23 Oct 2020

Geaux Outside in St. Landry Parish – A Comprehensive Guide to the Outdoors Part 2

2023-10-26T15:53:50-05:00

Continuing from our previous post that you can find here, we’ve listed even more ways to enjoy the outdoors in St. Landry Parish.

Wood Cock, Washington, Louisiana
deer, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana

Hunting

If you want a more active way to appreciate the outdoors, St. Landry Parish’s WMAs also provide ample hunting opportunities. The culture of this area, to hunt and catch your own food using every piece of the animal is a practice that has persisted from Native American tribes, including the Opelousas and Attakapas, to the frontier cowboys in the 1700s, and into present-day sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts. There are plenty of places to purchase game meats as well even a wild-game cook-off that takes place on the weekend after Memorial Day. Some game species you can expect to find include deer, hogs, squirrel, rabbit, woodcock, waterfowl, and turkey.

The American Woodcock – also known as the timber-doodle, bogsucker, or brush snipe – can be found during the winter months along the forest floor. These birds can be found along the Atchafalaya River floodplains such as the Sherburne WMA, Indian Bayou Area, as well as Thistlethwaite WMA.

In the Sherburne WMA deer, squirrel, and woodcock hunting are good while rabbit hunting is fair. Waterfowl hunting is seasonal and can depend on many factors. But the opportunities to hunt waterfowl here are some of the best in the country. Turkey populations are small, and turkey hunting is limited. There are general and youth waterfowl and turkey lottery hunts, youth deer and squirrel seasons, a youth deer lottery hunt, and a small game emphasis area. In addition, deer and waterfowl hunting areas for the physically challenged and wheelchair-confined are available on this WMA.

In Thistlethwaite, available game species include deer, squirrel, rabbit, wood duck, and woodcock. The deer herd is high-quality—hunters take many trophy bucks on this WMA. There is a youth deer season and trapping for furbearers is permitted; species include beaver, raccoon, mink, bobcat, otter, and opossum. See regulations for details.

Tour du Teche, Port Barre, Louisiana
Tour du Teche, Port Barre, Louisiana
Tour du Teche, Port Barre, Louisiana

Fishing/Paddling

Louisiana is the Bayou State for a reason. Winding freshwater waterways and the Atchafalaya Basin provide for largemouth bass, white and black crappie (also known as Sac-a-Lait), sunfish, the primeval-looking paddlefish, and catfish fishing. There are many places to launch your boat in Eunice, Lawtell, Mermentau Basin, Vermilion-Teche Basin, and Atchafalaya Basin.

Public boat launches in St. Landry Parish:

  • Bayou Courtableau Boat Launch at Washington
    • Highway 103 and Water Street
    • Latitude: 30.63, longitude: -92.06
  • Bayou Courtableau/Bayou Teche Boat Launch at Port Barre
    • 245 Bayou Road, Port Barre, LA 70577
    • Latitude: 30.56 Longitude: -91.95
  • Bayou Teche Boat Launch at Leonville
    • 129 Mistric Street, Leonville, Louisiana 70551
    • Latitude: 30.48 Longitude: -91.99
  • Atchafalaya River Boat Launch outside of Krotz Springs
    • Boat Ramp Rd, Krotz Springs, LA 70750
    • Latitude: 30.53 Longitude: -91.74
  • Find more launches at the Wildlife & Fisheries website here.

If you need a fishing license, they are available at several local stores, including Bourque’s Supermarket, St. Landry Lumber, Ardoin’s Grocery, Budden’s Store, and Cajun Corner. For a complete list of physical locations to buy a fishing license, visit the Wildlife & Fisheries website here.

Here are some safety tips for those interested in paddling courtesy of the TECHE Project.

Cajun Customized Excursions, Arnaudville, Louisiana
SLP Solid Waste, Washington, Louisiana

Other Outdoor Tours & Events

If you’d like a more guided tour of the outdoors rather than going out on your own, Cajun Customized Excursions is a personalized experience for you. Located in Arnaudville, Captain Mark Allemond will take you on a tour of the Atchafalaya Basin by small boat. You can even choose to have the tour in English or French.

A less traditional tour that you can use to educate yourself about the environment, as well as eco-friendly practices, is the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Landfill tour. This place is more than a landfill, it is a vision of how the future of waste management can be with sustainable practices and the ability to coexist with nature. Adjacent to the landfill is a wildlife habitat and bird sanctuary that you are able to tour.

