Organizers thank public for successful Cattle Festival

The 66th Louisiana Cattle Festival has come and gone, leaving behind what organizers call a memorable weekend.
The three-day event wrapped up Sunday in Abbeville.
“There was a good turnout and I thought it was successful,” Cattle Festival President Francis Plaisance said. “I want to thank the public for all of their cooperation for making this a safe, fun event.
“Overall, I thought it was well attended and we were very fortunate with the weather.”
Rain did fall during a portion of Saturday’s Grand Parade. The drops did not slow things down.
“It didn’t rain long and it was neat to watch those who were in the parade never stop,” Plaisance said. “They just kept going. There were some diehards. That parade was never going to stop.”
The Franklin High marching band even made due.
“They put on some rain coats and never quite marching,” Plaisance said. “That is unique to me because usually marching bands will have to pull out when it starts raining.”
Plaisance pointed to something else he found unique to this year’s festival.
“I saw more children and young people this year,” Plaisance said. “I saw more than I have seen in my 19 years with the festival.
“I found that it was more family oriented this year.”
The festival had other different aspects this year, notably requiring those consuming alcohol to obtain $5 wrist bands prior to purchasing drinks.
“We thank all of the people who understood and followed that,” Plaisance said. “We knew it would not be an easy process, but I have talked to the board and we just need to be consistent with it now that it is something people are aware of.
“It is something that we are going to use to keep improving and upgrading the entertainment for the festival.”
The wrist bands made an impact in another area.
“We had agents with (Louisiana) Alcohol and Tobacco Control checking the festival,” Plaisance said. “We have a certificate that we successfully passed our checks without any problems.
“The big reason for that is that the wristbands helped control underage drinking.”
As far as the festival itself, the event had an effect on Abbeville beyond the downtown area.
“I understand that many of the hotels were booked up and many of the restaurants were busy,” Plaisance said. “That is great for the city.”
With another successful year in the books, organizers are looking forward to similar, if not greater, results in 2015 for the 67th Annual Louisiana Cattle Festival.
“We are already working on that,” Plaisance said.