Louisiana Cattle Festival ‘rebrands’ with new event at Red Barn

On Saturday, June 3, the Louisiana Cattle Festival & Fair Association hosted a new, unique event to kick off the 2023 festival season while staying true to the Association’s core purpose of celebrating the cattle industry.
The annual “Brand the Barn” event highlighted a longstanding tradition for many cattle producers and ranchers, called branding, but with a new twist of permanently burning individual brands into the Louisiana Cattle Festival-owned venue, The Red Barn, in Abbeville.
Encompassing many different shapes, sizes and symbols, an individual brand is used to identify ownership of cattle; each unique brand belongs to a different owner.
The Festival’s recent, one-of-a-kind fundraising event showcased this small component of owning cattle yet a piece that makes it more personal to each cattleman and cattlewoman.
To watch cattle producing families come together and brand the barn was truly amazing. From young families continuing the legacy to some honoring past fathers with their brands, it truly was something very special to see,” said La. Cattle Festival President.
“To see the hard work and dedication of this board and members all come to fruition at our first event of the year makes me even more eager for what is to come with more events and especially the 73rd Festival in October.”
While some attendees branded symbols of their ownership, many used legacy brands passed down for generations or a memorial brand of a relative.
Over 200 event attendees joined to witness brands being burned into fresh cypress along the barn’s bar while being entertained by Freedom 95.1 radio station disk jockey Wesley “Wesbound” LeMaire.
Also included in the event was a fantastic live and silent auction selection, cold drinks, delicious food choices of hamburger steak or roast beef with rice dressing and coleslaw, and exciting announcements including the 73rd Festival theme, t-shirt design and unveiling of the official poster and introduction of the inaugural “Featured Artist.” The successful event was topped off with special musical guest Jaryd Lane.
With only a few months until the Louisiana Cattle Festival and with a new direction and vision, the “Brand the Barn” event officially began the festival season. It connected the Festival to its newly announced theme of “Branding It Back,” paying homage to traditions and festival legacy.
The theme reflects the Association’s commitment to branding the Festival back to its purpose—commemorating Louisiana’s beef and dairy industries.
The Association is also striving for more involvement and engagement with producers and ranchers across the state, collaboration with local and state Cattlemen’s and Cattlewomen’s Associations, the Vermilion Parish 4H program, as well as youth and the community at large.
Additionally, the theme highlights the Festival returning to its original location in the historic downtown streets of Abbeville and, in the most literal sense, physically “branded” the Louisiana Cattle Festival’s Red Barn showing appreciation to the industry and that all are invited and welcomed.
As the only Louisiana festival that exclusively celebrates cattle, its industry, traditions and way of life, the Louisiana Cattle Festival’s new “Brand the Barn” event successfully highlighted cattle producers and ranchers and a livelihood that run deep in our Louisiana roots.
The Festival thanks all event sponsors, attendees, volunteers and members for their contributions, and encourages the general public to join the many exciting initiatives to come.
The Louisiana Cattle Festival and Fair Association invites you to the historic streets of downtown Abbeville on October 6-8, 2023, for the 73rd Louisiana Cattle Festival.