1. No category

LA PAROLE
Newsletter of the Acadian Museum
By: Chairman Warren A. Perrin
Acadian Heritage and Culture Foundation, Inc.
203 S. Broadway, Erath, Louisiana 70533
(337) 233-5832; 937-5468
www.acadianmuseum.com
November 18, 2014
$
You are on the museum's email list to receive La Parole. If you know of anyone who
would like to receive it, please forward their name and email address to my secretary
Darylin at: darylinb@plddo.com. If you no longer want to receive future issues, please
advise at the email noted above.
$
The public is invited to the Francophone Section Louisiana State Bar Association Judge
Allen M. Babineaux International Civil Law Symposium on November 20, 2014 entitled
“Commemorating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Louisiana’s Essential Contribution.”
The event is free to the public, but attorneys must register to receive CLE credits. The
event will be held at The Historic New Orleans Collection, 410 Chartres Street, New
Orleans, Louisiana and will begin at 1:00 p.m. To register, call Warren A. Perrin at (337)
233-5832. Speakers include: Dr. Justin Nystrom, assistant professor of history at Loyola
University, and author of New Orleans after the Civil War: Race, Politics, and a New
Birth of Freedom; María Pabón López, dean of Loyola University New Orleans College
of Law; A. P. Tureaud, Jr., co-author of A More Noble Cause: A.P. Tureaud and the
Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana; Judge “Moon” Landrieu, Retired, Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeal; Chief Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, Third Circuit Court of Appeal;
Judge Edwin A. Lombard, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal; former U.S. Attorney Donald
Washington; and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite, Jr.
$
Two new books were released at the Congrès mondial acadien 2014.
Acadie Then and Now: A People’s History and the French version
L'Acadie hier et aujourd'hui: L'histoire d'un peuple by Mary
Broussard Perrin, Phil Comeau and me were both released on
August 18, 2014, on Louisiana Day at the Congrès mondial
acadien 2014, in Grand Falls, New Brunswick.
This collection includes 65 articles on the Acadians and Cajuns
living today in the American states of Louisiana, Texas, and
Maine; in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec; and in
the French regions of Poitou, Nantes, Belle-Ile-en-Mer, and StPierre et Miquelon. This book takes an international perspective
which provides the readers with new insights on the past, the
present, and the future of the Acadian descendants from all of the
Acadies of the world.
The books may be ordered from me, (www.acadianmuseum.com),
Andrepont Printing or Atlas Books. The English edition of Acadie Then
and Now is on Amazon.com. See link here:
http://www.amazon.ca/Acadie-Then-Now-PeoplesHistory/dp/0976892731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415367023
&sr=8-1&keywords=Acadie+then+and+Now.
In Canada, the
Acadie Then and
Now: A People’s
History
by Warren A. Perrin,
Mary Broussard Perrin
and Phil Comeau
Andrepont Publishing
Price: $30
books may be ordered from Jacques Ouellet of La Grande Marée
in Tracadie-Sheila at jouellet@nbnet.nb.ca. Vendors where books
can be purchased include: The Depot at Magdalen Place in
Abbeville and Vermilionville in Lafayette.

