Red Church Festival fun

Thelezia Folse/Herald Guide

Carnival rides are a major attraction at the festival to kids from all over southern Louisiana.

Thousands of people headed to Destrehan for the 31st Annual Little Red Church Food and Fun Festival from April 29-May 1.

The festival has grown into one of the top yearly entertainment venues in the parish and this year added five bands and a drumline showcase to its line-up.

The festival’s roots trace back to 1980, when a small group of people at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church decided to put on a modest fair to raise money for parish projects and bring the community together. Thirty-one years later, the Little Red Church Food and Fun Festival is one of the largest events in St. Charles.

"The goal of the first fair was to earn extra money but pastor Fr. (Alvin) O'Reilly was against fundraising and he said that if we focused on community building and parish fellowship that he could go for it," said Ann Montgomery, who helped organize the first festival. "We started this thing from absolutely nothing."

Ronald Rodrigue, administrative assistant at St. Charles Borromeo, said that the entire festival has grown into a great fellowship and community event.

"From setting up the scaffolding to holding the fair, we always say that (community building) is the No. 1 reason we have the festival," Rodrigue said.