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29th annual SugarFest celebrates agriculture and Louisiana history
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PORT ALLEN - Over 200 guests immersed themselves in Louisiana history during the 29th annual SugarFest at the West Baton Rouge Museum on Sunday afternoon.
Local artists were creating projects on site while others were making drinks from fresh sugar cane. Executive director of the West Baton Museum Angelique Bergeron says this year was a celebration for the community.
"It's a 'thank you' to the community for supporting us for the millage tax that we get," she said.
The festival wasn't limited to sugar cane-related activities. It also featured artists and advocates for historical and agricultural preservation.
Artist Henry Watson carves wall hangings depicting historic buildings. He recreates facades of buildings on Cypress wood.
"I love the history of Louisiana," he said "Those old buildings are now faded away. In my art, I like to recreate them so they can still have a place in history."
The Capitol Area Beekeepers Association educated festival-goers on the importance of saving bees. Although sugar cane does not rely on bees for pollination, other plants do.
"They're responsible for pollinating a lot of our vegetables, flowers and things that we need," Capitol Area Beekeepers Association Ory Marrioneaux said.
He says that people need to be more educated on how to protect them.
"People at home can reduce their pesticides and I would like to see more diversity in our lawns. The reason we don't see a steady decline is because all of the beekeepers work hard at trying to raise that number back up," he said.
Members of the West Baton Rouge Museum say they have a few surprises planned next year for the festival's 30th anniversary and they hope to make it bigger in celebration of the milestone.
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