Feature
June
30
Local Pub to Benefit Church
by Terry Trahan, Jr.
A local pub seeks to benefit a historic Houma landmark with its annual fishing rodeo.
Mahony’s Irish Pub plans to support the rebuilding of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church by inviting fishermen to participate in a rodeo July 8-9 at Coco Marina, 106 Pier 56, in Chauvin.
“We wanted to do it for some local charity,” said Mark Bonvillain, owner of Mahony’s. “I knew the money would stay 100 percent in Houma.”
In the early hours of Nov. 11, 2010, firefighters responded to the church, where a blaze had engulfed the historic landmark and spread to a wing of the church-run elementary school nearby.
Bonvillain hosted a beer tasting and raffle last November to support the church. The event raised about $500, and he hopes the rodeo continues to build the fund.
“One of the things I love about our community is how people pull together in times of crises,” said the Rev. Craig Dalferes, the pastor at St. Matthew’s. “Many of them may never have been in St. Matthew’s, but they’re passionate about helping out.”
Tickets for the rodeo cost $35 and
can be purchased at Mahony’s Irish Pub,
7832 Main St., in Houma.
For more information, contact the
pub at 985-872-0284.
Now in its third year, the previous Mahony’s fishing rodeos benefited Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center and Nicholls State University Athletics. The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill forced Bonvillain to cancel the rodeo last summer.
The rodeo attracted about 60 fishermen for the first year, and that number doubled when Bonvillain made plans to host the event again.
“It started as just a fun thing to put together,” Bonvillain said.
He is optimistic participation will remain high despite the setback from the oil spill.
The rodeo now features eight categories, including offshore categories for the first time. Participants will be able to fish inshore redfish over and under 27 inches, speckled trout, black drum and flounder. Offshore categories include red snapper, lemon fish and miscellaneous fish.
Weigh-in will be at Coco Marina from 2-6 p.m. July 9, and prizes will be awarded at 7 p.m. In each category, first-place finishers receive $200 cash, second-place finishers receive a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses and third-place finishers receive a gift card to Academy Sports and Outdoors.
The Gashouse Gorillaz are scheduled to close out the rodeo at 8 p.m. with live music and what Bonvillain expects to be a fun time.
“We like to have it as a good party,” he said.
