Abbeville, Louisiana's 5000 Egg Giant Omelette Celebration - Sunday Part 2

The Giant Omelette Celebration Sunday
Abbeville, Louisiana’s 5000 Egg Giant Omelette Celebration
Magdalen Square
November 7th, 2010
http://www.giantomelette.org/

From after the 9:00 AM mass at Mary Magdalen Catholic Church until the "Procession of the Egg" at 1:00 PM, Magdalen Square and the streets around it are filled with shoppers, spectators, vendors, and plenty of people from neighboring towns and bayous.

There are arts and crafts on sale in the square. food wagons and tents on the street, and Chubby Carrier playing traditional zydeco from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. The sun is shining and all is well with the world.

By 1:00 PM, thousands of people will have jammed onto the sidewalks of Concord Street to get a good look at the spectacle of the 26th Annual Giant Omelette being prepared then dispensed to just about every hand that reaches for a serving.

One of the major supporters of the celebration is BEGNEAUD Manufacturing, Inc. of nearby Lafayette, Louisiana. In 2004, Don Begneaud''s company built a duplicate of the skillet for the 20th Giant Omelette Celebration. According to William Sanders, the operator of the fork lift used to move the skillet today, the original skillet made by his former employer, founder "Bichon" Emery Toups in his propeller shop had shown signs of wear and needed replacement. This new one should last generations.

Magdalen Square, with its canopy of live oak trees, was a perfect setting for the two-day Arts and Crafts Show. Everything here - pottery, wood carvings, ceramics, gemstone and sterling silver jewelry, candles, lotions, soaps -  had to be hand-made and jury approved.

All sorts of tempting food was available all around the square.

The lovely fountain in the center of Magdalen Square was a great place to eat, meet, relax.

A wave and a smile is a good way to attract hungry browsers to Bernice Bernard's Sweet Dough Pies!

Sunday morning featured a celebratory Mass at Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, a Poker Run, a juried art show, an Antique Car/Implement Show and of course, live music - Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band.

"Hey, put down your camera and pad, pt, it's time to dance!" she said.

Two organizers, Janine Dugas and Todd Lemaire, get the feelin' ...

and in case you wonder how everybody learns to love music and dance down here, this photo should show the answer.

Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.

PART 3 http://ptatlarge.typepad.com/ptatlarge/2010/11/abbeville-louisianas-5000-egg-giant-omelette-celebration-sunday-part-3.html

 

Comments

[Bill Pignato]

Great article… I usually stick to a 3 egg omelette.

[Paul aka pt at large]

Lucky for you there are a few thousand other diners to help you finish the omelette. Thanks for the post!