There are many ways to define and measure success. By any definition or measure, the recent Books Along the Teche Literary Festival was a major success. The Festival offered informative and challenging panels and discussions, super food and music, outstanding tours and provocative presentations. Each year it gets better and better and next year’s Festival promises an even finer experience.

But the Festival was successful on another level: It demonstrated New Iberia’s pride and spirit and the competent dedication of so many residents. This was truly a citizen event that government supported to make happen. The credit goes to those volunteers who devoted hours of time, money and energy to make this event occur and occur successfully. Not all communities have New Iberia’s strong sense of place.

While the Festival is a once-a-year event, the groups in New Iberia dedicated to cultural/historical promotion and preservation operate all year long and continually sponsor events and activities. Groups such as the Cultural Resources Association, the Bayou Teche Museum, the Iberia African American Historical Society, the Shadows, and IPAL make New Iberia an all-yearlong festival.

Festivals are events that celebrate a community by focusing in a fun, thought-provoking and enjoyable way on that which defines and makes a community unique whether that community is a family, a town, region or country. Festive celebrations are necessary to preserve, commemorate and nurture a sense of community. Festivals, particularly literary festivals, are critical for the life of a community. We all thrive when culture thrives.

Festivals reinforce the bonds of community; lead to the exchange of new ideas and perspectives, broaden our horizons, expose us to the new as well as reminding us of the old, connect generations and contribute to the all-important sense of place which includes the emotive bonds and attachments people develop or experience in particular locations and environments, at scales ranging from the home to the nation. Sense of place is also used to describe the distinctiveness or unique character of particular localities and regions. (Science Direct.)

While achieving its specific purposes and goals, the Festival’s success was New Iberia’s overall success. If citizens put their minds and backs to it, they can achieve and succeed. No community is better at this than New Iberia. The sprit informing the Festival regenerates all New Iberia.

But festive events don’t just happen; they take planning, time, talent and dedication, all of which were manifest at the Books Along the Teche Literary Festival. This Festival belongs to the whole community and needs the support of the whole community. The groups such as the ones mentioned above are necessary catalysts for these events but these groups need our continued support to succeed.

Everyone likes success. New Iberia recently experienced a true success with the Literary Festival. Let us keep it up.

Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbors into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live. David Binder-Broadway Producer

Dr. John W. Ray, a New Iberia native, is a professor emeritus of political science and public policy at Montana Technological University, Butte, Montana. He was born in New Iberia, graduated from Catholic High School in 1966 and still regularly visits home to see friends and family.