Children had a great time participating in the mini games during the first Spring Palooza held at Jack Read Park.

Fun jumpers, chilidogs and minnow races were some of the attractions children enjoyed during the Saturday event.

I found the minnow races especially amusing. Watching children attempt to spur their baitfish to the opposite side of a rain gutter by blowing air through a straw was a bit comical. It may sound like an easy task, but some fish were less than cooperative.

Uncooperative fish made for frustrated kids. During one race a fish decided it wanted to circle the straw, instead of race to the end of the gutter. For obvious reasons the young boy was unhappy with the outcome of the race, proclaiming at the end, “stupid fish!”

Another popular mini game was putt-putt, which drew a line of would be participants past the deadline of 1 p.m.

The free train ride from Jack Read Park to Canal Street was also so popular that it maintained a line past the 1 p.m. deadline.

The Jambalaya cook off was not as well attended for whatever reason. The great food along with music from Woopie and the Skeeterbait band, which covered a number of classic rock hits, was enjoyable.

Six teams gathered to participate in the jambalaya cook-off. The smell of the spicy chicken, sausage and rice dish cooking enticed me to return to purchase a plate of fried fish, jambalaya and potato salad. It was all quite tasty and the funds collected will support Picayune Main Street.

The Boulevard Cruisers also drove their well-kept classic rides to Canal Street where attendees could take a gander at a piece of history.

Picayune Main Street did a wonderful job creating and staging this event. The organization plans for this to be an annual occurrence and I expect it will become more and more popular.