Feature
November
10
Thibodeauxville Takes Over Downtown Streets
by Terry Trahan Jr.
If downtown Thibodaux looks a little crowded Saturday, streets lined with food, music and outdoor festivities may have something to do with it.
Thibodeauxville returns, along with 12,000 residents and visitors, to the heart of the city’s historic district from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. for another day of sidewalk cooking, live music, activities and arts and crafts.
“It started as a small street thing with a few vendors and people cooking food,” said Kathy Benoit, president and CEO of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce. “Now every square inch of downtown Thibodaux is taken up.”
Storefronts, sidewalks and empty parking lots host over 180 arts and crafts vendors, while the popular food court offers samples of 90 items on the menu. That includes the traditional favorites like gumbo and jambalaya, festival staples like hamburgers and hot dogs, and a few surprises for adventurous foodies.
For those who want to get their workout in before the rest of the activities kick off, a children’s fun run gets underway at 8 a.m., followed by a 5K run/walk 30 minutes later.
Along Second Street, the Cajun Corvette Club hosts an open car show that features over 125 classic models. The exhibited cars are judged at noon, and winners are announced around 3 p.m. “That attracts a whole different group of people,” Benoit said. “It has grown by leaps and bounds.”
The same goes for the BP Duck Race, a Thibodeauxville favorite that finds 1,500 rubber ducks floating down Bayou Lafourche. Before the race begins at 4 p.m., participants purchase a raffle ticket with a number that can also be found on one of the rubber ducks. The ducks are released into the bayou, and the current carries them to the finish line. The person with the number found on the duck that crosses the finish line first wins the race and a $1,000 cash prize.
“It’s a spectacle to behold,” Benoit said. “It takes them a while, but they’re not going terribly fast.”
The race has been popular with young festivalgoers, who also have access to their own kid’s corner. A face painter helps to provide that special look, while a petting zoo, sand art station and bungee jump keep the kids entertained.
To keep the mood festive, local musicians fill the air with their own rhythmic blends that keep toes tapping and crowds dancing. The 2011 lineup includes Good Feelin’, Dixieland Jazz Band, the Moss Pickers, GypsySouls, French Bred and Christian Music and Dance.
“It’s all about community,” Benoit said. “At the end of the day, we will have had at least 100 people involved.”
Thibodeauxville began in 1992 as a festival to attract locals and tourists to the city’s historic downtown. In the 1980s, downtowns across the country were largely ignored as shops moved to malls and newly developed shopping centers. Thibodaux didn’t suffer as much, Benoit said, but a need to promote the city’s downtown remained.
The festival hoped to do just that when 13 food and arts and crafts vendors came together on Third Street to start what has become an annual tradition. Thibodeauxville has since been named one of the top 20 events and festivals by the Southeast Tourism Society, and attracts visitors both locally and from outside the state.
Before Thibodeauxville gets underway Saturday morning, Thibodaux Main Street hosts the Big Boy’s Main Street Cook-off beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. Local chefs form 20-30 teams and offer their best creations in four categories: soup/gumbo, jambalaya, variety and dessert. The cook-off attracts 3,000 people each year, and features live music and food sampling until nothing is left in the pots.
Admission to the cook-off is $3, which benefits Thibodaux Main Street to help with the promotion and revitalization of downtown Thibodaux.
“This year, we’re taking it to the streets because we’ve expanded so much,” said Cody Blanchard, executive director of Thibodaux Main Street. “It brings people downtown to see what we have to offer.”