On Monday, December 1, Warren and Mary Perrin, directors of Acadie Then and Now: A
People’s History will speak to Concerned Citizens for Good Government at 6:00 p.m. at
Alesi’s Pizza House, 4110 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA. The Perrins will speak about
their new book which has received terrific reviews:
An important book in Acadian literature. – Nicolas Steinbach, Radio-Canada (CBC)
A remarkable book and a remarkable feat to have touched on the Acadian experience
from just about every point of view. –Zachary Richard, musician, Louisiana’s
French poet laureate and author of The History of the Acadians of Louisiana
This book is a colossal work. – Jimena Vergara, Radio-Canada (CBC)
I am proud to be a part of this project, which provides an impressive collection of
perspectives on the Acadian and Cajun experiences. I suspect that this will become a
standard reference for years to come. – Barry Jean Ancelet, PhD, the Willis Granger
and Tom Debaillon U. L. Professorship in Francophone Studies, author of Cajun
and Creole Music Makers and Second Line Rescue.
Thank you for all the exhausting work that you must have endured putting this
fascinating book together. What you and others have done to offer this amazing book
will be with us forever. I cannot imagine all the hours, months and years it took to do
this. What dedication! And we, the Acadians receive this gift with heart-felt warmth that
will have us reading for many years to come through our children, grandchildren and
their children. Our Acadian family lives on in history because of all your research and
hard work. Thank you for that. – Claudette Brault-Breault and Jean Pierre Breault
(Pete)
$
Acadie Then and Now: A People’s History Upcoming Book Events
2014 - 2015
Warren and Mary Perrin
For more information, call (337) 233-5832, or email perrin@plddo.com
Louisiana Schedule - 2014
Nov. 20
Nov. 21
Dec. 1
Dec. 3
Dec. 6.
Dec. 13
Feb. 12
- Francophone Section Civil Rights Symposium in New Orleans
- Interview by Peggy Scott Laborde on WYES television in New
Orleans
- Concerned Citizens at Alesi’s Pizza, 4110 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA
- Abbeville’s Christmas Stroll signing at The Depot
- Friends of CODOFIL Christmas luncheon at noon at Four Columns, 3711
Westbank Expressway, Harvey, LA 70058
- Paragon Casino Christmas Event, Marksville, LA
- Center for Louisiana Studies’ “Bayou State Book Talks,” at 6:00 p.m. at South
Regional Library in Lafayette
2014
Jacques Ouellet
La Grande Marée
Librairie Liber – New Richmond, Québec (Gaspésie)
Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiques – Ottawa, Ontario
Tidewater Books Bookstore – Sackville, New Brunswick
Mount Allison University Campus Bookstore – Sackville, New Brunswick
Amica Inc. Boutique Kouchibouguac National Parc – Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick
Le pays de la Sagouine Boutique – Bouctouche, New Brunswick
Société Acadienne de Clare – Comeauville, Nova Scotia
Musée Acadien du Québec – Bonaventure, Québec (Gaspésie)
Acadia University Bookstore – Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Université Sainte-Anne Campus Bookstore – Pointe-de-l’Église, Nova Scotia
Librairie Magasin Campus – Pointe-de-l’Église, Nova Scotia
Acadia University Library – Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Nov. 19-24 - Book Festival in Montreal with signings by Phil Comeau
19 novembre:
12h00 à 15h00 (3 heures)
17h00 à 21h00 (4 heures)
20 novembre :
10h00 à 13h00 (3 heures)

The 7th festival Les Cousins d'Amérique, which is an Acadian/Cajun/Québecois cultural
festival, was held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 in the Acadian region of Poitou, France.
Three Acadian/Cajun films were presented: Louisiane par exemple by directors Robin
Marck and Marie Lafond, the film De Moncton à Kinshala by Paul Arseneau, and also
three films from the series La Sagouine by Phil Comeau.

Join the 2014 FACC-GC Beaujolais Festival Thursday, Nov. 20 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Marriott New Orleans Downtown at the Convention Center. Individual tickets and table
prices: Advance individual Tickets: $65 members/$75 non-members, Reserved Table:
$750 per table of 10, at the Door: $100 per person. *Specials for non-members*: Buy two
Beaujolais tickets and receive a complimentary 2015 FACC-GC individual membership,
or become a new member at any level by Nov 19 and receive a complimentary Beaujolais
ticket. To purchase tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-facc-gc-beaujolaisfestival-tickets-13527546255.

