Vibrant local history, vibrant programs!
Located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum is celebrating its 47th year as a leading cultural and educational resource for our community, providing model education and outreach activities.
Imperial Calcasieu Museum
204 W. Sallier St.
Lake Charles, LA 70601
337-439-3797
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Admission: $5 for adults; $2 for children under 12 and senior citizens; group rates on request
Exhibiting soon: Presidential signatures
Documents bearing the signatures of selected U.S. presidents -- 28 in all, going all the way back to George Washington -- will be on display in the museum annex soon.
"George Washington Signed Here" kicks off with an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28. The public is invited.
Other presidents who are part of the exhibit include Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, James Madison, Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant and Woodrow Wilson.
THe signature are part of authentic papers from yesteryear -- such as military commissoins and travel documents -- that have been carefully preserved and framed.
The signatures are part of the personal collection of William D. Blake of Lake Charles, a leader in local in local business and civic affairs. Mr. Blake is a board member and longtime benefactor of the museum.
The exhibit is recommended for all ages, including youth group tours.
What a holiday it was! Luz-Maria Lopez art was centerpieceThe talented Luz-Maria Lopez, raised in Honduras, was an art school student by age 10. She is now a celebrated artist — with many of her paintings inspired by stories told to her by her grandmother. Her exhibit, "Posadas, Retablos, and Icons: The Latin American Way," was on display in the museum's Gibson-Barham Gallery during the holidays. Lopez, who has also been a SPARK teacher in southern Louisiana, shares Latin American celebration culture and lore in her paintings and mixed media pieces. Her work was a reflection of an emerging Latino population in Southwest Louisiana. Also, an educational curriculum and student workbooks were developed in conjunction with her work.
The exhibit was in conjunction with a series of Hispanic-themed activities at the museum, including the “Posadas and Pinatas” event for youth that took place Dec. 13 and the “Tamales, Tequila, and Jay & Maria” food-and-dancing event Dec. 17.
Merci beaucoup to all who came out for Boudin and Blue JeansThe Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Imperial Calcasieu Museum had folks passing a good time with boudin, beer and Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience at BOUDIN AND BLUE JEANS on October 10.
Fans enjoyed energetic zydeco music, tasty area boudin and great beer from around the world.
Grammy winner Simien was the headline act.
Local boudin makers offered samples of their delectable creations -- and shared demonstrations and history of boudin.
People also got a first peek of the new "Boudin Trail" brochure from the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau. The "trail" is a self-guided tour of spots in Calcasieu Parish hat create this unique Southwest Louisiana cuisine.
Complementing the local flavor was a variety of beers from around the world, courtesy of Glazer's Distributing and Regalia Cafe and Market. We were also proud to have support through a grant from the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Foundation.
Between bites and sips, folks danced to some great music by an acclaimed zydeco master.
Terrance Simien is an eighth-generation Creole who is respected internationally for his craft. In addition to recording with distinction, he has performed at thousands of venues in more than 40 countries -- reaching more than a million people in the past quarter century.
He started as a 15-year-old with an accordion and some Zydeco recordings that he taped off the radio. He went on to become an annual performer at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and international star. Some of his music will be heard in the new Walt Disney Animation Studios film "The Princess and the Frog," which opens Dec. 11.
Along the way, he helped to underscore what indigenous Creole Zydeco is and isn't, building an understanding around the globe as a designated "Cultural Ambassador" of the state. Additionally, Terrance and his wife, Cynthia, have built musical awareness among youth through their "Creole for Kidz" curriculum, which is also part of the day's events (see the story inside this newsletter).
Boudin samples were served by Comeaux's Cajun Gold of DeQuincy, Richard's Boudin and Seafood Mart of Sulphur, The Sausage Link of Sulphur, B and O Kitchen and Grocery of Sulphur, Peto's Deli of Moss Bluff, Billedeaux's Cajun Kitchen, Abe's Grocery, Hackett's Cajun Kitchen, Browns Neighborhood Market, Market Basket on Nelson Road, Homsi's Tobacco and Beer, Homsi's Deli, Bar B Que Pit Stop of Westlake, The Boiling Point, Cajun Cowboy's of Vinton and Rabideaux's Cajun Kitchen of Iowa.
"Boudin & Blue Jeans" was co-presented with the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was supported by L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort, Glazer's Distributing, Baymont Inn and Suites and Regalia Cafe and Market and by grants from the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana.
We thank all of our sponsors ... and also thank everybody who came out!
May we suggest: A museum membership
Please consider becoming a Imperial Calcasieu Museum member. It's a fun, educational and worthwhile investment in our community. Better yet, consider giving a museum membership to someone special this holiday season.
Your support of the ICM through a membership allows us to:
- Provide admission-free guided tours to more than 3,900 school children annually in grades 4-6. More than 50 percent of these children are from low-income schools who might not have the opportunity otherwise to visit a museum and receive the educational benefit without your support.
- Produce 7,000 curriculum guides and workbooks for educators and students. These educational materials enable teachers to prepare students before they visit our exhibits, and the student books and activities ensure that the learning opportunity follows from the museum back to our schools.
- Self-produce first class exhibits that would rival those of any museum in the state. Funds for printing, exhibit preparation, research and installation supplies are all spent with local providers, keeping dollars in our community and supporting our local economy.
- Operate more than 300 days a year, with 161 days of special event programming, such as exhibits, tours, the annual children's Summer Arts Camp, the annual Summer Film & Lecture Series and receptions for out-of-town guests, travel writers and tour groups.