| Current Poll |
Are you taking an out-of-state summer vacation?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Catfish Festival - Local groups can earn $300 helping at gates
- 2013 - 378 articles
- 2012 - 1160 articles
- 2011 - 1177 articles
- 2010 - 810 articles
- 2009 - 779 articles
- 2008 - 949 articles
- December 2008 - 88 articles
- November 2008 - 73 articles
- October 2008 - 71 articles
- September 2008 - 91 articles
- August 2008 - 98 articles
- July 2008 - 98 articles
- June 2008 - 60 articles
- May 2008 - 66 articles
- April 2008 - 108 articles
- April 29th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 16 articles
- April 23rd, 2008 (Wednesday) - 1 articles
- April 22nd, 2008 (Tuesday) - 21 articles
- April 18th, 2008 (Friday) - 1 articles
- April 17th, 2008 (Thursday) - 1 articles
- April 16th, 2008 (Wednesday) - 18 articles
- April 15th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 5 articles
- April 8th, 2008 (Tuesday) - 25 articles
- April 2nd, 2008 (Wednesday) - 12 articles
- April 1st, 2008 (Tuesday) - 8 articles
- March 2008 - 70 articles
- February 2008 - 48 articles
- January 2008 - 78 articles
|
Catfish Festival - Local groups can earn $300 helping at gates
The Franklin Parish Catfish Festival board is looking for local organizations interested in helping man gates for the April 12 event.
"We have a couple of openings for gatekeeper groups this year," Festival Director Paul Price Jr. said Monday. "We ask groups to organize volunteers in shifts throughout the day and we contribute $300 to their organization." Those interested can call the Catfish Festival office at 435-7607.
Plans are shaping up for the 22nd annual festival which will feature a concert by the original "Ragin' Cajun," fiddling great Doug Kershaw. The festival will also host the North Louisiana Fiddling Championship, which will be dedicated to a former fiddling champ, the late Pete McIntyre.
"We're excited about the entertainment line-up this year," said Nathan Roberts, entertainment coordinator. "In addition to Doug Kershaw – the original 'Ragin Cajun' – we'll have award-winning Christian rock band 33Miles, featuring Gilbert native Jason Barton."
Also appearing will be Shades of Praise, a multi-cultural gospel group from New Orleans, and southern gospel greats the Mystery Men Quartet.
The festival will include all of the usual ingredients – arts and crafts, commercial booths, antique cars and tractors, children's activities and, of course, food. There will also be a few unusual additions – including the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile.
"Our booth spaces are filling up rapidly," Price said, "and our food court was full months ago." There are still a limited number of booths available to interested arts and crafts vendors, he added.
Fried catfish reigns on the food court, but there will be other festival fare as well – everything from hamburgers to funnel cakes, fresh-squeezed lemonade to turkey legs.
A 5,000-gallon tank stocked with fish will return to this year's festival. The display, manned by experienced anglers, debuted last year, but demonstrations were hindered by the weather.
Also returning will be a flower show, held in the Princess Room downtown, next to the Princess Theatre.
Stages near the Council on Aging headquarters and Old Glory in Patriot Square are booked solid with musical talent.
The fiddling contest will be held at 12 noon at the Old Glory stage, with Doug Kershaw and his band performing on that stage at 3:30 p.m. Also appearing on the Old Glory Stage will be Gene King's band at 11 a.m.; Bayou Crossing at 1 p.m.; and LC Smoove at 2:15 p.m.
Jason Barton and 33Miles, a Dove and Grammy-nominated band, will perform on the COA stage at 2 p.m. with Shades of Praise following at 3:30 p.m. Southern Gospel performers Mystery Men Quartet will perform on the COA stage at 11 a.m.
Dancers and cloggers will also be in abundance on festival day.
Admission to the festival is $3, an increase of $1 over previous years.
"We've resisted raising admission for years," Price said. "Our expenses have continued to rise, however, and we felt it was time for a change to insure the financial stability of the festival."
Proceeds from the festival are funneled back into the event and into community projects, such as scholarships for local students and the children's park.
"We want to continue to provide a fun, entertaining festival for years to come," Price said. "This event puts a positive spotlight on our parish and on our people. And many groups are able to raise funds during the festival for a number of worthwhile causes. We're proud to be a part of that."
For more information about the festival and entertainment or registration forms for the fiddling contest or booths, visit the festival website: www.franklinparishcatfishfestival.com. |
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
