Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop recognized at state conference

What has become a popular stop in downtown Abbeville recently received some state-wide recognition.
The Community Achievement Awards are presented each year at the Annual Louisiana Municipal Association Conference, which took place earlier this month in Lafayette. The award recognizes municipalities that had outstanding projects promoting progress in municipal services or economic development during the past calendar year.
“The Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop was entered for expanding the visitors tourism experience,” Abbeville Main Street Manager Charlene Beckett said. “The City of Abbeville received recognition for the creation of pictorial exhibits, documentary film and Sicilian history in Abbeville.”
Winning entries are recognized by the LMA, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives’ Association.
“We compete state wide with municipalities our size,” Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza said. “We were actually the runner-up for the award to Gretna for their project.
“These community achievement awards are anything that you did to help promote your community.”
With that in mind, the Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop is a winner for the City of Abbeville.
“The Blacksmith Shop and Museum is a significant part of our downtown area,” Piazza said. “It’s a visible attraction that is an asset. It encourages tourism and community involvement.”
The city moved the Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop to its current location on South State Street nearly 10 years ago. Schools an other groups make regular visits to the shop and museum. Last year, the city opened a pictorial exhibit in the old police station next door. A documentary film about the Guarino family plays during the tour of the facility.
“It has taken several years to bring that blacksmith shop up to the condition that it is in now,” Piazza said. “It’s something we are very proud of and want to see it continue to be utilized.”