The 4th Annual Old Spanish Trail Day Celebration took place on Saturday.
Held in the historic downtown area of Rayne at The Depot Square (corner of Highways 90 and 35), the event began at 9 a.m.
The free celebration included exhibits, displays depicting Old Spanish Trail history, vendors, food, music, and dancing.
Opening ceremonies took place at 9 a.m. Live music followed, along with a display of antique and vintage vehicles, in addition to demonstrations featuring transportation relics and frontier themes.
Blake Alleman, a food vendor with Gabe's Cajun Food, encouraged residents to "just come out, enjoy the history of the town. Enjoy this beautiful weather. Grab some food, arts and crafts. We've got everything here."
Also featured was an "OST Museum for a Day," where a number of special displays and presentations were enjoyed.
Speakers at The Bank of Mervine Kahn included:
9:30 a.m. Table Francaise by Jane Deville Matte
10:15 a.m. Building the Old Spanish Trail Highway through Acadia Parish by Gene Thibodeaux
11 a.m. Lost Louisiana: The Cattle Drives of Louisiana by STella Carline Tanoos
11:45 a.m. CReole Cowboys: Blazing Trails Then and Now" by Dr. Elista Istre
12:30 p.m. Concluding Remarks: The OST and Official OST Cities by Dr. C. Eddie Palmer until 2 p.m.
Rayne is the first city in the nation to be named an OST City and is working to revive the cross country road that we know as Highway 90 (and parts of LA 182) in Louisiana.
The Old Spanish Trail stretches almost 3,000 miles across eight states in the southern area of the country from St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California.
Learn more about the Old Spanish Trail here and here.
