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The showcase for Patterson’s heritage industry will feature many events and displays paying homage to bygone days.
That Friday, the Bayou Old Time Engine and Power Association will display antique engines and other machinery for boats, tractors, pumps, saws and more starting at 5 p.m. The display will also be available that Sunday starting at 10 a.m.
The cypress sawmill display at the Louisiana State Museum will also be open with no admission fee during the festival, starting at 9 a.m. that Saturday and Sunday, including a 1927 film highlighting the industry.
The popular All-American Professional Lumberjack Show will also return to the festival, starting at 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For those who prefer beautiful ladies to burly men, visiting festival queens will participate in a passe partout, or two-person sawing contest. That will occur at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The souvenir booth, with T-shirts, caps and limited edition cypress drink koozies, will open Friday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.
There are more than just timber-related activities, of course.
The annual arts and crafts bazaar will open at 3 p.m. Friday, and continues Saturday and Sunday with 10 a.m. openings. Artisans will bring their handcrafted wares to sell from their tent booths.
The street fair will also return to the festival, with lots of rides and games for children provided by Mitchell Bros. Amusement. The fair opens at 5 p.m. Friday, and at noon Saturday and Sunday.
For the athletically inclined, the festival’s sixth annual golf tournament will be held at the Atchafalaya at Idlewild. Thirty teams of three players will vie for the titles, with opening tee-off at 1 p.m. Friday. Awards will be given at 5 p.m.
The annual festival softball tournament, sanctioned by the American Softball Association and part of the Hooter’s National Championship Series, will open play at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Three fields at a time will be in play for the two brackets, Divisions B-C and D-E.
Those with milder athletic tastes can register for the 9 a.m. fun walk on Saturday. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and T-shirts and door prizes will be awarded.
A motorcycle poker run will be held Saturday starting at 10 a.m. and offering a $200 first prize. Registration is open through Friday, March 30, or participants may register in the hour before the race. For more information, call Walter Shepard at 985-312-9500.
At 11:30 a.m. Saturday, judging will begin in the fifth annual gumbo cookoff. Meals and samples from the entered dishes will be sold. For more information, call Mena Leonard at 985-518-2067.
The 20th annual classic car and truck show will begin with registration at 8 a.m. Sunday. There’s a $20 entry fee, and first-, second- and third-place awards will be given for best paint, best interior, best engine and best of show. Judging will start at 1 p.m., with awards to be presented at 3 p.m. There will also be door prizes and a 50-50 drawing. For more information, call Bill Picou Sr. at 985-519-3400 or 985-395-4820.
A fireworks display will held Saturday at 9 p.m. in honor of police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency personnel and the armed forces.
What would a south Louisiana festival be without music?
Bands will be on tap Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but the first musical event will again be the Country Showdown, sponsored by KQKI-FM. The winner of Friday night’s contest will be eligible to compete for the state title and a $1,000 prize later in the year. Other prizes are available locally. Competition starts at 6 p.m.
Also slated to appear Friday night is Southern Skkyy, starting 9:30 p.m. Saturday brings Blue Eyed Soul Revue at noon, Nik L Beer at 3 p.m., Hank Staples and Thundercreek at 6:30 p.m., and Velvet Sky at 9:30 p.m.
On Sunday, Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin’ Cajuns take the stage at 11:30 a.m., followed by the Sgt. Pepper’s Beatles tribute band at 2 p.m. and Waylon Thibodeaux at 5 p.m.
Gates fees for the festival are $5 on Friday, $10 each Saturday and Sunday; or visitors may buy a weekend pass for $20.
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