Fire chief goes from a prince to a colonel of Cotton Festival

By: TONY MARKS Editor The theme of the 1985 Louisiana Cotton Festival was, “Music Is.” Among the cotton royalty was Prince Joel Manuel, the son of Bill and Kathy Manuel. Two years later, the young Manuel was crowned lord of the Cotton Seed and Fiber Court, which was sponsored by the Ville Platte Lions Auxiliary. Now in 2024, Manuel, who serves as fire chief of the Evangeline Parish Fire...