By Andy Uhler, KUT Radio
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-738639.mp3
Dallas, TX – It seems like just about every weekend in Texas you can find a festival with something to celebrate. Andy Uhler from member station KUT has more on the buzz from Clute.
In 1980, the Southeast Texas town of Clute realized something. It had an image problem. For one, it was home to the nation's biggest chemical factory. That doesn't exactly help attract visitors. Even the city's name--Clute-- sounded flat. Boring. Uninviting. So very...Clute. So one summer, 28 years ago, a group of Clute citizens put their heads together to address the city's PR problem. They came up with an idea. To put themselves on the map, Clute would throw an annual festival to celebrate the city's most distinctive asset.
The mosquito. Most of us try to repel them, Michelle Gardner is trying to attract them. She's the winner of this year's mosquito calling competition at the Great Texas Mosquito Festival in Clute. Shirley Busbice was on the committee that came up with this idea. Shirley Natural Resources CUT - We didn't really have any natural resources to speak of, there were no lakes, no beaches, no mountains. And after a while of trying to come up with something, someone jokingly said, well, one of the things we have a great deal of, are mosquitos'
And how does one celebrate a mosquito? With a fifty foot bright yellow blow-up mosquito, of course. He greets you at the entrance of Clute's ten acre city park, sporting a cowboy hat and boots atop a bucking horse. He's reputed to be the largest mosquito in the state - the city's got the papers to back it up.
Once inside the park, there's an area for the annual horseshoes and washers competition. There's a dodge ball pitch and a Ferris wheel. Quarantined off on one corner of the park are the barbecue pits.
This year, 37 teams entered the Mosquito Festival Cook-off, competing in a multitude of categories. BBQ CUT - We're cooking our fajitas, and over on this pit here, we got our brisket
Clearly, this isn't just about the mosquitoes. It's an excuse to sell food and for local businesses to showcase their stuff. And, obviously, this is bigger than Clute, too. Whether you go to Marshall for the Fire Ant Festival or to Sweetwater for the Rattlesnake Roundup it's a rite of summer, and it's serious business. Texas tourism is a 50 billion dollar industry, and every community in the state wants a piece of that pie.
Paul: I think in some communities it's probably very substantial, in terms of the economic impact Paul Surf is the president of the Texas Travel Industry Association. He says the money they bring in is one thing, but these festivals help to establish something bigger. It develops a sense of place for the people who live in the community. And I think that's important for any community, I don't care how big or small they are, to just be able to get together and celebrate something special
If you want to check out the mosquitoes in Clute, too bad - it was last weekend. And what's more, there weren't any real mosquitoes - it was too hot and dry.
Shirley Mosquitoes CUT - Although they are our honorees, we don't particularly like to have them around
But there's always next year.