Tag: Louisiana Festival

Festival Acadiens et Créoles Creating New Series

In an effort to expand the cultural and educational aspects of the Festival Acadiens et Créoles year-round, festival organizers and supporters have introduced a free monthly series of Cajun music, culture, and history, according to this feature from The Acadiana Advocate.

The Founder of Festival Acadiens et Créoles, Barry Ancelet, wanted to create a monthly community event that honors the historical, contemporary, and future cultural traditions of Cajun and Creole culture. In conjunction with the Festival Acadiens et Créoles, Anaclet and festival supporters have organized Legacy Series, a monthly offering of lectures and musical performances that are designed to explore the art, music, and cuisine of Acadiana.

Barry Ancelet, also a professor and longtime folklorist, spoke about this new way for the local community to come together to not only be entertained by Cajun and Creole traditions but also be educated by them. Ancelot said, “the presentations will be entertaining but will also matter. We will explore the legacy from those who inspired us. We will consider what they gave us and how it continues to inspire us. The Festival team has been considering ways to have ongoing activity and presence throughout the year.”

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles launched its first event in the first Legacy Series on Thursday, July 7th at the Feed & Seed in Lafayette. The inaugural event featured “The Legacy of Dewy Balfa,” a Cajun musician and music ambassador from Mamou. Balfa’s musical legacy, recordings, and live performances all helped to shape and popularize Cajun Music far outside of his Acadiana homeland. The legacy of this prominent figure in Cajun music was told with performances from Dewy Balfa’s daughter, Christine Balfa of Balfa Toujours, as well as Grammy Award winner Steve Riley and fiddler David Greeley. Riley and Greely were both nominated for four Grammys as members of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and Christine Balfa was nominated for a Grammy with Bonsoir Catin.

The event, according to Barry Ancelet, sought to not only hear, celebrate, and consider the musical legacy of Dewey Balfa, but to also “preserve the tradition” that he revered. In fact, the Balfa Brothers had played at the first informal Festival Acadiens et Créoles event on March 26, 1974. The event was then called “A Tribute to Cajun Music,” and it saw crowds of local music enthusiasts gathering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to listen to musical legends of the craft. Performers included the Balfa band, Dennis McGee and Sady Courville, Clifton Chenier, Nathan Abshire, Marc Savoy, and many others, all of whom performed the concert for the benefit of French Journalists as well as the local community.

When starting the planning and conception of the event, Barry Ancelet and Pat Mould, the organizer and promoter of the Festival Acadiens et Créoles, were always very cognizant to imbue an educational aspect to their Legacy Series, through what Ancelet affectionately refers to as “guerrilla education.”

He spoke about the Legacy Series’s connection to the Festival Acadiens et Créoles by saying, “like the festival itself, this series is designed to honor those who have left us so much of what we celebrate today. It is focused not only on their past contributions but also on the ongoing impact of their legacies, as contemporary musicians continue to use the past to create the future. The series will give us the opportunity to produce and present informed entertainment throughout the year.”

Ancelet revealed that the next performance in the ongoing free monthly series will feature the music of Joseph and Cléoma Falcon and that he already has a list of over 60 programs to present in the Legacy Series, making for many more educational and entertaining performances for the Acadiana community.

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Walker, LA Recently Held its Inaugural Spring Festival

After a particularly harrowing year in terms of live performances, concerts, and large gatherings, the City of Walker, Louisiana is gaining a new celebration with its inaugural Spring Festival that aims to become an annual tradition, according to BRProud.

What’s being called Walker’s first annual Spring Fest consisted of a three-day, family-friendly event on Sidney Hutchinson Park’s 100 acres. It was held on Friday, April 23rd from 5-10 pm, Saturday, April 24th from 12-10 pm, and Sunday, April 25th from 12-7 pm.

The Livingston Parish festival aimed to have families and the general surrounding community come together to experience a truly impressive offering of events, attractions, and culture, all of which were seen as all-too-needed these days, according to the city of Walker’s community outreach coordinator, Sandi McGrew, who said, “it’s the first festival that we’re having. The mayor (Jimmy Watson) really has a vision to bring more people into the park and do more things for the community, especially after everybody’s been at home for the last year.”

McGrew also expressed her hope for this family-orientated event to be seen by the public as a community event to gather around, especially after the trying year endured by the coronavirus pandemic that pushed communities apart from one another. Spring Fest implemented the state of Louisiana’s latest safety guidelines in an effort to not let this first annual festival be its last.

In fact, a recent Advocate Article commented on the inaugural Spring Fest by stating, “ It will be a busy weekend and a sign that residents are ready to get out of their houses. But festival organizers are encouraging safety with masks and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”

Outside of providing Livingston parish with a three-day event that they can look forward to, Spring Fest featured live musical performances by Clifton Brown and the Rusty Bucket Band (Friday), the Eddie Smith Band with Floyd Crown and Kenny Cornett (Saturday), and student performances from Overtones Music (Sunday).