Dale Drake, granddaughter of Aris Joseph Thibodeaux of Henderson, was in the
Acadiana area in September studying Acadian cotonnade quilts. These quilts are made of
left over scraps from hand-spun and hand-woven clothing and household textiles, and
record the creativity of Acadian weavers of the 19th century. Using a single palette of
white cotton, white cotton dyed with indigo, and coton jaune or yellow cotton, these
weavers created many solid, striped and plaid textiles. While a pair of pants, shirt or
sheet usually has only a single weaving pattern, these quilts can have dozens, serving as
catalogs of Acadian patterns and techniques. Drake documented and photographed 16
quilts and one summer spread, including one child’s quilt stored at the Acadian Museum.
She will be writing an article for the journal Uncoverings of the American Quilt Study
Group. This article will expand on the 1999 journal article “Three Louisiana Acadian
Cotonnade Quilts: Adding Pieces to a Puzzle” by Dr. Jenna Kuttruff of LSU, and on
Dale's article "Quest for Cotonnade: In Search of a Tradition" in AQSG's Fall 2008
newsletter, “Blanket Statements,” which can be found in the Acadian Museum. Dale
lives in Indiana and will be returning in March, 2015 with family – she would welcome
information on additional quilts or on weaving and dyeing traditions in individual
families. She is also looking for descendants of Mrs. Evan Thompson, Mrs. Paulene
Thompson and Mrs. Emily Fontenot Thompson of Ville Platte, who were involved in the
creation of a quilt now housed at the Lafayette Science Museum.
Contact her at
ddrake@ccrtc.com or 317-508-0902.

Cajun and Creole music is part of the culture and tradition of Acadiana. The two genres
that share common roots can be heard at festivals, dances and celebrations of all sorts.
An now, at Lafayette General Medical Center, it is what babines will hear when they
come into the world.
Instead of the standard Brahm’s Lullaby, LGMC’s little arrivals
will be treated to more primal sounds of Cajun and Creole lullabies. The project to
provide this music to local newborns comes from a collaboration between the Lafayette
General Foundation and Louisiana Folk Roots.

At Whitney Plantation, one of the antebellum estates that line the Great River Road
between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the architectural centerpiece is a Creole-style
main house where hand-painted ceilings are adorned with flowers and vines. During its
economic heyday, Whitney Plantation encompassed 1,700 acres, most of it planted in
sugarcane.
The Haydel family who founded the estate was one of the largest
slaveholders in Louisiana. In 1860, they owned 101 black slaves, all of them listed on a
household inventory according to first names, ages, genders, complexions, skill sets and
countries of origin. On Dec. 7, if all goes well, John Cummings will open the 1790s
plantation to the public as America’s first and only museum of slavery.

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles is renowned for featuring Cajun music, zydeco and other
native sounds. But the 40th anniversary festival even had “la la,” the acoustic Creole
house party music that gave birth to zydeco. Goldman Thibodeaux of Lawtell, along
with Joe Citizen and Courtney Fuller, brought fans back to yesteryear at “A New Kind of
House Dance,” a presentation on Scéne Anniversaire on the University Art Museum
grounds. The trio played waltzes and two steps on accordion, rubboard and guitar;
reminiscent of the rural sound before zydeco became influenced by electric blues and
R&B. Thibodeaux, 82, told stores of the old days and memories of Amédé Ardoin, a
Creole accordionist who helped plant the seed for zydeco and Cajun music.

The third quarter meeting of the Vermilion Historical Society was held at the Vermilion
Parish Library meeting rooms Wednesday, October 22, 2014. A video was shown of one
of Vermilion Parish native James E. Fontenot’s favorite projects during his lifetime, that of
restoring the old Eagle Hotel (later known as the Garland Hotel) on Bayou Courtableau in
Washington, Louisiana. Besides being a restorer of old buildings, James was a lawyer, state
senator, musician, composer, playwright, linguist, performer, world traveler, and historian.
For more information, visit www.vermilionhistorical.com.

Upcoming events listed on the NAP Facebook page are:
Nov. 20 Presentation at 6:30 pm, Lafayette South Side Regional Library (Hosted by the
Lafayette Genealogical Society)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Projet-Nouvelle-AcadieNew-Acadia-Project/398811953563771
The New Acadia Project, or Projet Nouvelle-Acadie, received a $52,000 grant from the
Coypu Foundation, founded by the estate of the late John S. McIlhenney. We appreciate
this terrific support of the NAP project and wish to thank Dr. Shane Bernard for his
efforts to obtain it.

The French American Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast Chapter, the Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Museum presented Native
Americans in Louisiana History and Their Rights: The Atakapa-Ishak Experience on
Nov. 5 at the Old U.S. Mint, New Orleans. Visit:
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e8yng7t5274e4758&
oseq=&c=&ch=.

