Avoyelles of yesteryear

When Corn Fest fever first swept Avoyelles

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Published in The Greater Avoyelles Journal on Sunday June 5, 1988, this article announced that Bunkie was gearingup for the second annual Louisiana Corn Festival scheduled for June 10-12.
To help spread the word, the two Corn Fest queens, Bunkie Mayor Fred Feeney and festival workers traveled across Avoyelles Parish, handing out flyers and Corn Fest bumper stickers. The group visited Evergreen, Cottonport, Moreauville, Simmesport, Marksville, Mansura and Hessmer in a motor home provided by Greg Kojis. The festival promised “lots of fun,” with corn shucking, cooking and eating contests, arts and crafts, volleyball, a fun run, parade, corn-animal contests, lizard races, pirogue races, street dances, live bands, softball and tennis tourna-
ments, a carnival, food booths and more. Entertainment listed for the weekend included The Dots, County Line, Ellen Lee and Ronnie Dunlap, Tomcats, Cy-
press City, Rocking Doopsie and his Cajun Twisters, Chester Cormier and His Bayou Playboys and Country Junction.

Published in The Bunkie Record on Sunday, June 28, 1987, this article looked back on the first annual Louisiana Corn Festival in Bunkie. Written by Tracey Juneau, the story described a weekend filled with rain, mud, heat and plenty of community spirit. The festival opened Friday with local businesses setting up scarecrows for judging. Bayou Vista Nursing Home won first place with a display featuring two scarecrows in wheelchairs “fishing.” Martha’s Flower Shop placed second, and Robert Cleaner’s finished third. Rain arrived before the carnival opened, but it did not stop festival-goers. Crowds still came out in old shoes and yellow Corn Festival T-shirts, while vendors spread hay on the ground to help with the mud. Natalie Rabalais was named Queen Cornsilk, and Tammy Meeker was chosen first maid. Saturday brought the parade, carnival, sports events, craft booths, corn shucking contests and a street dance. Parade winners included the Cub Scouts of Bunkie, Bunkie General Hospital, St. Anthony School athletes and cheerleaders, the Alexandria Corvette Club, the Bunkie High cheer- leaders and several other local groups. Sunday’s events included a two-mile fun run, corn eating contest, cooking contest and pirogue races on Bayou Hoffpauir. The article called the first festival an overall success, noting that rain, mud and heat did not stop the crowds or the volunteers who worked to make the event happen.

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