Harlan Kirgan
The Experience Louisiana Festival will return to the LSUE campus on Oct. 28-29 with a focus on Louisiana agriculture.
Dwight Jodon, one of the Eunice Rotary Club festival organizers, said the agriculture theme would be presented in the festival’s village formats.
That village presentation will remain for popular areas such as folklife, crafts, vendors, arts and food.
“The obvious items is Louisiana agriculture and, really, it probably should have been part of things from the beginning,” he said.
Two St. Landry Parish agriculture experts have been enlisted to organize the ag portion of the festival. They are Yvonne Normand, a retired educator, and Denise Canatella, who has served in various areas of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and is a family farmer member in the parish.
“We’ve been talking with them for months about framing up an ag village for the festival,” Jodon said.
“It was taken off pretty well. They are working with a lot of different ag entities,” he said.
Meetings have been held with LSU AgCenter officials in Baton Rouge, he said.
“We have their blessing to use their logo even in our publicity, which is huge,” he said.
“They are Louisiana agricuture, of course, their reach is so broad,” he said.
The vision is for a space with informational booths, demonstrations and displays of farm equipment, he aid.
“The biggest thing that I would like to see happen is to have ag students involved,” Jodon said. “We’ve had a rally good conversation with the state FFA office and we are hoping that they will do an FFA tent, for instance, where they call their clubs together from around the state, as well as 4-H,” she said.
Jodon said the hope is the festival becomes an annual event for the FFA and 4-H members.
A portion of the ag village may include forestry and possibly sawing competitions or demonstrations.
Fire-safety icon Smokey Bear is expected to be at the festival representing the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Other highlights of the festival include:
— Chef Drake Leonards, a Eunice native, has agreed to do a demonstration. Leonards may also promote the new John Besh restaurant, Eunice, which is to open in Houston.
— Chef James Hamilton also is scheduled to do a cooking a demonstration.
— Eunice native filmmaker Pat Mire is organizing a film village, which spotlights Louisiana filmmakers and media artists.
— A car show, organized by Basile Mayor Mark Denette, is to return.
The music lineup is nearly complete with only two performance slots remaining open.
Oct. 28
10 a.m. — CFMA Young Musicians.
Noon — Dustin Sonnier & The Wanted.
2 p.m. — Geno Delafose & French Rockin Boogie.
4 p.m. — Open.
6 p.m. — Rendez-Vous des Cajuns Radio Show featuring The Band Courtbouillon.
Oct. 29
10:30 a.m. — Open.
12:30 p.m. — Louisiana Red.
2:30 p.m. — The Savoy Family Band.