Upcoming Events

As of Mar. 11th, 2010 here is what we have heard about:
(A work in progress, remember to check back often for updates)

Dates we are missing: Senior Citizen's Date at Fred's on the River (local tradition), Krewe of Orion Poker Run (and other poker runs), opening day for Sun Buns, Blind River Bar, Prop Stop, etc. Our events section is what it is because of the help I get from friends and visitors to the site! Thanks.

LOOK!

Got an event or thinking about planning one? Our suggestions: Give yourself PLENTY of time in advance to get the word out.
Also, consider what other events are happening at that same time and what you might be going up against!
Colorful flyers posted around our many local businesses HELP A LOT.
We can (and will) print your flyers (any size) and laminate AND do it much cheaper than anyone else.
Contact rob@riverratrob.com and give it a try!

Upcoming Events is the most visited areas on this website. While we try to list ALL the happenings on the water, we are happy to add worthy land functions, too. Fund raisers, benefits, and charity events; if it’s a worthy cause, we will be glad to post. Send information (preferably a flyer) to rob@riverratrob.com (remember to mention something in the subject line). One of the reasons we are able to list so many is events is that our friends and regular visitors send us the information. If you know of an event we do not have listed, please e-mail us the details. Thanks.

Some events are posted with “Date T.B.A.” (to be announced). That means I do not have the date at this time, but have a general idea about when it will be. If you have the date, please contact me, so we can share it with all. If I do not post it in a timely manner, PLEASE e-mail me a reminder and I will get it posted.

Check back, we are just getting started. More to come. We will be updating this section often this Spring / Summer. Not just limited to Lake Maurepas and surrounding waterways, we'd like to hear from False River, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Verret and Belle River, and others. If it's on the water, we'd prefer to be on top of it!

If you see a mistake, please contact rob@riverratrob.com THANKS!

Remember, we are the site other websites go when they want to know what is going on!

From a Kid's Fishing Tournament to a brand new "Catfish Rodeo" to "So You Think You Can Boil Crawfish Contest;"
start getting excited about 2010 RIGHT NOW! Tons more on the way!

POKER RUNS

Poker Runs, please contact me with dates, flyer, etc., when you have it worked out and we will be glad to post. rob@riverratrob.com

Note: We actually have a LOT of poker runs in this area for some great causes. (Much more than most places).
Not all are as huge as The Tickfaw 200 or The Firemen's Poker Run, but a ton of fun.
For many of them, you don't need a power boat. A party barge, ski boat, jet ski, bateau, etc., will do just fine.
Many are set up so you can participate by car or motorcycle. too!

Planning a Poker Run?
Consider Sarita's / The Tiki Hut a stop on your Poker Run for 2010!
(You'll be glad you did!) 24 hour fuel, food, fun, adult beverages, over night accommodations, and a 'live' webcam.
Who else has all that? (and they appreciate your business!)
What more could you ask for? contact riverfronttikihut@yahoo.com

Gonzales Boat Club Calendar for 2010 (for ALL their meetings, events, etc.)

Check out their website at www.GonzalesBoatClub.com

(Visit Our River Rat Forum Section! where we just started a topic on The Gonzales Boat Club!)

Baton Rouge Boat Club's Calendar for 2010 (Started a topic for them on our Forum Section, too)
Note: Their big poker run is April 24th. Flyer with all the details (pdf file)

For my power boat friends, Craig @ www.GCOffshore.com
works hard on his events calendar for Lake Pontchartrain
(and events all over the south!)

Like to Fish? Tons of tournaments and other outdoor events {statewide}: check out The 2010 Calendar at The Advocate

We have a LOT of poker runs (again) this year. Remember "The Power Boat Poker Run 10 Commandments" when you are out
there having a good time. (click on link (or image) above for a higher resolution copy you can download, e-mail, print, etc.)
(A tribute to my friend, Crazy Charlie).

