Cajun Heritage Fest

After the Cajun Heritage Fest on Saturday, start your Palm Sunday with a rosary recitation led by Father Badeaux of St. Joseph Catholic Church and a tour of the historic Cajun home La Maison Beausoleil, followed by brunch at the Rodaire Roadhouse. After some delicious food, the caravan will travel to La Maison Acadienne and then down to Port Arthur to the Museum of the Gulf Coast for guided tours at both locations. The museum’s Music Hall of Fame is not one to miss for fans of any genre. Finally, the caravan will gather at Reel Cajun for lunch and dessert.

9:30 – 11:00 AM :
Rosary Recitation and tour at La Maison Beausoleil
701 Rue Beausoleil, Port Neches

11:30 – 12:15 :
Brunch at the Rodaire Roadhouse
6701 Jade Ave, Port Arthur

12:30 – 1:00 :
Tour and live music at La Maison Acadienne
1500 Boston Ave, Nederland

1:15 – 2:00 :
Tour of the Museum of the Gulf Coast
700 Procter St, Port Arthur

2:15 PM :
Lunch at Reel Cajun
7500 Twin City Hwy, Port Arthur

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has once again granted high marks to the Cajun Heritage Fest. The grant review panelists were highly impressed by the event, scoring the application 957 points out of 1000. Panelists were pleased to note the history and relevance of the event as well as the strong support SETAC and the Cajun Heritage Fest has received from the community.

Panelist Comments

I enjoyed the fact that the applicant is building on a culture of a people that time would otherwise forget. The level of support and strategic partnerships exemplify in my opinion the type of creativity this category was designed for. Great Job.

Interesting to read about their history and work!

Strong letters of support. Strong partnerships for the event.

The Texas Commission on the Arts‘ (TCA)  grant panelists reviewed the application for assistance submitted by the Southeast Texas Arts Council (SETAC) on behalf of the Cajun Heritage Fest and here is what they had to say:

“In my opinion, SETAC is helping revive lost traditions in their community, which demonstrates a great cultural impact and has the ability to draw new audiences to the area, particularly with the intercity publication.”

As the Fest grows each year, organizers at SETAC are looking to expand the celebration of Cajun culture beyond food and music and into the realms of history, craft and influence on the arts (literature, film, etc).

“The listed participants seem to be high quality, especially for a relatively new festival. I like the involvement of students from Lamar University.”

The Cajun Heritage Fest isn’t just for self-identified Cajuns either. The Acadian travelers had a heavy influence on the Gulf Coast region that touches all the area’s modern inhabitants in ways they may or may not be aware of. Drawing in students from Lamar University in Port Arthur to provide them with real-world training opportunities allows them to grow in both technical proficiency and cultural appreciation!

One panelist expressed a hopeful outlook based on SETAC’s consistency in event planning and execution.

“I believe that Artistic Quality will be an area where there is room for growth as the event is put on year after year.”

The application scored high in all categories resulting in an overall A rating.

Scores:
Artistic Quality: 90 %
Capability: 92 %
Impact: 92 %