May Happenings

Pops at Hemingbough

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra returns to Hemingbough on May 1 with Classical Mystery Tour, four musicians who look and sound just like The Beatles!  Table seating and single tickets can be purchased by calling the Symphony office at 383-0500 or online at www.brso.org.  Hemingbough will provide a full service bar with soft drinks, beer, wine and champagne, and you’ll even be able to buy Republic of West Florida Bicentennial souvenir wine glasses or champagne flutes!  Jambalaya and char-grilled hamburgers as well as other tasty treats will be available on the grounds.  Or you can pack your own picnic basket, too.  Gates open at 5:30 pm, and the concert starts at 7:30 pm.  In case of rain, the performance will be held on Sunday, May 2 – same time, same place!

 

Friday Night Music

This Friday, April 29, it’s local favorite Delta Drifters performing on the screened porch at The Magnolia Café.  Wear your dancing shoes!

 

More Music!

Friday, May 7, at The Mag, Flatbed Honeymoon will be performing.  The lineup for the rest of May looks like this:  Friday, May 14 – Fugitive Poets; Friday, May 21 – United We Jam; Friday, May 28 – Delta Drifters.

 

Market Day at the Methodist Church

On Saturday, May 8 from 9 am until 8 pm, the St. Francisville United Methodist Church family is hosting Market Day.  There will be delicious meals served – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and auctions, too.  A silent auction starts at 9 am with the bidding ending at 5 pm.  The live auction will begin at 6 pm, and expect to find antiques, furniture, household furnishings and lots of other exciting items.  There will a garage sale at 9 am, too, and homemade baked goods, free child care while you shop, a baking contest, and arts & artistry!  For more information on all the events of this day, call the church at 225-635-3763.

 

Nature Day

Audubon State Historic Site presents nature programs all day on Saturday, May 8.  At 10am and again at noon, visitors can participate in an Animal Discovery program which introduces them to a few of the site’s resident creatures.  At 1:30pm and again at 2:30 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to go on a guided nature walk around the park led by one of the site’s park rangers.  There, they will discover the different plants and habitats found within the park.  Beautiful weather and interesting guides make this a perfect day to get out with the family.  For more information, call 225-635-3739.

 

Mother’s Day

May 9 is the day set aside to honor and celebrate our mothers.  The gift shops and garden centers of West Feliciana and St. Francisville have many gifts to choose from, or will give you men some great ideas for what Mom really wants!

 

No Kitchen Duty

Mom should have the day off on May 9, and our local restaurants are happy to provide a delectable array of choices to please any palate.  Carriage House Restaurant, Eight Sisters, Magnolia Café, The Oxbow, South of the Border, and The Bluffs Restaurant are all open and offering something very special for the Moms.  A special Mother’s Day Happenings will follow with detailed menus for all.

 

Old West Florida

Each month, Audubon State Historic Site offers programs to celebrate the Bicentennial of the West Florida Republic.  On Sunday, May 9, at noon and again at 2 pm, there will be a talk on the leaders of the West Florida Rebellion.  Led by a park ranger, these talks will introduce the visitor to a few of the Spanish colonists who led the rebellion against their government in 1810.  For more information, call 225-635-3739.

 

Community Market Day

St. Francisville Main Street and Arts For All are opening Parker Park every month on the Third Saturday from 9am until 1pm for Community Market Day.  All local artists, craftsman, farmers, people who sell baked and homemade items as well as vintage or antique furniture are invited to join this new project.   The next Community Market Day will be Saturday, May 15, 2010, at Parker Park from 9am until 1pm.  Music will be from 10am until noon.  Come spend the morning in Parker Park.  For more information, call either Lynn at 635-3665 or Laurie at 635-3873.

 

Tea and Sensibility

Also on Saturday, May 15, from 10 am until 4 pm, Audubon State Historic Site presents this spring gala.  Visitors will get a chance to experience life for the wealthy during the Empire, or Federal, period which was from 1790 to the 1820s.  Focusing on Jane Austen’s guidelines for social etiquette, visitors will learn about what was in fashion, English tea traditions, a woman’s role in society, favorite games and dances of the period and so much more.  For information, call 225-635-3739.

 

Lost Arts at Rosedown

Every third Saturday of the month, Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site presents demonstrations of the “Lost Arts” of the 19^th century.  On May 15 from 11 am until 3 pm, the program will feature the “lost art” of medical practices of the 19^th century.   For more information, phone 225-635-3332.

 

Spring Garden Stroll

Experience four unique local gardens at this self-guided garden tour in historic St. Francisville on Saturday, May 15, from 9 am until 1 pm.  Highlighted this year are the gardens of Melissa Higgins on Ferdinand Street; Tom and Susie Tully right next door; Mitch and Julie Brashier’s on Royal Street; Buddy Metz’s form on Stirling Road off of Bains Road; and Imahara’s Southern on Mahoney Road.  Garden Advance tickets ($10) are available at the West Feliciana Extension Office or on the day of the tour, at the tour headquarters at Town Hall.  All proceeds of the tour go to local 4-H scholarship and local Farmer’s Market.  Ticket holders are eligible for door prizes and admission to other local attractions.  For more information, phone 225-635-3614 or email abrock@agcenter.lsu.edu.

 

Meanwhile, Back at Café du Monde . . .

This unique, festive food story/monologue event about the second universal language – food – and how our lives revolve around it will premiere at The Myrtles Plantation on Sunday, May 16.  The event begins with a cocktail party at 5:30 pm with music by Steve Bing and The Bayou Hot Shots with showtime at 7:00 pm.  Created, directed and produced by Peggy Sweeney-McDonald, originally from Baton Rouge, tickets can be purchased by calling 800-809-0565.  Ticket price is $55 and includes 2 drinks (beer or wine), cocktail buffet with heavy appetizers, dessert and the show.  A portion of the tickets will benefit the West Feliciana Parish TRIAD Program for the Elderly.

 

Cycling and More

Once again, West Feliciana parish and the lovely town of St. Francisville will host the West Feliciana Memorial Weekend Classic on May 29 and 30.  This year the event will include a number of rides and races for everyone.  There will be 4 rides/races, for younger and older, beginners to pros, in the town of St. Francisville and the rolling hills of West Feliciana.  These events will culminate in a Cycling Festival for All on Sunday, May 30 at the West Feliciana Sports Park.  For more information, visit www.westfelclassic.org.

 

End of April Happenings

Music at The Mag

Friday, April 23 – Rock-It Sound Company; Friday, April 30 – Delta Drifters.

 

A Day of Love

At Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site, love is in the air, and two historic plantation houses and families are united on this day – Saturday, April 24 – as costumed re-enactors present the April 9, 1857 wedding of Sarah Turnbull of Rosedown to James Pirrie Bowman of Oakley.  The wedding re-enactment will be held at 1 pm with the reception to follow.  For more information, phone 225-635-3332.

 

The Cars, The Music, The Fun . . . The Big Read!

On Sunday, April 25, from 2 pm until 4 pm, the West Feliciana Library presents their Spring Gala.  For the last three months, The Great Gatsby has been read and discussed, and we have enjoyed being flappers and cool cats.  But now it is time to wave a fond farewell to the 1920s!  The Antique Car Club of Baton Rouge will be showing off their cool rides in the front parking lot while the English III classes from West Feliciana High School read the book and display their art projects.  Refreshments will be served, and at 3:30, the jazz group from WFHS will entertain with period music next door at the Ferachi home.  Put on your 20’s “glad rags”, if you’d like, and come have fun!  For more information, call 225-635-3364.

 

Battle of Jackson Crossroads

This Civil War re-enactment is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, and will be held on a spacious, picturesque rolling field off Hwy. 68 in Jackson, LA, not far from the original battle site.  Between 500 and 800 costumed re-enactors and more than 16 cannons are expected to muster at this 19^th annual event.  The gates will open at 9 am on Saturday with the main battle commencing at 2:30 pm.  On Sunday, the gates will reopen at 11 am, and the battle will take place at 1:30 pm.  For more information or photos of last year’s event, visit www.battleofjacksoncrossroads.org or call the Feliciana Chamber of Commerce at 225-634-7155.

 

Classical Mystery Tour

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra returns to Hemingbough on May 1 with Classical Mystery Tour, four musicians who look and sound just like The Beatles!  Table seating and single tickets can be purchased by calling the Symphony office at 383-0500 or online at www.brso.org.  Hemingbough will provide a full service bar with soft drinks, beer, wine and champagne.  Jambalaya and char-grilled hamburgers as well as other tasty treats will be available on the grounds.  Or you can pack your own picnic basket, too.  This concert is part of the Republic of West Florida Bicentennial Celebration and portions of the proceeds will benefit the building of Republic Park in St. Francisville.  Hurry and order your tickets . . . you don’t want to miss out on the fun!

 

Market Day at the Methodist Church

On Saturday, May 8 from 9 am until 8 pm, the St. Francisville United Methodist Church family is hosting Market Day.  There will be delicious meals served – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and auctions, too.  A silent auction starts at 9 am with the bidding ending at 5 pm.  The live auction will begin at 6 pm, and expect to find antiques, furniture, household furnishings and lots of other exciting items.  There will a garage sale at 9 am, too, and homemade baked goods, free child care while you shop, a baking contest, and arts & artistry!  For more information on all the events of this day, call the church at 225-635-3763.

 

Community Market Day

St. Francisville Main Street and Arts For All are opening Parker Park every month on the Third Saturday from 9am until 1pm for Community Market Day.  All local artists, craftsman, farmers, people who sell baked and homemade items as well as vintage or antique furniture are invited to join this new project.   The First Community Market Day will be Saturday, May 15, 2010, at Parker Park from 9am until 1pm.  Music will be from 10am until noon.  Come spend the morning in Parker Park.  For more information, call either Lynn at 635-3665 or Laurie at 635-3873.

 

Spring Garden Stroll

Experience four unique local gardens at this self-guided garden tour in historic St. Francisville on Saturday, May 15, from 9 am until 1 pm.  Advance tickets ($10) are available at the West Feliciana Extension Office or on the day of the tour, at the tour headquarters at Town Hall.  All proceeds of the tour go to local 4-H scholarship and local Farmer’s Market.  Ticket holders are eligible for door prizes and admission to other local attractions.  For more information, phone 225-635-3614 or email abrock@agcenter.lsu.edu.

 

Meanwhile, Back at Café du Monde . . .

This unique, festive food story/monologue event about the second universal language – food – and how our lives revolve around it will premiere at The Myrtles Plantation on Sunday, May 16.  The event begins with a cocktail party at 5:30 pm with music by Steve Bing and The Bayou Hot Shots with showtime at 7:00 pm.  Created, directed and produced by Peggy Sweeney-McDonald, originally from Baton Rouge, tickets can be purchased by calling 800-809-0565.  Ticket price is $55 and includes 2 drinks (beer or wine), cocktail buffet with heavy appetizers, dessert and the show.  A portion of the tickets will benefit the West Feliciana Parish TRIAD Program for the Elderly.

 

Mid-April Happenings

Community Market Day

St. Francisville Main Street and Arts For All are opening Parker Park every month on the Third Saturday from 9am until 1pm for Community Market Day.  All local artists, craftsman, farmers, people who sell baked and homemade items as well as vintage or antique furniture are invited to join this new project.   The First Community Market Day will be Saturday, April 17, 2010, at Parker Park from 9am until 1pm.  Music will be provided by Kevin Johnson from 10am until noon.  Come spend the morning in Parker Park.  For more information, call either Lynn at 635-3665 or Laurie at 635-3873.

Matzoh Ball Gumbo*

The Julius Freyhan Foundation presents this Symposium on Jewish Life in the Lower Mississippi River Valley tomorrow, Friday, April 16 at 9 am at the West Feliciana Parish Courthouse.  Speakers include Dr. Stuart Rockoff, ISJL; Dr. Charles Isbell, LSU; Anne Butler, Author of Three Generous Generations; and Catherine Kahn, Author and Archivist.  Lunch is included and will be prepared with recipes from Matzoh Ball Gumbo*.  For more information, visit www.freyhanfoundation.org.

Music at The Mag

Friday, April 16 – - Trouvere; Friday, April 23 - Rock-It Sound Company; Friday, April 30 - Delta Drifters.  

Spring Horticultural Seminar

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site kicks off the Spring and Summer gardening seasons with a Horticultural Seminar held on the plantation grounds.  On Saturday, April 17, Site Manager Patricia Aleshire will present a seminar on “Antique Roses.”  The lecture session will present a slide introduction and discussion of the historical background of numerous varieties of heirloom roses, as well as the care needed for these beautiful plants to thrive in a southern garden.  Following the lecture, Aleshire will lead a walking tour through selected areas of Rosedown’s historic gardens to view various antique rose varieties on site.  The program will begin at 10 am in the Rosedown Conference Room.  For more information, call 225-635-3110.

Lost Arts

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site continues its series of Living History Demonstrations with the next in their series of monthly programs, “Lost Arts of the Nineteenth Century.”  On Saturday, April 17, visitors are invited to learn about nineteenth-century arts and activities.  Presented by Rosedown Interpretive Ranger Sasha Trana, this month’s “lost art” is the shaving horse.  During the program, Trana will explain to visitors the origins, history and use of the shaving horse in shaping wood pieces into tool handles, rounded chair pieces, canes, staffs and more.  Also discussed will be how the craft has evolved over time.  Trana will be presenting demonstrations, held between 11 am and 2 pm, of the shaving horse on the back porch of the Main House.  For more information, call 225-635-3110.