Check out www.LifesABoat.com

Date	Day	Event
		(check back, we are just getting started) Let's make 2010 a Safe Boating Season (We did not do very well state-wide in 2009) Boating fatalities and drownings; perhaps our worst year in recent history Be "Boat Safe" and designate a Responsible Skipper! (Your life, or those you care about, could depend on it) ..and remember: "Please be careful on the water; you have a duty to yourself and to those that love you." ALL DATES, EVENTS, & LOCATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
		2010
		March
Mar 4th		Update on Opening Day: March 4th, 2010 River Front Tiki Hut /Sarita's (here's the straight scoop!) Menu Details about The River Front Tiki Hut (pdf file) Planning a Poker Run? Consider Sarita's / The Tiki Hut a stop on your Poker Run for 2010! (You'll be glad you did!) Fuel, food, fun, adult beverages, and a 'live' webcam. What more could you ask for? contact riverfronttikihut@yahoo.com (and we are going to be boiling crawfish in April at The Tiki Hut!) Bar-B-Que at the Tiki Hut, more, much more, to come! Check Back! Hours Wednesday 4:30-9:00 Thursday 11:00-9:00 Friday 11:00-10:00 Saturday 11:00-10:00 Sunday 11:00- 8:30 River Front Tiki Hut opened March 4th and Sarita's to open March 10th, 2010 (previously Pier 13) on Diversion Canal next to Thunder Bayou Store / Rentals). The Tiki Hut will be managed by Ryan Ingram. Rudy Gomez is the owner / manager of Sarita's. Very cool. Margaritaville laid back kind of atmosphere. Get ready for something new, different, and fun. Sarita's will NOT be selling alcohol the week of March 10th. (We'll have to wait a bit longer!) ....unfortunately. Sarita's Menu, Check it out!: Visit www.saritasbr.com
		Captain Crawdad reminds you to "EAT MORE SHRIMP (AND CRABS)!" Crawfish Season is in full swing, typically from March through June.
Mar 4-7th	Thurs-Sun	The Boat Show in the Superdome! Don't miss it! Visit their site: http://www.theboatshow.net/ The Boat Show BACK in the Superdome, where I like to see it. Be there, especially since the New Orleans Boat Show is cancelled this year!
6th	Sat	Visit their cool website: http://www.swampwatersgrill.com/ Swampwaters opens March 6th!
9th	Tues	Check this out! A "local" Open Mic / Joke Telling showcasing talent in Liv. / Asc. Parish(s) Open Mic and Joke Telling kicks off at The Swamp Pop Cafe' (Head of Island). 225-698-1713 www.SwampPopCafe.com (Every Tuesday Night) More details coming soon. Come join us and have a great time!
10-14th	Wed-Sun	Sarita's opens to the public on March 11th. Unfortunately, will NOT be selling adult beverages this week!
12th	Fri	$C:\Documents and Settings\Hope LeBlanc\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\6TCFAPSX\MCj01568510000[1].wmf$ FUNDRAISER DINNER TO SUPPORT LAKE ELEMENTARY IN REPRESENTING ASCENSION PARISH AND LOUISIANA AT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS CONFERENCE JUNE 26-29 SHRIMP FETTUCCINI, CORN, BREAD, & DESSERT only $6.00 (for a great cause) here's the flyer @ the St. Amant Fire Dept. 11:00-1:00 PM on 3-12-2010
12-14th	Fri-Sun	Louisiana Sportsmen's Show & Festival @ Lamar Dixon (Gonzales) check out www.lasportsmenshow.com
13th	Sat	CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK BASS CLASSIC: Weigh-in, St. James Boat Club at Blind River, U.S. 61, south of Sorrento. Anglers chose fishing area. details
13th	Sat	Safe Boating Course hosted by The Gonzales Boat Club. 9:00 AM 'til 6:00 PM It's free and they are serving food, too. Here is your chance to check out The Gonzales Boat Club and meet some fine people (and learn a lot). To register, contact Phil at 225-225-975-7477 or Phil_Smith@murphyoilcorp.com
14th	Sun	Daylight Savings Time Begins (and not soon enough for me)
17th	Thur	St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17th of March.
26-28th	Fri-Sun	Sorrento Fire Dept Trail Ride (26th Year)! Bad news: The Trail Ride, one of our local traditions, has been cancelled for 2010. Visit their website: http://www.sorrentofd.org/
		April
		Kicking The Boating Season Off Early With a GREAT Start!
		Starting in April, boiled crawfish at The Tiki Hut Fri. & Sat. Live music on Thursday and a bands on Saturday!

