Swamp Pop Music Festival raises funds for cystic fibrosis
A long list of musical acts drew people from near and far to Gonzales over the weekend, all for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The annual Deep South Crane and Rigging Swamp Pop Music Festival, held Friday and Saturday at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center’s Trade Mart building in Gonzales, continued a tradition of attracting large crowds.
Out of the 80 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation offices nationwide, the Gonzales fundraising event is the largest attended of all.
Beyond the droves of locals who support the event, some made a special trip to hear the uniquely Louisiana sounds of swamp pop music and pass a good time, as the locals say.
One couple who was dancing the night away Friday said they gladly made the trek from Gulfport, Miss. for the festival.
David and Carolyn Bobinger said they had never been to Gonzales before, but they decided to make the trip after they heard about the festival.
The long list of swamp pop, zydeco and Cajun acts scheduled was the main selling point.
Local favorite Clif Nickens kicked off the entertainment Friday at 6:30 p.m. as the crowd sprawled throughout the building and dance floor.
The threat of rain drops outside didn’t seem to keep festival goers away.
Elverta Cook of St. Amant joined Nickens on stage to sing some Cajun music.
Just minutes later she joined the masses of dancers who covered the dance floor in front of Nickens and his band.
The excitement from the opening act was a sign of things to come, as a long list of entertainers took to the stage through Saturday night.
Wayne Foret followed Nickens, then came more festival favorites like “Louisiana’s Rockin’ Fiddler” Waylon Thibodeaux and Wayne Toups with ZydeCajun.
Saturday afternoon gave way to even more music with Aaron Foret, Kenny Fife and Bac Trac, Foret Tradition, David St. Romain, Kane Glaze, Ken Marvel and Kenny Cornett and Killin’ Time.
Though the festival focuses on music, there were plenty of other activities going on over the weekend.
The Jambalaya Festival Association held a cookoff over the two days.
The festival also included a car and truck show Saturday and a motorcycle poker run.
A pageant is held and royalty reigns over each year’s festivities. This year’s children pageant will be Aug. 8, and the senior pageant (ages 13 and up) will be Aug. 9.
Going strong for over a decade now, the event started in 1998 when swamp pop musician Cody Marchand approached his friend David Eastridge about putting on a fundraising concert.
Eastridge had been touched personally by cystic fibrosis after his granddaughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with the life-threatening illness.
The two started the grassroots event in conjunction with the Baton Rouge office of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, and it has grown in popularity each year.
For more information, visit swamppopmusicfest.com.