Wildest Show in the South

The Angola Prison Spring Rodeo & Craft Show is set for April 17 and 18.  Billed as The Wildest Show in the South, gates open at 9 am, while the show starts at 2 pm.  Tickets are $10 and are available by calling 225-655-2030 or visiting www.angolarodeo.com.

Art Show!

This Sunday, April 18, from 1 pm until 4 pm, Ridgecrest of The Myrtles Plantation presents an art show featuring the eclectic and fabulous art created by more than 30 talented regional.  All art is available for purchase, and some artists will be accepting orders and/or special requests.  No commissions will be charged.   Ridgecrest is located at 9551 Myrtles Lane in St. Francisville,  For more information, please call 800 809 0565 or 225 635 6277 or email  Chloe@myrtlesplantation.com

Bevil’s Back!

If you missed the book party and signing last week at Hemingbough, you can see Bevil Knapp this Sunday, April 18, at Ridgecrest at The Myrtles Plantation from 1 pm until 4 pm.  Bevil will be signing copies of her new book, St. Francisville: Louisiana’s Historic River Bluff Country. 

Battle of Jackson Crossroads

This Civil War re-enactment is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, and will be held on a spacious, picturesque rolling field off Hwy. 68 in Jackson, LA, not far from the original battle site.  Between 500 and 800 costumed re-enactors and more than 16 cannons are expected to muster at this 19^th annual event.  The gates will open at 9 am on Saturday with the main battle commencing at 2:30 pm.  On Sunday, the gates will reopen at 11 am, and the battle will take place at 1:30 pm.  For more information or photos of last year’s event, visit www.battleofjacksoncrossroads.org or call the Feliciana Chamber of Commerce at 225-634-7155.

Classical Mystery Tour

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra returns to Hemingbough on May 1 with Classical Mystery Tour, four musicians who look and sound just like The Beatles!  Table seating and single tickets can be purchased by calling the Symphony office at 383-0500 or online at www.brso.org.  Hemingbough will provide a full service bar with soft drinks, beer, wine and champagne.  Jambalaya and char-grilled hamburgers as well as other tasty treats will be available on the grounds.  Or you can pack your own picnic basket, too.  This concert is part of the Republic of West Florida Bicentennial Celebration and portions of the proceeds will benefit the building of Republic Park in St. Francisville.  Hurry and order your tickets . . . you don’t want to miss out on the fun!

Market Day at the Methodist Church

On Saturday, May 8 from 9 am until 8 pm, the St. Francisville United Methodist Church family is hosting Market Day.  There will be delicious meals served – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and auctions, too.  A silent auction starts at 9 am with the bidding ending at 5 pm.  The live auction action begins at 6 pm, and expect to find antiques, furniture, household furnishings and lots of other exciting items.  There will a garage sale at 9 am, too, and homemade baked goods, free child care while you shop, a baking contest, and arts & artistry!  For more information on all the events of this day, call the church at 225-635-3763.

Happenings in April

Azalea Walk

Renowned horticulturist Walter Imahara has created one of the most beautiful and peaceful gardens right here in West Feliciana parish.  Imahara’s Southern Garden at 5342 Mahoney Road is committed to providing West Feliciana and surrounding parishes a study of hardy and specialized plant collections in the natural setting of the alluvial Tunica soils.  This Saturday, April 10, from 9 am until 4 pm, Mr. Imahara is opening his gardens to share with us the 2,000 azaleas he has planted and which will be in full bloom.  Still under construction, the garden consists of plantings of not only azaleas, but also camellias, crape myrtles, holly, magnolia, oak varieties, specialty topiaries, an existing cypress swamp, palms, bamboo, Japanese gardens, fruit trees, native planting, pond planting . . . and that’s just the beginning.  It is something special!

 

Music at The Mag

Friday, April 9 – Full Service Station; Friday, April 16 – Trouvere; Friday, April 23 – Rock-It Sound Company; Friday, April 30 – Delta Drifters.  

 

Nature Saturday

On Saturday, April 10, Audubon State Historic Site presents Nature Saturday.  At 10 am and again at noon, visitors can participate in an Animal Discovery program which introduces them to a few of the site’s resident creatures.  At 1:30 pm and again at 2:30 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to go on a guided nature walk around the park led by one of the site’s park rangers.  There, they will discover the different plant and habitats within the park.  For more information, phone 225-635-3739.

 

Book Party and Signing

Join Bevil Knapp for a book party and signing of her new book, St. Francisville: Louisiana’s Historic River Bluff Country.  Bevil will be at Hemingbough on Sunday, April 11, from 2 pm until 4 pm.  Bring your copy or buy one there to get it autographed by the author. 

