SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019 96S
outh Louisiana is fertile ground, its swampy landscape home to everything from soulful zydeco
music to mouthwatering gumbo and étouff ée. Last year, our team ventured southwest to a town in
the heart and soul of Cajun country for an annual festival celebrating these long-standing culturaltraditions.
Since its beginning in 2005, the Blackpot Festival & Cookoff has been luring visitors to Lafayette,Louisiana, for one of autumn’s most exciting events. If you know anything about Cajun culture, you
know that good food and good music go hand in hand. So it should come as no surprise that this festival
mainly about music was highlighted by a crowd-favorite cast iron cook-off that occurred on the fi nal day.
The festivities took place in Vermilionville Historic Village, a fascinating 23-acre living history museum
where 18th and 19th century Acadian, Creole, and Native American-style structures dot the landscape.
Situated on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion, this park was the perfect location for a breezy fall weekend
of tasty fun.
An hour northwest in Eunice, Louisiana, the party had begun days earlier at Blackpot Camp on the
grounds of Lakeview Park & Beach. Blackpot Camp is an experience where campers bring their RVs,
tents, and taste buds for fi ve days of learning, sharing, cooking, and dancing. Here, some of southwest
Louisiana’s best chefs teach campers the secrets behind many signature Cajun and Creole dishes such
as boudin (a meat- and rice-fi lled sausage), while others spend their days learning new dance styles or
collaborating with fellow musicians. Blackpot Camp culminated with the opening night of the Blackpot
Festival in Lafayette, beginning two more days of toe-tapping music, energetic dance, and great food.