NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

July 19, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANGLERS TO CAST LINES AT GRAND ISLE TARPON RODEO ON JULY 28, 29 & 30
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng to serve as
First Female President of Nation’s Oldest Fishing Tournament

GRAND ISLE, LA – More than 2,000 anglers will cast their lines in the 94th Annual International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo set to take place off the shores of the 8 1/2-mile silvery sands beginning Thursday, July 28 and ending Saturday, July 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.

The quaint island, with a population of 1,500 residents, swells to more than 25,000 festival-goers over the three days of the rodeo. Often referred to as the "grand-daddy of fishing rodeos,” the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo features live music, crab racing for kids each day at 2 p.m., unique Louisiana cuisine, and artisans from across the region. New this year will be a corn hole competition held on Friday from 4 p.m. to 5p.m.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng will serve as the first female President of the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo and Major Frank Besson Jr. will serve as the Admiral of the Fleet. Said Sheng, “It is such an honor to be in this position, especially at such a critical time for this community as we continue to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Ida. My father, the late JPSO Sheriff Harry Lee, was the Tarpon Rodeo President in 1984. I am so proud to follow in his footsteps and carry on the legacy of this very special tradition; a truly historic event for Jefferson Parish and a time where we can pause in the midst of the chaos and just enjoy life.”

Registration for the 94th edition of the International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo is only onsite anytime during the festival weekend. A $125 registration gets entry to the tournament, two raffle tickets to win a grand prize Blazer Bay Boat with a trailer and a Mercury motor, a T-shirt, hat, poster, program, and a beer Huggie. A $50 registration includes tournament entry, one raffle ticket for the grand prize boat giveaway, a hat and program. Other merchandise will be available for purchase at the rodeo, including signed posters for $100, unsigned posters for $45, as well as shirts, hats, and more. For more information about the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, visit www.TarponRodeo.org.

Those fishing can catch a variety of marine life throughout the weekend, such as: Yellowfin Tuna, Snapper, Wahoo, Grouper, Red Fish, Speckled Trout, Tarpon, Flounder, Blue Fish, Catfish, Black Drum, Pompano, shrimp, crabs, and oysters.

The weekend of festivities will kick off at the President’s Party on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. under the Tarpon Rodeo tent, located at 4500 Highway 1. The official 2022 Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo poster, painted by Christy Works Boutte of Art by Christy, will be unveiled at the party. Shorts in December, a hometown band, will provide live music on Thursday, with DJ Phrozen spinning music on Friday, July 29, 2022, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, 2022 from 4 to 8 p.m. Scales will officially close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, 2022, with an awards ceremony to close out this year’s Tarpon Rodeo at 8 p.m. that evening.

For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.jeffparish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.

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Jefferson Parish Public Information Office 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002 Jefferson, LA 70123

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Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO