LOUISIANA LIFE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014
EXPLORING LOUISIANA
CASINO FINE DINING
PUBLIC COMPANIES WORTH WATCHING
TEXAS TRAVEL
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contents
8 in every issue 4
From the Editor
22 Home
Save a Lost Classic
ErtĂŠ-Bound
6 Rural Life
Coming Home
In search of a sense of place
8 Louisiana Labeled
The Sweetest Things
Candy made in Louisiana
10 Biz Bits
34
Business News
Louisiana Plays to its Economic Strengths
12 Health
Medical News
This Shreveport palace is dedicated to an Art Deco legend.
26 Chasing the Light
Mary Monk of Abita Springs explores the back roads.
30 Traveler
Capital Touring on the Cajun Prairie
The land of music, smoked meats and festivals
74 Around Louisiana
Highlights and Events
84 Lifetimes
14 Great Louisiana Chef
86 Great Louisiana Quiz
Josh Boeckelman of Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar
16 Roadside Dining
Of Greens, Gnocci and Glory
18 Kitchen Gourmet
42
Statewide Calendar
88 A Louisiana Life
Cree McCree
A New Orleans artist makes fashionable accessories out of an invasive species.
Fall Feasts From the Sea
features
SPECIAL SECTION
34 Fare in Your Favor
80 Texas Travel
A guide to high-end casino dining
By Bernard FrugĂŠ III
Fall Along the Coastal Bend Brings Feathers and Festivals
By Paris Permenter and John Bigley
42 Exploring Louisiana By Stanley Dry, Carolyn Kolb, Errol Laborde, Eve Crawford Peyton, Sarah Ravits and Paul F. Stahls Jr.
54 Five Louisiana Public Companies Worth Watching
2 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
By Kathy Finn
on the cover Exploring Louisiana! Illustration by Small Chalk
September/October 2014 Volume 35 Number 1 Editor Errol Laborde MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Ravits Art Director Sarah George Associate Editor Melanie Warner Spencer web editor Lauren LaBorde Contributing Editor Paul F. Stahls Jr. Food Editor Stanley Dry Home Editor Bonnie Warren INTERNS Hannah McIntyre, Lexi Wangler sales manager Kathryn Beck Sanderson kathryn@louisianalife.com
traffic manager Erin Duhe Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production designerS Monique DiPietro, Ali Sullivan Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President/ Editor-in-chief Errol Laborde VIce President of sales Colleen Monaghan Director of marketing & Events Kristi Ferrante administrative assistant Denise Dean distribution manager Christian Coombs subscriptions/receptionist Sara Kelemencky (504) 828-1380
Gold Award Winner for Companion Website 2012 Tiffani Reding Amedeo, Silver Award Winner for Overall Art Direction 2011
Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Louisiana Life (ISSN 1042-9980) is published bimonthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: One year $10; Mexico and Canada $48. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Louisiana Life, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2014 Louisiana Life. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Louisiana Life is registered. Louisiana Life is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Louisiana Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner.
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from the editor
Save a Lost Classic By Errol Laborde
We have heard of hidden gold. Sometimes it is there all along, just no one has thought to look very hard. In this case the gold is a piece of music and in the right hands it could be a global symphonic classic, right up there with the music we have heard from ancient Europeans composers wearing powdered wigs. This piece of music was created somewhere between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and the composer was born in Costa Rica. It should be known by all as a Louisiana classic. As is, you can hear the composition in only one place, a first-floor exhibit room at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Across the floor from the dazzling spiral steps is an exhibit about Huey Long. Though rich in design techniques, including an animated Long making speeches, the best known artifact in the room is the gun allegedly used to shoot the former governor. Not far away is another exhibit where a beautiful symphonic piece plays continuously. According to the sign, the piece is called “In Memoriam,” and it was written in 1935 by Castro Carozo. Long had hired Carozo away from directing the band at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Blue Room in New Orleans to build a band at LSU and to create an anthem 4 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
for Long’s politics. That anthem was “Every Man A King,” a bouncy piece of political propaganda celebrating Long’s “share the wealth” revolution. On Sept. 10, 1935, the revolution lost its leader. For Long’s funeral, Carozo wrote his greatest and least known piece. Mournful undertones of “Every Man A King” are woven through the composition, which, according to the sign, was “handwritten, never published and never recorded.” Years later, in preparation for a road show of the state’s archives, the original document was discovered “hiding in plain sight.” Carozo led the LSU band as it performed the music at Long’s memorial service – and that was it. Other than the recording in the gallery it has never been played anywhere else. What a loss! This piece of music needs to reach a larger audience, if not as a tribute to Long, certainly to Carozo. Many pieces of music from the classical era; i.e. The 1812 Overture, were inspired by political movements. This masterpiece shows that political causes can stir passion and elegance. Long’s followers still await their coronation. The wait has been long. The time might best be filled by visiting museums. No telling what discoveries can be made. n
on the web
LouisianaLife.com Louisiana Life Photo entry Are you an amateur, professional or “just for fun” photographer with some Louisiana photos to share? We want to hear from you! We want to see some great Louisiana photos, whether they’re of people, landscapes, food, culture or even animals. Don’t miss your chance to have your photo featured in the pages of our magazine for all of our readers to see. Send in your photos by going to myneworleans.com/ Louisiana-Life/Louisiana-Life-Photo-Contest. Please note that the URL is case-sensitive.
Our readers’ photographs
august Birds Eating: shot by Charlotte Wall of Greenwood
september An Evening of Fishing: Kenneth LaFrance of New Orleans captured this image of the Florida Avenue Bridge over the Industrial Canal.
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rural life
Coming Home In search of a sense of place By Melissa Bienvenu
“You will always be a come-here.” One of the first things anybody told me when I moved to a farm outside an old country town was that I would never be truly accepted. The real natives – the families whose last names take up a whole page in a phone book no thicker than a magazine – would never really embrace me. I would always be considered an outsider, an interloper, a “come-here.” I heard it a lot, even from my in-laws who still felt like “come-heres” after 40 years. My husband’s grandfather, a textile mill executive then living in New Orleans, bought the farm as a weekend 6 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
place in the 1950s. It soon passed into the hands of his daughter and son-in-law – my husband’s parents. They raised seven children here. They ran a dairy farm and milking equipment business that serviced other farmers all over the area. They were original members of the local country club (my husband and his brothers were conscripted to haul off stumps to make way for the golf course), the skeet club, the private school and the Catholic Church. They belonged to social and civic organizations. My father-in-law even ran for city council once. And yet, they would warn me with a chuckle – and
maybe the tiniest hint of resentment – they were still considered come-heres. I don’t recall caring about being a come-here when I arrived from Atlanta in 1992. A soft landing into my new husband’s large circle of old friends certainly helped. Even if I was an outsider, I was young and childless and too busy partying with our friends to notice. But more than that, I think I have always felt like a come-here for one reason or another. I felt it as far back as the north Alabama aerospace boomtown where my south Alabama parents started a family after college. Even then, I was aware of being a little different. My friends’ mothers stayed home and played bridge. My mother taught high school math. My friends attended church on Sunday and made crosses out of popsicle sticks at vacation bible school. My parents, at least at that stage of their life, did not attend
church and questioned the existence of God. That would later change, but at the time, even a 7-year-old girl could figure out that there weren’t too many agnostics walking around Decatur, Alabama, in 1969. There weren’t many in the rural Virginia town where we moved when I was 8, either. Among the few things I remember about that year are working a year ahead of my class in math because I had transferred from a far superior elementary school, and an uncomfortable teacher-parent flap over some assignment that put me on spot over my family’s lack of church attendance. (Let’s just say I learned about the constitutional separation of church and state earlier than most students.) There were moments of happiness – our first big snow, camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains – but mostly I think of our family as being miserable and lonely in Virginia, far from home and surrounded by people who were not like us. People who said “hoose” instead of “house.” Yankees, as far as we were concerned. My dad tells a about a co-worker in Virginia, asking him how he liked living in the South. He replied, “I’ll let you know when I get back there.” When we did get back, we temporarily settled in an apartment complex in the suburbs of Birmingham. We were still come-heres, but so were most of the neighbors. There were New York Italians next door and Lebanese immigrants across the hall. My best friend in the complex, a military brat, jane sanders illustration
was probably the first Jewish person I ever knew. I lived in Birmingham from the age of 9 until I left for college at 17. After graduation, I moved around the state working for a couple of newspapers and then a magazine in Atlanta. Ironically, my first job was back in my birthplace, in Decatur, but I no longer felt the same connection. It was just a place where I had a job, a place I lived, as were the other places where my work took me. Birmingham was home. And I have clung to that idea all these years. Perhaps, I have begun to think, a bit too stubbornly. The truth is, I’ve now lived in this small
Louisiana town more than twice as long as I ever lived in the place I call “home.” The even tougher truth is that the place I carry with me in that golden picture frame is gone. Yes, my parents are still in Birmingham – and I can always find a piece of home wherever they are – but they sold the house where I grew up years ago. Only one of my four sisters remains in the city. The rest are spread out as far away as Miami. The sweet, unpretentious suburb where I spent my youth is now overpriced and a little too full of itself. (A retail development called SoHo? Spare me.) The place I remember no longer exists, and the place that exists no
longer remembers me. So lately I have been re-thinking my concept of “home.” That probably sounds absurd coming from someone who has lived in the same place for 22 years and has no plans to go anywhere else. Yet, until recently, a part of me has always denied that I really belong here. Home was somewhere else. But slowly, I am realizing that the only person in this town who has ever made me feel like a “come-here” is me. Maybe it was me who has chosen the role of outsider from the very beginning. This summer, I attended the wedding of a friend’s daughter at the local Methodist church. After
rushing in at the last minute (as usual), I had to squeeze into a spot on the last pew. From this vantage point looking across the whole church, it dawned on me that I knew nearly everyone in attendance. To my right sat our neighbors from down the highway. On my left, one of Harvey’s childhood friends. In front of me was another family from my children’s school. Across the aisle, my son’s teacher. At that moment, I did not feel like a come-here. I felt like a from-here. And to my pleasant surprise, it felt good. n
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louisiana labeled
The Sweetest Things Candy made in Louisiana By Jenny Peterson
Still selling just three flavors since 1915, The Roman Candy Company’s gourmet taffy has been an iconic New Orleans street treat for nearly a century. The hand-pulled taffy is still made and sold from a red and white wagon that travels the city streets most often drawn by mules. The business began with Angelina Napoli Cortese, a Sicilian immigrant who made candy for family and friends for special occasions like Christmas and St. Joseph’s Day. Her son, Sam Cortese, a street vendor by trade, would bring her leftover candy on his fruit and vegetable wagon to sell the next day.
8 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
People began asking for the Roman candy more than the produce, so Sam decided to sell it on a regular basis. He also realized that he would have to find a way to make his Roman Candy as he rolled along. In 1915, Sam and a wheelwright named Tom Brinker designed the wagon that is still used today. It was painted red and white with “Roman Chewing Candy” displayed on the side. When Sam died in 1969, his grandson Ron Kottemann took over and continues to operate it to this day. Made from molasses, the candy is hand-pulled into thin, straight strands. Kottemann then cuts off a
piece and wraps it waxed paper. Customers can choose a stick of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry taffy. The wagon, pulled by a trusty mule, makes its rounds in the French Quarter, Audubon Zoo, St. Charles Avenue and other locations. Batches are also shipped around the world. Just as generations of New Orleanians have grown up unwrapping Roman Candy in the street, they’ve also grown up on another sweet tradition: Elmer’s Gold Brick, Heavenly Hash and Pecan Eggs in their Easter baskets. Elmer’s Candy Corporation, based in Ponchatoula, opened in 1855. It was started by German immigrant and pastry chef Christopher Henry Miller, who came to New Orleans at the age of 16 and opened the first location on Jackson Avenue in New Orleans. The Miller family operated Elmer’s over the next century. In the 1960s, partner Roy Nelson bought the company and a third generation of Nelsons run the business today. Elmer’s Candy Corporation makes a limited variety of candies and only sells them during popular chocolate holidays: Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas. The favorites among New Orleanians are the long-time
Easter staples: Heavenly Hash Eggs, which debuted in 1923, and Gold Brick® Eggs, first created in 1936. Dumas Candy, manufacturing peanut candies, peppermint candies and assorted flavored candy sticks out of Dehli, is another long-time candy maker in Louisiana. It was started in the 1930s by the Jeffries family of El Dorado, Arkansas. In 1949, H.E. Dumas purchased the company, changed the name to Dumas Candy Company, and it stayed in the family for 38 years until Dave Johnson bought it in 1987. In 1990, Johnson moved the company to its present home in Delhi, where workers still use the same recipes that were established over 80 years ago. Dumas’ Peanut Patties are hand-poured – one batch at a time – using only a blend of sugar, corn syrup and regular or red peanuts. The company also manufactures unique “stick candy” varieties and a huge 3-pound peppermint stick during the holidays. Louisiana-made candy used to be a regional delicacy, but these centuries-old candies are now being regularly shipped all over North America, allowing many people to get the sweet taste of Louisiana all year round. n
Roman Candy Rum Roman candy is now being offered in another form: as a rum. When Ron Kottemann, the taffy Roman Candy Man who makes the gourmet taffy from a mule-drawn wagon visited the British Virgin Islands with his wife and sister, they met a couple from Covington, and together they came up with the idea to market and sell Roman Candy Rum in the same three flavors, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Arrangements were made with a Puerto Rican rum distillery to provide the flavored booze. Roman Candy Rum can now be found at New Orleans grocery stores Rouses, Dorignac’s in Metairie and Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket. cheryl gerber photograph
biz bits Carnival’s Dream
April. The Carnival Elation sails four- and five-day cruises to Mexico. Together, they carry more than 400,000 passengers annually from New Orleans.
Louisiana Plays to its Economic Strengths The latest business news around the state By Kathy Finn
While Louisiana’s economy is growing at what some describe as a measured pace, the state’s ability to attract jobs is a reminder that slow and steady growth trumps no growth, particularly as many other parts of the country struggle. Southern Business and Development magazine recently named Louisiana its 2014 State of the Year in the 15-state region that the publication covers. The magazine ranks states by their ability to attract large job-generating projects and capital investment in increments of $30 million or more. The following are snapshots of a few companies that are helping to keep Louisiana in business headlines. 10 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
Carnival likes the Crescent City NEW ORLEANS – The Port of New Orleans and Carnival Cruise Lines recently signed an agreement that will keep the world’s largest cruise line sailing at least two ships year-round from New Orleans through 2019. With additional options, the deal could guarantee that at least two ships as large as Carnival’s Dream and Fantasy class vessels will sail from the port through 2022. Two Carnival cruise ships currently sail yearround from the port’s Erato Street Cruise Terminal. The 3,600-passenger Carnival Dream launched sevenday itineraries from New Orleans to the eastern and western Caribbean in
Steel tubing company boost north Louisiana jobs BOSSIER CITY – Louisiana’s booming industrial sector has sparked a redevelopment that will bring 80 new jobs to Bossier City. Centric Pipe LLC, an affiliate of Dallas-based SB International, will invest $33 million to expand the plant formerly owner by tubular goods maker Northwest Pipe. Centric Pipe will add new equipment and a rail spur at the facility, which already employs 52 workers. The company will manufacture weldedsteel pipe and tubular products for domestic clients in the oil and gas industry. The upgrades will begin early next year and wrap up by late 2017.
Bank taps investors for cash BATON ROUGE – Investar Bank joined the ranks of Louisiana public companies recently when it raised more than $40 million in its initial public offering of stock. Investors bought some 2.8 million shares at about $14 each. Bank officials said they will use the money to support future growth. The bank in recent years has purchased two former Hancock Bank branches in greater New Orleans and acquired Hammond-based First Community Bank. Investar had a total of 10 branches
and $674 million in assets as of March 31. Its stock trades on the Nasdaq market under the ticker symbol ISTR.
Structural component maker bulks up SHREVEPORT – A $7 million expansion by modular building systems company Module X Solutions could generate 350 new jobs at the company’s 750,000-squarefoot manufacturing facility. Product lines of Module X include concrete, metal and blast-resistant modular structures used in industries ranging form telecommunications and solar energy to refineries and government agencies. Module X Solutions expects to complete renovation work by the end of 2015.
Fired up about gas LAKE CHARLES – Houstonbased energy company Kinder Morgan has filed an application with federal regulators to build a compressor station near Eunice that will transport natural gas via its own pipeline to feed a plant operated by Magnolia LNG in south Lake Charles. Kinder Morgan previously signed a binding agreement giving Magnolia service rights on the 130-mile pipeline that connects a Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish to delivery points in Cameron, Calcasieu, Jeff Davis, Acadia and Evangeline parishes. Magnolia estimates its plant could produce up to eight million tons of liquefied natural gas each year. If approved by federal officials, construction on project could begin next year. n photo courtesy carnival cruise lines
health
UHC recently expanded to provide pediatric amplification using an advanced Auditory Brainstem Response testing system. ABR, without requiring sedation, screens newborns and young infants, gauges adult hearing loss or detects other nerve and brainstem damage.
Medical News Health updates from around the state By Sarah Ravits
Lafayette Audiology Manager wins Service to Mankind Award Lafayette – Sherry Mouton, Audiology Manager at University Hospital and Clinics received the Lafayette Breakfast Sertoma Club’s “Service to Mankind Award” 12 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
which is given to an individual for going above and beyond their normal duties to help others with hearing difficulties. Mouton, has been with UHC for 15 years and has spent nine years in her position as manager. The Audiology Department at
LSUHSC Creates Comprehensive CancerManagement Program Statewide – A new initiative will boost economic health and potentially save the lives of minorities and underserved community members with cancer. Over the next five years, LSU Health Sciences Center will build a regional cancer clinical trials network, thanks to a $5.6 million grant. The focus of the Gulf South Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research program is minority and underserved patients, who die at higher rates from cancer than others. The comprehensive cancer-management program creates a network of researchers, nurses and physicians from both teaching institutions and private medical facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi. LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans partnered with LSU Health Shreveport and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to successfully compete for the grant,
one of only 12 of its kind in the country funded by the National Cancer Institute. The Gulf South NCORP clinical trials network currently includes 25 clinical sites across Louisiana and Mississippi, covering 80% of the population of Louisiana and portions of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. More clinical sites will be added as the program develops to provide access to advanced cancer care to all of our citizens. It has been estimated that this could bring in many millions of additional dollars over the grant period as well.
Shreveport School of Medicine Receives Re-Accreditation Shreveport – After 18 months of preparation, the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine was granted a full eight-year re-accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. LCME reviewers visited the school for several days, performing extensive research and reporting. The school was praised for its information technology program. Without accreditation, the school would go without federal funding, lose its medical residency programs and graduates would not be able to obtain medical licensing in most states. n
travis gauthier photograph
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great louisiana chef
Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp Recipe BASE: 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup minced garlic 2 sliced lemons 1 tablespoons black pepper 2 tablespoons rosemary 8 ounces shrimp heads/shells 3 cups Worcestershire sauce SAUCE: 1 cups Worcestershire sauce 4 cups water ½ pound cold butter 6-8 head-on, raw jumbo shrimp
Josh Boeckelman Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar, New Orleans
New Orleans native Josh Boeckelman oversees the daily preparation of Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar in his hometown’s Uptown restaurant. Committed to supporting local farmers, he also uses fresh Gulf seafood to create his authentic Frenchinfused dishes. The menu changes weekly at Superior Seafood to represent the seasonal changes among the ingredients used. A graduate of East Jefferson High School, Boeckelman studied at the University of New Orleans and Delgado Community College, where he earned his Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts. A veteran of the hospitality industry for more than 13 years, Boeckelman began his career by working for a variety of popular local restaurants under Taste Buds Management LLC as a kitchen manager, where he played an integral role in opening new restaurant locations and training kitchen staff. In an attempt to take his career to the next level, Boeckelman left Taste Buds Management LLC to hone his skills by training under the leadership of some of New Orleans’ most renowned chefs including competitor on reality TV’s Top Chef Masters, Sue Zemanick of Gautreau’s, and Susan Spicer, best known for Bayona. As executive chef, Boeckelman oversees a staff of more than 20 employees at Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar, where he also manages the ordering and food production of the restaurant’s celebrated cuisine. Boeckelman plans to continue to use his creative passion for recreating Southern-style favorites by using the finest local ingredients with an indulgent twist to take Superior Seafood to new heights and enhance the local flavor of its namesake.
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BASE: In a pot, sauté butter, onion, garlic and lemons for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add rosemary and black pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Add shrimp heads/shells and cook for 10 minutes bringing to a boil. Add 3 cups of Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend with immersion blender before straining through sieve or China cap. SAUCE/SHRIMP: Once base is complete, slowly cook over medium heat. Reduce by half as you add the ½ pound of cold butter a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Boil 6-8 head-on shrimp in 4 cups of water with 1 cup Worcestershire sauce for 2.5 minutes or until completely cooked. Place freshly cooked shrimp in a bowl and top with barbecue sauce.
SUperior seafood & oyster bar 4338 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, (504) 293-3474, superiorseafoodnola.com
romero & romero photography
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roadside dining
Of Greens, Gnocchi and Glory Homegrown food love at Nonna in Monroe By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry
Self-taught kitchen wiz Cory Bahr, the 37-yearold rising-star Monroe native who was named “The People’s Best New Chef of the Gulf Coast Region” for 2014 by Food & Wine in April, brings his unique North Delta culinary style with an Italian grandmotherly twist to Nonna, his latest culinary venture. 16 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
Bahr learned to cook while being raised by his grandparents. Everything was fresh and local. His grandfather took him hunting and fishing, they grew their own veggies, and his grandmother taught him how to cook Italian fare before he was eye-level to the stove. She is his muse. As a salute to his loving grandmother, and grandmas
everywhere, Nonna was designed to provide the kind of comfort-food memories that are tied to your grandma’s kitchen (assuming she could cook!). But of course Chef Bahr, true to form, kicks it up at least 10 notches. Dining in the courtyard adds to the overall allure. Located in a charming old house in the heart of Monroe’s Garden District, Nonna opened in March. It’s his flagship Restaurant Cotton downtown that has been getting all the national accolades. If your grandma didn’t fuss over big pans of lasagna, made-from-scratch gnocchi or spaghetti Bolognese, Nonna will cure all that with luscious taste memories that can last you a lifetime. Melt-in-your-mouth, handmade gnocchi with pockets of fresh jumbo lump crabmeat bathed in a creamy garlic and Parmesan foam as light as air; a 20-layer lasagna laced with collard greens, ricotta, meats and mozzarella crowned with a velvety béchamel that arrives bubbling hot from the oven; crisp hand-tossed pizzas and such starters as the fried cauliflower or the hearty ham hock Arancini with risotto and cane syrup mustard will put you into a comfort-food trance long into the afternoon – especially if you begin lunch with the gin-fortified Rosemary’s Baby cocktail. Jump back. I stopped in for lunch at Nonna while traveling from Destin, Florida, en route to a big summer wedding in Texas, and was instantly
amused with the three large, comedic photos of “The Blue Haired Angels” depicting local grandmothers at the entrance. I’d been writing about this energetic, creative young chef since he opened Restaurant Cotton, and knew that a small detour would be well worth the effort. When he spoke about recipes and culinary techniques during prior interviews, he was always on fire. Chef Bahr’s unmatched passion for food is utterly contagious. The winning chef on Season 12 of Food Network’s Chopped in 2012, Bahr had also won the title of the “King of Louisiana Seafood” the year before at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience seafood competition with his North Delta bouillabaisse. Now, we have another four-star success with Nonna, where the ever-changing menu is tied to the seasons, the atmosphere is laid-back, and you can relax and feel at home while your taste buds are being dazzled under Chef Bahr’s spell. Aside from the marvelous pastas, creative appetizers and snazzy pizzas, be sure to end lunch or dinner with the luscious blueberry olive oil cake softened with lemon curd, served with a light, honeythyme gelato that soothes the soul. Savor this memorable sweet ending in the courtyard for the full effect. n for more information Nonna, 311 Hudson St., Monroe, (318) 605-2513.
steven myers photograph
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kitchen gourmet
Fall Feasts From the Sea Shrimp, crab and oyster recipes By Stanley Dry
Of all the glorious seafood that comes from the Gulf, shrimp, crabs and oysters are at the very top of my list. As far as I’m concerned, the abundance of those three is reason enough for living in Louisiana. Combine any one of them with our Cajun and Creole culinary sensibilities, and the result is some mighty fine eating. Put two or three of them together in the same dish – well, there’s not much that can top that. Separately or together, shrimp, crabs and oysters figure prominently in both traditional and contemporary Louisiana cooking. Seafood gumbo, jambalaya, etouffée, bisque and sauce piquante are perhaps the most well-known dishes that feature one or a combination of the three, but a list of all the recipes that incorporate them could fill a good-sized book. It is often said that when you have first-rate ingredients, the very simplest preparations are best. And that is often true. Boiled or fried shrimp, boiled crabs and oysters on the half-shell are simple and fabulous dishes, to be sure, but there are many other preparations that can do justice to these gifts from the sea. Most of our classic Louisiana dishes are served with rice, but sometimes it’s a refreshing change to try something different. This month’s recipe for shrimp and lump crabmeat etouffée, for example, is served over crisp cornmeal waffles. We think of waffles as breakfast food, but there’s no reason why their role has to be so limited. Prepared without sugar, waffles make a wonderful base for a variety of savory preparations. Similarly, grits traditionally were reserved for breakfast, but there’s every reason to extend their reach to the luncheon or dinner table, which some of the South’s leading young chefs have done. Shrimp and grits is probably an import from the South Carolina low country, but it’s one we’ve adopted with gusto. Originally a breakfast dish, shrimp and grits now also makes an appearance at lunch and dinner. This month’s recipe is but one of many variations of the dish. Given the prominence it occupies in New Orleans gastronomy, one would think that oyster and artichoke soup is a Creole classic with a lineage that goes back for generations. In truth, it is a delicious 20th century creation of the late Warren Leruth, a fabled chef who operated LeRuth’s, a highly rated restaurant in Gretna, across the river from New Orleans. The recipe included here is one version of many. n eugenia uhl photograph
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recipes Shrimp & Grits 4 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 small bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1½ cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon flour ½ cup white wine 2 teaspoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons lemon juice ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves ½ teaspoon paprika 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper Hot sauce 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops Melt butter in large skillet, add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth until smooth; add wine, tomato paste, lemon juice, thyme and paprika and whisk to combine. Add mixture to skillet and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Serve over hot grits, garnished with chopped parsley and green onion tops. Makes 4 servings. For the grits: Grits, preferably stone-ground or old-fashioned Water Coarse salt 4 tablespoons butter ½ cup grated sharp cheddar Cook grits for 4 servings according to package instructions, then stir in butter and grated cheese.
Shrimp & Lump Crabmeat Etouffée With Cornmeal Waffles ½ cup butter 2 large onions, chopped fine 2 stalks celery, chopped fine 1 ⁄3 cup dry roux 2 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons lemon juice Coarse salt Cayenne 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp 1 pound lump crabmeat ¼ cup chopped green onion tops ¼ cup chopped parsley Cornmeal waffles (recipe follows) In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt butter and cook onions and celery, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together cold chicken both and dry roux until smooth. Add to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp color, about 5 minutes. Add lump crabmeat and cook only until crabmeat is heated through. Adjust seasonings. Serve over cornmeal waffles; garnish with onion tops and parsley. Makes 6 servings. Cornmeal Waffles 1 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1¼ cups milk 4 eggs, lightly beaten 5 tablespoons melted butter Preheat waffle iron. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place a rack on a baking sheet and place in oven. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to mix well. Add milk, eggs and melted butter; stir to combine. Spoon batter on hot waffle iron and cook until crisp and browned. Transfer cooked waffles to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making the remainder of waffles. Makes 6 or more waffles, depending on size of waffle iron.
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Oyster & Artichoke Soup 4 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 4 cups chicken broth ½ cup white wine 1 tablespoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves 2 tablespoons bread crumbs 1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, divided 24 shucked oysters, divided ¼ cup heavy cream Freshly ground black pepper Cayenne pepper Coarse salt 1 tablespoon chopped parsley In a heavy pot, combine butter, onion, celery, garlic, chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice, thyme, bread crumbs and half of the artichoke hearts. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 8 oysters and simmer just until their edges curl. In batches, puree soup in blender. Pass through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing with the back of a large spoon to extract solids. Return pureed soup to pot, slice remainder of artichoke hearts and add to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until artichoke hearts are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add cream and season to taste with black pepper and cayenne. Add oysters and heat just until oysters curl around the edges, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and additional peppers, if desired. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.
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home
LEFT: Four columns define the wide foyer that features marble floors. An art glass sculpture by Eric Hess is displayed on the pedestal. TOP RIGHT: The large master bedroom features white marble floors. The bay window overlooks the rear garden. BOTTOM RIGHT: The black kitchen features an island in the center of the room.
Erté-Bound This Shreveport palace is dedicated to an Art Deco legend. By Bonnie Warren / Photographed by Craig Macaluso
As young newlyweds, Linda and James “Jim” Vozzella fell in love with the art of Erté, whose long and illustrious career influenced a wide variety of media ranging from theater to film to fashion in the Art Deco movement. More than 30 years have passed since they developed a mutual enchantment with the artist, and today their home is a virtual museum of Erté’s 22 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
work. Says Linda, a registered interior designer with Yarbrough Interior Designers in Shreveport for more than 30 years, “We have enjoyed our journey of collecting his art and learning more about the Art Deco movement.” They reside on a grand street in the Shreveport South Highlands neighborhood. You won’t find one antique in this home. “We’ve
created a comfortable home wrapped around our Erté art,” continues Linda. “Each room was done with great care to make it stylish while still creating an oasis where comfort is the watchword.” No concern was taken that the front of the 60-plus year old, 5,120 square-foot home didn’t resemble an Art Deco palace. “We like the surprise reaction we get from
first-time visitors,” Linda says. “Jim was very generous to allow me to undertake such a major renovation of the interiors five years ago.” The home features some outstanding Art Deco furniture, but it is actually an eye-catching eclectic blend of what is pleasing to the talented interior designer’s eye that makes the difference. “The living room is my favorite room in the house,” explains Jim, co-owner of Gemini Explorations, Inc., an oil and gas producer that also drills and completes wells, with its main leases on the historic Caddo Lake that includes the first off shore oil well drilled in North America. “This is where I can relax and be comfortable.” Linda created what she calls a “a man cave”
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in part of the air-conditioned garage. It contains a large television and comfortable seating, along with a refrigerator filled with refreshments for Jim to enjoy while watching football games. Linda loves the master bedroom with its white marble floor and the master bathroom. “We have a steam room and heated floors, and it makes me feel like I am away at a luxury spa,” she says.
Are they still collecting Erte’s art? “Do you ever stop collecting?” Linda answers. “We don’t have space to display everything at one time. It’s nice to be able to change the art in a room if we wish.” She adds, “Maybe we will build a second home someday and have additional wall space for our collection.” n
THIS PAGE, TOP: Located in the charming established Shreveport neighborhood of South Highlands, the Vozzellas have owned their home for almost 30 years. BOTTOM: James “Jim” and Linda Vozzella. FACING PAGE, TOP: Linda, a registered interior designer with Yarbrough Interior Designers in Shreveport for over 30 years, is credited with the unique design elements in the living room and the rest of the house that pays homage to the couple’s extensive collection of art by Erté, a major influence in the world of art, theater, film, fashion during the Art Deco period. BOTTOM LEFT: A framed nude sculpture of a woman hangs on the wall in front of the double-door entry to the master bedroom. BOTTOM RIGHT: The master bathroom underwent a total renovation in keeping with the upgrades to the rest of the house.
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art
Chasing the Light Mary Monk of Abita Springs explores the back roads. By John R. Kemp
Abita Springs artist Mary Monk has spent the last two decades exploring and painting the back roads, marshes, rivers and city streets of Southeast Louisiana for that compelling intersection of light, mood and place. For the landscape painter, few other places exist where those three elements come
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together so beautifully. Talk to any landscape painter or outdoor photographer in Louisiana and they speak almost reverently about the seemingly mystical atmosphere of South Louisiana. “Light is the most important aspect of my paintings,” explains Monk, who was born in New Orleans but
now resides and works in Abita Springs north of Lake Pontchartrain. “The second most important thing to me is the mood of a painting. The purpose is to capture that moment so well that viewers feel like they are there. Louisiana is most definitely full of mood. I love the country roads. There is
something so wholesome and comforting about an old crooked dirt road that disappears into the distance. It’s so hopeful and serene. The old paths also make you see the presence of humanity. The worn path has seen thousands of feet walk on it or had tractors roll over it time and again. Also present are the telephone poles which remind us that the technology and the hustle and bustle of life is never far away even on an old country road.” Like most Louisiana painters, Monk is also drawn to the region’s coastal marshes. “Sunsets over the marsh do spectacular things
to the marsh grasses,” she explains. “I paint about 90 percent of the time in the late afternoon to sunset. The wetlands are the most beautiful at this time. The colors are completely different each time. Weather translates to mood in a painting, so I love painting the different conditions. Some of my paintings feature these strange phenomena. I love the rain. It’s such an illusive subject for artists. It’s very difficult to portray.” In addition to the drama of stormy marshlands, Monk enjoys painting gritty streets in New Orleans, old places that reflect the passage of
time and moody scenes along the Mississippi River. “I have so many childhood memories of sitting by the river with my parents when I was young,” she says. “It always calmed me. The wind that comes off the river is so strong it seems to blow away all the sound in the world except the sound of the water. It makes you feel alone in the world but strangely content and peaceful at the same time. I always loved watching the Mississippi River. I could sit for hours and stare at it.” Monk’s interest in art began early in life. “My mother had six children, and being the last of six meant she was
good and tired of being stuck at home every weekend,” Monk recalls. “We often spent Saturdays or Sundays walking in and out of the many antiques stores in the French Quarter. As a treat for my good behavior, my mother let me watch the pastel artists in the Jackson Square paint portraits. The pastels seemed like magic crayons to me. I was amazed that how quickly and accurately they painted. It was also my first experience with painting from life.” Though mostly self-taught, the Abita Springs artist did have some formal training while attending Archbishop Chapelle High School in Metairie. “I took the class because I thought it would be a fun and easy class,” she says. “The first day of class, I found out I was wrong. I loved it from the beginning even though it was one of my most demanding classes. It was a serious class that taught classical drawing. We learned by copying master paintings and drawings as well as modern subject matter.” With that foundation, Monk developed her natural abilities and passion for
the Louisiana landscape through the works of earlier masters such as Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec. Though Sargent’s brushstrokes and Rembrandt’s dramatic light set the stage, the French Impressionist painters, and their emphasis on painting outside on location, or en plein air, have had the most lasting influence on Monk’s approach to painting. “Plein air is my favorite method of painting and many of the challenges are the same today as they were back then,” Monk says. “The immediacy of their paintings, their obsession with the effects of light and the changing of the season have also become my own driving force. It is what makes me want to paint. Plein air isn’t really about speed but more about focus, understanding and capturing the light and the effect that light has on the landscape.” Though Monk occasionally paints in her studio, especially during inclement weather, she decided early on that she works best on location. “The effects of light are nearly impossible to capture
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with a camera as they truly appear in reality,” she says. “The human eye is much more able to discern the nuances that get discarded in the translation from reality to print.” A great plein air experience, she continues, is “a balance of one’s observations of nature and a clear translation of one’s own emotional response to the subject. It is very peaceful and cathartic painting outdoors. It is a luxury to have this time to yourself to be able to study your subject matter and figure out why you react to it the way you do.” Monk recalls the story of her first real effort at painting outdoors. “I was invited to 28 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
participate in a new exhibit that was to be shown at the Abita Springs Museum,” she says. “It was to be curated by Auseklis Ozols, the founder of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art. Of course I said yes. I headed out to paint the town of Abita with lots of enthusiasm and confidence. Nature quickly gave me a solid slap of humility. I was thoroughly disappointed in my efforts. I crawled into bed thinking I would never do that again and that I had no idea how loud insects were when there was nothing but the sound of nature around. The next day, however, I looked at my painting and was amazed at the differ-
ence in my plein air work. It was obvious that even on my most disappointing plein air day, my work was 10 times better than my best day in the studio.” Painting on location comes with many distractions and, to say the least, nuisances. “I have plenty of stories of scary bugs, stray dogs, snakes, alligators, sun burn, ruined shoes, flat tires and the most dangerous of all to the pastelist – the sideways rain which frequents Louisiana and melts pastels like cotton candy,” she says. “Despite all of these things, your consciousness of nature overrides the inconveniences of external conditions. You
become more aware of subtle nuances in nature that reflect that stronger sense of mood and reality. Plein air caused me to continue to grow in my art and face the challenges with the knowledge that my art is better for the adversity.” Monk’s paintings can be seen at Three Rivers Gallery in Covington, The Elizabethan Gallery in Baton Rouge, and the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts in New Orleans. n
for more information For additional information about Mary Monk, visit marymonk.com.
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traveler
Natural prairie preserve in Eunice
Capital Touring on the Cajun Prairie The land of music, smoked meats and festivals Paul F. Stahls Jr.
