You Never Know What You’re Going to get at Louisiana Festivals
by Caroline Callais, Social Media Manager & Web Editor
Voice of the Wetlands // Putting Louisiana’s Coastal Loss in the Spotlight
by Ana Pizzolio, Features Editor Louisianans love to celebrate — everything from food to music to crops. But what many tourists don’t see is we also hold festivals to raise awareness. THE VOICE OF THE WETLANDS FESTIVAL is one of those festivals that brings attention to how coastal erosion and land loss is affecting Louisiana’s ecosystem. The 2016 VOW, held from October 7 to 9, celebrated South Louisiana’s culture while advocating for environmental awareness. The festival featured local and national performers in two music stages, a taste of typical Louisiana dishes from local vendors and arts exhibits. The music festival is just one of the initiatives created by the namesake organization. In an effort to preserve Louisiana’s environment and its culture, the Houma-based organization promotes activism through three days of festival celebrations every year. “We wanted to raise our voices and address the concerns of the people. We were the first organization to go coast to coast saying our wetlands are disappearing.” Rueben Williams, co-founder of the Voice of the Wetlands organization, says. “We are losing over a football field every 45 minutes.” Tab Benoit, a Louisiana Cajun-blues musician, is the founder of the Voice of the Wetlands organization. The organization is comprised of members who were born, raised and still resides in the wetlands’ region. Williams explains that the organization came to terms after the group realized the wetlands loss was a big problem that wasn’t receiving the attention it should receive. “Coast to coast nobody really knew what was going on,” Williams says. “There was salt water coming in and no fresh water going out and that’s not how it used to be. Fresh water used to travel from the Mississippi down Lafourche and Bayou Terrebonne and deposit sediment that build our wetlands. There is no rebuilding process anymore, because the river has been turned towards the Atchafalaya. If the river was still in its natural state we wouldn’t be having a wetlands problem.” Each year, exhibitors from all over the country and, in some occasions, from foreign countries volunteer their times to share their knowledge about coastal land loss and promote awareness of Louisiana’s wetland crisis. “People from outside Louisiana come and see Louisiana’s worth, all this culture, the food and the music. And all of this is possible because of the wetlands and the people that live here,” Williams says. “Even the music we play has come from this place that we are seeing disappear before our eyes.” This years festival had its largest attendance ever during the first day of the event on Friday, Oct. 7. One of the night’s highlights, the “Friday Night Guitar Fights”, featured freestyle performances from musicians Tab Benoit, Mason Ruffner, Josh Garrett, Tyrone Vaughan, Bart Walker and Jonathon Boogie Long. The festivals offers a taste of Louisiana’s Cajun food with traditional dishes like seafood gumbo, andouille sausage, jambalaya and sauce piquante. A selection of classic American fair food, including hamburgers, hot dogs and more is also offered every year. Along with the musical acts and the traditional food, the Voice of the Wetlands organization had booths set up on the festival grounds to share information about the current situation of the state’s land loss and how people can get involved with the efforts for wetlands restoration. The event is free and, therefore, is not strictly a fundraiser for the Voice of the Wetlands organization. Its main purpose is to educate the visitors about coastal restoration, and, although this is such timely matter, the goal is to create a laid-back venue where visitors have the opportunity to get in contact with environmental agencies and political candidates and discuss potential solutions to the crisis. The festival is more than just another opportunity to party it up, it is also a chance to engage in the cause and help preserve the coast, while listening to local music and having some fun.
Duck Racing // Down the Bayou
by Ana Pizzolio, Features Editor THE THIBODAUXVILLE FALL FESTIVAL DUCK RACE became a tradition that gathers thousands of people on the banks of Bayou Lafourche every year. 2,000 numbered ducks are dumped on the bayou at 4 p.m. to compete for cash prizes. Tourists and locals alike cheer for their yellow rubber ducks as it races its way from the weir of Bayou Lafourche to the Jackson Street Bridge. The ticket holders of the first six ducks to cross the finish line are awarded with cash prizes. After the race, volunteers retrieve the ducks, count it to make sure none is missing and store it for the next year’s race. Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased as early as September with the sales continuing until the day of the event. This year, however, all 2,000 tickets were sold out at the very beginning of the festival. Chairman of the Board of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce Marguerite Knight explains that the duck race is a fundraiser for both the Chamber of Commerce and Thibodaux Main Street. The Thibodauxville Fall Festival is a free festival held annually at the second Saturday of November in Historic Downtown Thibodaux. Vendors booths and music stages take the streets from Highway 1 to West 4th Street and from Canal Blvd. to Jackson Street. Other activities for the whole family include a 5k run/walk, a car show, continues live musical entertainment, arts, crafts and the best of southern cuisine are featured at the festival. Boutiques and restaurants in the route also take part in the event celebrations. Music performances featured this year included local entertainment from Treeter, Foret Tradition and the Groove. Other addition to the festival this year included a 40 mile bike tour around the city’s outskirts and a “Duck Punch”, an adult beverage made with Thibodaux’s Donner-Peltier Distillery spirits. “Thibodauxville was started to bring people downtown,” Knight says. “It was started in 1992, 24 year ago with 13 vendors. It now has expanded and this year, our biggest ever, has 113 vendors and 30 food booths, which had amazing food.” Named after the previous name of the city, the Thibodauxville festival began as an initiative to create interest in the downtown district. The event gained national recognition after it was awarded the number one festival in the Southeastern United States in 2011 by the Southeast Tourism Society. Nowadays, the festival attracts over 15,000 people from all over the country. “We couldn’t do it without 100 volunteers, all of the people, all of the vendors and specialty boutiques,” she adds. “Thibodauxville is great. If you weren’t here this year, make sure to come next year.” https://youtu.be/X9Fh7iQTqjA