Feature
August
12
Hercules Festival on the Bayou
by Terry Trahan, Jr.
The Krewe of Hercules plans to roll on with its annual fishing rodeo this weekend, though oil lingers in the Gulf.
The Hercules Festival on the Bayou and Fishing Rodeo begins on Thursday, Aug. 12 and continues through Aug. 15. Tickets cost $25 each. Though Hercules previously held the rodeo in Cocodrie, this year the krewe plans to host the festival at the Agriculture Pavilion at the Houma Airbase.
Festivals have canceled throughout the summer due to the oil’s impact on the Gulf, but the krewe’s organizers prepared Plan B.
“We wanted to turn it into a food festival,” says Rene Hebert, the rodeo’s chairman. “We always have a backup plan.”
Part of the backup plan is to “kill” the deepwater fishing division, thereby opening fresh water to participants for the first time. In the freshwater division, the top cash prize of $1,000 will be given for largest bass and 5-bass stringer. There will also be categories for perch, sac-a-lait and catfish.
For those who prefer saltwater fishing, the top cash prize of $1,000 will be given for largest redfish greater than 27 inches, redfish under 27 inches and 5-redfish stringer under 27 inches. There will also be categories for speck, 5-speck stringer, drum, sheepshead and flounder.
Rodeo tickets can be purchased
at all local marinas and sporting
goods stores. Each ticket includes nightly
entertainment and a rodeo T-shirt.
In addition to the fishing rodeo, the krewe has lined up five bands to carry the jams throughout the weekend. The Groove plays on Thursday, and Velvet Sky takes the stage on Friday. Flatline, Rocking Woody G. Band and Bag of Donuts perform Saturday. Party with Shorty plans to keep the tracks spinning.
No festival is complete without carnival rides, so the krewe plans to have plenty of those as well. A gun raffle and door prizes will be given away on Sunday.
The rodeo’s annual jambalaya cook-off begins Saturday at 11 a.m. The cost to enter is $100 per team, but participants have the chance to win prizes up to $1,000 for first place. Participants are encouraged to avoid waste and provide a charity of their choice with the leftovers.
“The festival is needed to help people relax,” Rene says. “It’s totally a family event. You don’t have to pay for a babysitter.”
