The Moncton Football Association kicked off its 50th anniversary last weekend with lobster-filled celebrations.

Maritimelobster.ca and R&K Enterprises donated more than 150 pounds (67.5 kilograms) of lobster over the course of the weekend, including a 14-pounder (6.3 kg) that was auctioned off for $150 at the MFA's anniversary fundraiser dinner Saturday night.

Former Canadian Football League quarterback Matt Dunigan gave the keynote speech.

Louise Artichuck-Murphy, who helped organize the anniversary weekend, said she was tipped off that Dunigan was a lobster fan who had never been to the region, and she wrestled with different ways to promote not only football but Metro Moncton in general.

So upon Dunigan's arrival at a news conference Friday afternoon catered by Maritimelobster.ca, a Maritime-owned lobster retail and wholesale company, she had dressed up four, eight-pound (3.6 kg) lobsters in miniature CFL jerseys.

"The football association wanted something unique to give people a feel about what we have to offer around this area, and obviously around here, we have Fundy lobster," said Artichuck-Murphy, director of ForArt Productions. "For me, being from the area, I really wanted to promote the lobster industry and it was nice to help the kids with their football."

The association raised approximately $25,000 toward a new building they're hoping for at Centennial Park.

MFA president Dan Fougere said they'd raised $100,000 toward the $400,000-plus building prior to the weekend.

He hopes construction will begin by mid July on the structure that will house MFA meetings, equipment storage, offices, washrooms, a store and eventually a wall-of-fame.

"In 50 years, we've come a long way," said Fougere. "We started out with only a handful of teams and now we've got about 20 teams in five different age categories."

He said the league is looking to expand into adopting women's teams as well a senior men's touch league.

Players who attended the MFA spring football camp Saturday morning were treated to a special visit from Dunigan and three other former CFLers including Moncton products Stewart Fraser and Eugene Belliveau, as well as Jan Carinci.

Fougere asks parents whose children had their picture taken with the Grey Cup visit the Canadian Football Hall of Fame website to give clearance to allow the pictures to be published online (www.cfhof.ca).

For Artichuck-Murphy, whose father Kevin Artichuck is a long-time volunteer and member of the MFA, the weekend was her chance to give back to the community she grew up in.

"Events like these promote local economy and industry like lobster and fishing. The east coast needs to promote its industry more in this manner," she said. "Communities need the fishing and lobster industry to survive. The more we host events like this promoting them, the better off every east coast fishing and lobster community will be."