Little Red Church fest to feature local dishes, 6 bands, $10K raffle

Festival is Friday through Sunday in Destrehan

Scrumptious food, live music, and chance to mingle with family, friends and even a few former classmates are in the cards for those who attend this weekend’s 36th annual Little Red Church Food and Fun Festival, which will be held behind St. Charles Borromeo Church in Destrehan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This year’s festival, which offers entry free of charge, takes focus on the alumni of the school. St. Charles Borromeo Administrative Assistant Ronald Rodrigue said that SCB alumni will have their own booth at the event, while the first band to take the stage will be The Strays, a group comprised of school alumni.

“We find so many of our alumni use this venue for reunions, so we’re doing something a little different this year,” Rodrigue said. “Whether you’re an alumnus of the elementary school or the high school, we’re calling for them to come out and meet. Though it’s a lot of work, it’s not so much about the money but the chance for everyone to get together.”

Rodrigue has been with St. Charles Borromeo for 34 years — and he’s seen 34 festivals in that span. He says it keeps getting bigger and better.

“I’ve been here since 1984, and we keep thinking bigger,” Rodrigue said.

On Saturday, the Strays will lead a group of five bands, playing a set from 3 to 6 p.m. Category Six will follow at night, timing Rodrigue notes is no coincidence.

“They generally play at night — they have a light show that’s pretty cool to see,” Rodrigue said.

On Sunday, Paris Avenue (12:30 p.m.), the Top Cats (2 p.m.) and Groovy 7 (6 p.m.) will entertain the crowd.

For those looking to fill up their belly with some good food, there will be plenty of that, including fried fish, jambalaya, hamburgers, red beans and rice and hot dogs are among the popular items that will be on the menu as well as, of course, funnel cake.

“That always seems to have the biggest line,” Rodrigue said. The kids—and perhaps a few adults—might not want to eat too much, though, so they might enjoy the amusement rides supplied by Lowry Brothers.

Games will include basketball shoot, ring-a-drink, big wheel, paint ball target shooting, a dunking tank, dart throw and more.

There will also be a raffle with a pretty stout grand prize: $10,000 to whoever holds the winning ticket of the 400 sold.“One in 400 — you can’t get those odds in the lottery,” Rodrigue quipped. “We’ve got some tickets left, but they generally sell pretty fast by Sunday.”

Other items will also be raffled off, including outdoor bar-b-que pits and jambalaya pots.

The festival is also the host of two pageants: the first a talent show featuring each class at the school performing skits on stage, while the second will see the crowning of this year’s Little Miss Red Church.

The group Oldies but Goodies will D.J. the event on Friday night, after the festival kicks off with a performance by the school drumline and cheerleaders.

The proceeds from the festival will go toward funding the missions of the more than 40 ministries of St. Charles Borromeo.

Festival hours run from 6-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.

 

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