For 22 years, Meals on Wheels of Odessa has held its annual Mudbug fundraiser offering up a shrimp and crawfish boil.
The event helps fund Meals on Wheels for needy Odessans. This will be the first Mudbug since COVID hit in 2020.
This year’s event will be held from 5-9 p.m. on April 26 at Barn G at the Ector County Coliseum.
General admission is $50.
Meals on Wheels of Odessa President Margaret Burton says the fundraiser started two decades ago when Judge Jim Bobo came up with the idea to do a shrimp and crawfish boil.
“We used Graham Central Station out there,” Burton said. “So we have continued and we’re very lucky. At that time, West Texas did not have any crawfish. You couldn’t even get fresh crawfish out here at that time. We had to use frozen ones and then the next year, we were able to get some fresh ones and cook them on site. It just evolved from that. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. We want everyone to come because we serve everyone.”
This year will feature thousands of pounds of shrimp at the all-you-can eat fundraiser along with 800 pounds of fried catfish and fresh crawfish cooked onsite.
“It’s come and have a good time,” Burton said. “We’re going to have four auction items to bid on this year. We’ve scaled back a little bit this year but it’s mainly to get together with your friends and family. It’s all you can eat. Let me tell you, you’ll see a bunch of crawfish. They pile up on the table really fast.”
Burton says the dress code at the fundraiser is very casual.
“You come out there in your blue jeans,” Burton said. “I’ve had people come out there in their coveralls. That’s fine. That’s what we want. We want them to enjoy themselves and have fun.”
Burton says there will be a carry-out option available.
“You get a little wary,” Burton says. “You think ‘what’s going to happen next?’ because we’ve had these big spells and outbreaks and everything, more and more people are getting vaccinated, though. We hope that we can space people out. We have a lot of people that will come in and take carry out. I’ve had several people call and ask for carry out. We’ll have a lot of carry outs. That way, they can come through the door and give them a container and they can go pick out what they want. It’s a fun deal. We do enjoy it but this year has been hard because of everything but my board is taking more of a responsibility and getting everything ready. That makes it nice.”
The process of preparing the shrimp usually takes an entire weekend.
“My board cooks the shrimp on Sunday before the feed on Tuesday,” Burton said. “That’s when the boys will come over and cut up the catfish that day and I have a group that cooks the catfish on site, so it’s great, fresh food.”
Around 100 people volunteer.
“We have volunteers that feed the people,” Burton said. “We have volunteers that serve them and pick up the trash. We have a lot of young people that help out.”
If you go
- What: Meals on Wheels of Odessa Mudbug.
- When: 5-9 p.m.
- Where: Ector County Coliseum (Barn G).
- General Admission: $50.
- Where to purchase tickets: www.mowodessa.com/mudbug
