FREE NOVEMBER 2023 | VOL. 17 • ISSUE 11 | POVHOUMA.COM
CONTENTS | NOVEMBER 2023 • VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 11
CHIC 10 CHATEAU New Beginnings
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THE MAN BEHIND THE CHANNEL
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Martin Folse shares the history and legacy of HTV.
Regional group strives to save our state's history, culture, and language.
24 EXTRAS
ON THE COVER
NOTE 06 PUBLISHER’S Celebrating Locals: Louisiana Legacies
HEART AND SOUL
The Lifelong Journey of Dr. Craig Walker
WORD, YA HEARD BRISK
08 INTERVUE
Adjective
Say What?
Marked by quickness and liveliness; invigorating, fresh, and stimulating, often used to describe cool, refreshing weather.
28 THE OBSERVER
Thanksgiving in Perspective
30 WE SUPPORT A
WORD ON THE STREET
HEALTHIER FUTURE
The brisk morning air hinted at the arrival of fall, energizing everyone who stepped outside.
Facts About Lung Cancer
32 UNDER THE SCOPE Autumn Colors
She took a brisk walk in the park, enjoying the invigorating breeze that tousled her hair.
34 RENDEZVOUS Where You Need to Be Around Town
L’ASSEMBLÉE DE LA LOUISIANE
Photo: Misty Leigh McElroy
VISIT US ONLINE: povhouma.com
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What is your Black Friday Tradition?
Our family enjoys a day of shopping! We hit locally owned shops and boutiques!
We pick out our Christmas tree and decorate it as a family.
PUBLISHER
CREATIVE
Brian Rushing
Lauren Hemstreet
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mary Downer Ditch EDITORIAL
Bonnie Rushing Editorial Director Isabelle Gareis Pinto
Misty Leigh McElroy
Our family almost always spends Black Friday in Disney World!
DIGITAL
Madison Pontiff CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
We always stay in our pajamas and enjoy thanksgiving leftovers!
John Doucet Jaime Dishman Evan Cressoine
CONTACT
Publisher: publisher@rushing-media.com Editorial: mary@rushing-media.com Creative: graphics@rushing-media.com Sales: sales@rushing-media.com
Copyright ©2023 Rushing Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of editorial and/or graphic content is strictly prohibited.
BUSINESS ADDRESS: Rushing Media, P.O. Box 5013, Houma, LA 70361 • 985.868.7515 Point of Vue magazine cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited material such as manuscripts or photographs, with or without the inclusion of a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. The opinions expressed in Point of Vue magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Rushing Media, our employees or any of our advertisers. No employee or family member(s) of employees of Rushing Media are permitted to partake in any contests, giveaways or sweepstakes.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE | MARY DOWNER DITCH • ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
CELEBRATING LOCALS: LOUISIANA LEGACIES
Ever stop and think about your legacy? A legacy is the impact, influence, or mark that a person, organization, or group leaves behind for future generations or in the broader context of history. Legacies can take various forms, including contributions, achievements, values, beliefs, cultural influences, and assets that continue to affect and benefit society long after the individuals or entities responsible for them have passed on or moved forward. Legacies can be positive or negative, and they can encompass a wide range of areas, such as cultural, social, economic, environmental, educational, or personal. Building a positive legacy often involves actions that aim to improve the well-being and future prospects of a community, society, or the world at large.
more about Martin and HTV starting on page 14. L’assemblée de la Louisiane is a group of activists committed to preserving our state's history, culture, and language. Through their tireless efforts, they are working to ensure that the rich tapestry of our heritage remains intact for generations to come. Their commitment to safeguarding our unique identity and traditions exemplifies the spirit of
Deep on the bayous of Louisiana, we are fortunate to have individuals and groups who consistently work towards making our community a better and stronger place. Their unwavering dedication not only serves as a source of inspiration but underscores the significance of leaving behind a positive legacy for the generations that will follow. In this year’s Celebrating Locals issue, we focus on the legacy these individuals are building and the legacy one group is working to save. Martin Folse, our media mogul extraordinaire and the owner of HTV, has dedicated decades of his life to showcasing the best of our community. With an unwavering belief in the power of the media to create positive change, Martin has used his platform to highlight local success stories, promote community events, and ensure that the voice of our community is heard. Through his efforts, Martin has captured generations of history. Learn
community stewardship. Share in their story and learn how you can join their efforts on page 20. Dr. Craig Walker, Interventional Cardiologist, Founder, and President of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, not only mends hearts but also touches them through his dedication to our community. Beyond the walls of CIS, Dr. Walker has been a compassionate advocate
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for health and wellness, ensuring that our community thrives with well-informed choices. His work extends far beyond this community, as he actively participates in initiatives promoting heart health and overall well-being for all of us. Learn more about Dr. Walker on page 24. These local champions remind us that a community is not just a place to live; it's a network of support, compassion, and shared dreams. By celebrating the selfless contributions of individuals like Martin Folse and Dr. Craig Walker, and groups like L’Assemblée de la Louisiane, we acknowledge that the strength of our community lies in the dedication of its members. In celebrating these remarkable individuals and dedicated groups, we are not only acknowledging their present contributions but also underscoring the importance of leaving behind a positive legacy in our community. Martin Folse, Dr. Craig Walker, and L’Assemblée de la Louisiane are setting the stage for a brighter future by preserving our heritage, supporting our local culture, and promoting unity. Their commitment to positive change resonates as a call to action for all of us. By following in their footsteps and embracing their unwavering dedication to our community, we can collectively leave a lasting, positive legacy that will continue to inspire, unite, and empower generations to come. Our community's strength and vibrancy are defined by those who dedicate themselves to making it better, and these champions are shining examples of the legacy we can all strive to leave behind. Let their actions inspire us all to work towards a brighter, stronger future for our Louisiana. POV
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INTERVUE | SAY WHAT?
What's one thing you're especially grateful for this year?
DR. WILLIAM — This year, I am most thankful for the healing of my wife’s cancer.
KATELYN — I'm most grateful for my wonderful family that God has blessed me with.
LIBBY — I am most thankful for the long years I’ve been together with my husband, my family, and Thanksgiving dinner!
WHITNEY — I’m grateful that I got to marry the love of my life this year!
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TAYLOR — One thing I’m especially grateful for this year is my son. He has been the greatest blessing, and I’m so grateful that I get to be his mom.
