Music Festival

VIBES IN THE VILLE: St. Francisville, LA, showcases its musical heritage By Anne Butler St. Francisville is the heart of Louisiana’s English plantation country, where every historic home had its grand Pleyel piano and gilded harp. The plantation mistresses were well schooled in the arts of hospitality and often entertained guests in the cool of the evening by playing classical selections on these musical instruments and usually singing as well. Sometimes families engaged string bands from New Orleans to play in outdoor pavilions for the entire summer, the strains of the music floating out over the night breezes to be enjoyed by neighboring plantations as well. Being right along the Mississippi River, the little town was also influenced by the musical entertainments provided on the floating palaces called riverboats, with New Orleans jazz livening up the voyage as the boats drifted along, the passengers gathering in the luxurious salons or ballrooms to enjoy the tunes. And the little riverport of Bayou Sara just down the hill from St. Francisville was not without its cultural offerings as well, though the Opera House it boasted dated from the years when what was billed as an “opera house” more often showcased trained monkeys and black-face vaudeville minstrels than purely operatic arias. But if St. Francisville has an indigenous music, it is surely gospel, that old hand-clapping, soul-stirring heartfelt musical art form born of sacred Negro spirituals married to the “devil’s music” of the blues, music designed to move its listeners physically and spiritually. Black gospel music drew heavily on the traditional spirituals passed down from slavery days, when the church provided the central focus of the community and the only uncensored outlet for uniquely black musical expression. The spirituals in turn drew heavily from tribal African music. The slave masters on southern plantations forbade the African drums and dances, but they couldn’t still the music, which took root in the soil of the New World and blossomed into a whole new product. Here, the African tradition of call and response, with its strong rhythmic meter set by drums and other percussive instruments like dried animal bones, would mingle with European traditions of harmony and a wider variety of musical instruments to create a new African-American style of music (think of Ray Charles’ What’d I Say). Across the St. Francisville area after the Civil War the fertile fields sprouted a prolific crop of small black Baptist churches, each with a multi-generational choir raising a joyful music to the Lord, and today the gospel tradition is alive and well in the area. Music, including the indigenous gospel and the later sounds it influenced over the years, will be the focus of a unique celebration in St. Francisville on Saturday, August 25, a music festival called Vibes in the ‘Ville. The event will be St. Francisville’s contribution to the ambitious statewide initiative grandly called the World Cultural Economic Forum, described by Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as an attempt to leverage the state’s unique heritage and to ensure that it remains the driving force and embodiment of a global cultural economy. Designed to be the cornerstone of Louisiana’s economic revitalization, this first annual affair will bring together cultural ambassadors, educators and arts and cultural leaders coinciding with the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Across the state there will be special exhibits and events focusing on Louisiana’s unique cultural heritage and doing what Louisianans do so well, celebrating with food and music, art and dance, literature and plenty of optimistic joie de vivre. The workshops, exhibits, events, programs and performances, all sponsored by the Office of the Lt. Governor along with the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, promise to demonstrate the value of culture internationally and to shine the light on Louisiana’s multifaceted cultural industries. And indeed, as the state continues its recovery from the devasting hurricanes of 2005, its unique cultural heritage promises to be one of the bright lights along the way, attracting visitors from across the globe. St. Francisville’s offering to this World Cultural Economic Forum will be a full day of music, ranging from children’s choirs to gospel groups to beloved local bands. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the music will be accompanied by a variety of food offerings provided as fund-raisers by area nonprofit organizations, plus misters for cooling, tubs of ice and cold drinks; this is a non-alcoholic event. And how better to keep cool than with a big ol’ helping of homemade ice cream! These country folks know just how to make the best in the world, which will be proven at the Homemade Ice Cream Freeze-Off at 2 p.m., as competitors present their best efforts packed in ice; cash prizes provide the incentive for the ice-cream makers, and the chance to gobble up all the entries is sure to please the audience. Lively children’s activities are planned from 11 a.m. to noon, including a chalk-walk art activity (remember how fun it was to draw with chalk on the sidewalk?) and the making of musical instruments. Sandy Johnson will have the kids up and moving, singing and playing their instruments, and then Kevin Johnson will play songs for children. From 12 to 12:30 the featured musician is keyboardist James Williams, followed by “Friends of Friends” Amateur Hour. From 2 to 3 the New Magnolia Baptist Church choir sings traditional tried-and-true gospel songs the old-timey way, straight from the heart, followed by talented young dulcimer player Annie Fergus from 3:30 to 4 p.m. The dynamic world-famous Gospel Wonders perform from 4:30 to 5:30. Between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., popular local bands take the stage: the Feliciana Band with its old-time rock and roll from 6 to 7 (dancing is mandatory, but leave those poodle skirts at home!), the Americana-bluegrass sounds of The Fugitive Poets from 7:30 to 8:30, and then the beloved bluesy Delta Drifters round out the evening from 9 to 10 p.m. This is a fun music festival only a small-town community like St. Francisville could pull off, casual and comfortable, fun for all ages. All events will be held under the live oaks of Parker Memorial Park in the heart of historic uptown St. Francisville. They are all free and open to the public. For information, call 1-800-789-4221 or access online at StFrancisvilleFestivals or StFrancisville.us. The St. Francisville area has much to offer visitors year-round. There are six antebellum plantations open for daily tours: Rosedown and Audubon State Historic Sites, The Myrtles, Greenwood, Butler Greenwood and The Cottage; Catalpa is open by reservation, and Afton Villa Gardens opens seasonally. Picturesque 19th-century structures throughout downtown St. Francisville are filled with an eclectic selection of little shops, and reasonably priced meals are available in a nice array of restaurants. Some of the state's best Bed and Breakfasts offer overnight accommodations ranging from golf clubs and lakeside resorts to historic townhouses and country plantations; a modern motel has facilities to accommodate busloads. Recreational opportunities abound in the Tunica Hills, with excellent hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, golfing and horseback riding, in addition to the superb birdwatching. For online coverage of tourist facilities and attractions in the St. Francisville area, see www.stfrancisville.us, www.stfrancisville.net, or www.stfrancisvilleovernight.com; or telephone (225) 635-3873 or 635-6330.

