The Heritage & Harvest Tour, an annual event that spotlights the history and culture of northern Caddo Parish towns like Dixie, Belcher, Gilliam, Hosston, Mira, and Ida, returns this Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There are two historic homes featured on the 2019 tour: the Lynn Plantation Home (11562 Hwy. 3049, Belcher) built in 1928 and the Reuben T. Douglas House (12855 Adger Rd., Gilliam) built in 1910. Home tour tickets, which include admission to both homes, are $10 each and may be purchased at either of the featured homes. Outside of the home tours, festival activities are free to attend.

RSVP to the 2019 Heritage & Harvest Tour on Facebook.

There will be food and arts and crafts vendors throughout the day at Singing Pines Recreational Center in Hosston, a photo exhibit at the Lynn Farms Commissary (here’s the Facebook event for that exhibit), a cotton-spinning demonstration and exhibit at the Gilliam branch of Shreve Memorial Library, and much more.

Cotton fields line the roadsides of northern Caddo Parish, which will host the annual Heritage & Harvest Tour on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. Photo by Chelsa King.

But the most exciting aspect of this year’s festival is the fact that an unprecedented seven historic churches with roots dating back to the mid-19th Century will be showcased during Saturday’s tour. Festival organizer Karen Logan sees the emphasis on houses of worship as a new lens through which visitors can get to know the rural communities of northern Caddo Parish.

“Churches are such an important gathering place in these small communities,” Logan said. “We just decided this year that we really wanted to focus on the heritage and culture of the area, in addition to the beautiful homes.”

When asked for an example of a not-to-be-missed church on the tour, Logan suggested Caddo Prairie Baptist Church (15936 Hosston Rodessa Rd., Ida), established in 1872. Caddo Prairie Baptist Church will open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. during the festival.

“Drive on up to Hosston and see the Caddo Prairie Baptist Church,” Logan said. “Caddo Prairie is what this area was originally called. At the museum in Gilliam, we’ll have more information on that.”

If you’re going to explore northern Caddo Parish during the 2019 Heritage & Harvest Tour, perhaps the best place to start is the library in Gilliam (12797 Main St., Gilliam), which houses the Red River Crossroads Historical & Cultural Association Museum. While there, you can view the museum exhibits and a cotton-spinning demonstration, pick up a festival brochure, and plan your day.

If you’re considering making the drive to explore northern Caddo Parish, you may also want to check out trip-planning resources offered by the Boom or Bust Byway.

Enter to win our Fall 2019 giveaway! The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau is giving away a prize package valued at more than $425, including hotel accommodations from Hilton Shreveport, dining at Flying Heart Brewing and Pub, shopping at The Enchanted Garden, and more. To enter, just visit this link and sign up before Nov. 2.

20×49.com is a publication of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.