It Takes A Village...

It took a village to see the needs of a small arts organization based in Minden. Cultural Crossroads has been trying to develop a four acre piece of property as a destination point for Minden for nearly a decade now. Fondly known as just ‘The Farm’ to many of the locals, this little corner of East Union and Talton will soon see much needed public restroom facilities. Home to two outdoor festivals and numerous cultural programs, The Farm will now be available to rent to the public for other outdoor venues including church and family reunions, birthday parties and the like. The board of Cultural Crossroads has been aggressively seeking ways to become self sustaining. They’re hopeful that this new facility and the ability to rent the Farm will help provide additional funding to operate their growing enterprise.

“We have many people to thank beginning with the Webster Parish police jury, the Webster Parish Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the city of Minden and Ates Construction of Bernice,” states Chris Broussard, co-founder and chairman of the board of Cultural Crossroads. “This has been the single largest collaboration of public and private entities in our seventeen years of existence” Broussard adds. The all -volunteer arts agency has been raising the funds for the restroom facilities for some time. Thanks to a recent capital grant from the parish’s office of tourism and a generous in-kind gesture from Ates Construction, the group will finally see their hard work pay off.

The four acre historic homestead was once the home of Frederick Moess and his decendents. The modest four room house painted in the colors of childhood stands as a reminder to all that pass that this place was meant for children. It was donated to Cultural Crossroads in 1999 by the late Zenobia West, co-founder of Cultural Crossroads. Since that time, the property has seen many improvements. Last year a 2,000 square foot barn was built for much needed storage. A 1,600 square foot pavilion was built on the corner of the property a few years ago and as of last year now serves as the venue for the annual Farmers Market. Set to open this May, the pavilion will house the many vendors offering up their homegrown vegetables and anything else handmade, homemade or homespun. Cultural Crossroads is governed by a 24 member board of directors who meet monthly. They receive support from the Webster Parish Police Jury and regularly author state and federal grants for arts programming. Their single largest event is their annual Spring Arts Festival set for April 22-24. And if all goes well with the construction, the hundreds of children and their families that attend each year will be able to enjoy the festivities in a brand new way…with public restrooms. To learn more about this organization or the donate to their most worthy cause, visit their website at www.artsiminden.com or write to them at P.O. Box 1393, Minden, Louisiana, 71058. Cultural Crossroads is a 501©3 tax exempt organization with 100% of all donations going to projects and programs.