A Taste of New Orleans is coming back to Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Senior Wellness and Activity Center will hold its third Taste of New Orleans fundraising dinner from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Jacksonville Community Center Banquet Hall.
The idea for the fundraiser came from assistant director Connie Evans, who moved to Arkansas following Hurricane Katrina, which hit the New Orleans area in 2005.
“I’m originally from New Orleans,” Evans said. “I’ve been working with the senior center since 2006. I just came up with the idea for a Taste of New Orleans for Jacksonville, Arkansas, because this is where I had resided when I first got to Arkansas.”
The food is New Orleans fare.
“I cook the food from family recipes,” Evans said. “We will be having red beans and rice with smoked sausage, jambalaya, and chicken and sausage gumbo.”
Mild versions of those dishes will also be available, Evans said.
Also, king cakes and nonalcoholic hurricane drinks will be on the menu. Door prizes will be given away.
Alan Storeygard, a Jacksonville physician, will be part of the musical acts. Musician Rick Campbell, who performs at the center on Tuesday evenings, will provide entertainment, along with the Jacksonville Middle School band, which will play jazz music, Evans said.
The first two Taste of New Orleans fundraisers were successful, Evans said.
“We’re anticipating this to be our biggest fundraiser of the year,” she said. “That’s our goal. We used to have a roast and toast at the senior center once a year. We haven’t done that in years. We’re trying to make this Taste of New Orleans a replacement for the roast and toast as our biggest fundraiser of the senior center.”
Tickets for the event are $20 and may be purchased in advance at the senior center, 100 Victory Circle. Tickets will also be available at the event. For more information, call (501) 982-7531 and ask for Evans or any staff member at the center.
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.