Country singer Anthony Orio will perform at The Central Alabama Crawfish Festival next week.

The festival will be held on April 9 at the Selma Lions Club Fair Park, located at 2401 West Dallas Ave. It will start at noon and last until 8 p.m. The festival will have more than 1,600 pounds of crawfish, but will also include several musical guests, like Orio.

“I always like to perform in new places. It’s a lot of fun. The festival sounds like it’s a really great event. I like performing at family events,” Orio said.

Orio has been in the business for seven years and is a native of Philadelphia, but considers Tennessee, where he has lived for years, his home.

Orio said he is grateful to be living his dream as a country singer. He said his favorite part about his career is traveling and performing.

“We tour full time and this is how I support my family. I’m always working on getting to the next level. Just being able to play and write music is definitely a dream come true,” Orio said. “I like recording music, but ultimately I got into the music business so that I can perform for people.”

Orio has performed in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Dothan but never in Selma. He said he is excited to be performing in the city for the first time. Orio and his band The Goodfellers have a large following in Alabama and Georgia.

“I’m hoping we have a good turnout. I have been getting some feedback online from fans saying they are going to come out. I’m looking forward to it,” Orio said.

Those who attend can expect Orio and his band play songs “Walking on Whiskey” and “Those Nights These Days.”

Orio said his band would also perform other songs they think people would like to hear. He and The Goodfellers have performed in many different formats and the crawfish festival will add another unique experience.

“Whenever I get a chance to do a community festival, it’s an opportunity for our younger fans to come out and have others who can come and bring their families. We don’t perform at a ton of festivals, maybe three or four a year, but they are fun to do,” Orio said.

He is the headliner of the show but will share the stage with other artists Shelby Brown and Marcus Frazier. Orio and the band will be doing a meet and greet for those who purchase a VIP package, which is a new feature this year.

The tickets are $50 and include unlimited crawfish, access to a VIP bar area, exclusive raffles and giveaways and meet and greets with the musical guests.

Those interested in purchasing VIP tickets can contact festival director Russell Haskell at (334) 267-6189. More information on the crawfish festival can be found on Facebook under Central Alabama Crawfish Festival. Haskell said he believes the event will be great for the community and is appreciative for all of the sponsors who are supporting them.

“We found a need in the community for crawfish and just having a family-friendly event,” Haskell said.

General admission is $5 for guest ages 5 and up. All proceeds will go to the main charity cause of the Lions Club, eye care.