5/19 Businesses with local culture

The two individuals we listened to today explained what they do the keep the culture in the country. Three businesses/organizations in Louisiana that also try to keep the culture alive are McIlhenny Co. (Avery Island/Tabasco), Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation, and Vermilionville. Each of these has their own ways of keeping the culture alive as well as contributing to our state economy.

Mcailhenny Co. is the producer and distributor of Tabasco hot sauce. This relates to our culture because we like our food spicy. Even though most cajuns cook with enough seasoning, some people still like to add hot sauce to their food. One of the most popular brands in our state and even many other locations is Tabasco. Almost every restaurant has them located on their tables. One of the best things about this company is people are allowed to visit the factory and see and learn how it is prepared. This helps the economy by keeping tourism local in the state and because it is such a popular brand and is distributed right here in the state.

Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization that strives to protect historic and cultural buildings in the state. Their mission is "The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation promotes tbe preservation of the historical resources and heritage of Louisiana." As an organization they have frequent meetings as well as an annual conference to discuss and maintain the buildings needing preservation. They do their best to prevent historic buildings from being demolished. Their meetings even take place in a different city each meeting. They provide and statewide effort to protect all buildings throught the entire state. This organization also helps the economy because they give tourism options in different cities. Most of the popular bigger cities have options for their downtown districts to have tours and these mostly consist of historic and culutral buildings. In Lafayette, if a building has been considered historic they usually have a plate on the outside stating this.

Vermilionville is a living history museum and folklife park that promotes cultural resources of the Acadian, Native American, and Creole people. Visitors can tour the restored original homes on the property and see demonstrations from local artisans. They frequently have cajun bands and different events all related to Louisiana culture. As with the other two, they bring in tourism as a way to help the economy. Tourism is a big promotion in Louisiana. So many I have heard the radio ad to be a tourist in your own state. This not only helps our economy, but also educates the people of the culture of the state.