La Famille Blanchard, Inc.

October 24, 1998 Meeting

The BLANCHARD Family Reunion Information meeting for October was held on Oct. 24, 1998 at the Assumption High School Cafeteria in Napoleonville, La. This meeting was a great opportunity for everyone in attendance to visit the campus. Assumption High School will be the site for the Blanchard Family Reunion to be held next summer on August 7, 1999. The Blanchard Family Reunion will be the only sanctioned Blanchard Reunion held in 1999 as part of the CMA Louisiane 1999 and Francofete activities that will take place next summer in the 22 Acadian parishes of south Louisiana.

The Oct. 24th meeting was called to order by Sally Blanchard, V. P. of theBlanchard Reunion Committee. We welcomed new guests in attendance from Marrero and Franklin, La., as well as, Assumption, Lafourche, and Ascension Parishes. Everyone in attendance was encouraged to help "spread the word" about this once-in-a-lifetime event, by telling others, friends and neighbors, about our efforts to organize a successful 1999 BLANCHARD Family Reunion.

Donald Blanchard brought up the topic of an anti-litter campaign for Assumption Parish. The goal would be to clean up the roadside areas of the parish, to welcome the visitors who will be travelling to and through Assumption Parish. It has been estimated by Lt. Governor Kathleen Blanco Babineaux's Office of Tourism, that Louisiana will host over 200,000 visitors next summer, and at least 10,000 of those will be travelling through Assumption Parish in 1999. Rosie B. Scorsone reminded the group that at the September Blanchard information meeting, Cynthia Boudreaux, Pres. of the Assumption Area Chamber of Commerce, discussed the anti-litter issue. The Chamber of Commerce is currently working on an Assumption Parish anti-litter campaign. We encourage everyone to clean up our streets and neighborhoods, and show our local and out-of-state visitors, that Cajun Pride is alive and well in Assumption Parish!

Some of the Reunion business that was discussed at the information meeting included a motion to accept the design of our official 1999 BLANCHARD Family Reunion T-shirt logo, designed by Ronnie and Linda Blanchard of Marrero, La. The design features our Blanchard Family coat of arms, as well as the replicas of both the Acadian and the Acadiana flags, and the date and place of the 1999 Blanchard Reunion. Orders for T-shirts, as well as, other items featuring the family coat of arms will be available for purchase at the next meeting. The committee is also currently putting together an order form listing all of the items we will be offering. In addition to the Blanchard Reunion T-shirts, some of the other items we will have to offer include: polo shirts, Blanchard family name yard signs, baseball caps, souvenir lapel pins, and color prints of the official 1999 Blanchard coat of arms, suitable for framing. We are also accepting orders for the purchase of the official Acadiana flag. We will continue to have examples of these items on display at each monthly information meeting.

Sally Blanchard informed the group that Barbara Barras and the Assumption Parish Art Guild have agreed to display an art exhibit at our 1999 Blanchard Family Reunion. Ruth Blanchard has accepted the position of coordinator for the French Mass that will begin the day's activities for the Reunion. It was also confirmed that Mr. Jesse Dugas and the Cajun Chefs will be preparing the authentic Cajun meal that will be provided to all at the Reunion. Several other topics were discussed regarding local entertainment for the Blanchard Reunion.

We also welcomed Banks Edwards of Pensacola, Fl. to the meeting. Mr. Edwards is the Blanchard Reunion Genealogy Chairman, and is currently compiling the central database of all Blanchards for the Reunion. The Blanchard Family database now currently has approximately 30, 000 names of Blanchards and allied families through marriages. We encourage anyone with a link to the Blanchard Family to submit your family history to our Genealogy Committee, so you too can be a part of this huge undertaking. We are in the process of connecting Blanchards from all over the world!

Many of the visual displays depicting some of the Blanchard family history and Acadian-Cajun heritage were contributed by Rosie B. Scorsone, Laura B. Medina, Helen B. Williams, Ronnie and Linda Blanchard, Sally Blanchard and Debbie Vickers. We encourage all who attend our monthly meetings to share items of interest, including old family photos, genealogy records, books, maps and anything that would interest the group pertaining to our Blanchard and south Louisiana heritage.

Debbie Vickers of Baton Rouge, told the group a very interesting story about the historical significance of the St. John the Baptist Church in Brusly and its connection to the Blanchard family. The St. John the Baptist Church and Cemetery property was donated, in part by the Zephirin Blanchard family in 1832. The original church was completely destroyed by fire in 1907, and was rebuilt on the site, along the Mississippi River in Brusly, La. The original silver church bell was melted in the 1907 fire and parts of the silver bell are now on display in the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum in Port Allen, La.

The next BLANCHARD Family Reunion Information Meeting will be held on Saturday November 7, 1998 beginning at 10 AM at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Hall, 402 S. Kirkland St., in Brusly, La.

We invite everyone to attend this next Blanchard information meeting in Brusly. If you cannot attend the monthly meetings, but would like to receive additional information about the 1999 BLANCHARD FAMILY REUNION, or would like to contribute or inquire about Blanchard family genealogy, please contact Ronnie Blanchard, at 504-347-4261 (daytime), 504-3471691 (evening), email: AcadiaSn@ix.netcom.com OR Sally Blanchard, ph. 504-252-9655 (evening), email: SBlanc54@aol.com