Monday, April 7, 2014
By Linda Aksomitis
Witness the cannon fire on May 2 as the city militia try to defend the seawall only to be overtaken by Jean Lafitte. Photo by David Aksomitis |
There’s nothing like a good pirate story—or event—to lure me
into driving two thousand miles. And Contraband Days in Lake Charles proved to
be all I hoped for.
I’ve always been intrigued with pirates, so much so that my
grandson and I played pirates in our hot tub from the time he was two.
Unfortunately, he always got to be the captain, and if I was lucky, I was the
first mate instead of cabin boy. Both positions always ended the same way
though—with a mighty splash as I walked the plank.
So, I knew how the
mayor of Lake Charles felt when “pirate Jean Lafitte” forced him to walk the
plank!
With the true head of
the city disposed of, the pirates are in control for the twelve days (two
weekends) of Contraband Days. And if there’s one thing pirates are good at,
it’s throwing a party and having fun.
We planned our visit to arrive in Lake Charles for the first
weekend of Contraband Days, so got to take in the parade and the pirate
“attack” on the city. Re-enactors, dressed in period costume, defended the sea
wall with canons, while boats flying the Jolly Roger circled the bay. Once the
buccaneers landed, though, it was all over, and we were on to the Civic Center
to continue the fun.
With a midway, lots of booths and Cajun food, plus bands on
the outdoor stage, things just got better and better. The concert list for this year's festival, April 29-May 11, looks to be great with musicians like Thompson Square, Wayne Toups and Jason Crabb.
Of course, during the
day, we got to experience lots of Lake Charles culture too, from boudin balls
and cracklins, to the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road and Mardi Gras
Museum.
Labels:
concert,
Contraband Days,
Festivals,
Jason Crabb,
pirate,
Thompson Square,
Wayne Toups
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