Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Postcard from South Louisiana: Arnaudville becomes a Cajun arts center / story & photo Rebecca Hudsmith

Postcard from St Landry Parish by Rebecca Hudsmith, writer and attorney - as well as owner of Bistineau Gallery, Shreveport:

"The newest center for the arts and roots music in southwest Louisiana is the town of Arnaudville along the Bayou Teche, near Lafayette. There local artist George Marks has opened the Town Market, a showcase for the works of regional artists and artisans. It is also the location of monthly pot luck dinners and live music in the style of the old Cajun house parties.

This past Friday, I made my way to Arnaudville and the Town Market, where I met folks from as far away as Lyon, France and Montreal, Canada. Needless to say, conversations in French abounded.

The evening ended in the back room of the Town Market where Cajun fiddler Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers and accordionist Ray Abshire, along with a number of froittoir (rubboard) players representing several generations of Cajun musicians, played traditional Cajun French music to a lively crowd of folks of all ages.
If you are in the area, a slight detour off of I-49 or I-10 is well worth it.

The Town Market is located at 1013 Neblet, and the phone number is 337-754-9898. C'est bon!"

And there's more at http://www.arnaudvillechamber.com/artworks.php

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You missed a good one last night.
Al Berard and family ( two beautiful daughters and wife with voices that made you sit a spell and enjoy the ambiance)played to another packed house or should I say Market. New faces and food arrived steadily and conversation was not hard to fine. The evening went by too quickly and left us all bidding each other farewell until the next "pot luck". So if you have not taken the drive to the little village of Arnaudville get a road map and fillup the tank. Oh and bring a fork if it is the third friday of the month. Drop in for a visit and find out about ARTWORKS.
Life on the bayou is great, art and old friends with new friends are just a way of life. deborah