Real lumberjacks add to the fun at April 3-5 festival

The 19th annual Cypress Sawmill Festival in Patterson is adding a memorable guest to this year’s lineup: the All American Lumberjacks.

“This is a first for us,” said David Bourdier, chairman of this year’s festival. “It’s kind of an accent on our purpose, which is to preserve the memory of the cypress sawmill.”

As part of their national tour, the All American Lumberjacks show their talents in crosscut sawing, logrolling and ax throwing. The lumberjacks are also hosting a sports camp at which they’ll teach participants how to roll logs in the water.

Experts with chain saws, the lumberjacks also plan to carve many crafts, which will be available to purchase.

“They’re giving us 10 different events, just like you see on ESPN,” Bourdier said, “with shows throughout the weekend.”

Showtimes will be posted daily at the festival grounds, he said.

A “Top 20” must see event, according to the Southeast Tourism Society, the Cypress Sawmill Festival is set for April 3-5.

Last year, the Louisiana Association of Fairs & Festivals hailed the celebrated event as the “Festival of the Year.” It is held in Kemper Williams Park and Campground, located at the corner and along Cotton Road and U.S. Highway 90.

This year’s event will also feature Amanda Shaw, noted New Orleans-based singer, songwriter, fiddler and actress.

“Amanda Shaw is part of a new breed of young, roots-based musicians who have embraced both traditional and pop sounds, creating music that is both authentic and bold,” Bourdier said.

The three-day event also includes performances by TK Hulin & Smoke, Bobby and the Rockers and Souled Out on Saturday, April 4, and Don Rich and the Don Rich Band on Sunday, April 5.

Aspiring musicians can also test their vocals April 3 at the KQKI Country Music Showdown.

Admission is $5 per car on Friday, April 3. On Saturday and Sunday, admission is $10 per car. Boudier said weekend passes are available at $20.

“This is one event where it pays to load the whole family in the car,” he said. “The more the merrier.”

In addition to food and music, Boudier said the weekend fun includes a classic car and truck display, softball tournaments, arts and crafts booths, the 2nd annual Gumbo Cookoff, a free petting zoo and a street fair with rides and games for youngsters.

Golfers have their day in the sun, too, on Friday, April 3, with the tee off of the 4th annual Cypress Sawmill Golf Tournament. It is held at the Atchafalaya Golf Course at Idlewild in Patterson.

The Cypress Sawmill Festival was created to generate funds to build a museum dedicated to the sawmill industry, Patterson’s one-time bread and butter trade. In the late 1800s, lumber schooners used East St. Mary Parish’s waterways en route to sawmills that lined Bayou Teche, the lower Atchafalaya River, Bayou Ramos and Bayou Boeuf.

“Patterson was, at the time, the king of the cypress industry,” Boudier explained. “By 1908, it was the site of the largest sawmill in the world, which produced 150,000 board feet per day.”

For more information about the festival, call (985) 395-4905 or visit www.cypresssawmill.com.

Real lumberjacks add to the fun at April 3-5 festival