The vendors area of the Ronald Mayeux Ballpark in Hessmer was filled with people attending the Cajun Crossroads Festival this past Saturday. Several hundred people came out on a beautiful May day to enjoy baseball, BBQ, music and games. {Photo by Shawn Gagnard}
One young festival-goer enjoys the large inflatable slide at the Crossroads Festival in Hessmer.
Almost home
Dustin Voinche of the Gators T-ball team is tagged out at home by Young Bloods catcher Kelly Juneau. The Young Bloods won this game, 9-3, and advanced to the finals of the Cajun Crossroads Festival tournament where they fell to tourney champs T-Ballers. {Photo by Raymond L. Daye}
Hessmer celebrates Spring with Cajun Crossroads Festival
Sat, 05/14/2016 - 05:00
Raymond Daye
Raymond L. Daye
The smell of barbecue, the crack of a bat and the laughter of children all make a beautiful, sunny May day all the better.
This past Saturday (May 7) could not have been better suited to an outdoor event had the Cajun Crossroads Festival ordered it special delivery.
“It’s a great turnout,” Hessmer Sports Club President Shawn Gagnard said during the May 7 event. “We just want to thank the community for coming out to support this worthwhile fundraising event.”
It was the second annual festival in Hessmer, and by all accounts was bigger and better than last year’s initial venture.
The weather was certainly more cooperative. Last year intermittent rain had even threatened to cancel the fireworks display, but the show went on.
This year’s fireworks seemed louder, longer and more intense than last year’s popular show.
Proceeds from the adult T-ball tournament, BBQ Cook-Off and concessions will benefit the Hessmer Sports Club, which sponsors the Little League Program and helps maintain the village-owned Ronald Mayeux Ballpark complex where the festival was held.
Gagnard said the Sports Club’s next major project is to build a new concession stand/bathrooms area for the ballpark.
This year’s festival also added arts & crafts vendors to the mix. There is talk of contracting with a carnival for the the 2017 Crossroads Festival.
The inflatable Jupiter Jump and large slide were popular with the younger festival-goers.
But the two “main events” were the T-ball tournament and the BBQ Cook-off competition.
The T-Ballers took the T-ball title while the Young Bloods finished second.
Team Budweiser was crowned Grand Champion of the cook-off and also won the Boston butt category. Chase Communications was second and Pan American Engineers was third in that class.
Service Air’s team of chefs won the BBQ chicken divisio, with Shawn’s SuperCenter and Team Country Store taking the next two positions.
Gremillion Corrugated was the rib winner, followed by Service Air and Budweiser.
Cajun Sports had the best brisket. Pan American Engineers and Country Stop came in second and third.
The evening activities featured music by the Cartoons, with the fireworks show taking place just after sunset.