History Comes Alive

ST. FRANCISVILLE, LOUISIANA:

HISTORY COMES ALIVE

By Anne Butler


Photos by: Henry Cancienne

During the week, personable John Flippen works for the Federal Aviation
Administration, maintaining the navigation and communication facilities
for the airport in Baton Rouge. But on weekends, he leaves the present behind
and slips back into the 19th century as one of a growing number of re-enactors
dedicated to preserving the past and making it come alive for today’s observers.




The increasing popularity of re-enactments and living history demonstrations is just part of a growing trend in travel as the baby boomer generation demands more than mere static museum displays. Today’s travelers are more active and engaged, and they want stimulation and hands-on challenges both mental and physical. They are also well enough informed to want accuracy and authenticity rather than sensationalized or sanitized portrayals of history, and that’s right up a good re-enactor’s alley.



The state historic sites in St. Francisville, particularly Rosedown and
Oakley Plantations, have responded enthusiastically to the changes in travel
demographics with a continuing presentation of living history demonstrations
that involve the visitor in everything from period holiday celebrations
and weddings to antebellum funeral customs. Lost arts and old-time skills
are demonstrated on these plantation sites in appropriate historic settings,
with the presentations well researched and authentically presented. Special
activities and day camps involve visiting children in 19th-century games,
toymaking, and all aspects of antebellum life. In the outside kitchens,
costumed cooks sweat over the open coals as they prepare meals using the
very same recipes treasured by generations of the original families in those
very sites, carpenters sit astride the shaving horse to demonstrate vintage
construction methods and tools, and in the gardens visitors find growing
the herbs and plants so vital for cooking and medicinal uses on the early
plantations.



The most popular part of the annual Audubon Pilgrimage spring house tour in St. Francisville is the Rural Homestead, re-created early farmstead where the skills of the common folk are demonstrated, from quilting to carding wool, from plowing with a mule to riving cypress shingles with a hand froe, and grinding corn that’s made into cornbread on a woodstove. More interesting than reading some dry textbook? You bet. This is the type of lively activity that makes history come alive for children and visitors of all ages.



