Day 7: Preserving Local Culture & Its Effect on the Economy

There are many different examples of businesses and organizations that work to protect Louisiana's culture. One of which being Randol's Seafood Restaurant located in Lafayette, Louisiana.  For 35 years, they've been providing an inside look into the life of our Cajun ancestors.  The cuisine offered is custonary to the Cajun culture which runs deep in the Acadiana area.  The restaurant also offers live entertainment that displays  the music that's been the sound of the Cajun culture for generations and generations.  They value added to the local economy by this restaurant is the fact that the restaurant had created jobs for the surrounding locals as well as the booking of the local talent.  The restaurant brings in tourists as well as providing jobs which helps stimulate the economy in itself.

Another example of a business trying to preserve our local culture is Acadian Village.  What they've done is replicated a Cajun community through the use of the old houses displaying the architecture of the time and the general landscape of what anyone would have seen back in that era.  It comes equipped with it's own church as well as a bayou that would have been staples in the Cajun community at that time.  It is a non-profit organization run on donations that actually hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  So they not only bring in tourism to the economy, but they give our disabled population to work and providing them an income of some sort income therefore continuing to stimulate our local economy. 

A final example of an organization preserving our local and state culture is the Anerican Wetlands Foundation. They're committed to preserving the sustainability of the state's ecosystem by taking initiatives to protect Louisiana's coastline.  This helps to preserve our hunting and fishing industry enjoyed in the Acadiana area.  Protecting the coast continues to provide an income to the guides as well as the  Wildlife and Fisheries department of ou state.  Without the coast to hunt, the state would be without the funds generated from the sale of licenses for hunting and fishing.