BP funds to help spark tourism

Talks, officials warn, are “very much in the preliminary stages,” but an anticipated cooperative endeavor agreement between the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government and Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce could be the starting point that establishes a new cultural and entertainment event for the region that could draw national attention.

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce Chairman William “Billy” Foster Jr. announced during the organization’s annual banquet last Wednesday that a $175,000 BP grant has been offered through the state of Louisiana to Terrebonne Parish to spark tourism with two new festivals.

The events would be organized, financed and implemented through a yet-to-be established Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce Foundation as a 501c3, non-profit organization that would own the event and be able to receive additional donations to support it.

“I don’t have a lot of details,” Foster said following the chamber gala. “The parish approached the chamber of commerce with this opportunity. A stipulation of the grant is that a festival to help promote tourism be put on this year and next with the money that has been made available for each year.”

Foster said the chamber of commerce has approached the idea, “very cautiously because we had never done this.” After some investigation, the chamber board elected to support the idea and move forward with the cooperative endeavor agreement.

“We’re excited about the chamber taking on this festival,” Terrebonne Parish Planning and Zoning Director Patrick Gordon said. “Numerous festivals throughout south Louisiana, including Thibodeauxville is sponsored by the [Thibodaux] chamber. We believe it is going to be a great asset to Terrebonne Parish to have this festival.”

Gordon said that although there are a wide variety of festivals and activities in the region, this new event is intended to draw attendees from well outside the parish.

Organizers of the festival are encouraging proceeds made from the event to be used for downtown improvements, including landscaping.

State Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, said he hopes to serve as an organizer of the proposed festivals.

“BP has been spending a lot of money across the Gulf to help rehabilitate the images of the area that have been impacted by the [April 2010] oil spill,” Chabert said. “The parish is working with the chamber and others to put together a festival that can assist in the rebranding of Terrebonne Parish.”

Chabert said he and others would like the festivals to be held in downtown Houma, but emphasized that no dates or locations for such events have yet to be established, other than the highlighting of regional food and culture.

Foster and Chabert said that while longtime residents remember the attention generated with Lagniappe on the Bayou, put on by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Chauvin, or even the popularity of Downtown on the Bayou in Houma, these new festivals are not intended to replace or be a return of those events in nature or name.

“Lagniappe on the Bayou was one of the major festivals in the state,” Chabert said. “It was probably one of the best run and the best marketed. It was definitely a signature festival without any question.”

Lagniappe on the Bayou was presented from the early 1970s until 1994 when the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese decided it no longer wanted to have the church involved in festivals of a secular nature. Because Lagniappe on the Bayou was an established brand name belonging to the church, Foster and Chabert said it will not be used for other events.

“As a resident of Chauvin and as a former patron of Lagniappe on the Bayou and a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church, I promise you that they will not use [the name] Lagniappe on the Bayou,” Chabert said.

“We don’t want to use Downtown on the Bayou because it was part of the Downtown Development Corp. and we don’t want to use their name,” Foster added.

The chamber chairman said logistics could be the biggest stumbling block when considering limited resources for downtown Houma or any other local venue.

Supporters cautioned that no decisions have been made for the festivals, but many want to include major musical entertainment, food and culture of the region and other Louisiana treasures.

“I think every community should have some type of festival like this,” Foster said. “It does something for a community. It gives people something to look forward to, but it goes beyond that. We want people out of parish to come into Terrebonne Parish. If we do it right the first and second year, it certainly can grow.”

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce hired Lori Toups Benoit to work as festival coordinator. She had her first day at the office on Monday.

Gordon said BP had already allocated $2.9 million for Terrebonne Parish to promote tourism, and that the $175,000 is part of that allocation. “We had that [$175,000] reserved specifically for a large festival to raw individuals outside a 50 mile radius,” he said.

Gordon said if the $2.9 million is not completely used it will have to be returned to the state for use in another parish. “We have been putting it into advertising, the branding effort, all kinds of things including this new festival,” he said. “We intend to spend every penny.”

An agreement between the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government and the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce is expected to be signed by mid-February. Foster said once that step is accomplished the announcement of a festival name, date and location would be established.