This Saturday, the Allumé Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and revitalization of Downtown Abbeville, is hosting Roots Squared - A Taste of Cultures, a multicultural festival and fundraiser that honors Abbeville's diverse community.
The festival is one of three events being put on as a collaborative fundraising effort to procure the services of Community Performance International Inc., the production company that works with communities and organizations around the world to provide a means to hear, tell and present the community's shared stories in a professional quality theatrical production. The festival and the forthcoming community production are designed to highlight and celebrate the cultural diversity of Vermilion Parish and the surrounding area.
"The intention is to bring together the diverse cultures of our area, celebrate our diversity and our commonality, and to record for posterity the stories that each of us have that make our Acadiana such a special place to live," says Gale LuQuette, one of the festival’s organizers.
The festival will include a cook-off with teams representing the Cajun/French, African American, Hispanic, Asian and Sicilian/Italian cultures. It will also include displays representing the various cultural groups. The festival will also feature a dominoes tournament, a petanque demonstration and arts activities for children.
After the judging, the public will be able to sample the cook-off for $1 per sample or $15 for a bracelet that will grant its wearer unlimited samples. The proceeds of the community production will be used to finance future productions and will help in the restoration of the Frank's Theater in Downtown Abbeville.
Roots Squared - A Taste of Cultures takes place Saturday, Aug. 1, at Magdalen Square in Downtown Abbeville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone wishing to participate in the cook-off can contact Anthony Vice at 337-516-6813 or [email protected]. And anyone wishing to sponsor a team or any part of the festival should contact Odile Segrest at 337-224-5454 or [email protected].