If you have questions, call 504.458.3528 or email info@facc-gc.com.
Michele Touret sent this email: “We are happy to inform you that we have received the
case of books Acadie Then and Now: A People’s History sent by Jacques Ouellet, from
La Grande Marée, thanks to Phil who has made all for our Association to receive them
in time. So we will present the books during the Festival Les Cousins d'Amérique starting
on the 30th October, and during the Exhibition of the Historical Book, on the 11th of
November, at Monts-sur-Guesnes. I would like also to inform you that the Monsieur
Grégor Trumel who is now the Consul Général of LA Nouvelle Orleans is a great friend
of Acadien people, and in June, before he came to Louisiana, he paid a visit with his
parents at "La Maison De L'acadie" and we had a very interesting meeting.

South Louisiana would draw more tourists if the region invested more in French-speaking
education, built Interstate 49 south to New Orleans and expanded air travel out of
Lafayette, Acadian officials told the state’s tourism chief. The officials also told Lt. Gov.
Jay Dardenne that it would help if Gov. Bobby Jindal quit cutting funds for tourism and
students’ French immersion classes. Dardenne said after the meeting that he would not
cut funding that lawmakers approve for tourism and French language programs if he
becomes Louisiana’s governor.

Mark your calendars for the Center for Louisiana Studies' upcoming forum and field trip
focused on vernacular invention in South Louisiana. As the saying goes, necessity is the
mother of invention. And in South Louisiana, numerous little necessities have generated
curious and ingenious inventions and contraptions. The Backyard Immersion program
will explore the environment that leads to such random—yet effective—creations, as well
as examine the process of taking eclectic ideas and solutions and applying them to
everyday inconveniences. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Center for
Louisiana Studies has reworked its successful In Your Own Backyard series concept into
a two-day program designed to accommodate the student and the curious, the academic
and the adventurous. Backyard Immersion consists of a full day Backyard Forum at the
Lafayette Science Museum and a Backyard Field Trip on the following Friday,
November 21 at the Acadian Museum. The program focuses on Vernacular Inventions of
South Louisiana, and each component provides insight into those one-off, oddball
creations that have made life easier and given rise to some of the state's favorite
industries. The Backyard Forum focuses on developing a definition of “vernacular
inventions” and identifying them as well as the process that generates such objects.
Demonstrations and hands-on exercises complement the discussions and provide an
interactive framework for understanding vernacular inventions and their impact on our
daily lives.

Mrs. Rose’s Bed & Breakfast in Kaplan, Louisiana offers crawfish excursions (when in
season). For information, call (337) 652-8870; or email: Btoups4692@gmail.com.

An article about Cyril Hinckley titled “Hinckley leaves behind troubling war memories”
was featured in The Sunday Advertiser on October 19, 2014.

No story is off-limits for the Creole Quilters. The nine-member group meets every other
Saturday at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center on West Vine Street in Opelousas,
keeping heritage alive one stitch at a time. “My goal is not to just bring back a gathering
of old women – because we have young and old members – but to capture the quilting
again,” said Rebecca D. Henry who founded the quilting group. For Henry, the daughter
of a sharecropper who also started the Creole Heritage Folklife Center in Opelousas,
making that commitment came easy because she is dedicated to keeping traditions alive.

More than 300 vessels – from paddle boats to 40-foot yachts – flowed down the
Vermilion River on October 19 as the Bayou Vermilion District worked to raise
recreational awareness for the river during the third annual Bayou Vermilion Festival and
Boat Parade. “The Vermilion River is a beautiful natural resource,” said Emile Ancelet,
water quality coordinator for the Bayou Vermilion District. “It runs literally through the
middle of Lafayette. This should be used by everybody.” Ancelet said his work with the
Bayou Vermilion district and its seven-member staff is never complete, especially with
the staff traveling the river daily and picking up more than 60 50-gallon drums of trash
from the river each week.

