Creole Family Picnic

FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF CREOLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

N E W S L E T T E R

First Edition
September 21, 2004

Creole Family Picnic – Sept. 5, 2004, Culver City Park, Culver City, California

Our very first event was an encouraging success. Eighty-one people were present, who enjoyed the scentilating zydeco music of Bonne Musique band, leader B.J. Deculus. The attendees also enjoyed a tasty meal of ribs, chicken and links, baked beans and potato salad, catered by Phillips Barbeque of Los Angeles and Inglewood, Ca. along with a garden salad and a variety of desserts and sodas. Many thanks to the members who worked to make this a success and friends and relatives who pitched in to help.

One of the reasons why there were not more people attending the picnic was that the information was not printed in the July edition of the Bayou Talk Newspaper, due to the editor’s inability to print the flyer from the computer copy, and this inability was not related to the organizer of the Creole Family Picnic; but the Creofest at Acton, CA on August 29th was published and thus more people knew about it. The editor of the Bayou Talk Newspaper later confused the Creole Family Picnic with the Creofest (of August 29th at Acton, CA) in its August 30th edition of the Bayou Talk newspaper stating that the Creofest had been changed to the Culver City Park in Culver City, Ca on the 5th of September. Because of the mixup of the 2 events,the organizer for
FPCCH panicked by thinking that there would be a lot of people coming to pay at the gate, and ordered more food, which was later found to be unnecessary since the overflow at the gate did not happen, thus causing an over- purchase of food. (which did not go to waste and was given to the participants to take home)

The many beautiful people present at the picnic were welcomed by the Founder, Marion I. Ferreira, and thanked for helping us to further the Creole Cultural Cause.

The Special Creole Award for 2004, in the form of a gold plaque, was presented to Baron Richard Augustine/Commeaux, owner and operator of the famous website “FrenchCreoles.com”. out of appreciation for all that he has done to further the Creole Cultural Cause. An additional praise goes to Mr. Commeaux for sponsoring the zydeco band for the event.

Other Awards were given to the oldest persons at the picnic which were Marie Metoyer Ledet (81) and Olga Dupre Perkins (87), both of Los Angeles, CA. The youngest person present was beautiful little Serena Guyot (2 1/2), daughter of our President, Caesar Guyot of Laguna, Nigel, CA. The most tickets bought were (9) by Ann Howlett of Culver City, CA. The first tickets bought were (4) by M.B. Connors of Pasadena, CA. The most tickets sold (4) were by Allen Verdun of Los Angeles, CA.

Yours truly, the Founder, purchased auto bumper stickers to sell at the picnic at $2 each. The very colorful bumper stickers of purple and gold reads in bold print “CREOLE CULTURE” and on the second line “HELP SAVE IT”. The third line gives the name and address of the organization FPCCH and the post office address.

The people at the picnic and the readers are encouraged to purchase the auto bumper stickers and place them proudly on the rear of their auto to show Creole Pride and to keep the Culture Alive. They and the reader are also requested to order a Membership Application form to the organization, Foundation for the Preservation of Creole Cultural Heritage, and sign up by contributing $25 per family each year to the organization whose main purpose is to keep the Creole Culture Alive through dissemination of Creole history, current information and events such as the Creole Family Picnic and its many future planned events.

The Founder of FPCCH, Mrs. Marion I. Ferreira, has made it a point to attend the
following Creole Events to help her gather Creole information –
*1981 – The Western Family (Metoyers et al) Reunion in Alexandria, La,
**1983 – Sponsored the First Metoyer-Cane River Descendants Reunion in Los Angeles, CA
*** The Western Family (Metoyers et al) Reunion held in Long Beach, CA
****The Western Family (Metoyers et al) Reunion held in Seattle, Washington
*****The Creole Family History Convention in Montebello, CA – July 2002, at which time she had an exhibit on Mother Henriette Delille’s Cause for Canonization as the First Native Born Creole American Saint.
******The Creole Heritage Center Convention in New Orleans, LA, October 2003; where she also has an exhibit on Mother Henriette Delille’s Cause for Canonization as the First Native Born Creole American Saint.
******* The Creole Heritage Center Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada – May 2004.
Where she was given The Creole People’s Award by the Center for her 23 years of dedication to the Cause of the Creole People.
******* Note: This convention was written up in the Australian Website of George deLaMar, a French Creole from Rodriguez, an Island just off South Africa, who attended the Las Vegas Convention. He also wrote an article entitled “The Resurgence of Creolism in the USA. His article addressed the needs of the Creole People as follows –
For Creole People to feel comfortable in being Creole
For Creole people to study common grounds issues created due its unique position with the global community .
For Creole People to find answers to questions regarding their ethnic and cultural displacement globally.
For Creole People to trace the development of their culture.
For Creole people to meet and greet their foreign relatives and establish points of contact.
For Creole People to find their global roots.
For Creole people to find their comfort zone.