STEP OUTSIDE Day provides a free, fun, hands-on introduction to the outdoors for children, families, and people with disabilities. Some of the activities include fishing, target shooting, skeet shooting, archery, birdwatching, dog training, crafts, duck calling, trapping techniques, and boat rides. The event is held each May, on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, at the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area; for more information contact the project office at (337) 585-0853.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Geaux Outside in St. Landry Parish – A Comprehensive Guide to the Outdoors Part 22023-10-26T15:53:50-05:00
16 Oct 2020

Accordions in St. Landry Parish

2023-10-26T15:52:06-05:00

In St. Landry Parish, we love accordions. We love listening to them, playing them, and the artistry that goes into making them. It ties together both Cajun and zydeco music in a way that harkens to the past while retaining a devoted following that has a clear place in the future.

The accordion is a part of a family of free reed instruments that includes the harmonica and reed organ. Their design was influenced by Asian reed mouth organs such as the sheng, which is known to have been around since 1100 BCE. However, the accordion as we recognize it today is traced to Austria in the early 1800s. The popularity of the accordion spread like wildfire across America almost immediately after its creation making its way to Acadiana via German-speaking settlers. It wouldn’t take long for Creole and Cajun musicians of Louisiana to master the craft.

Amédé Ardoin, who has a statue at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, was a major influence on the iconic sounds of zydeco and Cajun music that we are familiar with today. As well as being some of the first recorded instances of Acadiana’s traditional music, Amédé’s recordings were special because of his partnership with Cajun fiddler, Dennis McGee. His accompaniment to Amédé’s masterful accordion playing in the 1920s and ‘30smade their interracial act one-of-a-kind.

Amédé’s music set the stage for other accordionists to enter the spotlight. “Boozoo” Chavis and Clifton Chenier brought accordion music worldwide in the 1950s through the ‘80s with the introduction of zydeco music. Another St. Landry Parish native, Chenier’s lively, toe-tapping accordion-playing would touch the lives of millions, solidifying the genre on the national stage. Over his lifetime, Chenier earned two Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement award in 2014, putting him alongside music giants like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, and even the Beatles.

Chenier isn’t the only Grammy-winning accordionist that hails from our parish. Rockin’ Sidney Simien earned his a year after Chenier’s first in 1984 for his multi-million seller, “My Toot Toot”. Alongside these greats is Terrance Simien who has so far earned two Grammys, one in 2008 and the other in 2013. Terrance is considered a crucial link that connects the original zydeco pioneers of his childhood with modern times.

With accordion players come accordion makers. Post WWII, Cajuns and Creoles played the accordion in their homes. Accordions were cherished by their owners. Sidney Brown of Lake Charles became one of the only people in Louisiana to repair and eventually build accordions in the 1950s after the major factories in Germany were destroyed in the war. His efforts would inspire the next generation of accordion builders, including a young Marc Savoy. The young Cajun accordion enthusiast opened the doors to the Savoy Music Center in Eunice in 1966. The center, along with housing his accordion-making business, is a hub for Saturday morning jam sessions.

Heritage Accordions in Lawtell is headed by Rusty Sanner who was trained by legendary maker Randy Falcon. “In many ways,” Falcon said in a post updating the world of his retirement, “he has exceeded my abilities and will also be making and repairing the dual-keyed accordion. He also tunes the old-fashioned way.” Falcon passed away nine months after the declaration.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Accordions in St. Landry Parish2023-10-26T15:52:06-05:00
25 Sep 2020

Haunted St. Landry

2023-10-26T15:47:38-05:00

From First-Nation legends to the well-established culture of Catholicism and everything in between, it is well-known that St. Landry Parish is a land of spiritual traditions. But for every claim of the miraculous, there is a flip side that leaves more questions than answers. Barely-there whispers and growls, mysterious shapes on long-winding roads at night, apparitions that leave the body cold and confused, and footsteps that follow you when you are alone, all these are claims that have been experienced across our parish. Some of these claims have even been verified by ghost hunting group, Louisiana Spirits, one of the oldest and most structured investigative teams in the state. Their new director of the state, Marci Lee, is coming with a brand-new South-Central team to investigate St. Landry Parish.

Standing on the site of what has been the seat of Opelousas’ local government for over 200 years and the center of local commerce for 300, the St. Landry Parish Courthouse building as it is known today was erected in 1939. It is surrounded by sprawling, living oaks. On the 3rd floor of this gray-limestone building lies sealed and hidden away the purported site of three executions. Research suggests that Elgie Stephens, the last person to be sentenced to hang in St. Landry Parish and one of the last ten legally executed this way in the state, was the first to die in the newly-constructed courthouse in 1939. His crime was the murder of his wife. It’s said that he left this world saying the Lord’s Prayer with a smile on his face. Brothers Joseph and Matthew Cook were also accused of murder. These farm laborers were electrocuted ten years after Stephens. Their crime is listed as the murder of A. B. Couvillion and the rape of his wife. During the trial, the brothers would blame each other for the murder. The eventual ruling was that they mutually aided and abetted each other in perpetuating the crime.

