‘Good eats’ on menu at Gheens fest

In the 1970s, the tiny Cajun community of Gheens lacked a communal gathering place.

To erect such a building, members of local clubs got together to put on a fundraising food festival.

With donated land from Nolan Falgout and two or three years of effort, the Gheens Community Center was built.

What started in the back of St. Anthony’s Church as the Gheens Day Festival has become the Gheens Bon Mange’ Festival, and the center is now the heart of the town.

“We’ve had weddings there, pageants, variety shows and plays,” said Carlotta Toups, a former festival board member. “It serves many functions for us.”

This year’s Gheens Bon Mange’ Festival takes places June 7-8 at the Gheens Community Center, 1783 La. Hwy. 654. The festival opens from 11 a.m. till on Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

There is no charge to attend. Patrons only buy plate lunches and drinks. All proceeds go to the upkeep of the community center.

“The whole festival is held in an air-conditioned building, so [visitors] won’t fight the heat,” said current festival board member Susan Falgout.

No one knows how the festival name change occurred, but theories abound.

“I guess they said the food was so good, somebody must have said, ‘Bon Mange,'” said Toups, “which means ‘good eats’ in French. I guess it just took off with that.”

Some of the good food includes jambalaya, rice dressing, baked chicken, spaghetti, white beans and fish, fried fish, fried fish pradas and seafood or chicken and sausage gumbo.

On Saturday, Wayne Foret, Gary Thibodaux, and Swing Arm perform.

That night, reigning Miss Bon Mange Festival, Kayla Christine Becnel, and other queens from different divisions will be presented.

Treater plays on Sunday from noon to 7 p.m., along with Cajun musician Charles Mann.

“What we like about him is he includes the children in a lot of his songs and has the children participate on stage with him,” said Janice Breaux, pageant director for the Bon Mange’ Festival.

On Sunday, there is also a hula-hoop contest, jitterbug contest and the “Womanless Pageant.”

“The men dress up as women and the audience chooses who is the reigning queen,” said Breaux.

Despite that last image, the Bon Mange Festival is a real treat for anyone with an appreciation for Cajun cuisine and small-town charm, she said.

“We have awesome food and great music,” said Falgout, “and that’s mostly what the people come for.”

For more information, contact Susan Falgout at 532-5960.