She and Ewing felt like the city was at a tipping point, and when they moved home they surrounded themselves with people like Moreau and Lambert who wanted to make a difference.
Moreau moved from Baton Rouge to New Roads in 2005 and said in the years since, she’s seen a big change.
“I remember joining the Historical Society and I was the youngest by 30 years, but now I see more people my age finding interest,” she said.
Gale Roy, who has been retired for 16 years yet is the executive director of the Pointe Coupee Arts Council, said she’s thrilled to see more people in their 30s and 40s getting involved.
“It’s inspirational to see young people embrace their community,” she said. “We didn’t have that before. But it’s a wonderful community and if you’re not involved, you can’t make it better.”
The women of Wine Down say there’s nowhere else they can imagine living.
“Look, we love Wine Down because we get to drink wine and have fun, but we also understand Louisiana has its problems with poverty, with education, et cetera,” said Ewing. “We’re all involved with helping young people, on boards, teachers–we’re all here trying to make it a better place.”
“If you want this to be a place your kids will want to come back home to, you have to make it interesting,” said Moreau.
This year’s Wine Down festival will feature 15 Napa wineries, 21 local artists, food from Morel’s Restaurant, Ma Mama’s Kitchen, and more. They’re expecting around 1,000 visitors.
“One of the best things about last year’s Wine Down was seeing the excitement of people on the street,” said Roy. “People from all over Louisiana, Mississippi, people who had left New Roads but came back for this––it was like a reunion.”
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