Festivals Acadiens et Créoles will launch its first Legacy Series beginning July 7 at Feed & Seed in Lafayette. The inaugural program will pay tribute to The Legacy of Dewey Balfa with Christine Balfa, Steve Riley and David Greely at 7pm.

The free monthly series celebrates local legends in Acadiana who have made, and continue to make, an impact on the region’s cultural community. The Legacy Series will explore every aspect of Acadiana’s heritage, including music, culinary arts, artists, craftspeople, and more. The goal is to create a community event series that honors historical, contemporary, and future cultural traditions.

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles traces its roots back to the first Tribute to Cajun Music Festival organized by the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana in 1974. Festivals Acadiens et Créoles was officially established in 1977 with components of music, food and crafts. Since then, the event has grown into a multi-day affair taking place during the second full weekend of October each year in Lafayette. Festivals operates as a nonprofit corporation and is run by a community board and volunteers. The next festival is scheduled for October 14-16.

Dewey Balfa (1927–1992) was was a Cajun fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana. He is perhaps best known for his 1964 performance at the Newport Folk Festival with Gladius Thibodeaux and Vinus LeJeune, where the group received an enthusiastic response from more than 17,000 audience members. He sang the song “Parlez Nous à Boire” in the 1981 cult film Southern Comfort, in which he had a small role.

Feed & Seed is located at 106 N. Grant Street in downtown Lafayette. The former feed store has been converted into a special events center.

For more information about Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, visit here.