Cathy Indest, President of Iberia Cultural Resources, has initiated a project request
permission from Cleco to place English, French and Spanish flags on existing electrical
poles on Main Street in downtown New Iberia. Indest is also behind the tri-lingual
(English, French and Spanish) plaques which adorn prominent buildings in New Iberia.
Because of her efforts, Cathy was recognized as “Citizen of the Year.” We thank her for
her effort to preserve our heritage.

On October 23, Mary and I visited the Acadian Museum on Prince Edward Island to see
the archaeology exhibit at the Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island. It's fantastic!
The project by Dr. Helen Kristmanson shows how they found an old Acadian house
foundation near the seashore and develop a terrific exhibit documenting the excavation
and display of artifacts found in it. We had an opportunity to discuss our NAP project
with them and they are very supportive of our efforts. We will include them on our email
list to keep them advised of our work and progress. I invited them to come to La. next
year in October to discuss this project as part of our NAP Day. Claude Arsenault – who
showed us the exhibit absolutely adored our NAP logo! Also we noted that they used the
Robert Dafford mural on display at Acadian Memorial as part of the exhibit. While we
were at the book show in Dieppe, we spent a lot of time visiting with historian Georges
Arsenault of the island.

On October 24, 2014 I presented a talk at the University of Moncton School of Law in
New Brunswick, Canada, where Mary and I were hosted by Professor Michel Doucet, an
expert in language rights. The topic of my talk: Revisiting French in Louisiana:
Constitutional Right to Speak French. Thanks to Michel and his wife Fleurette for
hosting us for a wonderful dinner at their home. We enjoyed meeting new friends and
visiting old ones during the impressive book festival in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Several
of our contributing authors were present including George Arsenault, Jeannite Theriault
(who along with her charming husband Paul hosted us for a lunch), Andre-Carl Vachon
and Phil Comeau, our co-director. Thanks to Laurie Hebert we had a wonderful
experience visiting a pre-deportation homesite on property owned by Henry Phillips, who
graciously took half a day to personally bring us for a tour of the beautiful property,
including the site of an old aboiteau. Another wonderful day was spent with historian
Paul Surette who brought us to visit many pre-deportation sites, including a moving visit
to the ravishing marshes which were reclaimed from the sea by our Acadian ancestors.
Special thanks to our good friend Viola LeBreton who drove us around during our fiveday visit to the Maritimes.

There are two recent books and a traveling exhibition about the Mi'kmaq that have
content about that people's close and harmonious relationship with Acadians and/or
French colonists. The books and the exhibit have the same title. In English, Ni'n na L'nu:
The Mi'kmaq of Prince Edward Island. En français: Ni'n na L'nu: Les Mi'kmaq de l'ìlede-Prince-Édouard. The exhibit is currently on display at the Canadian Museum of
History in Gatienau, Québec (across the river from Ottawa). Its run there ends in midJanuary 2015. The books are published separately - in English by Acorn Press and in
French by La Grande Marée.

World Café radio show host David Dye stopped by The Daily Advertiser on October 29
to interview food and culture editor Herman Fuselier. Dye, whose popular show is
syndicated by NPR, interviewed Fuselier as part of Philadelphia public radio station
WXPN’s Zydeco Crossroads project, which will present the series of concerts,
educational events and a documentary film by producer Robert Mugge. “One of the
reasons why we are doing this Zydeco Crossroads project is because we have always
loved this music and we have always though we are going to do our part to spread it
nationally” Dye said.

It may not be a historically accurate account of the expulsion of 1755, but the title of the
Band’s epic song Acadian Driftwood captures the spirit of the event. As the Frenchspeaking population of Atlantic Canada was scattered over the sea, to be left ashore on
foreign soil, their lives and their culture was changed forever. It’s also the perfect title
for Clare music writer Paul Emile-Comeau’s new book about the history and essential
repertoire of the music that came out of that sorrowful forced migration. Subtitled The
Roots of Acadian and Cajun Music, Acadian Driftwood chronicles how the culture took
root in Louisiana as well as its renaissance at home in the Maritimes. The Fox Music
Books publication is a mix of history, biography and discography as Comeau outlines
how Acadian and Cajun music differ, and what similarities they share. There was a taste
of that at Acadian Driftwood’s Halifax launch at the Company House on November 3, as
les bon temps rouler with Acadian and Cajun music from Robert-Yves Mazerolle, Ron
Doleman, Mary McKeough, and Marianne Rissesco.