His Website address is Users.bigpond.com/l_arom

********And the Founder is already scheduled to attend the Creole Heritage Day Convention in Nachitoches, LA and St. Augustine Fair Celebration in Cane River – October 7th – 10th, 2004.

We are very proud to announce that to date we have 15 paid up members for the year 2004. They are as follows:

Marion I. Ferreira, Founder, Los Angeles, CA
Caesar Guyot, President, Laguna Nigel, CA
Baron Richard Augustine/Commeaux, Vice President, San Jose, CA
Ronald Vidal, Second Vice Pres., Cypress, CA
Carolyn Llorens, Rec. & Fin. Secretary, Inglewood, CA
Alfred E. Smith, Treasurer, Los Angeles, CA

Anthony Calcote, Jr., Los Angeles, CA
Ronald Candiff, New Orleans, LA
Janine Frilot, Orange, CA
Marcia Metoyer/Johnson, Palmdale, CA
Robert Simen, Gardena, CA
Tara & Edward Taylor, Shalimar, FL
Allan & Marta Verdun, Los Angeles, CA

CREOLE TID-BITS

COUTEE, Darren On January 24, 2004, Has been made the first Creole-American
Chief of Police in Alexandria, LA The 59 year old Pineville, LA resident does not want to be judged as a particular race or religion but a Chief for all of the people. His background is 17 years at Alexandria Police Department, Investigator with the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office, holds a Bachelor Degree from Louisiana College and a Master’s Degree from Northeast Louisiana University; and is involved in a pending civil lawsuit against the city over retirement pay.

THIBEDEAU, Has been made the first Creole-American Judge in Lake Charles, LA

SINGLETON, Hubert, of Hammond, LA, a former SVD Priest, is head of an
organization dedicated to research on the Creole and its Attakapas Indian ancestry. E-mail HughSing@Charter.net.

DECUIR/MASTERSON, Diane – A newly discovered “Creole” Has done extensive research on the Creole genealogy of surnames such as Decuir, Boutte, Frilot, Olivier, Dubreuil, Delille, and connective surnames. E-mail LadyofSpain1@aol.com

FERREIRA, Marion I., Has 68 pages on the HEBERT/GUILLORY/FONTENOT
Genealogy Record. E-Mail Redbino9@aol.com

SARPY, John – Of Shreveport, LA, author of a book which outlines information on Mother Henriette Delille and her ancestry with the Cane River Creoles entitled “A Slave, A Frenchman and the Blood of a Saint”. John is a great writer and a very deep thinker on the subject of our Creole ancestry. Has participated in a document which was made on Cane River regarding the Creoles. E-Mail josos@webtv.net

MARTIN, Gilbert – A noted author of many books on Creoles, is in residence at the Veterans Home, in Yountsville, CA. Although recovering from colon surgery, Continues to fight for Creole Rights under the 1803 Treaty signed by the USA (in which they reneged on the agreements) with France when Louisiana was bought from France. E-mail address Creopelican413@aol.com

CREOLE CONNECTION ADS – For many years prior to 1990, the Founder of FPCCH chartered a Love Connection in the Bayou Talk Newspaper. It was discontinued by the editor. Many subscribers were unhappy at this discontinuance since they felt it was a necessary function giving our young adult Creoles the opportunity to meet and correspond with other Creoles throughout the US. This organization would like to continue this function.

All we ask is that if you are interested in getting in touch with other Creoles, send in your ad, telling your age, height, sex, resident, phone No., likes and dislikes, desires, etc. to FPCCH, P.O. Box 43313, Los Angeles, CA 90043. A charge for handling will be $10. No information regarding your address or telephone No. will be given anyone that you write to or who writes to you. This will be your own prerogative. This organization understands that this is an adult activity and takes no liability for any actions on the parts of the participants.

This edition of FPCCH is sent to you at no charge. All additional newsletters will be sent to you upon your subscription for same, A charge will be $3.00 per newsletter, which will be sent every three months,at an annual charge of $12. The Founder has 23 years of Creole History, Creole information and Creole Genealogy that may be of importance to you and will attempt to impart as much as possible in each edition.

Thank You for Your Time and Courtesy
Mrs. Marion I. Ferreira, Founder of FPCCH