EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH--The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) will receive national recognition from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for its Cajun Music Day Festival at Magnolia Mound Plantation on Oct. 17 at the NRPA Congress and Exposition in Anaheim, California.

At a very prestigious awards banquet, NRPA representatives will present BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight with the 2012 Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Award for the Cajun Music Day Festival at Magnolia Mound Plantation.

This award program exists to honor the most innovative and effective arts and humanities programs across the nation. Through the national awards, recognition is given to the importance of arts and humanities programs and to the leisure service agencies that provide them.

BREC’s Magnolia Mound Plantation is a rare survivor of the vernacular architecture influenced by early settlers from France and the West Indies.

This venerable landmark is unique in southern Louisiana not simply because of the quality of its restoration, or the outstanding collections of period furnishings, but because it is still a vital part of the community.

It is the BREC mission to provide parks and recreational opportunities for all the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish.