St. Mary Parish ‘Bears’ it all for fun

Before anyone else arrived, St. Mary Parish’s first residents were members of the Louisiana Black Bear family. Today, with the bear population threatened, the citizens of St. Mary set aside one weekend in April to create an awareness of the animal’s importance and, of course, to party.

The 8th annual Bayou Teche Black Bear and Birding Festival, yes, the event has been expanded to include the parish’s abundance of winged creatures, is set for April 15-17 in Downtown Franklin.

“Franklin has so much to offer, particularly in our historic district,” said longtime festival cheerleader Delores Stewart. “You’ll find homes resembling many on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. And our Main Street features a charming lamplight venue, which I believe was one of the many that gave Walt Disney his idea for Main Street USA at Disney World.”

Named the “Best New Event” in 2006 by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals, the event features all the activities associated with a typical Louisiana festival, music, food and fun, as well as field trips, educational exhibits and children’s activities relating to bears and other natural resources common to the area.

In addition to boat tours, canoe and paddle boat trips into the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, the weekend’s fun includes wooden boat displays, fireworks, art and photography shows, Mutt Strutt & ‘Who’s Ya Daddy’ Ugly Dog Contest, Cajun horse shoe competition using toilet seats, the annual Running of the Bears 5k Run/Walk, a Black Bear obstacle course, arts and crafts and festival souvenirs.

A special children’s area, the Cub Club Arena, offers storytelling,f puppet and magic shows, music, games and plenty more for the younger set. There’s also a teddy bear repair clinic where Dr. Donna Tesi, one of the parish’s finest bear surgeons, will operate on stuffed animals for free. And the Cub Parade of Stars, a string of bicycles, wagons, strollers and other non-motorized vehicles decorated for the occasion – is always a favorite sight.

Teens will enjoy bungee jumping, hamster balls, laser tag and Booger Wars.

Event organizers also brag that this year’s lineup is certain to please. Grammy Award-winners Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band and Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, as well as John Trahan, the Johnny Chauvin Mojo Band and Johnny Firmin are performing.

“It’s just a great time of year to be outdoors – to enjoy hiking and paddling trails and all that our community to has to offer,” said festival volunteer Edgar Dugas. “Many folks also party on boats on Bayou Teche. They love to pull up and dock on the banks, near the music stage. It’s a fun time for everyone.”

Louisiana Black Bears, members of the subspecies Ursus americanus luteolus, have been jeopardized by significant habitat alteration and reduction of their range. In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the bears “threatened” under provisions of the Endangered Species Act.

Because of land drainage and clearing of bottomland hardwood forests for agriculture, land available to the black bears has been greatly reduced. Also, because black bears have a low reproductive rate, the effect of illegal kills of adults, especially females, is a serious concern.

Biologists estimate the current population of black bears living in southeast Louisiana and western Mississippi is 500 to 700.

Source: www.bbcc.org Template