Plenty of Cattle Festival activity set for weekend

Opening ceremonies for the 66th Annual Louisiana Cattle Festival are scheduled for Oct. 10.
There will be plenty of festival activity packed into the coming weekend, though.
The Black Pot Cook Off and Beef Cook Off will both take place on Sunday at the Red Barn on Rodeo Road. The Barn Dance and Trail Ride will be on Saturday, with Corky Mire and Jamie Bergeron kicking things off Friday at the Red Barn.
“We’re expecting a big weekend,” Cattle Festival President Francis Plaisance said.
Things will get started early on Sunday for the two cooking competitions. Matt Suire, a Cattle Festival board member and event organizer, said contestants will begin cooking as early as 5 a.m. Judging for both the Black Pot and Beef Cook Offs will take place at 1 p.m.
“This is the first year we are holding the Black Pot and Beef Cook Off together,” Plaisance said. “We used to have the Beef Cook Off downtown. We decided to hold them together to be able to get more people involved.”
Entry for either event is $40 separately. Someone choosing to do both contests will pay $50. The public will be able to pay $5 and taste test everything cooked in both.
Those entering the Black Pot can cook anything, so long as it is prepared on-site in a black pot. Entries for the Beef Cook Off will be limited solely to beef.
“We are expecting about 15 teams,” Suire said. “Teams can still sign up on Sunday morning. They just need to make sure everything is done by 1 p.m. for the judging.”
More than 200 riders are expected to arrive in Abbeville on Friday for the Barn Dance and Trail Ride event. They will be welcomed with a show from two bands, Corky Mire and Jamie Bergeron.
The ride will leave from the Red Barn at 9 a.m. on Saturday. It will be led by a professional trail boss.
“We usually get back around 4 p.m.,” Suire said. “This is a good event. This is the fourth year that we have done this and it keeps growing.”
Riders, as well as anyone else interested in attending, will head to the Barn Dance later that evening. Geno Delafosse is expected to take the stage around 8 p.m. Entry to the Barn Dance will be $10.
“There’s a lot leading up to the Cattle Festival,” Plaisance said. “It’s a busy, but exciting time.”