Last Friday night, North Fourth Street came alive. Young and old alike danced in the street to The Red Stick Ramblers’ mix of Cajun-, western- and jazz-inspired tunes.
Some set up shop and plopped down in lawn chairs; others were on their feet dancing to the beat of the music. While still others visited with friends and neighbors.
Beneath the shadow of the Capitol building, the Ramblers played a show sponsored by the Louisiana State Museum with an attendance of more than 600 people.
Lead vocalist and fiddler Linzay Young gave several “shout outs” to small towns and the people in the crowd.
The crowd reacted with clapping, whistling and more dancing.
Although the museum will not open officially until late January or early February, Director of public relations for the museum system Kacey Hill said the museum, which is located in downtown Baton Rouge, is trying to get people involved and coming back to downtown for entertainment.
“We want to keep putting these events on because by the time we open, we would like the public to have name recognition and know that we are a place that is supporting the culture of Louisiana,” Hill said.
Hill said the Baton Rouge branch of the museum will focus on the contributions the state of Louisiana made to the world, including cultural, political, industrial and technological.
Keith Hardison, division director of the museum, said musical performances will play a prominent role in the programming the museum chooses.
“Hopefully we can show that a museum is a vibrant place where the community can have a conversation about its culture and history,” Hardison said.
“Our history as a state is so long, deep and diverse that the possibilities [for future programming] are virtually endless.”
Erika Katayama, curator of education for the museum, said while looking for entertainment for the event, she asked several different people for suggestions of a musical group that would represent the culture of Louisiana and still be enjoyed by all age groups.
“The overwhelming response I got was for The Red Stick Ramblers,” Katayama said.
Katayama said she thinks the Ramblers are almost like cultural ambassadors in that they bring the music and spirit of Louisiana with
them to their other shows.
Chas Justus, guitarist for the Ramblers, said he believes that many people enjoy their music because it is representative of the styles and sounds of southern Louisiana.
“It is real indicative of the music scene here,” Justus said. “The mix of styles of Blues, Acadian and French – it makes people feel familiar because it sounds like home.”
 
Contact Meghan Legaux at [email protected]