THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015

B1

STRENGTH IN
THE STORM
Leesville author
releases spiritual
book.

B3

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Rick Hickman / American Press Archives

The 26th annual Marshland Festival returns to the Lake Charles Civic Center Friday and Saturday, July 24-25.

MARSHLAND

Festival offers weekend of live music, fried alligator, rib-eye sandwiches

By Kara Carrier

kcarrier@americanpress.com

reat food and entertainment is on the menu for

the 26th annual Marshland Festival, which is
this weekend at the Lake
Charles Civic Center.
Gates open Friday, July 24, at 5 p.m.
and Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m.
Marvin Simon, festival vice-chairman, said this years event will be
better than ever and will continue the
tradition of celebrating Louisianas
heritage of Cajun music and cuisine.
The festival is known for its food
and family atmosphere, Simon said.
Its also a great social environment
and features top-rated entertainment.
And, best of all, its inside and air
conditioned.
Simon said activities will not only
include custom-made food such as
fried alligator and rib-eye sandwiches,
but also a kid zone and craft vendors.
He said there will also be live music
throughout the weekend.
Simon said entertainment will kick
off at 6 p.m. Friday with Brad Brin-

kley and Greg Blanchard followed by

Krossfyre at 7:30 p.m., Keith Frank at 9
p.m. and Glen Templeton at 10:30 p.m.
Saturday live music will start at 11
a.m. with Whiskey South followed by
Market Blue Bluegrass at 12:30 p.m.,
Louisiana Express with T.K. Hulin
and Johnny Allan at 1:30 p.m., Waters
Edge at 3 p.m., Kylie Frey at 4:30 p.m.,
Lil Nate at 6 p.m., Todd ONiell at 7:30
p.m., Jamie Bergeron at 9 p.m. and
Frank Foster at 10:30 p.m.
Simon said admission fees are $10
Friday and $15 Saturday. He said funds
raised go to students at Hackberry
High School to help buy uniforms and
pay for travel for clubs and athletic
events.
I want to encourage everyone to
come and out and experience topnotch entertainment and food, he
said. You cant beat the quality and
taste of everything we will have. Its
all the stimulants for all your senses
sounds, lights, food and the social
environment.

For more information or a complete schedule of events, visit www.marshlandfestival.com.

Rick Hickman / American Press Archives

Brad Brinkley and Greg Blanchard will perform at 6 p.m. Friday during the 26th annual Marshland Festival.

AT BRIMSTONE MUSEUM

Serialfest invites fresh look at classic heroes

By Mary Newport

mnewport@americanpress.com

View free
showings of
classic serials
from the 1930s
and 40s at
Calcasieu
Serialfest.
Special to the
American Press

Tarzan, Zorro and Superman walk into a museum.

Theres no punchline
thats just a preview of
the Calcasieu Serialfest in
Sulphur. Fans of all kinds
are invited to the Brimstone
Museum for a free showing of
classic serials from the 1930s
and 40s, including famous favorites like The New Adventures of Tarzan and Zorro
Rides Again.
Film serials, also called
chapter plays, were a staple
of movie theaters from the
days of silent film into the
1950s. They consisted of a
series of 15-20 minute episodes
that played before a feature
film. Each episode ended on
a nerve-wracking cliffhanger,
and audiences had to return
each week to see the next
episode and find out how their
heroes had escaped certain
doom.
These short chapter films

were the first time many of

our comic strip and comic
book superheroes and other
pop culture icons ever appeared on film in a live-action
form, said Patrick Bennett,
head of Louisiana Film and
Video Art Inc. These include
Superman, Batman, Captain
America, Buck Rogers, Flash
Gordon, Dick Tracy, the Lone
Ranger, Zorro and many others. These cliffhanger serials
were the inspiration for films
like Star Wars and Indiana
Jones.
Bennet has been a fan of
serials since childhood, when
he spent late nights and long
weekends watching re-runs
on PBS, fascinated with the

cliffhanger endings. In 2011, he

decided to share his passion
and began the Lake Charles
Serialfest, a day of free screenings of classic serials. Now the
event is spreading. Louisiana
Film and Video Art, a nonprofit organization that brings
independent films to Calcasieu
Parish, partnered with the
Brimstone Historical Society
of Sulphur for the Calcasieu
Serialfest.
Thom Trahan, executive
director of the Brimstone Historical Society, said the event
is designed to appeal to every
type of taste.
Theres a little bit for
everybody, theres some sci-fi
in there, some history, some

heroes and ... I think theres

even a Western, he said. The
plan was to give everybody a
reason to come out.
If the serials themselves
arent enough inducement,
Serialfest offers a few additional perks. Trahan said free
popcorn and drinks will be
available throughout the day,
and at the lunch hour a free
meal will be served. Attendees
will also have the chance to
win door prizes donated by Paper Heroes, a comics shop in
Lake Charles. The prizes are
mostly vintage comic books
tied to the serials, including
the Phantom, Zorro, the Lone
Ranger and Flash Gordon.
Theres a good bit of
stuff, Trahan said. I dont
know that everyone will leave
with something, but theres a
lot.
The cozy nature of the
event will likely help attendees chances; Trahan predicts
a small but enthusiastic

See SERIAL, B2