This week’s Jubilee brings to life all the things that Louisiana has to offer. Food and music are big influences in this week’s celebration. Wide varieties of demonstrations and lectures are sure to interest all types of personalities.
Friday, April 4 is a full day of culinary cuisine and art. At 11 a.m. Chef John Folse will present “Chef John Folse’s Taste of Louisiana.” The demonstration will feature Cajun cuisines that are true symbols of the Louisiana culture. The presentation will be held in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Student Union. At 2 p.m. Chef Randy Cheramie, lecturer of Culinary Arts, will demonstrate how to make “New Orleans Classic Butter Sauces” while preparing New Orleans barbecue shrimp, trout almandine and pan-roasted fish. This demonstration will take place in 409 Gouaux Hall. All culinary presentations, excluding the John Folse demonstration, require reservations.
The art themed presentations are scheduled all day and feature artists from throughout the nation. The guest presenter, Warrington Colescott, an internationally acclaimed etchest, will be discussing his works at 2 p.m. in 201 Talbot Hall.
Not to forget the musical aspects of Jubilee, Luciana Soares, lecturer in piano and staff accompanist, will perform a recital at 10:45 a.m. in Talbot Theater. She will be performing works by composers such as Felix Mendelssohn and Frederic Chopin.
“This will be a really fun day because people can really lose themselves in art and culinary presentations,” Angela Hammerli, Jubilee coordinator, said.
For those who enjoy exploring the past, Saturday, April 5 offers just that. National Park Ranger Joni Blanchard will lead a lantern tour of St. John’s Episcopal Church and Cemetery. The cemetery is the resting place of Francis T. Nicholls, the namesake of Nicholls State University, and his family. The tour will begin at dusk at the Jean Lafitte National Park in the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center.
Monday, April 7 starts with the presentation of “101 Answers for New Teachers and Their Mentors (Effective Teaching Tips for Daily Classroom Use)” by Nicholls alumna Annette Breaux, elementary school curriculum coordinator for Lafourche Parish Public Schools. The presentation will start at 8:45 a.m. at Le BiJou Theater in the Student Union.
“Annette Breaux is a graduate of Nicholls; and one of the goals of Jubilee is to highlight Nicholls graduates,” Hammerli said.
Monday’s festivities also feature the biology aspects at Nicholls. Gary Lafleur, assistant professor of biological sciences, will be showing the Emmy-winning film “Assault on the Male,” a documentary about the endocrine disruption in wildlife at 10:45 a.m. in 301 Gouaux Hall. Lafleur will also be interviewing Karla Johanning, senior researcher with the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities, about the impact of environmental changes on the reproductive ability of male species. The interview will take place a 1 p.m. and will be broadcasted on KNSU FM 91.5.
To finish off this week of Jubilee, a musical concert featuring the Nicholls Symphonic Band will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Talbot Theater. The Nicholls Percussion Ensemble will also be performing and discussing the music and instruments used while performing.
“I think a lot of students will be amazed to realize that a lot of those musicians are not music majors,” Hammerli said.
“They are fantastic.”