River Region Art Association will be presenting “Awesome Art on the Bayou,” an arts and cultural festival, on Oct. 8-9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in Gonzales at the City Hall/Jambalaya Park area and spreading along Francois Bayou. This family friendly event will be free and open to the public. It will feature arts and crafts booths, food booths, literary booths, Children’s interactive art booths, non-profit information booths, cultural displays and Scarecrow exhibits, along with the Awesome Art Show and Sale located inside the City Hall. This judged show with over $1,600 in prize money will feature an adult division with paintings, drawings, photography and three dimensional art. In addition the children will compete in 12-17 and 11-and-under divisions in drawings and paintings.

 There will be continuous musical entertainment on the Jambalaya stage at the festival featuring Jazz Nurse Prescription Band, the Fugitive Poets Bluegrass sounds, the Hot Pepper Cajun Band, the Crown Seekers with Gospel music and the Baton Rouge Concert Band and the Center Stage Performers with Broadway hits. There will be drummers and dancers, the Foxy Trotters and the Zohor belly dancers. There will be special puppet shows each day for the children with Karen Konnerth, award winning puppeteer from Callioppe Puppet Theatre of New Orleans. Children will enjoy the art area, where they will create their own art to take home in watercolor, toothpick sculpture, collage, draw cartoons, painting and even have their face painted in addition to decorating a mini pumpkin.   

 The entertainment is partially provided through a grant from the Baton Rouge Arts Council and the Louisiana Division of the Arts. It will be the biggest art event in Ascension Parish featuring Louisiana’s diverse culture and immense creativity. This Louisiana festival brings art, culture and community all together. Location is at 120 Irma Blvd. at the intersection of Cornerview Road. For more information go to www.artgumbo.org or call 225-328-7354.