Support for Le 64 is provided by.

Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Billy Nungesser.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful.

And the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

I'm Karen LeBlanc, a travel journalist and Louisiana native.

Join me on LA 60 for a journey through all 64 parishes, exploring Louisiana's less traveled paths and.

Get.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Charlie Win.

I'm excited to be joining you today alongside Karen LeBlanc, producer, writer, and host of Le 64, PBS's New travel series that is inviting viewers to discover all 64 of Louisiana's parishes.

Get ready, because what you are about to see are highlights from the first four parishes, on what will be a five year adventure to all corners of our beautiful state.

That is right, Charlie.

In this broadcast special, I'll take you to the giant omelet celebration in Vermilion Parish and the sight of a certified miracle in Saint Landry Parish.

And then on to no man's land in Sabine Parish.

We'll visit both Gator Town and Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish.

So lots of interesting people and places.

I can't wait.

All of you are going to be sure to discover something new about Louisiana and what makes our state so special.

All right, so first up is Vermilion Parish.

Enjoy the tour everyone.

And the giant omelet.

Vermilion parish lies in south central Louisiana, exploring the people and places that define one of the most culturally rich corners of the state.

Here's a bird's eye view of 5000 eggs scrambled in a skillet by chefs holding eight foot wooden paddles.

Have I piqued your curiosity with the egg aerial?

Then join me at the annual Abbeville Giant Omelet celebration, held the first weekend in November.

It's one of Vermilion parishes claims to fame.

The day begins with a mass at Saint Mary Magdalene, the cornerstone of the town founded by a Catholic priest in 1850.

Now, I was invited to attend this blessing of the eggs.

I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Then I'm told that it ties back to the omelet festival's origins in France, where the town cooked an omelet on Easter Monday.

The Abbeville Kamari, which belongs to the world Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Easter omelet, let's call them the omelet.

Nobility enters the church carrying baskets of eggs and rings of bread for the priests to bless, and French and English.

Abbeville is the only U.S.

city to host a sister celebration to the Omelet Festival in Beziers, France, in 1984.

It joined the conference, becoming the official American counterpart to the French tradition.

After the mass omelet, knights known as chevaliers pose for pictures, and then they head to the giant skillet to light the wood fire and prep the ingredients.

Crowds spill into the streets around the town square, some dancing to live Cajun music and others browsing booths filled with arts, crafts, local foods and the must have festival shirt.

When members of the company begin cracking eggs and slicing French bread, people line both sides of the giant skillet to watch the action unfold.

And of course, there is more dancing.

Knighted members are identifiable by the chef's hat and a large skillet they wear around their necks.

Abbeville gives its omelet a Cajun twist, with 15 pounds of local crawfish and a generous splash of Tabasco ceremoniously added by the Tabasco girls, a coveted honor.

As each ingredient hits the skillet, volunteers circulate.

Signs of the crowd can follow the recipe after the official tasting and a thumbs up.

It's a lot more French for let's Eat.

The whole process takes about two hours as this timelapse shows.

Now, what impressed me most was how efficient and well-organized the entire operation is.

I'm.

I'm all day, as I'm say, in these parts or I'm not ready for the fatigue.

But this is the way the this.

Wow guys.

Thank you.

The imprint of Sicilian families who settled here in the late 1800s is evident in places such as this 1913 blacksmith's shop owned by Sicilian immigrant Sam Guarino.

Today it's a museum opened by appointment and fully operational.

Thanks to this guy, Brandon Briggs.

He learned the skill of blacksmithing at the shop, and today he maintains the museum and gives demonstrations.

Before he had this life commode, he started out with a model T engine powering up.

They had rigged it up to power up this this one thing and everything ran by that one piece equipment.

So, you want to follow it up and see how it works?

Let's see it in action.

Okay.

Let's.

The gears and pulley belts power everything.

The drill sharpeners, the bandsaw.

Brandon shows me how he heats and shapes the metal and how the blacksmiths made much in demand.

Nutria fur stretchers.

For local trappers, blacksmithing is, a process of taking raw materials and heating, bending, beating, stretching all the different processes and working metal.

I mean, that's the trade of a blacksmith.

Sam Guarino founded the blacksmith shop after he apprenticed in Sicily for decades.

He repaired and forged the region's agricultural tools.

After Sam died in 1979, the blacksmith shop remained operational until closing in 2004.

The Guarino family donated it to Abbeville to turn it into a museum.

We moved it here and the city workers shoveled up four inches of the dirt.

So this is the original dirt that was in the building for, all those years from the early 1900s till now.

So this dirt holds a lot of history and probably a lot of soot.

It's got a lot of construction that went on in here, a lot of work.

There was, oil field work.

There was agricultural work that came here.

And if you needed anything repaired, Mr.

Gorilla would say, if I can't fix it, it can't be.

Can't be me.

I love the extended.

Every small town here has a story.

You just have to slow down long enough to hear it.

And it's music in Vermilion Parish.

And that would be swamp pop, a blend of Cajun soul and early rock n roll.

One of Abbeville claims to fame is the birthplace of the poet laureate of swamp pop, Robert Charles Guidry, known to the rest of the world as Bobby Charles.

His music influence lives on today and often takes the stage here at the Rishard Sale Barn.

It's a former cattle auction house turned musical venue that attracts local legends and Grammy nominated artists.

Owners Johnny and Kathy Richard say you can smell the culture at this livestock auction barn.

They converted into a live music venue.

When we put this building on the historical registry, in 1996, it was because we could see the vanishing of these kinds of buildings.

You know, many stockyards now are made out of metal, and they are a whole different realm.

And so we knew that preserving this building was very important.

Wooden bleachers circled the stage built on top of the livestock ring.

The barn's wooden structure provides pitch perfect acoustics and an intimate setting that attracts Grammy winners and musical greats who autographed the walls.

After performing.

Hi, my name is Michael Nunez.

Welcome to the sale.

Born in beautiful Abbeville, Louisiana and.

The musicians like to come here once.

They come here once, and they see, that it's not like a bar.

People are talking over their music and smoking cigarets.

The audience is attentively listening and watching the musicians.

The couple established the nonprofit Le Bayou Legend Aire, which owns and operates Richard's Sale Barn and hold spring and fall concerts.

Shot is being played in the and with the six.

The old.

World.

Next, I head west on highway 14 to Kaplan for a work play stay experience at Crawfish Haven.

This is Rose's Bed and Breakfast.

Crawfish farmer Barry Toups owns and operates this cozy retreat where overnight guests can go Crawfish Inn on his 40 acres of crawfish ponds.

Now it's November, so it's early in the season, but hey, we're gonna get some big ones and boil them up later.

There he shows me how to pull the crawfish cages and sort the crawfish.

The smaller ones fall through the grate, and the larger ones I push into the sack to eat.

After a few minutes we get a rhythm going as Barry drives the boat with his feet.

Cajun ingenuity, he says, which allows him to navigate the water and land hands free to pull up the cages.

