We are excited to offer another Wine Dinner, Saturday, May 12 at 7:00 PM. Celebrate Mother’s Day, or come with friends just to relax and enjoy a four-course meal, paired with wines. The cost is $100 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:00, cocktails will be available at 6:00 PM.
I like simple things. I like the natural, the home-made, the home-grown. I try to buy from local merchants, family businesses, and, of course, American companies. So when my new toiletries from Greenwich Bay Trading Company arrived this week, I was excited! Greenwich Bay is a is a family owned and operated business that has been manufacturing fine toiletries since 1962. All of their products are made to order, and they use only natural ingredients. They design, formulate, manufacture, print, package and ship all from Raleigh, North Carolina. And, they put our Dansereau House logo on everything!
We met the great people at Greenwich Bay at the annual Professional Association of Innkeepers International Conference. We talked a bit, and I had some samples sent to us. I don’t know how other B&B’s and hotels make decisions about soaps and towels and such, but Paul and I tend to obsess. We lay them all out on the table, and let people sniff and vote. We washed, and sniffed, and discussed! What might be lovely for a woman, might not impress the men. How did it lather? How did our hair feel? In the end, we chose “Rosemary, Cedar, and Thyme.” Right now the boxes are stacked in the kitchen, and the smell is wonderful! But soon they will be tucked in their baskets, ready for guests.
We do appreciate the patient, professional, and timely service of Greenwich Bay. I know that our guests will love our new toiletries that were chosen and crafted with care.
It’s hard to believe that we will soon be setting up our booth for the third year at the South Louisiana Bridal Show, held Sunday, March 18th in the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center! I remember our first year so well! The Dansereau House wasn’t even open to the public yet, and we were still in the cleaning and decorating stage. But we knew that the house would provide a wonderful venue for weddings, receptions, and showers. We were determined to get the word out!
I have to admit, it took some quick marketing efforts and a lot of creative thinking. Photos are everything, and we’d had no weddings, so we had no photos. I recruited my newly-married niece to don her wedding dress once again and be my model. That was perfect! In between the work effort involved in getting the house ready for our Grand Opening, we designed printed materials, put together packages, and created our booth to look like the parlor at The Dansereau House. 
It was great fun to meet all the excited brides, and to see their surprise when they learned that there was another wedding venue option in the Houma/Thibodaux area! Within days we were giving tours of the house. One of our very first guests was a just-married couple who spent their honeymoon night in the Governor’s Suite. Not long after that we were honored to have our first official wedding ceremony take place in the Parlor. Since then we have held some beautiful weddings on the lawn, either in our new wedding arbor, or under tent. We’ve had lovely receptions, bridal showers, engagement parties, and romantic honeymoons. And, as a result of some of our weddings, we’ve had a number baby showers as well…
If you are a bride-to-be, you don’t want to miss the South Louisiana Bridal Show! Join us Sunday, March 18th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center, in Houma. According to event officials, this will be the biggest show ever, with the greatest number of vendors to help you plan your big day. Each year we’ve made great additions to our booth, so come over and say “Hello.”
Patience is not one of my virtues. We had been told almost as soon as we opened The Dansereau House two years ago, that The Lafourche Parish Library was going to move into the old Daily Comet building right behind the house. I was ecstatic! As an avid reader, and former English teacher, I felt that nothing would be a better fit for our historic downtown
Thibodaux than that! So, I watched. I waited. I asked whenever I went to the branch on St. Mary Street. No news. Little did I know that the waiting had been going on for ten years, and that I was in a crowd of very excited people when the ribbon was finally cut on Monday, February 27, 2012.
I have to admit that I peeked in the windows occasionally while the transformation was going on, but I was not prepared for how wonderful it would be. The facility designed by Duplantis Design Group, with the renovations done by Thompson Construction, is much larger than the old library facility, and is now the largest branch in the parish. Even if you are not a reader, I suggest that you stop by just to look around. There are creative design features that are sure to make you smile, from the sculpture of children reading on a log that greets you as you enter, or the stairway of books that takes you to the second-level reading loft for adults. Children and teens have their own section. There are computer labs, a genealogy room, beautiful murals, and an outside reading patio. It won’t take you long to feel the enthusiasm and pride of the staff as they show you around.
My waiting has come to an end; I’ve gotten my shiny new library card, and checked out some delightful cookbooks. I’m excited about beginning my Dansereau Family research with the help of the genealogy department. And there’s no more excuses for me now to have overdue books!
I don’t think you can spend much time at the The Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival held at Nicholls State University without smiling and moving to the music. Paul and I went for the first time last year, and had one of the most memorable afternoons! Thinking about it still makes me smile.
Scheduled for Friday, March 16, through Sunday, March 18, this year is the fourth year for the festival, which features local as well as regional musicians. When you need a break from dancing, check out a variety of local artisans and craftsmen selling their wares. And, of course, there’s Louisiana food waiting to be sampled!
For more information about the Swamp Stomp, visit their website here.
