Thursday, June 25, 2009

Happenings

Farmer’s Market

Every Thursday from noon until 5 pm, you can pick up home grown produce from the farmers of West Feliciana Parish.  Stalls are located in the old 4-H Barn on Wilcox Street.

 

Music at The Mag

This Friday, June 26, it’s one of our favorite local bands – Delta Drifters!

 

Audubon Summer Festival

Audubon State Historic Site celebrates its 55th 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 awesome staff at Audubon SHS!

 

Main Street’s Poppin’

The St. Francisville Main Street Merchants are planning a special shopping event on Saturday, July 4.  Participating shops will be flying the Stars and Stripes.  They will have sidewalk sales and will participate in the Shopping Flag Pull.  The Flag Pull works like this:  each participating store will be have 10 small flags stuck in a sand bucket, each with a different color tip representing something special.  At the time of your purchase, pull a flag to see if you’ve just won 5%, 10% or 15% off your purchase OR a special gift.  Sale items are excluded from the Flag Pull.  For more information, call Laurie Walsh at 635-3873 or visit www.stfrancisvillefestivals.com.

 

Annual Pie Baking Contest

This annual Independence Day event benefits the Julius Freyhan Foundation.  If you want to enter your best pie, it must be delivered to the BirdMan Coffee & Books by 12:30 pm on July 4th.  Judging is at 1 pm.  (How do I get that job?!)  The pies will be sold following the judging with all proceeds going to the foundation to help restore the Julius Freyhan School.

 

St. Francisville Celebrates

Hot dogs, drinks, music and fireworks will be poppin’ at the Town Ball Park on Burnett Road.  As night falls, the Laughing Lizards will play patriotic music, banjo style, and the American Legion will have food and drinks.  And as always, the Town of St. Francisville will provide a fabulous fireworks show!

 

New Artist Exhibit

In conjunction with all the festivities surround our celebrating the birth of this great country, a new artist exhibit opens at The BirdMan Coffee & Books between 3pm and 5 pm.  “Birds” is by the artists from the Charter Street Studio.

 

Ecosystem of Audubon

On Saturday, July 4, at 10 am, Audubon State Historic Site presents this one-hour program which focuses on one of the many ecosystems found at Audubon SHS.  Guests will be invited to explore the nature around the park, and learn about how the different habitats and creatures interact with each other. For more information call 888-677-2838 toll free or 635-3739 locally.

 

Did You Know: Hunting Practices

Also on Saturday, July 4, from 11 am – 2 pm, Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site features their "Did You Know" series of programs which focuses on different facets of life in the past that are not well-known in today's societies.  For this program, hunting practices will be discussed, as well as why hunting was important to 18th- and 19th-century life.  Also included will be demonstrations of some of the tools of hunting from the sling shot to the modern gun.  For more information call 888-376-1867 toll free or 653-3110 locally.

 

Tree Identification Walk

Audubon State Historic Site presents this program focusing on a more specific aspect of nature, and allowing guests to Audubon SHS the chance to learn about the forest that surrounds them.  Set for Saturday, July 4 at 11 am, the identification walk covers the park and discusses many of the important and significant trees found here.  An admission fee is charged.  For more information call Audubon State Historic Site at 1-888-677-2838 or 225-635-3739.

 

Guided Nature Walk

Following the Tree Identification Walk at Audubon State Historic Site, July 4 at both 1pm and 3 pm, this short hiking tour focuses on the naturally forested area surrounding the plantation home, as well as the original paths, which John James Audubon would have used during his stay at Oakley in 1821. The program allows guests a chance to observe the natural beauty, which surrounds the home.  For more information call 888-677-2838 toll free or 635-3739 locally.

 

Oakley's Plants and Animals

The interpretive staff at Audubon State Historic Site will be busy on July 4, as this program begins at  2 pm. Guests are invited to interact with the animal and plant life surrounding Audubon SHS.  There will be hands-on animal demonstrations, as well as introductions to the plants to watch for when hiking through the forest and specifically in the area of the site.  For more information call 888-677-2838 toll free or 635-3739 locally.

 

Garden Talk

On Sunday, July 5 at 10:30 am, the staff at Audubon State Historic Site presents Garden Talk.  This program introduces the different plants found in the gardens of Audubon SHS.  The talk covers the history and origin of the plants as well as their uses both modern and historic. An admission fee is charged.  For more information call Audubon State Historic Site at 1-888-677-2838 or 225-635-3739.

 

Life in a Slave Cabin

Also on Sunday, July 5, at noon, this hour long program is held at Audubon SHS's original slave cabins and allows guests to have a better understanding about what life was like for slaves on a plantation.  This program covers family life and customs as well as discussing housing accommodations, rations, etc.  An admission fee is charged. For more information call Audubon State Historic Site at 1-888-677-2838 or 225-635-3739.

 

Cooking in Slave Cabin Row

Following the Life in a Slave Cabin program, this program at 1:30 pm invites guests to Audubon SHS to observe the types of cooking used by slaves for themselves.  The program discusses not only what slaves ate and how they cooked it, but also the differences between their meals and that of the owner of the plantation.  An admission fee is charged. For more information call Audubon State Historic Site at 1-888-677-2838 or 225-635-3739.

 

Slave Crafts

Ending the fascinating and education series on slaves at Audubon State Historic Site, this hour long program begins at 3 pm and invites the guests to observe one of the many period handcrafts, which would have been done by a slave on a plantation.  These crafts would be some of the same skills from which the plantation itself would have been built.  An admission fee is charged. For more information call Audubon State Historic Site at 1-888-677-2838 or 225-635-3739.

 

 

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Happenings

Farmer’s Market

Every Thursday from noon until 5 pm, you can pick up home grown produce from the farmers of West Feliciana Parish.  Stalls are located in the old 4-H Barn on Wilcox Street.

 

Music at The Mag

Friday, June 12 – Will Wesley; Friday, June 19 – Bring It; Friday, June 26 – Delta Drifters

 

The Day the War Stopped

This annual event will be held this weekend beginning Friday, June 12, with graveside histories at Grace Episcopal Church 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.

 

The Civil War

Few events changed our country as much as the Civil War.  On June 13, Audubon State Historic Site presents The Civil War at Oakley from10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.  This program illustrates life on the home front in Louisiana during the American Civil War from 1861-1865. There will be a living history camp where costumed staff will give various presentations.  In the evening there will be a period dance held on the grounds, and candlelight tours will be given. For more information call 888-677-2838 toll free or 635-3739 locally.

 

 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 19th 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 55th 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 awesome staff at Audubon SHS!

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Happenings

Here’s what’s happening in West Feliciana:

 

Every Week

Monday – supper at The BirdMan; menu changes weekly

Wednesday – boiled crawfish at The Carriage House Restaurant at The Myrtles

Thursday – Farmer’s Market from noon until 5 pm at the 4-H Barn

Friday – Live band at The Mag

 

Ferry Status

The water is high – real high – but the ferry is still running during its regular hours of 5 am until 9 pm seven days a week.  Cars waiting to board the ferry are being stopped on Ferdinand Street just past Que Pasa and the old Bayou Sara Depot because the water covers the road on either side, and only one car can pass at a time.

 

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.

 

Summer Fun Day

On Friday, June 12 from 9 am until 4 pm at the West Feliciana Sports Park, the West Feliciana Drug & Alcohol Awareness Council, the Sheriff’s Office, the 20th Judicial District Attorney, Parks and Recreation, and the LA Highway Safety Commission present Summer Fun Day.  There will be live bands and entertainment with special guests throughout the day.  K-9 narcotics demonstrations along with fire department demonstrations, the Army National Guard, and the LA State Police will all be there.  Free door prizes and refreshments, food and fun are offered.  Special emcee is Jacques Doucet, the sports anchor at WAFB Channel 9.  Come out and have a ball!

 

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.

 

The Civil War

Few events changed our country as much as the Civil War.  On June 13, Audubon State Historic Site presents The Civil War at Oakley from10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.  This program illustrates life on the home front in Louisiana during the American Civil War from 1861-1865. There will be a living history camp where costumed staff will give various presentations.  In the evening there will be a period dance held on the grounds, and candlelight tours will be given. For more information call 888-677-2838 toll free or 635-3739 locally.

 

 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.