COHEN — I am especially grateful for celebrating my one year wedding anniversary. I am also especially grateful for the opportunity to lead TEDA and have a hand in strengthening this parish!
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HOME + LIVING | CHATEAU CHIC
NEW BEGINNINGS BY MARY DOWNER DITCH | PHOTOS BY MISTY LEIGH MCELROY
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The beautiful forever home of the Lasserre family welcomes you with warmth and kindness. The stunning four bedroom, three bath home is a new construction, completed in 2023. The family, Kerry and Katie, along with their three sons Kristian, Kollin, and Kameron, moved in during June 2023. The home is DSLD Homes and is located in Settlement at Live Oak Subdivision in Thibodaux. The build was completed with assistance from Jacob Boudreaux, Building Contractor; and Elizabeth Crochet, Builder Sales Representative for DSLD Homes. Mia Estevans with American
South Mortgage Lending and Michele Palmer with 1 Percent Lists United were instrumental in the process as well. The open floor plan allows for lots of natural light, and a bright, open, and crisp feel. Katie is masterful when it comes to decorating the home and Kerry is masterful in the DIY projects she might throw his way. “I absolutely love the brightness of my home! From the white floors to all the natural lighting from the large windows and open concept,” shared Katie. “My kitchen is the heart of our home. I love to cook and entertain, so November 2023 10 povhouma.com
having a large area to prep and serve food is ideal. I love my white, clean kitchen and coffee bar! I love to swap out seasonal decor and treats often to keep it fun! My white cabinets and light marble countertops are so aesthetically pleasing to my eye.” “When we were searching for furniture for our home, I found our television console first and fell in love with it immediately. I loved the massiveness of the piece and the honeycomb pattern was just so unique,” explains Katie. “I went home and immediately googled the meaning behind a honeycomb pattern and many things I found
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11 said that honeycomb symbolized ‘new beginnings and building for the future.’ This meaning really hit home for me, as we consider this home our forever home. We feel that it is a new beginning for our family, as we move into a new phase of parenting adult children and one day welcoming grandchildren in this home. You can see many touches of honeycomb pattern throughout the home, including the kitchen backsplash, vases, wine rack, canisters, pots, and other decor.” “My husband, Kerry, is such an amazing DIY-er!” Katie shared. “He has designed and built many things in
our home, including my stove cover in the kitchen, the frame around our television in our master bedroom, and the amazing boot bench near our garage entrance. I dream up ideas and he executes them without complaint! I am so thankful!” Katie and Kerry also love shopping locally. Some of the local companies used in designing and decorating our home so far include: Peace Candle Co.: owner- Jonathan and Kristopher Price, Berwick, LA; Erica's Bowtique, LLC.: Owner- Erica Adams, Thibodaux; Parish Construction, LLC: OwnerJessie Collins, Thibodaux. POV November 2023 13 povhouma.com
No. 1 Detail No. 2 Entryway No. 3 Boot bench No. 4 Entryway No. 5 Living Room No. 6 Dining Room No. 7 Kitchen bench No. 8 Bedroom No. 9 Coffee Bar No. 10 Detail No. 11 Kitchen Enjoy more photos at houmatimes.com/ publications/point-of-vue.
BY MARY DOWNER DITCH | PHOTOS BY MISTY LEIGH MCELROY
It all started with the flip of a coin. That’s right. HTV exists today because of a coin toss. It makes you stop and think “What if that coin had fallen to heads?” Nearly 40 years of our community’s history wouldn’t be here and possibly neither would Martin Folse if fate had brought him down another road. Let’s back up a few decades, shall we? Martin Folse was born in Thibodaux and raised in Houma. He grew up one of six children, raised in Mulberry subdivision by Eugene and Lorraine Folse. A graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School and Nicholls State University, Martin has made a career with HTV and
the programming that brings our community more than just the news. But his love for film and journalism started well before his college years, when an 11-year-old Martin purchased his first movie camera. “Dr. Jerry Haydel had a movie camera,” Martin recalled. “He had an old 8mm camera, and he would film everything and play it on a projector. I asked my daddy if he would buy me one. He said no, but ‘I’m going to let you work around the neighborhood to earn the money to buy one.’ So I started knocking on doors and seeing if people wanted their grass cut. I charged 50 cents.” After some time, Martin earned the $56 to purchase the camera from November 2023 14 povhouma.com
L&N Camera Center. With not quite enough in his pocket to cover the taxes, Mr. Eugene pitched in to help his son with the purchase. “The first thing I ever filmed in my life was my dad, right there in the store,” Martin shared. “I put the film in the camera while we were standing there and filmed him. It’s nostalgic to me, even to this day. Those are the things I cherish the most – all those films I have of my family from the early days. Myself, the Haydels, the Thompsons – we made movies around the neighborhood. And that set the tone for what I wanted to be.” But the ultimate decision was still made by chance.
According to Martin, it came down to a coin toss at Dr. Bobby Haydel and Mrs. Fe’s home. As Martin and Bobby Jr. were filling out their applications to LSU, Dr. Bobby asked Martin, “Well, Martin, what are you going to do?” At the time, Martin was torn between pre-med and mass communication. “I asked Dr. Bobby for a quarter and I flipped it – heads, pre-med, and tails, communications,” laughed Martin. “And it was tails. So I went into mass communication. Otherwise, I might have been a doctor, and would have had better hours!” Martin began his college career at LSU, walking onto the track team his first semester. Soon after however, he realized, “my jumping ability, which was pretty good in high school, was only mediocre in college!” and began to focus on his education. At the time, the journalism department had been placed on probation, so Martin returned home to attend Nicholls State University.
NUTRIA MAN The return to the bayou put Martin in the right place to launch his first career highlight, his movie, “Nutria Man” which is now known as “Terror in the Swamp”. “People thought I was crazy, and rightly so! But after a hunting trip where a nutria was killed, I started thinking about what would happen if there was a nutria that turned on people? And that’s how Nutria Man got started. I conspired with another person and wrote up the script,” shared Martin. “We got to work filming it and then it was time to get it out there. I flew to California, and snuck into Warner Brothers studios.” While Warner Brothers passed on the
chance, the studio president did send a then 22-year-old Martin to a friend at New World Pictures who bought the film. While it wasn’t a blockbuster, to Martin, it was a success. “Nutria Man broke even, almost to the penny,” smiled Martin. “I was able to bring each of my investors their check back. And to me, that’s what was most important.” Coming off the success of Nutria Man, Martin planned on being in the movie business for the rest of his life. But Hollywood was a different place than the small Louisiana town of Houma. “There were certain things happening in the movie industry, where other people were trying to make movies and taking advantage of people to do so. I didn’t believe in that,” explained Martin. “I always told people this has to be money you are willing to, say, put in a garbage can, then in a couple of years open it up. It might multiply or it might be gone! I didn’t want peoples’ life savings. Things didn’t work out, but that all led me back to my degree, and got me to thinking ‘What am I going to do now?’”
HTV FINDS A HOME Vision Cable in Houma was looking for someone to produce their shows at the time, to film things in the community like council meetings. Martin took the job, but was quickly bored, only producing two shows a month. An always energetic person, Martin was determined to make something out of nothing and created a portfolio of ideas for the channel. In the fall of 1985, he flew unannounced to New Jersey to meet with the president of Vision Cable. “He granted me two hours of his time and went over the ideas,” said Martin. “When we were through, he said it’s still not something he was wanting to November 2023 15 povhouma.com
do on a local level. So I asked if I could lease the channel. He agreed and we drew up the papers the next day.” From there, Martin needed to acquire the FCC licenses for the area. There was one for Houma and one for Morgan City. Both were owned by Woody Jenkins at the time. After a bit of conversation with local business owners, he agreed to sell them both to Martin. The license for KFOL is for channel 30 in Houma, and the license for KJUN is channel 7 in Morgan City. However, on cable TV, they are combined onto channel 10, which reaches 12 parishes. In 1985, Martin began broadcasting with two hours of programming a day. “I was the only employee!” he chucked. “I would film myself, do the research, clean the toilets – everything was in an old back room on Hwy. 311 that Mr. Burt Cook rented me.” From that location, Martin moved to a space rented to him by Mr. Ronnie Haydel on Barrow Street. From there, he moved to a larger building on St. Charles, rented to him by Mr. Jimmy Buquet. It was a tough business to break into, a hard sell in a world that was accustomed to advertising in the local newspaper. But Martin worked hard to create good programming that would bring something to the community we are a part of. His goal was to tell the good stories of the people who live here, and to maybe have a little fun while doing it. “I started going around and just interviewing people,” Martin said. “I thought I was a comedian, and would let people tell jokes on tv. I would even play practical jokes on people, like asking people to eat a meatball and then tell them it was [dog food]! As payback for that stunt, I had to wrestle the bear at Fantasies. There was a lot of fun stuff in the early years. But I had to cover the hard stuff
too. Political debates, local tragedies – things we still cover today as part of the news. Although we’ve had some doozy stories on HTV, 90 percent of the stories I do are about the good people have done. I was told ‘you’ll never survive by just telling good stories.’ But I’m still here, 40 years later.”
REALITY H-TV Programming at HTV has always been focused on the people that call the community home. From religious broadcasts, to bayou time, to late night musical talents, there has always been something for everyone on our local cable channel. A few of the shows that have stuck out over the years include “Cover Story”, “The Beat”, and “Laid Back.” “The Beat” was immediately a success, in a time before reality tv, two years before the syndicated show “Cops” hit the airwaves. In this program, a camera crew and Martin rode along with local police, mostly the Houma Police Department, and filmed arrests of local suspected criminals. Despite its success on the air, The Beat was eventually canceled for what Martin feels was the right reason. “The Beat was our number one show. You couldn’t go anywhere without people saying, I saw The Beat! One
day, a gentleman came into my lobby. He had been arrested for a DWI and was on The Beat. We always had a policy: First DWI, we are not going to show. Second one, we blur your face. Third one, we don't blur your face. When the police arrested him, they made a mistake. They said it was his third, but it was his first. He came in the lobby and shared: ‘Martin, Let me tell you what happened.’ He explained and then he said, ‘I thought about committing suicide last night when I saw that piece’. And it hit me. [This show] has that kind of power over people and their families. I walked in the back that day and I canceled The Beat. It was a money maker! But it wasn’t worth it.” Martin and HTV have continued to go off the beaten path of what other news stations in the area did when it came to programming. For Martin, it was always his compassion in a tug of war with what a “real news person's supposed to be”. It’s a continuous battle that rages internally. But as compassion wins out again and again, we continue to tune in for the content we know and expect from our resident journalist.
THE STICK Hurricanes have always been a big part of our lives here on the bayou. It's part of the gig when it comes to November 2023 16 povhouma.com
reporting, as hurricanes take center stage for six months out of the year. Martin has continued to stay in the eye of the storm, staying on air as long as the storm allows, not to be a stunt, but to be a voice of reason as the national news stations sensationalize the impact on our area. Over the years, his hurricane coverage gave him tremendous credibility and built an audience that won’t tune in anywhere else to hear about what's happening during a storm. And you can’t forget the stick. “I’ve been covering hurricanes since 1985. And the stick – the stick was so simple,” Martin smiles. “There’s a formula I follow and about four different maps I look at – I can pretty much place a stick on it and be correct on landfall within about 25 miles. I’ve got the last seven or so correct. But that stick – man, people love that. And it’s just a reference tool to point to landfall. But now it’s famous.” During Hurricane Ida, Martin felt it was important to continue to stay on the air and continue to report as the storm passed right over our hometown. People tuned in from all over through social media to continue to get the facts about the damage and the aftermath. “At one point we had 696,000 people watching for Ida. People said, well, yeah they are watching, waiting on you to walk outside and do something
ridiculous, because the storm was being touted as one of the worst ever. But they were watching to hear it from a team they know and trust. I wasn’t going to overplay it or oversell it. We stayed on the air with what was actually happening for five weeks straight.”
RECORDING HISTORY As the only local television station since 1985, Martin has recorded what must be one of the largest collections of this area’s visual and spoken history, with personal interviews, coverage of community events, and other recorded footage. Through his one on one interviews with some of our area’s notable individuals, we are able to preserve their stories for future generations. HTV is currently in the process of archiving old footage digitally to ensure its preservation. “The first one on one interview I did was called Cover Story,” explained Martin. “I started them in 1985. I’ve done thousands of interviews with people who are no longer here. When I find out someone has passed, I call my team and say ‘pull the tape.’ I didn’t think about it then, when I was young. As I get older, I think about all the things I’ve captured on tape. I think the uniqueness of HTV is our local niche. New Orleans stations aren’t coming down. But HTV is here every day, covering groundbreakings, the debates, the games, the store openings – we don’t get to them all, we’re still too small to do that. But I guarantee we try our best!” Martin recalls the three most important interviews he’s ever done in his life: his grandparents, his dad and his mom. “I sat them down and did extensive interviews. My grandparents have passed away. Dad’s passed away. My mom is still living,
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"Although we’ve had some doozy stories on HTV, 90 percent of the stories I do are about the good people have done. I was told ‘you’ll never survive by just telling good stories.’ But I’m still here, 40 years later."
but it’s still amazing to look back at those films. To see my mawmaw and pawpaw and hear their stories. To hear my daddy talk about World War II and the atomic bomb. It’s something to hear them opening up and telling their stories.”
THE MUSIC MAN Martin is also well known for his love of music. A songwriter and musician himself, he feels the music in his soul and it moves him to write. A member of the band The Canebreakers, you can often find him gigging on the weekends along with a crew of bandmates who also have full time day jobs. But the dream lives on through the sound of music. “I don't make a living playing music, but I write songs all the time,” shared Martin. “I've written 150 songs. And I love it when people pick up the songs and they play them. I've heard a few of my songs on somebody else's CD. I was on a date one night and one of the songs came on and the girl goes, ‘God, I love that song.’ I never told her it was mine.” His love of music also led to the HTV program “Laid Back.” This show welcomed many well-known and famous musicians into the HTV studios
for jam sessions. Over the years, the show hosted Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Little River Band, Cowboy Mouth, Marshall Tucker Band, Tab Benoit, Randy Jackson, and many more. Local musicians were able to go on the show and launch their careers. “This area just has so many incredible musicians, and they want to do this for a living,” smiles Martin. “We were always willing to put them on the air. It was such a fun time, such an amazing show. I loved hearing the music and the harmonies. Hearing the music now still brings me back to those days.”
INTO THE FUTURE As HTV races into its 40th year of broadcasting, it’s natural to begin to wonder about its staying power. How will a local television station continue to meet the needs of the community? Simply by staying local. “There may be a point where we can’t survive anymore, but what a loss that would be,” sighed Martin. “To have no one local going around and getting interviews from people and recording the news – what a loss. We will survive by continuing to be the credible source for news, by asking people into the TV station to do the November 2023 18 povhouma.com
interviews. They sit with me and trust me. We bring a certain credibility by doing the interview.” When social media began to take off, Martin implemented a new plan. Every show taped goes on Facebook and YouTube. By adding the digital element to his broadcasts, HTV is able to reach a wider audience and continue to bring credible news from our area, across the country. With the future of the broadcast settled, what about the future of Martin Folse? A spry young man in his 60th decade, the world is still wide open for his creative mind to continue to keep up with the television station he breathed life into. Looking back on his life and his career, Martin finds no real regrets, having accomplished the majority of what he set out to do. His only lament is perhaps being a workaholic got in the way of a personal life. “It's hard work. When other people work, we work. When people play, we work. We are there on the holidays,” explained Martin. “You know, everybody's enjoying the 4th of July and we're out there covering the event. And it's been a great career for me. I love what I do. I don't think I could've picked a career that would've suited me better. I love to do this. But I think the reason I don't have any heirs, and
this is a very truthful statement, is that I was married to HTV. I’m still married to HTV. I'm a workaholic.” Looking back on all of his years at the news desk and in the community, Martin reflected back on what he feels were his two largest stories, one on a local convenience store and its connections to the Middle East in the 2000s and the other a school bus fight in the early 1980s. “A good news person in the business will always look back at their stories and identify their regrets,” shared Martin. “[The school bus fight] changed politics in the area. It was so intense that it was a community divided on the issue. I look back and think, was it all worth it? Could we have settled it over a cup of coffee? Some people come to me now, and they’re mad at someone, and they’re ready to sue, and I tell them go have a cup of coffee with the person and if in 15 minutes, if you still want to sue, there you go.”
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Martin also remains proud to have always honored his parents. He shared that it is important to honor them and thank them while our parents are still with us. Sure, we can do it in prayer, but why not let them know every day what they mean to us. He is also reminded daily of the blessing that it is to work in a career that he loves. “My grandmother before she died said, don't ever stop putting God on your channel. To this day, the rosary still plays in the morning. We have God all over the channel in our choice of programming. I've always thought, you know, the reason the channel is still open is not because I'm such a great salesperson. The reason we are still open is because of God. Without God, none of it's possible. And I'll leave it at that.” POV
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BY EVAN CRESSOINE | PHOTOS PROVIDED The state of Louisiana, with its resilience and strength, has harbored a myriad of differences from the rest of the country. There isn’t anywhere quite like it and that’s celebrating our culture is so vital to the future of our state. One group of young community activists recognized this and decided to take charge. On September 16, 2023, the Declaration of St. Martinville, Louisiana was created as well as the founding of l’Assemblée de la Louisiane [the Assembly of Louisiana]. Will McGrew, Vice-Président pour la Politique et le développement
économique, is a twenty-eight year old from New Orleans. He and a group of other ambitious young leaders banded together to start the saving of our state’s history, culture, and language. According to Will, l’Assemblée is a coalition of individuals and organizations working to bring everyone in Louisiana together around protecting our language, our culture, our land, and our local economies. “Membership is open to people of all generations, but the leadership is definitely predominantly younger people who understand that the stakes are very November 2023 20 povhouma.com
high for people in Louisiana when it comes to land loss, the loss of our Cajun French language, or the culture or lack of economic opportunity, and it’s really kind of on us to develop solutions and bring people together to develop those solutions,” Will said. The founders of l’Assemblée are from across the state: from Lafayette to Houma, Thibodaux, New Orleans, and beyond. The l’Assemblée members from Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish are Jamie Billiot, Misty Leigh McElroy, Kyle Crosby, Patty Ferguson Bohnee, Theresda
Dardar, Baley Champagne, Janie Luster, Christine Verdin, J.R. Naquin, and Caitlin Orgeron.
state. These schools are vital to keeping Louisiana heritage and the French language alive.
They recognize the importance of performing conscious efforts on a local level and are persistent in bringing these efforts to fruition. Will expressed the need to begin coordinating across the state so we can work together in the realization of l’Assemblée’s mission.
“Whether you’re Cajun or Creole or Native American or anything else, French is something that was really important to our state’s history and to our present,” Will said. “People still have parents and grandparents who spoke French as their first language, so we’re really focused on building on the success of the network of French immersion schools that we already have and then bringing them into the communities that are historically French speaking.”
