By LEONARD GRAY

DES ALLEMANDS – The 28th annual Louisiana Catfish Festival this weekend offers a host of new features, from a permanent pavilion and a poster contest to a logo for the festival itself.

This year’s event kicks off Friday and is dedicated to the late Rev. Benedict Quang. He pushed for a permanent pavilion and it is now dedicated to his memory as the “Father Ben Pavilion.”

Lisa Douglas, the festival’s promotions chairman, said this year has been a rough one for the congregation of St. Gertrude Catholic Church, with the loss of the popular priest in a drowning accident last December.

The festival was founded in 1975 by then-pastor, the Rev. William “Father Mac” McCallion, and it got its first big push on Feb. 20 of that year when the state declared Des Allemands as “Catfish Capital of the Universe.”

The first festival was held that same July on the American Legion grounds, and grossed more than $59,000, with its main attraction being the “World Champion Catfish Skinning Contest.” That contest is no longer held, along with the catfish eating contest and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service’s canning contest.

However, the catfish cooking contest is planned Saturday, along with the 5-K St. Charles Parish Championship Run.

The festival moved to the back of the church for its fourth festival and grossed nearly $89,000 that year. Last year it grossed nearly $120,000 for the church.

This year’s festival will feature souvenirs (from caps and T-shirts to aprons and tote bags), a car and motorcycle show, arts and crafts and live music. Catfish Queen Cheney Landry, 21, daughter of Cindy and Robert Landry of Norco, will also be on hand.

Music scheduled includes Don Rich, Connect Four, Mardi Gras Cloggers, Aaron Foret, Treater with Charles Mann and Johnnie Allan, Souled Out, Foret Tradition and Gary T & Southern Breeze. Children may get pay-one-price tickets on a daily basis or for the entire weekend. Food will include hamburgers, hot dogs, sauce piquant, jambalaya, seafood gumbo, catfish boulettes, funnel cakes, catfish and shrimp boats, onion mums, french fries and snowballs.

A fireworks show is planned Saturday, starting at 9:30 p.m.

The festival hours are as follows: Friday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The extended hours will allow for attendance by visitors to the National Association of County Organizations convention.

Admission is free. For information call 985-758-7542.