The crawfish crawl into the cage, but they can't figure out how to get out.

They feed on the rice that Barry planted, and sometimes predators feed on them.

We found the little turtle.

He was in one of the crawfish cages and he's cute now.

But Barry says turtles are predators.

They like to eat crawfish.

So we're going to put this little guy back into the water.

To go.

You've got to be alert and quick with crawfish.

Spot the cage, pull it, dump it short, and be on the lookout for the next one while avoiding the crawfish claw pinch.

I had a few lbs during our crawfish.

Oh!

Oh, sucker!

After pulling 140 cages, we head back to the house to weigh in our catch.

How many pounds did they catch?

You got to guess the weight.

Okay.

I'm gonna say 15.

That's a great guess.

All right, Barry, the moment of truth.

Yep.

How do we do?

We got 14 pounds.

14 pounds.

I was close, aiming for 5 pounds of crawfish per person for our crew of three.

Barry says the Cajuns are the number one predators of crawfish, which means it's time for a crawfish boil.

We clean, season and boil our crawdads with a hearty serving of corn and potatoes.

Very a big payoff for all our hard work and for me, a first of my lifetime.

I am having crawfish for Thanksgiving.

Locals like to say the 337 area code is home to the best cooks in Louisiana, and they have the credentials and customers to back it up.

If you ask anyone where to find the best turtle sauce pickup, they'll point you straight to swingers.

Grocery store and restaurant in Kaplan.

When the menu is spray painted on the facade, you know you're somewhere totally authentic and unpretentious.

Welcome to swears it's a grocery and restaurant.

It's family owned and it's legendary in these parts.

I'm in Kaplan in Vermilion Parish, and this place is a favorite with foodies and with hunters, and you are about to discover why.

Swingers opens at 5:30 a.m.

and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from sunup to sundown behind the counter.

On any given day, you'll find the swear sisters Joan and Lisa took over swingers from their parents, who bought the store in 1976.

Their mother quickly realized that serving family recipes was good business, and cleared out a few shelves to make room for tables, creating the restaurant that customers know today, Joan handles the business side while Lisa, a talented cook, runs the kitchen with a small staff.

Something is baked every day.

Every single day.

All family recipes, family photos, newspaper clippings and famous faces line the walls, along with a payphone that still hangs in the corner.

A reminder that this place is suspended in time and grounded in legacy.

And somebody will just come and just say, that was just like my grandmother's.

That is the best compliment to me that I can get.

That's or this place feels like home or my grandmother's home, or we just love that.

And they feel at home.

One turtle with the window with me.

I wasn't leaving sweaters without their legendary turtle sauce bacon.

Now, Lisa cooks it every Friday and it is a total labor of love.

She cooks the turtle meat for hours.

While exploring Vermilion Parish, I stayed at Palmetto Island State Park along the Vermilion River, where a boardwalk leads to my cabin overlooking the water, complete with a screened in porch and a deck for grilling.

I'm going to take the canoe out and get some fresh air, some exercise, and be at one with the beauty all around me.

I paddle and admire the fall leaves turning amber, orange, yellow and red along the waterway.

An aerial view reveals the full palette along the river's winding path through the forest.

Here's my takeaway from visiting Vermilion Parish.

Its communities and small towns are detours worth taking along the way.

I discovered it's not where the road leads, but who you meet the storytellers, musicians, cooks and culture keepers who make Vermilion Parish the most Cajun place on earth.

Wow.

Now I want to go back to Vermilion Parish.

Thank you for such a great tour, Karen.

Yeah, well, that's the reaction we want with Le 64.

And of course, it's my pleasure, Charlie, and I hope these stories will inspire all of you watching to take a road trip to discover these and other historical and cultural treasures found right here in our own backyard.

No doubt about it.

Now, where are we going next?

Well, next we are headed to a place where I spent much of my childhood at my mama's house, Saint Landry Parish.

It can't be mama's house.

That sounds wonderful.

And I love Acadiana, home to so much creativity.

So let's see where we should go when we travel.

There.

Saint Landry Parish sits in south central Louisiana, right in the heart of Acadiana, with Opelousas as the parish seat.

Washington's Vintage Water Tower announces a steamboat port town, still echoing with 18th century life.

The town was established in 1720, when geography, timing and trade all lined up in its favor.

About 80% of the town's structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Washington's town Hall anchors the heart of the historic district, surrounded by more than 200 preserved properties.

This is a place I invite you to slow down, stroll the streets and ponder the past.

We have some of the homes and some of the buildings that were here since steamboat days.

There's a slip in the levee and it's still here, that the steamboats would come into the slip and back up and turn around and go back up, up the river.

And at 6:00 in the evening, the steamboat whistle blows, and it's a three chime steamboat whistle, an authentic whistle that used to blow in the 17 and 1800s.

Locals say Washington is Louisiana's third oldest settlement, backed by nearly three centuries of history visible in its streets and buildings.

I met up with Haley Corral, who's helping promote Washington's historic charm, with guidance from the Louisiana main Street program.

Let's start in 1720, Washington was founded as a French trading post.

We had French trappers who came here.

They followed the bayous here, and they were trade with the Native Americans.

That was the attack upon us here.

This is where they start their settlement in the 1720s.

So a few years later, we get our Spanish, land grant, and that goes to Jack Catawba.

Jack Catawba.

Essentially settled Washington in the early 17, early to mid 1700s.

I stop to chat with historic homeowner Stephanie Tompkins.

Her street is lined with houses once owned by steamboat captains.

The home was built circa 1840 by a man named Nathaniel Offutt.

He and his brother owned much acreage in this parish and also in two other parishes.

We have these homes and their original homes.

It's not like Williamsburg that most of them are reproductions.

These are original homes, so it's important to preserve them.

La maison Cortazar is a culture keeper of brown cotton, a working studio opened by appointment, where you can meet the growers, spinners and weavers who promote and preserve the fiber Cajuns call Cortazar.

It grows naturally tawny brown and for generations Cajuns used it for everyday textiles, including clothing and bedding.

Our vision for the future is to really take Acadian brown cotton into the 21st century, and by that I mean fabulous design.

We're hoping to reproduce from the old, from the heritage into the 21st century.

And, we're trying to bring all of this production right here into southwest Louisiana.

And that includes getting our own micro mill so that we can do our own spinning Acadians.

We're working with brown cotton in the mid 1700s, soon after exile, pushed them from Nova Scotia into a new life in southwest Louisiana.

Cajun settlers could separate the smooth seeds by hand at home, which made it a practical household crop to spin and weave.

Aletha Shannon is a fiber artist from Monroe, Louisiana, who spins yarn and weaves it into garments.

So I am hand spinning some Acadian brown cotton into yarn.

It starts as this.

This is a milled product from the cotton, so it's all nice and smooth and ready to turn into yarn.

And I use my spinning wheel to twist it.

And the twisting and the kind of like drawing back that I'm doing is what makes the yarn.

