Visitors ‘streaming’ into Abbeville

Every year, a caravan of Airstreams rolls into Abbeville to stay and enjoy the local scene.

The food, the community, and everything you know of that makes Abbeville what it is brings in travelers from as far away as California. The tour across the southern part of Louisiana has been going on for about 15 years, with participants coming from 18 states.

The Wally Byam Caravan Club International’s travels began on March 11 as they gathered near Butte Larose. From there, they spent two days in Baton Rouge, visiting the old and new state capitol buildings and the governor’s mansion, among other places, and then hit the road going west.

That brings them here. “We started off in Baton Rouge, and that gives them a taste of Louisiana,” explained Larry Boudreaux, the club’s leader this year. “This particular tour is the Cajun Caravan Tour, and we head through New Iberia.

“We are hoping to take a tour on a crawfish boat, get to see Abbeville itself. Some of the folks in the city will be putting on a concert on Thursday night, so they’ll get to experience some Cajun music. We’ll eat at Shuck’s, Richard’s, some of the other great places in town. After that, we’ll head over to Crowley.

“We chose Abbeville because of its rich culture,” Boudreaux added. “And Abbeville has really gone above and beyond to invite us into town.”

Everyone on the tour has one major thing in common - they love Airstreams. But why?

“Why not,” Boudreaux joked, before getting serious.

“They’ve been producing Airstreams for almost 80 years,” he explained. “It’s a quality RV. Something like seventy percent are still in use today. The older ones are still in high demand. I think the oldest we have with us on the tour was maybe I think around ‘65 or ‘66.”

The local units of the Willy Byam Club like to get together and hold rallies when they’re not travelling. There is a big sense of community and camaraderie among those who participate.

Airstream is a particular brand of luxury recreational vehicles (RV) produced in Ohio as a division of Thor Industries. Their distictive look and shape date back all the way to the 30s, where they originated.

The group’s name, Wally Byam Club, comes from the founder of the company that makes them, Wally Byam. The club has 12 regions, including clubs in Canada and even as far away as Australia. There are frequent rallies held locally, regionally, and several international meetings attended by those who are united in their love of the Airstream product.

“One of the things that differentiates them from other RVs is the lack of wood,” Boudreaux said. “There’s some in the base beneath the floor, but the rest of it is entirely aluminum.”

There’s little upkeep cost (about on average with other RVs, but in many cases less) and the aerodynamic design keeps gas mileage a bit lower.

The tour continues throughout the week, with the club members enjoying the local scenery, food, and culture. After that, they’ll make their way into the northern Cajun territory.

For this week, the group has set up camp at Abbeville RV Park, according to Arelene Colle. They will leave town Friday morning.