The 16th Annual Acadian Memorial Heritage festival and Wooden Boat Congres was held on Saturday, March 18 in the heart of St. Martinville at Evangeline Oak Park.
The free festival honored members of the Blanchard and Vincent families, among the 500 last names that belong to the Acadian men, women and children who found refuge in Louisiana after British forces exiled them from Acadie.
Attendees were able to experience the Putt Putt Boat parade and Wooden Boat Display, Théâtre Cadien historical vignettes en français and various other monumental showings. Although Acadiana natives have the opportunity to research Acadian culture via a quick Google search, nothing beats hearing about the history from a more direct source.
Residents of Acadiana gathered to recount the history of the Acadians, there were even some international visitors all the way from Belgium and Quebec.
The Acadian Memorial also offers resources to help individuals with tracing their genealogy and historic roots, creating a web of connections.
Unique in it's nature, Acadian history is deep-rooted by many generations. Re- enactments like the Arrival of Acadians in Louisiana that was performed, are key in preserving the culture and lineage established by the 3,000 that were exiled.
