Happenings

This week is designated as National Hurricane Preparedness Week.  After the havoc that Gustav wreaked on us last year, it is important that we take the lessons learned and get a plan of action in place for the upcoming hurricane season which starts June 1.  There is some great information at www.redcross.org under “hurricane preparedness” and on the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center page at www.nhc.noaa.gov.  On that site, you can download a blank hurricane tracking chart that may come in handy.  But the most important thing you can do is to be prepared and have a plan.  Don’t wait until the last minute to buy batteries, water and gasoline.  Those things will keep and can be used even if we are fortunate not to experience a storm.

 

Here’s what’s happening in West Feliciana:

 

Farmer’s Market

Buy straight from the farms of West Feliciana at the weekly Farmer’s Market held every Thursday from noon until 5 pm at the 4-H Barn on Wilcox Street.  Last week, Philip Plaisance from the OxBow created a delicious appetizer using purple onions from Genius Farms and served it to those attending the Farmer’s Market.  Get other great ideas for family meals and support our local farmers at the market!

 

Boiled Crawfish!

Each Wednesday from 5 pm until 9 pm, The Carriage House Restaurant serves boiled crawfish on the patio at The Myrtles.  Bring your friends and enjoy them still steaming from the boiler!  What a great Louisiana tradition!

 

Tour de Cure

This annual cycling event sponsored by the American Diabetes Association will be held this Saturday, May 30, with staging at West Feliciana High School beginning at 6:30 am.  Riders raise money for diabetes research while competing in four distance races.  To register or for more information, visit www.diabetes.org/tour.

 

Colonial Herbs and Spices

On Saturday, May 30 from 10 am until 4 pm, Audubon State Historic Site offer this program which will show how the plantation family utilized the various herbs that were grown alongside the fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden. For more information call 888-677-2784 toll free or 635-3530.

 

Spanish West Florida

As we prepare to celebrate the bicentennial of the creation of the West Florida Republic in 2010, the staff at Audubon State Historic Site offers the program, Spanish West Florida Militia.  On Saturday, June 6 at 10 am, a costumed staff member will discuss the West Florida troops and also will include a discussion of popular military dress as well as weaponry for the time period.  For more information, call 888-677-2838 or 635-3739.

 

Native American Tools

Long before the European settlers arrived here, the Native Americans inhabited this region.  Visitors to Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site on Sunday, June 7, will be treated to a demonstration of flint knapping, which allowed Native Americans to make their own tools.  Interpretive Ranger James Smith will begin the program at 11 am.  For more information, call 635-3110 or toll free 888-376-1867.

 

The Day the War Stopped

It wasn’t for very long, but for one brief June afternoon the fighting between the North and the South stopped so that a fallen comrade could be given a proper burial.  This moment of brotherhood is commemorated every June in downtown St. Francisville, and this year’s event is scheduled for June 12 through the 14.  Event organizers have planned graveside histories at Grace Episcopal Church on Friday, June 12 at 7 pm, followed at 8 pm with an open house and historical presentation at the Masonic Lodge.  Things get rolling on Saturday, June 13 with a parade at 10:30 am.  A special candlelight tour of Oakley Plantation at Audubon State Historic Site is set for 7:30 pm.  Rounding out activities will be a talk on Sarah Knox Taylor Davis at Locust Grove State Historic Site on Sunday, June 14 at 2 pm, followed by a gravestone rubbing class.  For more information, call 635-4791 or visit www.daythewarstopped.net.

 

Heirloom Plants and Flowers

The Summer Horticultural Seminar Series at Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, from 10 am until noon.  Manager and Horticulturist Patricia Aleshire will conduct this popular summer garden program on “Heirloom Plants and Flowers.”  During a slide and lecture session, Aleshire will discuss the historical background of numerous antique plantings available for modern gardens.  She will also discuss various cultivation tips, techniques and care needed for these heirloom plantings to thrive in a southern garden.  Following the slide lecture, Aleshire will lead a walking tour of selected areas of Rosedown’s historic gardens.  For more information, call 635-3110.

 

Spinning Wheels and Weaving Looms

Textiles on the Plantation is the name of the program scheduled for Saturday, June 20, from 10 am until 4 pm at Audubon State Historic Site.  There will be a demonstration and talk about the use of the plantation’s original weaving loom as well as a discussion on how thread for the loom was created using the spinning wheel.  For more information, call 635-3739.

 

Basket Weaving

The June program of Lost Arts of the 19^th Century will feature the lost art of basket weaving.  This fascinating program is set to for Saturday, June 20, from 11 am until 3 pm at Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site.  For more information, call 635-3110.

