Three-year-old Ty Treubel of Vicksburg examines the crawfish his mother, Sam Treubel, handed him to eat at the 13th annual Lo-Sto Crawfish Boil at Eagle Lake Saturday. Ty later ate some of the pealed crawfish given to him by his mother and his aunt, Melody Bower. Lo-Sto owners Louise and Johnny Roland, said they had 1,200 pounds of crawfish ready for the day.(The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[05/06/02]Food and entertainment were the ingredients two businesses used Saturday to boil up crawfish and fun for hundreds of people.

Jerry Johnson, owner of Chotard Landing Resort on Lake Chotard, said he has been doing a crawfish boil for about five years, but decided to spice it up this year.

“We decided to really go all out, so we got several bands to come up here and play,” Johnson said. “We are just going to throw it out there and see what happens.”

And armed with 3,000 pounds of crawfish, Johnson said, he was ready for a big crowd.

By 2 p.m., Robert McCarty, was one of about 50 people ready to eat and listen to the sounds of the Fender Benders, Ted and Chris Holman and Jo’El Sonnier.

“I don’t really like crawfish, but I came to listen to the bands,” he said.

McCarty, a part-time resident on Eagle Lake, said he also attended last year’s crawfish boil at Chotard.

“I just come to be with the crowd,” he said.

Up the road at the Lo-Sto, a store and gathering place on Eagle Lake, owners Louise Roland and her husband, Johnny Roland, were hosting their 13th annual boil.

“This is something we do to get the people out and get together,” she said.

Louise Roland said she expected 300 to 500 people throughout the day and night and had 1,200 pounds of crawfish ready for them. By 10 p.m., she said, 1,000 had visited

“We will wind this up at about 1 in the morning,” she said.

At Chotard, Milton Blair, said he was out just to soak up the atmosphere.

“I come up here almost every weekend because it is just a great place to be and a good atmosphere,” he said.

Mark Trevilion said his love of crawfish wouldn’t allow him to stay away.

“This is good, clean fun and family entertainment,” he said.

Johnson said he hopes to host another boil later in the summer.

“This is something we would like to see grow and grow,” he said.