Message from George Marks at the NuNu’s Collective in Arnaudville: After nearly four
years of advocacy efforts, both St. Landry and St. Martin Parish governments have
agreed to move forward on collaborative planning of a cultural immersion campus in
Arnaudville including the entire town of Arnaudville and the Deux Bayous Cultural
District, in particular various key locations with the community including: St. Luke
Hospital, Savoy Daycare, and the old sweet potato kiln as well as other partners
throughout Acadiana.
This follows the receipt of a planning grant from the NEA
awarded to the LCEF. Both parishes will provide matching funds. An administrative
match will be provided by NuNu. Thanks goes to Parish Presidents Bill Fontenot and
Guy Cormier as well as Senator Mary Landrieu and her team. This is fantastic news for
Louisiana!

Ben Sandmel is the recipient of the Keeping The Blues Alive award in Literature for 2015,
presented by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation: http://www.blues.org/2014/11/2015keeping-the-blues-alive-award-recipients-announced/. The award will be presented at a
ceremony
in
Memphis
on
January
23rd.
It’s
partially
based
on
www.erniekdoebook.com; as KBA Chairman Art Tipaldi explains “The KBA may be
awarded for the recipient’s work in the past year but most often reflects a lifetime of
work; we don’t view the recipient as the winner of a ‘best of the year’ category.” See
more
at:
http://www.blues.org/foundation-programs/keeping-the-blues-
alive/#sthash.5KARBAbM.dpuf

For the past three years, the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law has been
offering different levels of French classes taught throughout the academic year by Dr.
Claire Lebas. So far, the French classes offer no credit towards the law diploma, but the
school is currently studying the possibility of integrating them in the Skills Curriculum
Courses. Some of the students from these classes have attended meetings of the
Francophone Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association and have made
presentations. Students from various backgrounds take part in these classes. Nevertheless,
they all have one common goal which is to be ready to use their knowledge of French
during their legal career when the situation requires it. With the practice of law becoming
globalized, French-speaking skills are very important.

Darrell Bourque, the twice-appointed Louisiana Poet Laureate, became the recipient of
the 2014 Louisiana Writer Award, given by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the
State Library of Louisiana. Bourque, who has published nine collections of poems, is the
15th recipient of the award given by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State
Library of Louisiana.

Acadiana will experience a feast for the senses when Palates and Paté commences this
week. This year, Clementine’s, a New Iberia-based restaurant, will participate with New
Orleans-based Hunt Slonem, known for his bayou paintings and colorful nature scenes.
Slonem has two plantations in Louisiana that are on the historical register, Albania
Plantation near Jeanerette, and Lakeside Plantation near Batchelor. Hunt first fell in love
with the Louisiana landscape during his time at Tulane University.

A University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate will be featured on a new A&E reality
TV shown that airs later this month. Country Bucks$ follows Ryan Busbice, who earned
a business degree from UL and works as the general manager of Wildgame Innovations,
and his family. The series is scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. on November 19.

Saturday, December 6 | Seed to Skillet: Pruning, Training and Celebrating the Year |
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Local farmers and artisans will walk you through the process of
how to plant, care for and gather crops to feed you and your family. Each quarter, they
will focus on various crops they are collecting and getting ready to plant for the season.
They will also prepare some recipes for the food they are harvesting and share samples
with the audience. For the Winter Seed to Skillet Workshop, 40-year veteran
horticulturalist Margot Adison will teach you the art of pruning and training fruit and nut
trees and demonstrate how to make lemon squares and lemon syrup. Admission is $15 for
adults, and free for children 12 and under. To register, call 337-233-4077 or contact
Cuisine@BayouVermilionDistrict.org.

Three-time Grammy nominee, Darrell Scott recently performed at the Manship Theatre.

Ben Sandmel was pleased to announce his first article for the Wall Street Journal – a
book review of Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music, by Barry Mazor.
Visit
http://online.wsj.com/articles/book-review-ralph-peer-and-the-making-of-popular-
roots-music-by-barry-mazor-1416003709.

On November 13, the former beloved mayor of Abbeville and Living Legend R.Brady
Broussard, 82, passed away. He had been married to Bonnie Richard who predeceased
him; he is survived by his children Brady Broussard Jr., Darby Champagne, Delany
Broussard, Lance Broussard and Scott Broussard. Brady hosted the very first gathering of
Famille Beausoleil (held at Black’s restaurant in Abbeville) where the first officers were
chosen. Brent Broussard of Vermilion Parish was elected as the first president and did a
terrific job leading the organization for several years until his untimely death in an
airplane crash. At the museum's annual fundraising event which inducted former
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco into the Order of Living Legends on
Saturday, November 15, Sonny Moss paid a moving tribute to Brady by calling for a
moment of silence in his memory. In a tribute to his life, the museum will receive a
donation which will be dedicated to the New Acadia Project.

The Vermilion Parish Library Fall Book Sale began on Monday at the Abbeville Branch,
405 E. Saint Victor Street! With the largest number of books to sell ever, the Book Sale
started on Monday and goes through Wednesday, November 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. at the Abbeville Branch of the Library! Paperbacks at 10 cents each and hardbacks
at 25 cents each – it’s a deal you can’t pass up! Special discount prices for purchasing a
bag of books! Stock up on your cold winter day readings! All proceeds are used to
purchase those special items needed for the Vermilion Parish Library System. Send this
email along to all your friends!

According to the chairman Jihad Muhammad, attorney Ryan Seidemann with the
Louisiana attorney general's office, will participate in the African Scientific Research
Institute's (ASRI) first lecture series on November 21, 2014 at 6:30 pm, Parks Middle
school: 1010 St. Louis Street, Parks, Louisiana 70582.

The Cajun French Music Association presents “A Cajun Family Affair Music Festival”
on November 22, 2014 at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
Visit:
www.batonrougecajundance.com.

Thanks to a lot of hard work by a lot of people we had another successful museum
fundraiser last Saturday where we honored the former governor of the state Kathleen
Babineaux Blanco at the Erath Community Center. Part of the funds raised will be donated
to support the Nic Campbell film Forked Island, a story of how Big Oil impacted the Cajun
culture of Vermilion Parish. Also, our executive committee decided to donate some of the
funds raised from our auction to the Edith Miguez family of Henry that loss their house to a
devastating fire. Thanks again to our sponsors: Acadian Ambulance; St. Martin Bank &
Trust Company; Mellow Joy; Quality Companies; USA, Committee of 100 for Economic
Development, Inc.; former Governor Kathleen Babineaux-Blanco; Erath 4th of July
Association; Smith Stag, LLC; Skinner Law Firm, LLC; Haynie & Associates, Morrow,
Morrow, Ryan & Bassett; Gulf Crown Seafood Co., Inc.; Hilcorp Energy Company; Jerry
Shea; Scott Angelle and Geraldine Boesch Ramsay.
Donors of food and/or supplies:
Dupuy’s; Good Old Cajun All Purpose Seasoning; Shucks; Henry Volunteer Fire
Department; Marcello’s Wine Market; Alesi’s Pizza; Earl’s Grocery; Hub City Diner;
Nelies Dugas; French Market; Philippe’s Wine Cellars; Albertson’s; Ramona Babineaux,
Champagne’s Supermarket; and to the Erath Community Building Association; Vietnam
Veterans of America, American Post Legion 69; Andrepont Printing, Merilyn and George
Crain and the Joe Vice Coulee Kinney Band.

Kirby Jambon was recently named the recipient of the Henri de Régnier prize from the
Académie Française, in support of literary creation in poetry. Jambon will receive the
award for his 2013 poetry collection Petites Communions. Jambon will travel to France to
receive the award later this month. A celebration of his accomplishment will take place at
6:00 p.m. today, November 18, at Vermilionville. His French immersion class will sing one
of his songs. Food and drinks will be available to purchase.