DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / December 9, 2000

LUTCHER – While most Christmas bonfire builders are firing up chainsaws and stacking logs on top the levee, Leo Catoire is carefully piecing his bonfires together in the woodshop.

Every Christmas travelers converge on St. James Parish for a look at thelighting of the Christmas bonfires. When it’s all said and done, the visitorsare looking for something to remember the trip by, that’s where Catoire got started.

Catoire, now retired from the pipefitting profession, has been building miniature bonfires for six or seven years. One day someone approached hisdaughter Laurie at the St. James Historical Museum and asked if they hadanything like that. Catoire figured he could make a few, and it’s been hisholiday hobby ever since. “I just did this as a favor for one guy and kept doingit,” said Catoire.

Just like the full-size bonfires, Catoire takes his wood from the willows along the river. All year the long saplings dry until their ready come Christmastime. The best way to dry them is just to set them aside and wait. Catoiretried drying them in different ways, like in the microwave, but the wood often would crack or dry to quickly. Now he takes a walk every January andgathers another bundle for the end of the year.

Each bonfire is made piece by piece. “This is not a mass production deal, eachpiece is made separate,” said Catoire. In order to get each level of thebonfires correct, Catoire uses a jig saw on each piece, measuring first for an exact fit.

A variety of different sizes come out of the workshop between four inches to over a foot, each bonfire is made to look just like their larger siblings on the levee. Even the center is filled with tiny logs. After the bonfires arewired, glued and filled, Catoire covers them with a clear lacquer to keep the wood fresh.

A dozen of the smaller bonfires can take up to 16 hours for Catoire. Theprice he sets for each bonfire hardly covers the time spent on the project, but that’s no concern. “If I sell what I make then I’m satisfied. I enjoy doingit,” said Catoire. It keeps him out of the house, he added.The bonfires usually come out for sale at the St. James Historical Museumduring the last week before Christmas. A lot of different people end uptaking a little piece of a St. James parish tradition home with them. “That’sthe part that feels nice about it,” said Catoire. The mini-bonfires have beenreported to be scattered around between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Someone has even seen them in the Jax Brewery shopping center, said Catoire.

Though they are smaller then the regular bonfires, they do last longer.

Catoire who used to build the big bonfires when his son, Leo Jr., was a boy, ishappy with his seasonal art work. “I know how much work those Christmasbonfires are,” said Catoire with a smile.

Now Catoire is continuing on with his building, readying for Christmas week.

Soon travelers from all over will drop on by for a glimpse of a River Parish tradition and thanks to Catoire, will have a chance to bring a little of that back home with them.

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