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August 7, 2012
Morgan City’s Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is hardly a small-town event, recording between 60,000 to 125,000 attendees each year and more than 200,000 the two years past.
The festival is packed with things to do and see for people of all ages. The Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals has voted it Festival of the Year in its division for the past five years. Festivals are sorted by divisions based upon the number of attendees.
This year, the festival celebrates its 77th anniversary, taking place Labor Day weekend – Aug. 30 through Sept. 3.
The event began in 1936, when it celebrated shrimp, the shrimpers and the industry. It wasn’t until 1967 that petroleum was added to its name.
“Mr. (Paul Acklin) Leblanc and other businessmen were responsible for starting it,” says Lee Dulaune, director of the festival for the past six years. “He thought he’d set aside a day to honor the local union, crab pickers, fisherman, dock workers and the sort.
“It was actually the first parade. Then, your group got together with a card as what you were and walked the street and had a good time. He thought it was needed because the catchers came back with a bountiful harvest and he thought people should honor that.”
Following the parade, which consisted of men celebrating and walking down blocks of Morgan City, the day would conclude with a large party at the dance hall. Elfray Leblanc was crowned the first king of the parade in 1943. “They called him the boy king, because he was very young when it happened,” Delaune says.
Many years later, the oil industry began to flourish and grow roots in Morgan City. At the start of the first offshore oil drilling off the Atchafalaya River, the festival expanded to the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in 1967.
The festival has grown exponentially from its beginnings in 1936. Dulaune works year round, full time for a board of 16, planning and coordinating all of the activities, events and special guests. He books musicians, volunteers, arts and crafts participants and other aspects an attendee would never think about. Hardly the procrastinator, Dulaune likes to have his things in order.
“I try to get my bands located and booked very early even though some people say it’s not a good idea,” Dulaune says. “But I’m glad I did that this year because one cancelled and I was already able to have them replaced. Everybody comes up with a band they love and they’ll send me names throughout the year. I hate procrastinating so around first part of February I start sending out letters and early to mid-April, I like to have all that tied up and ready to roll.”
This year, Dulaune was able to get performers like The Big Brass Fun Band, nine music students from Southeastern Louisiana University who specialize in New Orleans-styled tunes. The festival also features some new events like performances from Louisiana Kids, INC.
“The Louisiana Kids, INC is a non-profit organization that deals with gifted children from 3 years old to seniors in high school,” Dulaune says. “They will sing and dance. They have several troops and we have a nine member troop who will perform Saturday at 3 p.m.”
The festival, spanning 10 to 12 city blocks, is free to attend. Booths of food featuring shrimp dishes will be available, and two parades are scheduled to roll – a children’s parade on Saturday morning and another parade on Sunday. The king and queen of the children’s day parade are chosen at random every year from a pool of applicants. More food is available at the Cajun Culinary Classic, in its 24th year benefitting local organizations and non-profits of the area.
Arts enthusiasts can enjoy the arts and craft show, as well as a separate art gallery. The art show in the gallery is located in downtown Morgan City and hosted by the Artists Guild Unlimited Morgan City. Vendors around the state inquire to be a part of the arts and craft show. Vendors pay a booth fee and keep the rest of the funds they raise. Dulaune said much of the funds raised by the festival from fees are given back to non-profit organizations that help and volunteer at the festival.
Carnival rides, parades, food and even Sunday morning Mass in the Park at 8:30 a.m.; there is much to do. A full schedule of events and more information can be found on the festivals website at, www.shrimp-petrofest.com.
Decorated boats celebrate the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival during its annual parade. The festival celebrates the two prominent industries in Morgan City.