Within the famous triangle of parishes called Acadiana lies a smaller triangle called the Cajun Prairie – Evangeline and Acadia Parishes and spilling into St. Landry and Jeff Davis – which claims to be the heart of Cajun Country based on its music, food and agriculture, plus traditions like the Courir du Mardi Gras rides every spring in almost every town. The
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region’s promotional literature, in fact, is dominated by dancehalls (“traditional Cajun,” zydeco and swamp pop) and meat markets (purveyors of the prairie’s famous smoked meats) – assets that have given rise to so many “world capitals” that le petit triangle could claim the title of “Most Capitals per Capita.” The story of the cuisine began when the “tall-grass”
prairie of the colonial era became a vast vacherie – grazing land for cattle – and that abundance of beef plus the influence of German colonists gave us the tradition of distinctive meat smoking that we still enjoy. Eventually, however, cotton (after its coronation) claimed the ranchlands, but soon was dethroned by the arrival of rice, introduced by Midwestern farmers when
they learned that our prairie topsoil rests on clay that can support heavy equipment and prevent the seepage of irrigation waters. That’s when rice appeared in our boudin, pork replaced beef in our tasso and Cotton Country began its final retreat, even beyond Ville Platte, which nevertheless clings to the tradition of its Louisiana Cotton Festival. The prairie boasts eight major fall festivals in all, making this the best season for visiting, and the best tour routes are north-south La. 13 which bisects the triangle, U.S. 190 which crosses from Opelousas to Kaplan, and I-10/U.S. 90 which run along its base. From Turkey Creek (the “Gateway to Acadiana” at the
photo charles allen, ph.d.
top of the triangle), drive south on La. 13 to La. 10, then east on 10 which becomes Main Street in Ville Platte. After snacking on sausage and tasso at Teet’s (2144 W. Main St.) and browsing at Walker & Sons Country Store (1101 W. Main, birthplace of “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun seasonings), visit the Chamber of Commerce (306 W. Main St.) for a guide to points of interest like the Native Plant Heritage Garden (888 E. LaSalle) and the new statue of the parish’s namesake heroine at the Evangeline Courthouse (200 Court St.). Then ice up your cooler and, with the Chamber’s meat market list in hand, decide for yourself which has the best smoked meats in the Smoked Meats Capital of the World. Ville Platte is also Swamp Pop Capital of the World, and a century-old depot at 205 NW Railroad St. houses the Swamp Pop Hall of Fame, with wall-to-wall photos, instruments, apparel and original 45s. Many of the stars and hits were introduced by Floyd Soileau’s recording studio under his Swallow and Jin labels, between 1957 and ’75, and he operated his famed record shop at 434 E. Main till 2013 when it became a strictly online enterprise (floydsrecordshop.com). Oct. 7-12 brings the Cotton Festival and its Tournoi, a tradition transported from France in the 1800s and revived in 1948 – a variation of jousting that requires riders to lance not each other but 21 dangling rings representing enemies of cotton, like boll weevils. Eric Guillory, a five-year veteran of the sport and the third generation of his family to
Ricelands today
ride, won in 2012 and ’13 and will defend his title on Oct. 12 at the Tournoi Track after the festival’s Grand Parade. Back on La. 13 it’s 3.5 miles south to Mamou, aka Big Mamou, named World Capital of Cajun Music for four reasons: its role in creating and nurturing the music; the Cajun sanctum sanctorum called Fred’s Lounge at 420 6th St. (smallest but most famous dancehall in Cajun Country); its Cajun Music Festival (Oct. 4); and the classic “Big Mamou,” written by Link Davis and covered by singers from Jimmy C. Newman and Jimmie Davis to Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings. Fred’s opened in 1946 and the song was released in 1953, but “Big Mamou” is still a hit here and the dancing still starts at Fred’s on Saturdays at 9 a.m. A courtyard across the street features a Cajun Wall of Fame honoring local creators and preservers of the music. Farther south on La. 13 is Eunice, but we’ll catch it on the westbound U.S. 190 drive that begins at the
Courir du Mardi Gras hats and mask
Opelousas Tourism Center – source of walking-tour maps of Louisiana’s third-oldest city as well as St. Landry Parish tour booklets with arts guide, antiquing list and specialty guides (like the “Boudin Trail,” including Billy’s Boudin and Cracklins right across the street). The Tourism Center is surrounded by a farmers’ market and collection of historic structures that house the city museum, a two-room Schoolhouse Museum and a vintage train station whose mural and displays commemorate the nation’s
photo top: bruce shultz, lsu agcenter; bottom: prairie acadian cultural center
60-year “Orphan Train” program for “foundlings” begun in 1873 (laorphantrain. com). Dwellings range from modest cabins to an 1840s raised cottage, and the nearby 1770s Michel Prudhomme House at 1128 Prudhomme Circle – by appointment, (337) 942-8011 – is a rare survivor of the region’s French Colonial mansions. Born here in 1925, “Zydeco King” Clifton Chenier made Opelousas the Zydeco Capital of the World, and a Sept. 26 concert (5:30 on Courthouse Square) will feature a reunion of Clifton’s son C.J. Chenier,
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La Musique de Basile
Wayne “Blue” Burns (Clifton’s bassist for two decades) and Zydeco rubboard maker Tee Don Landry whose father made Clifton’s first “frottoir” in the 1940s. The famed zydeco dancehall called Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki is located at 8471 Main St. (La. 182), where the music starts about 9:30 p.m. on most Fridays and Saturdays. The 70-year-old Richard’s Club west of town near Lawtell (11154 Hwy. 190) is showing signs of becoming a Zydeco Hall of Fame, and the Zydeco Music Festival in nearby Plaisance was Aug. 30. Twenty miles west, nearing Eunice, musicians gather about 9 a.m. most Saturdays at the Savoy Music Center (4413 Hwy. 190), the store and home of Marc and Ann Savoy – both musicians. He’s also an accordion maker and she’s also a folklorist, author and Cajun music historian. In the “Cajun Prairie Capital” of Eunice, stop first at the 10-acre parcel at M.L. 32 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
King and E. Magnolia where Charles Allen of UL-Eunice and the Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society have re-created a small range of the prairie’s primordial tall grasses and wildflowers (cajunprairie. org), then head downtown to a neighborhood of Cajunculture attractions that’s grown up around a historic theater and spread along Park Avenue and C.C. Duson Street. It was Duson who laid out the town in 1894, named it for his wife, and auctioned lots at the Midland Branch Railroad Station (220 S. Duson) which is now the Eunice Depot Museum of city, Cajun and railroading memorabilia. Next door, between the depot and Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Center, the Cajun Music Hall of Fame presents photos and bios of inductees, life-size dioramas of early musicians, vintage instruments and videotaped recordings of all previous Cajun concerts at the nearby Liberty Theater.
A block west in the median of Park Avenue, a bronze statue of Eunice Duhon faces the Liberty, a 1927 vaudeville/movie theater converted in 1987 to a concert hall that’s famous for its live Saturday night Cajun presentations (established and hosted for years by Cajun-culture historian Barry Ancelet of UL-Lafayette). Next door, the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center (a facility of Lafitte National Park) presents tools, crafts and traditions of the earliest Acadian arrivals, plus cooking demonstrations, jam sessions and demonstrations of skills vital to 18th-century prairie life. West of Eunice U.S. 190 leads through ricefields to Basile, Elton and Kaplan, all with meat markets filled with boudin and sausages, some even offering hard-tofind ponce bourée (seasoned pork stuffed in pig bellies rather than entrail links, then smoked and thick-sliced to
be added to gumbo and gravy recipes). Visit the Coushatta Tribe’s big farmers’ market on Saturdays in Elton’s Koasati Plaza and annual Powwow near the Coushatta Casino in Kaplan (www. coushatta.org), and don’t forget Kaplan’s Cajun Food Fest on Oct. 4 and Basile’s Swine Festival Oct. 31-Nov. 2. From Elton take La. 26 south past beaucoup rice/ crawfish fields to Jennings, then take old U.S. 90 east, crossing the winding Mermentau River, and stop in Estherwood to sample the boudin and memorable beef-pork sausage at the Estherwood Country Store. Opened in 1892 as the J. Kollitz Store, it’s been restored in recent years by owner Diedra Farris. Two blocks back, on Morris at N. LeBlanc, stands Estherwood Manor, a circa-1840 planter’s home (private). It’s now a short drive east on 90 to Crowley, Rice Capital of America and home since 1937 of the International Rice Festival (Oct. 16-19). An Acadia Parish welcome center is located at I-10 Exit 82, and, one exit west, La. 13 leads south through town (circling the Art Deco Acadia Courthouse) to a city information center in the City Hall building (425 N. Parkerson). Both offer city and parish guide-maps to National Register landmarks and, of course, to lots of meat markets. Built in 1920 as the Crowley Motor Co., the City Hall building is also home of an automotive museum (Model T’s and the giant
elevator that lifted them to the third-floor showroom), an Interpretive Rice Center with its story of Louisiana rice from the days of Sol Wright (pioneer planter and developer of famous Blue Rose seed rice); big wax-figure dioramas depicting Jay D. Miller’s studio from the early days of Cajun recording; and the Crowley Historic Museum. La. 13 and 3007 lead south and west to Sol Wright’s 1890s plantation, now the Wright family’s Crystal Rice Plantation. Visits –by appointment, (337) 783-6417 – include an aqua-culture tour, Country Store, classic car museum and Blue Rose Museum (depicting the lifestyle of the prairie family fictionalized by Frances Parkinson Keyes’ 1957 national bestseller, Blue Camellia). Traditions of the prairie’s German settlers live on in Roberts Cove, a scattered farming community shared by descendants of the 13 German families who settled it in 1881. Six miles north of Crowley from La. 13, turn right onto Roberts Cove Road (La. 98) for the 0.3-mile drive to Kelly’s Landing, where Kelly Hundley offers tours and crawfish boils – by appointment, (337) 780-0546 – for individuals or busloads. After a walk to adjacent fields to learn the techniques of ricefield hydrolics and large-scale crawfish farming, visitors see an outdoor display of farm machinery (even some of grandfather Michael’s handmade machines) and
a three-building collection of John Deere toys ranging from hand-held playthings to peddlepowered kiddie-tractors. Five Hundley siblings live within a five-mile radius, all rice-and-crawfish families, including Kelly’s brother Michael and his eight children who’ve recently opened a seasonal seafood restaurant called Mo’ Crawfish in nearby Mowata. From Kelly’s Landing, La. 98 zigzags southeast to St. Leo’s Church and the Roberts Cove community hall/museum, site of the Oct. 4-5 Germanfest and repository of local artifacts and genealogical assets – Tuesday-Thursday or by appointment, (337) 334-8354 – and it’s then just a few more zigzags to “Frog City” on I-10. A drive down Adams Avenue (La. 35) with its great frog murals makes it obvious what Rayne is the world capital of, and Nov. 15 will bring the Rayne Frog Festival, with typical festival fun plus some unique entertainment, namely the Festival Queen “pageant” which involves contestants dressing like jockeys for a frog race and using riding crops to goose their frogs to the finish line. Finally, visit the Frog City Café (a mile north of town on La. 35) to try Chef Roy’s fried frog legs and frog leg etouffée. It’s the best way to enjoy frogs and a darn good way to end a tour! n LouisianaLife.com | 33
18 Steak
farE in your favoR a guide to high-end casino dining
Louisiana is home to more than 20 casinos, from riverboats to Native American reservations to the land-based Harrah’s New Orleans. Whether one is looking for a “staycation” or traveling within the state, there is virtually always a casino within driving distance. For the non-gamblers in the family, many of these offer resort amenities as well as fine-dining options for a special evening away from home. By Bernard Frugé III | photographs jeff strout 34 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
l’auberge baton rouge
18 Steak
I
If L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles feels like a country lodge resort, the L’Auberge Casino Hotel has more of a metropolitan, Las Vegas-style vibe. First of all, it’s less than two years old, and everything is shiny and new. The large, clean gaming spaces are cast in metal and glass in a contemporary style. The sleek rooftop pool and swanky nightclub overlooking the Mississippi contribute to the overall Vegas atmosphere, as does the large venue that books world-class entertainment year round. They also have a legitimate poker room, which is difficult to find in Louisiana, so I sat down to play some Texas Hold ‘em. After recouping most of what I lost on my first hand, I made my way to 18 Steak. The restaurant is so named for Louisiana being the 18th state to join the union, and it’s a beautifully designed space: Enormous industrial-style windows look out onto the curving Mississippi river from the plush dining area. The dining room rings around a nucleus of oversized red leather booths set under an opulent red glass chandelier. It definitely has the feel of a special-occasion restaurant, like you are treating yourself to something extraordinary. The army of servers is snappy and skilled. My water glass never got less than 20 percent full.
I started out with the crab cake, because I saw a tantalizing-looking one served to the table next to me. It was one of the best crab cakes I have ever had. There was no discernable breading that is often used to bulk up a crab cake; it was all crab meat topped with a delightful mustard sauce that paired quite nicely with the buttery meat. To stick with local flavors, I followed that with the Amite-based Chappapeela Farms duck breast in an Abita root beer reduction. The duck was tender and juicy, and the sweetness of the reduced root beer worked quite well together. All in all, it was impressive. I followed it with a “salted s’mores” dessert drink from the after dinner drinks menu, which is basically a s’mores martini. I usually don’t drink sweet drinks, but the rock salt went really well with the chocolate syrup. Baton Rouge is not a usual destination that comes to mind for intra-Louisiana travel, but L’Auberge Casino Hotel is worth the trip. I would also say it’s a great place to spontaneously break up a long drive while crossing the state. Also, for the Baton Rougians out there, 18 Steak is a priority dining experience. It is easily one of the best restaurants in town. Information, 777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge, (225) 224-4142.
The L’Auberge in Baton Rouge is the newest casino of its magnitude in the state. Sitting along the mighty Mississippi, the 74,000 square foot casino abuts a massive hotel, both featuring a strikingly contemporary aesthetic. The signature dining experience is 18 Steak, named for Louisiana’s induction as the 18th state of the U.S. The elegantly appointed space is focused on elevated takes on local favorites such as trout amandine, liver and onions with foie gras, and barbecue shrimp with lobster dumplings. Diners can aid their digestion with a selection from a large menu of after dinner cocktails. For a truly special evening, there is also a chef’s table in a lush private dining room, offering a choice of six or 10 courses, each chosen by the chef along with a special alcohol pairing.
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T
Others to check out: The Vintage | El Dorado Casino 451 Clyde Fant Parkway, Shreveport | (318) 220-0711 Across the river from Jack Binion’s is another plush steak house, The Vintage, serving up primo USDA beef. The Vintage is the luxury dining option of the El Dorado casino, one of Shreveport’s best entertainment establishments. As the name would suggest, the wine list at Vintage is quite exhaustive, but so are the steak options. The signature bone-in rib eye is famous for a reason.
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l’auberge lake charles
Ember Grille
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The L’Auberge Casino Resort is on the western side of Lake Charles, sandwiched between the interconnected Lakes Charles and Prien. It has a sleek, modern aesthetic on the outside and the interior is even more dramatic. The main lobby looks like a lavishly updated, humongous hunting lodge. There are exposed wood columns, trusses, beams and rafters everywhere; the chandeliers and lighting fixtures are massive. Walking in has a transportive effect, as you enter the L’Auberge realm and leave the rest behind. There’s an arcade of boutique stores selling fancy clothes, golf equipment, pottery, spa products, sports memorabilia, and other sundries – at a store appropriately named “Sundries.” There is also a video arcade for the kids and video gaming-inclined adults. This eventually leads to a Las Vegas resort-caliber pool. There are cabanas, a lazy river, a swim-up bar and waterslides. I was previously not aware that pool experiences like this existed in Louisiana, and I took the opportunity to lounge and read a book for a while. There are several dining options, including Asia, an Asian-fusion restaurant with a contemporary vibe, but I chose to eat dinner at Ember Grille. Like the main lobby of L’Auberge, Ember is very modern-rustic with lots of exposed wood and large stone fireplaces. The wine list is extensive, with
bottles ranging from the more reasonable to quite lofty reserve prices. All of the appetizers looked interesting, and it was tough to choose between the quail and waffle and the foie and toast, but I got the latter. It consists of goat cheese-stuffed French toast topped with seared goose liver and bourbon maple syrup. It is incredibly rich and decadent. The sweetness of the syrup really enhances the foie and the goat cheese toast melts in your mouth. Caveat: This is not a great idea if you plan on a night of partying and gambling, because it really takes the wind out of your sails. If you’re here with a group, it is definitely worth ordering to share. Next, I had the pan-seared scallops with bok choy, topped with beurre noisette (fancy way of saying clarified butter) and a vinegar/port reduction. The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the bok choy soaked up the delicious sauces quite well. It was delectable and was thankfully on the lighter side, as I was still reeling from my intense toast experience. The scallops were the perfect capstone to a delicious meal. L’Auberge Casino Resort is an overall lovely place, and if you’re ever traveling in southwest Louisiana, I highly recommend both the fantastic pool and Ember Grille. Information, 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles, (337) 395-7777
L’Auberge in Lake Charles sits on a beautiful property west of the city, nestled among the various tributaries of the Calcasieu River for which the region is known. The expansive resort features a massive pool, shopping, a video arcade, golf course, spa and all the Vegas-style table games one could ask for. The star of the culinary show is Ember Grille, a modern American steakhouse. Ember features traditional dishes as well as innovative dishes, such as the “Quail & Waffle” appetizer. For those who swim, shop, and gamble up an appetite, there is a massive, table-carved 40-ounce tomahawk steak that will sate a small army of the most ravenous diners.
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38 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
harrah’s new orleans
BESH STEAKHOUSE
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As a resident of New Orleans since 2001, I have become intimately familiar with Harrah’s over the years despite not personally being a big gambler. It eventually opened in 1999 after a rocky history involving two casino companies vying for control of the project, but really exploded in 2006, when Harrah’s Hotel opened during the post-Katrina rebirth that rocked New Orleans. Harrah’s is always busy, filled with tourists from bachelor parties, conferences and concerts fraternizing with locals. Besh Steakhouse has a refined but whimsical vibe, with leather seats in earth tones broken up by royal blue accents that match the large selection of blue dog paintings by famous Louisiana artist, the late George Rodrigue. The scene here can be fairly rowdy, as Besh Steakhouse is open to the casino floor, but there are curtained booths for those who seek a sense of seclusion. If you’re looking for a seamless transition from partying to dinner and then partying again, Besh Steak is ideally situated. Also, it’s a John Besh restaurant, so stellar food is a guarantee.
The “Big Bad Baked Oysters” are a serious starter dish. The oysters are baked and then topped with decadent crabmeat au gratin. It’s a rich, buttery explosion of oysters, herbs, and cheesy crabmeat sauce. These appetizers seem great for sharing, making Besh Steak a solid choice for a group dinner. I opted out of steak for the beautiful spring preparation of yellowfin tuna, which comes with fava beans, artichokes, sunchoke puree and a beautiful bordelaise. It was perfectly filling without feeling excessive, as the fresh Gulf tuna complemented the bordelaise perfectly. The seasonal veggies were divine. It brought much-needed balance to a meal that started with the gut-busting Big Bad oysters. All in all, it was great dinner in a fun and lively atmosphere. If you want to have a great dinner in New Orleans without skipping a beat from a fun night on the town, look no further than Besh Steakhouse. Information, 8 Canal St., New Orleans, (504) 533-6111.
Harrah’s New Orleans is located steps away from the Mississippi River in the Central Business District and just a few blocks from the historic French Quarter. While some Louisiana casinos represent a more isolated resort experience, Harrah’s is right in the middle of the action. And the culinary centerpiece of Harrah’s is Besh Steakhouse, named for and co-owned by celebrity chef John Besh, a Louisiana native. The menu features Gulf fish options, steaks and a truly unique selection of appetizers, such as oxtail sliders with foie gras butter and a fanciful version of Natchitoches meat pies. The whimsical environment and appetizers fit Harrah’s billing of the restaurant “a playful spin on the traditional steakhouse.”
Others to check out: Horseshoe Casino 711 Horseshoe Blvd., Bossier City | (318) 742-0711 The Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City is a traditional, Vegas-style casino situated on the Red River that divides the twin cities of Bossier and Shreveport. For table games and slots on the east bank of the river – or a luxurious meal – this is the place to go.
cuisine drawn from Cantonese, Mandarin, Szechwan, Vietnamese, and Thai culinary traditions. Diners can choose from daily specials incorporating fresh seafood as well as select delicacies displayed live in saltwater tanks.
Four Winds
Jack Binion’s Steak House
If you are looking for something exotic, try the Four Winds, a fine dining restaurant offering authentic
For a more traditional experience, Horseshoe also houses Jack Binion’s an elevated
steak house named after the famous casino mogul and godfather of the World Series of Poker. Enjoy prime cuts paired with vintages from the extensive wine list while gazing out over the spectacular view of the Red River and Bossier/ Shreveport skyline. Patrons less inclined toward red meat can choose from a robust selection of gourmet seafood dishes.
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Others to check out: Big Sky Steakhouse | Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive Kinder (800) 584-7263 Situated between Opelousas and Lake Charles, you will find the entertainment megaplex that is the Coushatta Casino Resort. Coushatta is loaded with activities, including a concert venue, a huge facility geared toward child-appropriate fun and the Dream Pool, which offers waterslides, a lazy river and a swim-up bar for the parents. There are casual food options, but for more refined fare head to Big Sky Steakhouse. The luxurious dining room is home to some of the best prime rib in the state.
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paragon
LEGENDS STEAKHOUSE
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At the entrance to the Paragon Casino Resort is a huge fountain featuring a giant gilded eagle statue perching on a stone carving of the L-shape of Louisiana. This was an unexpected bit of flair out in Marksville, about 75 miles north of Lafayette, on a vast property bounded on all sides by beautiful wildlife refuges and protected reserves. The Paragon features the flair one expects in a casino, but also tasteful references to the countryside, such as cypress trees growing in the main hotel concourse with wooden walkways between them.
I started with the “Shrimp Michael,” a combination of things that are virtually impossible not to enjoy: large bacon-wrapped shrimp sitting atop seafood stuffing with mozzarella cheese melted all over it. One of the best things about this part of the world is that things like stuffing and crab cakes have very little “filler” content. The stuffing was not a ball of breadcrumbs, but mostly delicious seafood and diced veggies in a decadent cream sauce. The Gulf shrimp were huge and fresh, and the bacon was perfectly crispy.
There is also a movie theater in the lobby for guests who need a 90-minute respite from the warbling of the slot machines. Adjoining the hotel lobby is Atrium Bar, which has a frosted bar top to keep drinks cold. This is a legitimately handy feature, as you can drink at a moderate pace without your ice melting, which is a prudent pace at which to drink when located 20 feet away from tantalizing games of chance.
I wanted to order something I don’t eat often, so I had the petite filet, which some people think is just a smaller filet mignon, but is actually a different cut altogether – from the shoulder near the end of the chuck, not the tenderloin. I ordered it mediumrare, and the temperature was spot-on. It was perfectly cooked and tender and delicious.
Legends Steakhouse has a tastefully appointed dining room with an exposed kitchen, overstuffed wooden booths and white tablecloths. It immediately feels cozy and secluded, isolated from the boisterous casino floor. The wine list is well-curated, and the prices are reasonable.
If you’re in the Lafayette or Alexandria area, or just feel like a weekend in the country, Paragon Casino Resort is a great place in a beautiful area, with plenty to do to keep the family occupied for a few days. Information, 711 Paragon Place, Marksville, (318) 253-1946.
The scenic area surrounding Marksville is dotted with pristine wildlife refuges and is also home to the impressive Paragon Casino Resort. Paragon contains boutique shopping, a modern spa, and nationally renowned golf course, Tamahka Trails. It also boasts Legends Steakhouse, a fine-dining restaurant featuring sophisticated, international-influenced entrees in addition to steak. Diners not in the mood for a cut of red meat can enjoy duck à l’orange or fresh seafood pasta.
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42 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
By Stanley Dry, Carolyn Kolb Errol Laborde, Eve Crawford Peyton Sarah Ravits and Paul F. Stahls Jr. illustrations and hand rendered text by Small CHalk
Before Louisiana was a state, it was a territory, and before that, it was an expansive, promising land full of resources and natural beauty. What follows in these pages is a compendium of editors’ picks of things to do, food to try, places to visit and traditions to make your own. We can’t say this is a comprehensive guide, because Louisiana has an infinite amount of adventures waiting to be had, but we hope this will inspire you to get out and explore the state. LouisianaLife.com | 43
TRAVEL
FOOD
photograph by cheryl gerber
CULTURE
We know a lot of towns have Carnival celebration, and good for all of them – but to experience the real thing at its funkiness and glory, spend your Mardi Gras in New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood and then cross Esplanade Avenue into the French Quarter. This is where the spirit, and not commercialism, rules. – Errol Laborde
Roux is central to Louisiana cooking, and everyone should know how to make one. It involves cooking flour in oil or some other fat, while constantly stirring, until it is the desired color, ranging from blonde to almost black. It sounds easy, but it takes practice to make a dark roux without burning it. – Stanley Dry
Check out the national gardens of the American Rose Society, west of Shreveport near Greenwood, which moved here from Ohio in 1974 in search of elbow room and of the South’s longer blooming season. It’s America’s official point of registry for all old and new varieties of roses, and its 118 acres feature dozens of individual gardens sponsored by local Rose Society chapters around the nation. You’ll find everything from old garden roses and floribundas to hybrid teas and miniatures, all blooming April through October. Other plants help keep the Rose Center colorful all year, and December brings the million-light Christmas in Roseland display. Information, rose.org. – Paul F. Stahls Jr.
FOOD
A rite of passage for anyone new to Louisiana is learning to “suck the heads and pinch the tails” of boiled crawfish. The heads contain the tasty substance we euphemistically call “fat,” and pinching the tails is the preferred method for separating the tail meat from the shell. – S.D.
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TRAVEL
photograph by cheryl gerber
Who needs Venice? Besides, the buildings there are so old. There is an authentic Venice gondola, complete with gondolier and a music box loaded with romantic songs, for hire at Big Lake in City Park, located near the New Orleans Museum of Art. In case you want to do it yourself there are also rowboats, canoes and paddle-boats for a self-propelled cruise through part of the state’s most picturesque park. Information, neworleanscitypark.com. – E.L.
TRAVEL
Vsit the depths of a Louisiana salt mine – a real challenge since they no longer offer tours, so the only hope for non-miners is to buy a share of one or woo someone who has. Salt mines are blasted out in layers, each level a vast labyrinth of incredibly high-ceilinged corridors supported by huge pillars of unmined salt, a place of dimly lit whiteness through which a Jeep ride is the most other-worldly experience in the world.
FOOD
– P.S.
It would be a shame to waste day-old French bread when it can be made into such wonderful dishes as pain perdu and bread pudding. Pain perdu, which translates to “lost bread,” since it would be lost if not used, is known elsewhere as French toast. Bread pudding is always a favorite dessert, especially when served with whiskey sauce. – S.D.
FOOD
If Louisiana had citizenship requirements, surely one of them would be knowing how to make gumbo, a dish that is tightly bound up with our state’s identity. There is no one master recipe for gumbo and versions vary from cook to cook, so you have some leeway to personalize the dish. But only within reason. Don’t add anything weird, such as broccoli or quinoa. – S.D. photograph by eugenia uhl
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photograph by Tony Langford
DRINK TRAVEL
Upriver from St. Francisville at Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge (inaccessible during the high-water months of spring and summer). It’s easy to spot the world’s largest bald cypress there, but not so easy to actually encircle it. All holding hands, a big family might stretch across half of one side of it for a photo, but to truly surround it, bring your extended family by bus. The tree has a height of 83 feet, a diameter of 17 feet, and a circumference of 56 feet. – P.S.
TRAVEL
Located near the towns of Many and Leesville in Sabine Parish on the western edge of the state, the Gardens are not what they used to be when they were privately funded; nevertheless, now as a part of the state park system, the facility is coming back. There is still much to behold and some great views plus the waterfall and lookout tower. On a clear day, you can even see Texas. Better yet, every day you can see upstate Louisiana. – E.L.
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FOOD
Sixty miles southwest of Baton Rouge lies the small city of Abbeville, and though it’s population is less than 12,000, this is a place that knows how to party, particularly during the first weekend of November, when it hosts the Giant Omelette Celebration, featuring a 5,000-egg omelet prepared by a procession of chefs in a 12-foot skillet with 50 pounds of onions, 75 bell peppers, four gallons of onion tops, two gallons of parsley, 52 pounds of butter and Tabasco pepper sauce. Other festivities of the weekend include live music, Cajun dishes, egg-cracking contests and arts and crafts booths. Information, giantomelette.org. – Sarah Ravits
It’s no secret that Louisianians are exceptionally skilled at throwing back a few beers, but with the recent influx of local breweries popping up around the state, it’s fun – and even educational – to witness the beer magicians at work. Many brewmasters offer free or discounted tastings, often supplementing them with food pairings or trivia nights. Some even partner up with seemingly unlikely businesses; for example, NOLA Brewing recently collaborated with activewear company Lulu Lemon to host hosted a free yoga series – after each class, participants could buy two-for-one beers. – S.R.
KIDS
TRAVEL
photograph by eugenia uhl
FOOD
After gumbo, jambalaya is probably the most storied Louisiana dish. Composed of rice cooked with meat, poultry or seafood (or a combination) and seasonings, it is virtually a meal in itself. Some like tomatoes in their jambalaya, but for others tomatoes are strictly verboten, so know who you’re cooking for. People can be very unforgiving on this topic. – S.D.
Horsebackers could dedicate a whole bucket list to Louisiana trails that lead through interesting landscapes and topography, upwards of 15 in Kisatchie National Forest alone. Two of the most popular offer hilly woodlands and native prairie grasses at Gum Springs Recreation Area, on U.S. 84 eight miles west of Winnfield – (318) 628-4664 – and that city is also the departure point of a horse-friendly 40-mile mixed-terrain “rail-trail”– (318) 628-5928 – to Jamestown in Bienville Parish. – P.S.
Held the first weekend of April at Houma’s Southdown Plantation, the Ladybug Ball Festival features bug and butterfly releases along with games, food and music. Another place to learn about buggy friends is the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, which features lots of interactive insect exhibits, an IMAX theater and even a café that serves up gourmet food – bugs are the special ingredient. Information, search “Ladybug Ball Festival” on Facebook; Insectarium: auduboninstitute.org – Eve Crawford Peyton
TRAVEL There are so many lakes in Louisiana that they are hard to keep track of. The problem is that some lakes that are clearly lakes
by anybody’s definition. Then there is False River, which is really a lake, too, but how about Lake Ponchartain, which is
really a basin? Sabine Lake is also a reservoir. Whatever you call these inland bodies of water there are lots of them
dispersed through the state – most with the expected aquatic opportunities. – E.L.
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photograph by Ricky Edgerton
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
Near Reidheimer at the northern tip of Natchitoches Parish, once home of horticulturist, author and artist Caroline Dormon. Her gift to Louisiana was not only the creation of Kisatchie National Forest, but also her lifelong collection of Louisiana and Gulf Coast wildflowers and native trees. Now known as the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, the forest/garden is on La. 20 between Reidheimer and Saline. Call (318) 576-3379 for regular schedule or appointment. – P.S.
CULTURE
At the ridges called cheniers that lie along the seaside Creole Nature Trail through Cameron and Vermilion Parishes, these “hailstorms” of birds occur May through early March, after their 18-to-24-hour trans-Gulf flights, when innumerable species arrive in waves and plummet exhausted into the first oaks and hackberries they see (especially after encountering north winds when fronts move across the Gulf waters). One prime fall-out spot is 12-acre Peveto Woods Sanctuary (maintained by the Baton Rouge Audubon Society and open free at all hours). Drive 8.5 miles west of Holly Beach on La. 82, then left on Parish 525 to the second street, which leads through a cluster of camps and deadends at the chenier. – P.S.
48 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
FOOD
Traditionally, the group of revelers who follow behind the brass band in a New Orleans parade is known as “second-liners” – the “first line” being the band itself or the members of a club. The tradition has expanded from beyond parades and jazz funerals to weddings, while second-liners dance, often waving a handkerchief or parasols high in the air. – S.R.
CULTURE You really can’t say you’ve experienced Louisiana if you haven’t taken time to sample beignets and New Orleans coffee. Puffy and feather-light, copiously coated with powdered sugar, these deep-fried square doughnuts are consumed with mugs of café au lait – dark roast coffee enhanced with chicory, brewed thick and strong, and combined with an equal portion of hot milk. – S.D.
It wouldn’t be a stretch at all to say that Louisiana football fans are among the most zealous in the nation; it’s a year-round topic of discussion whether you’re rooting for the Saints, Tigers or your high school alma mater. Tailgating is a way of life for Louisianians. Nothing brings together friends, families and strangers quite like the pigskin does. – S.R.
FOOD
Boudin is a spicy pork and rice sausage and cracklins (also called gratons) are pieces of fried pork skin and fat. In south Louisiana, convenience stores and meat markets offer boudin ready to eat from the steamer, along with packages of cracklins. A road trip without a supply of both is unthinkable, as evidenced by a radio commercial that goes something like this: “I-10 is a long, lonely road without boudin and cracklins from the Best Stop in Scott.” – S.D.
TRAVEL
FOOD
(Or at least keep a checklist) of favorite foods by region, like remoulade and Rockefeller in New Orleans, Zwolle Tamales, Belle River crawfish, Pontchartrain blue crabs, Ruston peaches, Ponchatoula strawberries, Natchitoches meat pies, tasso in Ville Platte, pecan pie in the Pecan Capital (Colfax), oranges in Plaquemines, watermelons in Farmerville and Sugartown, andouille in LaPlace, boudin in the ricelands, cochon-de-lait in Avoyelles, sauce piquant along the Lafourche, Islenos Caldo soup in St. Bernard and, everywhere you go, barbecue, jambalaya, catfish, crawfish, gumbo… – P.S.
It’s not really dirty, but it is delicious. Called rice dressing in polite company, it’s made with rice, ground pork and spices and often served as an accompaniment to roast poultry or meats. – S.D.
FOOD
Another iconic dish, this one particularly associated with New Orleans, but eaten throughout the state. Vegetarian it’s not, since various meats such as sausage, ham, smoked pork shanks and pickled pork find their way into the slowly simmering pot, but delicious, satisfying and comforting it surely is. – S.D. photograph by eugenia uhl
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DRINK
Of course New Orleans would have an indigenous cocktail. The key ingredient is rye whiskey. To that, add Herbsaint (or a similar anise-based liqueur), Peychaud’s bitters, simple syrup, a dash of water and a twist of lemon peel. Save the mojitos and cosmos for another town. Try it at the city’s best bars. – E.L.
photograph by cheryl gerber
KIDS
FOOD
In Cajun Louisiana, the food that natives eat, virtually on a daily basis, is rice and gravy, a category that covers a wide range of dishes, all of them made with a delectable gravy and served over rice. To give you some idea of how important gravy is in the scheme of things, “rice and gravy” includes generous portions of meat. You may have heard this definition of a Cajun: One who can look over a rice field and tell you how much gravy you need to cover it. – S.D.
TRAVEL
In Ruston, Louisiana Tech’s 2014 graduating class of 966 was the largest since the school’s founding in 1894. The Agriculture Department’s Tech Farm Showroom has milk, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and 15 flavors of ice cream for sale – including Ruston peach in summer. Information, latech.edu – Carolyn Kolb
50 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
TRAVEL
If you’re not a pro, hire one – our state has several. Our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico bestows upon us some of the best seafood in the world, and we think you’re missing out if you haven’t gotten your sea legs on and experienced the open waters by now. – S.R.
At the Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans, kids learn about small machines and human anatomy, and they can even encase themselves inside a giant soap bubble – but perhaps the best part of the Louisiana Children’s Museum is the way it highlights the Bayou State. Kids can experience life in 18th-century New Orleans in the re-created courtyard of the Merieult House, one of New Orleans’ oldest buildings; they can experiment with Louisiana architecture by building small-scale shotgun homes and Creole cottages; they can practice loading cargo and crawling through shipping crates at the Little Port of New Orleans; and they can even “make groceries” at the Little Winn Dixie Grocery Store. Information, lcm.org. – E.C.P.
KIDS
TRAVEL
It’s Louisiana’s Mount Fujiyama! And don’t forget your miniature Louisiana flag to plant Evereststyle when you reach the highest spot in our state. From I-20 at Grambling take La. 507 south through Bienville Parish, crossing La. 147 and 797, then one mile farther to park at Mt. Zion Presbyterian. The church is 435 feet above sea level, so it’s an easy hour’s uphill hike to the 535-foot “summit,” where you can enjoy great views and sign the guestbook before your even easier descent. - P.S.
Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center in Shreveport was named the 2012 Attraction of the Year by the Louisiana Travel & Promotion Association and was also selected as one of the 10 best science museums in the country by Parents magazine, and it’s not hard to see why. Sci-Port offers 290 hands-on exhibits, 70 interactive programs and demonstrations, a Space Center and Space Dome Planetarium and an IMAX Dome Theatre, making it scientifically impossible, for once, for kids to complain of boredom. Information, sciport.org. – E.C.P
KIDS
Johnny Cash may have brought attention to Folsom by singing about its prison, but the rural area north of Lake Pontchartrain boasts a wildlife center that hosts more than 4,000 exotic, endangered and threatened animals who flourish in a free-roaming, natural environment. It’s open seven days a week with daily tours. Information, globalwildlife.com – S.R.
There are five regions to this sprawling forest that is spread throughout seven parishes in north central Louisiana. Look at a map of the state, and the Kisatchie accounts for that blotch in the upper part of the boot. (Anyone who can send us an authenticated picture of a Bigfoot taken in the Kisatchie will win a one-year subscription to the magazine and a special place in our memory bank.) – E.L.
CULTURE
CULTURE
Begun at ULL 1974, the Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore is now the premier oral history and recorded music collection in Southwest Louisiana. Information, ccet.louisiana.edu. – C.K.
TRAVEL
photograph by infrogmation
This is arguably Louisiana’s most historic building. It was in this structure located across from Jackson Square in New Orleans where the papers were signed transferring the Louisiana territory from France to the fledgling United States. The future of a free world was possibly created ta that moment. Certainly the adventure of Louisiana statehood began. This is the state’s shrine. Information, (504) 568-6968. – E.L.
FOOD
Almost no one makes their own, so you don’t have to either, since it is widely available during Carnival season. You don’t have to be a king to eat king cake, but you really can’t claim to be a Louisianian if you haven’t sampled a rich green, purple and gold King Cake. – S.D.
photograph by cheryl gerber
TRAVEL CULTURE
Our state has long been a haven for writers, so when you’re in the mood to curl up with a good book, check out works by famed authors with ties to Louisiana, including Kate Chopin, Anne Rice, James Lee Burke, John Kennedy Toole, Tennessee Williams, Walker Percy and more. It would be remiss if we didn’t mention the accomplishments of contemporary fiction novelist Nic Pizzolatto, who made waves this past year as the creator and writer of HBO’s “True Detective” series; the first season of the show took place – and was filmed – all over South Louisiana. – S.R.
Had the redcoats won the Battle of New Orleans on the Plain of Chalmette in 1815, the Mississippi Valley would have been easy pickings and the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 would have been forgotten. The hundred-foot-tall, hundredyear-old Chalmette National Monument is a must-see for all Americans and thousands will make the pilgrimage during the battle’s bicentennial observance next year, pausing there, we hope, to consider what a staggering impact a loss by Andrew Jackson would have had on American history and geography. – P.S.
KIDS
Christmas bonfires add just a little bit more magic to the season, and they are a spectacle like no other. Kids will love the explanation that they are lighting the way for Santa, and even parents might find themselves caught up in the wonder of it all. Lit along the Mississippi River levees in St. John the Baptist, St. James and Ascension parishes, these bonfires should be a part of your annual holiday tradition. – E.C.P.
52 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
photo courtesy National Park Service
photograph by cheryl gerber
TRAVEL
KIDS
CULTURE
There was once a drugstore chain dotted throughout Louisiana named Katz & Besthoff. The chain, which pioneered the modern drugstore, was eventually bought out by Rite-Aid, but the Besthoff name survives through that family’s beautiful sculpture garden located in City Park. There is no admission charge but a lot to enrich the mind while walking along the trails of this beautifully designed garden where fascinating sculptures from international artists line the way. Information, neworleanscitypark.com – E.L.
TRAVEL
The Poverty Point ridge and mound complex in West Carroll Parish, ¾ mile in diameter and product of 3 million hours of labor 3,500 years ago, is a Louisiana State Historic Site gone
If kids were to make up a festival entirely by themselves, it would probably look a lot like the Cake and Ice Cream Festival, held each July in Abbeville. In addition to tons of free homemade ice cream, cake and cheesecake, the festival features games, water slides, a bounce house and pony rides. Information, cityofabbeville.net. – E.C.P
viral. Recently adopted as a National Monument by the National Park Service, it was declared by UNESCO this June to be a World Heritage Site. That’s the new name of the Wonders, and the
wonder of this site, even more than the miracle of its staggering dimensions, was the ability of a people to make this isolated place the center of a trade network spanning today’s Lower
Our state fair is complete with midway rides, irresistibly cheesy sideshows, “fair fare” at the concessions and ribbon-winning livestock in the massive exhibit barns. A year-round attraction at our State Fairgrounds in Shreveport is the grand State Exhibit Museum, with its titan frescos, its Caddo Indian treasures and its circular marbleand-granite corridor filled with a century’s collection of arts and artifacts. The 108th Louisiana State Fair is Oct. 23-Nov. 9. Information, statefairoflouisiana.com. – P.S.
48 and beyond, uniting far-flung and unallied political and linguistic groups into an economic and social system never to be duplicated in the remaining millennia of prehistory. – P.S.
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FIVE LOUISIANA PUBLIC COMPANIES WORTH WATCHING Tulane University students size up investment prospects. By Kathy Finn Louisiana investors who are looking for stocks of solid, well-managed companies need search no farther than their own back yard, according to students at Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business. The graduate and undergraduate business students participate in a course called the Burkenroad Program, in which they earn credits for performing investment analyses of publicly traded companies in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast. The students receive training in equity analysis and meet with top management of the companies they study in order to gain an understanding of the industries and the competitive pressures the companies face. They complete their study by writing investment analyses that are compiled into the Burkenroad Reports. Stocks in the Burkenroad Reports are among the holdings of the Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Small-Cap Mutual Fund (symbol: HYBUX), which is managed by Hancock Bank and has about $850 million in assets. In their latest reports, the Burkenroad analysts concluded that an improving economy and well-advised growth strategies are helping many of Louisiana’s public companies grow revenues and boost their bottom line. Here’s a look at five of the companies analyzed during the past year by the Burkenroad team.
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Cleco Corp.
Conrad Industries Inc.
Pineville
Morgan City
Industry: Electric utility
Industry: Ship fabrication and repair
Top executive: Bruce A. Williamson, CEO and president Website: cleco.com Market capitalization: $3.4 billion
Top executive: John P. Conrad Jr., CEO and president Website: conradindustries.com Market capitalization: $230.7 million
Stock symbol/exchange: CNL/NYSE Stock details as of July 14, 2014: • Closing price: $56.71 • 52-week range: $43.69 – 59.21 • Dividend/yield: $1.60/2.8 percent
Stock symbol/exchange: CNRD/OTC Stock details as of July 14, 2014: • Closing price: $38.15 • 52-week range: $28.50 - 42.90 • Dividend/yield: NA/NA
Business: Through its power company subsidiary, Cleco Corp., engages in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to some 284,000 retail customers in Louisiana and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana and Mississippi. The company was founded in 1935.
Business: Providing construction and repair services to customers in maritime transportation and oil and gas production, the company operates four shipyards, including one in Morgan City, two in Amelia and one in Orange, Texas. It serves offshore support companies, rig fabricators and drilling contractors; barge and support vessel operators; the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and state and local governmental agencies. The company was founded in 1948.
Analysis: Bloggers at TheStreet.com recently suggested that this company’s stock could be headed for a “lifetime high,” with the share price having jumped 30 percent in the past year and the company in a “largely solid financial position.” Being seen as a buyout candidate also has sparked investor interest. Cleco acknowledged recently that it is exploring a possible sale. Potential buyers include CenterPoint Energy Inc. and Borealis Infrastructure, a unit of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The Burkenroad analysts say that Cleco has performed well in a highly regulated market where, on the wholesale side, companies compete fiercely for new service areas. “Cleco has been aggressively working with municipalities and cooperatives to increase its service areas through long-term wholesale contracts to sell capacity, energy and services,” the analysts wrote.
Analysis: The Burkenroad analysts who examined Conrad Industries late last year gave the company high marks for “strong management and solid financials,” and noted that vigorous commercial demand for the company’s services and a diverse product mix have reduced its dependence on government contracts Total revenues grew by 75 percent in the past three years and the trend will likely continue, the analysts said, noting the company’s purchase of 50 acres of expansion space for a new deepwater facility. They set a price target of $47 a share for the stock, but some other analysts believe that may be low. A stock blogger at Seeking Alpha noted in April that Conrad Industries has grown its customer base and expanded its backlog by almost 30 percent, suggesting that “plenty of growth potential remains.” Assuming a 10 percent growth rate this year, blogger Justin Kuepper speculated, shares in Conrad Industries could climb well above $50 by year-end.
IberiaBank Corp.
Pool Corp.
Gulf Island Fabrication Inc.
Lafayette
Covington
Houma and Houston
Industry: Regional banking
Industry: Swimming pool supplies
Industry: Fabrication services for offshore drilling/production
Top executive: Daryl G. Byrd, CEO and president Website: iberiabank.com Market capitalization: $2.0 billion
Top executive: Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa, CEO and president Website: poolcorp.com Market capitalization: $2.48 billion
Top executive: Kirk J. Meche, CEO and president Website: gulfisland.com Market capitalization: $287.5 million
Stock symbol/exchange: IBKC/Nasdaq Stock details as of July 14, 2014: • Closing price: $66.70 • 52-week range: $51.54 - 72.41 • Dividend/yield: $1.36/2.0 percent
Stock symbol/exchange: POOL/Nasdaq Stock details as of July 14, 2014: • Closing price: $55.60 • 52-week price range: $50.58 - 62.84 • Dividend/yield: $0.88/1.5 percent
Stock symbol/exchange: GIFI/Nasdaq Stock details as of July 14, 2014: • Closing price: $20.51 • 52-week range: $18.06 - 26.82 • Dividend/yield: $0.40/1.9 percent
Business: The holding company for IBERIABANK provides commercial and retail banking products and services from more than 280 offices, including 186 bank branches and three loan production offices in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas and Florida; 22 title insurance offices; and mortgage representatives in 11 states. IberiaBank Corp. was founded in 1887.
Business: Supplying “everything but the water” to swimming pool service businesses in North America and Europe, this company sells some 160,000 products to wholesale customers, including pool remodelers, builders and repair companies; specialty retailers; landscape and maintenance contractors; and others. The company was founded in 1993.
Business: Through several subsidiary operations, the company fabricates offshore drilling and production platforms, living quarters, process vessels, barges and lift boats used in the development and production of oil and gas reserves. The company was founded in 1985 by Alden J. “Doc” Laborde, who died earlier this year in New Orleans at the age of 98.
Analysis: The Burkenroad analysts see management strength and good strategic planning in this regional banking company, which seized on the national economic recession as an opportunity to cheaply acquire failing banks in other states. Florida was a major target for acquisitions. More recently, IberiaBank set its sights on stable banks with good prospects. Recent acquisitions included the Memphis operations of Trust One Bank; Franklin, La.-based Teche Holding Co.; and First Private Holdings Inc. in Dallas. These purchases brought IberiaBank’s total assets to $13.6 billion. “The Company continues to steadily grow its legacy portfolio by focusing on conservative client selection,” the analysts wrote in a March 2014 report. Analysts at Burkenroad and several investment advisory firms look for IberiaBank’s stock could be headed for $70 or more per share.
Analysis: Continued economic recovery will bring benefits to shareholders of Pool Corp, the Burkenroad student analysts predict. Praising management for paying down debt and expanding through acquisition of smaller companies, they note that the company, with 220 U.S. sales centers, now has the largest market share in the pool distribution industry. “Pool Corp. will be able to keep its favorable market position because of its competitive advantage,” the analysts wrote. New Orleans investment advisor George Young, a partner at Villere & Co., recently predicted that Pool Corp will enjoy “an annuity stream” because the average swimming pool in the United States is 10 years old and most need to be resurfaced every seven years. “What’s really important about Pool Corp is, they’re larger than the next 40 competitors combined,” Young told TheStreet.com in late May. “On top of that if you need a pump for your 1970s-installed pool, they’ve got that part and can get it to you in a timely manner.”
Analysis: This independent oilfield services company has a history of stability and has built a strong backlog of work that includes two major deepwater projects, the Burkenroad analysts note. With no long-term debt, Gulf Island’s balance sheet is healthy, leaving the company in a good position for growth, they say. A downturn in the Gulf of Mexico took a toll on profits for a while, with the company posting net losses for two years before moving into the black in 2013. “The offshore platform market is extremely competitive,” the student analysts wrote. But despite uncertainties that continually plague the offshore oil and gas industry, the analysts believe Gulf Island Fabrication will perform well in the near term. In their March 2014 report on the company, they set a 12-month price target of $24 for the stock.
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Photo Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism
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Lake Martin - A beautiful spring sunset in Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish; photo courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism.
St. Martin Parish draws visitors year-round with its welcoming hospitality, world-class music and famous local cuisine. Accommodations include beautiful B&B’s, cabins, campgrounds, houseboats and chain hotels. Breaux Bridge offers an array of shopping, antiquing and world-renowned hot spots like the famous Zydeco Breakfast at Cafe des Amis or Cajun music and dancing nightly at Pont Breaux’s Cajun Restaurant. The Henderson area, at the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin, offers airboat and swamp tours and great family-owned restaurants such as Robins Restaurant and Crawfish Town USA. On Sundays, Dancing on the Levee starts at McGee’s Landing at noon, ventures to Whiskey River for Zydeco and ends the night at Pat’s Atchafalaya Club. St. Martinville plays host to countless festivals and quaint cafes in the beautiful downtown district. Take heritage tours at Acadian Memorial, African American Museum and Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site. Highlights of year-round festivals and events include the Breaux Bridge Chamber of Commerce Jambalaya Cookoff, Pepper Festival, Breaux Bridge City Wide Garage Sale, Boucherie, Tour du Teche and the Atchafalaya Basin Festival. See “where Cajun began,” and visit CajunCountry.org.
Louisiana Destinations Fall is one of Louisiana’s favorite and busiest seasons, featuring festivals, cool weather, outdoor opportunities and seasonal cuisine. Fill your September and October calendars with day or weekend trips across the state. Experience the legend of the “Rougarou” in South Louisiana, college football in North Louisiana, antique shopping in Central Louisiana or a historical tour just about anywhere. Family-friendly fun can be had from corner to corner—each town’s unique culture, cuisine and traditions are on display this month at a variety of festivals such as Voice of the Wetlands, The Shrimp & Petroleum Festival, The Louisiana Gumbo Festival and the annual Harvest Festival. Lodging, casino resorts and state university pride round out this collection of Louisiana Destinations.
Parishes, Cities & Towns Travel less than an hour southwest of New Orleans, and you’ll enter Louisiana’s Bayou Country— Houma, LA. Folks in Houma are big on fun! Consider attending any number of their annual events with several lined up this fall. On Sept. 27-28, celebrate Houma’s unique culture at Best of the Bayou, the city’s premier music festival! This free, two-day event features live music, local Cajun cuisine, a car show, arts and crafts, and toy alligator races.
Help save the wetlands Oct. 10-12 with the Voice of the Wetlands Festival, a celebration to create awareness about the loss of the coastline in Southern Louisiana. Have some spooky fun on Oct. 25th at the Rougarou Fest, which pays tribute to the rich folklore that exists along the bayous of Southeast Louisiana. From the Rougarou Run to the Krewe Ga Rou Parade, there are activities for all. For a free Adventure Guide, call 1-800-6882732 or visit houmatravel.com.
New Orleans Plantation Country, just minutes from New Orleans along the Great Mississippi River Road, is home to some of the most famous plantation homes in the country, and the plantations’ unique stories and fascinating differences make each one worthy of a visit. Experience all nine magnificent plantations and hear real, historical accounts of the people who lived there—English sugar barons, Creole women, slaves and soldiers—all with their own perspectives on the time and place in which they lived. Visitors examine artifacts, read stories and touch the history that extends from grand ballrooms to impoverished slave cabins. Swamp tours, mouth-watering cuisine, shaded gardens and a feast of festivals weave their magic into your adventure as well. Accommodations with full amenities make for memorable stays. The winding River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge provides an unforgettable journey where storytellers will captivate you, and you’ll leave with your own stories to tell. For more information on each plantation as well as travel deals and more, go to VisitNOPC.com.
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Tucked between the swamps of the Atchafalaya is Iberville Parish, a place of awe-inspiring beauty, massive live oaks and meandering bayous and waterways teeming with life. Just outside of Baton Rouge, this area prides itself on a unique culture in which many people still live close to the land and enjoy a way of life passed through generations. The Iberville Swamp Life Expo, held at the beautiful, shaded Iberville Parish Visitors Center (I-10 at Grosse Tete), will be the kick-off event for Experience Atchafalaya Days, a month-long celebration of the Atchafalaya Heritage Area. The expo will include net-making demonstrations, woodcarving, works from local artists and relics of the area’s long history. The Iberville Swamp Life Expo will be held Saturday, Oct. 5th from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will feature live music, food and art. Experience Atchafalaya Days runs throughout October. Cultural, food and art demonstrations will be available free to the public. Avoyelles Parish churches and schools are geared up for their annual fall fairs and festivals. Hens in Avoyelles begin to feel a little on edge this time of year, also known as GUMBO time. Almost every weekend in autumn, you can find a large pot of gumbo simmering at the various fairs as well as delicious pork and chicken dinners on Sundays. Not to mention the many homemade cakes, pies, cookies and confections in the sweet shops. While in Avoyelles, plan for some specialty shopping at the Amish Store, WesMar Goat Farm, Treasures & Antiques and Collectibles, or gift shops in every town. It’s easy to find something different for a special person or for Christmas gifts. Visit Bernard’s Sea-Fry Restaurant (where the locals go) for seafood and homestyle cooking in a relaxed atmosphere. Bring a cooler to store fresh seafood from Bernard’s Seafood Express next door. Visit travelavoyelles.com for all your travel planning.
Proudly distinguished as “The Most Cajun Place on Earth,” Vermilion Parish in South Louisiana is alive with the food, music, language and scenery that define the Cajun cultural heritage. Located minutes south of Lafayette and just west of New Iberia, the towns of Delcambre, Erath, Abbeville, Kaplan, Gueydan and others all bring a little lagniappe to the enchanting region. Enjoy music, food, and more at the Louisiana Cattle Festival held Oct. 10-12 in historic downtown Abbeville. While in Abbeville, groove to Sounds on the Square held each Thursday evening in September and October in Magdalen Square. The free concerts, held from 5:30-9 p.m. under the majestic oaks, feature a variety of music and 68 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
Lincoln Parish Park - Swimming in the Lake in Ruston & Lincoln Parish; photo courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism.
refreshments. Don’t forget to grab a bite to eat! Seafood lovers will want to visit Shucks. From raw or grilled oysters to seafood gumbo and classic specialties, they offer a menu to please every palate. For more destinations, events and travel ideas, visit MostCajun.com. Travelers across South Louisiana this fall will not want to pass up West Baton Rouge Parish. Stop at the West Baton Rouge Tourist Information Center at I-10, Exit #151, just five minutes west of Baton Rouge. Stop in and meet their newest attraction, MOBY, a 13’4”, 760-pound alligator, up close. Stay in one of their family friendly hotels and whether it is football you crave, high-speed drag racing, historic plantation homes, scenic views or a fun festival, West Baton Rouge has it all. Sept. 13-14 join us for the Oldies But Goodies Fest and Smokin’ Oldies Championship BBQ cook-off with live music, food, dancing, antique car show and more. Lights, lights and more lights, wagon rides, snow, ice fishing and Santa are just a few of the highlights at the “Ref lections of the Season” light display, open Thursday through Sunday nights from December 6-24. For more information, or to view short videos of events, destinations and even day-trip itineraries, visit WestBatonRouge.net. Experience the southern charm of North Louisiana by visiting Ruston & Lincoln Parish. Home of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Grambling State University Tigers, the area is full of football excitement this fall. Sports fans come from across Louisiana to watch the universities dominate in the football stadium.
Meanwhile, history and art enthusiasts f lock to the beautiful historic downtown district of Ruston, offering specialty shops, restaurants, art galleries, unique architectural wonders and a thriving business community. Destinations include the Lincoln Parish Museum, the Louisiana Military Museum, the Autrey House and the Eddie G. Robinson Museum. Those looking for adventure can ride the best mountain bike trail in the south at Lincoln Parish Park, also a place for great hikes, fishing, camping and more. The Dixie Center for the Arts begins its 2014-2015 season this fall with a performance from the Chinese Acrobats on Sept. 27. For the Dixie Center’s full season schedule, visit dixiecenter.org. For more information and upcoming events in Ruston & Lincoln Parish, visit experienceruston.com. Surrounded by the waters of the Atchafalaya Swamp Basin, Bayou Teche and Atchafalaya River, the Cajun Coast in St. Mary Parish is known for its natural splendor and “road less traveled” atmosphere. There’s no better way to spend a fall day than exploring the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area or winding along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway. Cajun Jack’s Swamp Tours take visitors through the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp, or you can experience the wilderness by paddling through the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge. Golfers won’t want to miss a chance to hit the Atchafalaya at Idlewild, which was rated as one of the best golf courses in Louisiana by Golf Digest Magazine in 2013 and by Golfweek Magazine in 2012. This fall, the Cajun Coast is alive with festivals and events, including the 79th Shrimp & Petroleum Festival (Aug. 28-Sept. 1), Battle
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on the Basin (Sept. 6-7), Tour du Teche (Oct. 3-5), Harvest Moon Fest (Oct. 25), and La Fete d’Ecologie (TBA). For more information, visit cajuncoast.com. Fall is festival time in the Bayou Youngsters love the yearly Cut Off Youth Center Hurricane Festival (Sept. 26-28) for its great Cajun food, music, dancing and a carnival mid-way. October kicks off with the Bayou Music Festival (Oct. 4) in Golden Meadow. Food lovers must check out two Southeast Tourism Society “Top 20 Events.” The 43nd Annual Louisiana Gumbo Festival (Oct. 17-19) in Chackbay, the “Gumbo Capital of Louisiana,” which offers the best in Cajun food, music and dancing. This festival is also an American Bus Association “Top 100 Event” in the U.S. The 41st Annual French Food Lafourche area.
Captiol Building - Don’t forget to visit this state landmark in Baton Rouge; photo courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism.
Festival in Larose (Oct. 24-26) holds more than 30 local food booths, featuring traditional Bayou classics such as White Oyster Soup, Shrimp Boulettes, Jambalaya and more. Live entertainment and cultural exhibits add to the festival. The Thibodeauxville Fall Festival (Nov. 8) offers live music, a Cajun food court, arts booths and a duck race on Bayou Lafourche. Fall is an ideal season to experience the Cajun way of life. For more information, including special festival hotel rates, visit VisitLafourche.com or call 877-537-5800. Minden in Webster Parish is located in the beautiful piney hills of Northwest Louisiana, 30 miles east of Shreveport off Interstate 20.
This fall, visit historic downtown Minden for the Vintage Car Club Show on Sept. 13. Admission is free. In October, the City of Springhill celebrates the area’s timber heritage with the 31st Annual Lumberjack Festival (Oct. 10-11). Drawing thousands of people to experience timber sports, this year’s event features The Great Lakes Timber Show seen on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, ESPN, Good Morning America, The Today Show and more. Admission is free. In November, shop until you drop during the Main to Main Trade Days (Nov. 7-8) with 50+ miles of food, fun and shopping from Minden to Springhill and everywhere in between. Don’t miss Minden’s free Fasching Fifth Season Celebration (Nov. 22), highlighting Minden’s German heritage with German music, German food and fun. Nov. 11th through Jan. 5th, Minden will be illuminated by thousands of Christmas Lights and hundreds of life-size nutcrackers during
the Holiday Trail of Lights. Admission is free. For more information, call 1-8002MINDEN or visit VisitWebster.net. Just off I-10 and west of Lafayette lies the “Cajun Prairie,” Acadia Parish, an area known for its unique attractions, numerous year-round festivals and rich history and folklore. In Crowley, home of the International Rice Festival, tour the Rice Interpretive Center, the Historic Crowley Ford Motor Company, built in 1920, and the J.D. Miller Recording Studio. Famous for writing Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” J. D. Miller struck gold with this hit in the 1980s. Travel the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Byway and visit Kelly’s Landing Agricultural Museum to take an informative and entertaining walk
through the past. See why Rayne, LA, home of the Frog Festival, is both “The Frog Capital of the World” and the “Louisiana City of Murals.” Similarly, check out the Buggy Festival at “The Buggy Capital of the World,” Church Point, home to Le Vieux Presbytere Museum with bousillage (mud walls). Roberts Cove is home to the German Heritage Museum and the popular Germanfest. For more information, events, destinations and festival dates, visit AcadiaTourism.org or call 877-783-2109. The action is warming up in Baton Rouge — time to dive into one of the South’s brightest hot spots! While you’re visiting, take time to experience all the city has to offer— dynamic cuisine, upscale shopping, great live music, eclectic museums and the excitement of big-time college football. You’ll soon learn why it was recently named among the 15 Southern Hospitality Cities. Set your sights on the Capital City. The huge variety of options may appear overwhelming, but the good news is that you can keep coming back again and again. Explore the colorful history, vibrant music and exquisite cuisine for yourself. For more information and insider recommendations call 800 LA ROUGE or go to VisitBatonRouge.com. #GoBR New Roads, LA, is a great place to live, play and prosper. You will quickly discover the area’s alluring mystique is made up of a unique French Louisiana culture, tradition and history that is cradled along the beautiful banks of False River, just 30 minutes from Baton Rouge. Here, Southern cottages and an historic Main Street share residence with a robust downtown, award-winning restaurants, specialty boutiques and antique collections. New Roads is home to a variety of year-around outdoor festivals, including the annual Harvest Festival, which was voted “Louisiana’s Best New Festival.” The three-day celebration, set for Oct. 17-19 this year, features live music, amusements, popular culinary and artisan vendors, and cultural displays and exhibits. Visit newroads.net to learn more, and find your way in New Roads.
Lafayette is at the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun Country, an area known for letting the good times roll, or as they say it laissez les bons temps rouler, and people are starting to notice. The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.com recently named Lafayette as the “Happiest City in America,” and with its distinctive blend of food, music and culture, it’s no wonder as to why. Lafayette comes alive in the fall with remarkable weather to compliment the multitude of events and festivals. Downtown Alive! is a local favorite, offering a free LouisianaLife.com | 69
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Boudin: A Guide to Louisiana’s Extraordinary Link, written by the founder of BoudinLink.com and the annual Boudin Cook-Off, Robert Carriker (aka Dr. Boudin), features more than two dozen of the top boudin stops across South Louisiana. The reader will be treated to an introduction to the place, the links and the people who make them. Grand Coteau is an iconic photographic record of a unique, historic Louisiana town, spanning 35 years (1977-2012). Photographer John Slaughter has selected choice images from his archive of vistas, architecture and citizens to deliver a poetic presentation. Both Main Streets of Louisiana and Louisiana Hwy. 1 take travelers all across the state. Author Anne Butler and photographer Henry Cancienne serve as tour guides introducing the communities that represent almost every culture that has spiced up Louisiana’s gumbo heritage and history. Find these titles and more at ULPress.org.
Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve - Folks enjoying the tour; photo courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism.
concert from regional musicians of all genres every Friday starting in September. The second weekend of October welcomes Festival Acadiens et Creole, a free three-day festival filled with food, music, food, dancing and crafts. The third weekend in October hosts the annual fundraiser Gulf Brew where attendees can sample a variety of local and national brews all the while supporting the local arts culture in Lafayette. The final weekend in October hosts the Blackpot Festival and Cook-Off, a two-day camping festival that weaves together the art of blackpot cooking, music and crafts. Find what nourishes you at lafayette.travel.
multi-media theatre presentation, an animated museum exhibition and a nature study trail, the museum leads visitors on a journey through the life of the pirate Jean Lafitte, the stories and folk traditions of wetland dwellers, and the realities of coastal erosion and natural and man-made disasters. At the end of the exhibit, visitors emerge to a cypress swamp trail leading to a bayou, rookery and marsh area filled with alligators, snakes, turtles and exotic birds. For more information, visit townofjeanlafitte.com or call 504-689-2208. Call Lafitte’s Barataria Museum & Wetland Trace at 504-689-7009.
Come explore the heart of the Barataria Basin, touring the mysterious swamps, eating some of Louisiana’s best seafood and learning the secrets of the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. Located in Jefferson Parish, the town of Jean Lafitte is home to Lafitte’s Barataria Museum & Wetland Trace that tells the 200-yearold story of this historic fishing village 20 miles southwest of New Orleans. Featuring a
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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press
publishes books that make significant contributions to the study of Louisiana’s unique history and cultures—an objective that will always remain its primary goal. While traveling, pick up one of the following great titles for destinations ideas and more.
When living the New Orleans experience, it’s important to envelop yourself in the essence of New Orleans—a feeling captured by each upscale property in the New Orleans Hotel Collection (NOHC). Authentic, independent and quality driven, each hotel offers its own story. From the chic, modern atmosphere of Hotel Le Marais to the historical and elegant Audubon cottages, the New Orleans Hotel Collection is set apart by its distinctive style, personalized service and superb location. Locally owned and operated, the collection consists of the Bourbon Orleans, Dauphine Orleans, Crowne Plaza (Airport), The Whitney Hotel, Hotel Mazarin, Hotel Le Marais and Audubon Cottages. The Bourbon Orleans Hotel boasts the most historic ballroom in the city, dating back to 1817. It has hosted more weddings than any other ballroom in the city due to its incredible proximity to St. Louis Cathedral. Elegant and grand, this ballroom has just benefited from a tasteful refurbishment to keep it fresh for the city’s most prestigious social events. To host your own special event at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, visit BourbonOrleans. com. For reservations and more, visit NewOrleansHotelCollection.com. Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, LA, features 2,800 of the newest, hottest slots, more than 70 thrill-a-minute table games, live poker, live bingo, off-track betting, plus free live music and dancing every weekend in Mikko Live!, nine fabulous dining options, more than 900 luxurious hotel rooms (including dogfriendly rooms & chalets, plus a dog park), an RV resort and a Dream Pool with lazy river, slides and splashpad. Let the kids play in a supervised childcare facility and teen arcade while you enjoy “Louisiana’s Best” gaming:
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an immense 100,000-square-foot gaming f loor with 12,000 square feet of slots for non-smokers! Play your favorite slots and table games to rack up points and comps in Coushatta’s Advantage Players Club, and use your comp dollars at any casino restaurant or venue. Play a round at Koasati Pines championship golf course, rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest’s readers––it’s the top casino course in Louisiana. Coushatta IS “Louisiana’s Best Bet!” Find out more at CoushattaCasinoResort.com, or call 1-800-584-7263. Enjoy Louisiana’s cool fall weather with a stroll around LSU’s historic campus, home of the LSU Foundation. The 2,000-acre property, nestled in South Baton Rouge, is defined by an Italian Renaissance character marked by red pan tile, overhanging eaves and honey-colored stucco. Dedicated in 1926, the current campus includes 46 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Recently named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, and one of the 20 best campuses in America in Thomas Gaines’ The Campus as a Work of Art, LSU’s enviable landscape history began in the 1930s when landscape artist Steele Burden planted many of
the live oaks and magnolia trees. The roughly 1,200 towering oaks have been valued at $50 million and are supported through the LSU Foundation’s Endow an Oak program. With myriad architectural and natural beauties, several museums and year-round theater, art and athletic events, opportunities abound to experience Louisiana’s flagship university. Visit lsufoundation.org to learn more about what the school and campus have to offer. Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located in the heart of the French Quarter, on world-famous Bourbon Street. The hotel offers 186 comfortable guest rooms, with 4,500 square feet of market-leading meeting facilities, an outdoor pool, tropical courtyard, 24-hour fitness and more. Café Opéra, the Four Points’ full-service restaurant, features a classic New Orleans menu of Creole and continental cuisine. Guests can also enjoy a wide selection of specialty drinks at the Puccini Bar. Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located on the site of the French Opera House (1859-1919), a legendary New Orleans cultural venue. Their performance series, “Opera Returns to Bourbon Street” features local operatic talent from the New Orleans Opera
Association and local classical vocalist group Bon Operatit! Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located at 541 Bourbon St. in New Orleans. For reservations and more, call 504-5247611 or visit FourPointsFrenchQuarter.com. Harrah’s New Orleans is the best destination for play in The Big Easy with a thrilling combination of 2,000 slot and video poker games, 100 action-packed tables, sizzling entertainment and renowned restaurants. Located at the foot of Canal Street just steps away from the French Quarter, Harrah’s Casino and the accompanying AAA Four Diamond award-winning hotel embody the essence of jazz, soul and Southern comfort that define New Orleans. There’s something for everyone at Harrah’s, from Besh Steak’s signature Louisiana cuisine to Manning’s Restaurant on Fulton Street for a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere, to Masquerade’s after-hours excitement. As part of the Caesars Entertainment’s Total Rewards network, Harrah’s New Orleans guests can earn Reward Credits that may be used to enjoy many New Orleans restaurants and attractions. Visit HarrahsNewOrleans.com and start planning your visit today.
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Regional Travel Louisiana’s three neighboring states offer a wide variety of experiences, cultures, landscapes and cuisine, and for those looking to take an autumn adventure, a number of regional opportunities await. From the verdant hills of North Texas to the mesquite-filled lands in the Southwest, Texas small towns offer big hospitality and lots to do. The same can be said for diverse Arkansas, with the beautiful Ozarks, relaxing springs and historical museums. In Mississippi, historical tours, shopping and art are popular along I-20 in Vicksburg and Jackson. Find your adventure among the following travel destinations within driving distance of any Louisiana town.
Surprise yourself with an escape to Arkansas, appropriately dubbed “The Natural State” for its awe-inspiring natural beauty. Enjoy kayaking, biking and camping in one of Arkansas’s 52 state parks. Then, take a relaxing drive through the Ozarks, named one of “America’s Best Fall Color Drives” by Travel + Leisure. You will find beauty indoors, too. Head to the capital city of Little Rock, where the River Market District is alive with restaurants, entertainment and fun. Enjoy the Arkansas Arts Center, with captivating exhibitions and events the whole family can enjoy. And just an hour away, you can soak in the natural mineral waters of Hot Springs’ Bathhouse Row before exploring The Gangster Museum of America. Plan your escape today for a vacation that is sure to inspire and entertain. Visit Arkansas.com or call 1-800-NATURAL for a FREE Vacation Planning Kit. 72 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
Settled in 1848, McKinney is one of the oldest cities in North Texas. The locals lovingly embrace the history of what was, until just a few years ago, still a small town. With a population just under 150,000, the picturesque and vibrant historic downtown square is the heart of this quaint city. The roughly 100 mom-and-pop businesses located around the square include a mix of boutiques, wineries, organic markets, a boutique hotel and eclectic eateries. The large historic district’s centerpiece is the old county courthouse, built in 1876 and now home to the McKinney Performing Arts Center. While in McKinney, visitors can commune with nature on six miles of trails at the 289-acre Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, visit a Croatian village (Adriatica) and its restaurants, bell tower and Old World-style chapel, enjoy live music
Triple Falls – Located in the Buffalo National River Wilderness Area of the Arkansas Ozark Mountains near Camp Orr, a Boy Scout facility
at multiple venues throughout town, and experience one of many annual family-friendly festivals held throughout the year. Located just 30 miles north of Dallas, McKinney’s eclectic mix of sights and activities makes it the perfect weekend destination. For more information, go to VisitMcKinney.com. Vicksburg, MISS., is your “Key to Entertainment” this fall, from bike rides and races over the Mississippi River to the Old Court House Flea Market and great music at its fall festivals—Bridging the Blues, Downtown Fall Fest and Classics in the Courtyard. Relive history by visiting the city’s attractions including the Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi’s Attraction of the Year. Civil War history is simply part of Vicksburg’s tapestry and can be found throughout the city at historic homes, churches, Old Court House Museum, Lower Mississippi River Museum and Old Depot Museum. Licensed guides are also available for personal tours through the city and the park. Vicksburg is a great place to bring your family to learn a little piece of American history, enjoy educational museums, and check out the wonder of the mighty Mississippi
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River. Just be sure to leave some time to eat at one of many signature restaurants and browse in some of their boutiques. For more information, visit visitvicksburg.com or call 1-800-221-3536. Travel the gently rolling terrain of the Brenham-Washington County area in Texas and feel echoes of a time long past. At Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site, Stephen F. Austin’s revolutionaries drafted the declaration of independence from Mexico; this year marks the 178th anniversary of that event. While there, explore a replica of Independence Hall, a working 1850s farm, Star of the Republic Museum and a superb Visitor Center. Independence and Chappell Hill provide terrific small town excursions, including museum displays and walking trails. In Burton, history is alive at the Texas Cotton Gin Museum, the “Official Cotton Gin of Texas.” Brenham brings its history alive with a restored historic downtown, including a state-of-the-art Visitor Center in the 1925 Simon Theatre. Shopping and dining options are the focus as visitors stroll down the streets or enjoy watching the world go by from a comfortable park bench. It’s also the home of Blue Bell Creameries where the “best ice cream in the country” is made. For more info and destinations, check out VisitBrenhamTexas.com.
Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain is on view at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Miss., beginning Sept. 27. It is the latest presentation of The Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series, exploring the Spanish paintings of Henri, who played a pivotal role in the history of American art. His Spanish portraits feature singers, dancers, musicians, bullfighters and gypsies. Accompanying exhibitions include Robert Henri and Spain, Face to Face, presenting works by Henri & his predecessors— El Greco, Ribera, Manet, Cassatt and Sargent; and the 2014 Mississippi Invitational, showcasing work by contemporary Mississippi artists. Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain is organized by the Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Local presentation of these exhibitions is made possible through the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation. Visit msmuseumart.org or call 601-960-1515. LouisianaLife.com | 73
around louisiana Events and Highlights / By Jeanne Frois
North RED RIVER REVEL Shreveport will hold the annual Red River Revel Oct.4-11. This alliterative arts festival has received international recognition and attracts 180,000 visitors over the course of its eight-day run. It’s ranked in the top 100 Fine Arts Festival by Sunshine Artist magazine, and was named a “Travel Treasure” by the AAA Southern Traveler. It also placed in the top 75 Events in North America by the American Business Association and with little wonder. The event attracts both Louisianians and non-Bayou State dwellers, bringing in a whopping $10 million to the local economy. Almost resembling a medieval fair, the festival is filled with vividly colored tented booths displaying the art work of more than 100 juried artists from across the United States, such as Ron Atwood, Chase Mullen, Camille Ellington, Taffie Garsee, Jill Shank and Chester Allen. Exhibits, lectures and performing arts programs are held on the three outdoor stages. Consider the food to be partaken: funnel cakes dusted with powdered sugar; Natchitoches meat pies; shrimp and chicken baskets; fried catfish; blackened catfish with dirty rice; crawfish ettoufee; roasted corn; red beans and rice; Muffaletta 74 | Louisiana Life September/October 2014
pizza; skewered grilled shrimp, and of course, hot dogs, corndogs and the Down Home Sausage Dog. There’s even a doughnut grilled cheese sandwich. This celebration was a gift to the region from the Junior League of Shreveport to commemorate the 1976 Bicentennial. Their generosity and richness of heart garnered a community of dedicated volunteer that consistently attains the original goal of providing Ark-La-Tex with a joyous appreciation of fine visual and performing arts. It was also the winner of the President’s Volunteer Action Award in 1988. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA IN SHREVEPORT I found opera to be even more beautiful when Live From the Metropolitan Opera broadcast its productions with subtitles that revealed the romantic lyricism of each libretto. It was like hearing all the works of the Romantic poets set to music wafting through my home along with the fresh autumn air from the opened window. The Shreveport Opera is one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. There in the Ark-La-Tex region, this 65-year-old grand diva has hosted the likes of Leontyne Price, Beverly Sills, Sherrill
Milnes and Franco Corelli. It was also the stepping-stone that helped launch the career of the exquisitely talented, internationally acclaimed Renee Fleming. The productions are beautifully mounted, costumed and performed. With a gallery of attractive resident artists and dedicated, hardworking company members, the opera stages three professional productions a year that are of high quality. The Shreveport-Bossier area, in the form of patrons, opera guild, foundations and corporations has offered strong support that keeps the company singing and the music playing. Scheduled for Sept. 12, 2014, Music of the Night, a fundraiser that supports the Shreveport Opera Xpress (SOX), an educational outreach program that impacts 50,000 children, adults and youth about the social messages of
their performances, offers a cocktail hour, seated dinner and silent auction, all enhanced by beautiful performances of company artists Sarah Bauer, Gillian Cotter, Ryan Bradford, Johnathan Riesen and Michael Gaetner. The opera company will commence its 66th season on Nov. 15 with a production of Verdi’s La Traviata (the fallen woman.) It’s based on Dumas’ book, La Dame aux Camelias; movie fans might recognize it as the same tragic story of Camille. Productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, and Rossini’s Cenerentola (Cinderella) are slated for February and April 2015, respectively. n Information, Music of the Night, East Ridge Country Club, 1000 Stewart Drive, Shreveport. Red River Revel, Oct. 4-11, Festival Plaza, 101 Crockett St., Shreveport, redriverrevel.com.
photo by W. Ross Foote
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Central ing competition is held and a queen is crowned. Open livestock shows are available for young people from selected parishes. These open shows break down into the four categories: beef; goat; poultry (all bird entries must be pre-tested for Typhoid/Pullorim) and rabbit. After 53 years of celebrating at the Rapides Coliseum, this year the fair will have a new location at Highway 71 South, next to the State Evac Shelter.
FAIR DAYS IN RAPIDES PARISH Lying at the very heart of Louisiana, Rapides Parish, except for the larger city of Alexandria, is a mostly agrarian community and unflinchingly proud of it. A drive from Marksville in Avoyelles Parish to Alexandria on an autumn day is filled with emerald fields and country houses; crops and livestock are interspersed along the scenic way in the tawny fall sunlight. Rapides is family- and communityoriented; each year Rapides Parish thanks its populace for its upbeat esprit d’corps in the form of a celebratory Parish fair. This year, the fair’s already excellent midway has been amped up a notch or two with new attractions. The Hard
Rock, perfect for adrenaline junkies, is filled with flashing lights that add to the thrills. Surf’s Up is geared for the entire family to ride together. This giant surfboard from Zamperla, Italy, is 40 feet long and spins on a 100-foot long track. Monster Trucks, a children’s ride, pops wheelies on a track controlled by the sound of engines being gunned. This annual fest includes wonderful family-oriented entertainment and delicious food that always seems to be produced in rural areas from farmhouse kitchens, not to mention the fine restaurants that are springing up in the area. The adorable barnyard nursery is not to be missed. In the course of this fourday celebration, a cheerlead-
FORTIFIED WITH SPRITS On the outskirts of the small yet bustling town of Marksville is a historic cemetery that was once the site of a Civil War engagement known as the Battle of Fort DeRussy. In 1862, the fort became a cemetery filled with unmarked Civil Ward dead graves. According to the book, Gumbo Ya-Ya, after the battle, the dead were unceremoniously deposited in a long trench dug on the grounds, without the benefit of a religious ceremony. For years, the minority of the number of souls brave enough to venture through the densely wooded area of Fort DeRussy avow seeing headless soldiers marching solidly through the trees. Mingling with the night sounds of crickets and cicadas, others have reported hearing blood-curdling screams coming from the direction of the fort.
In order to prevent anyone disturbing the unmarked graves of the soldiers’ portions of the eerily quiet fort have been cordoned off. Some say a witch is buried somewhere near the cul de sac…ah, but this is just one strange tale of Louisiana. Published in 1940, written by Lyle Saxon, Edward Dreyer and Robert Tallant, Gumbo Ya-Ya (everyone talks at once) still remains one of the most entertaining compilations of the stories, customs, legends, myths, and folklore of Louisiana. It’s a fascinating, nearly 600-page long collection of the customs and legends that originated from the French, Spanish, Creole, Cajun, Indian and slave cultures that formed our state. Like the Bayou State, tales of ghosts, loup garoux, cemeteries, voodoo and the unique beliefs of all who settled here are gathered together in a rich, thick tome that doesn’t have one uninteresting page and reads like a cultural melting pot. Gumbo Ya-Ya opens the creaking door of time to let the past replay itself in a spellbinding way. It is a droll, excellent read for chilly autumn nights. n Information, Rapides Parish Fair: Oct. 8-12, herapidesparishfair.com. Gumbo Ya-Ya, Pelican Publishing.
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Cajun Country TOURNOI DANS VILLE PLATTE As a crown jewel moment that ends the Louisiana Cotton Festival in Ville Platte, the ancient practice of le tournoi is held looking like a scene stolen from a medieval tapestry of time. Le Tournoi, a French phrase that means “tournament,” is the knightly practice of jousting originated by the French. When an officer in Napoleon’s Army, Major Marcellin Garand decided to found the town of Ville Platte, he likewise decided to establish the tradition of Le Tournoi there as well in the early 1800s. The practice ended in the 1880s, and it wasn’t until 1948 when a group of local World War II veterans got together that it experienced a rebirth. There is a Louisiana Tournoi Association that allows competitions statewide, but the final championship must take place in Ville Platte. It’s quite a spectacle. Participants don knightly garb, and sporting a long slender lance, ride hell-forleather on horseback around a quarter mile, semicircle track as a bugle accompanies the drumbeat of pounding hooves. Suspended on seven posts placed at intervals on the track are tall poles with tiny dangling rings that symbolize the enemies of cotton, i.e., boll weevil, bollworm, flood, drought, plus silk, rayon and nylon. The knight’s objective is to lance and retain as many
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rings as possible. It takes three heated runs to decide the champion. The Louisiana Cotton Festival is a sprawling event that covers several locations over five days. LeTournoi will be held after the festival parade has filled the streets with color and enjoyment at Ville Platte’s Industrial Park.
GERMANFEST IN ROBERT’S COVE Robert’s Cove is, paradoxically, a dispersed yet tightlyknit little community near Rayne drenched in German heritage and history like bread dipped in May wine. In 1867, due to the huge amount of German immigrants who were in New Orleans, Fr. Peter Leonard Thevis, a priest who hailed from Langbroich, Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany was asked to travel south to minister to the German flock. Thirteen years later, Fr. Thevis and some companions arrived by rail in Rayne and selected a site nearby for a new colony. Thus, Robert’s Cove was born, named for the original owner of a Spanish land grant. German Catholics escaping persecution from the Gangelt, Geilenkirchen district, soon found their way to the settlement. The Benedictine priests established the church of St. Leo IV, a parish that thrives to this day as the cultural center and heart of Robert’s
Cove. Unfalteringly German for decades, the nation-wide World War I anti-German hysteria brought an end to their rich culture when the Louisiana State Legislature passed Act 114 that banned all things German, including expressions of their traditions and the spoken or written word. Although many had to give up speaking German, they didn’t abandon their customs and traditions. In 1995, the local community established Germanfest, a perfect venue to see these once-verboten traditions celebrated. The festival, held on the grounds of St. Leo IV Church, is rich with events like an historic Heritage Walking tour and demonstrations of rice threshing, blacksmithing and sack-sewing. Tours of the German Heritage Museum are also available. The sounds
of traditional folk songs and hymns are performed by the Germanfest Folk Singers accompanied by folk dancers, including the Kinder Auftritt, a dancing and singing group peopled with the local children. Delicious, hearty German fare is there to wash down with hearty German beer: beef or potato stew; sauerkraut; brats or sausage; apfel kuchen (German Apple Cobbler) and zucher platzkens (German sugar cookies). This year, the festival will hold a competition for the best German-style home-brewed beer. n
Information, Louisiana Cotton Festival, Oct. 7-12, 2014, Ville Platte, louisianacottonfestival.com. Germanfest, robertscovegermanfest.com
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Baton Rouge dog running before her; the little dog was never seen again. A stay at Madewood is unforgettable. Remembering your manners and proper cemetery etiquette will undoubtedly keep your visit peaceful undisturbed.
MADE IN HEAVEN IN NAPOLEONVILLE Madewood Plantation on Bayou LaFourche in Napoleonville is so sweepingly beautiful a plantation, from the stateliness of the Ionic columns that command its sugar-white entrance, to the breathtaking interior filled with half-testers, full testers, armoires, antiques, flowing balustrades and gleaming floors that it fairly shrieks, Holy David O. Selznick! This mansion, built circa 1846, and once home to the Godchaux Family of the sugar fortune fame, now graces the area as a peaceful, exquisite bed-and-breakfast with multiple guest rooms, including the “Mystery Lady Room” and “The Brad Pitt Room.” The grounds are graced by trees with wisps of Spanish moss that undulate softly in the breezes from Bayou Lafourche.
Yet this bit of Antebellum Eden has had a touch of the vapors in the form of The Unexplained. There is a cemetery on the grounds that broach no disrespect. One day when workmen decided to lunch on pizza in the cemetery, a cranberry-colored glass epergne – a large table ornament with multi-attached hanging glass baskets for bon bons or flowers – flew across the breakfast table in the dining room of Madewood, all in the presence of a Metropolitan opera start who was a guest. The epergne shattered. A relative of the original owners of Madewood was being buried in the cemetery along with her small white dog. A family friend of the current owners was ambling inside the plantation house when she saw a small white
photo courtesy madewood plantation house
LINKEDIN LAPLACE Although it has a French name and appears ubiquitously in Cajun cooking, andouille, the delightful staple smoked sausage of the Bayou State was born from cultural influences as diverse as Louisiana itself. Along La Cote des Allemands, the German Coast lying cradled within St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes, Germans settled alongside Acadians, Africans, Creoles and French. All cultures contributed their little soupcon of flavor to the tradition of sausage making brought here courtesy of the Germans. Made of pork and rich spices, LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish is the go-to spot for fine andouille. The German Coast area has been a sausage-making mecca for nearly two centuries. First held in 1972 at the LaPlace Drag Strip, the Andouille Festival was the brainchild some local officials and the local Fire Department. Since then, the festival has
regularly hosted thousands of people for three days of great live music, carnival rides and that divine link, the andouille sausage. Cooking contests incorporating these sausage wonders are divided into three categories: various dishes, jambalaya and gumbo. Community restaurants provide festival goers with delicious eats in the fresh autumn air, such as crawfish bisque, crawfish meatloaf, chicken and andouille gumbo, spaghetti jambalaya, smoked okra with shrimp and andouille, andouille corndogs, shrimp and andouille nachos, to name a few. St. Joan of Arc Church usually provides beverages. Arts and crafts are situated all over the grounds. Check out T-shirts, jewelry, books, accessories, shoes, dresses, ceramics, pralines and palm readings by Sister Charlotte. All proceeds go to various local charities. n
Information, 41st Annual Andouille Festival, Oct. 17-18, 2014 Hwy. 51 Park/St. John Community Center, LaPlace. Madewood Plantation, 4250 Louisiana 308, Napoleonville, (985) 369-7151.
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New Orleans WOODEN SHIPS UPON THE WATER There are times in my life when I sometimes feel I was either a version of the character Loxi played by Paulette Goddard in the movie, Reap the Wild Wind, or at least a lighthouse keeper’s wife in a previous incarnation due to the profound love I have for water and wooden ships. The Titanic with all its steel and metal may have been a maritime wonder, but it pales in comparison to the swelling grace of a wooden ship propelled by geometric billowing sails. The Wooden Boat Festival in Madisonville is a three-day outdoor festival in October held on the Tchefuncte River as the watchful eye of the supposedly haunted lighthouse stands sentry. Sponsored by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, it is a means to pay tribute to the beauty and craftsmanship of wooden boats all along the Gulf Coast. The Tchefuncte River is lined with gleaming vessels as attendees enjoy live music, great Cajun victuals and many activities. All proceeds from the celebration support the educational programs of the LPBMM along with the restoration of the beautiful old lighthouse. The LPBMM pays homage to the importance that these boats – canoes, pirogues and steamboats – played in the watery history of the Bayou State. One of the most popular parts of the festival is the Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building Constest: contestants have 14 hours to
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build a boat out of materials with which they are provided. The festival is launched on Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. with the Maritime Mania party filled with libations, great food and a chance to mingle with wooden boat captains.
BREAD UPON THE WATERS IN COVINGTON There’s a new eatery in town that stars an experienced and brilliant chef, Robert Coello. This new restaurant is called Prime by C3, created and powered by a unique concept. Church-sponsored, all of its profits are donated to help the poor, hurting and outcast of the community. It was the brainchild of Pastor Jeff Hummel, who helms the non-denominational City Church Covington. Each month, the restaurant targets a chosen charitable organization to receive all of its profits. Casting their bread upon the waters, Prime by C3 is
run with the highest of gourmet professionalism. Coello’s dishes are a continuous work in progress as his creativity constantly evolves. He has an appetizer sampler from which it would be hard to choose just one: Shrimp “fleur de lis,” two blackened grits cakes christened with four jumbo shrimp in a tasso cream; eggplant Josephine with lump crab meat; panko-fried eggplant, and sautéed diced red bell pepper and asparagus, in a remoulade sauce. Entrees have a touch of the divine, such as the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Cake, the ultimate comfort food with its composition of roast beef and gravy poured over the cheesy noodle cake. Malted waffles, chicken that is first smoked, then fried, maple andouille sauce and a potato nest comprise the Chicken and Waffles dish. But perhaps the tender Prime Rib smoked with apple
wood and served in its own jus with horseradish aioli could be considered the ultimate offering by Prime by C3. The Two Hand Sandwiches moniker can be taken literally. Paradoxically, in a restaurant dedicated to the service of the Almighty, the Prime Press-Boy wherein smoked prime rib, smoked gouda cheese swimming in jus and horseradish mayo soaking the panini grilled French bread is an almost sinfully delicious indulgence. A toasted garlic and rosemary brioche with melted brie and apricot preserves encompasses the marvelous grilled cheese sandwich. n Information, Wooden Boat Festival, Oct. 10-12, Madisonville, woodenboatfest.com Prime by C3, 328 Lee Lane, Covington, (985) 327-7990 photo courtesy wooden boat festival
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texas travel
Fall Along the Coastal Bend Brings Feathers and Festivals
Paris Permenter & John Bigley
“Look! There’s a buff-belly at the feeder!” That excited cry can only mean one thing: it’s time once again for the annual HummerBird Celebration in Rockport, Texas (rockport-fulton.org). In a state where bigger is better, the world’s smallest birds take center stage every September for this special event. During the fall migration, the air is filled with the buzz of hummingbirds that stop for a few days before beginning their non-stop journey to South America, a two-day trip over open Gulf waters. First, though, they spend their days in Rockport at hundreds of feeding stations in town, storing up all the energy their tiny bodies can contain. Recognizing all the birds that either live perma-
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nently or make a pit stop along the Coastal Bend, this annual celebration (rockporthummingbird.com) is scheduled for Sept. 18-21 and features guest speakers, an arts and crafts show, guided bus tours to popular birding sites, self-guided trips to hummer homes and boat birding cruises. Even if you don’t know the difference between a goose and a gull, you’ll enjoy tours led by expert birding guides who point out and identify birds. Self-guided tours during the festival also visit private homes positively buzzing with hummingbirds. In recent years, the city has made a concerted effort to encourage residents to attract hummingbirds by sponsoring workshops and classes. As a result, citizens have planted flowering bushes and vines to attract these
tiny migrators to their backyard habitats, choosing native plants and avoiding imported exotics. (For example, plants from Asia and Africa have not evolved with hummingbirds as their pollinators, so they do not have nectar receptacles.) Instead, Rockport residents have chosen native plants, such as Turk’s Cap, which are attractive to the hummers and thrive in the area’s climate. You will also see Trumpet Vine, Honeysuckle, Salvia, Impatiens and Coral Bean in many Rockport yards. These flowering plants are perfect for the hummingbird’s long, narrow beak. In addition to planting and maintaining hummingbird gardens, residents along the Coastal Bend also have taken on the Herculean task of maintaining liquid feeders with
many homes having a dozen or so feeders. Although hummingbirds are generally very territorial and may defend a feeder from all other hummers, during migration the sheer number of birds prevents any one hummingbird from taking over a feeder or feeding station. The birds are in such a constant feeding frenzy that it is not uncommon for feeders to need replenishing every few hours. Rockport boasts five migrating hummingbird species: ruby-throated, Rufous, broad-tailed, black-chinned and buff-bellied. If you are fortunate, you may even spot rare Costa’s or Anna’s hummingbirds joining in the feast. The most commonly seen hummingbird in Texas, and the only one found nesting east of the Mississippi is the ruby-throated. Distinguished by the male’s red throat and metallic green head, this threeand-one-half-inch-long bird can be seen at most feeders in the Rockport area. In fact, you will probably see five ruby-throats for every one Rufous hummingbird. Rufous males have reddish plumage with an iridescent red throat gorge and nest in the Pacific Northwest. The black-chinned hummingbird migrates from the western states, and the males sport a black chin and an adjoining purple metallic throat. A mountain inhabitant, the broad-tailed hummingbird is similar to the ruby-throated, but can be distinguished by the male’s broader gorge and the shrill whistling sound made by its wings during its late-summer molt. The rarer Buff-bellied Hummingbird can be identified by its bright orange bill and buff coloration. Even if you can’t make it to Rockport during the HummerBird Celebration,
you’re still heading into a birding hotspot – especially during the fall and winter months. The Texas Coastal Bend is situated where two birding flyways merge into the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail which winds through refuges, preserves, marshes, and beaches in this birding capital. Maps to the birding trail are available through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (tpwd.state.tx.us) or can be purchased at many of the visitors’ centers along the coast. In the town of Rockport, you’ll find birding sites as well, all available on a map at Visitors Center and hotel desks. One popular stop is the Connie Hagar Wildlife Refuge, named for the woman who focused the eyes (and binoculars) of the birding world on Rockport. Hagar herself migrated to Rockport in the 1930s, drawn by the large number of birds she had seen on an earlier visit and, for the next three decades, she chronicled the comings and goings of hundreds of species. Up the coast from Rockport, the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the home of the magnificent whooping crane, a bird that stands five feet tall and winters here in the salty marsh areas. The Refuge is also home to a variety of waterfowl and shore birds
(and alligators!) and offers hiking trails, camping, and picnic sites. South of Rockport, Aransas Pass (aransaspass.org), nicknamed “Saltwater Heaven,” is a favorite with anglers but it’s also home to Texas’s largest hummingbird garden at Newberry Park. You’ll also have the chance to spot both indigenous birds and migrating species at the Aransas Pass Nature Park at Johnson Community Park, the Conn Brown Ship Harbor and Intracoastal Channel and the Aransas Pass Causeway area between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas. From Aransas Pass, hop a free ferry to cross over to Port Aransas (portaransas.org) – best known to Texas travelers as “Port A.” Popular for its deep sea fishing and spectacular beaches, Port Aransas is also a birding center and is home to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. Landscaped with plants to attract migrating hummingbirds, the wide boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and includes an ADA-compliant free telescope to spot brown pelicans, great egrets and roseate spoonbills – or even some resident alligators named Boots and Bags. From the raised observation tower, you can also watch bird and boating activity on the
Corpus Christi Ship Channel. Every winter, Port Aransas recognizes the region’s fivefoot-tall winter visitors with the Whooping Crane Festival, scheduled for Feb. 19-22, 2015. Boat tours, photography workshops, birding seminars, a nature-themed crafts show, birding tours, and more highlight the annual event when the city really “whoops it up” over these rare birds. From Port Aransas, it’s a bird-filled drive down Mustang Island to Padre Island and a causeway drive into Corpus Christi (visitcorpuschristitx.org). Frequently designated as “America’s Birdiest City,” Corpus Christi boasts a whole host of birding venues such as the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge that offers a look at both native and migrant birdlife. This coastal marshland on Oso Creek includes a one-mile trail as well as an 800-foot-long boardwalk, a favorite with birders for a chance to view brown pelicans as well as numerous duck and shorebird species. Corpus Christi is home to numerous other birding sites, so many, in fact, that you’ll find them divided into loop drives. The Corpus Christi Loop Drive includes not only the refuge but the South Texas Botanical
Gardens & Nature Center, Oso Bay Park, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Nature Trail, Texas State Aquarium and many more sites. South of Corpus Christi, the town of Kingsville (kingsvilletexas.com) neighbors the truly Texas-sized King Ranch that sprawls across 825,000 acres – bigger than the state of Rhode Island. The Santa Gertrudis and King Ranch Santa Cruz breeds of cattle were developed here as well as the first registered American quarter horse. You can visit the ranch year around; a visitors center offers information on this historic ranch as well as guided birding tours. Both half- and full-day birding tours head out in search of some of the 356 species of birds which have been sighted here, including the country’s largest known population of ferruginous pygmy-owls. Keep the binoculars ready for colorful green jays and tropical parulas as well. The Texas Coastal Bend is an inviting fall destination for many feathered travelers. Like the tiny hummingbird, you’ll find plenty plenty of good reasons to slow down and spend a few days in these welcoming coastal communities. n
South Texas Birding Fun Want to venture a bit farther for more birding fun? In far south Texas, Harlingen’s Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival will take place Nov. 5-9, 2014. Now in its third decade, the annual event features seminars and numerous birding trips as well as pre- and post-festival birding tours. For more information, visit www.rgvbf.org. Many festival tours include the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, located near the city of McAllen. This park is the headquarters for the World Birding Center, a $20 million partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Rio Grande Valley Communities and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Spanning nine birding sites, these locations are home to many tropical birds that are seen nowhere else in the country. For more, visit theworldbirdingcenter.com. LouisianaLife.com | 81
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lifetimes Wooden Boat Festival in Madisonville
Oct. 1-31. October Tri-Centennial Celebration. Various locations, Natchitoches. (800) 259-1714. Oct. 3-4. Robeline Heritage Festival. El Camino Real, Robeline. Robelineheritage.org. Oct. 4. Return to the ’50s Classic Car Show. Front Street & Riverbank, Natchitoches. (855) 342-7469. Oct. 8-12. Rapides Parish Fair. Rapides Parish Fairgrounds, Alexandria. (318) 767-3968. Oct. 9-11. Zwolle Tamale Fiesta. Zwolle Festival Grounds, Zwolle. zwolletamalefiesta.com Oct. 10-12. Fall Pilgrimage Tour of Homes. Natchitoches along the Cane River. (800) 259-1714.
Statewide Calendar July and August events, festivals and more.
Sept. 6. Union Talent & Craft Festival. Willie Davis Recreation Center, Farmerville. (318) 957-0741. Sept. 13. Dragonboat Race Day. Festival Plaza, Shreveport. (318) 227-1515. Sept. 27. Germantown Bluegrass Festival. Germantown Colony Museum, Minden. (318) 377-2508. Sept. 27. Race for the Cure. Forsythe Park, Monroe. (318) 329-2439. Sept. 30-Oct. 4. Webster Parish Fair. Minden Fairgrounds, Minden. (318) 377-6250.
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Oct. 4-11. Red River Revel Arts Festival. Festival Plaza, Shreveport. redriverrevel.com.
Oct. 25. Herbal Harvest & Original Arts & Crafts. 711 N. 7th St., West Monroe. (318) 801-9138.
Oct. 10-11. American Springhill Lumberjack Festival. Frank Anthony Park, Springhill. (318) 539-3292.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Main to Main Trade Days. Minden. (318) 371-4258.
Oct. 11. Springhill Main Street Car & Motorcycle Show. Downtown Springhill. (318) 539-5699.
Sept. 19-20. Marthaville Good Ole Days Festival. Marthaville.
Oct. 18. Cotton Country Horse Show. North Louisiana Exhibition Center, Ruston. (318) 243-4941. Oct. 18. BREW. Festival Plaza, Shreveport. (318) 424-4000. Oct. 23-Nov. 9. State Fair of Louisiana. 3701 Hudson Ave., Shreveport. (318) 635-1361.
Oct. 25. Haunted History Tour. American Cemetery, Natchitoches. (800) 259-1714. Oct. 25. Cane River Green Market. Downtown Riverbend, Natchitoches. (318) 352-2746.
Compiled by Judi Russell
North
Oct. 15. West Louisiana Forestry Festival. Vernon Parish Fairgrounds, Leesville. (337) 238-0647.
Central
Sept. 19-20. Meat Pie Festival. Downtown Natchitoches. Sept. 20. 3rd Annual Le Tour de Bayou. Kent Plantation House, Alexandria. (318) 487-5998. Sept. 30-Oct. 4. Beauregard Parish Fair. Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds, DeRidder. (337) 375-2028.
BATON ROUGE/ PLANTATION COUNTRY Sept. 7. Firepower! Pt. Hudson State Historic Site, Jackson. (225) 654-3775. Sept. 13-14. Repticon Reptile & Exotic Animal Show. Lamar Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales. (225) 621-1700. Sept. 26. Louisiana Hot Air Balloon Championship Festival. Lamar Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales. (225) 621-1700. Sept. 27-28. Harvest Days. Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge. (225) 765-2437. Oct. 4. Denham Springs Fall Festival. Mattie Street, Denham Springs. (225) 665-4666. photo courtesy wooden boat festival
Oct. 4. Spanish Town Walking Tour. Baton Rouge. Oct. 4-5. Rural Life Harvest Days W/Corn Maze. Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge. (225) 765-2437. Oct. 5. Sugar Fest. West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen. (225) 336-2422. Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26. Angola Prison Rodeo. Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. (225) 655-2030. Oct. 7-12. Livingston Parish Fair. Livingston Fairgrounds, Livingston. (225) 686-1333. Oct. 10-11. Southern Garden Symposium. Hwy. 61, St. Francisville. (225) 635-3738. Oct. 23-Nov. 2. Greater Baton Rouge State Fair. Airline Highway Park Fairgrounds, Baton Rouge. (225) 755-3247. Oct. 26. Halloween, A Rural Fall Fair. Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge. (225) 765-2437.
Cajun country Sept. 5-7. TaWaSi Bayou Lafourche Antiques Show. Warren J. Harang Jr. Auditorium, Thibodaux. (985) 413-1147. Sept. 7. Acadiana Barrel Race Association. SugArena @ Acadiana Fairgrounds, New Iberia. (337) 365-7539. Sept. 12-13. Lydia Cajun Food Fest. Weeks Park, Lydia. (337) 519-3131. Sept. 13. Boudin Wars. Henning Cultural Center, Sulphur. (337) 527-0357. Sept. 13. Jeanerette Fall Farmers Market. Jeanerette City Park, Jenerette. (337) 276-4293. Sept. 20. Cajun French Music Festival. Cyr Gates Community Center, New Iberia. (337) 364-7975. Sept. 20-21. 23rd Annual Midnight Fantastic Lakefront Tour Car, Truck & Bike Show. Burton Complex, Lake Charles. (337) 263-0655.
Sept. 24-28. Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival. Various locations, New Iberia. Sept. 24. Junior League of Lafayette Annual Tinsel & Treasure Holiday Marketplace. Cajundome Convention Center, Lafayette. (337) 988-2739. Sept. 26-27. Sugar Fest 4-H Lifestock Show. SugArena @ Acadiana Fairgrounds, New Iberia. (337) 365-7530. Sept. 27. Best of the Bayou. Downtown Houma. (985) 876-5600. Oct. 1-5. Jefferson Davis Parish Fair. Jefferson Davis Parish Fairgrounds, Jennings. (337) 824-1173. Oct. 2-5. Tour du Teche Canoe Race. Port Barre to Berwick. tourduteche.com Oct. 3-5. Lecompte Pie Festival. Grounds behind the Old Lecompte High School, Lecompte. (318) 776-5488. Oct. 4. Latin Music Festival. Parc International, Lafayette. (337) 944-0011. Oct. 4. Shadows Arts & Crafts Fair. Shadows-on-the-Teche, New Iberia. (337)369-6446. Oct. 4-5. Roberts Cove Germanfest. Roberts Cove, Rayne, (337) 334-8354. Oct. 7-12. Cotton Festival. North Side Civic Center, Ville Platte. (337) 831-3340. Oct. 9-11. Atchafalaya Catfish Festival. Melville Civic Center, Melville. (337) 623-4226.
Oct. 25. New Iberia Beneath the Balconies. 317 E. Main St. to 102 W. Main St., New Iberia. (337) 364-1603.
Sept. 27. St. Augustine High School Edwin Hampton Music Festival. St. Augustine High School, New Orleans. (504) 940-5980.
Oct. 25. 3rd Annual Sweet Dough Pie Festival. 174 Church St., Grand Couteau. (337) 662-3058.
Oct. 1-5. St. Tammany Parish Fair. Covington Fairgrounds, Covington.
Oct. 25. Rougarou Fest. Downtown Houma. (985) 580-7289.
Oct. 1-5. Tangipahoa Parish Fair. Tangipahoa Fairgrounds, Amite. (985) 969-6403.
Greater New Orleans Through Sept. 1. Southern Decadence. Various locations French Quarter, New Orleans. (504) 529-2107. Sept. 12. Scales & Ales. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans. (504) 861-5107. Sept. 12-14. Shrimp Festival. Shrimp Festival Grounds, Meraux. (504) 278-4296. Sept. 18-21. New Orleans Burlesque Festival. Harrah’s New Orleans and House of Blues, New Orleans. (504) 975-7425. Sept. 25-27. Great Southern RV Park Bluegrass Festival. Great Southern RV Park, Angie. (985) 516-4680. Sept. 25-28. Alligator Festival. West Bank Bridge Park, Luling. Sept. 26-27. Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival. Cassidy Park, Bogalusa. (985) 205-1075. Sept. 26-28. Cut Off Youth Center Hurricane Festival. Cut Off Youth Center, Cut Off. Sept. 26-28. Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Fair. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Belle Chasse.
Oct. 3-4. Gretna Heritage Fair. Downtown Gretna. (504) 361-7742. Oct. 3-5. Gentilly Fest. Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans. (504) 813-4164. Oct. 4. Art for Art’s Sake. Warehouse arts district & Uptown, New Orleans. Oct. 4. Ponchatoula Appraisal Fair & Art Stroll. Downtown Ponchatoula. (800) 617-4502. October 10-12. Wooden Boat Festival. Madisonville. woodenboatfest.com Oct. 18-19. Old Farmer’s Day & Horse Pulling Contest. 56136 Loranger Rd., Loranger. oldfarmersday.com Oct. 23-26. 41st Annual French Food Festival. 307 E. 3rd St., Larose. (985) 693-7355. Oct. 25-26. Slidell Annual State Fair. Erlanger, Second Street, Slidell. (985) 641-6316. Oct. 31-Nov. 2. Ponchatoula Antique Trade Days & Arts & Crafts Festival. 160 S.E. Railroad Ave., Ponchatoula. (800) 617-4502. n
Oct. 10-12. World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off. Main Street, New Iberia. (337) 364-1836. Oct. 10-12. Festivals Acadiens & Creoles. Girard Park, Lafayette. festivalsacadiens.com Oct. 21-Nov. 2. 21st Annual Holy Ghost Creole Bazaar. Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Opelousas. (337) 942-2732.
Help Us Promote Your Event!
Go online to provide information for our calendar section and webpage. Remember, the sooner we get the information, the better able we are to help you. To submit a festival, show or special event go to: MyNewOrleans. com/Louisiana-Life/Submit-an-Event. To submit a parade for carnival season go to: MyNewOrleans.com/Louisiana-Life/Submit-a-Parade-toLouisiana-Life
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great louisiana quiz
Break in Action 1. Pictured here are banners from the Superdome. Which team did the Saints beat to win the NFC championship and then the world’s championship? A. Minnesota Vikings/Indianapolis Colts B. Atlanta Falcons/Indianapolis Colts C. Chicago Bears/New England Patriots D. Atlanta Falcons/Denver Broncos 2. In 1994 and 1995 Shreveport had a professional football team. What league did it play in? A. National Football League B. American Football League C. Canadian Football League D. International Football League
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3. What was the name of Shreveport’s team? A. The Captains B. The Steamboaters C. The Gamblers D. The Pirates 4. Billy Cannon’s 1959 Heisman trophy is on display where? A. The Cabildo in New Orleans B. Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge C. The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches D. TJ Ribs in Baton Rouge 5. Louisiana native Jake Delhomme quarterbacked the Carolina Panthers in the 2004 Superbowl. What town is he from? A. New Iberia B. Breaux Bridge C. Monroe D. Bordelonville
6. Your friend has leased space outside the Superdome in New Orleans to sell merchandise before Tulane home football games this season. While you wish him well, what is the flaw to his plan? A. It is illegal to sell items outside the Superdome. B. There is construction work outside. C. Similar items are sold inside the dome. D. Tulane has moved to a new on-campus stadium
8. This former LSU Quarterback was later elected mayor of Baton Rouge, A. Warren Rabb B. Pat Screen C. Jordan Jefferson D. Matt Mauck
7. Who was the last Louisiana born Quarterback to win a Superbowl? A. Eli Manning B. Peyton Manning C. Bobby Hebert D. Terry Bradshaw
10. In 2013, these two teams won the Louisiana High School football state championships in the 5A and 4A divisions respectively. A. West Monroe/Istrouma B. Acadiana/East Jefferson C. Neville/Byrd D. Bolton/Jesuit
9. Which team won the very first Sugar Bowl played Jan. 1, 1935? A. Tulane B. TCU C. LSU D. Notre Dame
photograph michael c. Hebert
Answer this BONUS QUESTION and be eligible to win an overnight stay for two at the luxurious PARAGON CASINO RESORT: Name the members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation, past and present, including senators who were also medical doctors. What were their specialties and their hometowns? Send in your answer on a postcard addressed to: Louisiana Life Bonus Question 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 Two winners will be drawn from among the correct answers. Each will receive an overnight stay for two at the recently expanded and re-modeled Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville. Winners’ names will be announced in the January/February 2015 issue. For our May/june issue, the question was: There are three AMTRAK passenger trains that go through parts of Louisiana. What are their names and what are their final destinations? The correct answer was: City of New Orleans—Chicago; Sunset Limited—Los Angeles; Crescent—New York City Winners were: Juan Santa Marina- New Orleans Andrea Sagers- Salt Lake City, Utah
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS: 1.A 2.C 3.D 4.D 5.B 6.D 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.B SCORING Score 10 points for each correct answer: 0-20 Consult your nearest library. 30-60 Begin by buying a good road map. 70-90 You should run for office. 100 You’re a candidate for a Ph.D. in Louisianaology.
LouisianaLife.com | 87
a louisiana life
Cree McCree A New Orleans artist makes fashionable accessories out of an invasive species. By Megan Hill
The minute she set foot in New Orleans, Cree McCree knew the city would eventually become her home. “The first time I stepped off the plane I knew I wanted to live here some day,” says the artist, writer and flea market maven. “There was something about the way the humidity just kind of enveloped me.”
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McCree made her first trip in the late 1980s for a Jazz Fest visit and relocated from New York in 2001 with her husband, Donald Miller, a musician and visual artist. But McCree’s talents paint her more as a native than a transplant. She’s made a name for herself as a “thrift-shop fashionista” and creator of
costume art for Mardi Gras and Halloween. She wrote a book called Flea Market America: The Complete Guide to Flea Enterprise discussing bargain hunting and transforming discarded items into saleable treasures, which she’s been doing herself since the late 1970s. Her pieces stand out for their quirk and creativity – in true New Orleans spirit. She names her fashion lines as creatively as the pieces themselves, dubbing them with playson-words: “Cree-ations” and “Haunt-couture.” Among the many hats she wears is that of a writer; McCree has a recent essay in the Oxford American. McCree also runs the Piety Street Market in the Bywater and hosts an annual “Red, White, and Book” sale at her Laurel Street home, where she sells Red Dress Run dresses, White Linen Night garments and vintage clothing. Her husband contributes with used books. McCree says she has an eye for the potential in someone else’s discards. “What I do is spread out all the stuff I’ve collected over the past few months and just take a look at what I’ve got,” she says. “I look around the room and see things jumping onto hats and such and they sort of create themselves.” McCree says she doesn’t make any items from scratch, calling herself “an assembly artist.” “Inspiration comes from the materials themselves,” she says. “I’m not a seamstress, but I do a lot of handstitching, and I’m pretty mean with a glue gun. I’ve got the blisters to prove it. I have a great way of seeing things that are going to be put together. Bang, zoom, you’ve
suddenly got a new thing.” McCree has also found value in another overlooked item: the nutria. She’s created a fashion line called “Righteous Fur,” a contemporary jewelry and clothing made from nutria fur and teeth. “It is actually a very lovely fur and when it’s sheared it’s just so soft and velvety,” she says. “People are just amazed.” She’s held Righteous Fur fashion shows, called Nutriapalooza, in New Orleans; Austin, Texas; Atlanta, and even New York City, which garnered coverage from the New York Times. NutriaPalooza Sur La Coulée will take place in Lafayette, just before Festival Acadiens on Oct. 7. Righteous Fur will also be featured in an upcoming documentary about Louisiana’s nutria problem, Rodents of Unusual Size, due out next year. A portion of the proceeds from Righteous Fur sales benefit wetland preservation – “fashion with a conscience,” she says, given the nutria’s status as an invasive species laying waste to Louisiana’s precious wetlands. “The nutria are destroying the wetlands. They’re being killed anyway, and the state pays $5 a tail in the Coast Guard Nutria Control Program. It’s been quite successful but there’s still more to be done,” McCree says. “My feeling was it was just really criminal that all these animals were being killed and 98 percent of them were being thrown back into the swamp. This way it’s a win-win.” n Jeff strout photograph