 

Audubon Summer Festival

Audubon State Historic Site celebrates its 55^th Anniversary on Saturday, June 27 from 10 am until 4 pm.  Visitors will be able to step into the Civil War and visit a soldier’s camp, and there will also be hands-on period demonstrations such as blacksmithing, open hearth cooking and more.  For more information, call 635-3739.  Congratulations to the wonderful staff at Audubon SHS and here’s to 55 more years!

 

July Events

The Main Street Merchants Association is planning something special for Independence Day so if you’re staying close to home on July 4, visit the shops and see why “Main Street’s Poppin’!”

 

The Feliciana Nature Society is holding its annual Hummingbird Festival on the weekend of July 24 and 25 so mark your calendars now!

 

 

Happenings

Farmer’s Market

Thursday is the day for the Farmer’s Market!  New hours this year are from noon to 5 pm so you’ll have more time to buy those homegrown vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.  There will also be farm eggs and homemade baked goods.  Let’s support our local farmers!

 

West Feliciana Memorial Day Bike Classic

During this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the bicyclists will be here in West Feliciana for the first of this annual event.  For more information, visit www.westfelclassic.org.

 

Colonial Herbs and Spices

On Saturday, May 30 from 10 am until 4 pm, Audubon State Historic Site offer this program which will show how the plantation family utilized the various herbs that were grown alongside the fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden. For more information call 888-677-2784 toll free or 635-3530.

 

Cat Island Update

The Mississippi River is on the rise, and all hiking trails within the Refuge are under water and therefore closed.  The Refuge is open for paddling, boating and fishing.  Please note that the Low Water Bridge is presently closed due to flooding.  To check updates, click on the link on our website at www.stfrancisville.us.

 

Ferry Hours

The St. Francisville/New Roads Ferry is presently running from 5 am until 9 pm, seven days a week.  For updates on the ferry status, click on the link on our website at www.stfrancisville.us.

 

Enjoy the long holiday weekend, and if you are traveling anywhere, please be careful.  Let’s also remember what we are celebrating this weekend – Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom.  Let’s not take it for granted.

 

Happenings

Next week Louisiana celebrates “Tourism Awareness Week.”  This is the time when those of us who work in the tourism industry inform the rest of the world just how important what we do is to the economy of our town, parish and state.  Tourism is the second largest industry in the State of Louisiana, and right here in West Feliciana, visitors leave behind over one-half million dollars in local taxes which helps to take the tax burden off of the citizens.  And tourism is a clean industry.  Tourists don’t litter and don’t take away anything other than memories of a great time – and perhaps souvenirs for family left behind!  Tourism is truly a “green” industry, and we thank all of you who help to make tourism in West Feliciana the success that it is.

 

Farmer’s Market

Thursday, May 14 is opening day for the Farmer’s Market!  New hours this year are from noon to 5 pm so you’ll have more time to buy those homegrown vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.  There will also be farm eggs and homemade baked goods.  Let’s support our local farmers!

 

Monthly Auction

Bayou Sara Auction Depot will holds its next auction on Friday, May 15^th at 6:30 pm featuring estate merchandise and home furnishings.  Photos and additional information can be found on their website at www.Bayou-Auction.com.

 

Third Weekend Events

Avondale Antiques will be open the third weekend, May 15 through 17.  Store hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 am until 5 pm and on Sunday from 11 am until 5 pm.

 

The Third Weekend Arts Market will be held on Saturday, May 16, near the BirdMan Coffee & Books.  For more information on this event, contact Lynn at 635-3665 or e-mail birdmancoffee@bellsouth.net.

 

Ball Tournaments Update

The West Feliciana Sports Park announces that the baseball tournament scheduled for May 16 and 17 has been postponed indefinitely.  Other tournaments scheduled are the USSSA Boys on May 30 and 31; June 6 and 7 – Open Girls fast pitch softball tournament; June 13 and 14 - USSSA Boys tournament; and June 19, 20 and 21 – USSSA Boys All-Star State tournament.

 

Lost Art – 19^th Century Medical Practices

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site presents its monthly series of “Lost Arts” on Saturday, May 16.  Interpretive Ranger Sasha Trana will discuss the history of various types of medicine – from the folk medicine and remedies used by plantation mistresses, the “state-of-the-art” medicine practiced by doctors of the period, to the medicine practiced on battlefields during the Civil War.  Demonstrations will be given between 11 am and 3 pm in the Plantation Doctor’s Office.  For more information, call 635-3110.

