These talented ladies created the St. Landry Parish square found on the beautiful king size Bicentennial quilt. Pictured left to right: Nia Henry, Rebecca Henry, Joella LeBlanc and Sigrid Donatto.

 Louisiana Bicentennial Celebration Continues in 

St. Landry Parish

    

      As Louisiana continues to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its statehood in 2012, so does St. Landry Parish. The Parish is honored to currently have the official Louisiana Bicentennial Quilt on display at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Information Center, I-49 Exit 23, from now until September 17, 2012. Sponsored by Secretary of State, Tom Schedler, the Louisiana State Archives, and Roland Dartez, Executive Director of the Louisiana Police Jury Association, the quilt is entitled Stitch by Stitch, Binding Together 200 Years of Louisiana History.

   Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that has parishes rather than counties as political subdivisions, and each of the state's 64 parishes is represented with a block in the quilt. The finished 9" x 9" blocks are arranged in columns in order of each parish's location in the state and each one reflects its parish's iconic features.

     This beautiful work of art is definitely an inspiration to the many quilters here in St. Landry Parish and a wonderful way to promote the upcoming first annual Quilt Fair: The Threads That Bound Us Together For 200 Years, Sharing Our Stories Patch by Patch. The Fair will be hosted at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, 113 W. Vine Street, Opelousas from 8am-3pm. on Saturday, September 15. During the course of the day expert quilters will display and share their talents and stories of yesteryear with the younger generation. (337) 945-5064.

• This Thursday, Sept. 6, St Landry Parish will be joining the worldwide movement, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, where poets gather together to promote social change.  Poets from Acadiana including former Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque and spoken word artist Alex Johnson will perform original poetry at Casa Azul Gifts in Grand Coteau. Set from 7pm-9pm, the evening will also include an open mic.  The reading is free and open to the public.337-662-1032
• Ils sont partis! This week's racing at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino marks the end of the Thoroughbred season for 2012. Post time is 5:40pm for live races Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The 2012 Quarter Horse Season will begin on Wednesday, October 15, 2012. 2235 Creswell Lane Ext. (337) 594-3000.www.evangelinedowns.com
• Margaret Dunbar Cutright is on a national tour for her book"A Case For Solomon" and will be in Opelousas to review her book on Friday, Sept. 7,at the Delta Grand , 6:30pm. On Sept. 8, Cutright will be at the Opelousas Library at 10:00am. All interested persons are invited to attend either or both. Books will be available for purchase and autographing by the author. She will also address students and faculty at Opelousas Catholic on Monday Sept.10 at 9:00am and Opelousas High at 1:00pm.








Farmers Market in Washington again this Saturday between 8:30-11 am at the Washington Town Pavilion.  Lori will be back with us and is bringing bread, preserves, herb cheese spread and a new item....cheesecake spread. Lindy has a new batch of alfalfa, broccoli & radish sprouts ready for your salads and sandwiches. Don't forget to sign up for the Extended Hours Market on October 13th, where you can also bring your yard sale items to Market!
The Rendez-Vous des Cajuns" Live Radio and TV Show on Sept. 8 will feature alive performance by Cameron Dupuy & the Cajun Troubadours and Gabe Meche, Eunice. Liberty Theater, 200 W. Park Ave. A family-oriented show in an historic 1924 vaudeville house. Broadcast live on radio with emcee. 6-7:30 PM. Adults $5, under 12 $3.(337) 457-7389; www.eunice-la.com 
Sunday night September 9, Leon Chavis will be closing out the weekend at Miller's Zydeco Hall of Fame with Live Zydeco Music and Dance. Located at 11154 Hwy 190, West of Opelousas and before Lawtell. (337) 319-0639.
Market Monday at Le Village in Eunice gets an early start this month. On Sunday September 9 from 3-5pm, a book signing for Belaire Cove, A Novel of Love, Life and Loss in a Prairie Cajun Village by Dianne Dempsey Legnon will be held.So shop early for arts & crafts, baked goods, handmade quilts, aprons, goat milk soap, jewelry, photography and vintage items.  Or come on Monday September 10 from 10am-4pm. Lunch will be available to purchase or bring your own and picnic on the porch of the Country Store. Le Village 121 Seale Ln (337) 457-3573, www.levillagehouse.com
The 2012 Soiree Royale, Opelousas takes place Monday September 10 at theEvangeline Downs Event Center. This annual chefs' cookoff and wine tasting will benefit the Opelousas-St. Landry Chamber of Commerce. 6 pm. Tickets $40. (337) 942-2683,www.opelousaschamber.org.
Delta Grand Theatre presents "A Toast to Creativity" with artist Jerome Ford. Starting September 11, 2012 and continuing September 18, and 25. Adult painting classes for Beginners, Intermediate and Advance will start at 6:30 each evening. For further information visit www.deltagrandtheatre.com

For more information on parish events call the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission at 337-948-8004 or visit www.cajuntravel.com  Updates are posted on Facebook at St. Landry Parish-It's Gumbo for Your Soul and Twitter@StLandryParish. Videos are online atwww.youtube.com/StLandryParish.