At the Library in May
May 1, 2013
Andrew J. Cantrelle
May 2, 2013
Selected events for May are highlighted below.
Firemen’s Fair returns
May 2-5
Four days of food, music, carnival rides and games begin May 2 and culminate with the state’s oldest parade of fire engines at the annual Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair.
Dating back to World War II, the fair is the only fundraiser for the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department. It routinely raises more than $500,000.
Eddie Money, Daryle Singletary and Top Cats are among the headlining musical acts. Bandit, Snapper and the Fishsticks, Wayne Toups and Travis Matte and Zydeco Kingpins also perform.
The annual 5K run/walk is held on Saturday, and the fairgrounds house pay-one-price carnival rides all four days. Gumbo, jambalaya, po-boys and eggrolls are among the menu items.
The parade of fire engines begins at 11 a.m. Sunday on Tiger Drive.
The fairgrounds are open from 5-11 p.m. on Thursday; 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. At the close of the fair, a raffle ticket worth $10,000 is pulled.
Gov’t Mule and The Black Crowes take MJT
May 3-4
Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts hosts consecutive nights of concerts with Gov’t Mule and The Black Crowes playing May 3 and May 4, respectively.
Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes, a longtime guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band, leads the Southern rock jam band into the New Orleans concert.
The Revivalists will open the show. The New Orleans band has played several shows with Gov’t Mule in North Carolina and Missouri.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the show starts at 10 p.m. Tickets range from $33.75-$38.25, and all attendees must be at least 18 years old. For more information, visit www.mule.net.
The Black Crowes play a post-Jazz Fest show beginning at 10 p.m. on May 4. Tickets cost $49.50-$99.50.
The Crowes, at the height of their game in the ‘90s, released their fourth live album, “Wiser for the Time,” in March and are returning from a year-plus hiatus.
Tour Bayou Sauvage by canoe
May 12 and 19
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering guided canoe tours of freshwater marsh in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge on May 12 and 19.
Participants will have the opportunity to view nesting waterfowl, alligators, exotic species and wading birds, and the trips include stops and briefings on the natural and cultural history of the area.
Each trip, departing from the Joe Madere Marsh Unit on U.S. Highway 90 in New Orleans East, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and last for three hours. Participants are expected to paddle for the duration of the tour, though there isn’t a current in the mash.
Tickets cost $10 for adults, and $5 for children 9 years old and younger and Friends of Louisiana Wildlife Refuges members.
To register, visit www.fws.gov/southeastlouisiana/calendar.html.
For more information, call (985) 882-2025.
Grandiose Jambalaya Festival turns 46
May 23-26
In Gonzales, or the “Jambalaya Capitol of the World,” the annual melding of fun, excess in competition returns May 23 with the start of the 46th annual Jambalaya Festival.
The Champ of Champs cook-off, which symbolizes the start of the festival, begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The contest is intertwined through the four days, with competitors’ requirements escalating as the tournament continues.
The festival’s carnival features pay-one-price rides, and Saturday features a 5K and 1-mile fun run and a car show. Arts and crafts vendors are also set up.
In addition to naming the best jambalaya chef, the festival holds a pageant to crown Miss Gonzales Jambalaya.
More than two dozen bands, including Motor Vated, Chubby Carrier, Foret Tradition, Don Rich and Not For Sale, perform over the long weekend.
For more information, visit www.jambalayafestival.org
Gov’t Mule, led by Warren Haynes, longtime guitarist for The Allman Brothers, perform May 3 at Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, one night before The Black Crowes.
