32nd annual Corn Festival opens Thursday

The 32nd Annual Louisiana Corn Festival will be held in Bunkie this Thursday-Saturday (June 7-9).

The festivities will begin with a Carnival Family Night on Thursday and will end with a street dance on Saturday night.

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain will speak at a breakfast on Friday morning in Haas Auditorium to kick off the festival.

A popular addition to last year’s festival will return this year. The Car, Truck and Bike Show will be held Saturday in the old Winn-Dixie parking lot on Shirley Road.
All makes and models of vehicles are welcome and encouraged. The event will be held rain or shine. Vehicle registration will be from 7-10:30 a.m. Goody bags will be given to the first 100 entries. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m.

The show will feature a DJ, food vendors, contests for all ages and door prizes.

There will be an admission of $4 per person for those ages 21 and older and $1 for those under 21 on Friday and Saturday for entry to the festival grounds.

Tickets will be required to enter all areas of the festival grounds, including the carnival.

There is free admission to the festival’s Family Night on Thursday. Carnival bracelets will be $25 to ride all night.

Tickets for arm bands are on sale at the Bunkie City Hall Annex. Tickets can be purchased before Thursday for $20. The tickets can be turned in on any single night for a one-time use of an armband to ride all night for that evening only.

“This is always an exciting time of the year for Bunkie as we prepare for the festival,” Bunkie Chamber of Commerce President Lele Soileau said. “Our volunteers have been working tirelessly to make this year’s festival better for the festival-goers.

“The car show last year was just one example of the volunteers working to bring something new to the festival. It was so popular last year the car show will be back.”

Dr. Don Hines, who served this area as a state senator and Avoyelles Parish School Board member, will serve as the festival Grand Marshal. Hines has been a long-time supporter of the annual festival since its inception. His assistance in obtaining funding for renovating Haas Auditorium and erecting the pavilion next to the auditorium has helped bring more people to the festival over the years.

Allison Tubre will be the festival’s first “Queen of Ceremonies.” She was chosen for her continued help as a volunteer for the past 32 years.

Hines and Tubre will be introduced at the opening ceremonies on Friday evening.

MUSICAL LINEUP

“The musical lineup, which includes music from Country, Zydeco and Cajun, will be great for everyone,” Soileau said. “We are aware of people traveling from south and central Louisiana just to see the main bands on Friday and Saturday night.”

Clay Cormier and The Highway Boys will be playing Country and Cajun favorites from 6-8:30 p.m. on Friday. Jaryd Lane and “The Parish” will continue from 9 p.m. until midnight with Country music. He has a few hits that are currently playing on the radio.

On Saturday, Marksville native Charley Rivers, a popular local Country musician, kicks off music at 2:30.

At 5:30 p.m., Ashton Dupre of Bayou Chicot, hits the stage. Dupre’s brother, James Dupre, was on the hit show “The Voice” a couple of seasons back.

The main street dance will start at 9 p.m. Keith Frank and “The Soileau Zydeco Band” will be on stage until midnight. The popular south Louisiana band has produced several CDs.

Opening ceremonies will be at 5:15 p.m. Friday with the introduction of the 2018 Louisiana Corn Festival Queens.”

Food and arts & crafts vendor booths will be open during the event.

A summer festival without contests wouldn’t be much of a festival. The Corn Festival has several set for Saturday. All contests except for the corn cooking and piroque race are free to participate.

Starting at 11:15 a.m., there’s the corn-shucking contest under the pavilion. At 12 noon, the Lizard Races will start under the pavilion. At 12:30 p.m. the individual Corn Cooking Contest will begin. Entry fee for the cooking contest is $5.

The corn-eating contest is set for 1 p.m. under the pavilion. The pirogue races on Bayou Huffpauir will begin at 2:30 p.m. There is a $5 entry fee to participate in the race.

Soileau said the many festival volunteers have once again answered the call and “have been unbelievable. I want to thank each of them for their time and the dedication they have given to make the Bunkie festival affordable to everyone.”

For more information or to register for contests visit www.bunkiechamber.net/lacornfest or “like” the Chamber’s Facebook page.

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