Mothers and grandmothers passed down the skills of carding, spinning and weaving, and they pass down the seed itself as a family heirloom.

You could plant.

Suzanne Breaux is a fifth generation Acadian from south Louisiana.

She's been weaving since the age of 12, a skill of weaving is basically just being aware of tension and just picking your colors.

And there's the skill is really more in designing the warp and knowing how you want your design to come out.

I'm at the end of my walk.

That could be an expression right?

And I would like to cut this warp off the loom for you and spread it out.

And you'll see eight yards of woven fabric.

The Acadian Brown Cotton House sells merchandise made by the spinners and the weavers.

Acadian Fiber Shed operates the home and leads the revival of seed preservation, responsible cultivation, and a traceable local supply chain.

This is really a point of pride.

This is something that every every Cajun can be proud of.

And, and to be a part of telling that story and to provide that to the community is really, it's a wonderful thing.

Saturday mornings at Savoie Music Center in Eunice bring together Cajun musicians carrying fiddles, accordions, guitars and tea.

First, he'll come for boudin conversation and an impromptu concert.

Marc Savoie founded the music store in 1966, and has been hosting these Saturday morning jams for 60 years and counting.

It's all a bunch of very old songs and, I don't like a big professional show, just people playing music from the heart for that reason.

You know, there's no admission.

There's, you know, it's just a down home, down home.

And I think people are searching for that today.

But there's so much fake music out there.

The fun for the better too, is like as and says it's very inclusive.

Marc's entire family shows up to play.

His wife Anne and four children are all talented musicians.

For years they performed as a Savoie family band, touring worldwide.

It has been a community gathering place for all the greatest Cajun musicians and zydeco musicians.

Every kind of musician has been coming here in the past.

The oldest ones that formed Cajun music to come here, and we got to experience that and play it.

I mean, listen to them and learn to play from them.

Okay, I see Marc invites me to his workshop in the back of the store where he handcrafts Cajun accordions.

Each one is proudly stamped Louisiana made and played around the world.

In.

So from the moment I rang the check in bell at Hotel Klaus, I felt like I'd stepped straight into Washington's golden age.

The pastel green and yellow building on Carrier Street once served as a general store and home owner.

Steven Ortego, an architect and developer, restored the 1870s Klaus Mercantile and reimagined it as a nine room boutique hotel.

So we did a lot of extensive, extensive research on the building and found out that it was built not long after the Civil War by some Jewish merchants who moved here from Prussia.

The plant's key family.

And then Max Clowes came over, probably arrived here on a steamboat.

And then he had he and his wife had nine children, and three of their daughters ran the store all the way up until the mid 60s, 1960s.

There definitely is a movement here in Washington, a reinvestment sort of standing up tall and moving forward and making sure we preserve history here.

Exploring Saint Landry Parish takes me straight back to my childhood weekends at my mom's house in Melville, on the west bank of the river.

For me, this journey was a homecoming, a reminder that Louisiana's richness is in its everyday people, carrying traditions forward, stitched by stitch.

Song by song.

A place where you can still hear the steamboat whistle each evening.

Because history deserves to be heard.

Welcome again into the LPB Studios, everyone!

I'm Charlie Windham and you are watching highlights from the first four episodes of the new LPB series LA 64, produced and hosted by my friend, award winning travel journalist and fellow LPB alum Karen LeBlanc.

Hi.

How are you?

So great to be with you today.

Always great.

It's a real treat.

And Karen is celebrating our great state.

Yes, I am, and it is such an honor and a privilege, Charlie, and a lifelong dream.

And honestly, I'm kind of continuing the legacy that you started, right, with Lost Louisiana and the travel programs that you started back when you were here at LPB.

And with our 50th year of celebrating stories, and what better time to launch this series where we're all over the state?

So as I said, this is a dream of mine to share with the Louisiana.

How amazing to share with the world how amazing Louisiana's people and cultural traditions are.

And this is my first inspired, my love of storytelling.

And I have to tell you, as I said, you inspired me to and this is just a continuation.

And I'm sure that viewers remember Lost Louisiana and Louisiana Travels, plus all the stories that you shared each week on Louisiana this day.

Grant.

Oh thank you.

We're a couple of lucky folks.

We get to tell stories about Louisiana to the world, and it's one of the great privileges you can have.

We have a lot in common.

And, we also have a lot in common.

We love LPB as well, and we'd love for you to support as well.

And, right now, we're going to tell you more about this new series.

It's unlike any other LPB series that is, taking us to every parish.

That's how many, 64.

It's true, I and I also really want to thank the lieutenant governor, the lieutenant governor, Billy Nungesser, your office, your staff, people like you, of course, for supporting this very important work of traveling the state and shining the light on culture keepers and motivating our own people to get out and explore their own state, what's literally in their own backyard.

And also, of course, we want to thank viewers like you.

And that's who we need to hear from now.

It's a gift that we are here to give you, and it's also some gifts that we want to also share.

If you become a part of LPB family.

Now, help us travel to your parish as well as show your applause for the stories that you are watching in this broadcast.

You can do that when you give us a call right now, A888, seven, six, nine, 5000.

Make your pledge online@lpb.org or scan the QR code on your screen.

Not only will you be rewarded with the next episodes and seasons of LA 64, but this is the only place where you can receive exclusive LPB and LA 64 gifts.

And thanks for your membership during this broadcast.

So hey, let's take a look right now.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LBB Weekender Tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LBB Weekender tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions LP, B's monthly Program Guide and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

You are watching LA 64.

The journey begins with the host, award winning travel journalist Karen LeBlanc.

And I'm curious, how did you even begin the process and how did you even say, well, we're going to start here.

That was really tough, Charlie.

And I'll tell you, it started because cameras began rolling at the beginning of November, which happened to be when Abbeville hosted its annual omelet festival.

And this is a must see experience event for any Louisiana.

And there's nothing like it.

And the rest of the nation, they're the only U.S.

sister city that hosts this, this event.

And it is such a sight to see 5000 eggs cooked on a giant skillet in downtown Abbeville.

And we were able to get these incredible aerial views with the drone to really put into perspective the monumental undertaking and the cultural love and bond that Abbeville has with its French brethren.

You know, these French speaking countries.

It's like a fun cultural exchange for adults.

The Louisiana Cultural Exchange never ends, and Cameron's program is only extending just exactly not just in one town.

That one part of the state, every parish, all 64 parishes.

And what I want to really compliment you on how you capture getting with the people, getting the true flavor of a of an omelet festival.

It's just so much.

There's so much to showcase.

And really, it's the joie de v. You know, Charlie, for me, LA 64 is my love letter to Louisiana, and it's never been done before.

We've never had a travel show that's featured each parish, 64 parishes.

Each parish gets its own episodes.

And when I say parish, I don't just go to a city or a town.

I am all over the parish.

And when we film, we're spending at least a week in each parish, you know, cities and villages, towns, rural communities, all of these places, many of which kind of fly under the radar, under appreciated, but with amazing stories to tell and fascinating culture keepers and memory keepers.

