Acadian Culture Day
August 11, 2024
Welcome to our 22nd annual Acadian Culture Celebration! This event is focused on celebrating, demonstrating, and honoring Acadian heritage in Acadiana and beyond! So many different groups contributed to the unique folklife of Acadiana. As you dance, eat, explore, and learn, consider the impact of this history and tradition on the Acadian & Cajun experience of today!
The Acadian Cultural Preservation Award
The Acadian Cultural Preservation Award has been given out since 1999 to the members of our community who have dedicated so much of their time to the preservation of the the Acadian and Cajun traditions, history, culture, food, music, language, and more.
To date, twenty-two local individuals or organizations have received the award for their outstanding contributions in the community and the furtherance of the culture, acting as role models for the future generations, being involved with local cultural organizations, and are active ambassadors and promoters of the Acadian and Cajun culture and heritage.
• 1999 –Aldus Roger • 2000 -Floyd Sonnier
• 2001 – Cami Doucet • 2002 – Floyd Sonnier
• 2003 – Warren Perrin • 2004 – Eddie Richard
• 2005 – A.J. LeBlanc • 2006 – Karl Breaux
• 2007 – Pete Bergeron • 2008 – Elaine Clément
• 2009 – Dr. Carl Brasseaux • 2010 Dr. Ray Brassieur and Edward Cazayoux
• 2011- Pat Mire • 2012 – The Michot Family
• 2015 Barry Ancelet • 2016 – Al Broussard
• 2017 – Merlin Fontenot • 2018 – CODOFIL
• 2019 – Sheryl Cormier • 2021 – The Savoy Family
• 2023 – Madeline DeHart
A native of Lafourche Parish, Kirby Jambon is a teacher, poet, actor, and activist. His love for young people and his childlike spirit have been evident in his work as an educator for over thirty-five years, including twenty-six years as a French immersion teacher at Prairie Elementary School in Lafayette, presently teaching at École Saint-Landry. The author of three books of Louisiana French poetry, he has presented his poetry at numerous events, festivals, and universities. In 2014, he was honored by the Académie française in Paris, receiving making him the first Louisiana writer to receive an award for literature from the prestigious French Academy, and in 2020, he was named the Poet Laureate of French Louisiana.
Kirby also teaches French Theatre, Scriptwriting & Acting Classes at Wonderland Academy in Lafayette. He has performed in various theatrical productions in Louisiana and Nova Scotia, including portraying Jean Valjean in a production of the French musical, Les misérables, and Jacob Marley and Fezziwig in An Acadiana Christmas Carol. He is the voice of Boudini in Télé-Louisiane’s animated series, Boudini et ses amis. Kirby has worked as a board member and/or officer in organizations such as the Louisiana Consortium of Immersion Schools, Le Théâtre Cadien, PFLAG-Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish Association of Educators.
A celebration of music!
An up-and-coming Cajun band with local talent taking charge! Cajun Fire is always ready to deliver on high energy old-fashioned Cajun Music. These guys don’t just bring the heat, they bring the fire!
Forest Huval is an intrepid upcoming musician with a voyageur’s soul. A native of Cecilia, Louisiana. Forest was influenced by legendary cajun musicians. His soulful vocals along with his effortless accordion and intense fiddle playing can get any crowd up and dancing. The young accordionist and fiddle player continues to hone his melodic craft with a reverence for master works and respectful nudge to the edges in original efforts. Forest aspires on working diligently to keep the true authentic style of cajun music alive both within and beyond Louisiana.
Feeling Hungry?
Our Acadian Culture Day is sponsored in part by the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival & Foundation.
ABOUT THE BAYOU VERMILION DISTRICT
Since 1984, Bayou Vermilion District has worked to beautify, conserve, and manage sites along the Vermilion, ensuring the preservation and enhancement of the natural, cultural resources for its citizens. The Bayou Vermilion District’s mission focuses on the environment and the unique culture of Lafayette. On the cultural side of our mission, the Bayou Vermilion District opened the Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife Park as a way to increase appreciation for the history, culture, and natural resources of the Native Americans, Acadians, Creoles, and peoples of African descent in the Attakapas region through the end of the 1800s. Through historic interpretation and conservation along the Bayou Vermilion, we strive to educate guests on the interactions of these groups and the connections between past and contemporary folklife, thus empowering guests to apply these lessons from our shared histories. For more information, please visit www.bayouvermiliondistrict.org or Vermilionville.org.