Louisiana Spirits investigators have visited the courthouse twice, recording audio phenomena on both occasions, which you can listen to on their website laspirits.com. The growls, knocks, whistles, and footsteps can be heard along with the heavy sound of a gavel that echoes the sentencing of many over the years, some wrongfully so while others deserving in the eyes of the law. Could these sounds be the efforts of the dead rallying against unfair judgments? Regardless, the courthouse looms large in the square in downtown Opelousas, where local restaurants and public art displays look on in the shadow of a haunted history.

Andrepont Store, Opelousas, Louisiana

The Louisiana Spirits gang were not expecting to find activity in Le Vieux Village, there were no claims of the paranormal before their investigation. In one of their reports, they answer the question, “Why investigate if it’s not haunted?”. Their response, “As with any research, you don’t know what you can do until you try. This belief is the largest reason that Louisiana Spirits has pioneered so many reportedly active locations in the state. By not simply going off of haunted tales, we treat any historic location as the next potential haunting. In some cases, we walk out empty-handed, other times we don’t.”

In this case, it would be the latter. The group eventually would record several audio phenomena in the Andrepont country store building, one of several historic buildings from across the parish that found their way to this park.

The store, originally located in Prairie Ronde, an area famous for its non-GMO rice farm, was constructed in the 1880s and operated as a store for nearly a century. The original owner, Emar Andrepont, was a fiddle-maker, farmer, blacksmith, and helped found the Union Bank and Trust Company in Opelousas. While the beauty of his fiddles was not up for debate, he refused to sell them, a wish his family honored after his death.

Louisiana Spirits recorded door slams and low whispers in the store that set an aura of unease in all of the investigators. You can listen to their audio evidence here. Along with this, the investigators also witnessed moving shadows. It could be Emar or one of his seven children continuing their duty in the store for another hundred years.

On the far west side of the parish in Eunice, there’s another famously haunted locale that is open to the public, with many documented stories and eye-witness accounts. Radio station KBON 101.1 FM went on the air in 1997 and was spearheaded by Paul Marx, who was passionate about making a place for local musicians to have their music on the air. Marx would die at the age of 71 in 2019.

Marx dedicated an entire chapter of his book, “Variety with a Louisiana Flavor: A Memoir”, to the ghost stories of KBON. He writes about himself and his employees hearing conversations, seeing shadows, and figures. Here, you can see a shadow figure walking in front of a phone camera set up by one of their employees. While Louisiana Spirits did not find anything during their initial investigation, they admitted to an undeniable feeling of creepiness, with plans to return.

The radio station has had many “visitors” over the years, ghostly or otherwise, and a wall with signatures of local legends marks their visit. If you’d like to judge the veracity of the claims for yourself, there is no need to worry. During his life, Marx claimed the ghosts or spirits were never malicious, just mischievous.

If you’re looking for a haunted overnight stay, there’s another location in Eunice you have to visit. Le Village Guest House is located on six acres of land that includes two on-site venues available for special events and weddings. One of the buildings, a country store, is famous for being the infamous Bonnie and Clyde’s last stop before their demise at the hands of Texas and Louisiana law enforcement. Their plans to rob the store were foiled by a local who overheard their plans and summarily informed a local sheriff.

This time, Louisiana Spirits would document ample audio recordings and personal experiences, including lights that turned on by themselves, growls, moans, and other audio phenomena that you can hear for yourself on their website. Their investigation would suggest that rather than the building, the objects are what bring in the strange activity, judging from strange readings they got from a rosary and ghostly answers from their specialized equipment.

You can keep up to date on Louisiana Spirits most recent investigations over on their Facebook page.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Haunted St. Landry2023-10-26T15:47:38-05:00
15 Jul 2020

Times changed during Rod Bernard’s records

2022-11-29T14:44:48-06:00

Singer Rod Bernard, who died Sunday, stirred pride and controversy in 1958. The then-teenager from Opelousas was the talk of St. Landry Parish and beyond when he performed his Billboard Top 20 pop hit, “This Should Go on Forever,” on “American Bandstand.” Still a baby like the rock ‘n’ roll music it featured, “Bandstand” grew into an American television institution.

Bernard’s history-making moment also showed how times were much different. Legendary “Bandstand” host Dick Clark received a viewer complaint objecting to “sinner” in Bernard’s ballad.

Bernard sang, ‘If it’s a sin to really love you, then a sinner I will be.”

Before his TV appearance, producers flew Bernard to Chess Records in Chicago to recut the lyrics to “If it’s wrong to really love you, then wrong I’ll always be.” That modified version became a hit in England and a rare find at home.

The “Bandstand” single can be found on a 2003 CD, “The Early Jin Singles: Southland Rock ‘n’ Roll” on Ace Records, based in the United Kingdom. The album, which highlights 1950s and ‘60s swamp pop releases on Jin Records out of Ville Platte, is available locally at floydsrecordshop.com.

Rod Bernard CD cover

The 30-song CD includes selections from the Boogie Kings, Rockin’ Sidney, Phil Bo, Johnnie Allan and Red Smiley and the Vel-Tones featuring Clint West. West, aka Clinton Guillory, is the late father of current Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory.

Bernard’s regional hits can be found on “Rod Bernard: The Essential Collection,” which is also on Jin Records. Some, like “Colinda” and “Fais Do Do,” have French and English lyrics. Others, like “Good Hearted Man” and “Play a Song for My Baby, show off Bernard’s penchant for Fats Domino and the blues.

Almost two decades after his “Bandstand” glory, Bernard found more homegrown fame when he teamed with fellow Opelousas native and zydeco-king-in-the-making, Clifton Chenier, for the 1976 album, “Boogie in Black & White.” The title raised some eyebrows as public schools had just been integrated six years earlier.

But Bernard, Chenier and a sizzling band of black and white musicians raced through R&B and blues classics, like “My Babe” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu,’ along with the Cajun waltz, ‘My Jolie Blonde.” The album found new life in 2014 when it was re-released on CD.

Bernard leaves behind groundbreaking music and fond memories. Many still smile about the day a boy from Opelousas made history on national TV and opened the do to so much more. You can read more about Bernard in the words of his son, Shane Bernard, here.

(Herman Fuselier, a longtime music journalist, is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission.)

Times changed during Rod Bernard’s records2022-11-29T14:44:48-06:00
10 Jul 2020

Geaux Outside in St. Landry Parish – A Comprehensive Guide to the Outdoors Part 1

2023-10-26T15:42:59-05:00

St. Landry Parish is the largest parish in Louisiana by landmass. Among these sprawling lands, we are blessed to have several diverse ecosystems and wildlife, including coastal prairies, upland hardwood habitats, bottomland hardwood habitats, and the iconic wetlands.

The coastal prairie, or Cajun prairie, is characterized by rolling fields of grasses and wildflowers, some of which were used by indigenous people as healing items. Some locals who have native prairie plants in their gardens report the rejuvenating effects of wild bergamot just from maintaining them normally. Upland hardwood can have mixtures of evergreens, pines, and deciduous trees. Magnolias and live oaks are some of the more well-known Louisiana trees found here. Gum, oak, and bald cypress are parts of the bottomland hardwood ecosystem. For more about these ecosystems and the native plants surrounding the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center catch up on our other blog here.

There are many ways to appreciate all that the outdoors of St. Landry Parish has to offer. Here, we will go through some of the activities you can participate in and how.

Trail Safety

Before you head out on your outdoor adventure, the Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail has these safety tips for you:

  • Some trail sites are remote and may be out of internet service range, so carry a Louisiana road map and printed driving directions with you. You can pick up waterproof paddle trail maps as well as Louisiana road maps at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center.
  • If planning to walk, hike, or paddle at a trail site, research the site’s amenities beforehand and pack water, bug spray, and sunscreen.
  • Practice Leave No Trace principles by carrying out everything you carry in. Do not litter.
  • Check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. Wear appropriate footwear for the activities you will be engaging in.
  • Tell someone where you are going.
  • Stay on approved walking/paddling trails so as not to damage the nearby environment.
  • Do not leave valuables in your car.
  • Always wear a lifejacket when on the water and know your limits. When paddling, choose a trail that is appropriate for your skill level.
  • Obey rules posted at trail sites. Trail sites are owned by different organizations, agencies, and private landowners, so rules may vary.
  • Take pictures, not souvenirs. Leave natural objects and cultural artifacts for future visitors to discover.

Birdwatching

In a previous blog post, we spoke about some of the different bird species that make St. Landry Parish their home and where one would be able to find them. Here I’d like to talk about some ways to make that experience a little easier especially if you have an interest in getting started with birdwatching. If you have a Louisiana hunting or fishing license, you’re good to go to traverse our Wildlife Management Areas. If you don’t have one or are not interested in having one, you can buy a Wild Louisiana Stamp online here. This will give you access to WMAs or other Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries managed lands for just under $10 a year or $2 for a single day. You can learn more about other WMA/Refuge/Conservation Area licenses, permits, and access requirements here.

Some birds that have been sighted in St. Landry Parish are either endangered or protected. The Swallow-tailed Kite is one of these remarkable avians. A white and black raptor with long, pointed wings, this bird has a deep forked tail, not unlike a swallow. It is the largest of the North American kites. St. Landry Parish falls within their breeding range where they prefer pines adjacent to swampland. If you spot one of these birds, please contact Jennifer Coulson at jacoulson@aol.com or 504-717.3544.

