Looking A Lot Like Christmas at The Dansereau House

To watch the video, click the photo

Every night a lone man sits on the front lawn of The Dansereau House. When darkness falls, and Saint Philip Street is quiet, he appears. One chair, one small table, and a laptop.  It has happened almost every night since the beginning of November. An occasional person passing may notice that Christmas lights go on and off in a silent dance. If they look closer at the man, they may notice that, beneath his beanie, headphones pulse out a song they cannot hear. “Boughs of Holly” by Trans Siberian Orchestra. That man is Paul, and he had a deadline: December 4, 2011. He can imagine the sound of the floats from the Thibodaux Christmas Parade as they come closer, Santa arrives at The Dansereau House, and the Christmas lights go on for the first time this year.

We love Christmas! The lights, the music, the excitement, but especially the ‘Reason for the Season.” The owner of The Dansereau House, Damon Baldone, loves Christmas too, so when it comes to decorating, we have his blessing. Christmas 2010 was the beginning. Of course, the lighting was the biggest push, and the snow machines were the lagniappe. This year our goal was to create movement and add music to the light show, something too big to attempt last year. In addition, we were honored to be asked to be the ending site of the Thibodaux Christmas Parade this year, to light up the house for the first time that night, and let Santa use the front lawn to listen to the Christmas wishes of the children. We had a mission!

Of course, research was the first step, and we began ours in the Fall of 2010! No longer just strings of lights operating on timers, but computer programs, controllers, and channels became a part of our Christmas vocabulary. After looking at endless options, Paul settled on a system from Revival Control Systems, and has been so pleased with his choice. Their motto is Matthew5:16.. Look it up; it will make you smile. Also added this year is what we fondly call The Mega Tree, which stands twenty feet tall in the front yard, and boasts over 6,000 lights. Again this year our friends from Florida offered us a week of their time to help. Between David and Paul, the Mega Tree went up, and the controller and all of it’s electrical installed. We could not have made it happen without David and Andrea’s help.

During the day Paul and I continued with the decorating, along with our regular routine of operating a Bed & Breakfast, with some weddings and special events as well. While Paul remained the Lighting and Technical Expert, I became the Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Moral Support. Many thanks to the wonderful people at Lowes for all their help and encouragement.  I will never forget the look on one gentleman’s face when I nabbed him late in the evening and said, “Your website says you have 23 boxes of light stakes in this store, and I can’t find them!”  He found them and asked how many I wanted. “All of them,” I said. I don’t know his name, but I hope he and all the helpful employees can come enjoy the show one night, and know they were a part!

The physical part of the project continued throughout November, and December came quickly. By day, Paul placed light strings with the meticulousness of an architect, and continued his nightly sojourns into the dark to program the lights to the music. In our initial research we read that it can take hours to program a single minute of music, and this is true. Note by note, light strand by light strand. We appreciate the patience of our neighbors!

So many people lent a helping hand, and we thank you all! What may have seemed to you like a small task was to us like extra hours in the day. We are blessed by each one of you!

Please come by to enjoy our gift to you! You can tune into the music with your car radio on FM 98.9. Please give your feedback on our website, our Facebook page, or by email. We would love to hear from you!

Most importantly: Merry Christmas!

Here’s a few photos. More to come!

Halloween at The Drinkery!

Our Spook-Tacular Halloween Costume Party was a laughter-filled success! Nerds, Famous Cats, Groucho Marx, and even Women of the Night joined us on the veranda of The Dansereau House.  Drinking Black Widow Martinis and munching on toasty BOO-chetta,  the crowd chatted, laughed, and  listened to the sweet voice of Jodi James.

At the end of the evening our costume party winner was announced: The Nerd and His Ho!Bert and Maureen Sison made a lovely pair, with no details spared in their costumes.  Pocket Protectors aren’t easy to find anymore, and the tattoos on his ‘lady’ were the finishing touch! The winners received a bottle of wine of their choice, and all costumed guests  received a free-drink coupon.

We know we are a bit crazy sometimes at The Drinkery, but we always have a good time! Enjoys a few photos, and join us on Thursday nights! The Drinkery is open from 5:00 to 9:00 PM.

Click any photo to watch a slide show.

Join Us at Thibodeauxville Fall Festival!

Thibodeauxville is almost here! This year’s Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, November 12, in historic downtown Thibodaux, Louisiana. But, it’s not just arts and crafts! Incredible local food, great music, and entertainment can be found, as well. The Dansereau House will have a booth again this year, with information about upcoming holiday events and displays of photos from our first two years.

The festival has been named one of the top twenty by the Southeast Tourism Society, and has attracted visitors from many states. We still have a few rooms available, if you need a comfy bed and delicious breakfast while you are here.

Here’s a bit of Thibodaux trivia: Have you ever noticed that there is an ‘e’ in Thibodeauxville, but not in Thibodaux? Here is the explanation, from Rhonda at the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce: On April 2, 1832 the town of Thibodeauxville was incorporated, and that was the original name of the town. During the act of incorporation that increased the size of the City on March 10, 1838, the ”ville” was purposely dropped from the name.  On May 29, 1846 there was a supplement to the Acts incorporating the Town of Thibodaux. That is when the State Legislature left out the ”E” on the spelling and the name became Thibodaux.

Come out and enjoy the Fall Festival and the historic downtown district on Saturday, November 12! Shop, eat, and enjoy yourself from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

For more information, click here.

Who Dat on the Big Screen!

What an exciting time we had last Thursday night at The Drinkery at The Dansereau House! Knowing that it was the season opener for the New Orleans Saints, we pulled out all the stops for our “Black & Gold Football Extravaganza.”

Fall was in the air, and the night was perfect for our open-air football-watching party! We set up a huge screen in the yard, combined the telecast with our sound system, and the Saints came marching in! The picture quality was incredible!  Beer specials, tailgate snacks, and an enthusiastic crowd made the night a success! A few more points on the scoreboard would have helped, but spirits remained high until the game was over.

Based on the response, watch for future football extravaganzas! See a few photos here.

“Around Town” Comes to Thibodaux

I have to admit, it’s a bit intimidating to have a film crew come in to The Dansereau House for interviews and to film our décor, our food, and our service. I spent the days before their arrival worrying about overlooked dust-bunnies being illuminated by bright lights, about my menu, about what we would say to truly communicate how we care about our guests. I never expected that the hosts and crew of the Around Town Show, Baton Rouge, would almost immediately feel like friends, that we would laugh and be at ease, and that we would be sorry to have them leave. Thank you to Host Scott Rogers, Elizabeth Dent, Mathew Hodgkins and Stuart Poulton.

According to their website, “The Around Town TV Show is the largest, most-watched, and longest running independent community TV Show in Louisiana.” We understand why.  They pride themselves on focusing on good news. Their goal is to “reflect the good and the positive that surrounds us everyday. We like to uplift our viewers and give them a reason to smile.”  The show airs two new, 1-hour shows every weekend; a Saturday edition and a Sunday edition.

Around Town came to Thibodaux with an idea that closely reflects one of our sentiments; that we are a vacation destination right in your own backyard. The Dansereau House and Thibodaux provide a magical weekend away, without travelling very far. The crew spent Friday afternoon and evening, and most of Saturday, filming The Dansereau House, local restaurants including The Foundry and Spahrs, and downtown shopping. We are looking forward to seeing the end results and we will keep you posted with information so that you can view as well.