FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT: Elders of Grand Coteau tour the Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore

WHEN: Monday, February 25

TIME: 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: The Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana, Lafayette

CONTACT: Patrice Melnick, (337) 662-1032 or festivalwords@gmail.com or Dr. Michael Martin at 482-5420 or docmartin@louisiana.edu

On Monday, February 25, approximately ten senior citizens of Grand Coteau will take a tour of the Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Dr. Michael Martin, the director of the Center for Louisiana Studies, will lead the group, showing them what kinds of materials are archived, how documents are digitized and how people can access those resources.

Each month, the Festival of Words Cultural Arts Collective presents an oral history presentation called, “Grand Coteau Voices: The Good, the Bad and the Complicated.” A Grand Coteau native describes growing up in Grand Coteau. The stories are videotaped by Juergan Amling of the St. Landry Historical and Genealogical Society and by John Sharp, Assistant Director for Research. Recordings are archived at the Center for Louisiana Studies through a partnership with the Festival of Words.

The tour of the archives will help facilitate communication between the elders who share their stories, and the archives where the stories are preserved.

For those interested in joining the tour, call Patrice at (337) 662-1032 or festivalwords@gmail.com.