Indian Bayou is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and is a part of the America’s Wetland Birding Trail that you can follow to hit iconic swampland birds including songbirds, raptors, and wader-bird species as well as the Bald Eagle. You won’t need a Wild Louisiana Stamp for this area. Bayou Fordouche, Bayou Fuselier, the north flats of Henderson Lake, and Lake Bigeaux all run through this area and are perfect to spot large wading birds like the Rosette Spoonbill, Wood Stork, and Great Egrets. This area also offers 35 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding and eight miles of all-terrain vehicle trails.

Cycle Zydeco in Louisiana
Cycle Zydeco in Louisiana

Biking

While our Wildlife Management Areas are not suited for mountain biking, there’s no denying our scenic byways are ideal for long-distance biking. If you truly want to experience a biking adventure like no other, you have to attend Cycle Zydeco. Every year, Louisiana’s Cajun & Creole Cycling Festival rolls through Acadiana. Hundreds of bikers from across America and even the world, participate in this “rolling party”. They have live music, food, swamp tours, scavenger hunts, beer tastings, and of course, a winding stretch of road with scenic views.

If you can’t wait until April when the festival kicks off, then you can try the route yourself. Here’s a map of the route they take through St. Landry Parish.

CycleZydeco_Route

This path is chosen for the general lack of traffic, its avoidance of major highways, and scenic views. It follows, for a time, Bayou Teche and eventually Bayou Courtableau. These two waterways were important for steamboat travel back in the 1800s.

Atelier de la Nature, Arnaudville, Louisiana
Cajun Prairie Habitat Restoration Site in Eunice, Louisiana

Hiking/Walking Trails

Besides the winding paths of our Wildlife Management Areas, there are several places to experience the natural beauty of St. Landry Parish. The Cajun Prairie Restoration Site is a 10-acre tract of land in Eunice used as a living exhibit of the now endangered ecosystem of the Cajun Prairie. Walk the paths and see the collection of grasses and wildflowers that dot this rolling field. Check out their website for guided tour events.

Another way to appreciate the outdoors on foot is by visiting Atelier de la Nature in Arnaudville. This nature reserve and education center aims to inspire people to steward the nature in their backyard. They offer dual-language cooking workshops, guided nature walks, eco-workshops, art and science educational programming, and more. At the site, they are working to preserve native prairie lands, hardwood, and wetland habitats as well as family-friendly nature trails with outdoor art pieces including sculptures using recycled materials.

You can continue reading about outdoor activities in St. Landry Parish, here, in Part 2 of our Comprehensive Guide.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Geaux Outside in St. Landry Parish – A Comprehensive Guide to the Outdoors Part 12023-10-26T15:42:59-05:00
6 Jul 2020

Albums of St. Landry Parish Part I

2022-04-29T13:08:57-05:00

Music made by St. Landry Parish natives have traveled to the Grammy Hall of Fame, movies, TV shows, and festivals across the globe. Here’s the beginning of a #StLandryParish playlist that you can enjoy. There’s plenty more of this #GumboForYourSoul to come.

“Best of  Clifton Chenier” (Arhoolie) – Born in the country between Opelousas and Port Barre, “King of Zydeco” Clifton Chenier worked his way to a Grammy, the Grammy Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a supreme honor won by Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and other all-time greats.

This “Best of” album shows what the fuss is all about, from hard-driving, two-steps to French blues to a live version of the hypnotic party starter, “Party Down at the Blue Angel Club).”

   “Refait,” Hadley Castille (Swallow) – Imagine crawling out of a mudhole, catching a plane, and performing before thousands of screaming fans in Canada. Such was the life of Cajun fiddler/plumber Hadley Castille, a proud native of Pecanierre (near Leonville.)

Castille used his meager, sharecropping roots and Harry Choates-flavored fiddling to pen stories about neighbors making moonshine and punishment for speaking French at school. Castille’s creations, redone on the “Refait” CD, have entertained Pres. George H.W. Bush and landed in the Clint Eastwood movie, “A Perfect World.”

“Le Cowboy Creole,” Geno Delafose (Time Square Records) – The legions of fans that follow Geno Delafose have pretty much given up hope of another CD. The last one, “Le Cowboy Creole,” earned a Grammy nomination. But that was 12 years ago.

Geno’s studio absence helped fuel fans who, before coronavirus, made Delafose’s band the most booked in the region – bar none. Like his shows, the CD includes a little something for everybody – zydeco, Cajun, swamp pop, a bi-lingual “When Will I Be Loved” from the Everly Brothers, and Lionel Richie’s “Easy.”

“Zydeco Live!” various artists (Rounder) – Perhaps the best live zydeco recording ever, “Zydeco Live!” was crafted in 1989 in the music’s dearly-departed Grand Ole Opry, Richard’s Club in Lawtell. This two-album set captures zydeco pioneer Boozoo Chavis in his red-hot comeback.

