Preserving history over brunch

Southdown Plantation’s Spring Jazz Brunch has become a seasonal rite of passage. Each April, locals gather under the Buquet Pavilion for the food, complimentary champagne and Bloody Marys and live jazz. Proceeds from the fundraiser go into operating and maintaining the Southdown Plantation House/Terrebonne Museum.

This year’s brunch is Sunday, April 13, beginning at noon. Tickets are $37 per person.

The brunch menu, provided by Chicken Scratch Catering, is extensive … and quite Southern. It includes grits and grillades; crawfish, andouille and egg strata; sweet potato crunch; artichoke casserole; bacon potato gratin; fresh fruit; and lemon and almond poppy seed pound cakes.

Although space is limited, Southdown museum director Karen Hart said guests can call ahead to confirm a seat at the event.

Southdown Plantation House is owned and operated by the Terrebonne Historical & Cultural Society, which also operates the Terrebonne Museum inside the house.

The museum has numerous exhibits, including a re-creation of former U.S. Senator and Houma native Allen Ellender’s Washington, D.C., office.

All money received from the event will go toward operating Southdown, and will help keep the admission price to the house/museum low at $6, Hart said.

“Successful fundraisers (like the jazz brunch) allow us to offer other educational and cultural programs, concerts, exhibits and tours to a wider audience at low cost or no cost,” she said.

For more information, call (985) 851-0154.