April 2nd	Fri	Good Friday In the Catholic Church, Good Friday is the day on which we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the act that brought salvation to all who believe. It is the culmination of Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, and it takes place two days before Easter Sunday.
3rd	Sat	Starts at Fred's on The River around 10:00 AM and rolls downriver to Bayview, The Dock, Last Call, Manny's, Red's, Val's, and SwampWaters. Good people and a real fun time! Here's the flyer with details! Start making your plans NOW!!! Pre-Summer Party Barge Party Cruise (Amite / Diversion) We did it in November, 2009 and had a blast. No cause, no charity, just kicking off the boating season AND supporting some of our special places on the water. (Another event dreamed up by RRR).
3rd	Sat	Big Wheel Boats is having an In-House Boat Show. Details www.BigWheelBoats.com
4th	Sun	Happy Easter! Easter, the greatest feast day in the Christian calendar, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
9-11th	Fri-Sun	The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival: Awesome Music! visit: www.lastrawberryfestival.com for ALL the details
10th	Sat	Wayne Toups at Fred's on The River Nobody rocks the place like Wayne! www.fredsontheriver.com
10th	Sat	Kids Catfish Tournament from the deck at The Tiki Hut. (A first ever event in our area). Prizes for biggest fish, smallest fish, most fish, etc., 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM (details coming)
17-18th	Sat	APRIL 17—18th-ANNUAL ROBINSON BROTHERS/ST. JUDE OPEN BASS TOURNAMENT: 6 a.m.-3 p.m., April 4, weigh-in, Lamar Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales. Fee $240/pick-your-partner team. Emcee Jimmy Houston. Benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Call Neff Villenurve (225) 647-2530 or Jeff Sullivan (225) 622-6879. visit www.StJude.org
17th	Sat	(I hear about this one from my friend, Craig @ www.gcoffshore.com) The Poor Man's Yacht Club Poker Run (Slidell, LA) Here's the flyer with all the details. Sounds like fun!
24th	Sat	Flyer with all the details (pdf file) The FIRST Poker Run of the season! (Lake Maurepas area) Baton Rouge Boat Club's "Amite 100" Poker Run. (Cars and motorcycles welcome!)
24th	Sat	The Chicken Cruise (to Manny's) The Gonzales Boat Club.
	TBA	Blessing of the Fleet at Warsaw Marina. A very cool and special event. Need details and flyer. (Usually the third Saturday in April)
		May
May 1st/2nd	Sat/Sun	We want YOU on May 1st & May 2nd! Boat Processions Honoring Crazy Charlie The Power Boat Poker Run 10 Commandments (In Memory of Charlie)
5th	Wed	Cinco de Mayo (It's a Mexican Thing) What is Cinco de Mayo....really? (Hint: It's NOT Mexico's Independence Day! (interesting and impressive) Sarita's (video clip) We FINALLY have a Mexican Restaurant on the water! Where you going to celebrate Cino de Mayo? See you at Sarita's (and don't forget your sombrero)! Anybody know of any other Mexican Restaurant that you can visit by boat (this side of The Rio Grande?)
8th	Sat	Kids Catfish Tournament from the deck at The Tiki Hut. (A first ever event in our area). Prizes for biggest fish, smallest fish, most fish, etc., 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM (details coming)
9th	Sun	Happy Mother's Day (guys, don't forget this one)
13th	Thur
15th	Sat	Cruise To Sun Bun's The Gonzales Boat Club.
22nd-28th	Sat-Fri	National Safe Boating Week www.safeboatingcouncil.org
20th-23rd	Thurs-Sun	Smokin' The Sound (Biloxi Offshore Series) http://www.smokinthesound.com/
27-30th	Thur-Sun	Check out www.jambalayafestival.org for all the details! (Great food AND music!)
29-31st	Sat-Mon	Memorial Day Weekend. This is the weekend of The Jambalaya Festival (Gonzales) and "Bayou Fest" at LSU with the top names on country music.
31st	Mon	Memorial Day: One of our MOST important holidays. Remember our fallen Warriors!
		June
June 1st		2010 Hurricane Season Begins. Be prepared and stock up on the things you need. http://www.mahalo.com/2010-hurricane-season (a good website on the subject) Hopefully, 2010 will be as kind to the Gulf Coast as 2009 was.
4-6th	Fri-Sun	Mike Arnone's 21st Annual Crawfish Fest (Augusta, NJ) His FaceBook Site His Website For The Event Louisiana invades New Jersey and they can't get enough of it!!! Very Cool.
9-13th	Wed-Sun	"The Mud Bug Nationals" It's in Morgan City and it's an awesome event for jet skis. Do a Google Search on it, or visit the forum on www.Greenhulk.net
June 5th	Sat	The Beginning of Summer Lake Bash. (Sand Bar, Lake Maurepas) Visit The Lake Bash Topic on our Forum
12th	Sat	Springfield Fire Dept (cool website) The Springfield Fire Department Poker Run (becoming one of our biggest and BEST local Poker Runs!!!!) Supported by Crazy Charlie.
19th	Sat	Fun Poker Run The Gonzales Boat Club.
20th	Sun	Father's Day. Girls, don't forget this one.
		July
July 4th	Sun	Happy Birthday, USA. Check back for details of our 4th of July Fireworks on the water events. There's nothing quite like fireworks on the water!
4th	Sun	Cool events on False River and Lake Verret. Need details. Lots of fireworks, but a local tradition is the fireworks at Fred's on the River (Pt Vincent). There's nothing like fireworks on the water. Don't forget Frenier Landing (north of LaPlace on Hwy 51, Lake Pontchartrain). Awesome place and you can see the fireworks at New Orleans, Madisonville, and La Place from one location. I am hearing they are planning a big time (and fireworks) at The River Front Tiki Hut / Sarita's / Thunder Bayou.
7th	Wed	It's been one year since we lost Charlie.
10th	Sat	The Second "Shakin The Lake" at The Sand Bar on Lake Maurepas. visit www.laredneckyachtclub.com for details.
16-17th	Sat-Sun	@ Lamar Dixon (Gonzales) visit: www.swamppopmusicfest.com for all the information
22nd-24th	Thur-Sat	Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo website: www.tarpon.org (established 1928; the oldest fishing rodeo in the United States)
24th	Sat	Cruise to The Beacon The Gonzales Boat Club.
25-30th	Sun-Fri	20th Year! 350 miles of jet ski fun supporting Special Olympics (Michigan) www.waterwarriors.org
		August
Aug 1st	Sun	LOOK! A kid's fishing rodeo (from the bank; you don't even need a boat!) Get the kids off the video games and OUT of the house. St. James Boat Club (Hwy 61, Gramercy) presents: Jr. Choupique Rodeo (Kids must pre-register) see details What is a choupique? Check out this interesting article from LA Sportsman Bowfin: (choupique) another name for this 'peculiar' fish. details Also Known As: Beaverfish. Blackfish. Choupic. Choupique. Cottonfish. Cypress trout. Dogfish. Grindle. Grinnel. Grinner. Lawyer. Mudfish. Poisson-castor. Scaled ling. Shoepick. Shoepik. Shoepike. Shupik. Speckled Cat. So, you've NEVER seen a choupique? Come to St. James Boat Club on Aug 1st and you will! South of Sorrento, LA on Hwy 61 (Airline Hwy) (just follow the kids)
Aug 7-8th	Sat-Sun	Gar Fish Rodeo at Blind River Bar. Come out and see (what is perhaps) the ugliest fish on the planet. (Good food, live music, great people, and a good time). Ever eat gar balls? Here's your chance! (doesn't sound too good, but they are!)
14th	Sat	Emerald Coast Poker Run www.emeraldcoastpokerrun.com (This is the BIG one!)
21st	Sat	Big Poker Run The Gonzales Boat Club.

