The Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center opened in what was called the Sibille Building on Main Street thirty years ago this month, on September 18-19-20th, 1992. The actual grand opening was on Saturday the 19th, with the ribbon cutting at 9:00AM.
That museum grand opening was a big deal in Opelousas, with a weekend full of activities. On the evening of Friday, September 18, 1992, before the official opening, there was a reception and preview of the museum, followed by an art Action at the nearby bank. The next day, Saturday, September 19th was the grand opening which also included the beginning of the Cultural A-fair, with booths and historical and cultural exhibits set up on Littell Street, between Court and Main streets, next to the museum. There was music and cultural dancing in the streets. And of course, there was food.
But the fun did not end on Saturday. Sunday was a big day as well, with the Cultural A-fair activities continuing at Le Vieux Village. It was a festival that celebrated all the cultural groups that make up the town, a cultural gumbo so to speak. There was music, folk dancing, stories and humor, with a lot of great food. It was all a wonderful event that highlighted what Opelousas is and continues to be.
The museum and how it came to be is a great success story for Opelousas. It was a public-private effort that took four years of hard work by a lot of community volunteers to get the museum opened. And it must have been a successful project since thirty years later it is still operating. Shows what can be done when people are willing to work together for the betterment of the community.
