Rougarou Fest and LSU at Auburn Lead Your Louisiana Weekend, Oct. 24-25

LSU kicks off at Auburn in about 90 minutes, and the Saints play in Paris tomorrow before most of us finish breakfast. In between, there are festivals from the Texas line to the Northshore. Here's where to find them this weekend.

Start with the game. LSU plays at Auburn at 11 a.m. today at Jordan-Hare Stadium on ABC. The Tigers are coming off a 31-0 homecoming win over No. 16 Mississippi State last Saturday. That leaves the afternoon free for everything else.

Down the bayou in Houma, Rougarou Fest is under way near the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. The free festival celebrates the folklore of the bayou werewolf, and its proceeds go to the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center. Today's schedule runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with local bands on two stages, a Folklife Village, kids' games, a costume contest and the Krewe Ga Rou parade at 7 p.m., followed by a pumpkin lighting with fireworks. Sunday's hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an antique car show, the Cajun Music Preservation Society and the Rougarou Awards.

About a 27-mile drive east, Larose is cooking. The French Food Festival at the Larose Regional Park and Civic Center, 307 East 5th Street, runs through Sunday with Cajun dishes from Louisiana's Cajun Bayou, live music, dancing, craft vendors and a folk life exhibit. The tourism bureau tells visitors to come hungry, and we'd second that.

Over in Ascension Parish, the second-year Boots on the Bayou festival takes over the front lawn of the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales today and Sunday with live music, food, local artists and room to park an RV and tailgate. Check the festival's site for tickets and set times.

On the Northshore, carvers and collectors fill the Castine Center in Mandeville's Pelican Park for the Louisiana Wildfowl Festival. Doors are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, with judging all day, kids' activities and a live wildfowl demonstration at 1 p.m. On Sunday the doors open at 9 a.m., and the day brings a head-whittling contest, the Gulf South Championship presentation at noon and a decoy auction from 1 to 4 p.m. If you want to see just how good a hand-carved duck can get, this is one of the best places in the state to do it, and with duck season three weeks out, the timing works.

In southwest Louisiana, St. Joseph Church in Vinton hosts the Vinton Cajun Festival today and Sunday on Industrial Street. Look for live music, a festival pageant and food, with the Run the Roux 5K at 8 a.m. and the festival opening at 10. Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys are booked from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. today. Proceeds help the church with its insurance costs, and organizers describe the weekend as a way to keep Cajun traditions going.

North of the lake, the Washington Parish Fair in Franklinton wraps up its five-day run. LeAnn Rimes headlines the free main stage at 8:30 tonight after Dustin Dale Gaspard at 4 and Jared Daws at 6, according to the fair's schedule. On Sunday afternoon it's Amanda Shaw at 12:30, then Swampland Revival, Louisiana's LeRoux and The Molly Ringwalds at 5.

The Pelicans close out their first road trip tonight at Denver, the second half of a back-to-back that started Friday in Utah. Tipoff is 8 p.m. Central.

Then set the alarm. The Saints host the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France outside Paris on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Central on NFL Network and WDSU. It's the NFL's first regular-season game in the city. Coffee and beignets suit that kickoff time a lot better than a cooler does.

If you're already planning next week, the State Fair of Louisiana opens Thursday in Shreveport, with free admission until 3 p.m. on its first two days. Advance adult tickets are $11.50 through Wednesday.

Photo: Ken Lund, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.