In addition to the impressive musical acts, the festival also included nearly a dozen fair rides such as a Ferris Wheel, as well as, local vendors selling their specialties and the notorious staples of “Fair Food” on site. Additionally, both a local farmer’s market and a car show were featured on the festival grounds on Saturday, April 24th, arguably the park’s biggest day.

Outside of its attention-grabbing music lineup and features, the city of Walker had a wholesome, ulterior motive when selecting Sidney Hutchinson Park as the festival’s location. Both McGrew and Mayor Watson wanted the public to see for themselves all of the natural hallmarks available to them, such as the walking trail and various fishing ponds. With this being the inaugural event, it’s a chance to show local residents what can come in the future alongside hefty community support and goodwill. Festival participants got an inside look at Sidney Hutchinson Park’s soon-to-be-completed outdoor exercise equipment and all-inclusive playground. Spring Fest’s admission and musical performances will be free to all who enter, but rides, fair games, concessions, and Saturday’s farmers market were note.

In an effort to keep Louisiana residents informed about live events, safety, and all things music, “97.3 The Dawg” has released a rundown on the 2021 Louisiana Festivals that are still ready to open. Among those listed, such as the NOLA Crawfish Festival, Sunset Herb and Garden Festival, Mid City Bayou Boogaloo, and Kite Fest Louisiane, special attention was paid to announce Spring Festival as Walker’s first, and hopefully, there will be many more to come in the years ahead.

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A Louisiana Shrimp Festival in Delcambre

Twenty miles southwest of Lafayette, Louisiana there is a town known for an American delicacy that most of us enjoy: SHRIMP! Delcambre, Louisiana has an entire festival dedicated to these crustaceans. This year the festival is going on from August 14th- August 18th.

The original name was not the Delcambre Shrimp Festival. The Iberia Parish Shrimp Festival and Agricultural fair held the name title until 1974. It originally started as a festival to help raise money for the Delcambre Fire Department in 1950, since then it has flourished. It is now one of the top ten festivals in Louisiana! The festival is 5 days filled with entertainment, rides, and of course, food.

Shrimp is one of the most versatile foods out there so the options are endless. Shrimp dishes like shrimp sauce piquante, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp salad and more! Do not worry if you want to go but aren’t a shrimp person; the festival offers options that are not just shrimp! Tons of delicious complimentary sides are available to purchase, as well as desserts, kid foods, and interesting Louisiana-themed dishes.  There is something for every palate and cold drinks are always available.

The 14th, 15th, and 18th dates of the festival require no entry fee. The 16th and 17th there is a $10 entry fee. There is even a bracelet offered for unlimited rides for the festival.

Shrimping has a long history in Louisiana; fishermen have taken advantage of Louisiana’s marshes and estuaries of our coastline since earliest settlement. As the size of the catch increased to meet a growing consumer demand, shrimping emerged as an important folk occupation in Louisiana during the twentieth century.

Two types of fishermen shrimp in coastal Louisiana; those who shrimp with the small vessels in the shallow bays and those with large vessels who shrimp offshore in deeper waters. The inland fishermen operate during seasons regulated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Often, their crews are family members, and the trip may last for around 1-3 days. Many of the shrimpers who fish seasonally live in settlements along the bayous of south Louisiana and along the lower Mississippi River. Many come from a tradition of fishing and shrimping during the spring, summer and fall months, then oystering and trapping during the winter months. The ranks of shrimpers have increased as others have entered the shrimping industry. Many left city and industrial work, preferring to be their own boss. While traditionally many shrimpers in Louisiana come from a French-speaking background, Chinese, Filipino, Croatian, and Vietnamese immigrants have also entered the South Louisiana fishing industry for their livelihoods.  Larger vessels are outfitted to pursue offshore shrimp for extended periods of time and are able to work year round.

While shrimping continues as a way of life for many folks in Louisiana, changes are occurring which will affect the continuity of the shrimping tradition and the availability of shrimp. As a business, shrimping has become much more competitive, with more licenses granted now than several years ago. A steady increase in cheaper, imported shrimp from South America and Southeast Asia has greatly cut into the local fishermen’s market and pollution in the waterways are also taking their toll.

So while shrimping as a way of life and a family tradition is still present in Louisiana, many fishermen are having to relinquish this heritage. One way to support this Louisiana tradition is to opt to purchase gulf shrimp and ask that your local restaurants and grocers purchase their shrimp from local sources.

The 2019 Special Events

2019 Baby Shrimp Pageant

2019 Little & DEB Shrimp

2019 Junior and Teen Shrimp Queen Pageant

2019 Miss Shrimp Queen Pageant

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