6 things bayou residents can treasure

12 LIVING HERE 2021

LIVING HERE: 6 things bayou residents can treasure

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[THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET] [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET]

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[THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET] [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET]

Keith Magill Executive Editor

[PIXABAY]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made some of us, me included, take a step back and consider what Living Here really means. Restrictions on crowds aimed at limiting the deadly virus’s spread have canceled many of festivals, crawfish boils and big family gatherings that help define the place we call home.

Let’s take stock of some of the things that make our place in the world special. This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it a ranking. These are simply a few random things I hope will resonate with you. Here’s to Living Here.

1. EACH OTHER

I didn’t know a single person when I arrived in Houma fresh out college more than three decades ago, but within a few weeks, someone invited me to a family boucherie in Montegut. I remember how carefree I felt as we danced to Cajun music on their carport, the sun setting in orange, pink and purple over the marsh. This family I hardly knew made me feel at home, which is what I call this place now. You hear it from tourists who come from all over for a taste of the joie de vivre they have only heard about. This way of life — a combination of hard work, strong ties to family and place, and joy despite life’s inevitable ups and downs — is so ubiquitous that it sometimes takes an outsider’s perspective to help us understand how lucky we are. The pandemic has limited our ability to gather together for a festival, a family reunion or a fais-do-so, and that is one of the reasons I treasure such celebrations even more and look forward to their return. gather from the land and water around them, and the flavorful cuisine that resulted is now considered some of the tastiest in the world. As children, we learn how to peel shrimp, crabs and crawfish; we know what makes a well-dressed po-boy; and the man of the house is often as good a cook as the woman. We also know that authentic Cajun cooking is less about hot and spicy than it is about the holy trinity — onions, bell pepper and celery.

3. THE FLORA

Bald cypress and live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Bayous lined with lavender irises, white lilies or purple hyacinths. Fan-shaped palmetto waving in the swamps. And those stunning, multicolored sunrises and sunsets over the marsh, a lake or the Gulf of Mexico.

Anyone can savor the beauty of the bayou free of charge. Just stop and look around. Waterway near my house in Houma and roseate spoonbills (pictured) lounge along the roadside in Cocodrie. While driving, I’ve spotted turtles sunning themselves in Bayou Lafourche, great blue heron flying overhead and those opportunistic egrets walking in procession behind grass-cutters to snatch bugs in the tractors’ wakes. I’ve fed bread to an orange-toothed nutria that emerged from a canal in a friend’s backyard, water-skied among the alligators and waded past snakes and eels covering hurricanes that swamped the community. I don’t recommend that last one, but you get the picture.

5. THE BAYOU

Just look at this picture. Or go outside and gaze at the real thing. This is our part of the world. This is the bayou.

6. OUR LIVES

Many of us have lost loved ones to COVID-19. Others have suffered severe illness themselves or know others who have. The pandemic has shown residents here and around the world how fragile life is and how it should never be taken for granted.

THINGS TO DO There are always things to see or do

By Scott Yoshonis

News Editor

Like wildlife? We’ve got it. History? Got that, too. Fun times with friends? We’ve got you covered.

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have a variety of attractions, so there’s something for everyone.

Whether you’re a newcomer or have lived here all your life, you’ll find a place that suits you.

Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some venues may be closed or have reduced capacities. Be sure to call ahead for more information.

GET OUT IN NATURE

• Hammonds Cajun Air Tours, 194 Aviation Road, Houma: 876-0584. • Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, 8124 La. 56, Chauvin: 851-2800. • Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, 3599 Bayou Black Drive: 8606681. • PAC Kayak Rentals, 179 Paw Paw Court, Montegut: 225-244-1547

By Scott Yoshonis

News Editor

Got a flair for the dramatic? There are plenty of opportunities for residents to catch the acting bug.

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes each have community theater groups that are open to everyone and offer parts to fit nearly every age. Help is often needed backstage, as well as with lighting, props and costumes.

Here‘s a look at each group and how you can get involved:

LE PETIT THEATRE DE TERREBONNE

Founded in 1938, the theater puts on four plays and one musical each season at its venue in downtown Houma, 7829 Main St. The season begins in the summer and ends in the spring. The theater is currently awaiting interior renovation, so

Billy Gaston showing moss flowers to tour boat attendees of Zam’s Swamp Tours in Thibodaux. Left to right Ann Deroche, Waylon Moore, Billy Gaston, Sheri Rogers, Forrest Rogers, Obi Peralta, Marisol Sosa, and Gibran Gama.

or 225-573-4085. • Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area, 2951 La. 665:337373-0032. • Wildlife Gardens, 5306 N. Bayou Black Drive, Gibson: 575-3676.

GO HORSEBACK RIDING

• Circle P Horse Ranch, 188 Waterplant Road, Schriever: 8042967. productions may be canceled or relocated.

Le Petit offers season tickets for $55 each. Individual play tickets cost $16. Call the box office at 8764278 in advance, as shows often sell out.

To get involved, attend auditions, which are announced on the group‘s Facebook page: facebook. com/HoumaLittleTheatre.

Information: houmalittletheatre. com.

BAYOU PLAYHOUSE

The Bayou Playhouse opened in 2008. Since then, members have performed well-known plays such as a “Confederacy of Dunces,” “Steel Magnolias” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Lockport venue, 101 Main St.

Many productions center on Louisiana culture, and its players are mainly locals or Louisiana natives.

JOURNEY INTO THE SWAMP • A Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours, 251 Marina Drive, Gibson: 868-4625. • Annie Miller’s Son’s Swamp and Marsh Tours, pickup at 4038 Bayou Black Drive: 868-4758. • Atchafalaya Basin Backwater Tours, 240 Fandal St., Gibson: 8044543. • Bayou Black Airboat Swamp Tours, 251 Marina Drive, Gibson: 6658571. • Bayou Woman Adventures, pickup at 1868 Dr. Beatrous Road, Theriot: 851-7578. • Greenwood Gator Farm and Tours, 125 Gator Court, Gibson: 8040744. • Zam’s Swamp Tours, 141 Kraemer Bayou Road: 633-7881.

RELIVE A PIECE OF HISTORY

• Ardoyne Plantation, 2678 La. 311, Schriever: 804-2271. • E.D. White Historic Site, 2295 St. Mary St., Thibodaux: 447-0915. • Laurel Valley Plantation, 595 La. 308, Thibodaux: 446-7456.

Ticket prices are $23-$30, and season memberships range from $89-$352. To buy tickets in advance, call 888-99-BAYOU.

The theater also plans to host the La. 1 Film Festival, for Louisiana-based filmmakers. Call the playhouse for information on how to submit a film for consideration.

To get involved, stop by for auditions, which are announced on the group‘s Facebook page: Facebook.

• Southdown Plantation, 1208 Museum Drive, Houma: 851-0154.

SHOP FARMERS’ MARKETS

• St. Francis Vegetable Garden Market, 26 Rienzi Dr., Thibodaux: Open 3:30-6 p.m. Mondays year-round. • Lafourche Central Market, 4484 La. 1, Raceland: 805-0400. Open 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays year-round. • Rienzi Market, Thibodaux Regional Wellness Center,726 N. Acadia Rd., Thibodaux: 512-924-0800. Open 3 p.m. to dark Thursdays year-round. • South Louisiana Seed Market, 7591 W. Main St., Houma: 872-5916. Open 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays year-round. • Thibodaux Main Street Farmers’ Market, 310 W. Second St., Thibodaux: 413-2936. Open 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays year-round.

TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

• Breakin’ the Code escape room, 279 Enterprise Drive, Suite 102, Houma: 303-0172. • Da Swamp trampoline park,

The play’s the thing in local community theater

Cast members of the Thibodaux Playhouse perform the musical, “You’re a Good

Man, Charlie Brown.” [FILE PHOTO]

2764 Coteau Road, Houma: 333-3013. com/BayouPlayhouse or email volunteer@bayou-playhouse.com.

Information: bayouplayhouse. com.

THIBODAUX PLAYHOUSE

Formed in 1960, the Thibodaux Playhouse offers four plays each season and a children‘s production each summer at its venue, the Jean Lafitte Wetlands Acadian Culture Center, 314 St. Mary St.

Season tickets range from $60 to $116 and individual tickets are $20 for adults in advance, $25 at the door and $18 in advance, $20 at the door for students. To purchase tickets, call 446-1896.

To get involved on stage, stop by one of the playhouse‘s auditions at 902 Jackson St. in Thibodaux. Auditions are announced at facebook. com/ThibodauxPlayhouse.

Information: thibodauxplayhouse.com