with the “Best in Show” winners earning trophies and were in no particular order.
Best in Show winners were Tim Salaika, Ricky Reidel, Ron Harvey, Phil Dietrek, Harry Boelle and Richard Senf.
The top modern car winners were Don Carter, Bill Park, Shandy Paschall, Joe Harper, and Billy Winkles.
The top classic car winners were Robert Roe, Jack Daughtery, Buddy Treybig, Abel Delgado, and Jim Burns.
Top modern truck winners were Luis Mendoza, Manuel “Taqueria” Fernandez, Savage Fab’s “Lifted & Loud,” and Roland Skorleppa.
The top classic trucks were Chip Luder, Jeff McDonald, Donn Collins, Gerald turner, and Greg Chitwood.
Top motorcycle entries were Bill Luder, Daniel Sloane, and Sharyl Eggert.
The top entries in the “Unique” class were Chip Zenker, Alianna Paschall, Juan Cortez, Dr. Jeb James, and Jerome Hickl.
Custom Auto Refinishers, Inc. has committed to sponsoring the car show for years to come.
“Our goal is to grow this event and make it bigger and better every year,” explained Car Show chairman Hawes Dickerson.
Several car show entries also participated in the annual Rice Festival parade to bring the event to over 50 total entries.
“This was the biggest and best parade we’ve had in a few years,” said parade chair Doc Campbell.
“I’ve only heard positive things and we look forward to this event again next year.”
Winners of the 75th Annual Bay City Lions Club Rice Festival Parade were announced last week and each winner received a plaque.
First place in the marching division went to the Van Vleck High School cheerleaders, while the Bay City High School Aristocats took second and third place went to Van Vleck Junior High cheerleaders.
Commercial winners of the parade are Shaw Girls Family and Friends for first place; Nana’s House of Treats, second place; and Robert Knox State Farm fire truck, third place.
Non-commercial parade winners were Sons of the Republic of Texas, first; Our Lady of Guadalupe, second; and Operation Christmas Child, third.
