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!