Music, Food,Fireworks and Fun — Lake Charles Sesquicentennial

It's been 150 years in the making, and coming up this weekend, the City of Lake Charles will celebrate its 150th birthday with a family-friendly extravaganza at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

The festivities start this Friday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a special historical exhibit called "150 Years of Lake Charles." You'll find this to be a very interesting exhibit. The exhibit is a 16 panel, multimedia display that covers the history of our city, from our origins to the present day. "150 Years of Lake Charles" will be on display at 1911 City Hall.

Saturday will be a fun-filled day. At 6 p.m., the Sesquicentennial Parade of Festivals will get underway. The parade lines up on Mill Street and will travel south on Ryan Street to Dr. DeBakey Drive. If you or your group would like to be part of the parade, you can get a parade entry from at www.cityoflakecharles.com.

Following the parade, head over to the Arcade Amphitheater. From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. we can dance to the music of Louisiana Express. You'll also find some great great food from area food trucks. The Lakefront Promenade will be lined with a street fair featuring local performers and entertainers.

Of course, no event would be complete without fireworks, and we'll light up the lake with a Fireworks Extravaganza starting at 9:15. Both the event and the fireworks are sponsored by Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana.

All three events are free and open to the public to attend. As these are family events, they are alcohol-free.