Another date to mark on your calendars: Saturday, June 4, 2011. Southeastern Louisiana University will once again host the Deep Delta Civil War Symposium. As soon as more information is posted we will let you know! If you’ve never been to one of these symposiums before, we highly recommend it!

For questions, please call us at 985-549-2109 or email Southeastern at: hips@selu.edu

Past Civil War Symposium Events

Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society will celebrate its 35th annual Isleños Festival March 19-20, 2011 on the grounds of Los Isleños Museum Complex, 1345-1357 Bayou Road in St. Bernard Village. The Isleño Historic Village, situated in the rear of Los Isleños Museum, will be the setting for an expanded series of living history demonstrations, featuring folk crafts, historic vernacular lifestyles and the cultural identity of the Isleño descendants community in St. Bernard Parish.

La Parranda de Teror, a highly recognized folkloric group from the city of Teror in Gran Canaria will perform March 19th and 20th during Fiesta 2011.

Los Islenos Historic Village consists of seven structures. The Coconut Island Barroom, Estopinal House and Kitchen, Esteves House and Cresap-Caserta are historic structures which were re-located to the museum complex by Los Isleños Society. Each building and the surrounding grounds will be utilized for displays which will include farming, alligator hunting, trapping, boat building, trawl making, basket weaving, Teneriffe lace making and quilting. The Isleño\Center will be the site of presentations interpreting the Isleño cultural identity including folk remedies, traditional Isleño cuisine, historic farming and the Battle of New Orleans.

La Parranda de Teror is a well known folkloric group consisting of more than 30 musicians and vocalists. The group emulates the style of Los Sabandenos from Tenerife. La Parranda is currently celebrating its 21st year and has performed in prestigious folk music festivals throughout the mainland of Spain and Western Europe. Their repertoire of music ranges from the very traditional isas, folias, polkas and mazurkas of the Canaries to New Orleans Jazz.

Parish President Craig Taffaro and Isleño Society President Dot Benge will open Fiesta 2011 Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 12 noon . Entertainment will include, Fredy Omar Con su Banda, LA Parranda de Teror and Way Down South. Sunday, March 20 entertainment will include the Chalmette High School Jazz Band, La Parranda de Teror and the Top Cats. For additional information, please telephone Isleño Society President Dot Benge (504) 554-8412, Fiesta Chairman Hugh Pentney (504) 251-2040, Ryan Fink, publicity coordinator, Los Islenos Society (504) 650-1010, rfink@sbpg.net or Karen Turni Bazile, St. Bernard Parish Government (504) 278-4227 or kbazile@sbpg.net. – From their website: http://www.losislenos.org/newsletter.html

Book sale

The Friends of the Lafayette Library have hosted book sales for the past 31 years to raise more than a half a million dollars for the library. Because the Main Library downtown will be renovated beginning this spring, the book sale will move from the library to the Heymann Performing Arts Center.

“This is the first sale that the Friends have had in 31 years that hasn’t been at the library so naturally we are very anxious about our attendance,” said Flossie Turner, board member.

For one, Turner is worried the public won’t know of the book sale’s move to the Heymann so you’re hearing it here! And two, because of the Main Library shutting down and moving while the building is renovated, the sorting for the book sale has to be made offsite, then the books moved to the Heymann.

“This move continues to be stressful to us as well as the library staff as the library is still the point of donation drop off,” Turner wrote me by email. “This means a preliminary sorting at the library, then the move (by the library staff) to our sorting/housing facility.”

Once the spring sale is over, the Friends will start taking donations for their next sale. Drop-off location for donations will be announced at a later date.

The Friends of the Library Book Sale will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (preview sale for members only) on Monday, March 14 (and membership cost $5 for individuals so it’s worth it to join, then enjoy the early bird sale). The sale open to the general public will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15 and 16 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 17. All books will be sold by the inch, 50 cents an inch for paperback and $1 an inch for hardbacks.

For more information, visit www.friendsofthelafayettelibrary.org or call 501-9209.