Wooden Boat Festival set for Oct. 13

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum will present the 23rd Annual Wooden Boat Festival along the banks of the scenic Tchefuncte River in Madisonville on Oct. 13 and 14.

"The 23rd Annual Wooden Boat Festival will be a celebration of what makes maritime Louisiana great," said Don Lynch, Museum Executive Director. "There will be hundreds of vintage boats, great performers, arts, crafts, food and fun for everyone."

Some of the most popular local bands will perform at the Bud Light Entertainment Stage located on the baseball field on Main Street, including Sound Barrier, Bottoms Up, Boot Hill and Category 6 and 4 Unplugged.

Children's Village, also on the baseball field, will feature some new and exciting activities as well as the ever-popular Quick 'n' Dirty Boat-Building Contest.

Witness the hilarious antics and cunning carpentry skills on both days as 20 teams blitz build a boat with the hopes of being the first to glide across the finish line. A team consists of a four- to six-member crew. The crews bring a Mardi Gras feel to the festival as they pick themes, name their boats and dress up in costumes.

The crews will parade from the ball field to the river, where the ultimate contest begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14.

On Water Street, view and tour the more than 100 classic and wooden boats on display, enjoy regional delicacies and specialties foods and shop for fine wares being sold by the artists' and marine vendors.

A limited supply of the highly-coveted annual Wooden Boat Festival collectible poster will be sold at the festival. This year celebrates the bicentennial of the State of Louisiana.

As part of a unique Wooden Boat Festival tradition, the St. Tammany Woodworkers Guild will be at the south end of Water Street where children can build small wooden boats from precut pieces.

On the field, at the corner of Main Street and Mabel Drive, the classics of the water will meet the classics of the road as the Classic Car Cruise-In is expected to attract over 100 antique and classic cars from across the region.