The 2025 Fall Art Walk, sponsored by the Arts Council of Central Louisiana, provided family fun for one and all on Oct. 17. The event, part of the Cenla cultural scene for over 13 years, featured 55 vendors, ranging from an eclectic variety of artists and artisans to non-profits, theater and symphony groups. The Junior Artisan Alley featured talented students from Bolton, Pineville and Peabody high schools who were on hand to display and sell their art.

The Alexandria Museum of Art’s Illuminated Procession has rapidly become a crowd favorite. This year’s procession featured 23 luminarias in the form of giant spiders, ghosts and other fanciful creatures. The procession was led by the talented young men and women of the Pineville Elementary School drumline and went the length of the Art Walk area before returning to the museum.

The evening’s musical entertainment was rounded out with a concert by Smithfield Fair. At 52 years of performing together, over 20 albums and CDs released, and an international reputation, they are Louisiana’s oldest continually performing musical group.

During the group’s performance, Dr. Shane Rasmussen of Northwestern State University’s Louisiana Folklife Center was joined by Ms. Maria Zeringue, Folklife Director of the Louisiana Division of the Arts, in recognizing Smithfield Fair as a “Louisiana Tradition Bearer”. The award, signed by Louisiana Lt Governor Billy Nungesser, commended the group for “Your commitment to sustaining the distinct culture of the state and contributing to its rich diversity of living traditions…”