Yep,it’s the year of the Franco Fete, whoopee! This event keeps getting bandied about but the only people that seem excited about it or have any kind of grasp of what it is seem to be are the state tourism officials who show up at various ceremonies for photo ops. But there is a gemstone amid all this fool’s gold. A separate event will take place the first two weeks of August that also celebrates our French heritage which has been undeservedly overshadowed by all the Franco Fete hoopla. The Congres Mondial Acadien, held throughout South Louisiana, is planned to be the latest edition of a world-wide reunion of Acadian people.
When the French residents of Canada refused to swear allegiance to Britain in the 1750s, they were forcibly expelled from their homeland. Their migration to Louisiana created an enclave of French-speaking immigrants which we know today as Cajuns. The unique culture that has grown from this marriage of French and Louisiana culture can be found in the music, food and traditions we now call our own.
The first gathering/reunion of Acadians cook place in 1881 at Memamcook, New Brunswick. Periodically since then, the Heberts, the LeBlancs and the Moutons have reunited to rekindle the ties that bind. The most recent gathering took place five years ago in Canada. There’s really no way to estimate the number of anticipated visitors, but this is a once in a lifetime chance for Louisianians to play host to thousands of distant relatives. It is also hoped that this cultural gathering will boost interest in Louisiana’s French-language heritage, helping to ensure its survival. The Canadian visitors will guarantee the opportunity to hear the French language spoken once again in abundance across the bayous and prairies.
Organizers in dozens of towns have spent the last year planning special events as their part of the Congres Mondial Acadian. There are about 16 days of festivals, street parties, reunions, music and seminars planned. Each town has proudly picked up the torch to present its own celebration.
Things get underway July 31st with a number of reunions planned and a Women’s Summit in Morgan City. The actual opening ceremonies will take place in downtown Houma August 1 (Sunday) with an all-day street party with music on the town square. That evening the party moves over to the bayou by the Civic Center, which kicks off with a scheduled drop by the Canadian Parachuting Team onto the festival site. From then on, no less than 10 musical acts will entertain the crowds including performances by rarely seen Cajun legends Vin Bruce and L.J. Foret, exemplifying “East Acadian” style Cajun music. Plenty of local food will be on hand and the event is free to the public.
Based on the sister-city concept of matching local towns with foreign ones to help forge a relationship, more than 20 “twinning” celebrations are scheduled throughout the two-week period. In one example, residents of LaRose, Scott and Port Allen will meet residents of Comeaville, Memramcook and Clare respectively. For the foreign visitor it is a unique chance to hook up with friends from back home while touring Louisiana.
More than 80 individual reunions are scheduled all over South Louisiana to bring together people with the same last name, perhaps uniting long-lost relatives from around the world. Each of the locations will provide music, food and a genealogical station. I’m imagining these events will be like giant backyard barbecues.This could be a once-in-a-life time chance to make contact with one’s past.
Other scheduled events include four days of Academic Conferences (August 10-13) in Lafayette dealing with social, historical, linguistic and cultural topics. The town of Eunice has moved their annual Folklife Festival up to August 12 for an all-day street party with two bandstands and a food court. Ann and Marc Savoy with Michael Doucet are scheduled to perform as well as storytellers and musical acts in the grand Liberty Theater (318-457-7389).
The St. James Historical Society presents its own Heritage Day (August 7-8) in Lutcher, a fete which will include a Reenactment of the Arrival of the First Acadians. Food and craft vendors and crafts demonstrations will take place on the museum grounds (225-869-9752).
Every October the residents of LaRose throw the wonderfully authentic French Food Festival. In conjunction with the Congres Mondial Acadien, they are planning a special mini-festival (August 3) with a number of speakers discussing particular aspects of the “bayou Cajun” lifestyle and local Cajun music. Of course food booths will offer local favorites- oyster poboys, shrimp etouffees and jambalaya.
The Cajun French Music Association (CFMA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of Cajun music, language and culture, has moved its annual festival and awards up a weekend (August 13-15) to tie in with the Congres Mondial Acadien. Held in the Blackham Coliseum, the weekend features 19 hours of Cajun music on Saturday and Sunday and a Grammy-style awards show on Friday evening. Musical acts this year include performances by Robert Jardell and Pure Cajun, Belizare (from France), Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys, Don Fontenot and Les Amis de Ia Louisiane, Jackie Caillier and Cajun Cousins and Rodney Thibodeaux and Tout Les Soir (800-346-1958).
The closing ceremony and concert will be held in Lafayette’s Cajundome Sunday evening, August 15. The all-star lineup features artists from Louisiana, Canada and France including Zachary Richard, BeauSoleil, Blou, Bruce Daigrepont, Geno Delafose, Steve Riley and Waylon Thibodeaux. Tickets in the $25 range, are for sale through the Congres Mondial Acadien headquarters and efforts are being made to create seating sections to unite each of the families by last name. Apparently there are so many LeBlancs their section had to be expanded.
All of the events will provide plenty of opportunities to taste local dishes and you can be sure there’ll be a few beers passed around. For those visiting from out of state be warned that this is the hottest time of the year. Hot and humid. Sticky and humid. Did I mention the humidity? Fortunately many of the events take place under the shade of tents, inside air-conditioned buildings or in the cooler evening hours. Hotel rooms should be at a premium so book early or bring a tent. For a complete listing of all reunions, twinnings and seminars contact the Congres Mondial Acadian offices at 318-243-6166. 888-526-1999 or hyperlink http://www.cmala99.com.
