Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist, recently donated to the first annual Downtown Houma Fall Fest.  Downtown Houma was able to successfully host its First Annual Fall Festival over the weekend.  Presented by Cenac Marine Services and filled with a variety of local bands, the fall festival was a huge hit throughout the town.  Cenac Marine Services owner and philanthropist Arlen Benny Cenac, Jr. jumped at the opportunity to help support this event as he is always an avid proponent of arts, music, and community and believes the incorporation of arts in a community significantly increases the strength of the community.

The vision that the creators of Fall Fest had in mind was brought to life as they received support from local companies, vendors and the very talented native music community.  As stated on Downtown Fall Fest’s website, “Downtown Fall Fest, in its infancy, was an idea forged from the minds of local musicians, yearning to rebuild a local music scene that has largely been dormant the past few years. The idea gained traction quickly and began to grow as more individuals gave their input. Within days, a simple comment grew into an idea, then a concept revolving around building support for local musicians, while also giving back to the community.”  All proceeds from the Downtown Fall Festival will benefit local music programs for the purchase and repair of musical instruments.

Music has been shown to significantly increase the strength of a community since prehistoric times.  Music was one of the earliest forms of communication so it was not only inseparable from early communities, but was absolutely integral to positive community relationships. In fact it’s now been proven that early cultures with a strong musical tradition thrived whereas cultures without a musical tradition struggled to survive.  One reason for this is because music evokes strong emotions and since music coordinates their emotions, it helps important messages to be communicated and motivates individuals to identify with and to support other members within their community. Recent research has shown that when an individual feels positive, relaxed and confident they are much more able to integrate with other members of their community which increases their capacity for social integration. This in turn strengthens the community as a whole because when all the members of a community are fully integrated each individual is able to contribute a diverse and unique set of skills and talents to that community.

There are two major benefits of incorporating music into the community- it improves the social development of the individual by increasing their feelings of well being and connectedness, and it also increases that individual’s ability to then integrate within their community which results in a stronger community for all of its members.

Residents, along with Mr. Benny Cenac, are hopeful that more affordable arts events will be brought to the area.  There was free admission to all stages of the festival except for the Brick House Stage which was only $5.  Local residents were able to enjoy their favorite local bands including Sheauxdown, Southern Cross, Category 6, and much more. The festival also includes a jambalaya cook off, BBQ cook off, craft booths, and more.

To read a full article on the events, click here. To learn more about Mr. Cenac’s philanthropy efforts and community involvement visit here.