CRESTVIEW, Fla., July 6, 2023—Crestview residents will learn which local restaurant has the fastest servers when the Bush House hosts the city’s first-ever Waiter Race Saturday. 

At the same time, they can indulge in such French culinary specialties as crêpes, croissants and chocolate mousse.

The Crestview Area Sister City Program joins the Crestview History Museum and Crestview Cultural Services Division in celebrating Bastille Day, France’s national day, during the museum’s monthly Second Saturday opening series.

“Bastille Day is huge in France. It’s just like our Independence Day is over here,” Pam Coffield, a senior member of the Sister City Program, said. “With our almost 30-year-old relationship with [Crestview’s Sister City] Noirmoutier, it’s only fitting that we have a little hoopla in Crestview for Bastille Day.”

Sister City members, including some native Frenchwomen, will be preparing traditional French treats for museum visitors to sample, including croissants with jam, homemade crêpes and chocolate mousse. 

Samples of Noirmoutier’s famous fleur-de-sel (high-grade sea salt) will be available as well.

The festive 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. celebration begins with Crestview’s first-ever waiter race around the Wilson Street parking lot. 

Crestview area eateries are welcome to enter members of their wait and bar staffs in the individual or two-person team events.

As in Paris and other French cities—and even other communities including Atlanta, Berlin, Rome and Buenos Aires—waiters in their work uniforms and aprons must run a course as fast as possible without dropping the bottles and glasses on their trays or spilling their contents.

“In most French cities, being a waiter is a very respected and often lifelong profession,” Coffield said. “French waiters take their profession very seriously, so events like waiter races are a chance for them to let loose before returning to their respective establishments to serve customers with their usual serious professionalism.”

The events, food samples and museum admission are free.

The museum is located at 198 South Wilson St. in Crestview.

For more information, contact Brian Hughes at the Crestview History Museum, hughesb@cityofcrestview.org, 850-398-5459.

Brian Hughes, cultural services specialist, City of Crestview