It is interesting to observe that, at times, a seemingly unrelated series of elements comes together to gel into something really good. Call it divine intervention, serendipity, good karma, or whatever term you wish to describe that type of metamorphosis, but it happens, and that is what happened to develop the, now famous, Abita Springs Opry.
Around 1990, there was a coffee shop in a quaint house on Maple Street in Abita Springs named the Evening Star Coffee House. On occasional Saturday nights a group of musicians would gather and perform old-time country, bluegrass and traditional Southern gospel music. It was a treat to visit and hear the authentic music played on acoustic stringed instruments and hear the rich vocals provided by people like Bob Lambert and Bill Lilly who were advancing in years and had been performing the music all their lives.
Around the same time, a group of volunteer citizens constructed a gazebo and formed a pocket park in the center of Town at the location of the former ABC grocery that had fallen victim to fire. The centerpiece of the area was a small gazebo surrounded by a deck. It was decided that it would provide a nice venue for an outdoor concert. The concert was scheduled for Labor Day weekend. A nice little crowd assembled to hear the music performed by the same group of musicians from the Evening Star coffee house who adopted the name, Evening Star String Band. Another group, Southern Flavor, offered bluegrass music to the event. As fate would have it, the inevitable summer thunderstorm arrived in the middle of the performance. The audience and the musicians beat a hasty retreat to the Town hall.
If you are not familiar with the Abita Springs Town Hall, it is a beautiful century-old rambling wooden structure. The audience settled in, the musicians set up their equipment, and the music continued. Anyone looking around the room could observe audience members engrossed in the sounds. Smiling faces and clapping hands offered encouragement to the musicians as they continued to perform songs that many of those in attendance may never have heard, but they possessed a reality and richness that drew people in and touched their hearts. One of the musicians, Pat Flory, offered an observation that the Town Hall is the kind of building in which that music was performed in its heyday. That statement germinated the idea to base a series of old-time music performances there. Mary Howell, a New Orleans attorney and one of the musicians, provided leadership for the organization of the shows. During the summer we gathered at the Town Hall to r un through a trial show. Just for the fun of it, I stepped up to the mike and hammed up an intro. "From the Toown Haawl…in beauutiful Abitaa Springsss!" came out just as naturally as if I had rehearsed it. They immediately dubbed me the emcee, a role that I still relish.
A small audience attended the first performance of the Piney Woods Opry, but then it grew rapidly, and before long the hall became packed with people hungry to hear songs performed that they had not heard in years or, for the younger attendees, never heard at all. An informative lecture on roots music preceded each show, and the musical format retained a strict adherence to old-time country, bluegrass, and traditional Southern gospel genres. The Opry remained wildly popular for nine years. It was televised on access channels in the area, and broadcast live on the radio. The show played six times a year for nine years, but circumstances occurred that caused it to end. We now faced a very disappointed audience. I often liked to quip that, as mayor, I heard more complaints about the demise of the Piney Woods Opry than about potholes in the streets. Several groups of people attempted to rejuvenate the show, but it never got off the ground. Finally, following retirement, I gathered up a group of interested people to make the Opry happen again.
The new effort is supported by a non-profit organization, Abita Opry, Inc. Several members of the business community stepped up to provide sponsorship. A mission statement was developed, "The Preservation and Presentation of Louisiana Roots Music." The first Abita Springs Opry played before a packed audience in the Town Hall. Since then, we have had the pleasure to have some of the finest musicians in the state on our stage. We still offer old-time country and bluegrass as principal elements, but other forms of Louisiana roots music have been performed, including Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, Dixieland Jazz, and Gospel. Stellar musicians like Don Vappie and the Creole Serenaders, the Zion Harmonizers, Sunpie Barnes and Big Daddy-O, and the Savoy Family Cajun Band, all Jazzfest performers, have brought audiences to their feet. The house is still packed at each show, and we are blessed with a great audience.
People are coming from far and wide. We have entertained guests from many different states, virtually every western European country, Russia, Hong Kong, and even a group of musicians from Azerbaidzhan who had an informal musical exchange with us in a jam session. Our TV broadcasts now reach audiences in places like Las Vegas, Herndon County Virginia, and Henderson County North Carolina. We have had several visitors from Las Vegas who came to see the show in person after seeing it at home. Locally, we are broadcast on weekend evenings on our St. Tammany Government access station, channel ten, and the Southeastern Louisiana University channel eighteen. A great compliment came when the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities chose the Opry to be the first organization in Louisiana to host a Smithsonian exhibit in our new museum. The title of the exhibit was "New Harmonies, Roots Music in America."
Come see us. If you come, you can be part of a great experience. You can get treats from one of our local charitable groups who will be serving up gumbo, hot dogs, and homemade sweets. You can hear a performance on the front porch before the show. You can enjoy two hours of some of the best roots music in Louisiana. You can hear performances ranging from local musicians to some who have performed around the world. You can join us at the Brew Pub for an after-the-show jam session. You can be part of the sing-along at the show’s conclusion. What Fun! See you at the Opry.