Louisiana Life September-October 2015

Testing The Waters

Where to go kayaking p. 54

HIGH Rolling at casinos A taste of the VIP life p. 47

september/october 2015

Scott Angelle

David Vitter

John Bel Edwards

Jay Dardenne

Campaign Tricks & Trends The Cost of Running for Governor Power Parishes & much more! p. 36

contents

in every issue 7

From the Editor

Why Elections Aren’t Fun Anymore

10 Reel News

The Culinary Illusionist

Catching up with food stylist Kendall Genslar

12 Biz Bits

Economic Boom

The state builds on its economic strengths

28 art

Poetic Art

New Iberia’s Paul Shexnayder

32 Traveler

Viva Lafayette!

A trip to the heart of Cajun Country

72 Around Louisiana

18

14 Health

New Beginnings

10 years post-Katrina, New Orleans opens a state-of-the-art hospital

16 Great louisiana chef

Hardette Harris

Bossier City

18 Roadside Dining

Old City; New Taste

Two spots in New Orleans are praised for their innovative menus

20 Kitchen Gourmet

America’s Most Popular Sea Creature

4 fresh shrimp recipes

24 Home

Splendor in the Garden District

A historic treasure in New Orleans

24 features 36 Beyond the ballot

Welcoming the 2015 cycle

by Jeremy Alford

47 High Rollin’

A guide to living it up at luxury casinos

by Melanie Warner Spencer

54 uncharted waters

54 2 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Best spots for kayaking

by Suzanne Ferrara

Highlights and events

78 texas travel

Port Aransas

84 Lifetimes

Statewide calendar

86 Great Louisiana Quiz

Running For Governor

Political history trivia

88 A Louisiana Life

Danielle Nierenberg

A globetrotting food activist calls New Orleans home

September/october 2015 Volume 36 Number 1 Editor Errol Laborde MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Ravits Art Director Sarah George Associate Editor Melanie Warner Spencer web editor Kelly Massicot Contributing Editor Paul F. Stahls Jr. Food Editor Stanley Dry Home Editor Bonnie Warren sales manager Kathryn Beck Sanderson kathryn@louisianalife.com

traffic coordinator Jessica DeBold Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production designerS Monique DiPietro, Ali Sullivan, Claire Geary 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 Cheryl Lemoine administrative assistant Denise Dean distribution manager John Holzer 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 2015 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.

4 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

6 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Photo courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

from the editor

Why Elections Aren’t Fun Anymore Democracy was never intended to be an entertainment event per se.

At best, free elections were supposed to allow for a rational discussion of issues so that voters could evaluate candidates and make the right choices.

Nevertheless, if the process also provided a good show, so much the better.

So we have memories of earlier days with candidates speaking at rural rallies and fairs from the back of a truck. There was Jimmie Davis, backed by his band, pickin’ on his guitar and singing his hit “You Are My Sunshine” to the star-worshipping crowd. There was “Uncle Earl” Long picking on his favorite nemesis, New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Morrison whose name he downgraded to “Ole Dellasoups.”

Long once told a rock-hard fundamentalist audience that he did not believe Morrison was a crook and then added that Morrison was too good a Catholic to steal. Before that crowd, it would have been better to say he was a crook.

If someone didn’t like the politics at least they might get a free slice of watermelon out of the experience. Oh, for the days of Huey Long speaking alongside the Evangeline Oak and delivering Louisiana’s all-time greatest political speech: He referred to the tears that Evangeline shed waiting for her lost lover, but then Huey pleaded to the crowd to give him the chance to dry their tears from their despair.

Nowadays politics is too refined to be fun. Candidates, the serious ones, work from a playbook that tells them to exploit buzz phrases, avoid serious discussions on issues and minimize debates.

Television is the new public rally: short and punchy and calculated to respond to what is needed at any given moment.

Go on the attack if your opponent is getting too strong; show yourself frolicking with the family and the dogs when you need to look wholesome.”

Audiences react differently to televised debates simply because they are less interesting, and that is because the candidates are more manipulating. Any serious candidate knows that what you say is not as important as what you don’t say. They strive to avoid the “gaffe” – like the candidate who once forgot what his position was on an issue and instead of faking it, said so. It is the gaffe that will make the sound bite on TV and what everyone will be talking about the next day. Should a candidate come up with a brilliant plan for, lets say, coastal erosion, no one will remember it – too many words. Too many details – no gaffe.

This is not to say that listening to Uncle Earl howl was a better exercise in democracy, but at least you knew what you were getting. It was like buying boudin from the pot, rather than pre-packaged.

Some things are better served fresh. n

LouisianaLife.com | 7

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

july Two is Better than One: Andre Courville of Lafayette photographed these love birds near Lake Martin

august Ginger: Gail Stromeyer captured this image in her backyard in Metairie.

8 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

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reel news

Forever Waves stars Kristin Diable and David Jensen

The Culinary Illusionist When films require food scenes, stylist Kendall Gensler creates edible cinematic splendor.

By Lisa LeBlanc-Berry

Multiple nominations, not just awards, often guarantee future seasons for TV series. So when the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, fans of American Horror Story: Freak Show were encouraged after it picked 10 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

up 19 nominations, trailing second behind HBO’s Game of Thrones with 24 nods.

Louisiana’s premiere film and TV food stylist, Kendall Gensler, created the evocative culinary scenes for Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s AHS episodes, including the unforgettable wedding dinner.

“It’s so much more involved than people think,” she notes.

“On screen, the food is a flash in the pan, so it needs to burn bright.” Like Superman, Gensler steps into a tent for a while, and then emerges with gorgeous platters that must be repeatedly retouched, since each scene requires multiple takes. In the case of the movie, Green Lantern, Gensler fashioned the big outdoor cocktail party scene. “We shot it for 30 days and nights,” she says.

The helicopter crashes into the guests and all the food.

Although AHS pulled out of New Orleans and began filming in L.A., Season 5 (“Hotel”), premiering in October, promises more steamy horror scenes with the debut of an

evil Lady Gaga and her Matt Bomer/Finn Wittrock kinky love triangle. Could there be bizarre dining scenes at the hotel in the works? Wink.

The choice of former Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg (who nabbed an Emmy for writing the SNL tune “Dick in a Box”) serving as host for the live September 20 Emmys broadcast is right on the money. He craftily delivers movie star jabs and witty remarks on socially relevant issues. Hot topics: Transparent (11 nominations) soaring after Caitlyn Jenner came out mid-season.

Amazon gave the green light for Season 3, even before premiering Season 2 this fall (with a Jenner segment). photos by Eugenia Uhl

Styling TV series and feature-length films hasn’t been Gensler’s only beat. She also styles varied commercials (“Pick Your Passion”) and is the publisher of Culinary Concierge magazine.

She obtained a Diplôme at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. One of the most iconic food scenes simulates Le Cordon Bleu in the movie Julie and Julia, when Meryl Streep (playing Julia Child) is trying to whip up a glossy meringue.

Gensler worked with Julie and Julia’s lead props master, Diana Burton, on the set of Terminator Genisys; Gensler did the food. Props master Burton did another foodie favorite, It’s Complicated, featuring a giddy, stoned Streep making chocolate croissants with Steve Martin.

“Diana called me to do a very quick turnaround on some cocktail party hors d’oeuvres and a birthday cake for character Kyle Reese,” Gensler recalls. “But I didn’t realize she was the props master on Julia and Julia, the single modern film that has brought food styling into the forefront of filmmaking, until I was summoned to her office. She wanted to compliment my work! Had I known this about her, I would have been intimidated.”

Aside from being a gourmet chef, Gensler is considered a period-specific specialist.

Case in point: scenes from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, where taxidermy was specified. Her elaborate, pheasant-laden table had multi-tiered platters of

oysters on artificial ice with marsh grass, game bird pies with gorgeous scallopededge pastry tops garnished with feathers, suckling pigs and ham with a hoof.

One of the key factors in styling food for film involves always having enough. In the movie Django Unchained, Gensler created a bountiful French repast for a dining scene with Leonardo DiCaprio. “I had 300 pounds of thick steaks in an outdoor kitchen, and I cut and cooked as they needed them. Actors often pretend to eat, but no matter what, they have to cut the meat.”

Filming of the formal dinner scene was so intense that DiCaprio actually cut his hand on a brandy glass and he continued to act. The scene

was kept in the movie. “I had to do a bone-in filet and brought it to director Quentin Tarantino for approval. He wanted something yellow added,” Gensler notes. After researching his movies including Kill Bill, she adds pattypan squash, to Tarantino’s delight.

Aside from using tricks like minced olives to resemble caviar in AHS, Gensler keeps things as close to real as possible. “In a sense, you’re taking a multi-dimensional item, and you have to bring it to life as a one-dimensional entity,” she says. “I manipulate the food for the camera with plating tricks, pops of color and other enhancements to make it the most delicious and inviting dish possible.” n

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biz bits

Business Booms State builds on its economic strengths

By Kathy Finn

As an industrial boom continues across south Louisiana, federal officials recently named the region among 12 U.S. manufacturing areas that could share in a $1 billion pool to help boost economic development. The initiative, known as “Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership,” does not provide immediate funding but increases the chances of snagging such assistance later. The U.S. Commerce Department and the White House National Economic Council say the program aims to help the designated regions attract new private investment and grow jobs.

Here are highlights of other economic news making headlines around the state.

12 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Gulf still luring Big Oil OFFSHORE LOUISIANA Royal Dutch Shell solidified its longterm commitment in the Gulf of Mexico recently, announcing it will proceed with development of the largest deepwater platform in the Gulf. The project, to be located about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast in 7,200 feet of water, has been dubbed Appomattox and could begin operating in 2020. Analysts estimate the installation may cost $2 billion to complete, and Shell estimates it could produce as much as 175,000 barrels of oil daily at peak performance.

The company said that design improvements in the platform will keep the project’s break-even cost to about $55 per barrel of crude, making it feasible even in periods of relatively low oil prices.

Balancing trade NEW ORLEANS The state’s largest city exported almost $35 billion in products and commodities last year, landing it at No. 8 for the second consecutive year among the nation’s trade leaders. New Orleans accounted for 68 percent of the state’s shipments to foreign customers, with petroleum and coal products accounting for $14 billion of the total. Agricultural products added another $14 billion. St. Charles Parish, which is part of the greater New Orleans area, shipped $10 billion of commodities. China and Mexico were the largest buyers of goods transported through the area.

Shop Livingston Parish DENHAM SPRINGS Construction is set to begin soon on a mixeduse building that will combine retail and offices with a new movie studio. Carlisle Place, as the project is known, will house offices and shops in a four-story structure at the corner of Bass Pro Boulevard and South Range Avenue.

Slated for completion in the spring of 2016, the project will be part of the Riverside Landing retail center, which is being developed near Bass Pro Outdoor Shops.

Boosting air power HOUMA Living up to its reputation as service center for offshore oil fields, Houma has become home to a new 35-acre helicopter base opened

by Era Group at the HoumaTerrebonne Airport. The base houses 30 helicopters that could carry as many as 15,000 workers to and from offshore platforms each month. Era is one of three helicopter companies operating from the airport.

The others are Petroleum Helicopters Inc. and Bristow.

New line on jobs PORT ALLEN An $80 million investment by USA Rail aims to turn a 150-acre parcel into a shipping hub in Port Allen.

The company’s plans for the new rail terminal call for tying into an existing Union Pacific rail line and building capacity to store as many as 1,200 rail cars on-site. The Port Allen Rail Terminal is expected to employ 45 people, and local officials hope it will help spur the further development of a nearby industrial park.

More plastics in Pineville PINEVILLE Nearly 60 new jobs are on tap in central Louisiana as Plastipak Packaging invests $9 million to add three new production lines at its local plant.

A leader in the production of rigid plastic containers for the food, beverage and consumer products industries, Michigan-based Plastipak designs and manufactures rigid plastic packaging for some of the world’s largest consumer products companies. The company opened its Pineville facility in 2003.

Roots on the north shore MANDEVILLE Payroll service company Netchex plans to add 240 employees during the next decade as it expands and opens a new corporate headquarters in Mandeville, the company announced recently. CEO Will Boudreaux says the growing company, which started in Mandeville in 2003 and now employs about 120 people in several offices, needs more space. He said the company will lease office space in the area until the new headquarters is completed in an undisclosed location. n

health

New Beginnings 10 years post-Katrina, New Orleans welcomes a state-of-the-art hospital.

By Fritz Esker

New University Medical Center OPENS in New Orleans

On August 1, the new University Medical Center opened in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood, serving as a permanent replacement for Charity Hospital.

According to statistics provided by LCMC Health, construction of the 2.3 million-

square-foot complex took approximately 43 months and cost $1.1 billion. The hospital cares for patients, including poor and uninsured ones who were previously treated by Charity Hospital.

It will also train LSU and Tulane University medical students and research new disease treatments.

The hospital features 446 beds, including 60 mental health beds. It’s expected to staff 600 physicians and a total of 2,000 full-time employees. During construction, 15,000 individual workers logged a total of approximately 6.5 million hours on the job, equivalent to 1,042 full-time employees.

The complex is energyefficient, with self-contained water towers, an off-site power plant, smart technology throughout and dynamic glass that optimizes natural light.

In the event of a disaster, the hospital’s central energy plan will support critical functions for seven days. All

Suicide Prevention Week

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with one occurring every 13 minutes. National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 8-14.

Many of the warning signs for suicide are well known: withdrawal from activities, sleeping too much or too little, isolating from family and friends, giving away prized possessions and talking about suicide or being a burden to others or having no reason to go on (for a more complete list, visit The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s site at afsp.org).

14 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

mission critical functions stand at least 22 feet above the base flood elevation.

“UMC New Orleans will position New Orleans as a leader in healthcare delivery, research and innovation,” said UMC New Orleans CEO Cindy Nusselein. “In addition to being equipped with the latest technology, UMC New Orleans is a state-of-the-art facility and provides us with the space and resources to continue providing quality healthcare to all that need it. This environment will allow us and our partners to continue training the next generation of healthcare professionals, discovering new treatments through research and caring for our community for many years to come.”

Designers wanted the hospital to feel more welcoming than most medical facilities. All patient rooms feature large windows, space for visitors and wall patterns that evoke classic New Orleans ironwork. The grounds are landscaped and feature a reflecting pool and numerous seating areas. n

The Canadian mental health website The Crisis Centre (crisiscentre.bc.ca) highlights one of the trickier indicators of potential suicide. If a depressed person suddenly seems to be doing better, that might initially seem like a cause for celebration. But sometimes suicidal people feel relief or contentment because they’ve finally made the choice to end their pain and suffering. A true improvement in mental health takes time.

If you’re concerned about a loved one’s mental health, don’t be afraid to talk about it. Encourage professional help through a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or counselor. In an emergency, call 911 or the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. photo courtesy university medical center

LouisianaLife.com | 15

great louisiana chef

Collard Greens 2 medium smoked ham hocks 4 medium smoked neck bones 2 ounces dry salt pork 6 bunches of greens fresh 1 yellow onion small rough chopped 4 garlic large cloves minced 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon seasoning salt salt and pepper to taste Pick and wash greens 3 times until clean and free of dirt. In a large pot, cover meats with water and boil all 3 meats until half done.

Remove meats and set aside. Drain half the liquid and place greens, onion and garlic and seasonings in remaining liquid. Cook until almost done and add meats and spices.

Cover and cook until greens are tender. Total cooking time will be almost an hour. Adjust seasonings.

Hardette Harris Bossier City Raised in Minden and now residing in Bossier City, private chef Hardette Harris grew up cooking alongside her parents, aunts and godmother.

She then attended culinary school for classic training.

These days her business, Pure

16 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Louisiana Soul Food Tours and Tastings, allows her to develop tastings in the area to attract visitors to the ShreveportBossier area, giving guests (and locals) chances to sample her cooking along with other guest chefs in the area.

In June, Harris was the creator of North Louisiana’s “Official Meal,” after working with State Rep. Gene Reynolds of Minden on House Resolution No. 88, which was enrolled and signed, recognizing

the culinary uniqueness of the northern part of the state. As outlined in the resolution, the official meal consists of such dishes as fried catfish, purple hull peas and hot water cornbread.

Despite her formal training, Harris considers herself a home cook. “I love casual cooking as it comes with a mixture of gourmet, comfort, family-style, soul food, family recipes and traditions,” she notes. “All of that translates into a warm, fuzzy feeling when it’s time for dinner.”

For more information about Pure Louisiana Soul Food Tours and Tastings, visit foodtourslouisiana.com. n photo by berg photography

Ce l 20 ebra Ye tin ar g s

Avoyelles Parish isiana Lou

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 2015 Car Show at Yellow Bayou Civil War 5 Open Memorial Park | Highway 1, Simmesport, LA Music, Food, Drinks, Cake Walk, Children Activities (318) 282-7623 | (337) 368-7382

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Quilt Show at Cottonport Museum & Cultural Center |Cottonport, LA

Quilts on display and offered for sale through Sept. 18 (318) 876-3517 | (318) 359-3012

OCTOBER 2015 1 2 17

MAGNOLIA BAPTIST CHURCH

18

GRAND FINALE CELEBRATION

Evergreen | 10am | Grand Commemorative Parade Magnolia Baptist Church | 1:30pm 150th Anniversary Service with Rev. Henry R. Wright, IV, Guest Pastor

LouisianaLife.com | 17

roadside dining Kebab’s

rity to contain lots of meat and sauces. The hand-crafted sauces, including a great mustard sauce and garlic aioli that are recommended for the döner kebab (chicken), are all amazing – the tzatziki is great on everything. It is also mandatory to try the french fries, which are unbattered but fried four times to ensure maximum crispiness and deliciousness.

Lastly, Kebab is great because it is fun and innovative. There is a constant rotation of art from local artists in the small “gallery space”

adjoining the dining area, which was recently outfitted with several retro pinball machines. There are always interesting food and drink specials, and Kebab is one of the few restaurants that serves whole coconuts, pared down and ready to be punctured with a straw, perfect for a lunch beverage and/or dessert. For the adventurous explorers of the super hip Faubourg Marigny, Kebab is an incredible lunch, dinner and late-night food option that is easy on the pocketbook. n

Primitivo

Old City; New Taste Two spots in New Orleans are praised for their innovative menus.

By Bernard Frugé III

The New Orleans sandwich scene has long been dominated by the poor boy and the Sicilian breadinspired muffuletta. In the last decade, the upscale burger movement has infiltrated the city and spread to all of its neighborhoods.

One of the latest entrants, Kebab, came onto the scene last year looking to disrupt the eastern Mediterranean shawarma scene with its stellar, döner kebab sand18 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

wiches. Döner kebab means “rotating roast” in Turkish, and Kebab’s meats are cooked on vertical spits much like gyro and shawarma meats.

Kebab offers chicken, pork and falafel sandwiches for reasonable prices, but what makes them stand out is their bread, sauces, fries and other innovations. First, the homemade bread is light and pillowy, has the perfect amount of chewy mouthfeel, and has the structural integ-

As retail centers such as the Central Business District and French Quarter become starved for commercial space, contemporary New Orleans has become one of previously residential neighborhoods being commercially revitalized by the influx of small businesses. One of the newest of these burgeoning areas is the eastern part of Central City, along Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Until recently a street bracketed by houses and lined with years-abandoned old storefronts, “OC Haley” now features several restaurants, various commercial office buidings, the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, and the Peoples Health New Orleans Jazz Market.

Longtime New Orleans restaurateur Adolfo Garcia is one of the newest arrivals on the scene with Primitivo, his low-tech, hearth-based eatery.

The buildout and design of the restaurant are modern, with a wall of huge windows looking out onto the boulevard and cavernous dining spaces decorated simply with a rustic, pre-industrial chic vibe. The glow emanating from the embers in the large brick and metal oven in the rear of the restaurant is a striking visual element, and all dishes have at least one ingredient prepared in the custom-built hearth.

Thus, I wanted to focus on food that had a strong connection to the wood oven, such as smoked and slow-cooked meats. The smoked oyster (seasonal) dish served in a mason jar with pickled vegetables and is one of the strongest oyster dishes in a city with hundreds of oyster dishes. The smokiness of the oysters and acidity of the vinegar is quite compelling but also light, making for a great snack with drinks or an opening dish. The braised pork cheeks and smoked pork butt over carbonara was certainly less light, but no less delicious, as the homemade pasta was the perfect substratum for the gamey, savory combination of pork meats. Lastly, we tried the “5 Hour Smoked Beef Coulette.” This preparation of top-cut sirloin slow-cooked in the wood oven was delectable, the kind of nontraditional melt-in-your-mouth beef artisanry for which La Boca, another Garcia restaurant, became famous. This neighborhood and restaurant are both on the rise, and are definitely worth exploring for those looking to do New Orleans a bit more off the beaten track. Information, 1800 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., New Orleans, (504) 881-1775. photo by eugenia uhl

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kitchen gourmet

photo by eugenia uhl

Avocado stuffed with shrimp

America's Most Popular Sea Creature 4 fresh shrimp recipes to try this fall

By Stanley Dry

The most popular seafood in America is shrimp. Since Louisiana lands about a third of the country’s total catch, it’s no wonder that we have so many ways to cook and serve this delicious crustacean.

Boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp remoulade, shrimp gumbos, stews, poor boys and jambalayas are emblematic of both Cajun and Creole cuisines, but those dishes only scratch the surface of shrimp cookery.

Shrimp lends itself to almost any preparation you can think of and is one of the most versatile and cooperative of ingredients, quite comfortable with a wide variety of companions.

Shrimp’s natural sweetness can be accentuated with onions or thrown into relief with the addition of lemon or horseradish. Shrimp are equally at home with butter or olive oil, with mild flavors or strong ones.

Given its ability to forge alliances, a shrimp would be an unbeatable candidate in the political world.

Since we have so much fresh shrimp in Louisiana, we can choose from a variety of sizes. Generally, the larger the shrimp, the higher the price.

The consumer often prefers very large shrimp, but for some preparations smaller sizes are more appropriate.

For example, large shrimp are great for grilling, but smaller sizes are better in a gumbo, jambalaya or salad.

As we transition ever so slowly toward fall, the recipes this month include two cold dishes and two hot ones. The Shrimp and Couscous Salad and the Avocado Stuffed with Shrimp are quick and easy to prepare. Either can be served for a light lunch or as an accompaniment to something more substantial. Both recipes call for small shrimp, which can be tedious to clean and shell. Some markets carry cooked small shrimp, but they are also available raw, peeled and frozen in one-pound packages, ready to use. These are wild-caught Gulf shrimp that work very well in salads. To cook them,

cover with water, season well with salt and red pepper or hot sauce and bring to a boil. Drain in a colander and they’re ready to use.

The Shrimp Cakes (or call them patties, if you prefer) can be made from any size shrimp, but there’s no reason to pay a premium for large ones since the shrimp will be coarsely ground anyway. For a satisfying lunch, serve the Shrimp Cakes with the Shrimp and Couscous Salad, good crusty bread, and a chilled rosé.

The final recipe is for a simple and flavorful Shrimp Filé Gumbo, one that is quick and easy to prepare.

Heads-on shrimp are the key here, essential for the flavor imparted by the heads.

Dried shrimp are another important ingredient, called for because of their intense flavor. It may still be too hot, strictly speaking, for gumbo, but to paraphrase Jimmy Buffet, “It’s gumbo weather somewhere.” n

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recipes Avocado Stuffed with Shrimp A quick and simple-to-prepare dish that only needs good bread, butter, and a glass of wine.

2 avocados 1 pound cooked small shrimp, chilled ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon Creole mustard Coarse salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste Hot sauce to taste 1 teaspoon chopped parsley Halve avocados, remove seed, and peel. Slice off a thin strip from the bottom of each half so avocado will sit flat on a plate. Place avocado halves on 4 plates. In a mixing bowl, make a vinaigrette with the oil and lemon juice. Add mustard and whisk to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Add shrimp and toss to combine.

Adjust seasoning. Pile shrimp atop avocado halves and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp & Couscous Salad This is a far cry from the traditional way couscous is served in North Africa, but it’s no less delicious for that.

2 cups water 1½ cups couscous ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound cooked small shrimp 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced ¾ cup small black olives 3 tablespoons chopped parsley 3 tablespoons sliced green onion tops 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice Coarse salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste Hot sauce to taste In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let couscous sit for 15 minutes. Transfer couscous into a mixing bowl and fluff with a fork while drizzling in olive oil. If there are lumps, separate grains with your fingers.

Add shrimp, bell pepper, and olives and toss to combine. Add parsley, onion tops, and lemon juice, and toss to combine.

Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve chilled.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Shrimp Cakes Panko, the Japanese-style bread crumbs, create a light and crispy texture in these shrimp cakes.

1 pound boiled shrimp, peeled and deveined 6 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs 6 tablespoons mayonnaise Coarse salt and freshly-ground Black pepper to taste Hot sauce to taste 1 tablespoon chopped parsley ½ cup all-purpose flour Olive oil for frying Lemon wedges In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse shrimp a few times until they are coarsely ground. Add Panko and mayonnaise and pulse to combine.

Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl, season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce; add parsley. Form mixture into 4 cakes, dredge in flour and fry in about ¼-inch of hot oil until browned on one side, then turn and brown on the other. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Filé Gumbo A homestyle gumbo, simple, quick, and satisfying.

4 pounds medium heads-on shrimp 12 cups water ¼ cup dry roux 1 ⁄3 cup dried shrimp 1 large onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1 bay leaf Cajun/Creole seasoning to taste Coarse salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste ¼ cup chopped parsley ¼ cup sliced green onion tops Filé Rice In a large pot, cover shrimp with water and bring to a boil. Place a colander over another large pot and drain shrimp, reserving the liquid they were cooked in. Place pot with liquid on stove. Whisk dry roux into pot until dissolved. Add dried shrimp, onion, bell pepper, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Maintain the pot at a slow boil. Meanwhile, remove heads from shrimp, peel and devein them, and cook the rice. Add shrimp to gumbo, season with Cajun/Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add parsley and onion tops. Serve gumbo with filé and rice.

Makes 4 or more servings.

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home

Garden District Splendor A historic treasure in New Orleans

By Bonnie Warren / Photographed by Craig Macaluso

The 1857 mansion overlooking Coliseum Square in the Lower Garden District is a New Orleans historic treasure. Step inside and marvel at the beauty of each of the 14 rooms that have been exquisitely fashioned by its owners Bryan Francher, Daniel “Dan” Brockhoeft and Adrian “Kati” Killam, with the help of talented decorative artist Joel Dyer. “It’s all a wonderful storybook tale of always dreaming of owning this house,” says Francher, a partner in the Francher Perrin Group with Gardner Realtors. “It’s the seventh house Dan and I have owned since we became partners

24 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

23 years ago, and it truly seemed like wishing on a star to walk through the house in December 2013 with the thought of ‘maybe we can buy this.’ Kati, our good friend from Austin, was touring the house with us and at some point she said, ‘Why don’t we buy it together? ” Today, the mansion showcases the grandeur of the past, with 16-foot ceilings, Greek key moldings in each of the main rooms downstairs, and grand Neo-classical chandeliers lighting what was once a double parlor, but is now used as a single parlor and one of two dining rooms.

“We enjoy entertaining, so

having two dining rooms is perfect for us,” says Dan Brockhoeft, sales manager of the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel.

Since Brockhoeft is a trained chef with a diploma from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York, with an internship at Commander’s Palace, he especially loves the large professional kitchen. “I know it is ironic that when I applied for my first job at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter, there was an opening for a banquet manager and that is what they hired me to do. I have been in management ever since instead of cooking in a kitchen.” Francher points out that Brockhoeft is a talented chef who who cooks at home and loves to entertain guests.

Like Francher and Killam, Brockhoeft says, “This is my dream house. I sometimes have to pinch myself to be sure I’m not just dreaming that I am an owner.”

ABOVE: The 18-by-27 foot parlor is furnished with fine antiques and art from the collections of Bryan and Dan, and Kati, their partner in ownership of the home. FACING PAGE CLOCKWISE: A handsome Neo-classical chandelier illuminates the parlor. The large painting on the wall is the last major work completed by noted New Orleans artist George Dureau before his death. Joel Dyer, a decorative artist, is credited with guiding the interior design of the home. The marble fireplace is original to the house.

The present dining room joining the parlor was originally used as a second parlor. It features a marbletopped table and Empire chairs covered in green velvet.

Kati has close ties to New Orleans, having invested in four historic townhouses on Julia Street that she is currently renovating. “I love New Orleans, and although I have visited the city for many years, the wonderful mansion on Camp Street is also somewhat of a dream house to me,” she says.

THIS PAGE, TOP: The 13-by-22 foot modern kitchen provides corner banquet seating as well as stools at the marble-topped counter.

BOTTOM: Bryan Francher and Daniel Brockhoeft on the front porch of their historic Coliseum Square mansion they own with Adrian “Kati” Killam of Austin, Texas. They purchased the showplace home in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans after they all decided it was their dream house. FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE: The bird’s-eye mirror in the original dining room of the home provides an interesting reflection of the entire room, including the unique tromp l’oeil walls that are original to the house. The Italianatestyle, 14-room home has been fully restored to its original grandeur and today it is one of the grandest historic homes in New Orleans. The master bedroom overlooks Coliseum Square through large walk-out windows that open onto a balcony.,

The rich history of the house includes a period when it was known as the Catherine Club, similar to the Barbizon in New York City where proper ladies were provided chaperoned housing so they could live and work in the city. It is thought to have been designed by the well-known architect Thomas Wharton, who also designed the historic 26 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

U.S. Custom House on Canal Street. It was built for E.T. Robinson, a wealthy banker.

The mansion had been vacant and neglected for over three decades when it was acquired by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans in 1995 in an effort to save it. Later it was purchased by a Dr. James and Sarah Fulton, residents of California.

It was Sarah who worked for years to bring the house back from ruin, with archival artist Jim Blanchard coordinating the massive project.

“We have been bringing life back to the house,” Brockhoeft says. “I think it is happy to be back to its original purpose.

I had a strong sense of this when we had our spectacular New Year’s Eve party last

year for a couple hundred of our family and friends. I made vats of gumbo and bread pudding, there was incredible live music, and Joel did his usual extravagant decoration in silver, copper and gold. It was dazzling – and not one person left without saying that it was the most incredible New Year’s Eve party they have ever attended.” n

art

Paul Schexnayder: Paintings Straddling the Literal and Poetic

Poetic Art New Iberia artist Paul Shexnayder creates pieces that deliver universal messages.

By John R. Kemp

Paul Schexnayder is living out a life-long dream in New Iberia. The walls of his spacious art gallery near the center of the city’s historic district are filled with his bright, whimsical paintings of musicians, dancers, piano keyboards, Louisiana wildlife and occasional images depicting the eternal struggle between good and evil.

28 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Schexnayder describes his paintings, which can be found in collections throughout South Louisiana, as “poetic art” and “primitive and folk” but “accessible and fun.” Yet, his compositions, “Angel & Demon” for instance, often have an underlying spirituality that he readily acknowledges.

“That comes out naturally,” he explains, glancing across the

room. “It’s a part of the culture down here in South Louisiana.”

Ironically, this artist who is known widely for his intensely colorful paintings is colorblind, especially when working with dark shades such as blues, purples and browns.

Born in New Iberia in 1966, Schexnayder has enjoyed drawing most of his life. In the mid-’80s he studied graphic arts, painting and drawing at LSU. And like most art students during those formative years, he searched for his own style and artistic voice. Almost immediately, he gravitated to the edgy work of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Henri Rousseau and especially to paintings by the early modernist Marc Chagall. “The more I looked

and learned about the life of Chagall, the more I connected with him,” he explains. “He had a beautiful way of telling stories of his life, culture and love. I loved that anything can happen in his work. I like how he used symbols in his work to help further the story.” It is a lesson Schexnayder continues to explore in his own visual stories inspired by the music, religion, pop culture and “good times” of South Louisiana.

Schexnayder had to spend a few years away from Louisiana to truly see those influences, however. In 1988, with a bachelor of fine arts degree, Schexnayder moved to Beverly, Massachusetts, near Boston to take a teaching job at a school for dyslexic students.

“Those four years in Boston opened my eyes to our culture in South Louisiana,” he says.

“While in Boston, I made two trips to Guatemala where I saw every tribe of Indians there. They had their own way of dress with bright colors.

They were completely happy.

Their culture made me more aware of my own culture in South Louisiana. I wanted to move home, and I dreamed of a shotgun house in New Iberia owned by my parents. I moved in and opened my studio there.” Shortly after returning home in the early ’90s, life fell into place. He reconnected with an old high school friend, Lilla “Lee” Himel, and in 1995 they married. In 2009, Paul and Lee opened their A&E Gallery in a spacious 19thcentury building on West St. Peter Street once owned by a former mayor of New Iberia. There he teaches art workshops and represents a number of local artists.

After a long career of teaching in local public and private schools, Schexnayder has found his place among contemporary artists who explore the eccentricities and rhythms of life in South Louisiana. “All my life I have heard stories, tales and phrases that are part of our culture in southern Louisiana,” he says. “As an artist I have the privilege of being a participating native as well as a recorder of details. Most of the stories I paint are local, yet they have a universal meaning. I am exploring simplicity in my art and message. The attraction may be the color and shapes, and hopefully they make the viewer linger a bit longer, allowing their experiences to add to the story or message.

The paintings are instant messages and reflections on our pop culture, our past and current world. Each painting

"Room for Everyone"

"Caretaker"

LouisianaLife.com | 29

has its own flavor, setting and atmosphere.”

Schexnayder adds to that “flavor” by painting his images on unconventional objects that he finds in his travels around town. Rather than the usual canvas or paper, he prefers to paint on Masonite panels or discarded objects such as old window frames and cupboard doors. As a result, each work has a distinct personality. Also, people depicted in his paintings have featureless small heads that amount to little more than circles mounted on large bodies. “That just happened recently,” he explains, pointing to a nearby painting titled “Gator Back Boogie” with three faceless figures dancing on the back of a smiling alligator. “Is the head more important or is the body more important?” he asks rhetorically. “The clothing made the scene and got the 30 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

message across. The objects they are holding carry the painting. It’s the story that’s most important. If you paint an expression on the face, people read into it more than I intended.”

Schexnayder’s primary audience, however, is himself. “I create the work for me first,” he explains.

“I have to like it and then I share it. The thought and sketch of the piece belongs to me but the painting belongs to the world. The most important step for me is the process of the idea. To get it on paper first and work it out with paint, color and form. I am inspired by language and stories. Words, phrases and puns – usually something offbeat – go into my style of art. The challenge is to create a visual language quickly.

I want people to make an instant connection to the

piece and, hopefully, they will linger beyond the initial attraction and see more than they first thought. I want people to feel something and respond.” He recalled the reaction he got from a woman just after viewing a painting in his “Vessels” boat series. She claimed the “movement” in the painting made her sick. “I thought that was the best compliment a person could give me,” he says with a broad smile.

Like most artists, Schexnayder is constantly thinking about the next painting, the next composition and story. “I keep a sketchbook next to my bed because I often dream of new ideas and paintings,” he says. “I have several dozen filled sketchbooks that I often use for reference. It seems the older I get the more I want and need to create. The urge to paint is stronger each

day. I love to make people smile and laugh and feel good and most of my art does that.”

He doesn’t see himself slowing down any time soon either.

Meanwhile, he is collaborating with friends in producing illustrations for a line of “Happy Cajun” porcelain plates, bowls, cups and other memorabilia. In addition, he does the artwork for a series of children’s books, Mr. Tootles and Those Oodles of Noodles and Mr. Tootles and the Giggle Wiggles, for Tootle Time Publishing Company in New Iberia.

“My career as an artist is the same as it was when I started,” he states. “I still straddle the literal and poetic edges and I’m still in between the commercial and fine art world.”

For more information about Schexnayder and his work, visit schex.com. n

LouisianaLife.com | 31

traveler

Viva Lafayette A trip to the heart of Cajun Country Paul F. Stahls Jr.

It’s no surprise but still good news that several Louisiana towns rank at the top of the Wall Street Journal's current “Market Watch” list of “Happiest Cities in America,” which also names Louisiana as the happiest state. Lafayette tops the chart as the happiest spot of all, and, although the city is emotionally reeling now from the unimaginable theater shooting of July 23, nothing can diminish the resilience and spirit of the place or the attributes that make it unique.

The original settlement, called Vermilionville, took

32 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

shape where the Old Spanish Trail (Pinhook Road) crosses the Vermilion River (now often called Vermilion Bayou), but in 1821 activity shifted a bit north to property – today's downtown – being developed by a second-generation Louisiana Acadian named Jean Mouton. He provided squares for a church and courthouse and, sure enough, when a new parish was carved out of St. Martin in 1823, his town became the seat. The parish was immediately named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette of

Revolutionary War fame, but the renaming of Vermilionville was delayed until another town named Lafayette lost its “city” status upon annexation by New Orleans.

There’s no denying that much of the appeal of the “Capital of Acadiana” hinges on its local music and menus, but travelers are also drawn by the story of the Acadian exiles and come with an eagerness to see tangible crafts, garments, furnishings and even structures that actually played a part in that saga.

And in fact many landmarks do remain from Lafayette’s earliest days, such as a former riverside inn at the Spanish Trail crossing that now houses the haute Cajun restaurant called Café Vermilionville at 1304 Pinhook, and the Lafayette Museum that occupies a structure begun

about 1816 by Jean Mouton himself (1122 Lafayette St., lafayettemuseum.com).

Mouton's original two-room “Sunday house” grew dramatically, with rooms and upper levels added by his son Gov. Alexandre Mouton and other owners over the next 40 years. Finally, as if by destiny, it attained the perfect size for displaying the museum’s memorabilia, which span two centuries of Lafayette life plus portraits and furnishings of the founding family.

The attached Sunday house and a brick smokehouse still stand in the rear gardens.

An 1820s Creole raised cottage built by another of Mouton’s sons, Lt. Gov. Charles Homere Mouton, is now Bois des Chenes B&B – 338 N. Sterling St., (337) 233-7816 – its vintage outbuildings now converted to guestrooms.

After a beautiful breakfast guests experience a home tour that’s unusual and fun, with art and antiques coexisting with intriguing items that reflect the other enterprises of octogenarian owner Coerte Voorhies and wife Marjorie: his fishing-photography guide service (theatchafalayaexperience.com) and her Breaux Bridge Antique Mall.

Other houses, for cultural and architectural preservation, have been moved from the bayous to form two collections, beginning in 1972 with Acadian Village (west and north from Johnston Street via Duhon and DeBelier, acadianvillage.org).

Its church, school and stores (replicas) are clustered like an early Cajun community, and its six original homes include an 1820s Youngsville cottage, birthplace in 1894 of State Senator and Hadacol patent medicine king “Coozan” Dudley Leblanc.

Then in 1990 came the 32-acre living history park called, of course, Vermilionville (300 Fisher Road, vermilionville.org), a riverside grouping of architectural treasures that range from a tiny presbytere (priest’s house) to the relatively large 1790 home of Amand Broussard, son of Acadian resistance fighter and exile leader Joseph “Beausoliel” Broussard. Herbs, fruit trees and ornamentals beautify the homes as in days of old, and the scene is made complete by costumed folk-crafters and vintage furnishings. For lunch head for the park’s Cajun buffet at La Cuisine de Maman, or visit Oct. 30-31 to overeat at the popular Black Pot Festival and Cook-off.

Set in Beaver Park just downstream from

Vermilionville, the Acadian Cultural Center (satellite of Lafitte National Park, 501 Fisher Road, nps.gov/jela) provides a crash course in Cajun folkways, with artifacts and audio-visual introductions to 19th–century agriculture, fishing, trapping and lumbering, as well as food, music, religion and entertainment (from Mardi Gras and horseracing to homemade dolls, clay marbles and even cypress golf clubs).

Beaver Park is also the trailhead of the Atakapas-Ishak bicycle and pedestrian trail whose connection from the river to downtown Lafayette is nearing completion. Three parks in the city’s Bayou Vermilion District offer launches, fishing and picnic facilities, and schedules for guided canoe/bateau/ kayak tours are available at Vermilionville or at (337) 233-4077, ext. 211.

Farther up the Vermilion, bordering the Mississippi River floodplain, the Acadiana Park Nature Center and Acadiana Nature Trail (south of I-10 via Louisiana Avenue and Alexander Street, naturestation.org) offer seven miles of hiking/running trails, a 150-acre forested park and a three-level Nature Center that doubles as interpretive facility and observation tower.

Maps and advice from the splendid Lafayette Welcome Center, beside its scenic mini-swamp below

I-10 in the broad median of Evangeline Thruway, are essential for grasping the variety of Lafayette’s diversions, from the dining rooms and dancehalls you’d expect to surprises, like the ecclesiastical art of the 1916 Cathedral of St. John and Cathedral Museum (515

Cathedral St.), the Children’s Museum of Acadiana where kids can “play grownups” in miniature stores and businesses (201 E. Congress St.) and the Lafayette Science Museum with its planetarium shows plus exhibits on world geology, space travel and sea life (433 Jefferson St.).

FACING PAGE: Acadian Village THIS PAGE, TOP: George Rodrigue's Longfellow Memorial BOTTOM: Roddie Romero & Zachary Richard cross paths at "Louisiana Crossroads." (photo by Denny Culbert) LouisianaLife.com | 33

Old UL-Lafayette art gallery seen from the new (photo Paul Stahls)

Nonc Jules Guidry plays "Jolie Blonde" at Vermilionville

Art lovers can enjoy the murals and sculptures of downtown Lafayette while scouting for local art at shops like the Arts Co-op, St. Pierre’s Gallery, the Cajun Picasso and Adrian Fulton gallery. The Sans Souci shop in its 1880s cottage displays creations of Louisiana

34 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Crafts Guild members (219 E. Vermilion), and the renowned Francis Pavy’s own gallery is at 210 Gordon St. The late George Rodrigue’s gallery is just off West Pinhook at 1434 S. College, not far from his massive Longfellow Memorial sculpture on Asma

Blvd. (south of Pinhook via Kaliste Saloom Road).

Every month brings a 2nd Saturday Art Walk, complete with live music in one of the downtown parks (6-9 p.m., downtownlafayette.org), with September’s walk promoted to “Art Stomp” status thanks to its addition of grape stomping and wine tasting at Parc Sans Souci.

Two truly grand galleries, the University of LouisianaLafayette’s Hilliard Art Museum at 710 E. St. Mary and the Acadiana Center for the Arts at 101 W. Vermilion, offer galleries of changing exhibits plus permanent collections including Louisiana names like John McCrady, Elemore Morgan Jr., Francis Pavy, Cora Kelly Ward and George Rodrigue.

Don’t leave UL-L without seeing famed architect A. Hays Town’s 1967 art museum adjacent to the Hilliard, beautiful little Cypress Lake near the Student Union and the Lafayette Art Association Gallery at 1006 E. St. Mary.

Lagniappe at the Acadiana Center for the Arts includes

a busy schedule of stage performances at its new Moncus Theater and frequent PBS tapings of the acclaimed “Louisiana Crossroads” musicand-conversation series.

Next up at the Crossroads are Beausoliel’s Michael Doucet and Bijou Creole’s Cedric Watson on Oct. 2-3, then “Preservation Hall’s Creole Christmas” concert on Dec. 9-10, with tickets available at (337) 233-7060 or acadianacenterforthearts.org.

Click “Music Mecca” at lafayettetravel.com for an overwhelming list of Cajun and Zydeco clubs and dancehalls, but in fall the music overflows the clubs and fills the city, thanks to series like “Downtown Alive,” 5:30 Fridays, Sept. 11-Thanksgiving (line-ups listed at downtownlafayette.org).

Monthly “Acadian Roots” concerts are presented in the Community Room of the Daily Advertiser (1100 Bertrand Dr., theadvertiser.com), Community Coffee sponsors amateur Cajun jams (led by top local musicians) at Vermilionville’s Performance Center at 1 p.m.

Saturdays, the Lafayette Science Museum’s “Bach Lunch” performances are at noon Fridays at Parc Sans Souci, and bluegrass jams at Cité des Arts (109 Vine St.) are Mondays at 6:30, The most famous music and food event of fall, however, is the beloved Festivals Acadiens et Creole, a tradition since 1972. Now grown to six stages plus tents for speakers sharing the lore of Louisiana music, the festival has been combined since 1977 with the big Louisiana Crafts Festival and irresistible Bayou Food Festival, and the six-day party starts Oct. 6 in Girard Park near UL-L. Be there or be couillon. n

LouisianaLife.com | 35

2015 ELECTION

We have not elected a new governor

in Louisiana in eight years. In the world of politics, 96 months is a lifetime; in terms of technology and electoral trends, it may as well be time immemorial.

Just think about that for a minute.

The last time we had an open election for governor, the iPhone had just been introduced. There were no iPads yet, and Internet advertising for campaigns was still somewhat of a novelty here. The idea

of a 24-hour news cycle was just creeping into Louisiana. Fundraising was relatively straightforward and newspapers were still printed on paper.

That’s all to say this current election cycle is going to offer us something dramatically different. It may not seem like it now, but in the years to come we’ll realize exactly what happened and we will be able to reminisce with eyes wide open. One day, when we’re sitting

on our porches and drinking iced tea, reflecting on the time when everyone was on that thing called Twitter and paper money was still being used, we’ll be able to look back at 2015 and see a high political watermark. That place where the new trends set in and changed our politics.

The Edwin Edwards era is over. It has been replaced by the Bobby Jindal era, and that is coming to an end. This

Beyond the Ballot

What's important about the 2015 elections?

Welcome to the 2015 Cycle

“What I’m most interest in this year is to see how much of a difference the Citizens United decision and the super PACs will make in Louisiana.

Will all of our politics remain local or will all of our politics become national?”

By Jeremy Alford portraits by claire mccracken

Clancy DuBos of New Orleans, Gambit political editor and political analyst for WWL-TV

36 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

FAST FACT All Louisiana candidates must qualify to run for office between Sept. 8 and Sept.

10. If they miss that window, their names will not be included on ballots.

transition has ushered in a new wave of politicians that don’t want to campaign on the edge or reveal their personal sides.

They’re guarded. Cell phone cameras and trackers (these are the folks hired by special interests to follow and record candidates in hopes of documenting a flub) have destroyed Louisiana’s old style of politics. Quite frankly, for a boy raised on Louisiana politics who now follows it as a profession, it’s a sad day.

I still know a few state lawmakers who are willing to throw back a couple of beers and tell dirty jokes, including a woman or two, as if we all grew up in the same small town. But major statewide candidates of this ilk are becoming the stuff of legend and lore. Some are almost robotic, too overly polished. Whereas our old school politicians could feel our pain, this new crop of pols have merely been briefed on it.

On that higher elected level, the art of retail politics, or the practice of pressing the flesh in large numbers, is dead and buried. The days of attending as many fairs and festivals as possible, kissing babies and eating alligator on a stick are over. They’ve been replaced by digital data and metrics that allow politicians to focus on one neighborhood, and more precisely specific doors that need to be knocked on – as opposed to spending hours outside a stadium for a Friday night high school football game.

If you follow Louisiana politics at all, then you’ve gathered by now that these changes don’t necessarily apply to candidates further

What's important about the 2015 elections?

“Can money beat personality in the governor’s race? That’s the important question for me. One guy has a lot of it and the rest of us are just scratching.”

—Roy Fletcher of Baton Rouge, campaign professional who has run presidential and gubernatorial campaigns, currently the media consultant for Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle

down the ballot who are running for a council seat or the state House. They still have to wear out the shoe leather and show us something real. But it’s only a matter of time until it begins to trickle down.

Our statewide politics have also become nationalized. Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu did not lose her seat in 2014 because she was a bad person, although many would certainly attest to that. She lost primarily because the most tangible narrative for low-information voters was condensed into three talking points by her opposition: Obama, Obama and Obama.

Guilt by association.

Listen closely to the statewide candidates running for office this year. You’re going to hear them talking about congressional issues and federal policy – things that have absolutely nothing to do with Louisiana.

They’re hoping you watch cable news and don’t read your local paper.

The reason national issues are on even the agenda in such a prominent way is because there is now an unprecedented amount of outside money in Louisiana.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision likening cash to free speech, has paved the way for super PACs (political action committees) to raise unlimited amounts of money with no caps. For the first time in the long history of Louisiana politics, they are now a major factor in this year’s fall statewide elections.

So where do we go from here? For the nostalgic among us, we can always go back … If you ever venture to Winnfield, make sure you visit the Louisiana Political Museum. Among other displays, there’s Earl Long’s original campaign vehicle, equipped with a large speaker mounted atop and the microphone he used for his stump speeches. Relics of a bygone era.

Given what’s happening across Louisiana’s political landscape, it almost feels like the museum is a place where we can still see the dinosaurs. Time changes everything. Even politics. Whether all of this change is for the good is something we should all be eager to learn. For now, it’s just the new way of doing business.

FAST FACT The last day to register to vote in the 2015 primary election is Sept.

23, and the deadline is Oct. 21 for the runoff.

LouisianaLife.com | 37

2015 ELECTION There are 66,000 more African-American voters compared to seven years ago, in contrast to a boost of roughly 9,600 new white voters.

In recent elections white voters have tended to vote in blocs, up to 70 percent to 80 percent in support of Republicans, which has made it difficult for Democratic candidates and AfricanAmerican voters to influence electoral outcomes. But with around 35 percent to 40 percent of younger voters being African-American, the tide could turn in the future, Couvillon adds.

In Louisiana’s open primary system, this has created a dynamic where Republicans are flooding races against fewer Democratic opponents. When there’s only one Dem against a much larger GOP field, that Democrat can often be guaranteed a runoff spot if they’re able to solidify the party’s traditional base. That’s because the GOP candidates are carving up the same base. Moreover, that’s the line of thinking in the races for governor and lieutenant governor, where state Rep. John Bel Edwards and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden are the lone Democrats, respectively.

The October ballot is nothing if not

crowded. In addition to seven statewide elections, from governor down to insurance commissioner, voters will asked to decide four constitutional amendments; seats in the Legislature; the makeup of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; several benches in the judiciary; and sheriffs for every parish.

If there’s one overwhelming trend heading into the fall, and carried over from previous elections, it’s Louisiana transformation from a hue of purple, when the two mainline parties co-existed, to its current shade of fire engine red. Republicans have captured all statewide elected offices, as well as the House and Senate.

That shift can clearly be seen in voter registration statistics. There were 605,000 Republicans in the state in 2010, compared to 807,000 today, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, while Democrats have lost 300,000 voters during the same timeframe. Louisiana is trending Republican, and that pattern may be perpetuated in the 2015 cycle.

But pollster John M. Couvillon, president of JMC Enterprises of Louisiana, says he’s just as interested in racial trends.

Rise of Republicans

Voter Demographics Of the 2.8 million registered voters in Louisiana as of July 1, 64 percent, or 1,846,655 million, are white.

Another 902,954 voters are black, representing 31 percent of the electorate.

The remaining 133,089 are identified as “other.”

Source: Secretary of State’s Office

64% white

31% black

In 2010, there were over 605,000 Republicans in the state – compared with the 807,000 today. In the open primary system, Republicans flood races against fewer Democratic opponents.

Source: Secretary of State’s Office

2000

2005

2010

1,481,644

2015 DEMOCRAT

1,632,497 1,553,095

1,333,327 REPUBLICAN

38 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

605,242 693,151 774,481 807,4445

OTHER

487,734 598,740 683,247 741,926

5% other

luther egbert hall

John Julian McKeithen

may 14, 1912 - May 9, 1916

May 12, 1964 - May 9, 1972

1965

The Past 100 Years of Louisiana Governors

1915 Ruffin Golson Pleasant

FAST FACT

may 9, 1916 - May 11, 1920

1970 Edwin Washington Edwards

1920

May 9, 1972 - March 10, 1980

1975

John Hiliken parker may 11, 1920 - may 13, 1924

July marked the 203rd anniversary of the swearing in of William Charles Cole Claiborne, Louisiana’s first governor.

Henry luse fuqua

may 12, 1924 - October 11, 1926

1925 oramel hinckley simpson October 11, 1926 - may 21, 1928

David Conner Treen

March 10, 1980 - March 12, 1984

huey pierce long

may 21, 1928 - january 25, 1932

1980 1930

alvin olin king

Edwin Washington Edwards

january 25, 1932 - may 10, 1932

March 12, 1984 - March 14, 1988

oscar kelly allen

1985

may 10, 1932 - january 28, 1936

1935 Charles Elson (Buddy) Roemer III

james albert noe

january 28, 1936 - may 12, 1936

richard webster leche

March 14, 1988-Jan 13, 1992

may 12, 1936 - june 26, 1939

1990

earl kemp long

june 26, 1939 - may 14, 1940

1940

Edwin Washington Edwards Jan 13, 1992 - Jan 8, 1996

1995

may 14, 1940 - May 9, 1944

james houston davis

Mike Foster Jr.

Jan 8, 1996 - Jan 12, 2004

sam houston jones

1945

may 9, 1944 - May 11, 1948

earl kemp long

2000

may 11, 1948 - May 13, 1952

1950

FAST FACT

kathleen blanco

Robert Floyd Kennon

Jan 12, 2004 - Jan 14, 2008

may 13, 1952 - May 8, 1956

2005 There are only two unrelated governors who share the same middle name that matches that of non-Louisiana city: late Govs.

Sam Houston Jones and Jimmie Houston Davis.

1955 bobby jindal

earl kemp long

Jan 14, 2008 -

may 8, 1956 - May 10, 1960

2010 1960

James Houston Davis May 10, 1960 - May 12, 1964

2015 LouisianaLife.com | 39

2015 ELECTION The more interesting statistic to watch for, however, is “other” registration, largely made up of Hispanic and Asian voters. There have been 20,000 new voters added to this category since 2007.

“If they get to be 5 percent to 10 percent of the total electorate, that group could be playing kingmaker in future elections,” says Couvillon.

There have already been double digit registration increases in small pockets around Kenner and Gretna, where the Asian and Hispanic communities have become strong enough to swing elections for state House seats.

In terms of swing demographics, the largest disparity can be found in the governor’s race, where polls show a sizable gender gap in terms of presumed frontrunner U.S. Sen. David Vitter, as large as 10 points in some surveys. Male voters appear to be much more receptive to Vitter’s message and his past D.C. madam controversy, while women aren’t as eager to give him their support.

Robert Mann, who holds the Manship chair in journalism at LSU, says it follows broader party trends and could be a deal-breaker for Vitter this fall. “Most Republicans do better among men, from president on down,” says Mann. “What’s striking is how large it is for Vitter. I gave a speech recently, and a group of Republican women came up to me after and confirmed to me what I had been thinking. It seems like there’s something there that could play out in the election.”

In terms of regional dominance, north Louisiana will be the heavy in the governor’s race, with all of the major candidates residing below I-10, including Vitter, Edwards, Public Service

FAST FACT Having started in 1976, Louisiana has the longest running open primary system in the national, although between 2008 and 2010 the Bayou State did temporarily revert to party primaries for federal races.

40 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

FAST FACT

Commissioner Scott Angelle and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne. It’s practically the same case in nearly all of the competitive statewide races.

But in terms of sheer volume, East Baton Rouge is producing the most voters, around 150,000 in last year’s statewide U.S. Senate race. Jefferson Parish trailed in second place, with 129,000 votes, and then Orleans, with 116,000. That’s a flipped script compared to the 1999 governor’s race, when Orleans produced the most votes, followed by Jefferson and East Baton Rouge.

The 2015 primary elections are scheduled for Oct. 24, with runoffs slated for Nov. 21, as needed. Louisiana traditionally has one of the latest elections in the nation, with runoffs sometimes being held in December.

The Power Parishes

1999 GOVERNOR’S RACE

2003 GOVERNOR’S RACE

2012 PRIMARY SENATE VOTE

In the 2014 U.S. Senate race, East Baton Rouge Parish reinforced its status as a leading force in statewide Louisiana elections. EBR voters cast 131,389 ballots in the Dec. 6 runoff, more than the next most active parishes, in Jefferson, which accounted for 109,672 votes and in Orleans, which had a turnout of 116,664 voters.

You can see how, gradually over the years, EBR has gained prominence in statewide elections as the parish and Jefferson overtook Orleans. Lafayette has moved to the bottom of the top six, falling behind Caddo and St. Tammany, the real mover from the past 15 years of statewide elections.

2014 PRIMARY SENATE VOTE

EAST BATON ROUGE JEFFERSON ORLEANS ST. TAMMANY CADDO LAFAYETTE

What's important about the 2015 elections?

“This fall's elections are an opportunity to remind voters about the failure of Republican leadership — on the broken budget, on higher education and health care institutions — over the past eight years. It is an opportunity to truly define Louisiana values as those of economic opportunity; access to high-quality education; and affordable and available health care for all — not just a few.”

State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans, chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party

The legislative races on the ballot offer several trends to watch for as well. Unions, unable to exert the power they once had, have targeted some seats but have been unable to recruit viable candidates to challenge incumbents. The business lobby, meanwhile, may turn out to be the most influential player in the House and Senate races.

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry released its annual voting scorecard this summer and gave 94 lawmakers, out of 144, “F” grades. The business lobby is still smarting from the passage of $600 million in new taxes, mostly on industry, and they could contribute to an anti-incumbent sentiment this fall.

The challenge for business will be to wisely choose their targets without isolating lawmakers who have stood with the lobby for years, but veered from that stance this session due to a $1.6 billion deficit. LABI President Stephen Waguespack says lawmakers who have long shared its priorities, but went against it in the recent session, may have nothing to worry about. “You can expect a number of people who received failing grades to still get our backing,” he says. “The goal now is to work toward next year to make sure we see different results.”

While there are certainly several different trends to watch for on the fall ballot, from party registration and racial voting patterns to the gender gap and the influence of business and industry, only one factor truly matters at the end of the day. And that’s who is able to win and who goes home a loser. That will never change.

What's important about the 2015 elections?

“This is the first time in over 100 years where Republicans have the House and the Senate and all of the statewide elected offices. So we have to protect that, but we also have to do a better job of leading with that responsibility. There has been a learning curve and some growing pains, but it’s time to move the party forward in this respect.”

Roger Villere of Metairie, chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party

GOING NEGATIVE: KNOW HOW TO GIVE...AND RECEIVE "Oh, how I love to go negative." —James Carville Voters say they don't like attack ads, but we all know the spots are being watched. We also know that consultants like to call their attack spots "comparison ads," since they couch their client as experienced and the opponent as

disreputable. It can certainly be dirty work.

Voters, however, do deserve to know if the opposition is not fit for the job. Here’s how campaigns go about it…

RULES OF NEGATIVE WARFARE 1. Attack no one who is behind you in the polls.

2. Don't say something about someone that is already known.

3. Use a knife, not a chainsaw. Finesse is important, as is humor. If you can get people laughing at your opponent, they're close to toast.

4. Get your facts straight and document them.

5. Focus on one thing voters can remember, instead of a catalogue of sins.

6. Don't get personal.

7. Don't be the attacker.

Use a voiceover in your spots or a surrogate.

If you don't, you may come off as bad as your opponent.

ON FIELDING ATTACKS 1. Control the agenda and position yourself on the larger issues before someone else does.

3. Answer quickly. An attack will not go away.

4. Do not restate your opponent's claims in your response, but make sure your side of the story is heard.

2. Nearly every attack must be answered, but it takes good judgment to know how much you should alter your message and game plan to answer an attack.

LouisianaLife.com | 41

2015 ELECTION

Four Constitutional Amendments To Consider In what will be a noticeable change

What's important about the 2015 elections?

“I think everything in this cycle and following this cycle better be about a new Louisiana from the standpoint of the tax structure and budget.

If Louisiana doesn’t get this right, we’re going to have a bigger problem than anyone thinks.”

—Elliott Stonecipher of Shreveport, demographer and analyst

of pace, voters will only have to read through four proposed constitutional amendments on the October ballot.

There were 14 amendments on the fall 2014 ballot.

The two highest-profile among them track public opinion support for the way transportation projects are funded.

Act 473 by Sen. Robert Aldey, D-Benton, would steer state mineral revenue – cash derived from oil and gas activities – toward transportation projects, rather than depositing that money into Louisiana’s so-called “rainy day fund,” known more formally as the Budget Stabilization Fund.

If adopted by voters, it’s estimated that as much as $21 million would be directed to transportation projects through this amendment beginning in fiscal year 2017.

Adley said that haul could potentially reach $100 million annually, but oil prices would have to jump above $100 per barrel,

and it’s difficult to predict when exactly that might happen again.

It’s all part of a larger legislative package from Adley, approved during the session, that will eliminate the dedication of vehicle sales taxes that are supposed to go inside the Transportation Trust Fund beginning in 2020. Currently the vehicle sales tax generates about $400 million annually.

Adley’s constitutional amendment would replace that with the targeted mineral revenue, which would be able to be deposited into the transportation fund immediately, as opposed to waiting until 2020 for the vehicle sales tax provision to kick in.

Adley said the trade off of upwards to $21 million now as compared to $400 million later is necessary to keep pace with the state’s bloated backlog of transportation construction projects.

There’s also Act 471 by Rep. Karen St. Germain, D-Plaquemine, which would allow the investment of public

SIZING UP THE STATEWIDE RACES Governor • Likely candidates include Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, state Rep. John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. David Vitter.

• Polls have shown Edwards and Vitter jockeying for the top spot, and conventional political wisdom expects a runoff between the two. But anything can happen in the last

leg of a Louisiana governor’s race, with both Angelle and Dardenne having their own momentum heading into October.

Plus, historically, such elections in the Bayou State have rarely favored the early frontrunner.

• This could be the most expensive governor’s race in Louisiana history. As of late July, all the candidates combined in concert with their

42 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

allied super PACs, had already raised $18.5 million.

• The big issue in the race could, and should, be the budget and the state’s structural problems with taxes, revenue and spending. All four candidates have promised to call a related special session in early 2016.

Lieutenant Governor • Likely candidates include State Sen. Elbert Guillory, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden, former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser and Jefferson Parish President John Young.

• As the lone Democrat in the race, Holden could ensure a runoff spot by consolidating the party’s base. The big

question is which lucky Republican makes it there with him.

• Young is leading the money war, with $2.2 million in the bank as of late August, compared to a $1 million loan Nungesser made to his campaign around the same time.

Secretary of State • Likely candidates include incumbent Secretary of State Tom Schedler and LSU law professor Chris Tyson.

• Schedler has the power of incumbent against Tyson, a Democrat in his first race. But Tyson has managed to create some fundraising successes tapping out of state donors.

funds in a state infrastructure bank for transportation projects.

In passing a related bill this session to set up the operational framework, St. Germain said it would function like a revolving loan program with minimal finance costs that would allow local governments to move forward with a variety of transportation projects, including port infrastructure work.

Voters will also be asked to decide the fate of two other constitutional amendments on the October ballot: Act 470 by Rep. Bubba Chaney, R-Rayville, would make sure that property taxes on Louisiana land owned by another state or out-of-state political subdivision are paid to the Louisiana treasury. Right now other states aren’t paying these taxes.

Act 472 by Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, would more broadly define what kind of tax, rebate and revenue bills can be filed in a fiscal session, which are held during odd-numbered years.

Attorney General • Likely candidates include incumbent Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, former Congressman Jeff Landry and Port Allen prosecutor Marty Maley.

• In what was viewed as a snub at Caldwell, Landry has received the official endorsement of the Louisiana Republican Party. With help from his former colleagues

in D.C., Landry should make this race the barnburner of the election cycle.

Treasurer • Treasurer John Neely Kennedy isn’t expected to receive significant opposition, if any at all. But as a likely contender for the 2016 U.S. Senate race, expect him to stay involved and even go up on TV to remind voters about his political brand.

WHY VOTE?

FAST FACT

U.S. Census data released July 19 shows that voter turnout in the United States is one of the lowest in the developed world. Only 42 percent of Americans voted in the 2014 midterm elections, the lowest level since 1978.

Here are three reasons why you SHOULD Vote:

Early voting for the 2015 primary will take place from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17 and from Nov. 7 to Nov. 14 for the runoff.

1. It's your right. Voting is a right that was won by those before us. This is especially true for women and minorities. Don't let their hard work go to waste.

2. It's your future. By voting you are not only doing your part to influence the present, you are also affecting the future. From school funding to environmental policies to Social Secutiry and minimum wage, the future of this world depends on actions taken now.

3. Earn your right to complain!

We all have something to say about government. If don't vote, you are in no position to complain.

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner • For his re-election bid this year, GOP Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain so far has one announced opponent.

Horticulturist Jamie LaBranche, a Democrat from LaPlace, is running on a platform of medical agriculture.

That includes finding ways to develop a cannabis industry

and new uses for certain varieties of poppy. LaBranche ran in 2011, receiving 27 percent to Strain’s 66 percent.

Insurance Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner Jim Donleon has so far picked up one challenger in Matt Parker, owner of Parker Auto Body in Monroe.

What's important about the 2015 elections?

“After this election cycle will there be something uniquely Louisianan about politics in the Pelican State, or will we be just another state in the deep South, like Alabama or Mississippi, divided by party and race? It is my hope that Louisiana forges a second (or third) way forward that does justice to our tradition of being a bit different, a state apart.”

—Pearson Cross, political science professor at UL-Lafayette and author of an upcoming book on Gov. Bobby Jindal

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2015 ELECTION

FAST FACT Samuel D. McEnery was the last Catholic elected governor prior to Edwin Edwards.

Inside Day 1 of the Next Governor All of the major candidates for governor have

emphatically promised to call a special session next year to address the state’s budget predicament. It’s a misconception, however, to assume they would all do so immediately upon taking their oath, if elected, and moving into the Baton Rouge mansion.

When asked separately what their first official act would be in office, each gubernatorial candidate provided a different answer. While their replies cover only a single day in what would be a four-year term, they still present us with early insight into what these hypothetical administrations might come to resemble.

State Rep. John Bel Edwards, the lone Democrat, says he’ll be looking for a pen during his first few hours on the job to rewrite part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's political legacy. “On my first day I will sign the necessary paperwork to enact the Medicaid expansion,” he says.

That would put Edwards not only at odds with Jindal’s long-held, concrete stance, but it would also flip the position of the current Legislature.

Lawmakers have voted down previous expansion attempts.

If Edwards is elected and follows through, the reaction from conservative factions would not be kind. Moreover, it would kick off a very rocky relationship with Republican lawmakers. Then again, by time the next governor takes office, public opinion may be on Edwards’ side.

Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne’s first big move would be to make way for a quickly called special session. It’s more of a symbolic gesture and is already a favorite talking point.

“I’ll cancel the inaugural ball,” says Dardenne. “We’ll save that for later when our fiscal house is in order and we truly have something to celebrate.”

Dardenne is clearly angling to be the do-good, goodgovernment candidate, a theme and brand he honed in the state Senate and then later as secretary of state and lieutenant governor.

As the latter, he eliminated the highest paying job in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism and took on the gig himself.

Jindal, too, became governor promising the “gold standard” of ethics, which meant his first little flub was transformed into big news. Dardenne faces the same threat with his narrative, but it’s doubtful he would choose any other course.

TOP 10 DON'TS OF CAMPAIGNING 1. Don't Lie about your record. We live in an information age. Before rewriting history, keep in mind your opponent has a file on you.

2. Don't Manage your own campaign. A candidate cannot also do the manager’s job, especially when each requires 12-18 hours a day.

44 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

3. don't Leave fundraising to others.

A candidate not committed enough to ask supporters for money should not expect anyone else to do it. Successful candidates block out large parts of every day to ask for money.

4. don't Travel heavy.

Nothing turns off voters more than a candidate who shows up with a gang of hangers-on.

But traveling light does not mean flying solo. Have someone with you, especially at sensitive meetings, to witness who said what.

5. don't fail to articulate your message in 25 words or less. If you can’t, your race is over before it begins.

6. don't forget your family. Win or lose, you will need them; make time for them now.

7. don't be your own scheduler. Never turn down speaking engagement; let someone say no for you and take the heat.

Why The 2015 Race For Governor Might Be The Most Expensive Like Edwards, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle would use his executive powers immediately upon taking office. Only Angelle would use them to go pro-business in a major way. “As governor, I will sign an executive order on my first day in office requiring all state departments to provide a justification each time they promulgate regulations on businesses,” he says, adding impact reviews would be required as well.

Additionally, there would be a great deal of interest in Angelle’s staffing picks on day one, especially since he has worked so closely with the Jindal administration as natural resources secretary, legislative liaison and interim lieutenant governor. Even if an existing appointee is the best suited for their particular job, Angelle, in particular, would likely fall under fire for keeping one of the old guard around.

8. Don't drive after drinking. Or, for that matter, talk after drinking.

Finally, there’s U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who says unequivocally that his first act as governor would be to call a special legislative session on “fundamental spending and tax reform.” If that’s truly Vitter’s sole early focus, with no plans for executive orders, then he’ll surely be heavily involved in the spring session. After all, the senator has never been shy about butting into previous sessions.

As governor, Vitter would also be afforded the opportunity to name his successor to the U.S. Senate. That by itself would be a political sideshow.

FAST FACT There are 144 members of the Legislature — 105 in the House and 39 in the Senate.

9. don't leave skeletons in the closet.

They always get out at the wrong time.

Pay your parking tickets, your taxes, even your library fines. For the worst secrets, confide in your consultant or campaign manager to have a damage control plan in place.

10. don't Handle your own social media.

Flubbing a portion of a speech to the local Rotary Club is one thing, but your 140-character mistake can be captured quickly with a screen grab. Give the task to a mild-mannered and mindful staffer.

This compares what past governors have raised in the year previous to their primary elections up to 90 days prior to the primary elections with what Vitter and his super PAC has raised during the same period.

Jindal raised $1,338,839 million more than Vitter has during the same period the second time he ran for governor and was elected to his first term. But Jindal did not have a super PAC. If the Fund for Louisiana’s Future (FFLF) is included, Vitter has out-raised Jindal’s 2007 tally by $2,790,065 million.

Source: Louisiana Board of Ethics, as of July 27, 2015

CANDIDATE

RAISED

SPENT

Vitter 2015 2014 ANNUAL 180 D 90D TOTAL

$ 4,107,597 $ 1,114,275 $ 1,343,769 $ 6,565,641

$ 600,212 $ 431,810 $ 510,582 $ 1,542,604

FFLF 2014 ANNUAL 180 D 90D TOTAL

$ 2,410,968 $ 677,156 $ 1,041,050 $ 4,128,904

$ 599,222 $ 245,984 $ 162,225 $ 1,007,431

Vitter + FFLF TOTAL

$ 10,694,545

$ 2,550,035

Jindal 2011 2010 ANNUAL 180 D 90D TOTAL

$ 3,436,326 $ 1,736,368 $ 347,144 $ 5,519,838

$ 1,391,311 $ 1,329,024 $ 1,055,543 $ 3,775,878

Jindal 2007 2006 ANNUAL 180 D 90D TOTAL

$ 2,378,039 $ 2,840,397 $ 2,686,044 $ 7,904,480

$ 22,832 $ 1,048,254 $ 580,757 $ 1,651,843

Blanco 2003 2002 ANNUAL 180 D 90D TOTAL

$ 716,608 $ 373,755 $ 147,943 $ 1,238,306

$ 63,446 $ 77,410 $ 30,284 $ 171,140

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46 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

VIPs live large in Louisiana’s luxurious casinos By Melanie Warner Spencer

Cocktails and fresh fruit by the pool and later an in-room massage give way to martinis in the VIP lounge and an elegant and intimate dinner for two. Now, suited up in a finely tailored ensemble, you glide across the gaming floor and slip into the poker room for a few rounds of Texas Hold ‘Em before your knock-out companion joins you at the roulette tables. James Bond has nothing on you tonight. Dropped in the middle of this scene – whether you drive, take a helicopter or arrive by a private yacht – it seems to be taking place in Monte Carlo or Las Vegas, but Louisiana’s gambling enthusiasts know they don’t have to go to far to hit luxurious casinos and resorts with VIP perks to dazzle even the most seasoned high roller.

High Rollin’

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L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge Complimentary water and rich chocolate truffles await as you enter the spacious Azalea suite at the lodge-like L’Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge. As a member of the top tier Owner’s Club, you likely arrived in your Mercedes Benz, since a lease is included in your membership, along with Caribbean cruises and trips to Atlantis and Vegas. The suite’s spa-like bathroom features a garden tub and an LED television inside the bathroom mirror.

48 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Did you forget something? No matter, your butler (available upon request) can handle it. At the rooftop pool overlooking the Mississippi River, a private cabana is stocked with cool, fresh fruit and the bartender mixes complimentary island drinks in the blender. With icy bottled water in the cabana’s mini-fridge and comfortable sofas laden with throw pillows, it’s tempting to forgo a dip in favor of lounging in the shade, but the sun and water beckon as palm trees sway in the breeze.

“Our VIP guests have a few favorites on the property, including our rooftop pool cabanas, front-row seats for concerts, luxurious suites and personal mixed drinks customized for each VIP guest,” says Mickey Parenton, senior vice president and general manager at L’Auberge. “We also offer exclusive experiences such as in-room spa services, golf at a nearby club and suite tickets at local sporting events.”

Drinks in the exclusive VIP lounge, Club 38, precede dinner at 18 Steak. Chef Jared Tees has prepared a delectable lobster and pork belly spring rolls, delicate panseared sea scallops in a butternut squash risotto and a juicy, perfectly cooked steak.

The impeccable service and the view of the river complement the intimate, masculine décor, inspired by whiskey barrels. Drinks on the deck before an evening in the casino extend the evening, which ends with turndown service including chocolates on your pillow and slippers and a robe inviting you to turn in.

Facing Page:

The Edge Bar at L'Auberge Casino Baton Rouge This Page, top left:

A Luxury King guest room at L'Auberge bottom left:

Casino floor in L'Auberge Top Right:

Cadillac Beach Bar & Grille at the Golden Nugget Lake Charles Bottom right: A suite

at the Golden Nugget Lake

Golden Nugget Lake Charles

Charles

“When you walk through our front doors, under the grand and colorful chandeliers, the open casino is the focal point,” says Katelyn Roche with the Golden Nugget Lake Charles.“We have two helipads available for our guests who travel by air and a private marina for guests who prefer water travel.”

Once you’ve arrived by land, air or waterway, relax in style in one of the six Presidential Suites on the Chairman floor of the hotel. At once sleek, modern and lavish, the two-story

accommodations feature a player piano fully-stocked with songs (if you don’t play) and offers private entrances, butler service and either pool or lake-view private patios with a Jacuzzi.The 24 Karat Select Club includes benefits and rewards for casino play, private VIP events, such as boutique-style shopping for luxury brand goods and sports vehicle giveaways, private parties in the Owner’s Suite, special meet-and-greet opportunities with concert headliners, tournaments and, for qualified guests, private helicopter transportation to and from the hotel and casino.

The H20 Pool + Bar has a lazy river, water slide, fire pits, hot tubs and 34 private cabanas and the nearby Cadillac Beach Bar & Grille is the perfect place for handcrafted cocktails by a fire pit on the beach.

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Harrah's New Orleans A visit to New Orleans isn’t complete without a meal by Chef John Besh, which is why Harrah’s New Orleans makes sure you don’t even have to leave the property to get the best dining in the city.

“Besh Steak is by far the most popular amenity for our VIP guests,” says Chris Volle, vice president,

casino marketing at Harrah’s New Orleans. “When your limo arrives in our private valet, you will be greeted by the warmest doorman in the South, who will quickly whisk your luggage to your lavish private suite.”

For top-tier Diamond and Seven Starts Total Rewards

50 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

members,Volle says trips to other Caesars Entertainment destinations, cruises, dinners and parties, gifts and other invaluable experiences round out the perks.

“One of our VIPs came in with his wife to spend Christmas in New Orleans,” says Kristin Westberg, vice president of

marketing. “Before the trip, his wife started lamenting the fact that they would be spending Christmas in a hotel. He reached out to our Harrah’s hotel team to ask if we could make the stay extra special for them, since they would be away from the comforts of home

during the holidays. They arrived to find their suite adorned with a fully decorated 15-foot tree, stockings, garlands and all the fixings.”

Westberg recalls a temporary bidet installed for Middle Eastern royalty and a healthconscious VIP whose restrictive

Paragon Casino, Marksville

diet necessitated daily fresh squeezed organic vegetable and fruit juices. She says, “His butler spent hours squeezing carrots and watermelon to make the perfect concoction for our special guest.”

“Some of the country’s most famous entertainers have graced the stage of the Mari Showroom,” says interim marketing vice president Mark Jeffers. “Faith Hill, Diana Ross, Patti Labelle, Willie Nelson, Boyz II Men, Sara Evans, The Wayan Brothers, Clay Walker, Rodney Carrington, Loretta “The first thing that strikes Lynn, Ray Charles, B.B. King, everyone who walks in to Paragon Michael Bolton, Little Richard, Casino Resort is the bayouGeorge Jones, Jeff Dunham,Vince themed atrium,” says Chris Barbry, Gill and Charley Pride are just a acting general manager at Paragon few of many celebrities who have Casino. “There are live alligators performed at Paragon.” and aquatic wildlife in a habitat Members of the elite Emerald just beyond the hotel registration and Pearl tiers of the Paragon area, and the French QuarterPreferred Player’s Club get tickets inspired Atrium Tower rooms to all of the shows, as well as feature private balconies that priority seating for special events, overlook the wonderful sights and VIP tables, access to the High sounds of the hotel Atrium below.”

Limit lounge, free movie tickets, The indoor tropical pool priority tee times and free access with swim-up bar, outdoor to the day spa. The Chairman pool and three cinemas, as well Suite is the perfect place to as Tamakha Trails Golf Club, a unwind pre- or post-gaming with PGA-quality course, Spa La Vie a cocktail from the in-room bar, and seven dining options insure perhaps enjoyed in the Jacuzzi the guests will never be at a loss tub, which has a special jetted for activities. Included in that is a water feature that shoots water robust entertainment bill. from the ceiling.

Facing Page: Besh

Steakhouse at Harrah's This Page, top LEFT:

Mannings Bar at Harrah's This page, TOP right: Quz Quiz

Indoor Pool at Paragon Casino this page, bottom:

Front entrance of Paragon Casino

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top: Interior of

the Coushatta Casino bottom LEFT: Golf Course BOTTOM RIGHT:

Coushatta's Dream Pool

Coushatta Casino Resort, Kinder Hobnobbing with celebrities, such as Jay Leno, complimentary luxury suites and comp rounds of golf at Koasati Pines Golf Course, one of Golf Digest Magazine’s four and a halfstar rated courses, are just a few of the perks VIP Select Advantage Club members cite as their favorites at Coushatta Casino in Kinder.Your personal host guarantees that you are wined, dined, pampered and entertained during your stay at this sprawling resort owned by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

“Our VIP Select guests are particularly fond of our limousine transportation and the meet and greets with the concert artists like Willie Nelson,” says spokesperson Joy Wallace.

“Coushatta Casino Resort rolls out the red carpet for our VIPs.” It’s fitting that Coushatta’s celebrity spokesperson is Louisiana-native Terry Bradshaw given that the casino has a gaming floor bigger than two football fields. Club members also get 10 percent cash back on rated play and extravagant gifts at Christmas and New Year to thank them for their patronage on and off the gaming floor. The private VIP cocktail lounge during concerts and invitations to big jackpot tournaments also sweeten the pot.

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By: Suzanne Ferrara

“We have had a revolution. I have been paddling for 50 years, and these are the most kayakers I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

The eyes of Canoe and Trail Adventures’ Byron Almquist reflect what many of you are seeing as well: colorful kayaks of all shapes and sizes are nearly everywhere, being transported on tops of vehicles on Louisiana’s highways, to be utilized and enjoyed on our state’s waterways.

With 8 million kayakers taking part throughout the United States, it makes sense that our state – home of the some of the best recreational waterways

Wisconsin and Slidell. “There are so many places to kayak, and we are just scratching the surface. I don’t think you can ever paddle all the waterways in Louisiana.”

From historic Bayou St. John in the heart of New Orleans to the somewhat remote Lake Martin in Acadiana, the Bayou State’s abundance of calm waters and dramatic, evocative landscapes is like a dream come true for dozens of kayakers.

Why have kayaks taken off in terms of popularity? Unlike canoes, kayaks are easy to navigate, more stable and provide few problems as people enter

of discovery. “In a kayak you experience freedom, and for many, it is life-changing, “adds Williams. “That’s especially true for people who didn’t have a way to enjoy the outdoors before.”

Kayak eco-tours have taken off as well, and outfitters are offering paddles geared toward nature, geology, and education.

Kayakers are also mixing their new love with their old ones, as they learn to practice nature photography and canvas painting all from the comforts of their vessel. But of all the paddle hobbies, however, kayak fishing is king, and Louisiana’s

Kayaking Makes Its Mark in Louisiana

photo by berg photography

anywhere – is being discovered for the first time by kayak enthusiasts and related entrepreneurs.

It wasn’t always this way, says the New Orleans-based Almquist.

“Three years ago, there was nothing out there. Now? Now there are several outfitters, all part of this tremendous explosion.”

Almquist has been taking paddling groups on the water in the Greater New Orleans area for most of his life, but never at the current rate. “I am doing more paddling than I ever have.”

Kayak outfitters from as far away as Door County, Wisconsin have tapped into Louisiana’s waterways as well. “We thought, ‘Wow, there is a gap for us to fill’,” says David Rack of Gravity Trails, located in both Egg Harbor,

and exit the vessel. A complete novice can learn to master the kayak in a relatively short time, and the cost of a basic kayak is relatively inexpensive.

The kayak itself has evolved:There are variety of comfortable sit-on tops and tandems (two-seaters) available.

“Ten years ago, we had really skinny boats with a small hole for one person,” recalls John Williams of Pack and Paddle in Lafayette.

“Now anyone can jump in and do it, without any lessons.”

The sport is an automatic de-stressor, although it can be somewhat addictive: As many glide through still waters of the natural world from their quiet vessels, their souls awaken and they become lost in the romance

waterways offer some of the best kayak fishing in the nation.

In response to increasing demand, more and more kayak launches and paddle trails are being created in places such as Cajun Country, St. Tammany Parish near Covington and in the surrounding parishes of Monroe, where there are 21 paddle trails alone. But the most ambitious project might be from the Evangeline Council (Acadiana) Boy Scouts, whose Atchafalaya Swamp Base program takes scouts from all across the country on a 60-mile kayak trek.

Here are some recommended spots for kayaking in our state (the list is hardly an inclusive one, but it does include some of Louisiana’s finest paddle trails.)

Special Thanks Special thanks to Stephanie and the D'Arbonne Kayak Club, and to Sara and Sonny of Kayakitiyat

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n u j a C y r t n Cou Lake Martin Lake Fausse Pointe’s Virgin Cypress Grove

Breaux Bridge

Lake Martin is cinematic and looks like the quintessential Louisiana swamp. Cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss, plus a legendary bird rookery make Lake Martin a sight to behold. In fact, The Lake Martin Cypress Island preserve has one of the largest concentrations of migratory birds in the world!

You will be awed by the massive flock of roseate spoonbills (which are commonly mistaken for flamingos).

With its large population of alligators, and with gators having been around since prehistoric times, Lake Martin might also be earth’s best snapshot of The Jurassic Age.

Stop along the way Lake Martin Paddle: Evangeline Oak, St. Martinville Thousands make this journey to the fabulous oak made famous in 1847 in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline.

The oak was the legendary meeting place for Cajun lovers who reunited after the Acadians’ exile.

photo by romero and romero

Outfitters: Pack and Paddle Prices: Kayak rental $40 per day, guided trips start at $45 packpaddle.com

St. Martinville

Northern California may have the redwood forest, but for an unmatched wonder in South Louisiana, you can paddle among dozens of massive old growth cypress trees. Many of the majestic bell-bottomed cypress trunks measure 15 feet wide and are an estimated 1,200 to 2,000 years old. This virgin grove survived the rampant logging that took place in Acadiana during the early 20th century and is located on the northern edge of Lake Fausse Pointe.

Lake Fausse Point is one of the wildest and most scenic parts of the country. On this wildlife adventure, you may be greeted by bald eagles, owls, and the bright yellow prothonotary warbler (known as the “Cajun Canary)” and yes, alligators.

Stop along the way Lake Fausse Point Cypress Paddle: Prehistoric Park, Henderson Dinosaurs are invading Louisiana’s swampland!

Walk among moving dinosaurs that seem to come to life at this twelve-acre site. Young paleontologists can dig for buried dinosaur bones in the sand.

Champagnes Cajun Swamp Tours Prices: Kayak rental $10 an hour, tours $20 champagnesswamptours.com

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s ' n a m s t r Spo dise a r a P Corney Creek Bernice

The descent through Corney Creek is reminiscent of a paddle through an enchanted forest, almost fairy-tale like. This windy creek, located 20 miles from Ruston near the Arkansas state line, is a true whimsical journey, and every bend has a new discovery. It is part of the Kisatchie National Forest, the only national forest in Louisiana. As you begin your journey, you will float under breathtaking tree tunnels; enveloping canopies that look like trees are holding hands.

The stillness of the bronzecolored water makes a near perfect mirror of the skies and trees above. As you glide through the duckweed, you will pass beaver lodges and a scenic hardwood forest of bald cypress, water tupelo and pine trees. Among the crescendo of wildlife sounds are hoot owls, ducks, woodpeckers, osprey and the great blue heron.

photo by berg photography

Outfitters: Lester’s on the Lake Price: $7.50 an hour or $30 a day lestersonthelake.net

Stop along the way Corney Creek, Bernice and Bayou Bartholomew: Scott’s Place Indian Mounds, Farmerville Explore some of the northern parish’s prehistoric mounds above Corney Bayou and Bayou D’Arbonne.

There are five mounds, used for ceremonial or burial purposes, spanning the area.

The archeological wonders are different heights and sizes and date back to 1200 A.D.

Bayou Bartholomew Bastrop

When on this bayou in the fall, you could mistake it for New England because of the fall colors and foliage.

The hickory and gum trees alone produce stunning gold, crimson, light yellow and purple leaves. At 364 miles, Bayou Bartholomew is the longest bayou in the world, and with 100 aquatic species it’s the second-most diverse stream in North America. The bayou begins above Pine Bluff, Arkansas and its bewildering path flows southward through the farm lands of Louisiana’s Morehouse Parish.

At water’s edge there are also pine, bald cypress and oak trees, and every native species of wildlife you can think of exists here. On this route you will spot woodpeckers, falcons, wild turkeys, and possibly a black bear.

Don’t miss pulling your kayak through the hollow of a giant 800-year- old cypress tree in the connecting Chemin-AHaut Creek.

Stop along the way Bayou Bartholomew Paddle: Caney Bayou Mound, Bonita This mound, one of the oldest in Louisiana, is believed to be as old as 3000 B.C. It’s an important site because of its antiquity; stone tools and projectile points from the archaic period were found near the mound.

Outfitters: Chemin-A-Haut State Park Price: Kayak rental $5 an hour or $20 per day lastateparks.com For more information on kayak trails and paddle clubs go to: paddlelouisiana.org

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r e t a e r G w Orleans Ne Cane Bayou

Bayou St. John New Orleans

Mandeville

Dip your paddle deep into New Orleans’ fascinating history on Bayou Saint John, and you will certainly get a different perspective as you glide across the legendary waters. A major part of the historic success of the Crescent City and its very geographic location is because of this bayou’s existence, and Native Americans and early French explorers used this bayou as a portage between the waterway and the Mississippi River.

As you paddle, remnants of this city’s historic past can be seen, like the Pitot House, which was owned by a Spanish Colonial official, Edgar Degas’ grandmother and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. You will also glide by iconic City Park, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 and the New Orleans Fair Grounds.

Marie Laveaux, New Orleans’ voodoo queen, is said to have performed many rituals along Bayou St. John.

And yes, there’s wildlife: nutria, turtles, a myriad of ducks and the ever-present alligator

The meandering Cane Bayou traverses through a spectacular primal scene once witnessed by Native Americans. This bayou is mostly in its natural state, untouched by man, with a highly diverse ecosystem and several distinct habitats, all within only one mile.

The paddle begins in fresh water and winds its way through pine flatwoods and bald Cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss. Midway, you begin to descend through the lush marsh, and as you near the finish of this circumnavigation, the mouth of the bayou opens to the vast Lake Pontchartrain. Tip: This is a perfect spot to get out of your kayak and wade in the refreshing knee deep sandy bottom water and have a picnic. Also, the sunset on the lake is spectacular.

Cane Bayou is full of wildlife and waterfowl including: bald eagles, white pelicans, ibises, ducks and osprey. On this trek you will most likely see an alligator, or the bubbles marking the passing of one.

photo by romero and romero

Outfitters: Bayou Paddlesports Prices: 2hour kayak rental $22 bayoupaddlesports.com Kayakitiyat Prices: Tours start at $40 Kayakitiyat.com

Stop along the way Bayou St. John Paddle: Singing Oak, New Orleans Several unique wind chimes, purposely tuned to the deeply-rooted New Orleans music, drip from this 180-year old oak tree.

Stumbling upon these chimes will hit your soul and is an unexpected surprise amid the amazing legendary City Park.

Stop along the way Cane Bayou Paddle: Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs This place, which has a vintage service station and 100-year-old Creole cottage, features 1,000s of eclectic objects and impressive animatronics displays and scenes. Among the oddities: a half-dog, half -alligator.

Outfitters: Bayou Adventure Prices: Eco-tours $55, daily kayak rental $35 bayouadventure.com Canoe and Trail Adventures Prices: Eco-tours start at $35 canoeandtrail.com

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SPECIAL PROMOTION

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SPECIAL PROMOTION

Lafayette

FACE OF

EDUCATION SCHOOLS OF THE SACRED HEART

1821 Academy Road | Grand Coteau, Louisiana 70541 (337) 662-5275 | sshcoteau.org

Schools of the Sacred Heart is comprised of two Pre-K3 through 12th Grade, single-gender, independent Catholic schools on one campus: the all-girls Academy of the Sacred Heart, founded in 1821, and the all-boys Berchmans Academy of the Sacred Heart, founded in 2006.

Just north of Lafayette, Schools of the Sacred Heart offers the experience of an innovative and challenging curriculum where students enjoy small class sizes, hands-

on learning, state-of-the-art technology, access to individual and group exchanges, an equestrian program, and a supportive learning environment with a studentcentered approach that encourages individual growth.

Sacred Heart’s graduating classes average 3,000+ hours of community service, an ACT score of 26 (three-year average), and $3.1 million in merit-based scholarships.

One hundred percent attend college.

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SPECIAL PROMOTION

Lafayette

FACE OF

COMMUNITY BANKING WASHINGTON STATE BANK

1042 Camellia Blvd., Ste. 9 | Lafayette, LA 70508 (337) 443-6016 | www.washingtonstatebankla.com

Founded in Washington, Louisiana, in 1893, Washington State Bank is the oldest state-chartered bank in St. Landry Parish and the second oldest in Louisiana. Washington State Bank is committed to remaining an independent, locally owned community bank and has invested in modern, efficient systems to provide excellent products and services.

“Firmly rooted in Acadiana, we deeply enjoy our community partnerships and are heavily invested in the

areas we serve,” says Sue Soileau Brignac, President/CEO & Chairman of the Board. “The support of our welltrained staff assures you, the customer, that your request— no matter how small or large—is handled professionally.”

Well-seasoned, Washington State Bank has refined the art of community banking and is the local recipient of the “Community Enhancement Award.”

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Dining in Ruston

Louisiana Destinations The hottest days of summer are finally behind us, and cool weather is more welcome than ever as we ease into fall. Residents across Louisiana are excited at the prospect of enjoying outdoor breezes at regional festivals, boating along the state’s many rivers and lakes, and traveling with the sun roof open and windows down. Fall months bring a variety of celebrations across the state, from collegiate sporting events in Ruston or Baton Rouge to music and food festivals such as Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in Lafayette and the Andouille Festival in LaPlace. October brings opportunities for spooky fun with the Rougarou Festival in Houma and the Zombie Walk of Alexanrdia.

Art walks and festivals also abound, as do opportunities to learn more about the state’s history through museums, plantation tours, and more. Venture onto the open road this season, and find a new Louisiana destination to explore with family and friends. If the world is your oyster, consider Louisiana the pearl.

Louisiana Cities, Towns, & Parishes Whether it is football you crave, high-speed drag racing, historic plantation homes, scenic views of the Mighty Mississippi or a fun festival, West Baton Rouge has it all.