Willis Prudhomme and John Delafose, Geno’s dad, were in top form. Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, now world-traveled veterans, were just starting out.

Listeners outside Louisiana have asked why there’s no applause in this live album. Back then, zydeco fans danced instead of clapping. The dance floor was packed.

“Zydeco Famous Flames Live,” Leon Chavis (Chavis) – Leon Chavis has used skills learned as a trumpet player at Northwest High School and the world-famous Southern University Jaguar Marching Band to become one of contemporary zydeco’s hottest acts. Chavis’ first live CD, released in late April, landed at No. 4 on the iTunes World Music Chart.

Less than a month later, Chavis unveiled “Encore,” part two of his greatest hits live. It checked in at No. 8 on the World Chart. Get the passport ready, Leon.

    (Herman Fuselier, a longtime music journalist, is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission.)

Albums of St. Landry Parish Part I2022-04-29T13:08:57-05:00
25 Jun 2020

Celebrating Black-owned Businesses

2023-10-26T15:39:59-05:00

It’s time to celebrate the people that make up the fabric of our culture here in St. Landry Parish. The black community, from Creole ancestry to excellence in history, remains a consistent staple of our area. Here we have listed black-owned businesses that add to the culture of our area be it in food, art, attractions, or entertainment. Also listed are several Creole historical landmarks from the gravesite of an Olympian to the statue of the progenitor of Cajun & zydeco music as we know it.

Restaurants

Arpeggio’s Lounge & Event Center
204 North Main St.
Opelousas
337-407-5188

Pearl’s Country Kitchen
8247 Louisiana 182
Opelousas
337-594-8889

Coby’s Classic Cuisine
1631 North Main Street
Opelousas
337-678-0454

Allison’s Hickory Pit
501 West Laurel Avenue
Eunice
337-457-9218

Fat Belly’s Diner
317 East Jefferson Street
Opelousas
337-942-5445

Sweet Lucy’s Soul Food
1332 Goodloe Street
Opelousas
337-678-3311

Yam Country Pies
430 East Grolee Street
Opelousas
337-948-4553

Dominick’s Smoke Wagon
1611 North Main Street
Opelousas
337-692-9991

Shopping

Creole Heritage Folklife Center
1113 West Vine Street
Opelousas
337-945-5064

Nanny Belle’s Antiques
402 South Main Street
Washington
337-849-8477

Wild Child Essentials
129 West Landry Street
Opelousas
337-308-6754

Arts, Entertainment & Venues

Xclusive Banquet & Event Center
805 Napoleon Avenue
Sunset
337-349-3377

Art Box Studio & Gallery
115 South Main Street
Opelousas
337-418-1789

Cajun Creole Cuisine
Youtube Channel
Based in Opelousas
cajuncreolecuisine@gmail.com

Black & Creole Landmarks & Historical Sites

Holy Ghost Catholic Church
747 North Union Street
Opelousas
337-942-2732

Amédé Ardoin Statue
978 Kennerson Road
Opelousas
337-948-8004

JS Clark Memorial Walkway
828 East Landry Street
Opelousas
337-948-6263

Rodney Milburn Gravesite
2858 LA 743
Opelousas
337-948-8004

Zydeco Music Exhibit
828 East Landry Street
Opelousas
337-948-6263

If you are a black business owner and your tourism-related business meets the guidelines set in our Marketing & Promotions Policy is located within St. Landry Parish and you do not see it listed here, send an email to hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Celebrating Black-owned Businesses2023-10-26T15:39:59-05:00
12 Jun 2020

Feed Your Soul in Opelousas

2023-10-26T15:35:56-05:00

Opelousas is a culinary mecca. Fresh ingredients, specialty spice blends, and a history of being perfectly seasoned all add to the culinary tapestry of this area. People come here to taste authentic Cajun and Creole food, and if you want to cook like a local, Ken Durousseau is the man to see.

This Opelousas local has no formal culinary training. But for 10 years he has been stirring up recipes for family and friends inspired by his 84-year-old father, August Durousseau, a true Creole in the kitchen. Ken says his father has a range of talents ranging from the traditional—making everything from scratch like sausage, hogshead cheese, and boudin—to the fun like making his own tequila and wine.

“My father is my biggest inspiration,” Ken says. “Making things homemade, taking your time, and just having fun in the kitchen is what I’m all about, and I learned all that from him.”

Ken, as a creative and passionate person, has always been seeking ways to express himself and get more out of life.

“In the last few years, I’ve been thinking about what will make me happy. Been wanting more for myself and to find a creative way to express my passion for traditional cooking with my own twists.”

Ken runs the Facebook page and YouTube channel Cajun Creole Cuisine where he posts recipes, how-to videos to inspire and motivate the world with the recipes he loves.

