Festival celebrates all things French

Need a break from hurricane cleanup? The Bayou Civic Club in Larose has just the thing for the whole family: the 35th annual French Food Festival set for Oct. 24-26.

Crossing the intersection of the Intracoastal Canal and Bayou Lafourche toward the Larose Civic Center, festival-goers can begin to hear the rhythms of the Zydeco/Cajun beats and smell the aroma of Cajun cooking.

Festival co-chairs Jasmine Sauder and Toby Brady said the festival embodies what it means to be Cajun – through food, art, history, dance and music – while simultaneously celebrating America’s unique food culture.

Larose is rich in Cajun-French culture. Years ago, when the community wanted to construct a civic center, residents got together to raise money and showcase the pride of Larose: bouillabaisse.

Dubbed the Bouillabaisse Festival, the event was first held in 1973 in front of the Larose Cutoff Middle School. The event was sponsored by the Bayou Civic Club with the goal of raising the money needed to purchase property or a building to hold the event annually just prior to Halloween.

“The festival literally began while members were sitting around someone’s kitchen table,” Sauder said. “They wanted it to be something that their children could do and enjoy.”

“Today, the Larose volunteers make the event possible every year by donating their time, crops and talents to benefit their community civic center, which does not receive designated parish, state or federal funds,” she added.

A huge tent – the center point of the festival – is set up on the Larose Regional Park grounds. Under that tent, 28 different specialty dishes are featured. The selection includes shrimp boulettes, crawfish etouffee, seafood gumbo, alligator sauce piquante, po-boys, jambalaya, crab patties and seafood pistolettes.

Sauder said travelers and locals have returned for 35 years to indulge in the famous Cajun and Creole dishes prepared by park volunteers and their families. Some of the foods are the product of recipes that have been passed down through generations.

This year’s fare will include a complete seafood platter with fried fish and shrimp, crab patties, crawfish boulettes and white beans and rice. “It doesn’t get more Cajun that that,” Sauder said, laughing.

“French food is a necessity here,” she said. “It is the biggest draw to the festival. Of course, we will have traditional festival foods as well.”

The festival also features carnival rides. Children can purchase the pay-one-price bracelets at $13 for the entire day. An old-fashioned carnival midway offering games, cotton candy and caramel apples is also a favorite among the younger set.

An added feature at this year’s festival is the folklife and culture tent. There will be books on Louisiana and Cajun/French culture, as well as a homemade bread-making session and cypress woodworking lesson all day Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

“This year, we are making a huge push to make our folklife demonstrations more interactive and informative while trying to keep our traditions alive,” Sauder explained.

Musical performers for the weekend include Peel, Gary T, Waylon Thibodeaux, Bag of Donuts, Southern Cross, Hurricane Levee Band, Aaron Foret and the Cajun Toujours.

There will also be a festival art show and contest sponsored by Les Artistes du Bayou.

Prior to the food fest, the French Food Festival 5K Run/Walk is held Oct. 4 beginning at the Larose Regional Park and ending at Larose-Cutoff Middle School. A wrestling match will be held Oct. 10 at the civic center gym. Also, a Queen’s Pageant and Dinner is held Oct. 18, and a children’s pageant on Oct. 19.

The French Food Festival kicks off Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Oct. 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more pageant or festival information, call (985) 693-7355.