The popularity of Tour du Teche has grown so much since it began just six years ago, and event organizers want you to take part in all the fun!

There are numeous races happening across Iberia, St. Landry and St. Martin Parishes that will feature different routes from which you can choose. Here are the races conducted in the Teche Country:

  • Chitimacha - New Iberia, La., to the Chitimacha Indian Reservation, Charenton, La., May 16, 20 miles;
  • Tour du Teche 135 - Port Barre, La., Oct. 2-4, to Berwick, La., 135 miles over three days;
  • Crawfish - Port Barre, La., to Breaux Bridge, La., Oct. 2, 34 miles;
  • Acadian - Port Barre, La., to St. Martinville, La., Oct. 2, 49 miles;
  • Hot Sauce - St. Martinville, La., to New Iberia, La., Oct. 3, 24 miles;
  • Sugar - St. Martinville, La., to Franklin, La., Oct. 3, 59 miles Saturday;
  • Black Bear - New Iberia, La., to Franklin, La., Oct. 3, 35 miles Saturday;
  • Oil & Gas - Franklin, La., to Berwick, La., Oct. 4, 27 miles.

There are also additional courses which will allow you to race canoes and kayaks from north to south Louisiana. The Red River and the Atchafalaya are rural and far less accessible yet present fun challenges for boaters. Along the courses of Bayou Teche, the waterways are surrounded by easily accessible land, which can be very beneficial to beginning boaters wanting to take part in these events.

Ken Grissom, coordinator with Tour du Teche, recommends the Chitimacha course for beginning boaters.

To register online and to find out more information, go to www.tourduteche.com and click on the green stopwatch icon, which brings you to the Webscorer site and a comprehensive chart of events catalogued by Webscorer worldwide. At the upper right, click on "Any Sport," which produces a dropbox of different categories. Click "Clear all," then scroll down, check "Paddling," and search by date: May 16 for the Chitimacha (another new race), Sept. 27 for Rivière Rouge and 410, and Oct. 2 for Tour du Teche 135 and its many side races. You can also e-mail info@tourduteche.com or call (337) 394-6232 and ask for Ken.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL