Everybody with a craving for savory Louisiana mudbugs or a hankering for a good time is encouraged to head out to the fourth annual Abita Springs Crawfish Festival from 11 a.m. through midnight Saturday.

There will be food, entertainment, arts and crafts and a children’s area, and the whole thing is a benefit for Abita area firefighters. The festival is sponsored by the non-profit Abita/Waldheim Firefighters Association.

“We’re trying to raise money to help with the cost of updating equipment,” said Kace Nielsen, assistant administrator to the Abita chief. “And we’re trying to build living quarters in one of the new stations, on Rangeline between Highway 36 and Highway 21, that’s now just a shell.” He invites everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to have fun for a good cause.

Besides crawfish, there will be hamburgers, sno-balls and “many kinds of exotic Creole dishes” available. Children will get to try out a Bounce House and a Rock Wall, take a pony ride, get their faces painted and more. And top-name musical entertainment will grace three different stages during the day.

Rockin’ Doopsie Jr. will close out the fest from 9 p.m. through midnight, and before that, 8 Years Difference, Amedee the Creole Man, Swamp Roots, Chee Weez and Christian Serpas and the Ghost Town will set the tempo and provide a beat.

As a special treat, the three winners of last weekend’s Roots Music in Louisiana New Harmonies Talent Show, Helene Taromina, Chance Casteel and Billy Lilly, will demonstrate their skills from 11 a.m. through 1 p.m. outside the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum.

The festival will take place at the Abita Springs Tourist Park, off Louisiana Highway 59 in downtown Abita Springs.

Admission is $10, and children 10 and under get in free.