(Click on thumbnails for larger pictures)

On May 6, 2006, the band played for about 3,900 people in Knoxville, TN. They were the featured band for an annual event held each year at The Shrimp Dock.

The Shrimp Dock is a fresh seafood market, located at 5210 Kingston Pike, in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you love fresh seafood, this is the place to purchase it. Each day, fresh seafood is flown in from places like Louisiana, Hawaii, and Alaska. The store is a paradise for land locked seafood lovers.

Each year, on the Saturday closest to Cinco de Mayo, The Shrimp Dock has its annual customer appreciation day. Customer's wait their turn in line to get their plate filled with freshly prepared seafood, all at no cost. This years fare included grilled Salmon (my personal favorite) that was cooked to perfection, fresh Gulf Shrimp (deliciously sweet), fresh crab that couldn't be beat, crawfish by the handfuls, fresh catfish, and the list goes on. The only complaint I had was no hush puppies. However, they did make a batch for the band at the end. Thanks Paul!!!

The festivities started and noon and continued till 4:00pm. The band was able to play a mix as guests of all ages passed by. It was a beautiful day with a laid back atmosphere. Guests were able to sit on the grassy areas for a picnic like atmosphere. There were both young and old alike, enjoying the sunny day and live music.

Since the band was set up right next to Kingston Pike (the main route through Knoxville) there were actually thousands more passersby. No doubt, they would wonder what all the hoopla was about. Little did they know, they too had the opportunity to stop by and enjoy the great food and live music.

There was actually another group of special people there. They are known as, "The Lost Cajuns".  These are people that have been displaced from Louisiana because of the storms. If you want to be a part of the group, you can visit their web site at http://cajun.meetup.com/13/.  If you like Cajun music, food, and friends, get on board and they'll let you know what's happening and where. Just one word of advice: You need to know the lingo.

Of course, what made this event special is that they raised nearly $3,000 for the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. Customers had the opportunity to show their appreciation for our host, Mr. Paul Willis, by making a contribution. Buckets were set up at the beginning of the line for these. All proceeds went to the Relief Fund. The fund is kind of special to the Willis'. They are from Louisiana themselves. Although The Shrimp Dock is part of their business, they also owned fishing boats in Louisiana. Thanks to Katrina, they lost 3 of their boats.

The Willis' also have several family members from Louisiana. These too lost their homes and way of life. Fortunately, Paul was able to give some of them jobs and housing in Knoxville.

Hey, all I can say is the band had a great time. If you weren't there, you missed it. However, there's always next year. Each year, the proceeds go to a charitable contribution. So make plans to be there.

One last word, Thanks to all the law enforcement officers that were on site to handle traffic. You guys did a great job in helping make this a safe event for everyone. You guy's are great!