Lt. Gov. Dardenne to attend Northup Trail relaunch Thursday
Mon, 12/07/2015 - 05:00
Raymond Daye
The relaunching of the Northup Trail will be celebrated in two events in Bunkie this Thursday.
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne will unveil the relaunch at the Bunkie Depot on Main Street at 1 p.m. The event is being sponsored by the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism (ACT) and the Alexandria/ Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
A presentation on Solomon Northup’s travels in Avoyelles and Rapides parishes will be presented at Haas Auditorium in Bunkie from 10-11:30 a.m. with descendants of Northup attending.
The city of Bunkie is hosting the presentation at Haas Auditorium by LSUA history professors Dr. Jerry Sanson and Dr. Chris Stacey.
After ceremonies at the Depot, attendees will be invited to join a caravan to some of the Northup Trail marker sites, where Sanson and Stacey will speak on the significance of each location. Those sites will include the old Bunkie Record site, Live Oak Plantation, and the Lamourie and Epps House, which is now located at LSUA. The caravan will then return to Bunkie.
“The Northup Trail follows Solomon Northup’s path from his arrival in Alexandria in 1841, to Ludger Barbin Landing where he left Marksville in 1853, after regaining his freedom at the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse,” ACT Chairman Carlos Mayeux said. “The route retraces Northup’s footsteps as portrayed in the novel and award winning motion picture, 12 Years a Slave.
For more information or to plan your journey along the Northup Trail, please visit www.apacvb.org or www.travelavoyelles.com. You can also call 318-442-9546 or 800-833-4195.
The Northup Trail Forum and Trail Launch is made possible by collaborative efforts of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, Alexandria/Pineville Area CVB, Avoyelles Parish Police Jury, City of Bunkie, City of Marksville, City of Alexandria, Louisiana State University-Alexandria, Bunkie Chamber of Commerce, Marksville Chamber of Commerce, Bunkie Service League and La Commission des Avoyelles.