“My cooking style mainly comes from southern local practices like gumbo, stews, smothered and smoked meats in a luxurious gravy,” says Ken. “But I also like to venture out and take inspiration from other cultures that I admire and am inspired by.”

Below is one of Ken’s recipes and videos. Check it out and get cooking!

Southern Louisiana Crawfish Pies, Shrimp & Crawfish Pasta & Fried Fish

Cajun Creole Cuisine, Opelousas, Louisiana
Cajun Creole Cuisine, Opelousas, Louisiana
Cajun Creole Cuisine, Opelousas, Louisiana

Ingredients
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup of flour
Holy Trinity (onions, jalapeños, 2 celery sticks, 1 bunch of green onion, 5 cloves of garlic)
2 cups of water or seafood stock
1 tbsp of the following: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, fresh cracked coriander seed
8 mini pie crust
1 skinless chopped tomato (optional)
12 oz of crawfish tails
1 lb of peeled, deveined shrimp (pre-season to your liking)
8 oz of cream cheese
1/2 cup Asiago cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lb of pasta noodles
Pie crust (for lattice on crawfish pie, optional)

Feel free to substitute or adjust their recipe using your favorite seasonings and ingredients. You can find local butchers and groceries here for the freshest ingredients.

Add equal parts butter and flour. Stir consistently. We’re going for a blonde roux. Once the roux is to the desired color, add holy trinity. Stir and allow to cook until vegetables are translucent. Slowly add water or seafood stock. Add a quarter cup until desired consistency.

*Make sure you add enough water to break up the roux but don’t add too much or it will become watery.

Add seasonings and tomato. Then, stir and add crawfish tails. Cover pot for 5-8 minutes to let the juices marry. Add cream cheese and allow to melt while stirring. Now, taste! If needed, add additional seasonings and cheeses, Asiago and Gouda. Carefully ladle the mixture into slightly baked pie crust (follow directions on packaging). With the leftover mixture, add a quarter cup of heavy cream, cheese (optional), and seasoned shrimp. Let simmer. Boil pasta until al dente. Strain and combine with sauce. We used Gemelli pasta but you can use whatever you like.

Follow Ken’s Facebook page Cajun Creole Cuisine and his YouTube channel for more recipes.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Feed Your Soul in Opelousas2023-10-26T15:35:56-05:00
28 May 2020

Online Music Lessons in Acadiana

2023-10-26T15:30:13-05:00

The music of Acadiana speaks to the soul. The distinctive sound of Cajun waltzes and high energy feeling of zydeco accordions cannot be found anywhere else. If you would like to learn genuine Cajun and zydeco styles and instruments, here are a list of musicians you can practice with online:

    • Sam Broussard (Mamou Playboys) | Guitar lessons. Msg him on Facebook.
    • Gina Forsyth (Bruce Daigrepont, The Malvinas) | Fiddle lessons (and also guitar) online using Skype, Zoom, or FB Video messenger, whichever, whatever, and whenever they prefer Contact ginaforsyth@gmail.com.
    • Jonno Frishberg (Charivari) |Fiddle lessons (and also guitar) contact through FB messenger, or email: jonno.frishberg@gmail.com
    • Daniel Gale (Low Maintenance) | All fiddle styles and classical, all ages and levels. Contact: danielfiddle@gmail.com Lessons via Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc.
    • David Greely (Mamou Playboys) | Cajun fiddle, fiddle in general, and Cajun singing david@davidgreely.com
    • Yvette Landry (Bonsoir, Catin, Lafayette Rhythm Devils) | Rhythm guitar, bass, accordion and vocals yvettelandrymusic@gmail.com
    • Blake Miller (Pine Leaf Boys, Revelers, Old-Fashioned Aces) | Bass guitar, Cajun accordion, fiddle, and guitar lessons. Also he or Amelia Biere can teach vocals and Cajun song pronunciation BlakeMiller10ta@gmail.com
    • Mitch Reed (Beausoleil, Racines, Charivari, Tasso) | Fiddle lessons, call (833) 337-6765. www.MitchReedMusicLessons.com.
    • Steve Riley (Mamou Playboys, Racines, High Performance) | Steve gives online accordion lessons. Contact jsriley2@hotmail.com.
    • Drew Simon ( T’Monde & The Pine Leaf Boys) | Cajun vocal, singing, guitar, rhythm or accordion classes. Contact drewtsimon@aol.com.
    • Henry Hample (Don Fontenot & Friends of Louisiana) | Teaches online fiddle, accordion, guitar, piano, and bass lessons www.henryhample.com
    • Corey Ledet (Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band) | Creole and zydeco accordion lessons. Contact coreyledet@gmail.com
    • Kaleb LeDay (Rusty Metoyer & the Zydeco Krush) | Creole and zydeco accordion lessons. Contact on FB @KalebLeDay
    • Christine Balfa (Balfa Toujours & Bonsoir, Catin) | Guitar, dancing, and Cajun French vocals. Contact christine@christinebalfa.com

If you are a musician and would like your name here, please email hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Online Music Lessons in Acadiana2023-10-26T15:30:13-05:00
13 Dec 2019

Mash Trash and Collect Gas in St. Landry

2023-10-26T15:28:22-05:00

Note: For the time being, tours of the landfill are on hold.

