POINTE COUPEE - MINI-WOODSTOCK

From A History of Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana by Brian J Costello.

An unusual event two years after the Woodstock music festival, attracted huge crowds and widespread national attention to Pointe Coupée Parish: the Celebration of Life held during June 24-27, 1971, at McCrea. A Baton Rouge attorney leased the 700-acre Cypress Point site between the Atchafalaya River and levee to rock festival promoters for the festival, which attracted, according to the Associated Press, an estimated 50,000 persons from across the United States and foreign countries.

The celebration was scheduled to run eight days, but was delayed by legal injunctions and safety and sanitary concerns. The fact that the festival was staged in Pointe Coupée caused much apprehension, as parish residents had hitherto experienced little contact with "hippies". Attendees camped out on local roads and levees before the program finally got underway. Before and during the festival, they suffered from appalling heat and thunderstorms and limited food and water supplies. When the program finally got underway, only a few of the many scheduled acts performed. Among those who did were Ted Nugent, Ike and Tina Turner, Sly and the Family Stone, and Melanie.

Some 150 festival goers were arrested for drug possession. Several others reportedly died from drowning and drug overdoses and at least one baby was born during the "mini-Woodstock." A number of young attendees were beaten for no apparent reason by motorcycle club members hired by festival organizers as "security" for the event but who acted as thugs.

However, many attendees nationwide still today speak nostalgically on internet blogs today of the friendliness and hospitality offered by parish residents, and the latter tell of politeness of festival-goers with whom they had contact.

Below is a video of a film of scenes from the event taken with an 8mm. movie camera.



To think of such an event taking place in sleepy Pointe Coupée Parish (the location of the small farm where Grandpère grew up) back in 1971, when the parish was sleepy is amazing. I remember the consternation of the local folks at the time. They did not want another Woodstock in their territory.

The parish is no longer sleepy, for it's become a weekend and holiday place of choice for a visit, with resulting construction of many new waterfront "camps", some priced at over $1 million. In addition, commuters from Baton Rouge and retirees are swelling the permanent population. The traffic on the road in front of our house is nearly non-stop, making it difficult and rather dangerous to cross to the river front or to get on the road in a car.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA VOTES TO ALLOW PARTNERED GAY AND LESBIAN CLERGY

From NOLA.com:

A group of Presbyterians in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Tuesday cast the decisive votes that open ordination to openly gay men and lesbian clergy in the 2 million-member Presbyterian Church USA.

A regional church group called the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area became the 87th presbytery to approve the constitutional change to the denomination’s book of order, reaching the required majority vote among the denomination’s 173 presbyteries.

The Presbytery of South Louisiana, representing 61 Presbyterian USA churches, voted to approve gay ordination at a meeting in Baton Rouge last month.

Good news, indeed, however I was sorry to read the following news about the local Presbyterian church, which I did not know until now:

By one count, the drift caused an estimated 100 large Presbyterian churches to leave the denomination for more conservative Presbyterian bodies.

In Louisiana, for example, First Presbyterian churches of Baton Rouge and Thibodaux, as well as Woodland Presbyterian Church in Algiers, left for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, which takes a traditional stand on sexuality.

If we had no Episcopal Church in my town, I'd thought I might attend the Presbyterian Church, but now, I don't know.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOWN OF SLAVE LAKE, ALBERTA

From Tim Chesterton:

Dear Christian Blogging Friends:

I wonder if you might post this news item on your blog and ask for prayers? The town of Slave Lake is only 250 kms north of Edmonton and many people in this city have family and friends there. I myself led a couple of workshops at the ecumenical church there back in the 1990s. It seems that hundreds of buildings have been burned down and there is no sign yet that the fire is anywhere close to being under control.

After a day of caution over two encroaching wildfires, the winds picked up and brought chaos and destruction to Slave Lake.

Wind gusts that accelerated the advance of fires and grounded water bombers Sunday afternoon allowed the fire to jump two highways. Afterwards, it was free to tear through the Alberta town of 7,000 people. A long list of hundreds of buildings have burned down – including city hall, the police station, the radio station and countless houses – and the town has brought in a mandatory evacuation. The fires appear out of control.

