Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival canceled for second straight year

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival board voted Monday night to cancel this year's festival. This will make the second straight year when COVID-19 led organizers to call off St. Mary's biggest festival.

"This decision was not made lightly," the board said in a press release, "and it was made after multiple conversations with the Louisiana Department of Health, local physicians, our regional hospitals, and the community.

"Further, we must keep in mind the health of our community and those who would be traveling to take part in the celebrations. The Board of Directors thanks everyone for their understanding and patience during these continued unprecedented times."

The release said the board has been meeting to consider the potential effects of COVID-19.

"As you may know, festival planning includes coordinating numerous vendors and bands, meeting and relying on community sponsors and businesses, and hosting events for large crowds made up of both locals and guests visiting from neighboring cities and states.

"After much deliberation of the benefits and risks of having this year’s 86th Festival celebration, the Festival Board has decided to cancel this year’s events."

After the 2020 cancellation, the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival board announced early in 2021 that it had plans to resume this Labor Day. The festival staff released a music lineup for this year's festival as recently as Aug. 3. As COVID numbers declined through the early summer, events such as Morgan City's Fourth of July celebration at Lake End Park, the Bayou BBQ Bash and the Battle on the Bayou boat races drew good crowds

But festival Director Hailee Thomas said the board was monitoring the COVID situation. And by the beginning of August, a month after the Delta variant's presence in Louisiana was confirmed, there was a lot to monitor.

Louisiana continues to have the highest per-capita number of new COVID-19 cases in the country, and the disease is spreading faster in St. Mary than in most of the rest of the state. The positivity rate on COVID tests here is over 17%, and Coroner Eric Melancon said Monday night that 20 COVID-related deaths have occurred this month in St. Mary.

"[Cancellation of the festival] had to be done," Melancon said in a phone interview. "There are no options."

Melancon said he advised the board to call off this year's event.

He said he's frustrated by resistance to vaccination in a parish where fewer than 31% of people have taken the shot. Melancon blamed the low rate on ignorance, politics and sometimes wishy-washy advice from public health officials.

Vaccination "is safe," Melancon said. "It works. "Let's get the vaccine and get back to normal."

This year's festival would have been Lee Dragna's first as mayor. Monday night, Dragna said he didn't take a position on whether the festival should go on.

"That was their call," Dragna said. "I believe people have enough common sense to know if they're going to be safe . ... I think it's probably better because people will feel safer."

Dragna, who attended Monday's meeting, said he believes the festival board did well to decide to continue with this year's coronation. The board may then be able to proceed with some form of festival later in the year if the COVID surge eases, he said.

As director of the Cajun Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Carrie Stansbury has a stake in the festival.

"I understand why they did it," Stansbury said Monday night. "It's still painful."

The numbers at the Cajun Coast Visitors Center were starting to pick up heading into August, a month when trips to visit relatives before school starts usually brings people into the parish.

"We're not seeing any of that ...," Stansbury said.

"It's overwhelming and sad. I guess that's why people are so passionate about things. They want to try and be back to normal. But when is normal?"