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, there was a crisis happening across the United States. The effects of improper and inadequate solid waste disposal practices, including open dumping and trash burning, were coming to a head.  St. Landry Parish did not escape the ramifications of the blatant illegal handling of solid waste, which still affects us to this day. Air pollution, gas explosions, infestations, and litter all affect the quality of life for U.S. citizens everywhere. Most worrying of all was the contamination of surface and ground water.

SLP Solid Waste District, Washington, Louisiana

Landfill with tirechip layer exposed

To comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that was passed in 1976, and the 1979 state law requiring all open dumps to be cleaned up by January of 1986, the St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal District was formed. Funded by an eight-tenths sales tax—which as of 2019 has not been increased since its instatement—the District closed 187 illegal dumps, began house-to-house garbage collection, and began construction on what would be the St. Landry Parish Landfill and Recycling Centers. That landfill is now one of the leading sites in the state whose methods are sought after by countries across the globe.

SLP Solid Waste District, Washington, Louisiana

Elliot Donato, Compliance Officer

Elliot Donato—sometimes tour guide and full-time Compliance Officer for the SLP Solid Waste District—says that their goal is to “Mash trash and collect gas”. It seems simple at first, but the 25-year veteran of waste management will soon educate you on how the process of solid waste disposal is a lot more nuanced than first assumed.

When trucks are brought in the waste is separated—No hazardous materials or industrial byproducts are processed at this facility. So, car batteries, TVs, and the like are separated to be transferred to a different location—and dumped into large divots carved into the ground. Lining the bottom of the divots are 3 feet of recompacted impermeable clay, a layer of geosynthetic liner, 1 foot of sand, and 1 foot of recycled tire chips. Large bulldozers spend the day compacting the trash. Large mounds, seeded with turf rye and Bermuda grass, hide the over 4 million cubic yards of compacted waste accumulated in the 33 years since the project began—8 years past the projected life expectancy of the landfill itself.

Non-contact stormwater is tested, then released into the surrounding wildlife preserve, where native animals and plants flourish in stunning swampland. This stormwater is kept separate from the leachate—one of the compounds produced from the compression of so much waste, the other being methane gas—which is extremely toxic. Multiple monitoring wells keep track of the water that leaves the landfill, making sure nothing contaminates the Chicot Aquifer that resides approximately 250 ft. below the surface. This aquifer is a critical resource for the area servicing 15 parishes and spanning 9,000 sq. ft. The testing at the SLP Solid Waste District is so precise, that they can tell with certainty, where the contaminants, if there are any, are coming from.

SLP Solid Waste District, Washington, Louisiana

Biofueling Station

The methane produced from the waste has its own testing, recycling potential, and dangers. The gas must be tested for any oxygen and any changes in temperature which could mean that there are subsurface fires. As terrifying as a fire at a landfill can be, one below the surface could be even more harmful. Thankfully, the District has not had any subsurface fires since opening. The methane, after testing, is pumped into their gas collection system, where the organic compounds are stripped out and repurposed to power the very vehicles they use to manage the waste. There are even a few sheriff vehicles patrolling the parish that run off the gas produced.

Methane is not the only recycled materials available at the District landfill. Compost and mulch are also accessible to any St. Landry Parish resident free of charge. The compost is brought in from Guidry’s Fresh Cuts in Arnaudville and Cooper Crowne horse stables, while the wood is from clearing the land for future cells and clean wood waste diverted from the landfill.

SLP Solid Waste District, Washington, Louisiana

SLP Solid Waste District Trail

Though the District has made great strides in managing and collecting waste, their current director says that they will never get ahead of the overwhelming amount of garbage. They are, however, “staying one step behind.” With increasing awareness of the importance of recycling, being mindful of the waste we produce, along with efficient waste management methods, like the landfill’s award-winning gas to vehicle fuel project, we can start to be better stewards of the environment.

Admission to the landfill is free and tours are available to anyone interested in learning about their amazing, responsible practices. You can visit their listing here, for more information on tours or their website, SLPSolidWaste.org, for information about the District and their recycling centers.

Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.

Mash Trash and Collect Gas in St. Landry2023-10-26T15:28:22-05:00

St. Landry Parish Visitor Center
Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm

337.948.8004
978 Kennerson Road (I-49 exit 23)
P.O. Box 1415 • Opelousas, LA 70570

Visitor Guide (En)
Visitor Guide (Fr)

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