After hours, the Louisiana Vintage Dancers shed their workclothes and don splendid antebellum evening garb to whirl through waltzes and polkas, reels and quadrilles, all carefully rehearsed and set to period music of fiddle, banjo and guitar. It was vintage dancers who first captured John Flippen’s attention, performing at the Fall Muster at Beauvoir on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with the 12th Louisiana String Band, and he was so captivated that after moving to Louisiana in 2002 he joined the Louisiana Vintage Dancers after seeing them perform at the Audubon Pilgrimage in St. Francisville, first borrowing costumes to attend the balls and soon investing in his own Regency and 1860s costumes. These dedicated performers dance in all manner of historic venues, from the big plantations like Rosedown and Oakley near St. Francisville or Oak Alley and Houmas House along the River Road, to events like the Audubon Pilgrimage and St. Francisville’s popular Christmas in the Country weekend; they also generously share their talents to put on demonstrations to entertain nursing home patients, library patrons and other groups, mostly on a volunteer basis. Onlookers are welcome to join the dancers and learn the steps.



The Vintage Dancers also perform at Civil War re-enactments, and so it was only natural that John Flippen would also become involved in re-enacting, as some of the dancers participate in both activities. Perfect example is St. Francisville’s Day The War Stopped commemoration each June, featuring the Vintage Dancers performing and also the uniform-clad soldiers in both grey and blue re-enacting the Civil War burial of a Union gunboat officer in the cemetery of historic Grace Episcopal Church as the war halted for a brief moment of civility and brotherhood. John Flippen participates in both activities, and also portrays one of the historic characters in the graveyard tableaux as shadows deepen across the marble tombstones beneath the live oaks and the ghosts emerge to tell their stories. As a member now of the 10th Louisiana Militia (Confederate) and Battery 'K' of the First Illinois Light Artillery(Union), he participates in re-enactments at places like historic Jefferson College and Beauvoir in Mississippi, Camp Moore in Tangipahoa Parish, Jackson Crossroads, Pleasant Hill, and Port Hudson, to name a few. He is also involved in other events across the region, like the monthly firepower demonstrations at Port Hudson, Centenary College in Jackson, and Confederate memorial services at several cemeteries.




What’s the big deal about re-enacting? St. Francisville resident John Flippen,
a Virginian who lived around the globe before settling in Louisiana primarily
for employment and re-enactment opportunities, says he enjoys the camaraderie
and the chance to preserve the past. His great-great-grandfather served
in the Confederate army, but he has uniforms for both Union and Confederate
soldiers—cavalry, marine and infantry, with jackets in butternut, grey and
blue--and they are authentic down to the last button and belt buckle, well-worn
brogans and bayonet, canteen and cavalry boots. When the re-enactments involve
weekend campouts, he has a tent and all the authentic accoutrements for
Civil War camp life. He has a pistol and rifle as well as cartridge and cap
boxes, and points out that great attention goes into ensuring the authenticity
of the weaponry; cavalry re-enactors, for example, have breechloading carbines
rather than muzzleloaders for reloading on horseback. Most cavalry units
have horses, of course, while artillery units have cannons, both big guns
and smaller mountain howitzers, mostly replicas for safety’s sake, and mule-drawn
wagons. Many of the wives of the soldiers also dress out and participate
in the dances and the camp scenes, and some of them even make uniforms from
appropriate patterns. Some battle re-enactments are enormous affairs involving
casts of hundreds, but others are quite simple, like the quiet memorial
services at cemeteries.



Visitors enjoy walking through the campsites and chatting with the re-enactors, though at actual battle re-enactments observers remain at a safe distance out of harm’s way. They never fail to be impressed with the authenticity of the equipment and dress, and John Flippen says this authenticity comes at a price. Simple soldier’s pants, he explains, can cost $60, while jackets can run up to $200 as can custom-made cavalry boots. The weapons are another expense, with rifles beginning around $400 and going up to $1000 for particularly unique ones. But the re-enactors make every effort to remove modern intrusions from the campsites; sometimes a provost marshall inspects the campsites and can levy small fines if he spots inappropriate ice chests or cell phones, for example.



From the boom of the cannon and crack of rifles, the whoops and thunder of hooves at the battle re-enactments to the sutlers’ tents hawking 19th-century gear and equipment, from the lively reels and elegant waltzes as hoopskirts wheel around the candelit camp dance to the evening campfires where soldiers listen to music played by camp musicians, swap stories or play cards, re-enactments transport the observer back in time. They see the sweat drip from faces as soldiers in wool coats cope with the Louisiana heat; they feel the horror and the tears as comrades fall in a hail of bullets, never to rise again. This is the history of America, of the building and binding together of our country, and to see it enfolding in the living flesh makes a far deeper impression than reading about it in a textbook. Many observers, seeing the re-enactments for the first time, are even moved to join the groups and become part of the living history themselves, and they are welcomed.




