3 minute read

Meet Alia Casborné

Next Article
Plan Your Visit

Plan Your Visit

Shining a light on Mandeville Culture.

BY BETH D'ADDONO
Alia Casborné

ASK ANYBODY WHO KNOWS HER, and they’ll say that Alia Casborné is organized. “Even in my family, I’m that person,” she said. “I plan all the travel. I have a binder for everything. I’ve always been that way.”

Casborné brings that attention to detail to her job as the City of Mandeville’s Director of Cultural Development and Events. It’s a job she was hired to create 14 years ago. Since then, she has built a calendar of more than a dozen year-round festivals and events that celebrate Mandeville’s distinct culture and heritage. Her greatest point of pride, which she recently shared with All the Waves podcast hosts Katie Guasco and Zondra White Jones, was having the opportunity to take her vision and create a lively cultural landscape from the ground up.

Her role is diverse. Casborné organizes city events and oversees the Mandeville Trailhead, a hub for special and seasonal events and live concerts, including the Mandeville Live! Free Friday concert series. She coordinates events at the Castine Center at Pelican Park and works closely with the Friends of the Dew Drop Jazz and Social Hall, which has been a hallmark of the local African American community since 1895. Casborné is a resource and support for all kinds of groups, which submit special event applications through her department. Casborné feels strongly that everyone should have access to arts and culture, which is why most of the city’s events are free.

View from the Mandeville Trailhead amphitheater stage.

Casborné was born and raised across the lake in the Bayou St. John neighborhood of New Orleans. Her husband Gerald is a Mandeville native, so the family ties to St. Tammany run deep. After living and working in Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans, the couple decided to move with their two young daughters, Lira and SriLan, back to Mandeville. Hurricane Katrina interfered with their plans, but by 2006, they were on The Northshore.

“We love the quality of life in Mandeville,” she said. “It’s a wonderful community to raise a family.” Her only concern was needing to go back to the south shore for activities.

“When I saw the job posting, I felt like this was a way for me to do something about that. To develop more cultural activities in our own backyard.” Which is exactly what she did, from planning a sunset concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to shining a light on the city’s African American history. “Our mayor (Clay Madden) is very supportive, which I’m thankful for. I love the job,” said Casborné. “Even with recurring events, it’s still new every single day. I’m always looking at ways to elevate my community.”

Produce vendors at the Mandeville Trailhead Community Market.
This article is from: