Fox Theater to celebrate Bastille Day in Marksville

With waiter races, French Film Series

This Friday (July 14), the Fox Theater will hold its 2nd annual Bastille Day celebration with “Waiters Races” and the showing of another movie in its French Film Series.

The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an "amateur" Waiters Race followed by a "professional" Waiters Race. Organizers will solicit amateurs from various community organizations. Local restaurants will be encouraged to enter a member of their wait staff to vie for the coveted "Waiter Par Excellence" championship title.

In the contests, waiters will walk briskly while carrying a tray of two filled wine glasses and a bottle of wine in hopes of crossing the finish line first without spilling.

This custom originated in France as a way to highlight the profession of waiters. 

At 6 p.m. Bastille Day attendees will view The Hundred Foot Journey, a culinary delight of a film which takes place in France. With new Blu-ray capabilities at the theater, viewers will appreciate the original English soundtrack with French subtitles. 

A ticket donation price of $10 includes a glass of wine and a bag of gourmet popcorn, a chance to cheer on the competing waiters and a chance to speak and learn the French language.

“The Fox Theater is delighted to continue its support of the rich French linguistic and culinary heritage of Avoyelles Parish,” said Polly Campbell of Moncla.

Bastille Day, the French Independence Day, marks the storming of the Bastille Prison that sparked the French Revolution.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, French immigrants and their families celebrated the day by meeting on the Avoyelles Courthouse Square in Marksville. As the French natives died, the tradition fell away.

In recent years, the tradition was revived by those wanting to preserve the parish’s French heritage. This includes the taking of a group photo at the Fox of attendees, just as past Avoyelleans met for a group photo at the courthouse.

AVOYELLES JOURNAL
BUNKIE RECORD
MARKSVILLE WEEKLY

105 N Main St
Marksville, LA 71351
(318) 253-9247

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