Sawmill festival starts Friday
The 28th Cypress Sawmill Festival will be held Friday through Sunday at Kemper Williams Park near Patterson with officials expecting roughly 15,000 people to attend, according to the event website.
Organizers first held the festival in 1991, but canceled the 2017 festival due to several recent years of bad weather and lack of revenues and volunteers. However, they decided to bring back the festival in 2018.
Proceeds from the festival go to the building fund for Louisiana State Museum — Patterson. The museum, which opened in December 2005, features the Wedell Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill collections.
Cypress Sawmill Festival is partnering with Songs on the Bayou — Road to 3rd Street Songwriters Festival this year for an expansive variety of musical events and guests, the website says. The songwriters festival was held this past week.
This year’s festival will feature Mitchell Brothers Carnival with amusement rides and games. The All American Lumberjack Show, an arts and crafts show, classic car show, White Tiger Discovery, an old engine display, shuttle tours with guest music hosts, RV camping, live music, a songwriter’s workshop for kids and more.
Pay-one-price ride bracelets are $25 each for each of the following time ranges: 5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
On Friday, there will be two All American Lumberjack school shows. An arts and crafts show and food booths open at 5 p.m. The Carnival starts Friday and continues through Sunday. Live music begins at 5:15 p.m. Friday with Sean Gasaway followed by the KQKI Country Showdown at 6:30 p.m. and Deja Vu at 9:45 p.m.
Saturday will feature three All American Lumberjack shows, one kids’ Lumberjack Sport Camp with chain saw carving. Food booths and the arts and crafts show open at noon. An old engine display will be at the festival Saturday and Sunday.
The live music lineup Saturday starts at 11:30 a.m. with Bayou Music City Youth Spotlight, Sadie McClendon at noon, Cliff Hillebran at 1 p.m., Lance Dubroc at 2:30 p.m., Mudbone at 4 p.m., Jus Cuz at 6 p.m., South 70 at 7:30 p.m. and Jaryd Lane Band at 10 p.m.
A classic car show will be held Sunday at the festival. Also Sunday, there are two All American Lumberjack shows, one kids’ lumberjack sport camp with chain saw carving. A children’s pageant will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at Patterson Area Civic Center.
Sunday’s music lineup comprises the LHTMS Family Band at 11:30 a.m., Crawford & Power at 12:30 p.m., CJ Solar at 1:15 p.m., Chubby Carrier at 2 p.m. and Dallas Moore at 4 p.m.