La. travels for Jan. 1, 2012

Fundraising festival offers 8 zydeco bands

Photo provided by St. Landry Parish Tourist CommissionGrammy winner Chubby Carrier is scheduled to perform at the Carrier Family Festival in Lawtell.

St. Landry Parish brings in the new year with the 15th Annual Carrier Family Festival at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan .1.
Eight zydeco bands will perform at the festival at the Offshore Lounge, 322 Perry Drive in Lawtell.
Among the musicians will be Grammy winner Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, Dwight Carrier, Corey Ledet, Brad Randell, Gerard Delafose, Lil Pookie and T. Broussard.
The festival is a fundraiser for the dancehall, which is in need for major repairs.
Admission is $20. Red beans and rice with fried chicken, barbecue and gumbo will be sold. T-shirts and tribute CDs featuring the late zydeco performer Roy Carrier, who owned the lounge, will also be sold.
äON THE INTERNET:
http://www.cajuntravel.com
Lights in Natchitoches
If you haven’t made the trip to Natchitoches for the annual Christmas Festival of Lights, there’s still time.
The massive display along the Cane River Lake will be up through Friday, Jan. 6.
äON THE INTERNET:
http://www.christmasfestival.com
Tastiest town contest
Southern Living magazine is looking for The South’s Tastiest Town, and Lafayette is in its top 10.
Residents can go online through Tuesday, Jan. 31, at http://www.southernliving.com/tasty to vote for their favorite, with the winner being announced in the magazine’s April issue.
As of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Lafayette had 25,410 votes, while New Orleans had 6,688.
Bring on Carnival
Friday, Jan. 6, Twelfth Night, signals the start of the Carnival season in Louisiana. The fourth annual Joan of Arc Parade also rolls in the French Quarter that night, recognizing Joan of Arc’s 600th birthday.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. at the Bienville statue near the Bienville House Hotel at Conti and Decatur streets, travels Conti to Chartres, crosses Jackson Square, and continues on Chartres to St. Phillip and Decatur streets.
Over in Lake Charles, a Twelfth Night Gala is planned for Friday, Jan. 6, in the Lake Charles Civic Center. The 2011 royal courts of more than 50 krewes will make their last promenade.
Tickets are $5 in advance, $6 at the door. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.
äON THE INTERNET:
http://www.joanofarcparade.com
http://www.stjoankrewe.blogspot.com
http://www.visitlakecharles.org
Trips for seniors
Two Louisiana Travelers senior citizens’ bus trip are planned this year, one to Branson, Mo., April 15-21, $595; and the other to New York City May 2-10, $855.
Cost includes transportation, lodging, most meals, all tours, attractions and more. For more information, call Leslie Tassin at [phone].
New forest maps
The Kisatchie National Forest in Pineville has new user-friendly visitor maps now available for purchase at the KNF Forest Service Supervisor’s Office or any ranger district station.
The new color maps are printed on water resistant and tear-proof paper, perfect for use in the elements outdoors. The maps include detailed information on where to find all of the recreation sites in the KNF and how to best utilize them. There are two maps that cover the five ranger districts that make up the KNF. One includes, Calcasieu Ranger District in Boyce, Catahoula Ranger District in Bentley, Winn Ranger District in Winfield and the Kisatchie Ranger District in Provencal. The second map includes the Caney Ranger District in Homer.
Both maps are $10 each and can be purchased at each ranger station or at the KNF Forest Supervisor’s office located on Shreveport Highway in Pineville.
For more information about the new visitor maps contact the KNF main office at [phone].
Louisiana Travels is a biweekly column about travel destinations and events in Louisiana. Email items for Louisiana Travels to [e-mail] or [e-mail] or mail to Judy Bergeron, News Features assistant editor, The Advocate, 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810.