[StBernard] Long after Hurricane Katrina, Isleno Fiesta in St. Bernard Parish to enjoy refurbished museum complex

[Westley Annis]

Long after Hurricane Katrina, Isleno Fiesta in St. Bernard Parish to enjoy
refurbished museum complex
By Bob Warren, The Times-Picayune 
March 18, 2010, 2:56PM

The 34th annual Isleno Fiesta gets underway Saturday morning and this year
festival-goers will be able to enjoy the party against the background of a
refurbished Los Islenos Museum complex.

The complex on Bayou Road in St. Bernard Village, which was severely damaged
during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, will be rededicated with a ceremony at
10:30 Saturday morning. The fiesta, which is run by Los Islenos Heritage and
Cultural Society and features music, food and crafts native to the Isleno
culture, opens at noon on Saturday and continues Sunday.

The complex includes nine buildings on 30 acres, and received around $2.5
million in federal recovery money after the hurricane. The complex also
includes two museums, the Isleno Museum and the Ducros Museum.

The complex is dedicated to the cultural heritage of the Islenos,
descendants of the Canary Islanders who migrated to St. Bernard Parish in
the 1700s. The Canary Islands are a group of Spanish islands off the
northwest coast of Africa.

Entertainment, including performers from the Canary Islands, will run from 1
p.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday and from noon until 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Authentic dishes such as paella, croquetas, empanadillos and caldo, a savory
mix of white beans, vegetables and pickled pork served over rice, will be
available.