Thibodeauxville re-acquainting citizens with downtown

Each November, as temperatures begin to cool, hundreds of folks flock to downtown Thibodaux for a festival that caters to everyone, young and old.

The annual Thibodeauxville Fall Festival – the spelling of the city’s name originally included the “e” – includes live music, an abundance of Cajun/Creole food, crafts and fun for all, according to organizers. The event is sponsored by the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce, and is presented by Duplantis Design Group.

“(Thibodeauxville) began as a project of the North Lafourche Revitalization District 15 years ago,” said Kathy Benoit, CEO/president of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce. “After three consecutive years, the district disbanded and the Thibodaux Chamber took over the event. And, it grows more and more every year.”

Benoit has been a part of the fall festival for the past 10 years. She has watched it grow from a small collection of booths on 3rd Street to nearly 140 booths expanded over 2nd, 3rd and 4th streets.

“For a while, people had gravitated away from downtown Thibodaux,” she said. “But since then it has come alive with flourishing businesses and restaurants that attract all types of people to the area.”

Benoit explained that the festival is just another way to spark an interest in downtown Thibodaux. “The festival reminds people of their history and heritage,” she added.

The newest addition to this year’s festival speaks to the effort to spotlight the city’s roots. “Two Centuries of Thibodaux, La.,” an exhibit on the history of Thibodaux will be on display at the Courthouse Annex. It will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10.

“And a historic marker will be unveiled in front of the Lafourche Parish Courthouse at 10 a.m. on that Saturday,” Benoit said.

In keeping with tradition, visitors to the event will find 24 booths featuring some of south Louisiana’s finest cuisine, the chamber executive noted.

“We have jambalaya, fried fish, white beans, corn soup, oriental food and barbecue,” Benoit said. “And that’s not all, we have shrimp dishes and an assortment of seafood dishes.”

Some of the food vendors are professional caterers, Benoit said, but most are “backyard cooks.”

And with a belly-full of the area’s top cuisine, organizers are hopeful visitors will stroll the arts and crafts section of the festival.

More than 140 arts and crafts vendors will display and sell their handiwork. “We have original arts, original crafts – homemade and handmade items,” Benoit said. “It’s right at holiday time and people are looking for Christmas ideas.”

For those not shopping or eating, live performances will be held throughout the day.

Two stages will provide musical entertainment, one featuring the Bayouland/Dixieland Jazz Band at 10:30 a.m. and Souled Out at 2 p.m. and the other featuring Christian music.

The Christian-stage lineup will feature Mike Cape, Stacey’s Dance, Thibodaux Family Church, House of Prayer and Just Jazzin’ Dance School.

In the past, Thibodeauxville has offered rock climbing, face painting, a duck walk and bouncer slides entertainment for youngsters. Benoit expects the same entertainment this year.

One of the more popular events among the children and the adults is the world-famous duck race. “We dumped about 1,500 rubber ducks in Bayou Lafourche behind city hall and watched them float up the bayou to the finish line,” she said. “It’s fun watching the adults cheer on their ducks during the race.”

The rubber ducks have a number placed on the bottom of them. Fest-goers can purchase a duck for $5 from the chamber. First through fourth place prizes are $1,000, $500, $250 and $100, respectively.

The day doesn’t stop there, either.

The Thibodaux Cajun Corvette Club will host a Clean Wheels Car, Bike and Truck show on 2nd Street. “There are prizes for the best in different categories, and all that kind of stuff that has added a new attraction to the festival,” she explained.

The festival begins at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. The last band plays at 6 p.m. The festival is free to the public.

For more information on the duck race, contact festival Chairperson Rhonda Dempster at (985) 446-1187.

The Thibodaux weekend kicks off with Main Street, Inc.’s annual Main Street Cook-off Friday night, Nov. 9, at the corner of West 2nd and Saint Philip streets in downtown Thibodaux.

Judging will be held in four categories: soup and gumbo, jambalaya, variety or desserts.

This year’s annual Main Street Cook-off has a slight name change, event organizer Dana Clement said. The contest is being held in honor of the late Thibodaux councilman Norm “Big Boy” Swanner. He participated faithfully in the cook-off prior to his death last year, she said.

“Its something he has always been true to,” Clement emphasized.

In fact, the “Big Boy” Norm Swanner Foundation donated prizes for this year’s top chefs. Clement said the winnings include a Coca-Cola double chair, Saint’s tent and a barbeque grill.

The best of show winner will take home a cook-out grill kit consisting of a burner, turkey fryer, 12-quart cast-iron Dutch oven, grill, fryer pan and accessories.

The food contest is a family-oriented event that’s free to the public. “Everyone can come out and sample the food free of charge,” she said.

The brainstorm of Thibodaux Main Street, Inc., the cook-off raises monies to benefit the city’s Main Street region, Clement explained. “The organization does a lot of other things to help the community like providing the façade grant, which is a building restoration grant for downtown businesses.”

Local musician Al Jacobs will be on hand to provide entertainment at the cook-off.

For more information on the Main to Main event or Morgan City’s Fall Frenzy, contact Clement at (985) 448-5852.

Thibodeauxville re-acquainting citizens with downtown