Frisco Fest’s “Prayers and Plantations” Bike Tour
As they say in Louisiana “Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez” (let the good times roll) as you cruise along the historic Mighty Mississippi River Road on your bike. Take a journey back in time to the age of Plantations and the celebrated Churches of St John and St James Parishes during San Francisco Plantation’s “Prayers and Plantations” bike tour. The tour is part of the annual “Frisco Fest” festival scheduled for March 6 and 7, 2010 at the San Francisco Plantation located in St John’s Parish near Garyville, Louisiana. The bike ride is set up for Saturday, March 6 and will start at the historic San Francisco Plantation on the River Road at 8:00 AM. Registration forms are available by visiting the plantations website at www.sanfranciscoplantation.org . Remember to register early both to save some cash and to assure your admission to the ride. The $20.00 registration fee includes admission to the plantation grounds for the craft show, “Prayers and Plantations” Tee shirt, drinks and a meal following the ride.
The ride will have police escorts, rest stops with refreshments and two routes. The first route is the traditional 25 mile ride and the other a new 40 mile ride past several historic locations. The first 25 mile ride is perfect for beginner riders as the asphalt is smooth and the road is flat. For more experienced riders, the 40 mile ride is an enjoyable adventure on flat smooth asphalt with great site seeing.
San Francisco Plantation
The tours begins and ends at the opulent San Francisco Plantation House which is a galleried house in the Creole manner that has been one of the major attractions of the New Orleans area plantation home tours. Constructed in1849, the San Francisco Plantation House is one of the most ornate of Louisiana's plantation houses. San Francisco, with its potpourri of architectural designs, its immense and ornate roof construction, and the paintings decorating the ceilings and door panels in the house's parlors, exemplifies the "steamboat Gothic" style. The original cost of the San Francisco Plantation House, along with the paintings and other interior decorations, may have given rise to the house's name. One legend holds that the French phrase "son saint-frusquin," or "the shirt off his back," was a description of what the construction of the house cost its first owner, Edmond Marmillion. This became mistranslated into San Francisco. Tours of this unique home are available after the ride for an additional fee. The interiors with the hand painted ceiling are something that should not be missed.
On both the 25 and 40 mile tours, riders will pass by St. Joseph’s Church in Paulina, Louisiana. This church constructed in the early 1900’s is representative of the early Louisianan missionary style churches of the time. The stucco faced front of the church has an alcove in the bell tower which contains the statue of the patron of the church, St. Joseph. The beautifully landscaped area in front of the facility adds to the piousness of the site.
St. Joseph’s Church in Paulina
The 40 mile ride continues pass the Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, Louisiana. Some of the historic and picturesque buildings on the 130-acre campus date from the early 19th Century, when Manresa was the site of Jefferson College, a private school for sons of plantation owners. Between the Civil War and the Great Depression, the Marist Fathers conducted the college as a Catholic school. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, this property is blessed with some of the most beautiful grounds that the South has to offer. The property is lined with mature oak trees and flawless landscaping. Manresa is truly a site to behold and appreciate in its entire beautiful splendor.
Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, Louisiana
The Chapel at Manresa
The next site you’ll pass on this journey is one of the grand churches of the River Road, St. Michael the Archangel church in Convent, Louisiana. The church, designed by an architect in Belgium during the 1820’s, is an elegant, refined brick structure, a mixture of Roman and Gothic architecture. The church was built with generous donations from church members, families of students of Sacred Heart Academy and Catholics in Belgium. It is not what you would normally see in the along the river in the 1830’s and you can just imagine what travelers of that time thought when the passed it in this rural area.
St Michael the Archangel Church, Convent, La
Along with its beautiful interiors, St. Michael‘s church is know for two unique items, it pipe organ and its interior grotto. The grotto, modeled after the famous grotto in Lourdes, France, is believed to be among the first Lourdes grottos in America. It was built just 18 years after the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous and just 12 years after the apparitions were approved by the Catholic Church. The grotto is similar to the site in France but is unique in the tradition of Louisiana. The rocky material in which the grotto at Lourdes is carved has been replaced in Convent with charred clinkers of bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane production. The recessed dome in the grotto is an overturned sugar kettle, and the altar is covered with hundreds of small clam shells from the Mississippi River. The pipe organ purchased in1857, was made by the famous organ builder Henry Erben, of New York. The organ, which contains its original name plate, was electrified in the 1940s and restored in 2005-06. The organ holds the double distinction of being the only Henry Erben organ built for a Louisiana church still in its original location, as well as the oldest playable organ in the state. St. Michael‘s church is worth a trip back to see the interiors when the building is open for masses on Saturday or Sunday.
St. Michael‘s Grotto
St. Michael‘s organ
Just a short bike ride from St. Michael’s is the Poche’ Plantation which is typical of the West Indies cottage style plantations. This plantation Bed and Breakfast is a historic site defined by over 1600’ of white picket fence with 13 large capped columns fronting scenic river road which follows along the banks of the Mississippi River. Look around and you may see guest relaxing on the front porch swings, surrounded by double Victorian columns, soaking in the cool breezes offered by the great Mississippi River, cooling off in New Orleans French quarter style.
Poche’ Plantation
The riders then loop back along the shoulder of Highway 3125 back to the San Francisco Plantation where the ride ends with a Cajun lunch and great shopping at the festival’s many crafts booths. Remember to register early, as this year we will be limited to just 500 riders. Don’t miss out on the exciting opportunity to ride back into the past of Louisiana on this historic “Prayers and Plantations” bike tour on Saturday, March 6, 2010. We are certain that you will as the Cajuns state “Avoir un bon moment” (have a good time) as you enjoy the company of other biking enthusiasts on this unique ride.