Organizers of tomorrow's Rally for Economic Survival at the Cajundome are planning for the possibility of an overflow crowd of more than 12,000. Organizers of Wednesday's Rally for Economic Survival at the Cajundome are planning for the possibility of an overflow crowd of more than 12,000. The event, being organized by the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, has been picking up steam ever since it was announced two weeks ago as a means of protesting the federal government's deep water drilling moratorium. "It's building up to one hell of a climax," says Lafayette Chamber President Rob Guidry. He says the crowd could well exceed the Cajundome's 12,000 person limit. "We're making contingency plans for a spill over to the convention center if we have to," he says, "but there's no way of actually telling how many people are going to be there. We hear anecdotal stories every hour about more people who are coming."
The Wednesday, July 21 rally is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but doors will open at the Cajundome beginning at 9 a.m. Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle will emcee the event. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Shell Oil president John Hoffmeister are among 11 speakers scheduled, representing a variety of businesses and organizations affected by the moratorium. "We have purposefully kept politicians from the microphone," Guidry says. "We don't want it to be a political type rally; it's an industry rally with people who are involved in the industry."