EVANGELINE PARISH — MAMOU, La. — A community-led effort to breathe new life into downtown Mamou is looking toward its biggest project yet: creating a town square and historical museum that organizers hope will preserve the town's history, celebrate its Cajun, Creole and zydeco music roots and give residents a new place to gather.
The project is part of The MOU-vement, a Mamou community initiative that has already worked on projects ranging from downtown cleanups and planters to storefront improvements, veterans memorial efforts, community events and Christmas decorations.
Now, business owner Kimberly Bourgeois and Mamou Mayor Leisa Deshotel, who Bourgeois says initially began the effort together, are among those working toward a larger vision for downtown.
That vision includes the Mamou Town Square Pop-Up & Market Hub, planned for property at the corner of Main and Fourth streets.
The quick-action placemaking project is intended to begin creating an age-friendly gathering space downtown while helping move the community toward the long-term goal of a permanent town square and historical museum.
For Bourgeois, however, the effort is about more than buildings or beautification. She said it grew from concern over what she saw happening to her hometown and a desire to restore community pride.
"It was created because our town was dying," Bourgeois said.
She recalled a conversation with a young woman who worked for her and told her she had once been embarrassed by Mamou.
"I used to be very embarrassed of my town. I hated driving through it," Bourgeois recalled the young woman telling her. "And she said, now I'm proud to drive through it and all the things that y'all have done."
Bourgeois said hearing that was especially meaningful because she remembers growing up in Mamou during a time when young people felt connected to their community.
"When I grew up in the '80s, we were proud to be from Mamou," Bourgeois said. "We loved our town. We loved the people."
She said community projects can help give younger residents that same sense of ownership and pride.
The name of The MOU-vement is a play on Mamou's name, but Bourgeois said "movement" also describes what organizers are trying to create — getting residents and visitors moving throughout town and supporting multiple local businesses.
"Part of the movement part is to create movement through the town and to get people here," Bourgeois said.
As a local business owner herself, Bourgeois said she tries to direct customers to other businesses when they are looking for something she does not sell.
"If they come here, we want to refer them like, 'Oh, go down to the flower shop or go down to the pharmacy. They have these things,'" she said. "And that creates that movement through the town."
Bourgeois owns The Moulatte, a Mamou coffee shop that also features local art, crafts and other items reflecting the community's culture.
She said the shop was designed in part as a place where people could gather, talk and build relationships — an idea that carries over into the larger town square project.
"Part of building this was to get people to communicate, to sit and talk and inspire each other and create," Bourgeois said.
The MOU-vement describes its broader goal as making Mamou a gateway to the Louisiana culture people recognize around the world, including the traditions, food, music, craftsmanship and hospitality associated with Cajun, Creole and Southern heritage.
Organizers say they want to connect community, commerce and culture while preserving Mamou's roots and creating new economic opportunities.
Bourgeois said Mamou does not currently have the kind of defined town square organizers envision.
"The vision is to have like a town square," Bourgeois said. "We don't have an exact town square in Mamou."
According to Bourgeois, Deshotel worked with the owners of property to have land donated for the project.
The planned Mamou Town Square Pop-Up & Market Hub would incorporate a combination of permanent and semi-permanent public-space improvements.
Plans call for improved lighting, accessible seating, shade elements, wayfinding and signage and a small performance or pavilion-style gathering area.
The space would also be used for recurring pop-up farmers markets and cultural programming designed to bring different generations together.
Bourgeois said organizers envision the area being available not only for markets, but also for churches, civic organizations and other groups that want to hold community activities.
"We'll have the stage in the pavilion and then also open it up for the farmers market for people to bring stuff," she said. "And that'll create gatherings and movement in town."
Organizers say the project is designed to benefit the entire community while putting particular emphasis on residents age 50 and older.
Plans call for recruiting older residents as "Mamou Culture Keepers," who could share stories and music history, mentor younger volunteers and participate in market days.
Organizers also envision opportunities for older residents to earn income through market vending, museum-style traveling exhibits and welcoming visitors to the community.
The goal is to create a safer, more comfortable place for people to gather and reduce social isolation while increasing activity downtown.
A museum dedicated to Mamou's story
The town square is only one part of the long-term vision.
The MOU-vement also wants to establish a historical museum telling the story of Mamou and its deep connections to Louisiana music and culture.
Bourgeois said an Acadian-style house farther down Main Street is intended to become part of the museum project.
"The vision is to have like a town square," Bourgeois said. "We don't have an exact town square in Mamou, so the mayor, Lisa Deshotel, worked with the ladies that own the property to have them donated. And then further down Main Street was the old house that we're going to see, the Acadian-style house that is part of the museum."
Bourgeois said the museum would recognize musicians with ties to Mamou while also telling the broader history of the community.
"We wanna honor our local Cajun musicians and zydeco musicians," she said.
Mamou's musical identity is a central piece of the vision, but Bourgeois stressed that organizers want the museum to go beyond music alone.
"We're known as the Cajun Music Capital, but we have a lot more than just the Cajun music," Bourgeois said.
She said the hope is that someone who comes to Mamou to see the museum will then visit other businesses, landmarks and attractions — creating the same "movement" through town that inspired the initiative's name.
"It's gonna be Mamou history and it'll be Cajun and Creole music or zydeco music because we have deep roots in that here," Bourgeois said. "But also just like the history of the town."
Bourgeois pointed to the visitors who already come to Mamou for its music and cultural traditions as evidence of the potential to attract people downtown.
From a vision to reality
Turning the plans into a finished town square and museum will require money.
Bourgeois said the group has looked to a combination of grants, state assistance, donations and local fundraising.
She said organizers began working on a museum grant application with assistance from Ville Platte but paused that process amid changes involving Mamou's mayor and town council.
Bourgeois said the group plans to continue pursuing grant opportunities after the November elections.
She also said the initiative has received state funding assistance and has held local fundraisers throughout the year.
Those efforts have included a ball or dance and the group's veterans poster project. Money collected through the poster effort has also supported The MOU-vement's work.
Bourgeois said moving a building several blocks alone cost roughly $15,000.
She said bathroom facilities for the town square are also part of the work underway, with accessibility requirements contributing to the cost of the project.
The group plans to continue fundraising as it works toward the larger vision.
Improvements residents can already see
While the town square and museum represent the future, The MOU-vement's work is already visible in different parts of Mamou.
The initiative's community projects have included town cleanups, downtown planters, a lighted Christmas parade, efforts to improve the town's lighted Christmas decorations, veterans memorial posters and storefront updates when property owners allow the work.
The group has also worked with the Chamber of Commerce on fundraising efforts and bringing local business owners together.
Bourgeois said organizers have also worked with students and youth groups on community projects, including Boo in the Mou and veterans poster initiatives.
"We work with the JAG group a lot," Bourgeois said, explaining that involving students in projects gives them a connection to the town.
"That's what we need is that connection," she said.
The initiative has also supported projects involving local schools, including fundraising connected to the high school band and improvements around athletic facilities.
Bourgeois said the various projects may appear unrelated, but they share the same purpose.
"It's not just one thing," she said. "It's the town as a whole."
A surprise for longtime business owner Jimmy Thomas
One of the most visible examples of The MOU-vement's storefront work can be found at longtime Mamou business owner Jimmy Thomas' auto shop.
Bourgeois said Thomas was one of the business owners the group approached as it worked to update storefronts around town.
"We have helped business owners with storefronts, update their storefronts," Bourgeois said. "Mr. Jimmy Thomas was one who we all love. I think he's grandfather to all of us."
Thomas said the group painting his building came as a surprise.
"Yes, they're the one who did that job," Thomas said. "Sure did. Boy, talk about happiness. That was a surprise."
Thomas recalled Bourgeois approaching him and telling him she wanted to do something for him. When painting the building came up, Thomas knew how he wanted it to look.
"I want to paint it white with white trimming," Thomas recalled telling her.
He said he was happy with the result.
"They did so much of a good job," Thomas said.
Bourgeois said The MOU-vement has completed work on several buildings with the permission of their owners and hopes additional downtown facades can eventually be improved.
The storefront work is a smaller-scale example of the group's larger strategy: make visible improvements now while working toward more ambitious projects for Mamou's future.
Building pride across generations
Bourgeois said one of her biggest priorities is getting younger generations involved.
She said she became concerned several years ago that younger residents were losing interest in the town and that conversations surrounding Mamou had become increasingly negative.
"I wanted to get the younger generations more involved because they were just losing interest in the town," she said.
She believes that has begun to change.
"Now it's more positive," Bourgeois said, adding that she has seen more residents in their 20s and 30s becoming involved.
For Bourgeois, seeing young people participate in community projects, school activities and efforts to improve Mamou is an important sign of progress.
"Having all these kids just get involved and be proud of where they're from," she said.
Bourgeois said the problem is not unique to Mamou. Small towns across the region are trying to determine how to keep residents engaged, businesses operating and community traditions alive.
"It's all the small towns," she said. "So we had to stand up and do something."
The MOU-vement hopes its town square, market hub and historical museum can become the next chapter of that effort — creating a physical space where Mamou's past and future can meet.
The immediate plan is to activate downtown with a welcoming public space, markets and cultural programming. The longer-term goal is to establish the museum and town square as destinations that preserve Mamou's history while creating new reasons for residents and visitors to spend time downtown.
For Bourgeois, that work ultimately comes back to the same motivation that helped launch the initiative in the first place.
"Because I love our town," she said.
