Chicken Festival on the horizon
Leader file photo
The Louisiana Chicken Festival in Dubach is on the horizon at the end of the month, and some application deadlines for pageant contestants, craft vendors and more are coming up even sooner. Pictured above is a file photo of Olivia Williams in the 2022 drumstick eating contest.
Photo courtesy of DRABO
This year's Chicken Festival quilt includes the design of every single T-shirt from past festivals. Raffle tickets to win the quilt are a dollar apiece and available at Dubach Town Hall, First Guaranty Bank and Bagwell's Beauty Shop.
The town of Dubach’s signature event will strut, cackle and crow its way through downtown at the end of this month.
The Louisiana Chicken Festival is returning for its 34th year on Sept. 29-30, and there are several key deadlines and opportunities coming up for those who wish to participate.
Put on by the Dubach Restoration and Beautification Organization (DRABO) as its main fundraiser for town projects since 1989, the Louisiana Chicken Festival has missed only one year in 2020 and is ready to be the center of fun and excitement for the area once again.
Coming up first, applications to take part in the Chicken Festival Pageant on Sept. 23 are due Thursday.
The pageant features age divisions from newborn up to 12 years old.
“It’s fun and helps our community,” DRABO President Renee Vowles said. “The entry fees go back towards beautification projects in our community. And it’s a confidence booster for the little girls.”
The application can be found on the Louisiana Chicken Festival Facebook page and turned in at DRABO’s new office on 182 Main Street in Dubach from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or mailed to DRABO at P.O. Box 305, Dubach, LA 71235.
Depending on sign-ups the deadline may be extended, Vowles said, but participants applicants shouldn’t wait.
For questions on the pageant, call Abbi Monk at 318-957-9392, Vowles at 318-222-1126 or Renee Simpson at 318-237-1993.
The festival itself is still accepting applications for craft vendors to get a space downtown and sell their wares during the festivities.
Vowles said 10 food vendors are already signed up, which is more than plenty for an event of that size, so only craft vendors are being accepted at this time. Many spots are available.
The craft vendor application is on the Louisiana Chicken Festival Facebook page, and the deadline to apply is Sept. 22, a week before the event begins.
DRABO is seeking additional business sponsors for the event, and it also has special sponsorship packages for qualified candidates in the Oct. 14 elections.
For those interested in the history of the Chicken Festival, DRABO is selling raffle tickets for an original, one-of-a-kind Louisiana Chicken Festival quilt this year.
“We did a T-shirt quilt this year, made of every single Tshirt design in Chicken Festival history,” Vowles said.
Yes, all 34 years of Chicken Festival history are preserved on this quilt, and raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Tickets are available at Dubach Town Hall, First Guaranty Bank and Bagwell’s Beauty Shop.
Speaking of T- shirts, this year’s shirts are also available for purchase at those same locations.
A design contest held over the summer resulted in Cody Simpson’s winning design not only becoming the T- shirt, but also setting the tone for the theme of the festival as a whole, as organizers decided to go with the “ Strut, Cackle & Crow” theme included on the shirt.
Last but not least, this year’s Chicken Festival Parade is expected to be extra special, as the grand marshal will be the late Gina Stokes, DRABO member and key festival organizer for many years, who passed away in April.
A banner made in Stokes’ honor will be displayed during the parade, and a dedication will be held for her.
“We lost a big part of DRABO when we lost her,” Vowles said.
DRABO’s new office on 182 Main Street will be open 1-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday to field any questions about the festivities.
