Cheniere-au-Tigre Dancehall

Status: Closed

Parish: Vermilion

Location: Cheniere au Tigre

Discussed in Zoe Sagrera Lynch’s book: My Memories of the Island: Remembering Life on Cheniere-au-Tigre, Louisiana, Claitor’s Publishing, 2010

Zoe Sagrera Lynch: “Liquor was not allowed in the dancehall. Many visitors hid their bottles of wine in the prickly pear bushes. They would sneak out to take a few sips, then return inside to dance. Bob Tasco sold his homemamde wine for $1.25 a gallon. Pete Petry says Daddy used to spike the eggnog or punch with a fifth of whiskey. People would swim across the Freshwater Bayou or walked across the marsh from Pecan Island to go to the dance. If they were too tired to go home and couldn’t afford a bed (25 cents), they slept on the dancehall floor.”