I want to let all our viewers know this is the friends of LPB Board of Directors Member Challenge.

They are honored to support LA 64.

In honor of also LPB 50th anniversary.

So right now they will match the first dollar for dollar, the first $1,500, which an essential essentially makes your pledge twice as much for Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

So we need to hear from you right now.

We're going to show you some fantastic thank you gifts.

You can get viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LPB Weekender tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LPB thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LPB Weekender Tote made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide, and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB care.

And one of the things I didn't have the luxury of taking advantage was was drone photography.

The drone photography in the series is exceptional to say the least.

Thank you.

So that's Ryan Hamilton.

He's our filmmaker and he and I worked together many, many years on another travel show.

He is a certified talented drone pilot.

And getting this aerial footage of Louisiana, it really shows you the beauty and the topography and how the land shapes the history and heritage.

North Louisiana, the rolling Pine Hills and the Toledo Bend Reservoir.

And then, you know, the flatlands, the Cajun prairie.

Every part of the state has its own beauty that really can be appreciated from the air.

And his artistry is on display in every episode of LA 64.

We are about to head to Sabine Parish next.

Yes.

No man's land.

Absolutely.

And, before we do that, take a look at another look at our thank you guest.

We need to hear from you right now.

And we both thank you so much for your support to LPB viewers like you.

Make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month.

Receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LBB Weekender tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LBB Weekender Tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel.

At any level, you will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

Sabine Parish sits on Louisiana's western edge, bordering Texas.

Sabine Parish was Louisiana's version of the Wild West, where explorers, settlers, tribes and outlaws shaped Louisiana's western frontier.

I timed my visit during this being Free State Festival, an annual event in fluorine that celebrates the region's origins as no man's land step into the Sabine Saloon.

The year 1806.

The land is lawless, and a rowdy bunch of outlaws have gathered for a high noon shootout.

From 1806 to 1821.

Spain and the United States could not agree on a border between Texas than Spanish territory and Louisiana, so they created a buffer zone with no formal government, no law enforcement, and no Texas.

This boundary dispute created a 17 year frontier free for all.

Known as no man's Land.

It was a 34 mile wide strip of land east of the Sabine River that attracted outlaws and settlers.

Without oral storytelling.

Those are the lost for generations.

So I'm really, glad that our ancestors decided in 1980 that this was something that really needed to be promoted and tied, because it's something that, you know, we we wouldn't know about, it's left out of the history books.

Los dias once served as the capital of Spanish Texas, connected to western Louisiana by El Camino Real.

The 2580 mile Kings Road that stretched from Mexico City to Natchitoches through no man's land soldiers, missionaries, indigenous families, and early settlers all traveled this route, which today follows much of highway six and is marked as the El Camino Real National Historic Trail.

It was a true cultural crossroads where Caddo, Choctaw, and Apache peoples met French, Spanish, and Anglo settlers, each shaping the region's identity.

My ancestors came back in Spanish soldier.

For those who dash intermarried into the Choctaw and Apache Indians that were taking refuge for those who dash.

I'm a member of the Choctaw tribe, and I'm standing up for veterans for the last 250 years.

The Shebeen Free State Festival kicks off with a parade, a wagon train and a bevy of local beauty queens rolling down the road.

It feels like stepping into a living frontier town where the air fills with the scent of cane sirup, bubbling, meat smoking, and, of course, gunsmoke.

Artisans craft fiddles, ceramics, spin yarn, and demonstrate the skills passed down through generations.

Well, I'm good and thirsty.

Well, hello once again.

Saloon.

Pour me a stiff on.

What are you serving?

Ice cold sarsaparilla.

All right.

Bottoms up.

Oh, you can duck into the Sabine Saloon for the festival's famous root beer before heading back outside to catch the Wild West shootout.

A reenactment staged several times throughout the weekend that draws a crowd.

You're not helping me at all.

You.

What are you.

Yeah, you.

I need my help.

Come on.

Oh!

Shut up!

Oh!

To bring law and order to no man's land.

Fort Jessup was established in 1822, and the soldiers here patrolled the area, arresting bad actors, breaking the law.

And they put them in jail here on the property.

Oh, wait.

There weren't any laws.

People doing bad things.

People who were coming here purposely because they know it's confusing and they know it's very hard for the area to be police.

So they're like, we're going to come and commit crime because we're probably going to get away with it.

And then you have people who are coming here who think, oh, we're moving here to start a better life.

One of the fort's most famous commanders was Zachary Taylor, who later became the 12th president of the United States.

At our height, we had over 1500 soldiers permanently stationed here.

Today, Fort Jessup is a state park.

It occupies 22 acres.

All of the original structures, except for the kitchen, were destroyed in a fire.

You can still smell the smoke from the last meal.

Cooked.

Yes you can.

We actually still can use this.

As we said earlier, it's fully functional.

We do cooking programs for some of our reenactments.

A replica of the fort's officer quarters houses a museum that chronicles life at Fort Jesup and the surrounding community.

The fort closed in 1846 with the United States annexation of Texas, negating the military's mission to patrol no man's land around the parish.

Painted bath sculptures.

Local art.

Celebrate Toledo men's world class fishing.

Toledo Bend Reservoir, the largest manmade lake in the south, opened in 1969 after the Sabine River was damned.

It now anchors a network of parks, golf and fishing resorts, marinas and scenic overlooks, including two Louisiana state parks.

The lake transformed this once hilly, sparsely populated corner of western Louisiana into a major destination for boaters and anglers.

Well, hello there, Karen.

Hi, Pete.

Come right in.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

My pleasure.

So you are the memory keeper folks say around here.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Well, you live long enough.

You get to be the one.

This was originally in my boyhood home.

I was raised born here in this house.

Pete Abbington turned his childhood home into his business office.

The walls tell his life story filled with photos of politicians that he helped elect.

Sports memorabilia and mementos from his pivotal role promoting the construction of Toledo Bend Lake to Lake.

Now, in the last 25 years, it's just gotten real popular.

But I was on the ground crew when it was just a dream.

Highway six crosses the Toledo Bend Reservoir into Texas, offering sweeping views of the spillway.

The reservoir stretches roughly 65 miles along the Sabine River, straddling both states.

Its creation required flooding vast tracts of forest, farmland, river bottom communities, and tribal lands.

Now, to get it passed, we had to get the governor get behind.

And the governor was Jimmy Davis.

And and that was a masterstroke there because they got a big old gallon jug of Sabine River water.

And Jimmy Davis met a delegation from him, which I wasn't there then.

I was doing some ill, but he met them there on the bank in Mississippi.

And when they hand it to him, it said on the front of that gallon jug, let's build to lead a Ben Lake.

So we had the governor committed one last bill to let them in Lake.

Very clever product.

Oh, yeah.

And then it had to go for the Senate and the House, and they approved it.

And they but they did it all figured out how it was going to be financed.

And it was financed through the Confederate Memorial Fund.

