The 88th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival royalty will bid farewell to their reign during the annual coronation Saturday night at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. The outgoing royalty are King Joseph E. “Jody” Carinhas, Jr and Queen Gweneth Dohmann. Four maids, Hannah Domingue, Ali Leblanc, Abbie Scully and Natalie Sloan, are vying to represent the 89th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival as this year’s queen. The coronation will be Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 7:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased at the door and are $8 for adults and $6 for children. Bios and photos of the outgoing royalty and this year’s maids are below.
88th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival King Joseph E. “Jody” Carinhas, Jr
Jody Carinhas, a lifelong resident of St. Mary Parish, began a career in the family shrimping and processing business during the summers as a teenager. After graduating from Central Catholic High School in 1978, he started a full time position at the Patterson Shrimp Company beginning in mechanic’s, later vessel engineer and marine operations manager in the business.
Carinhas transitioned into the Petroleum Industry beginning a 40-year career in sales in late 1983 as a Sales Representative for Morgan City Rentals serving the offshore commercial diving and construction segment of the industry. In 1997 he moved into the drilling and exploration area of the industry, accepting a position at Oil & Gas Rental Services as inside sales and eventually moving into outside sales in 1999. In 2004 he accepted a position with Stabil Drill Specialties located in Lafayette to become an outside sales representative covering the Gulf of Mexico region along with the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions as the business expanded. 2006 saw a return to Morgan City Rentals as Vice President of Sales where he remains under new ownership of the company and name of Bishop Lifting Rentals.
Community involvement included coaching youth sports, Pop Warner Football, Dixie Youth Baseball, and girls’ softball. He served on the Morgan City Recreation girls’ softball board as a member and chairman. He was a board member of the St. Mary Golf and Country Club, as well as a member and chairman of the annual Lafayette Oilman’s Invitational Golf Tournament.
He is married to the former Kimbla Bossley and has 2 children Kayla Carinhas Folse and Kristin Carinhas Hickman along with 4 grandchildren, 5 stepchildren and 10 step grandchildren.
Carinhas becomes the 3rd generation to serve as festival king. He follows his father, Joseph Carinhas Sr. who was king of the 1973 festival and his grandfather John Santos Carinhas who was king of the 1946 festival.
88th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival Queen Gweneth Dohmann
Gweneth Dohmann, 19, is the daughter of Joey and Sharon Dohmann of Berwick, Louisiana. Dohmann is a 2022 graduate of Central Catholic High School. She is currently attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she is pursuing a degree in Business Finance. At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she is involved in Kappa Delta sorority and is a member of Cajun Catholics religious organization. In her free time she enjoys baking, horseback riding, exercising, and traveling.
2024 Maid Court
Photos by Kennedy Sampey // Sampey Photography
Hannah Elisabeth Domingue, 19, is the daughter of Scott and Sabrina Domingue of Berwick. Domingue is a graduate of Central Catholic High School. She is currently attending Louisiana State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. At Louisiana State University, she is an active member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and attending LSU athletic events!
Ali Michelle LeBlanc, 20, is the daughter of Scott and Katherine LeBlanc of Patterson. LeBlanc is a graduate of Patterson High School. She also attended Academy of Acadiana where she pursued a degree in Dental, Orthodontic, and Oral Surgery Assisting . At Academy of Acadiana, she graduated #1 in her class with the highest GPA and perfect attendance through all three courses. LeBlanc is currently working at Guidry & Horaist Orthodontics of Morgan City and Lafayette as an Orthodontic Assistant. In her free time she enjoys hunting, fishing, being in the boat, and spending time with her family and friends!
Abbie Scully, 20, daughter of Candy and Bryan Scully of Morgan City. She is a graduate of Central Catholic High School. While at CCHS, Scully participated in sports including softball, volleyball, and cheerleading where she was co-captain her senior year. She was also involved in many clubs including BETA club President, Student Council Vice-President, Retreat team, National Honors Society, Sisters in Christ, and Acts of Random Kindness club. Throughout high school she worked at Sweet & Simple bakery. While working and participating in many sports and activities, Scully maintained a 4.0 GPA and received the honor of being class valedictorian. She is currently a junior at Nicholls State University. She is pursuing a degree in Accounting and Data Analytics. During college so far she has been inducted into academic honor societies including Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma, and National Society of Leadership and Success. She also received a presidents list for her first and second year of college. She currently is working at South Louisiana bank in Thibodaux. In her free time she he enjoys drawing, hanging out with friends, and spending time with family at the camp.
Natalie Sloane, 18, is the daughter of Joey and Alanna Sloane of Morgan City. Sloane is a graduate of Central Catholic High School. She is currently attending Nicholls State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Nursing. At Nicholls, she is involved in the Beta Iota Sigma Club and campus activities. In her free time, she enjoys Staying active, spending quality time with family and friends, shopping, volunteering when the opportunity arises, and attending church!