 

Old West Florida

Audubon State Historic Site presents its monthly Old West Florida program entitled, Clothing in West Florida.  On Sunday, April 11, at noon and at 2pm, there will be a talk on the clothing in Spanish Louisiana in the museum theatre.  At 1 pm and 3 pm, there will be a costume discussion and demonstration in the museum theatre.  For more information, phone 225-635-3779.

 

Matzoh Ball Gumbo*

The Julius Freyhan Foundation presents this Symposium on Jewish Life in the Lower Mississippi River Valley on Friday, April 16 at 9 am at the West Feliciana Parish Courthouse.  Speakers include Dr. Stuart Rockoff, ISJL; Dr. Charles Isbell, LSU; Anne Butler, Author of Three Generous Generations; and Catherine Kahn, Author and Archivist.  Lunch is included and will be prepared with recipes from Matzoh Ball Gumbo*.  For more information, visit www.freyhanfoundation.org.

 

Community Market Day

St. Francisville Main Street and Arts For All are opening Parker Park every month on the Third Saturday from 9am until 1pm for Community Market Day.  All local artists, craftsman, farmers, people who sell baked and homemade items as well as vintage or antique furniture are invited to join this new project.   The First Community Market Day will be Saturday, April 17, 2010, at parker Park from 9am until 1pm.  Music will be provided by Kevin Johnson from 10am until noon.  Come spend the morning in Parker Park.  For more information, call either Lynn at 635-3556 or Laurie at 635-3873.

 

River Road Plantation Country Cookbook

The fourth installment in the popular series of gastronomic tour books on Louisiana’s culinary culture by Anne Butler is now available at your favorite gift shop.  Amid the intriguing histories of locales and people along the River Road, the more than one hundred mouth-watering recipes are as captivating.  Sister Pat’s Orange Bread from Carville’s Ostrich Farm sounds heavenly.  (You’ll have to read the book to learn why Indian Camp Plantation was called the “Ostrich Farm.”)  And then there’s Buggy Banana Bread from the Audubon Insectarium, and Central Grocery’s legendary New Orleans Muffuletta.  The other cookbooks in this series by this West Feliciana native and resident include Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook, Bayou Plantation Country Cookbook, and Acadian Plantation Country Cookbook.

 

Spring Horticultural Seminar

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site kicks off the Spring and Summer gardening seasons with a Horticultural Seminar held on the plantation grounds.  On Saturday, April 17, Site Manager Patricia Aleshire will present a seminar on “Antique Roses.”  The lecture session will present a slide introduction and discussion of the historical background of numerous varieties of heirloom roses, as well as the care needed for these beautiful plants to thrive in a southern garden.  Following the lecture, Aleshire will lead a walking tour through selected areas of Rosedown’s historic gardens to view various antique rose varieties on site.  The program will begin at 10 am in the Rosedown Conference Room.  For more information, call 225-635-3110.

 

Lost Arts

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site continues its series of Living History Demonstrations with the next in their series of monthly programs, “Lost Arts of the Nineteenth Century.”  On Saturday, April 17, visitors are invited to learn about nineteenth-century arts and activities.  Presented by Rosedown Interpretive Ranger Sasha Trana, this month’s “lost art” is the shaving horse.  During the program, Trana will explain to visitors the origins, history and use of the shaving horse in shaping wood pieces into tool handles, rounded chair pieces, canes, staffs and more.  Also discussed will be how the craft has evolved over time.  Trana will be presenting demonstrations, held between 11 am and 2 pm, of the shaving horse on the back porch of the Main House.  For more information, call 225-635-3110.

 

Wildest Show in the South

The Angola Prison Spring Rodeo & Craft Show is set for April 17 and 18.  Billed as The Wildest Show in the South, gates open at 9 am, while the show starts at 2 pm.  Tickets are $10 and are available by calling 225-655-2030 or visiting www.angolarodeo.com.

 

Pops at Hemingbough

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra returns to Hemingbough on May 1 with Classical Mystery Tour, four musicians who look and sound just like The Beatles!  Table seating and single tickets can be purchased by calling the Symphony office at 383-0500 or online at www.brso.org.  Hemingbough will provide a full service bar with soft drinks, beer, wine and champagne.  Jambalaya and char-grilled hamburgers as well as other tasty treats will be available on the grounds.  Or you can pack your own picnic basket, too.  This concert is part of the Republic of West Florida Bicentennial Celebration and portions of the proceeds will benefit the building of Republic Park in St. Francisville.  Hurry and order your tickets . . . you don’t want to miss out on the fun!