And there was some money set aside for the Confederacy that we could get, and we could use it to build this lake.

And they allowed, but then they weren't for billing that late and this early one for the water taking it home or the graveyard.

But, it was it was uncomfortable for them because they were to be bought out by the state and have to move.

I stated two state parks, both sat on the banks of the reservoir.

South Toledo Bend State Park, near many, sits on bluffs overlooking the lake's southern reaches.

I stayed in one of 19 cabins with water views and amenities that rival many vacation home rentals.

In the mornings, I sit here in my cabin, screened in porch, and take in the peaceful waterfront view.

You can hear the leaves rustling and it is a beautiful time in surveying.

Parrish.

It's early November and the leaves are changing colors.

You can see all of that around you because the cabins are nestled in these wooded areas on the waterfront, and you can hear the birds chirping and see the waterfowl.

It's just a glorious way to greet the day.

I head out to explore the park's hiking trails.

The state park is a bald eagle nesting ground, and along some of the nature trails, perhaps you'll spot a bald eagle.

And the reason for this is because the park is around the Toledo Bend Reservoir, and the Eagles love to hunt the fish in the reservoir.

Let's go check it out.

Bring your binoculars.

The park visitor center offers this panoramic view of the Toledo Bend Reservoir.

It's windy today, so if you look out in the water, you can see the white whitecaps.

North Toledo Bend State Park sits near the town of South Wally, and it's a prime spot for bass fishing.

The state park spans 900 acres, offering camping, hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, and water sports.

It is a cool, crisp morning here at North Toledo Bend State Park, so I made a fire in my firepit, which is right outside my cabin.

And these cabins are adorable.

There are log cabins.

They have so much character because it's cool outside.

I think today I'm not going out of the water.

So no kayaking, no canoeing for me.

But I am going to take a hike, get some exercise.

Along my hike on the Dogwood Nature Trail, I spotted Bigfoot.

Actually, it's a replica, but seriously, Bigfoot folklore is big in these parts.

Every year, Bigfoot believers gather nearby at Wildwood Resort and to Wally for an annual Bigfoot Symposium to swap sightings and share theories about the hairy being.

After my hike, I sat down with my new friend Chuck LaRue, whom I first met at the Choctaw Apache Powwow, and Barb to talk about what Toledo Bend really cost this community.

His ancestors lived for generations in the river bottom along the Sabine River, only to lose their homes, their land, and pieces of their identity when the bottom lands were flooded to create the reservoir.

My name is Kendall Farooq.

That's my real name.

Everybody down here calls me Keuchel ru.

I'm, actually, I'm an elder with the Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar.

We, we've been living here forever.

I was born here.

Right behind us.

The lake that is my home.

My original home is underwater today.

Church lived on the river bottom with generations of his extended family who survived off the land as trappers and raised hogs and cattle.

His family was one of hundreds forced to sell their land to the state at $50 an acre.

There was no negotiations with the government at that time.

They came in and they said, your land is worth this much, and they paid you.

That was the end of the negotiations.

But I still hate that it disrupted people all up and down the Sabine River, because it was a very, very great place to be.

Today, the village of Barbe, an unincorporated area near the valley, is home to a concentration of Choctaw Apache tribe members and their tribal headquarters.

While attending the Sabine Free State Festival and Flooring, I stayed at the historic Dover House, a three bedroom Airbnb that's more like a living museum that invites you to make yourself at home.

Welcome to the Dover House.

Come on in.

Let me show you around.

Owner Louise Thaxton restored the home that once belonged to flooring businessman Joe Dover, who built it in 1920.

His family photos the home's original furnishings, floors and fixtures connect me to Floridians past.

And Joe Dover.

He was in a lot of businesses and he brought it was, gas to the parish.

In fact, the Dover house was the first house in Sabine Parish to have gas run into the home.

So that was he was very forward thinking.

Those are the original doors, and many of these are original windows.

So the home is like a portal to life, as it was for a well-to-do family over 100 years ago, living in Paris.

Exactly.

Here's my takeaway from my time in Sabine Parish.

This place devised every cliche about Louisiana.

Its landscape looks unlike any other part of the state.

It's world class.

Bass fishing unfolds on one of the nation's largest recreational lakes and its cultural mix indigenous, Spanish, Anglo and French reveals a different Louisiana all together one worth experiencing, exploring and remembering.

Hello and welcome back.

I'm Charlie when I'm with Louisiana Office of Tourism volunteering as host for LA 64.

The journey begins.

I am joined by producer, writer and host of LA 64, Karen LeBlanc, for this special look at highlights from the first four episodes from this new wonderful LPB series.

Thank you.

It's great to be here, Charlie, and thank you so much.

I am so delighted to work with LPB to present stories from all 64 of Louisiana's parishes, starting with the first ones that you are seeing in this very broadcast special.

Vermilion Saint Landry, Sabine and Jefferson.

And to showcase these important stories at each of these places home that have shaped our history, the history of our state, and such a unique and a profound way.

It's a series all of us watching can be proud of because it represents the best of Louisiana.

And also what LPB does best is Louisiana storyteller.

And I will add that on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

We are honored to join viewers from around our state in support of this series, which will serve as a historical archive that future generations can look to.

Absolutely.

And that is one of the reasons for this series, is to capture the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, that tell the stories that have shaped the land, and to travel the land that has shaped the stories too early.

Folks, this is why we need your support.

We are taking you to the first four parishes.

We have 60 to go and we need your help.

So we'll be arriving in your parish soon.

And if you live in a parish being presented in this program, show your parish pride with your call or click of support right now.

Viewers like you make this happen.

This is your chance.

So give us a call or text.

Give at 888769 5000 pledge online@lpb.org or scan the QR code on your screen with your smart device.

And this is LPB.

So we have a little lamb yet and LPB and Le 64 commemorative gifts curated especially for you that you will not find anywhere else.

Let's take a look.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the Le 64 Travel combo that includes the LPB Weekender tote, the Le 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LPB Weekender Tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the Le 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LPB Travel Thermos made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide, and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

These are some wonderful gifts.

Please take advantage of it.

I know Karen people are going to enjoy this as a personal gift you can give them.

You can be the big person and hand these gifts out all across the state or even around the country.

That's right.

Charlie.

Absolutely.

So Kerry LeBlanc, the host producer of LA 64, this has been a fabulous first for show preview that we're giving viewers right now.

And and I love the fact about No Man's Land.

You're calling it the Wild Wild West, complete with a saloon no less.

Oh my goodness.

And if you haven't been to the Sabine for Each Day festival, put it on your list.

There is a shootout on a whole reenactment, but also it's the legend and law and the hidden history of Louisiana, which you can appreciate.

Where for a while there was an area of Louisiana, Sabine Parish.

Part of that was basically lawless.

It wasn't governed by anyone.

And from that, a whole culture emerged and part of that culture is the indigenous culture.

And often I feel that that gets overlooked.

