Nichols State University, with a student body of over 7,000,
located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, celebrated 1999 with its 50th
anniversary. The campus is on Bayou Lafourche and is surrounded
by sugar cane plantations with beautiful estate homes, on vast
sugar cane fields interspersed with Cajun and Creole communities.
Ellender Memorial Library, a large and modern building, features
spacious facilities for exhibits with display cases on the first
and second floors. The library houses a permanent collection
and exhibit of the Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building
and has a spectacular lecture/reception room in the Archives.
The Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit and Festival was first celebrated in 1997, approximately 6 months after I arrived at Nicholls State University. My Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance theme included an opening program and it was an extremely successful event. The success of the celebration promoted this event into annual festival. The successful grant application of September 1997 to the Houma-Terrebonne Arts & Humanities Council allowed the Second Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit to be held in January/February 1998. The grants funded the program with live music, featuring the Cajun band "Ecouter", an event art-poster, and these grants upgraded the library's collection with monographs, CD's and videos.
The Third Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit was held in collaboration with the Congrés Mondial Acadien. The festivities were sponsored by Nicholls State University Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the City of Thibodaux. This symposium, with its celebrations, was an extremely well attended gala and the program featured a lecture and published essay on the "History of Cajun Music," written and presented by Dr. Julie Landry and her band "Cinq Sous." The band "Cajun Bon Temps" entertained the audience during the day in the library, and at night the renowned band "Filé" performed in the University Student Union to an enthusiastic audience.
The January/March 2000 celebration of the Fourth Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit again featured a live band, a lecturer, a publication, artisans, and a new poster design. The event theme was "Mardi Gras." This celebration was very successful, with over 250 participants. The event opened at 6:00 p.m. with a ceremony welcoming guests and thanking sponsors and participants. The musicians Waylon Thibodeaux and his father played in front of the exhibit. Jambalaya, Cajun meat pies, King Cake from Rouse's, and soft drinks from Coca-Cola were served for everybody. The violin on which Waylon learned to play was on display. The violin builder and owner, Marvin (Van) Rodrigue, gave an interesting presentation about his instruments. Three local violinists played these instruments (one was made of cypress wood), and demonstrated the violins' wonderful sounds. At 7:00 p.m. the musicians led the audience in Mardi Gras style to the Ellender Room for the presentation"The History of Mardi Gras", by Dr. Nolan LeCompte. Ben Sandmel of Metairie wrote an essay, "The Music of Cajun and Creole Mardi Gras." At 8:00 p.m., Waylon Thibodeaux and his band performed in the Student Union. The majority of the event was sponsored through a grant funded by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the refreshments were offered by the Library. Special efforts were made to get more students involved in the program. The Student Government Association financed the design of the poster, and the Student Programming Association helped with the cost of the musician's fee. Other support came from private funds, and the Lafourche Arts Council.
The Fifth Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit was held between January 25 and February 28, 2001, with an event celebration on February 1, 2001. This year's event was the most successful festivity, having an attendance of over 350 participants. This time the program featured the Cajun accordion. Ann and Marc Savoy with the Savoy Cajun Band and their traditional Cajun music were our featured guests. These celebrated musicians played during the welcoming celebration in the library in front of the exhibit of library collections, commemorative posters of the last four events, diverse festival posters, invitations, pictures and biographies of Cajun/Zydeco musicians, and collected artifacts. Marc Savoy wrote an essay "Accordions in Louisiana," which was published for this event and made available to the event participants as a free brochure handout. Mr. and Mrs. Savoy gave a lecture on the history and building of the Cajun accordion. The evening came to an end after an exiting concert/dance experience in the Cotillion Ballroom of the University's Student Union. This program was made possible through the generous support and sponsorship of the Houma-Terrebonne Arts & Humanities Council. The grant also awarded new books, CD's and videos of over $500.00 towards our library's collection.
The Sixth Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit had begun with the theme of Mardi Gras and old-fashioned traditional Mardi Gras float building. The renowned Mardi Gras specialist Henri Schindler and the Mardi Gras float builder, Joseph Barth from New Orleans, participated in our program. Arrangements were made with the NSU Student Government Association to sponsor a competition for a design of a Mardi Gras float. The SGA sponsored this competition, with an award of $100.00. The competition took place on May 18, 2001, with a successful entry and acceptance of a unique design on the Cajun/Zydeco music theme. A project assistant grant application was written to the Houma-Terrebonne Arts and Humanities Council to support the festivities. The funds from the Lafourche Heritage Association supported the building of a miniature model. The completed model was presented to the Library on May 8, 2001. Joseph Barth was our event lector/demonstrator on old-fashioned Mardi Gras float building and sculpting. Our featured band for the reception was the Francis Foret Band, and at the ballroom the Lafourche Cajun Band. This event was very successful, with a participating audience of over 250.
The seventh festival theme was on Zydeco, Rhythms, and Dance. Our featured bands were The Creole Zydeco Farmers, and Dr. Will Robichaux, on the piano accordion, was our entertainer at the Library's reception. Michael Tisserand, editor and writer of The Gumbit, wrote an essay on Zydeco, "Back to the Dancehalls," for our event brochure. Mr. Ben Pagac was our lector/dance instructor for the event, and he presented on the theme of Zydeco, Rhythms and Dance. He demonstrated the dance steps and movements, and he gave dance lessons to the audience. Another successful festivity with a large audience marked our event, with programs and social gatherings of 400 participants.
The plans for the Ninth Annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit are well on its way, and the program will be Louisiana's Dance Halls, past and present.