More information at the Edmonton Journal and the Globe and Mail.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tim

UPDATE FROM TIM:

If you feel right about doing so, you might want to add that the toll-free number for the Alberta Red Cross is 1-800-418-1111.

Of course, I feel right about it.

COME NOW, JOHN!

Yesterday, as I sat down in to watch a little TV, what should appear on the screen but the sight of John Boehner giving the commencement speech at Catholic University. What!!! John Boehner who, if he had his way, would cut programs that serve the poor to the bone. Why was he chosen as the commencement speaker?

Then, as I watched, he took his hankie out of his pocket and wiped his nose. Oh well, his nose was running. What else could he do? No wait! He's crying - again! Boehner went on to speak tearily of difficult times in his political career and how he always prayed to do God's will, and that he prayed to the Blessed Mother when he was asked to resume leadership of the House, and she didn't exactly answer him, but Coach Grant did, and that was pretty damned close, except he didn't say "damned" in the commencement address.

Does Boehner ever shed a tear at the thought of the poor whose difficult lives will be worsened if he is successful in getting his policies into law? Please!

Watch the video at Mediaite.

UPDATE: From the National Catholic Reporter:

A group of prominent Catholic academics have signed a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, on the occasion of his forthcoming commencement address at the Catholic University of America. I will provide commentary later today, but the letter really speaks for itself, respectfully, clearly and in a way to challenge the Speaker to consider his policies. The letter will be delivered to Boehner's office personally by some of the signatories tomorrow morning.

A brief excerpt from the letter:

Mr. Speaker, your voting record is at variance from one of the Church’s most ancient moral teachings. From the apostles to the present, the Magisterium of the Church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor. Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress. This fundamental concern should have great urgency for Catholic policy makers. Yet, even now, you work in opposition to it.

Read the entire letter at the link above. It's good, and its list of signatories is impressive.

MORGANZA FLOODWAY WITH ONE GATE OPEN

From MSNBCNews.

"CHARLIE DARWIN" - THE LOW ANTHEM

"Charlie Darwin" - The Low Anthem (Official Video) from The Low Anthem on Vimeo.

"MORGAN CITY, LA, IN LESS STRESSFUL TIMES"

Click on the picture for the larger view.

Poignant photo from the past posted on Facebook by my friend Georgianne Nienaber. Used with Georgianne's permission.

Morgan City is located near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River. Parts of the city are protected by levees. Other parts are not. See map at my post below.

MAP OF AREA THAT MAY BE FLOODED BY OPENING MORGANZA FLOODWAY

Click on the map for the enlarged view, and then click again for magnification. For those of you who may be concerned about us, you will see from the map that we are not in a zone which will be flooded when the Morganza Floodway is opened tomorrow. Thibodaux is just south of the center of the map.

The floodway will be opened to send more water down the Atchafalaya River basin in order to lower the volume of water in the Mississippi River from above Baton Rouge and New Orleans to prevent the river from overtopping the levees and to relieve pressure on the levees to prevent breaches which would flood a much larger number of people than those who will be flooded by opening the floodway. I feel sad for those who will be inundated, but even if the Morganza Spillway gates were not opened, certain areas near the Atchafalaya River would flood, because of water spilling over the top of the floodway gates. Water is lapping at the gates and leaking through them already.

I hope what I've written makes sense. Thank you for your concern.

A SHORT BREAK

Since I'm feeling a bit weary of blogging, I'm going to take a few days off. No black dog has got hold of me, nothing's wrong, I just want a break. I know I've made similar statements on other occasions and ended up back blogging rather quickly. Who knows? That may happen again. We shall see.

GRANDPÈRE'S POTATO CROP

Digging out the potatoes.

GP harvested about 40 pounds of potatoes.

The uprooted potato plants.

The potato plot.

The entire scene.

Grandpère likes for me to brag about his garden, and I'm happy to do so. I consider that I am fortunate to have access to so many fresh-from-the-garden vegetables and fruit. The produce, along with fresh fish, and meat from the hunt, such as venison, wild pork, and various wild birds make for delicious eating.