Will Obama visit Shrimp & Petroleum Festival?

Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle has invited President Barack Obama to attend next month’s 75th annual Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, an overture that took festival organizers by surprise.

In a letter sent last Wednesday to the president, Angelle said Obama’s presence “would be a tremendous show of support for the hardworking Americans who are honored by this festival and would go a long way in restoring consumer confidence in the region.”

Angelle notes that the Gulf oil spill has spawned widespread “misperceptions that are negatively affecting the (state’s seafood) industry.” He says the festival, which jointly celebrates the seafood and oil industries, is way to recognize and celebrate the people who “sacrifice to feed and fuel this nation and who have been most affected” by the spill.

Festival board member Nelson Cortez said Thursday that an invitation to Obama was among a list of ideas circulated by representatives from the state’s tourism office but was never considered a “done deal.”

“We were absolutely blind-sided by the news,” Cortez said. “We had some issues with security and were supposed to have a follow up meeting to go over our concerns and the next thing we know, an invitation had been extended.”

Morgan City Mayor Tim Matte said he thinks chances are slim that Obama will actually accept the invitation, and Stansbury called it a “long shot.”

“We would certainly welcome the president to the festival,” Matte said, but “whether the president really comes is neither here nor there.”

Cortez said if Obama accepts the invitation, “the festival would treat him with utmost respect and give him a tour of the festival.”

If that happens, Matte said, crowd control could become a concern.

“We have not had to deal with something on that scale before, but we do have experience handling the crowds that come to the festival,” he said. “We could have more people who come wanting to meet the president, and there are usually protesters when the president goes somewhere. There would be costs and consequences.”

Sheriff David Naquin and Assistant Chief Glen Blanco of the Morgan City Police Department said the Secret Service would take the lead on security details if Obama comes to the parish.

“We dealt with security details (with the Secret Service) before, when the vice president (Dick Cheney) came to duck hunt,” Naquin said. “I can only imagine what it would be like for the president. It would be quite involved, I’m sure, but we can’t prepare much until we know he’s coming.”

Matte noted that the festival also is drawing increased attention because of the spill and the 75th anniversary. And, Cortez said the 150th anniversary of the founding of Morgan City has also sparked more interest.

“This is our opportunity to show off and talk about the good things we have here that make this a good place to live,” Matte said. “It’s an opportunity to show we get along down here, and we could have a chance to share our concerns about issues like the (drilling) moratorium.”

The Obama administration issued a moratorium on exploratory oil and gas drilling in deep water and is being challenged by several oil industry concerns.

The festival, scheduled for Sept. 2-6, features music, crafts and food, including shrimp, and the traditional “Blessing of the Fleet,” a centuries old practice where local priests bless the boats as they make their journey to sea to ensure a safe, bountiful season.