Hop in the cab with RFD-TV’s Tammi Arrender as she goes Rural Road Trippin’ to Farmerville, Louisiana, for the Bayou for the Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Life Festival.
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FARMERVILLE, La. (RFD-TV) — Farmerville came alive this past weekend as the Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Life Festival celebrated the rich history and traditions of Union Parish.
The festival, held at the Union Museum of History and Art, offered attendees a chance to experience the past firsthand — from folk music and blacksmithing to hide tanning and traditional crafts.
Children and adults alike got a taste of life in the 1800s, learning games, basket weaving, and quilting — skills and pastimes that shaped the region.
“It’s really critical that we hang on to those little tidbits of our nostalgic past,” said Vickie Wheelis, Union Parish Museum Director. “If someone had not continued to carry that torch, we would have lost it.”
One of the festival’s most popular traditions was the old-fashioned pie-eating contest, which featured both a kids’ and an adult division.
Inique Harris, who attended the festival to teach art, entered on a whim — and came away victorious. “I wasn’t expecting to win, I was just hungry. And I love blueberries,” she said with a laugh.
Local students also benefited from the festival’s hands-on approach to history.
“When we live history, it makes us understand what life was like,” noted Union Parish Librarian Stephanie Herrman. " These experiences really bring the past to life.”
By preserving not just artifacts, but stories and skills passed down through generations, the Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Life Festival ensures that Union Parish’s history continues to shape its future.
Union Parish is also known for its thriving agricultural community, particularly in poultry, eggs, and cattle, which gives the region a unique blend of cultural and agricultural heritage.
It is in there, the mold — those rich blue veins in creamy blue cheese that make you either love it or loathe it — but how does it get there? This bonus scene from “Clemson Dairy,” Season 4, Episode 4 of
Where the Food Comes From, explains how and why that happens.
October 25, 2023 09:00 AM
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No, it is not some new college course — Clemson has been making blue cheese since 1941, and the product has developed a worldwide following and won some pretty big awards. With good reason — it is fantastic stuff. It is also fascinating to see how it is made. Check out this sneak peek look at the latest episode of Where the Food Comes From, “Clemson Blue.”
October 24, 2023 11:32 AM
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, and the pampered cows get on-demand service. The team at Where the Food Comes From shares a special, behind-the-scenes account filming the show’s newest episode, Robot Dairy, premiering this Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. ET on RFD-TV!
October 19, 2023 09:00 AM
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How does a robot milk a cow?
October 18, 2023 09:00 AM
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, where the pampered cows get on-demand service. They make a premium cream line of milk you still have to shake. It is so good it is used to make the world-famous Clemson blue cheese.
October 17, 2023 01:55 PM
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A recent news story involving a group of farmers in Mississippi reveals the potential downside of selling grain under a deferred payment contract. The risk of deferred payment ag commodity sales and what can be done for protection—that is the topic of today’s blog post.
October 02, 2023 03:12 PM
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September 14, 2023 12:52 PM
Meet the kids behind the Summer Market Lamb Show in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and hear why they would rather spend their Saturdays showing lambs than doing anything else!
August 04, 2023 11:40 AM
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Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found human sewage, not fertilizer, is mainly responsible for dangerous nitrogen levels in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon.
