Visitors to the 30th annual Louisiana Railroad Days Festival in DeQuincy this weekend will be able to see the updated collections in the railroad and Old City Hall museums.

Those looking for livelier entertainment will have pageants, music, parades, barbecue cooking contests and a carnival for excitement.

The festival runs Thursday through Saturday.

“We expect a good turnout,” said Lynn Treme, festival chairman. “Even with rain on Thursday night last year, we had good attendance overall.”

The festival is a project of the DeQuincy Federated League, Treme said.

The carnival and food booths will be open 5-11 p.m. Thursday on the grounds around the DeQuincy Railroad Museum. A cupcake-eating contest and queen pageant are scheduled for Thursday.

Friday’s hours are 2-11 p.m. The festival parade will be at 3 p.m. Attractions include arts and crafts booths; a parent-child look-alike contest; and a gospel singing.

Country music star John Anderson, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his hit single, “Swinging,” will perform at 8 p.m. Other musical guests during the day will be Honey and the Wannabees of Lake Charles; Tod Stark and Guilty the Band of Beaumont, Texas; Redbone Cookin with members from DeQuincy, Singer, Fields and Starks; and Upscale Productions of Lake Charles.

During the day there will be a reunion of old-timers at the Methodist Church hall and the Dining Car Barbecue Cookoff.

The festival closes at midnight.

With the addition of new collections and display cases, the DeQuincy Railroad Museum has consolidated its displays to all railroad-connected artifacts, particularly those of the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The museum is in the restored 1923 KCS depot building. Historical items related to DeQuincy but not related to railroading have been relocated to the Old City Hall Museum.

Schedule

Thursday, April 11

• 5:30 p.m., cupcake eating contest.

• 6:30 p.m., “Bling” your festival T-shirt.

• 7:30 p.m., Louisiana Railroad Days Jr. Queen and Miss Queen Pageant.

Friday, April 12

• 2:30 p.m., parade lineup at Nichols; bicycle parade lineup at Texaco; bicycle parade judging.

• 3 p.m., parade begins at Nichols.

• 3:45 p.m., introduction of festival queens, parade marshal and poster contest winners.

• 4 p.m., deadline for barbecue cookoff entries.

• 4:15 p.m., parent-child look-alike contest.

• 5 p.m. Minute To Win It contest.

• 5:45-9:30 p.m., gospel night.

Saturday, April 13

• 8:30 a.m., Cannon Ball 5K.

• 10 a.m., old-timers reunion, Methodist Church hall.

• 11 a.m., recognition of queens and dignitaries.

• 11:30 a.m., Railroad Idol contest.

• Noon, barbecue cookoff judging begins.

• 1:30 p.m., Honey and The Wannabees.

• 3 p.m., Todd Stark and Guilty.

• 4:30 p.m., announcement of cookoff winners.

• 5 p.m., Redbone Cookin.

• 8 p.m., John Anderson.

The Union Pacific mini train

Michelle Higginbotham