Marketplace returns to Southdown

It’s time again for what’s become a bi-annual tradition in the Houma-Terrebonne area: Southdown Marketplace, an arts and crafts fair conducted on the grounds of the Southdown Plantation Museum since 1978.

“Over 30 years has made it generational,” says Southdown Executive Director Rachel Theriot, who notes that 300 vendors and thousands of shoppers participate year after year. Homemade products range from works of art to embroidered baby items, from jewelry to jams and jellies, from wood crafts to garden items to books by local authors and numerous other creations.

“The best show is when you have the best mix of products,” she said. “It appeals to a broad spectrum of people.”

The Marketplace is a vital element for the nonprofit Terrebonne Historical & Cultural Society and Southdown Plantation & Museum; the event – conducted in the spring and fall – is its primary fundraiser, helping to pay salaries, maintenance and new exhibit costs.

Southdown Marketplace takes place rain or shine; the entrance fee is $5 per person, with children under 12 admitted free. Children’s activities (some free) are co-spon-sored by Kids in Motion Playhouse Discovery Museum.

“Marketplace keeps us able to be open every day,” Theriot said, and it exposes people who may not have thought to visit the museum to its cultural historic offerings. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and students; $4 for teenagers 13-18 and free for children under 12. •

Southdown Marketplace returns to Houma Saturday. This year’s event features 300 booths with an assortment of crafts and items.

FILE