As Will previously mentioned, anyone and everyone is encouraged to get involved with l’Assemblée. This assembly is aiming to be the movement and interest group of people in Louisiana. Anyone can visit their website, assemblee.la, to sign up and receive updates on every event and activity.
Will is the president of a French immersion school in Pointe-Aux-Chenes that was recently opened. École Pointe-au-
l’Assemblée will be attending existing festivals as well. In October, they took part in Festivals Acadiens et Creoles in Lafayette with a vendor tent to talk to fellow Louisianians about their concerns and stories. One of l’Assemblée’s main goals is to defend and expand French immersion schools throughout the state of Louisiana. As of now, they have a network of about 35 French immersion schools in the
“I think the most important thing is protecting what’s working with the French immersion schools, expanding them to as many families as possible, and then incorporating as much Louisiana culture and language into the classroom,” Will said. By attending festivals and hosting events, l’Assemblée hopes to also give adults and people of all ages the chance to practice the language and have French staples throughout the state. They want these resources to be accessible to all people even if their kids are too old or are already in French immersion and they want to learn the language themselves.
“We’re going to be traveling across the state and doing little events as well as [...] hearing where people are hurting [...]. What are the key issues that people in Louisiana are facing across political, ethnic, and regional differences and how can we be a part of developing that solution?” “The key thing is to follow us on social media, join on the website, and we’re going to be keeping people updated there in terms of events we’re having which will be a combination of a town-hall style as well as concerts and festivals,” Will explained.
l’Assemblée hopes to be a part of helping more local Louisiana teachers train to teach in French immersion schools as well as take part in developing curricula in Louisiana and Cajun French. The students in these schools will ideally incorporate activities where they can learn about the culture at the same time from fisheries to Cajun music and any other cultural practice depending on the region of the school.
Chien opened in August 2023 for students in kindergarten and first grade to keep their Cajun and Indigenous culture alive. According to Will, l’Assemblée believes that every parent who wants their child to be educated in a French immersion school should have that opportunity to learn their heritage and the Louisiana French language. These French immersion schools are at the top of the list when it comes to the assembly’s priorities. Their course of action includes defending the schools we already have and working to keep those open, opening new schools, and, as Will puts it, “Louisianaizing” those schools. November 2023 21 povhouma.com
Will also runs a production company called Télé-Louisiane which produces two shows for local PBS, all in Louisiana French, making them more digestible and available for schools. Their goal is to continue developing additional resources that are as user-friendly as possible for individuals as well as for teachers to incorporate as much Louisiana French into the classroom as possible. At its core, l’Assemblée is about uniting Louisiana and empowering the people to keep the culture alive. With such a unique and robust culture, with every variation still incredibly present, Will finds it important to prevent it all from eroding
like the land it’s grown on. However, it is hard to ignore that people are speaking the language less. In a few areas, no one is learning the local music, dancing, or how to cook like their mawmaws and pawpaws did. “We have so much in common and our interests and the problems that we face are quite overwhelmingly similar and so whether it’s the fact that we are losing the language, we are losing the culture, or that we’re facing crazy insurance rates or the fact that people are getting pushed out of bayou communities or that we’re losing land or that there’s not enough economic opportunities in our cities— those are all problems we face together regardless of our ethnic background or political affiliation or age or anything else,” Will said.
make sure to—on the environmental front—we need to make sure we’re doing coastal restoration, investing in hurricane protection systems so that our front line communities can stay robust,” Will explained. “We also need to make sure that we get these insurance rates lower, [...] We need to make sure we have our fair share of offshore revenues. [...] We need to ban shrimp imports and have a really aggressive approach to that so local shrimpers are able to make a living and have a robust shrimping industry that is going to be higher quality and also better for our local economies.”
l’Assemblée believes our best chance at saving not just our culture collectively but also all the different, rich variations— the Cajun, the Creole, the Native American—all of the other parts that make Louisiana culture so rich, we’re going to have to work together because there’s really going to be strength in numbers. “Now is the time for us to really come together and keep alive what makes Louisiana so special and be a part of creating a more vibrant, positive future for a state that faces many challenges,” shared Will. l’Assemblée plans to attack a few different issues each year within their broad vision. The most important thing for them now is adopting that framework of not focusing on just any region or parish or just any ethnic group or political party, but instead thinking about what Louisianians in general face. “In order to keep our language and culture alive, it needs to be possible for people of all ages to stay in the communities where our culture is and where people speak French so for that we need to
that seemed impossible to overcome, in the end we have always come out on the other side. Will thinks that the people tend to take on this approach where Louisiana will always be at the bottom of the list and that there’s nothing we can do about losing land or letting languages go unlearned by future generations. “Of course, we’re not going to be able to solve everything. We’re not going to be able to save everything. It’s not going to be as it once was and it’s not going to be easy either. But we do know that it’s a choice, and just like other communities– Quebec and other communities around the world– that face many environmental, economical, and cultural challenges that we’ve faced, it’s really just a question of political will and popular will,” Will said. While there is lots of work to do, the reason l’Assemblée was founded was due to determined citizens who traveled across the state and found that we have so much more in common than what divides us. They believe that the vast majority of people in Louisiana are onboard with these different issues and it's truly about working hard to knit that fabric and bring all those people together so we can realize that dream just like we’ve done with all challenges in the past.
