PORT BARRE — Get ready to taste some finger-licking cracklin, as the Port Barre Lions Club kicks off the 38th annual Port Barre Cracklin Festival.
The smell of crackling is moving through the air as vendors cook the popular Louisiana dish.
On Thursday morning, organizers were on a roll, setting up the stage and putting down barricades, while vendors set up tables, placed pots, and got all the flavor lined up.
"We will have seasoning, sauces, and loaded fries, cracklins, anything you want is going to be out here," said Chance Fontenot, owner of the Three Little Cajuns seasoning and sauce business.
Chance Fontenot, a cook, is no stranger to the festival, attending ever since he was a kid. Now he spends it with his family and this year, he is adding a kick to the cracklin with his homemade seasoning---and sauces.
"You can dip it with a classic Couyon sauce or blueberry bourbon; we tried it, and it's different," said Fontenot.
At least 30 vendors will be at this year's festival; half will be arts and crafts, and the other will cater to food and cracklin. There will also be music from local bands and carnival rides.
Organizers say people from all over the world will be here to visit.
"We have people from Canada come by and taste some cracklin," said Port Barre Lions Club President Daniel Ardoin.
"Because we have the best thing out here, with seasonings. No one has it like we do. No one has cracklin like we do, we have the best," said Fontenot.
The cracklin is what everyone is going crazy for. But there is a bigger story that stands at the center of the festival.
"We support the Lions Camp, which is a free camp for children that have disabilities, in Leesville, and then we also support the Louisiana Foundation through the Lions Club for surgeries, eyeglasses, and things like that. For people who are in need, which is how I got involved in the festival; the Lions Club paid for an eye for my uncle as a child," said Katelyn Calhoun, Lions Club member.
The Port Barre Lions Club Foundation created the festival in 1985 to raise funds for those in need. Today, the foundation supports and provides humanitarian efforts and helps charities and youth. So far, over the years, they have raised over $100,000 in donations.
Not only is the crackling helping a cause, but it's also boosting the local economy.
"All of our convenience stores end up booking up and having people go in and out like crazy, so it brings in a lot of revenue for them for the weekend. And we have people from all walks of life coming in, and we can range anywhere from 3000 to 8000 people in a night," said Desiree Vicknair, a Lions Club member.
To learn more about the Port Barre Lions Club, click here.