This is a trend noted nationwide, not just in Louisiana, as historic venues and
museums attempt to connect with modern, more active visitors. At Old Sturbridge
Village, a collection of historic structures near Boston, the director has
commented, “I don’t think people want to be shown so much; they want to
do more.” Instead of “watch me do it,” they want to be involved, to do it
themselves. And when the Louisiana Vintage Dancers grab partners from the
audience, they have that chance, and also when the re-enactors set up campsites
and encourage visitors to stroll through and chat, or when the demonstrators
at Rosedown or Oakley hand the tools or equipment to onlookers and invite
them to try their hand at whatever skill is being demonstrated, and encourage
visiting children to join the fun in rolling old-timey hoops across the
lawns. These visitors can be literally immersed in history, not mere onlookers.
And these days, that’s just what they want.



Like many small communities across the state, St. Francisville has sometimes
struggled to find ways to interpret and preserve its past in ways both meaningful
and relevant to the present, and even to the future. As the picturesque
little rivertown approaches the observation of the bicentennial of its founding
in 1807, with the help of living history demonstrators and re-enactors like
John Flippen it seems to have hit on just the right formula, combining its
wonderful 200-year heritage with present-day attractions, great recreational
opportunities and romantic settings for weekend getaways as well as weddings
and honeymoons.



Besides the living history demonstrations and re-enactments, the St. Francisville area
has much to offer visitors. There are six antebellum plantations open for
daily tours: Rosedown and Audubon State Historic Sites, The Myrtles, Greenwood,
Butler Greenwood and The Cottage; Catalpa is open by reservation, and Afton
Villa Gardens opens seasonally. Picturesque 19th-century structures throughout
downtown St. Francisville are filled with an eclectic selection of little
shops, and reasonably priced meals are available in a nice array of restaurants.
Some of the state's best Bed and Breakfasts offer overnight accommodations
ranging from golf clubs and lakeside resorts to historic townhouses and
country plantations; a modern motel has facilities to accommodate busloads.
Recreational opportunities abound in the Tunica Hills, with excellent hiking,
biking, hunting, fishing, golfing and horseback riding, in addition to the
superb birdwatching. For online coverage of tourist facilities and attractions
in the St. Francisville area, see www.stfrancisville.us,
www.stfrancisville.net, or www.stfrancisvilleovernight.com;
or telephone (225) 635-3873 or 635-6330.

Feliciana Nature Society Announces...

Annual Hummingbird Celebration

The Feliciana Hummingbird Celebration promotes the unique breeding habitat found in the St. Francisville area. The Rogillio property on Tunica Trace is the subject of a research project, now in its sixth year, which focuses on the breeding ruby throat hummingbird population in the area.

The Feliciana Hummingbird Celebration will begin with a reception on Friday evening, July 27, at Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site, 12501Hwy.10, St. Francisville. Beginning at 6 p.m., visitors can enjoy wine and cheese while strolling the gardens of Rosedown. At 6:45 p.m., speakers David and Tracey Banowetz will present a program on gardening with native plants to attract birds and wildlife. The presentation is based on their experiences in landscaping their former home in suburban Baton Rouge. Admission is $10.

The festival will continue on Saturday, July 28. From 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., hummingbird biologists Linda Beall and Nancy Newfield will capture and band birds at two private gardens in the St. Francisville area. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe hummingbirds up close as they are weighed and measured. In addition, vendors will be at both homes with hummingbird plants, birding equipment, books, and crafts available for sale. Experts will be on hand to share advice about gardening, binoculars, and more. The gardens include the home of Carlisle Rogillio at 15736 Tunica Trace (Hwy. 66) and Murrell Butler at 9485 Oak Hill Road. In addition, the gardens of Hollywood Plantation, the home of Glenn and Eleanor Thomas, 9441 Sligo Road, will be open from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., offering hummingbird observation and light refreshments. A $5 fee covers admission to all three gardens.

For more information visit www.audubo nbirdfest.com or call 1-800-488-6502