Because the language and culture is maintained by the people, focusing on what can allow people to actually stay in Louisiana and live in land that is threatened and in an economy where there isn’t enough opportunity, l’Assemblée understands the importance of addressing that together: language and culture as well as environment and economic revitalization. Will considers himself very optimistic for the future of Sportsman's Paradise. While throughout history our state, and even our country, has faced huge difficulties November 2023 22 povhouma.com
“I’m very positive and I think that l’Assemblée will be an important part of keeping our language and culture alive, using our language and culture to remind people that we’re a part of something bigger and we have something to fight for and then start fighting for all of those things,” Will said. “If we can speak with one voice whether it’s private entities, or the state or federal government that needs to take action, we’ll get it done. Any united voice of four million plus people, that’s a really powerful microphone so I’m super optimistic.” POV
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BY ISABELLE GAREIS PINTO | PHOTOS PROVIDED For Dr. Craig Walker, Interventional Cardiologist, Founder, and Interventions, the American College of Chest Physicians and President of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, working the Council on Clinical Cardiology. to save lives has been a lifelong calling. Dr. Walker's interest in medicine, and his first step on this Dr. Craig Michael Walker is a native of Bourg, Louisiana, who successful path, began at a very young age. "When I was a very attended Nicholls State University on an academic scholarship young boy, in preschool, my father was diagnosed with cancer," and completed a four-year pre-medical curriculum in two said Dr. Walker. "I remember my mother crying-- his case was years, going on to be awarded the university's Pre-medicine considered terminal at the time, and we did not think he would Award. He subsequently attended LSU Medical School in New survive. My father, however, was treated by Houma doctors Orleans earning his doctorate in medicine in 1977. Dr. Walker Ernest and Willard Ellender, and they decided to operate on completed a three-year internal medicine residency where he him, even when everyone else in the field insisted he would served as chief medical resident, and a cardiology fellowship never make it. My father went on to not only survive the at Ochsner Foundation Hospital, where he was one of the first operation, but to live another 25 happy years with our family. interventional fellows in the U.S. Dr. Walker then went on I thought, at that moment, it was the most miraculous thing to perform a research fellowship at Harvard’s Brigham and to see these doctors beat the odds and follow their convictions Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Walker is board certified in that my father's life could be saved, even when everyone said internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and interventional it couldn't." cardiology. He is a fellow of the American College of Following his father's operation, Dr. Walker's two older Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, the American brothers went off to medical school, and the local cardiologist Society of Cardiovascular Interventionists, the International remembers the excitement he would feel when his brothers College of Angiology, the Society for Cardiac Angiography and November 2023 24 povhouma.com
came home and shared all they were learning with him. "They would explain to me what they were studying and the exciting things happening in the field at the time," explained Dr. Walker. "It just further solidified at a young age that medicine can be a really special profession, a noble calling with the chance to help people and do extraordinary things."
He has also trained more than 1,500 physicians in advanced peripheral interventional techniques." Dr. Walker explained that the most rewarding part of his work at the Cardiovascular Institute of the South has been his patient interactions, and how much he has learned and grown as a doctor from each experience. "Over my 40 year career I could say I have had thousands of impactful patients who have all taught me lessons," chuckled Dr. Walker. "Each patient has shown me, in a humbling way, how much more there is to learn about medicine. I remember one man who came to me who had undergone seven failed surgeries to restore blood flow to his legs. He had a very severe case and he asked if I could help him-after an ultrasound and several more tests, it really looked like there was no option to help-- but he was adamant we needed to try. I ended up performing the surgery, and very much to my surprise, we were extremely successful. The patient kept that leg for another 13 years, and that taught me just because traditional teachings teach something, that doesn't always make them correct. We need to look beyond."
After pursuing higher education and experience in the field, Dr. Walker returned to Houma in 1983 to pursue his life’s goal of establishing a world-class cardiovascular program in South Louisiana. Dr. Walker’s mission led him to create Houma Heart Clinic, which quickly expanded to multiple communities in Louisiana, prompting a name change to Cardiovascular Institute of the South. "The practice is now internally-esteemed with more than 20 clinics in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois," reads a description on the Cardiovascular Institute of the South's website. "Over the past 30 years, CIS has participated in groundbreaking research recognized across the world. Dr. Walker has served as the principal investigator in the initial stent, atherectomy, and drug-coated balloon trials. He is known as a pioneer in interventional cardiology, particularly in Dr. Walker's innovative and successful patient care at the peripheral vascular interventions for which his techniques and Cardiovascular Institute of the South has not gone unnoticed by inventions have been cited internationally as transformative. November 2023 25 povhouma.com
"I look forward to going into work everyday, and I look forward to seeing my patients who have become my friends and hearing how they are doing. My advice to young doctors would be to tap into that passion and personal aspect of the job as much as possible." those in the community-- the local doctor has received numerous academic and professional awards. He was the first native Louisianian to be chosen as one of “Ten Outstanding Young Americans” by the Jaycees, and has been awarded the “Health Care Hero Award” by New Orleans City Business, the James J. Buquet Jr. Award of Distinction by the Terrebonne Foundation of Academic Excellence, and an honorary doctorate of nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, to name of few. He was also one of the initial four inductees into the Nicholls State University Hall of Fame. In addition to these accolades, Dr. Walker has been appointed the esteemed title of Clinical Professor of Medicine at LSU School of Medicine and Tulane University School of
Medicine in New Orleans, as well as Clinical Editorial Board Member for HIPG Global Vascular Digest, and Clinical Editor for Vascular Disease Management. Having enjoyed such a successful career, there is no doubt that Dr. Walker will continue to serve as a source of inspiration to those young students pursuing a medical career in Terrebonne Parish. "If I could give one piece of advice to those who are going into a medical career, it would be to utilize what a privilege it is to put their lives in your hands – learn to share in your patients joys and defeats," said Dr. Walker. "For me, that is what makes this work truly special and rewarding. I look forward to going into work everyday, and I look forward to seeing my
November 2023 26 povhouma.com
patients who have become my friends and hearing how they are doing. My advice to young doctors would be to tap into that passion and personal aspect of the job as much as possible." As of now, Dr. Walker has no plans to retire, and will continue serving the people of southern Louisiana as long as possible. "I hope the future of healthcare is a stronger move towards prevention, rather than trying to cure patients later in the disease – and I plan to be a part of that movement," said Dr. Walker. "I have really enjoyed working in my professorship at Tulane and LSU Schools of Medicine, and I truly treasure teaching and training the younger generation. Watching them go out into the community, or the United States, and excel in the field while making lifesaving discoveries has been incredibly rewarding. I hope to continue influencing the field on where we are, and where we might go." After 40 years of serving countless people and advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Craig Walker is helping to make the people of the Houma-Thibodaux area happier and more heart-healthy than ever – saving and improving lives one patient at a time. POV November 2023 27 povhouma.com
The Observer | BY JAIME DISHMAN
THANKSGIVING IN
PERSPECTIVE It’s the Thankful Season. LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED
It’s on coffee mugs, t-shirts, wall plaques – Thankful & Grateful. Blessed. Giving Thanks. We have seen all the slogans everywhere. The fall art is out before the summer ends. Being thankful can seem more of an expectation than an attitude. “I’m supposed to be thankful because it’s Thanksgiving.” But are we? Do we stop and think of what we are thankful for, who are thankful to be with and the reasons why we should give thanks? To transition, consider the month of October in Israel and Palestine. There’s so many things I want to say, so many things I want to write. This isn’t a political column, so let’s keep it at this: Being thankful turns our eyes on others. When I give thanks, I view the needs of others as my own. I’m so thankful for this life, that I can’t turn away from the lives of others in need. Thanksgiving turns our hearts outward instead of inward. It’s this inside-out kind of thing happening. Because when we give thanks, we are saying we don’t deserve this life – this goodness, this grace – but it’s been freely given, so I’m thankful. The pictures of mothers and children ripped from their homes are haunting. The pictures of the bombings, terrifying. The pictures of the people behind the terrorist madness, beyond frightening. The pictures of the scarred land are devastating. The young soldiers, including our own, being sent to lands far away is gut wrenching. I’m thankful for our safety here. We gather with friends and family, protected. I’ve never lived in a war-torn country. It’s the only thing Israel has known – people on every end of their country vying to come in and obliterate and take over. And here I am, planning what perfect dish to create for a Thanksgiving meal.
