Thousands make their way to final day of Little River Shrimp Fest

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (WBTW) — Thousands of people made their way to the Historic Little River Waterfront this weekend for the 18th Annual Little River Shrimp Fest.

From seafood and lemonade to animal adoptions and more than 2,000 vendors lining the streets, the shrimp fest brought thousands of people to the area.

Jennifer Walters, the president and CEO of the Little River Chamber of Commerce, called the shrimp fest “an old-fashioned southern street festival.”

The festival was created in 2004 by the Little River Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center to create opportunities for tourism during the shoulder season.

For some, like Alora Baver, the festival is a tradition and one they love to take part in.

“I’ve been coming to the Little River Shrimp Fest and crab fest for many years,” Baver said. “Working in Pawleys Island, we just decided that we wanted to bring our product a little further north and introduce people to what we do and what we have been doing for many, many years.”

One festival-goer on vacation from California, Barbra Perry, said a friend told her about the festival and she had to come see what it was all about.

“And then she said, you know, they have a shrimp fest, and I love shrimp,” Perry said. “So, of course, I wanted to come.”

People were able to enjoy all types of seafood, listen to various bands, play with puppies that are up for adoption, take part in the business expo and shop the variety of local vendors.

One vendor, Eleanor Abrahams, has been coming there for years and said it’s always a great place to meet people.

“I’ve been here for about three years now. This is my third year as a vendor,” Abrahams said. “Selling my wreaths gets my name out there. I’ve got repeat customers always looking for me.”

After some rain on the first day, the weather cleared up and was beautiful for the last day of the beloved festival.

“It’s fabulous. I’m having, it’s a beautiful, it’s beautiful weather. Myrtle Beach is beautiful,” Perry said. “Little River’s very nice, too, I see. It’s my first time here and I just love it.”