And in the show, we also try to highlight a lot of the indigenous communities throughout the parish.

And the case of Sabine, I spent some time with the, Choctaw Apache tribe of Ibar, which really played in an interesting role and continues to in the culture and of course, the beauty of Toledo Bend and the reservoir.

It's just a stunning, stunning feat of engineering that has really rejuvenated this area for recreation, one of the best fishing areas in the country, by the way.

And, once again, I want to let viewers know this is a special challenge by the friends of LPB Board of Directors honored to support LA 64.

In honor of what the 50th anniversary will be.

That's how special and a huge part, LPB is to the state of Louisiana and to its viewers.

They're challenging right now.

They will match dollar for dollar, the first $1,500.

What does that mean?

Your pledge right now will be worth twice as much.

So please, if you like Louisiana, if you love storytelling, if you love LPB, we need to hear from you right now.

And to boot, they've got some great thank you gifts to tell you about right now.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month.

Receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LPB Weekender tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LPB Weekender Tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LR 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos.

Made of insulated stainless steel.

At any level, you will also receive visions, LBB Monthly Program Guide and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

Formerly working at LPB traveling the state.

That's one of the best jobs anybody can do.

Karen has been enjoying that for many years and enjoying this, la 64.

The journey begins one of many, many stops along the way.

And when you get a chance to go around the state, it's pretty special.

Any any special places or stories that maybe the viewers would like to know behind the scenes?

Okay.

Behind this.

And this is the duty of my job.

It's all the unexpected and the serendipity.

Right?

And pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

When I was in Breaux Bridge, I wanted to attend the world famous Zydeco Brunch, and I realized if I was going to do that, I was going to be asked to dance.

So I had to take a zydeco dance lesson, an authentic one, which actually, you know, there's technique involved.

And I realized my rhythm, you know.

Last time I took a dance lesson was high school dance team.

So it was fun.

I wasn't so graceful.

You'll see that in the Saint Martin parish episode.

And then Lafayette Parish, I was invited to a French table.

A French table is a beloved South Louisiana tradition, where native French speakers get together and speak French.

Well, I had learned textbook French writing in high school.

And I speak Spanish as a second language.

So I was at this French table, invited to speak.

You read these these passages, and I was speaking French with a Spanish accent.

And everybody was like, what are you doing?

So I, you know, it's all in this little beautiful moment where you connect with people and you push yourself outside of your comfort zone and you grow from it.

You know, I think most people, whether you live in Louisiana or folks that come to visit Louisiana, that's one of the things you're going to find out that you're treated like family and you have conversations.

You're probably not going to have back home when you're coming from outside of Louisiana.

That's what Louisiana is.

That's what it's all about.

There's a magic here, and there's also a magic about Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

We want to make sure that, we want to keep the magic going.

So I want to remind everybody, this is a member challenge.

The LPB board of directors matching the first $1,500 during this break.

And it means that's effectively, effectively doubling your donation to Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

We also know we have wonderful gifts we always want to share.

Here's your way to find out how you get yours.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LBB Weekender Tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LBB Weekender tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide, and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

I hope you'll take advantage of those great thank you gifts.

Hey, the journey continues!

We're going to head off next to Jefferson Parish.

Jefferson Parish is in southeastern Louisiana.

Jefferson Parish was established in 1825 and named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, who played a role in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

It's the international gateway to Louisiana as home to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Kenner might just be one of the most overlooked stops near New Orleans, but its East Bank location along the Mississippi River has always made it a gateway first for river trade, then for rail and highways.

And today, as the front door for many visitors arriving by plane, Historic River town feels like Kitchener's front porch, inviting you to stop, stay a while and stroll around.

It's walkable blocks home to museums, restored homes, local eateries, mom and pop shops, and even a planetarium.

With one of only two space station prototypes in the country, the Kenner Planetarium and Science Center invites visitors to step inside its NASA International Space Station prototype for an out of this world experience that starts with a live view of the space station in orbit.

This is the one that was built in New Orleans East at the mission facility.

And, just cost you $1 million to make this, which was a small price to pay to try to get the job to build the space station.

Unfortunately, this was one of the losing designs, but it's still special.

The one that one was the Boeing Company.

I tried on Life in Space, from the suit to an up close look at the module airlock and the space station's hydroponic gardens, even the toilet with feet straps all the realities of daily life in orbit.

So this module will represent more.

What kind of small places they live in.

So and of course, they're not walking or floating from one place to another.

So that's what these handrails are for.

The other side of the complex houses the science center and planetarium, including a mega dome cinema that hosts immersive laser light shows.

So we're we're the largest in the greater New Orleans area.

We have a 50ft dome with 118 seats.

So we're second really only to Baton Rouge.

So we're a very unique and, local attraction.

Westwego proudly calls itself Gator Town, and you'll see it on murals and signs all around town.

This place grew out of fishing and farming, and today it's where locals come when they want seafood as fresh as it gets.

Right here at the Westwego Shrimp lot.

Hey, everyone.

I care less than last we go in the West, we go shrimp love.

This must be the family business.

Nice to meet you.

The family.

We're got to take you on a tour around about here.

And, for you.

Do, you just want to be part of the crowd with a fair shrimp boat?

But I'll be back, okay?

I have my shrimp boots on.

I'm ready to take a tour.

Let's go.

You ready to go?

Let's do it.

Ronnie.

Mentos started the Westwego Shrimp Live back in 1979 with his father.

Today, it's a true family operation.

Run by Ronnie, alongside his daughter and and his grandson, Andrew.

And many of these stands have been in the same families for generations.

These are hard working people, and you almost have to be born in this business to succeed.

The consumer benefit a lot of ways because things save money.

Most of the time the shrimp over at 2 or 3 days old, you got a regular place, you're going to find shrimp and therefore month seafood shopping.

Here is a conversation vendor is pop open their eyes chest and say, hey, come take a look while you get to choose shrimp straight off the boat.

Live crabs, oysters by the sack, even gator meat on the surface.

This seafood super mall looks basic.

A gravel parking lot surrounded by ten roof stalls and hand-painted signs.

But behind the scenes there is a lot of smart infrastructure keeping everything clean, safe and environmentally responsible.

They actually created small ecosystems behind the stalls to retain the shrimp water dump site.

Basically whenever there have seafood or things like that.

So it's not just throwing it back onto Mother Earth, it's more of recycling into the ecosystem.

I catch a whiff of smoked alligator sausage and follow my nose straight to market.

We go.

They're known for their alligator sausage, crawfish sausage, boudin, and hot crackling.

And once you smell it, you're already in line from the shrimp lot.

I head down Historic Salah Avenue, which runs straight to the levee, where colorful murals cover the remains of the old Westwego Canal locks.

Folk artist Joshua Wingard is behind the work and is artistic and print shows up all over town.

Locals call him the creative catalyst of West Vigo's art scene, and you'll usually find him right here in his gallery on Salah Avenue.

I'm with a pop art scientist.

Pretty edgy stuff.

Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?

What do we go?

