French Food Fest rocks

TGMC CSI donates 10 defibrillators to local schools

October 14, 2014

Nashville South covers best of country – yesterday and today’s hits

October 14, 2014

By CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

The first cold front of each autumn season breathes relief into Louisiana natives who are annually beaten to a pulp by our state’s brutally hot summer climate.

But for Larose Civic Center Director Jasmine Ayo, the first sign of fall always means one thing: the French Food Festival is here.

This year’s event kicks off Thursday, Oct. 23, with French Food Fest Rocks, which is headlined by music and TV star Bret Michaels of Poison – a name that Ayo said just may be the biggest to ever grace the south Lafourche Parish area.

Tickets for the concert are $40. The rest of the festival Oct. 24-26 is, as always, free to the public.

“I think this is the biggest band that Larose has ever seen with Bret Michaels coming down,” Ayo said. “We’re so very excited about that. But the entire weekend is one that every year we take so much pride in. From the food to the rides for the kids to everything else, we want this to be a weekend that people can enjoy.

“The Sheriff’s Office estimates that over the four days, we have more than 35,000 people attend and come in and out of our festival. Last year, we had people from eight states and three foreign countries. We have people who come here as their yearly vacation. It’s a great event. I think people put us on their yearly calendars.”

The first thing worth noting about the French Food Festival is its versatility. Sure, it’s a good, old-fashioned carnival with rides and music and everything else. But it’s much, much more far-reaching than that. If a person can’t find something fun to do at this annual festival, then they probably need to evaluate themselves and examine the meaning of the word.

In addition to the traditional carnival mainstays, there is a live auction, art show, Cajun market, petting zoo, cake decorating contest, art contest and more than 40 booths of fun and entertainment.

Oh yeah, there’s also a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, a live boxing card and a bull riding rodeo from the Mid-South Pro Tour Series all on the fair’s grounds.

New this year is a walk-through exhibition by the LSU Ag Center, which will show citizens some of the impacts that coastal erosion has had on our area.

“This is an interactive exhibit, and the whole thing is made out of crab cages,” Ayo said. “We’re excited to have them. We think that’s going to be something people love.”

But while the extra added touches provide flavor to the French Food Festival, the core of the weekend are the food and the music.

Throughout the festival’s pavilion are numerous food booths loaded with delicious Cajun delicacies like seafood gumbo, shrimp po-boys, jambalaya and all the rest. Of course, there’s also the famous French Food Festival shrimp boulettes that are a must-get to anyone attending for the first time.

“What would the festival be without those shrimp boulettes?” Ayo asked with a laugh. “They are a big mainstay and a huge part of the tradition.”

Musically, the festival is loaded from top-to-bottom with Michaels headlining Thursday night with Flesh Carnival and Contraflow opening before his performance.

As always, the festival will kickoff on Friday night with Gary T – the musician who always opens the weekend of fun. Also appearing that night will be the Southern Earthtones and Category 6.

On Saturday, Waylon Thibodeaux and Travis Matte will own the stage under the sun, giving way to the Allison Collins Band and Zoso at night. Zoso is a first for the French Food Festival – a tribute band to Led Zepplin.

“I know that might not be my generation or your generation’s style,” Ayo said. “But the generation before us is raving about seeing them. That’s going to be a blast to have them out there.”

And on Sunday, Amanda Shaw, Don Rich and Ryan Foret will close it all out with a bang.

One weekend. About a dozen bands. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food. A boxing match. A bull riding rodeo. A Ferris wheel. All in the same place? Three of the four days are free?

Yup. That’s exactly how it works for the French Food Festival.

“It’s a blast and it’s an event people love and enjoy,” Ayo said. “We expect this year to be no different.”