Mamou council hears about Evangeline Arts Council and meets board member

The Mamou Town Council met Wednesday evening where they heard from Suzie Lemoine on behalf of the Evangeline Arts Council, a 501c3 non-profit organization. She said the programs offered can be used to help children who get into trouble. “We’re trying to design a program that not only gives young kids something else to do, but I’d love to see the judges use our program as part of their adjudication efforts.”
The goal of the Arts Council will be to bring art to the municipalities in Evangeline Parish. Their mission is to foster the creative capacity and vibrancy of residents of all ages in Evangeline Parish through advocacy, resources and education, thus promoting self-esteem, self-expression, self-healing and hope. Every Saturday there are programs at the tourism office in Ville Platte. The fee is $25 per year. There are adult activities as well. Interested persons can visit the Evangeline Arts Council Facebook page to see what programs are offered.
Lemoine introduced Katie LaCaze who is a board member on the Arts Council. LaCaze is a teacher and artist who does art camps during the summer and teaches fine arts at Mamou High. She painted a small series of watercolor pieces of homes in Mamou. Her artwork was featured among other artists’ work at Krazy Cajun Cafe’ after the town council meeting.
Lemoine said local art will be displayed at the Krazy Cajun during Mardi Gras. “When people travel, that’s what they look for. They look for the local stuff,” she said. She also teased there will be a world-renowned chef coming to Mardi Gras. The tourism board will have more about that coming soon.
Also present at the meeting was Charles Perdices with the American Legion. He said they are planning on selling food again for Mardi Gras. He requested the police cars be moved because a glare from the lights made it difficult for the public to see their booth last year. Chief of Police Brent Zackery said he will look into the matter.
Zackery said for the month of January there were 24 total arrests and five accidents with no fatalities. There were 293 citations issued.
Mayor Ricky Fontenot said of the upcoming Mardi Gras festivities in Mamou, “We hope and pray everybody has a good and safe one.”