Yeah, I mean, I would say so, but that's the response that I usually look for when people come out and, check out what we have going on.

There's a bunch of emerging young people that have different small businesses, whether it be art or coffee shops or whatever the case may be.

And I get to just be like another flavor in the neighborhood.

Joshua's gallery is pure eye candy, packed with pop art, painted objects and layers of stenciled and spray painted imagery.

He'll paint on just about anything, from car parts to stormtroopers.

I asked Joshua to paint his vision of LA 64.

Then I stood back and I watched as he brought it to life, stenciling the logo in bold purples and pinks and adding a paper airplane that captures the shows eat, shop, stay, play and explore ethos.

Looks like we have a new LA 64 logo, an original by Josh Wynn Carter.

Well done.

Brilliant.

I think that the creative genius.

I walk a few blocks down from the gallery to Sal Seville's original general store.

Today it's the Westwego Historical Museum, and it feels almost like it's still open for business, with shelves starved the way they once were.

This 1800s building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About 30 minutes south of Gretna, I'm greeted by a giant pirate ship sculpture welcoming me to the town of John Lafayette, named for the famous buccaneer.

Pirate imagery pops up everywhere, and locals proudly call themselves Le tions, embracing the folklore that helped put this town on the map.

Scenes from John Lafitte's swashbuckling past come to life, but the John Lafayette Visitor Center and tours a museum where animated pirate puppet shows tell the tale, was the town of John Lafitte the home of this pirate, or the hiding place or home and hiding place.

I would say it's both.

It is a place where we feel like he actually, When he was on a boat, Bayou Barataria, he actually threw his treasures out.

So we feel like along Bayou Barataria is where a lot of the treasure is.

We were also told that he is buried in the cemetery and Lower Lafitte.

So this sounds like legend and lore and fact.

Have we actually unearthed any of this treasure or his remains?

Not at this point.

We're still searching Joemat-Pettersson young town, founded in 1974.

The pirate himself didn't establish it, but his story became part of the town's identity, where pirate legend and coastal living meet.

We have generations of people, families that have stayed here, our family and a lot of the residents here.

Their families have come from Manila Village, Clark, Cheniere, where there were dried shrimp, platforms.

So you introduced yourself as a location.

What does it mean to be a location?

It's just a proud person that loves her feet with all her heart.

I just love it, like all of our residents do.

And we won't leave from here.

We just kind of keep fighting to make sure there's a better community, better place to live, and, just make it better for the next generation.

The water and the wetlands are the main attractions in John Lafitte.

I'm taking you on the John Lafitte Nature Trail.

It's a cypress boardwalk that runs through the swamps.

There's also a trail for biking and walking along the levee.

It was built by the town of John Lafayette, and it also leads to a wetlands education center along the boardwalk, winding through Cypress forest and marsh.

John Lafitte's story unfolds through interpretive signs with a covered pavilion offering a quiet place to rest and reflect on this walk through history and Mother Nature.

John Lafitte once moved through this maze of bayous and waterways tied to the Gulf, using the Barataria Bay as his home base.

The marshes, bayous, and hidden inlets made it easy to slip in and out, sight unseen, to retrace some of those swamp paths, I hop on an airboat with my captain, Shane Guidry, a John Lafitte native, an 11th generation Cajun whose family has called this place home since 1765, and Bayou Barataria.

His crew, John, with his crew called the Barataria.

He and his brother Pierre did invade enemy British ships, but they preferred privateer or buccaneer.

Basically just a pirate that works for the government.

It's early November and a bright, sunny day as we glide through the swamp connecting to the Intercoastal Waterway, gators swim up to the boat.

It's a Bayou State's version of a wildlife safari.

My final stop is Grand Isle, the southernmost tip of Jefferson Parish and Louisiana's only inhabited barrier island highway one connects Grand Isle to the mainland, passing fishing camps and a sign proclaiming the home of the International Tarpon Rodeo, a tradition that's drawn anglers here.

Since 1928, the 90th meridian west slices straight through Grand Isle all the way to the Gulf.

And I'm standing right here on this line that marks the globe at 90 West Park in Grand Isle.

This geographical line is where the land gives way to the water.

The island is also a prime spot for birdwatching.

Hundreds of species use Grand Isle as a rest stop on the Mississippi Flyway, one of North America's major bird migration routes.

Places like Lafayette Woods Nature Preserve foster the habitat.

The birds depend on during migration.

I am headed out on a hike here in Grand Isle with two guides.

Today I have Karen McKinney.

She's an architect and a historian.

I have Jeanne Landry, and she's a preservationist with the Nature Conservancy, and she's also a historian.

She's a long time resident of Grand Isle.

So, ladies, are you ready?

Yes.

Let's go take a hike at the entrance to the Goleta Track.

A birding checklist shows just how important this area is for songbird migration.

Jean tells me that birders start arriving as early as mid-January.

Spring and summer bring colorful plumes, while winter draws birders hoping to spot rare birds blown off course during migration.

Every year, it seems that we have a bird that is unusual for this area.

So, we must have had 500 visitors come four years ago when we had a, red legged honey creeper.

Grand Isle was mapped by the Spanish in the 1500s and settled in 1781.

Its land divided into early grants that shaped life on this barrier island.

Oak trees have kept it safe from countless storms throughout the centuries.

The live oaks are also an important facet of the historic preservation of buildings on the island.

Some of the oldest structures that are now included on the National Register of Historic Places, survived storms because they're within that tree line of the mature oaks, and that helps to both mitigate the tides coming in and break down the winds coming through.

So the buildings are more likely to survive.

Grand Isle State Park feels like the edge of Louisiana where the roads and the gulf begins.

I walk a mile of beach with hardly another soul in sight from above.

The park's calm really comes into focus, showing how this stretch of coastline connects open water marsh and the people who come here to camp, fish and enjoy serenity.

And Kinnear's historic Rivertown I stayed at the Clancy House, named after longtime Sheriff Frank James Clancy, who built the home in the 1920s.

Hi, Karen.

Welcome to the.

Clancy has come on in and make yourself at home.

This is so charming.

Thank you so much.

Andrea de Pepe is the great granddaughter of Sheriff Frank James Clancy.

She restored the home as an overnight event venue.

The property includes the main house, a carriage house and an outbuilding.

This mural behind us, shows the the immigrants, which Keller was mostly Italian and Irish immigrants, and they were the lifeline to all of the produce that would go to the city of New Orleans.

The two bedroom, two bathroom home is part gathering place and part getaway.

It claims to be River town's only venue, with an overnight option for the original Charbroiled oyster head to Drago's and Mary Clara Silverton.

It still runs the restaurant she opened with her husband Drago, a Croatian oyster fisherman.

Back in 1969.

It was their son, Tommy who created the now iconic Charbroiled oyster, and he is one who said what would happen if we take Open oyster?

We put it on a grill and we poured on it our garlic butter sauce star was born.

Oysters doused in garlic butter hit the flames, igniting in a burst of fire that gives them Drago's signature charbroiled flavor, a dish often imitated but arguably never quite matched.

In many ways, Jefferson Parish is a liquor chasm of Louisiana, itself less obvious at first glance but essential to understanding the state.

From river towns and seafood docks to wetlands and barrier islands, each stop reminds me that sometimes the most meaningful journeys happen just beyond the places that we think we already know.

What a great kickoff to an amazing journey around our state.

Hello, one last time from the LPB Studios.

During this special broadcast of highlights from the first four episodes of LA 64, I'm Charlie Winn alongside award winning travel journalist Karen Le Bon, who is a writer producer.

Oh yeah, host of LA 64.

Karen does it all in.

Karen, I got to say, for someone who represents the Louisiana Office of Tourism, well done and thank you and LPB for creating the series that is such a celebration of Louisiana.

Well, and thank you to the Office of Tourism for supporting our mission and our storytelling.

It is my absolute honor to work with LPB on a series so dear to my heart.

As someone who is born and raised in Louisiana, this is an opportunity to give me and for me to you a love letter to Louisiana.

And I did want to mention as as Charlie said, these are highlights from the parishes Vermilion, Saint Landry, Sabine and Jefferson and Charlie and I. We invite you to visit lpb.org/la 64 to view the full episodes and see extras as captured behind the scenes from our Director of Photography and Series editor, Ryan Hamilton.

And Ryan has done an incredible job telling the stories as well.

Thank you, Karen, for that.

And of course, as future episodes are produced with support from viewers like you, LPB dawg forward Slash LA 64 is where you can watch new episodes after their broadcast premiere and in fact, where the entire world can learn more about Louisiana through this remarkable series.

That's right in in just a few minutes, Charlie and I will preview where we are going next.

So once again, thank you for joining us and being a part of this journey as we share Louisiana's stories, which is at the heart of the mission of L.P.

Absolutely.

And these stories serve as a living history that you, our viewers, have made possible thanks to your membership.

This is the last time we are joining you in this broadcast with this special selection of commemorative gifts.

So call us or text give 28769 5000.

Become a member online@lpb.org or scan the QR code on your screen with any thank you gift level.

You will receive access to LPB passport, the streaming service for your favorite PBS and LPB programs, and you will also receive visions.

That's our program guide that arrives in your mailbox each month.

Here's one of the last looks at the exclusive gifts available to you during this broadcast.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LBB Weekender Tote, the Le 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LP Weekender Tote.

Made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the Le 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide, and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

Great sacred gifts.

Please take advantage of that as well as joining the LPB family here on the block.

You have also found that Louisiana State Parks are pretty special too.

The best kept secret I'm going to let you all in on.

I mean, we've got 21 state parks, and I got to tell you, I've stayed at several so far.

I plan to stay in every single one before the series ends.

Over its five year run, these parks are stunning, and these cabins have all the creature comforts.

They rival any vacation rental, and I just feel like Louisiana and I have no idea what an experience.

They're immersed in nature.

They were on the water.

They're fully equipped.

You arrive and there is bedding for you, fresh linens to make your bed so and very, very affordable.

It is a great amenity that, Louisiana tourism offers.

And we're so blessed and fortunate to have these state parks and talking about that drone footage.

Seen these state parks with drones from the air really just showcases the magnificent landscape that these parks are tucked away in.

Yeah.

And not only folks in Louisiana, our neighbors in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana state parks are for you as well.

I want to remind everybody that this is a special member challenge.

The friends of LPB Board of Directors is supporting LA 64, in honor of Louisiana Public Broadcasting's 50th anniversary.

Can you believe it?

It's a special time, and we need to hear from you as well.

So they will match dollar for dollar for the first $1,500 and effectively doubling the impact of your contribution to Louisiana public Broadcasting.

You know, we got thank you gifts.

These are great.

So take advantage of that.

Right now.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LBB Weekender Tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LBB Weekender tote made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LBB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions LP, B's monthly Program Guide and LPB passport for the very Best of PBS and LPB.

When you put together a program like this traveling all 64 parishes, that's a schedule.

That's quite a schedule.

It is is quarter.

So, Charlie, we have been on the road, since, late October, and I have not been off the road.

And I say that with a lot of joy because I am living my dream job.

And this really is a passion project for me.

But we spend at least a week, an entire week in each parish filming.

Because, remember, we're not just featuring a city or a town and a parish.

We are featuring the entire parish.

And that's what it takes to really give you a beautiful half hour story that that tells, that tells their story.

So speaking of that, we have more to come.

I'm back on the road.

I had to Franklin Parish today.

After we wrap up, here's a look at some of the upcoming episodes and parishes we're going to visit coming up this season on LA 64 that year, some people have told me that if you listen to traditional Cajun musicians along the bayou, down the bayou in the parish, that they had their own dialect, including music.

Hi, Karen, welcome to Old Mel's Farm.

I have to say, I have never seen a cow with long fur like that.

I'm going to make you pretty.

The store actually has deep artistic connections.

It's a shotgun house.

It was a former artist studio of George Rodrigue, the famed Blue Dog painter.

He painted out of the shotgun house.

Sit a day a today, today.

Up.

You can come here and see what's harvesting timber like in 1920s, 1930s.

Okay, Karen.

So we made you fresh homemade cornbread.

But we're going to make you work for the butter to put on your cornbread the old fashioned way.

Now, you might be thinking a cemetery, Karen, really as a visitor's experience, but I want you to think of this more like a sculpture garden is filled with history and famous names.

And?

The adventure continues.

What a great look ahead at upcoming episode.

Thank you Charlie, and thank all of you for welcoming us to each parish and for supporting the mission of LPB to tell Louisiana's stories.

As we've said, when you turn your viewership into membership, you in effect, become a producer to make LA 64 and everything you see on LPB possible.

That's right, all of you producers.

And there's no better time to support the stories you love, because your gift also celebrates El PBS's 50th year on the air.

That's right.

Thank you for joining us.

For only 64, the journey begins.

And you know what?

Let's take one more look at the commemorative LPB and LA 64 thank you gifts we have for you during this broadcast.

And Charlie thank you.

Oh, thank you so much.

And thank you out there.

Join the journey.

Viewers like you make the difference.

Become a member to support the Louisiana stories you love on LPB.

For a sustaining membership of $24 a month, receive the LA 64 travel combo that includes the LPB Weekender tote, the LA 64 luggage tag, and an LP thermos for $15 a month.

Choose the LPB Weekender Tote made of durable cotton canvas, perfect for any Louisiana road trip, and the LA 64 luggage tag for $10 a month.

Receive the LPB Travel Thermos, made of insulated stainless steel at any level.

You will also receive visions, LPB Monthly Program Guide, and LPB passport for the very best of PBS and LPB.

Any.

Support for LR 64 is provided by.

Office of the Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful and the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

And by the way, a national heritage area, the Saint Landry Parish Tourist Commission.

Northwestern State University, and by the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.