Now a private residence, the Wells Fargo Building was built in the late 1800s by respected Jewish businessman and Abbeville resident, Isaac Wise. At the turn of the century, the Wells Fargo Company & Express occupied the building for several years before it was purchased by the Steen family to be used as a machine shop then a storage facility for Steen’s Syrup Company. The building, currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is constructed by locally made brick and features walls that are 14 inches thick, 13-foot ceilings and the original cypress entrance doors. While touring the home, visitors will be able to view the beautiful antiques and artwork that adorn this elegantly decorated home and listen to the antique music boxes that are on display. Tours are available for $15 per person.
Memphis-raised singer-songwriter, Kelly Hunt, paints stories as old and offbeat as her Depression-era tenor banjo, reimagining traditions of folk, blues & old-time music. Joining Kelly will be local musician Dirk Powell. Concerts are held in a kid-friendly, smoke-free, unique amphitheater setting. Doors open at 6 pm with music starting at 7 pm. Tickets available through the website.
Gumbo is a flour based soup mixture, made of different main ingredients. While those ingredients vary, they all begin the same. First you make a roux. Then you choose chicken, sausage, shrimp, crab, various seafoods and on and on. Gumbo will always be served with a spoonful of rice in the bowl and a side of potato salad. Unlike New Orleans, which serves Creole gumbo containing tomatoes and okra, southwest Louisiana gumbos are Cajun and contain no tomatoes and okra only when we desire it.
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Cajun food is not hot. While individual tastes vary in this region like any other, our foods are mostly seasoned and flavorful but not spicy hot. We leave it up to the individual to add their own touch of heat.
