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By Daná LaFonta

St. Tammany Parish has a rich cultural heritage and history. The incredibly diverse community contributes to our unique cultural identity. Stories abound of local legends. There are dancers, musicians, actors, preservationists, historians, poets, writers, and working artists across St. Tammany Parish.

Plato said "what is honored in a country will be cultivated there." In St. Tammany the arts are cultivated much like the lush farms and rolling hills of Bush and Folsom. Arts and cultural heritage are an integral part of the lives of our citizens. Through progressive and enlightened leadership, parish government created the St. Tammany Arts Commission, a government body whose mission is to nurture, sustain and enhance the arts in St. Tammany Parish.

St. Tammany residents and visitors participate in many annual outdoor fairs and festivals ranging from art and music to livestock, seafood, and crafts. We are home to four live theatres with full seasons of plays and performances, several ballet and dance companies, and over 60 non-profit arts organizations. Due to the balmy southeastern Louisiana climate, touring music and theatre companies perform outdoors many months of the year. Thousands of artists call St. Tammany home.

Events in St. Tammany take place in all of the communities of the parish. Our cultural life begins with Louisiana roots music performed at the Abita Springs Opry, expands to Shakespeare in Bogue Falaya Park in Covington, and explodes at Arts Evening in Slidell.

Art imitates life, and life in St. Tammany is expressed in the way we choose to view, celebrate and cultivate the arts in our home.