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What the world sometimes misses in the big picture of the big stories is the smallness and ordinariness of the people in this fight. They’re normal families, with normal children. They want a normal life. But the violence and eradication of people from a land is anything but normal. They’re trapped inside a centuriesold conflict that has intensified beyond imagination over the past month. They’re fighting a war generations of their relatives have also fought. This isn’t a conflict. This is an all-out war. So I look at my little family – one off at college, others in high school, one in middle school – and think. They’re safe. They’re well. They’re not getting called to fight in a war that would take their lives and never look back. I’m so thankful for this space. Being together. Living in freedom and not fear. Living in hope and not despair. We visited Israel earlier this year, my husband and I. We saw the people. We met Israelis – Jews and Arabs. This land is holy to both, contested fiercely by
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both sides. But whatever side you see, all I can see are the people. We toured a kibbutz not far from the one so violently attacked by terrorists at early dawn – families were awakened to guns and violence and death. It’s hard to understand a kibbutz when you’re American – it’s a protected, safe neighborhood, where you live in because it’s your heritage, not bought. It’s families guarding families. A safe place turned terrifying in the early morning hours of last month. This month, thankfulness comes with tears in my eyes and a full heart, as I consider the things I often take for granted that people a world away would do anything to have. People a world away, but similar in so many ways. Mothers who simply want safety for their children. Men who want to work a job to provide for their family. Communities who want beautiful areas to play and live, instead of war-scarred property. A land weeping and mourning for unimaginable loss of beauty and life. The story of the Israeli nation has been about landedness and landlessness. God bringing them to a land of “milk and honey” and it being taken and fighting to get it back. Land. Then no land. It’s always been a fight for this sacred ground. This conflict is not new, but the grief is fresh. So this month, it’s with true thankfulness that I consider our lives: the safety, the availability of education, the freedom to live. It almost feels inexpressible in its goodness. I could have been born in so many places where this would not be my story. But I’m here, and I’m so thankful. POV
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WE SUPPORT A HEALTHIER FUTURE
FACTS ABOUT LUNG CANCER November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, anyone can get the disease. Exposure to environmental toxins, lifestyle factors, family history and age also present risks. It is important to know your risks and what you can do to keep your lungs healthy.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends guidelines for healthy eating to lower your cancer risks. Diets with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less red meat, processed foods and sugary drinks help protect your immune system, reduce inflammation and support healthy weight.
Fact: Early-stage lung cancer may not cause symptoms.
Fact: Smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer.
Physical activity can also attribute to healthy weight and decrease cancer risks. According to the National Cancer Institute, obesity triggers risk for 13 types of cancers. ACS recommends that adults get 150-300 minutes of moderate activity each week.
• Chronic cough that worsens
Fact: Screening tests can detect lung cancer.
• Frequent lung infections that don't go away or continue to recur
More people die in the US and worldwide of lung cancer than any other disease. Cigarette smoking is linked to approximately 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths. Other tobacco products also increase risks. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer.
When detected in its earliest stages, lung cancer
With more advanced stage lung cancer, patients may experience symptoms such as: • New cough that doesn't subside • Coughing up bloody mucus • Shortness of breath occurring quicker and more frequently than usual • Ongoing chest or upper back pain
Fact: Many other factors increase lung cancer is more treatable and patients' survivorship rates Fact: Several treatment options are available risks. • Exposure to second-hand smoke • Aging—about half of people with lung cancer are over 71 years old • Having had lymphoma or other smoking-related cancers • Family history of lung cancer
improve to 63%. ACS recommends screening tests for people age 50 and older with average risks. If you smoke or previously smoked and are over 50, discuss a lung cancer screening test with your doctor.
for lung cancer.
Thibodaux Regional offers low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung screens. You may be eligible for a screening test if you:
• Surgery to remove tumors or the organ
Physicians determine treatment plans based on the cancer stage, number of tumors and patient's overall health. Treatment options include: • Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells • Radiation therapy
• Exposure to radon, asbestos, arsenic, coal smoke or air pollution
• Are 50–80 years old • Have no signs or symptoms of lung cancer
• Targeted therapy that zeroes in on molecules in the cancer
• Having COPD or pulmonary fibrosis
• Have a history of smoking a pack a day for at least 20 years
• Immunotherapy utilizing the immune system to kill cancer cells
• Are a current smoker or one who quit within the last 15 years
Cancer can strike at any time. However, by knowing the basic facts and reducing your risks, you can take practical, everyday steps to keep yourself healthy.
Fact: Lifestyle changes decrease risks. It's never too late to quit smoking—the longer you smoke, the higher the risk. There are numerous free smoking cessation apps or websites to help you get started or talk to your health care professional for more information on quitting. Poor diet may account for more than five percent of new invasive cancers in US adults.
• Receive a written order for a screening Medicare and many private insurance plans cover screening depending on your eligibility and plan. To find out more or schedule a lung screening, call 985.493.4008.
November 2023 30 povhouma.com
For more information call Thibodaux Regional Cancer Institute, (985) 493-4008, or visit thibodaux.com.
November 2023 31 povhouma.com
UNDER THE SCOPE | BY JOHN DOUCET
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COLORS Around the country in November, leaves turn different colors. Around PoV country, they just turn dead. This has been a peeve of mine since Ms. Griffin’s class in second grade. That’s when unsuspecting kids like me were exposed to a social studies textbook that described strange things we not only hadn’t seen before but also were not likely to ever see. In fact, maybe we didn’t even need to see these things during our preciously brief nine months in that grade. Why did we need to learn about sun-drying salmon in the northern states when there were sun-drying platforms for shrimp in our own home towns? Why did we have to learn about the Grand Coulee Dam? And what’s a “coulee” to a second grader growing up in a place where coulees don’t exist? We spent more time giggling at the concept of a “dam” because its name seemed to legitimize a curse word. And why learn that the dam creates a “reservoir” to conserve water: We don’t have that problem here in watery PoV Country, and what kid could pronounce “reservoir” anyway? And speaking of words, why call it “maize” when it’s really “corn”—something we didn’t even grow much in Louisiana. And then came the full-page photos of mountains and canyons—things that could have never formed in PoV country’s 5000 years of silty, deltaic existence. Do you know how all the grandeur of purple-mountains-majesty and amber-wavesof-grain makes an eight-year old feel when his world is a low-lying flatland where the only things that wave are pis-en-lits? That’s right. Pretty small. With no mountains and no canyons and no corn and no salmon and no coulees to experience like other kids in the U.S., the only things it seemed we could call our own were the leaves in the trees. And then came the greatest, belittling, gut-punch of all: Other kids’ trees change colors, and it was pretty. Exposing us to other cultures and lifeways around the country was the whole point of that textbook, I suppose. But showing us how leaves change color in the fall was downright cruel. “Mais, we don’t got none of that us!” I may have complained aloud, before getting fussed for using a French word and a double-negative in English. In those days, bilingualism in children was not appreciated as much as bicolorism in leaves, apparently. According to the National Forest Service, “New England is rightly famous for the spectacular autumn colors painted on the trees of its mountains and countryside, but the Adirondack, Appalachian, Smoky, and Rocky Mountains are also clad with colorful displays. In the East, we can see the reds, oranges, golds, and bronzes of the mixed deciduous woodlands; in the West, we see the bright yellows of aspen stands and larches contrasting with the dark greens of the evergreen conifers.” Notice that in all their poetic nonsense they say absolutely nothing about leaves in the South or about PoV Country specifically. If they did, it might sound something like this: “In the South, we can see summer greens of short, brittle hardwoods in the musty, insect-laden lowlands contrasting with the gray of dreary and unkempt moss until November 2023 32 povhouma.com
the winter decay of leaves into flaky, fallen, and allergenic ground litter.” In reality, however, our leaves have all the colors of those leaves where other kids live—only you just can’t necessarily see them. Those colors are produced by pigment molecules, which are necessary for leaves to absorb sunlight and convert CO2 into the sugars that trees use for energy and growing. Yellow pigments (xanthophylls) are present in small amounts in leaves all year round. The yellow color is hidden because there is so much of the green pigments (chlorophylls) in leaves, especially when new ones are growing and thriving in summer. When days get shorter toward winter and hours of sunlight reduce, trees begin to avoid upcoming winter freezes by eliminating their water supply and plugging water flow to leaves. During this time, the green pigments, which are the major sunlight-absorbing molecules, start to break down, and with fewer greens the yellows become increasingly apparent. With no water supply and no new sugar production, leaves begin using their leftover sugar not for energy as usual but by converting it into red pigments (anthocyanins), which also become increasingly visible during shorter days.
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The difference is that the days don’t get so short here in PoV Country. And winter is never as severe. No matter how cold we get and how short our days are, it’s never as cold or as short as it is up North. And that’s why those salmon-drying, maize-eating, coulee kids see more color changes in the trees than we do. And, after all the decades since second grade, I remain, like the trees in my backyard, green with envy. POV
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RENDEZVOUS | WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AROUND TOWN Southdown Plantation Marketplace
November 4, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Southdown Plantation Southdown Plantation’s Marketplace will include over 300 booths of holiday and seasonal decor, unique gifts, gourmet food, artwork, wood crafts, furniture, pottery, metalwork, jewelry, clothing, toys, candles, home-grown plants, and more. The Marketplace will also include a Cajun Food Court with beignets, burgers, jambalaya, po-boys, crawfish, and meat pies; alongside live music from Waylon Thibodeaux and a kids activity area with a petting zoo and character story time.
Market at the Marina
November 4, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Downtown Houma Marina Come out to the monthly outdoor farmers Market and craft show! The market features many local vendors selling lots of local goods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, jams and jellies, meat and seafood, homemade body care products, and so many other amazing items! The market also features the Marina Sprouts Kid Club program sponsored by Terrebonne General Pediatric care, St. Matthew’s STEM Lab, Little Arts Studio, and more.
the festival, as well as a BBQ cookoff competition. The festival will also include the Juke Joint Tent, where participants 21 and over may purchase a ticket to taste 30 different kinds of bourbon.
Big Boy’s Main Street Cook-Off
November 10, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Historic Downtown Thibodaux Experience a culinary showcase of Cajun cuisine at Big Boy's Main Street Cook-Off! Paid admission lets you sample Louisiana-inspired dishes from 30+ teams while enjoying live music at the hottest cooking competition on the bayou! Burgers and soft drinks will also be available for purchase and alcoholic beverages (for guests 21+ years of age) will be sold by downtown bars and restaurants.
Thibodeauxville Fall Festival
November 11, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Downtown Thibodaux Experience the charm of historic Downtown Thibodaux at this acclaimed autumn event! The festival will showcase a variety of arts and crafts booths, three lively music stages, a delectable food court, a car show, the thrilling rubber duck race on Bayou Lafourche, and more.
BBQ, Bourbon and Blues Festival
November 4, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Warren J Harang Auditorium Lafourche Arc is proud to present their newest event celebrating 60 years in service of the community: the BBQ, Bourbon, and Blues Festival! The BBQ, Bourbon, and Blues Festival will feature live music by Little Freddie King, the Josh Garrett Band, Julian Primeaux, and Geminii Dragon. There will also be local mom-and-pop and large-chain vendors grilling delicious BBQ during
Holiday Market at Robinson Ranch
November 26, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Venue at Robinson Ranch Join in a festive day of holiday shopping! Enjoy live music, kids' activities, and a petting zoo. Shop for unique gifts at the craft show while supporting local businesses. Find everything from jewelry to food and make your holiday shopping a joy! POV
November 2023 34 povhouma.com
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” -ALBERT EINSTEIN
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