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NHF Miss Nederland Pageant winners Kaydence Alphin (Miss Congeniality), Kynslee Harris (3rd Runner Up), Evei Shipley (Miss Nederland), DeAnna Harris (Talent winner and 1st Runner Up) and Ashlyn Junot (2nd Runner Up).
The month of March is synonymous with Spring Break, St. Patrick’s Day, college basketball as well as the weeklong tradition that celebrates the golden jubilee of 50 years in 2023 – the Nederland Heritage Festival, which is located in the heart of the city at 1523 Boston Ave.
While many come and go, the NHF has been a mainstay for half a century.
“I believe it lies with the great volunteers, who spend countless hours of dedication to make the festival what it is,” said NHF Executive Director Shannon Hemby. “You have to have the festival in your heart… and we all do.”
Whether it’s the smell of the food, the sight of the Ferris wheel, arts and crafts, car show, chili cookoff or the sounds of live music, the Nederland Heritage Festival is literally filled with entertainment for any age. And, it’s an open space festival that is free to attend and includes free parking.
The annual festive jubilee will welcome 100,000 friends and neighbors not only from the Nederland area, but patrons from all around the state, beginning Tuesday, March 14 through Sunday, March 18.
“Better with Time – 50 Years Strong” is this year’s theme and the vintage logo created for the upcoming festival will instantly remind you of the popular Ocean Pacific (often referred to OP) clothing brand. The festival T-shirts have been a hot commodity, according to Hemby, especially with Nederland High School’s Class of 1973. The shirts will also be available onsite during the festival for $15-$17.
The NHF gets underway March 14, from 4-11 p.m. A special $30 armband allows you to ride all the Gold Star Amusement rides that evening (armband days are Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). One of the new rides this year will be “The Big Kahuna.” The armband can be purchased at any ticket booth inside the carnival. Live music begins at 7 p.m. with local rock act, Alter Ego.
Festival hours will be the same (4-11 p.m.) on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Entertaining the crowd with music on Wednesday is popular country band George Dearborne and Branded at 7 p.m.; talented acoustic duo Curse & The Cure on Thursday at 7 p.m.; and country singer Brit Godwin on Friday at 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 19, will see a full day of events beginning the chili cook-off at 8 a.m. followed by the car and motorcycle show at 9 a.m.
The popular NHF Parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday morning and starts at 21st Street and Nederland Avenue, then proceeds east on Nederland Avenue to 12th Street to Boston Avenue.
The Craft & Collectable Market will be open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon – 5 p.m. on Sunday. It features one of the largest craft markets in the area with more than 120 vendors.
Carnival hours for Saturday are 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Saturday musical entertainment includes party band PopGun will play at 7 p.m.
The finale is set for Sunday, March 19, with the carnival open from noon – 6 p.m. The exciting Crawfish Races return at 11 a.m. along with a washer tournament beginning at 2 p.m. at Tex Ritter Park. Registration is $20 and open to all ages and teams.
Want food? More than two dozen area nonprofits will be cooking and serving up burgers, hot dogs, corndogs, fajitas, chicken strips, shrimp gumbo, popcorn shrimp, Monte Cristo sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, corn on the cob, shrimp etouffee, Scottish eggs, snow cones, funnel cakes, street tacos, ice cream floats, moon pies, potato bites, fried cookie dough, fried Oreos, pork kabobs, boudain balls, blooming onions, strawberry shortcake, chicken and dumplings, pizza, cheesecake on a stick and much more.
Also new this year is the expanded food court area. For those who want to take a break and enjoy the shade can do so by sitting at picnic tables under two, 20-by-40-foot tents.
The scheduling couldn’t have been any better, either. Many local school districts will be on Spring Break during this week including Nederland, Port Neches-Groves, Port Arthur Memorial and Beaumont ISD, in addition to Lamar University.
The NHF will also host a treasure hunt beginning Monday, March 14. Clues will be posted daily at the Nederland Police Station until the treasure is found no later than Saturday, March 18. No daily prizes will be awarded, but the winner receives a $500 treasure.
“There really are several layers of the Nederland Heritage Festival,” added Hemby. “I love to see all the smiles on the kids’ faces, but it’s also a reunion of sorts. Those who are from Nederland and moved out of the area always come back for the festival.”
Proceeds from the festival are put right back into the community. The funds become part of the Nederland Heritage Festival Foundation, which in turn uses the proceeds to benefit the community as well as scholarships. Each year, the foundation donates money to the police and fire departments, city parks, the city library and other entities that benefit the people of Nederland.
For more information, call (409) 724-2269 or view nederlandhf.org.
-Chad Cooper, Entertainment Editor