Music, fun & Catfish

Kayla Bourgeois, the Louisiana Catfish Teen Queen in 2010, plants a kiss on a big catfish during last year’s festival. Music, food and fun can all be found at the Louisiana Catfish Festival, which will be held at the St. Gertrude Catholic Church fairgroun

Meet “Swamp People” at Catfish Festival

Each July, thousands of people head to Des Allemands to pay tribute to the area’s fishing legacy by enjoying a wide-variety of dishes including catfish platters, catfish sauce piquant and catfish po-boys during the Louisiana Catfish Festival.

Of course, the soaring rides, Zydeco music, eating contest, catfish skinning exhibitions and local crafts add their share of fun to the experience each year. And as a surprise this weekend, members from the cast of “Swamp People,” a popular show on the History Channel, will make an appearance.

“This is a family-oriented festival with homemade foods, live music, games and rides for all ages,” Gavin Frickey, who is in charge of advertising for the fest, said. “All workers donate their time and effort to make sure our fair is successful and fun every year.”

The festival kicks off on Friday, July 8 when the gates open to the St. Gertrude Catholic Church fairgrounds at 5 p.m. The event, which has free admission, boasts a great lineup of bands this year, including Wayne Toups and ZyDeCajun and Don Rich.

Along with all things catfish, visitors will also get to sample jambalaya, shrimp po-boys, soft shell crab po-boys and fried crab claws. That’s in addition to the regular fair fare, like hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken strips, nachos, chili Fritos, funnel cakes and snoballs.

As far as the rides are concerned, fest goers can purchase $25 bands each day so that they can ride the attractions as many times as they please. For $55, riders can purchase a mega band that gives admission to all rides throughout the weekend.

Several vendors will also be on hand to sell specialty items. Crafts this year include leather goods, woodwork, jewelry, purses, art paintings, airbrushing and more.

“We also have R.J. and Jay Paul (Molinere) and Liz (Cavalier) from the cast of “Swamp People” appearing and for monster truck lovers the Sudden Impact MadTraxx Tank will be at the fest all weekend,” Frickey said.

Al “‘lil fats” Jackson, who specializes in New Orleans R&B, will close out the festival on Friday night, while four bands take the stage on Saturday, including Lil Dino with Crossfire, Aaron Foret, SouthDown and Wayne Toups.

Toups always rocks the stage with his spicy blend of rock, folk, R&B and Cajun styles.

The festival wraps up on Sunday with three bands, including Danny T & Crawdaddy, Good Feelin and Don Rich.

But the festival isn’t just about food, fun and music. Saturday morning at 7 a.m. runners will get the chance to race in both a 5K and one-mile fun run. The one-mile run begins at 7 a.m., while the 5K begins at 7:30 a.m.

The entry fee is $25 and all men, women, kids and walkers are welcome.

All proceeds benefit the catfish festival and participants may pick up race numbers on the day of the race.

For more information on either race, contact Debbie Tregle at (985)758-2988.

Times for the festival are: Friday, July 8 from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m., Saturday, July 9 from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Sunday, July 10 from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.

For more information, and to see a complete schedule, visit the festival’s Web site at www.louisianacatfishfestival.com.
All proceeds go to St. Gertrude Catholic Church and the Archdiocese.