DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — From tasty gumbo, to artsy canvases and painted buntings, Dauphin Island will be filled with festivals and fun this month.

April 10 brings the Dauphin Island Gumbo Cookoff and Silent Auction to the Isle Dauphine, where teams from across the Island and upper Gulf Coast will compete in categories such as best seafood gumbo and People’s Choice.

Judges will include Mobile Press Register Food Editor David Holloway and other celebs.

The silent auction will benefit the ongoing programs of the Dauphin Island Woman’s Club.

Gumbo will be cooked up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the gate, or $10 in advance from the Island’s Welcome Center and Greer’s locations in lower Mobile County.

For information call (251) 490-0294, or e-mail kcarver@thewarmwelcome.com.

On April 17 the Island goes artsy beneath the sprawling oaks at the St. Francis Episcopal Church as the Episcopal Church Women’s Group (ECW) hosts its annual Dauphin Island Arts & Crafts Festival, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More than 50 artists and craftsmen will show their works this year making it the largest event ever.

Award-winning local artists such as Dena McKee and Lawrence Trotter plan to participate, along with well-known regional talents Joe Sheffield, Russell Voisen and Marvel Comic artist Steven Butler.

Artistically crafted edibles will also be available from spicy gumbo to Wimberly Horey’s famous chicken salad sandwiches, a longtime treat for the many birders on the Island that weekend.

And, don’t miss the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s annual Discovery Day.  Call (251) 861-7500.

The annual bird migration will be in full flight this month as millions of multi-colored birds drop in for a little Island hospitality before winging north for the summer. In recent years more than 345 species have been reported across the Island.

Favorite hangouts for the painted bunting, scarlet tanager and other avian tourists include the 164-acre Audubon Sanctuary near historic Fort Gaines, the prehistoric Shell Mound park and the marshlands at Saw Grass Point near the ferry landing.

For the birdwatchers, the Alabama Ornithological Spring Meeting is on April 17, too, so call (251) 861-2473 to join in.

Dauphin Island is just a short drive south of Mobile, down the Dauphin Island Parkway. Visit the Island’s new Web site at www.dauphinislandcoc.com.