Virtual SugarFest 2020
SugarFest is fun for all ages and is traditionally held on the first Sunday in October! This year, mark your calendars for a special two day celebration on October 3 and 4, 2020 on the museum’s Facebook page! Virtual SugarFest will allow you to enjoy interviews, performances, and demonstrations with Louisiana folk artists and musicians, as well as recipes for sweet treats, and even a look inside the sugar industry—all from the comfort of your home. A schedule of events including the concert line-up will be posted in the coming weeks.
While we may not be able to gather in person with a few thousand of our closest friends, a quarter of a century marks an excellent time to document our local culture and traditions for generations to come. If there is a silver lining to be found for our silver anniversary, the pandemic gives us reason to pause and archive the things that make SugarFest special, in particular the great works of participating occupational and traditional folk artists who carry on the old fashioned ways of doing things by hand, and bands who continue to play musical genres indigenous to Louisiana. As Jeannie Luckett, Director of Programs, stated, “Some of these folks don’t have apprentices studying under them, and these arts are at risk of fading away. The music is a rich part of that tradition too. So, it will be important for the museum to do their part in preserving this history as well as finding a creative way to stay connected and celebrate with the community.”
Virtual Sweets Contest
In celebration of West Baton Rouge Museum’s SugarFest Silver Anniversary, we have teamed up with celebrity judge, Chef John Folse and Susan Ford, Publisher & Editorial Director of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture to continue the tradition of the annual Sweets Contest as part of Virtual SugarFest.
This year, there is no cooking or baking required. Help the museum celebrate in a unique way by virtually entering our old fashioned Sweets Contest.
All recipes will be read by Chef John Folse, and winning entries will be published in print and/or digitally in the November/December Holiday edition of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine.
As always, the grand prize winner will be awarded the highly sought after sugar shell, and all entries will be posted on the two day Facebook event to be held the first weekend in October--along with interviews, performances, and demonstrations with Louisiana folk artists, musicians, and sugar industry professionals. Tune in to the museum’s Facebook page on the weekend of October 3 and 4, 2020 for the announcement of the winners.
Some Reminders
Entry forms must be completed and submitted by noon on Friday, September 25, 2020 via the museum’s website or to the West Baton Rouge Museum
Recipes must contain sugar