La Fête d’Ecologie set Saturday at Lake End Park

THIBODAUX — The 17th annual La Fête d’Ecologie, a free, interactive, environmental festival, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at Morgan City’s Lake End Park.

The festival is sponsored by Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and its Foundation.

La Fête d’Ecologie is an annual, one-day festival with distinct Louisiana flair. 

The festival focuses on the environment, history, and the blend of cultures found in the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary. 

The estuary is the 4.2 million acres between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers, which is the most rapidly disappearing area on earth and is one of the world’s richest natural resources providing fisheries, rich farmland and oil and gas resources to the nation. 

The music line-up includes Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Don Rich Band and King PaKaYea’ Band. Also, joining the festival this year is magician Glen Ghirardi. 

Traditional folk life artists, government agencies, non-profit organizations and educational groups will be participating with interactive exhibits to teach children and adults about the history, culture and bounty of the environment, as well as their efforts to restore Louisiana’s wetlands. 

A cast net throwing contest and duck calling contest are planned.

The festival will be attended by the Cast Net King, the mythological king who lives in the swamp, 45 minutes south of Thibodaux. He only emerges from the swamp to enter the cast net throwing competition in order to regain his title, and to raise awareness of Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands. The Cast Net King also enjoys the delicious food at the festival. 

La Fête d’Ecologie is free and open to the public.

For more information concerning the festival, call the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary office at 985-447-0868 or email Kristy Monier at kristy@btnep.org.