07/27/2026
Rougarou Fest 2026 Commemorative Poster: An Artistic Tribute to Louisiana's Bayous, Culture, and Enduring Traditions 🎉
We are proud to unveil the highly anticipated 2026 Commemorative Poster, a living canvas of folklore and tradition created by Toni Crochet Adams, a lifelong resident of Chauvin, Louisiana in Terrebonne Parish. The artwork makes its first public debut today and will be available for purchase at this year’s festival in October. 🖼
Working primarily in oil paint on reclaimed wood, Toni draws inspiration from her Cajun heritage and the people, places, and culture that surround her, using vibrant colors to bring her work to life. By painting on reclaimed wood, she gives new life to materials that carry their own history. Painting offers Toni a sense of peace and is deeply rewarding, both personally and creatively. Her artwork has been featured and sold at local festivals, and her work can also be viewed on her page, Blue GuĂŞpe Studio.
"Growing up on the bayou in Chauvin, Louisiana, in a family whose livelihood centered around the sh*****ng industry inspired me to create this composition," says Toni.
"I was raised hearing stories about the Rougarou and was always fascinated by the legend. Over the years, I have collected all of the Rougarou Fest posters, and it has long been a dream of mine to create a poster for the festival myself.
The Rougarou in this painting is posed in the same stance as the Rougarou Fest logo. However, instead of holding a hat and cane, he holds an oyster in one hand along with the protective glove used when opening oysters. In the other hand, he carries an oyster knife used to shuck oyster shells. He wears a cross on a chain, which, for some Cajuns, is an expression of their deeply rooted Catholic faith and Acadian heritage. The rope used as a belt to hold up the Rougarou's pants is an example of Cajun ingenuity and resourcefulness, ensuring a secure fit while working out on the bayou. He also wears his white shrimp boots, known affectionately by locals as “Cajun Reeboks.”
On the table beside him is a traditional South Louisiana seafood boil featuring crawfish, shrimp, crabs, biganos, and calimas. Biganos, also known as escargot, are boiled before the hard “trapdoor” sealing the shell is removed. The shell is then tapped to loosen the meat inside. The fork on the table has a single tine standing upright, representing the tool commonly used to remove the meat when it does not slide out on its own. While many people are familiar with squid or calamari, my Cajun French-speaking family always referred to it as calimas. Beside the table is a burlap sack of oysters.
Another Cajun French word I grew up using was guepe, the French word for wasp. The guepe appears on its nest beneath the table. In some cultures, the wasp symbolizes control over one's circumstances and represents evolution, progress, development, and order. It is said that seeing a wasp is a reminder to stop wishing for your dreams and start working toward them. These symbols encourage me to create my artwork.
Many people find comfort in symbols such as dragonflies, butterflies, or redbirds when remembering loved ones who have passed away. Many believe that the presence of a dragonfly, or “mosquito hawk,” is a sign of an angel's presence and that it brings messages of love, hope, and inspiration. People interpret artwork and imagery differently, and in this painting, the dragonfly symbolizes my mother's love and guidance from above. The butterfly also represents personal growth and transformation. The yellow daylilies symbolize new beginnings, optimism, and gratitude, reflecting my appreciation for this opportunity to create this poster.
The boiling pot is painted to reflect the way seafood boils were traditionally prepared before butane burners became common—over an open fire. I also included other iconic South Louisiana images, such as an egret eating a crawfish and a stack of crab traps. Inside the traps are corks painted purple and gold, representing my family's love of LSU football.
The pelican, one of my favorite subjects to paint, proudly displays the Louisiana state flag. The nutria, although an invasive species, is also featured because it serves as a Rougarou Fest mascot and helps raise awareness about the importance of protecting Louisiana's wetlands. Additional South Louisiana elements include an alligator, seagulls, and a mosquito.
I also included my uncle's trawl boat, which holds many cherished childhood memories, including sh*****ng trips and our annual family journey to Last Island. The name on the boat is that of Rougarou Fest's very own parade, the Krewe Ga Rou. The parade features boats decorated as floats. The boat's name is being painted by a fisherman using a pirogue. Cajun shrimpers spend the weeks leading up to shrimp season painting their boats, sometimes using a pirogue to access hard-to-reach areas.
Across the bayou stands another one of my uncle's and aunt's shrimp platforms. Some of my fondest memories come from spending time there—watching workers shovel shrimp from the trawl boats' iceboxes, observing the shrimp move along the conveyor belt and drop into No. 3 tubs before being dragged to the boiler. Once boiled, the shrimp were dumped into wheelbarrows and transported to the shrimp shed to dry. I vividly remember running through the drying shed to reach the room housing the large cylindrical shrimp tumbler, where we would eagerly eat freshly dried shrimp. The large wharf beside the shed was also used as a drying area for boiled shrimp.
Off in the distance along the bayou stands a statue of Mary. This six-foot, half-ton marble sculpture, known as Our Lady of the Sea, was once located on Last Island at Whiskey Pass, where it served as a symbol of protection for local fishermen. As the barrier islands eroded and rising waters threatened its foundation, the statue was relocated to Cocodrie, Louisiana.
To the left of the painting hangs a trawl net suspended from a tree. Fishermen commonly hung their nets this way to make repairs using a trawl needle, which can be seen tucked into the Rougarou's back pocket. Behind the tree stands an old-style cabin and a woman wearing an apron and a gasolei. These figures were inspired by the Lagniappe on the Bayou Fair and can be seen in one of its posters. The Lagniappe on the Bayou Fair was a massive, volunteer-produced, three-day festival held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Chauvin. It started as a simple church fundraiser but grew into Terrebonne Parish's largest festival, celebrating Cajun culture, food, and community pride.
Off to the left in the distance is a tempête, the French word for “storm.” In South Louisiana, it is common for storms to form quickly and unexpectedly.
Including these elements allowed me to celebrate not only the Rougarou legend but also the traditions, culture, and memories that shaped my life growing up on the bayou."