22nd	Sat	Wayne Toups at Fred's on The River Nobody rocks the place like Wayne! August just got a little HOTTER!
		September
		STOP! Don't put your water vehicle up just yet. Let's all extend the boating season. Just because school starts, football season kicks off, and hunting season is around the corner, does not mean the rivers are closed and you still can't come out and play. The weather is cooling a bit, things are slowing down, and this is actually the BEST time of year to go boating. We are dreaming up all kinds of fun things to do, so keep checking back.
Sept 6th	Mon	Labor Day Three Day Weekend. Remember to support our Laborers. Not many left (that are legal).
4th-6th	Sat-Mon	Cool Event up on The Pearl River (near Jackson, MS) visit www.flagislandms.com More on this later.
11th	Sat	The End of Summer Lake Bash. (Sand Bar, Lake Maurepas) Visit The Lake Bash Topic on our Forum
25th	Sat	www.GCOffshore.com Patriot Poker Run in Lake Pontchartrain contact PatriotPokerRun@cox.net or craig@gcoffshore.com
25th	Sat	Bingo Fishing The Gonzales Boat Club.
		October
		Don't have the dates yet! French Settlement Creole Festival is this month AND The Boucherie Festival in Sorrento. (need details)
Oct 23-24th	Sat-Sun	http://www.woodenboatfest.org/
30th	Sat	Pig Roast & Halloween Party The Gonzales Boat Club.
		November
Nov	T.B.A.	Post-Summer Party Barge Party Cruise: Cruising on the Amite.
7th	Sun	Daylight Savings Time Ends
11th	Thur	Support our Troops! Veteran's Day Enjoying Your Freedom? Thank a Vet.
13th	Sat	Little Las Vegas The Gonzales Boat Club.
21st	Sun	Jonathan's Birthday.
25th	Thurs	Happy Thanksgiving
30th		Hurricane Season Ends!
		December
11th	Sat	Christmas Party The Gonzales Boat Club.
Dec 25th	Sat	Merry Christmas
31st	Fri	Happy New Year!

You are listening to one of the most beautiful songs Jonathan ever sang, "Runaway Train." It is from "An Evening With Jonathan."

Homepage

Also Known As: