Previously a staple of San Luis Obispo’s vibrant Mardi Gras scene, an annual crawfish feast found new purpose as a fundraising event aimed at supporting the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center (CCASC).
This year marks the 18th year of McGee’s annual crawfish boil, also known as Crawtism, happening at noon on May 18 at McCarthy’s Irish Pub. According to Michael McGee, putting on this event each year requires that someone drives down to the Los Angeles International Airport to pick up hundreds of pounds of crawfish on the Friday before the feast.
“We bring them up and set up at McCarthy’s Irish Pub and have ourselves a real good time,” McGee said. “They tell us at McCarthy’s that it’s the second-best day they have, after St. Paddy’s Day, of course.”
McGee, who moved to the Central Coast from Louisiana with his wife in 1979, enjoyed participating in the Mardi Gras celebrations in San Luis Obispo until they were shut down by city leaders following the 2004 Mardi Gras riot. Even now, despite the Crawtism boil having nothing to do with Mardi Gras celebrations, McGee said that he wants everyone to “laissez les bon temps rouler,” which translates to “let the good times roll.”
“That’s what happens at the Mardi Gras events, is the good times are rolling,” he said. “We usually get about 200 pounds of crawfish, and we sell them till we run out.”
McGee said that the annual crawfish boil turned into a fundraiser for CCASC when they realized that they would need to find a new cause. CCASC board member Mercedes Meier told New Times that she discovered the organization after her son was diagnosed with autism and offered to coordinate a fundraiser for them in 2007.
“We had our first annual Crawtism, and that was their first fundraiser that they had,” she said. “The organization has grown, and now it does all kinds of events, monthly events for all ages.”
She knew McGee from Mardi Gras previous years’ crawfish boils, noting that she always appreciated his “Louisiana humor and charm.” She said that much like CCASC has grown and evolved over the last several years, so has the annual Crawtism event.
“Obviously, it’s grown in size, but it’s also become a tradition for a lot of locals,” she explained. “I feel like autism awareness has grown and that people understand more about what it is, and understanding in our organization is about being supportive and inclusive and creating all the same opportunities.”
McGee also highlighted that the event has “gotten a lot bigger” since its inception, explaining that the crowds seem to be getting younger.
“We get an awful lot of regulars,” he said. “One of the things that’s really fun is there’s a young group, I don’t know if they’re [Cal] Poly students or what, but they usually make up their own gear for the crawfish boil.”
McGee expressed excitement about this year’s event and explained that he belongs to a local historical service society called E. Clampus Vitus, which will start to take over the coordination of the annual Crawtism event as he “ages out.”
“It’s part of San Luis Obispo’s history and persona now,” he said. “The more the word gets out, the bigger it gets, the more money we can raise for the cause.”
Fast fact
ā¢ The San Luis Obispo County Department of Airports partnered with Lucia Mar Unified School District to launch an Aviation Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway at Arroyo Grande High School starting next school year. The program will use the nationally recognized Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation’s “You Can Fly” high school curriculum to offer students a hands-on introduction to aviation careers such as piloting and aerospace engineering. According to press materials, the new program aligns with the Department of Airports’ dedication to supporting STEM education and workforce development efforts in San Luis Obispo County. For more details on the new CTE pathway or the AOPA high school curriculum, contact kristin.anderson@lmusd.org. Ī
Reach Staff Writer Emma Montalbano at emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in May 15-25, 2025.