 

West Feliciana Memorial Day Bike Classic

During Memorial Day weekend, the bicyclists will be here in West Feliciana for the first of this annual event.  For more information, visit www.westfelclassic.org.

 

Colonial Herbs and Spices

On Saturday, May 30 from 10 am until 4 pm, Audubon State Historic Site offer this program which will show how the plantation family utilized the various herbs that were grown alongside the fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden. For more information call 888-677-2784 toll free or 635-3530.

 

That’s all I have for this week.  Congratulations to all the graduates, the Class of 2009, and best wishes for a very successful future!

 

 

 

Happenings

Mother’s Day Dining

The Carriage House Restaurant at The Myrtles has a special Mother’s Day Menu with four entrée choices, all the trimmings and dessert, too.  For reservations, call 635-6278.

D’John’s will offer a seafood buffet for $14.95.  Call 635-6982.

8 Sisters will have BBQ ribs and ribeyes.  Their phone number is 635-4000.

Magnolia Café will also offer a Mother’s Day special during their normal Sunday hours.  Phone 635-6528 if you’d like to make a reservation.

OxBow Resturant will be open from 11:30 am until 2 pm with their regular menu.  Reservations are recommended so phone 635-6276.

South of the Border will offer a noon buffet.  For more information, call 635-3071.

 

Scottish Heritage Festival

On Saturday, May 9, from 10 am-4 pm, Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site hosts its Scottish Heritage Festival, a celebration of the Scottish heritage of Daniel Turnbull, Rosedown Plantation’s original owner. For this day, site staff will don the Scottish-style dress of Turnbull ancestry. Guests will experience vintage Scottish music and dancing, and the Caledonian Society of Baton Rouge will be marching with drums and bagpipes. To help celebrate the day, guests are invited to sport their own Scottish attire. For more information call 888-376-1867 or 635-3110.

 

The Mirror of Graces

19th Century Etiquette and Fashions will be the topic of the day on Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Audubon State Historic Site – Oakley House. The program will demonstrate the lessons that a lady learned through tutors and life experiences during the Victorian Era.  For more information call 888-677-2784 toll free or 635-3530 locally.

 

Mondays at BirdMan

May 11- “The Laughing Lizards String Band” will be playing music from 6:00 – 8:00, and the menu this week will include lasagna!

May 18- “Chris and Dave” - fiddler Dave Guillaume and Chris playing guitar, while supper is served!

Lynn also tell us that our friend Dylan Sneed, touring around the country with his original music, will be back at BirdMan on May 15th at 7:00 pm.

 

Farmer’s Market

There has been repair work progressing on the 4-H Barn where the Farmer’s Market is held on Thursdays during the growing season.  The opening date has not been set but look for more on this breaking news story!

 

Monthly Auction

Bayou Sara Auction Depot will holds its next auction on Friday, May 15^th at 6:30 pm featuring estate merchandise and home furnishings.  Photos and additional information can be found on their website at www.Bayou-Auction.com.

 

Third Weekend Events

Avondale Antiques will be open the third weekend, May 15 through 17.  Store hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 am until 5 pm and on Sunday from 11 am until 5 pm.

 

The Third Weekend Arts Market will be held on Saturday, May 16, near the BirdMan Coffee & Books.  For more information on this event, contact Lynn at 635-3665 or e-mail birdmancoffee@bellsouth.net.

 

Ball Tournaments

The West Feliciana Sports Park will host baseball tournaments on May 15 and 16, USSSA Boys Open, and on May 30 and 31, USSSA Boys Open.

 

Lost Art – 19^th Century Medical Practices

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site presents its monthly series of “Lost Arts” on Saturday, May 16.  Interpretive Ranger Sasha Trana will discuss the history of various types of medicine – from the folk medicine and remedies used by plantation mistresses, the “state-of-the-art” medicine practiced by doctors of the period, to the medicine practiced on battlefields during the Civil War.  Demonstrations will be given between 11 am and 3 pm in the Plantation Doctor’s Office.  For more information, call 635-3110.

 

West Feliciana Memorial Day Bike Classic

During Memorial Day weekend, the bicyclists will be here in West Feliciana for the first of this annual event.  For more information, visit www.westfelclassic.org.

 

Colonial Herbs and Spices

On Saturday, May 30 from 10 am until 4 pm, Audubon State Historic Site offer this program which will show how the plantation family utilized the various herbs that were grown alongside the fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden. For more information call 888-677-2784 toll free or 635-3530.