Travelers across South Louisiana this fall will not want to pass up West Baton Rouge Parish, known as the “Kite Capital of Louisiana” and now home of “Moby,” the 13-foot, 760-lb. alligator. Visit the West Baton

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Rouge Tourist Center at I-10’s Exit #151 and see him for yourself.

Schedule a visit in December and have your picture taken in the Human Snow Globe. Experience “Ref lections of the Season” and see millions of lights and special displays, wagon rides, snow nights, ice fishing, crafters, as well as Santa and his elves on Thursday through Sunday nights from December 6-24 on the grounds of the West Baton Rouge Tourist Center.

For more information, or to view short videos of events, destinations, and even day-trip itineraries, visit WestBatonRouge.net.

Experience for yourself the hospitality and charm of Ruston & Lincoln Parish, chosen as one of USA Today Travel’s Most Charming Small Towns of the South. Home to the Louisiana Tech Grambling State University, the area is full of football excitement this fall. Fans from across Louisiana come to watch the universities dominate in the football stadium. Meanwhile, beautifulhistoric downtown Ruston is thriving with boutiques, specialty and gift shops, restaurants, art galleries and more.

Must-see attractions include the Louisiana Military Museum and the Eddie G. Robinson Museum. Those looking for an outdoor adventure can ride the best mountain bike trail in the south at Lincoln Parish Park, also a great place for relaxing, camping, hiking, and fishing. The Revelry of Ruston has some big names in country music lined up this fall with performances from Travis Tritt, Eli Young Band, and Pat Green.

For more information and upcoming events in Ruston & Lincoln Parish, visit experienceruston.com.

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Festival Acadiens in Lafayette Lafayette is at the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole 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 it’s no mystery why.

With their distinctive blend of food, music, and culture it’s no wonder people from all over are heading down south with a smile on their face.

Lafayette’s annual Festivals Acadiens et Créoles (October 9-11) provides the ideal opportunity to discover Lafayette’s blend of food, music, and culture that makes the city so unique. For over 40 years this free festival has offered locals and visitors alike the opportunity to experience three days of nonstop music, dancing, food as well as crafts and a genuine Cajun and Creole experience like no other.

Visit LafayetteTravel.com/FestivalAcadiens for the full festival history, performance schedule, lodging, and travel information.

Travel less than an hour southwest of New Orleans, and you’ll enter Louisiana’s Bayou Country— Houma, Louisiana. Folks in Houma are big on fun! Consider attending any number of their annual events with several lined up this fall. On September 26-27, 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 October 9-11 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 October 24-25 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 1-800688-2732 or visit houmatravel.com.

Allons aux French Creole Avoyelles Parish for the Car Show at Yellow Bayou Civil War Memorial Park on September 5 and the Quilt Show at the Cottonport Museum & Cultural Center on September 12-13, 2015. Also plan to visit the “treasure plus” shops for antiques, vintage items, and collectibles located from Hessmer to Marksville and points between.

Check out Junie Moon’s, Tanglewood Soap

photo courtesy lafayettetravel.com

Company, La’ Sherrie Antique Boutique, Just Like Mom’s, Cajun Blessings, Marksville Thrift, and Treasures & for a variety of items from handcrafted soaps, vintage pieces, boutique clothing, jewelry, candles, pottery, and many more “must haves.”

Plan for lunch while checking out the memorabilia collection at Nanny’s Restaurant in Marksville and pick up hot cracklins and boudin from Durand’s in Mansura and desserts (cakes, pies, squares, cake balls) from Silver Lining Pie Company located in Marksville.

Visit travelavoyelles.com to make your fall travel plans today.

New Orleans Plantation Country, minutes from New Orleans along River Road, is home to some of the most famous plantation homes in the country. Fall presents the perfect season for wandering the vast grounds and gardens of the region’s ten plantations. The area is also home to a variety of fall festivals including the Alligator Festival (September 24-27), Battle for the Paddle (October 1), Andouille Festival (October 16-18), and multiple arts and crafts festivals.

In area news, Whitney Plantation— the only plantation museum in Louisiana dedicated to understanding slavery—is now open. Houmas House has two new head chefs and now offers luxury suites for overnight accommodations and the new Carriage House for dining and afternoon tea. Oak Alley has added a Slavery Exhibit and will soon offer additional overnight accommodations, as will Destrehan Plantation. New hotel offerings are also available in the area. San Francisco Plantation has been refreshed with a multimillion-dollar renovation.

Outdoors enthusiasts will also want to experience Wild Louisiana Tours and other area kayaking and swamp adventures. For more information on each plantation, travel deals, and more, visit VisitNOPC.com.

The Alexandria/Pineville area, located halfway between I-10 and I-20 along I-49, comes alive this fall with festivals, fairs, events, and concerts.

Cycle your way through central Louisiana during the Le Tour de Bayou cycling event hosted by Kent Plantation House on Saturday, September 19. Cyclers from across the United States ride up to 100 miles during the event.

Enjoy the sounds of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra during their annual Pops on the River concert at the Alexandria Riverfront Center on Saturday, September 26. This year’s concert will feature New Orleans jazz legend pianist Ronnie Kole alongside the RSO. Search for unique art pieces during the Fall ArtWalk (October 16) held in downtown Alexandria’s Cultural Arts District, where original art purchases are tax-free. The annual event features art, music, and an array of children’s activities.

Finally, get ready to run—or walk— the annual Zombie Walk of Alexandria on Saturday, October 17. The 7th annual Zombie Walk includes food vendors, live music, and a parade of zombies through downtown Alexandria.

Visit AlexandriaPinevilleLA.com or call 1-800-551-9546 for details on these events and more!

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New Orleans Hotel Collection property Hotel Le Marais

Tucked between the swamps of the Atchafalaya is Iberville Parish, a place of aweinspiring 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, October 3rd from 10:00am until 3:00pm and will feature live music by Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys, food, and art.

Experience Atchafalaya Days runs throughout October. Cultural, food and art demonstrations will be available free to the public.

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

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Bourbon Orleans Hotel. For the first time in 96 years, Mr. Ramos Gin Fizz is being shaken as his recipe required, for a full twelve minutes! Come taste the difference for yourself! For reservations and more, visit NewOrleansHotelCollection. com. For an exclusive rate better than any online (including Expedia), visit neworleanshotelcollection.com/beverage.

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.

Lodging, Entertainment, & Events 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 top rated on TripAdvisor, 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.

When visiting the city, a cocktail on Bourbon Street is almost a necessity. For a classy cocktail at Bourbon’s freshest cocktail bar, choose the historic Ramos Gin Fizz at the Bourbon O Bar at the

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located in the heart of the French Quarter, on world-famous Bourbon Street. They offer 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 Street in New Orleans. For reservations and more, call 504-524-7611 or visit FourPointsFrenchQuarter.com.

The good times are rolling at Louisiana’s “Best Bet,” and Louisiana’s largest casino resort is getting even more exciting! Coushatta Casino Resort offers you the beautifully renovated, adult-exclusive Grand Hotel, plus over 2,800 slots, more than 70 table games including live poker, as well as bingo and off-track betting, free live entertainment every weekend, over 900 luxurious rooms, supervised childcare, an RV resort, and nine dining options to satisfy any palate.

For more grownup fun, visit the immense 100,000-squarefoot gaming f loor with 12,000 square feet of smoke-free slots! Play your favorite games to rack up points and comps in one of the most popular players clubs in the region.

Koasati Pines championship golf course is rated 4-1/2 stars by Golf Digest’s readers— at 7,617 yards, the course draws raves for its fast, immaculate greens.

Come see for yourself why Coushatta is “Louisiana’s Best Bet!” Visit CoushattaCasinoResort.com or call 1-800-584-7263.

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This November, visit the beautiful town of Covington and experience a winning combination of fine art and festival atmosphere. The Covington Three Rivers Art Festival, now in its 19th year, brings fine art, crafts, and music to the quaint and friendly downtown area, featuring an Arts Alive Tent with live demonstrations by exhibiting artists, a live music stage, an expansive food court and a Children’s Discovery Area complete with a performance stage. This high-end art and fine crafts festival takes place Nov. 14 and 15, from 10:00am-5:00pm, and will feature 200 juried artists from 20 states. There is no charge for admission.

Every year, art lovers stroll down charming Columbia Street to view the five blocks of artist tents situated in the heart of the historic downtown area. With plenty of children’s activities and student art exhibits, the kids will also feel right at home among the colorful array of arts and crafts. No pets allowed.

For more information, visit ThreeRiversArtFestival.com.

The New Orleans Opera Association is proud to announce its 2015-2016 season and welcome all to experience both the entertainment and hospitality of New Orleans through a new partnership with the New Orleans Hotel Collection. Packages include an overnight deluxe room at the iconic Bourbon Orleans Hotel, two tickets to the opera, complimentary valet parking for one night, a $100 dinner voucher for historic Marti’s Restaurant, two welcome drinks at Bourbon O Bar, plus complimentary Wi Fi, in-room bottled artesian water and coffee, free newspapers, pool, fitness center, and concierge services. The package is good for a Sunday night stay following the matinee opera performance.

The season’s schedule includes La traviata (October 9 & 11), Die Fledermaus (November 13 & 15), Dead Man Walking— based on Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 account of her work on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (March 4 & 6), and Tosca (April 8 & 10).

For more information on the opera and to purchase tickets and the welcoming New Orleans Hotel Collection package, visit NewOrleansOpera.org.

In celebration of nearly 150 years on Avery Island, McIlhenny Company, the maker of Tabasco® brand Pepper Sauce, is expanding its current visitor center. When the newly renovated center opens at the end of 2015, visitors to Avery Island will experience a behind-the-scenes look into how McIlhenny Company produces the world famous Pepper Sauce.

The centerpiece of the new addition will feature rare family artifacts and video installations illustrating the origins and generations of the McIlhenny family and the brand’s heritage, dating back to the 1800’s. For the first time, visitors will experience firsthand the company’s production process from seed to plate. The newly expanded tours will include the greenhouse, mash warehouse and processing, guiding visitors from planting tabasco peppers to aging pepper mash in oak barrels for up to three years, and finally the processing and bottling of Tabasco Sauce.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy authentic Cajun cuisine in the new cafeteria-style restaurant—open now—with favorites including crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, crawfish corn maque choux, and boudin.

For more information about visiting the home of Tabasco Sauce on Avery Island, please visit tabasco.com.

Golf Course at Coushatta Casino and Resort

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Hot Springs in Arkansas

Regional Travel but the beauty of fall across the region should not to be overlooked. Cool southern breezes, changing leaves, and the variety of events offer a perfect travel atmosphere for either a day or weekend trip to a nearby destination. If you have the luxury, take a weeklong trip, as Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi are all large states with significant terrain and diverse landscapes. From small towns to big cities, prairies to mountains, and urban versus rural settings, Louisiana’s neighbors welcomes visitors to experience the unique offerings just a few miles east, west, and north. Find your fall destination and take the scenic route— with options so close, a leisurely drive with the windows down will only further enrich the experience.

Summer may be known as vacation season,

Surprise yourself with an escape to appropriately dubbed “The Natural State” for its awe-inspiring natural beauty.

Enjoy stunning mountain vistas as you 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. Sample international award-winning craft beers brewed in the area Arkansas,

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and James Beard Award-winning food. Enjoy the Arkansas Arts Center, with captivating exhibitions and events the whole family can enjoy, and visit the only purse museum in the Americas. Just an hour away, you can soak in the natural mineral waters of Hot Springs’ Bathhouse Row before visiting Oaklawn Racing and Gaming.

Plan your escape today for a vacation that is sure to inspire and entertain.

Visit Arkansas.com or call 1-800NATURAL for a free Vacation Planning Kit.

Discover, Jackson, Mississippi, the “City with Soul” that’s just the right size. It boasts of big-city amenities, but has a small-town appeal. What makes Jackson, Mississippi the “City with Soul?” It’s simply, the people!

The South’s Main Course: Birdies, Greens and Sweet Tee will be served at Sanderson Farms Championship November 2-8, 2015. Sanderson Farms Championship, a major event on the PGA Tour, made a hole-in-one moving this event to the Country Club of Jackson last year. They experienced a record-breaking fundraising year. Their partnership with Century Club Charities left them in the green to the tune of $1,102,700, which was presented to Friends of Children’s Hospital. The event was well attended and praised for the course layout, its organization, accommodations, and ease of transportation for attendees.

Jackson offers a myriad of accommodation options from bed and breakfasts, to boutique hotels, to national chains. Visit Golf.StayInJackson.com.

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Brenham-Washington County in Texas

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 over 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 at multiple venues throughout town, and experience one of many annual familyfriendly 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.

Travel the gently rolling terrain of the Brenham-Washington County area some 75 miles west of Houston and feel echoes of a time long past. At Washington on the

Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi

Brazos State Historic Site, Stephen F. Austin’s revolutionaries drafted the declaration of independence from Mexico; next year marks the 180th 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 in its restored historic downtown that includes 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. Plan to spend a night or three in one of a wide selection of lodging properties, allowing plenty of time to enjoy this picturesque part of Texas.

For more info and destinations, check out VisitBrenhamTexas.com.

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around louisiana Events and Highlights / By Jeanne Frois

North

seafood IN MINDEN The Crawfish Hole # 2 in Minden, an eatery dedicated, but not limited to, Louisiana’s revered crustacean. This popular, laid back restaurant, festooned with fish nets and lined with windows, white with crawfish-red pillars inside, is a bright happy place to enjoy delicious food. Owned

by Bush and Juanice Carnahan, in addition to serving some of the spiciest, most succulent mudbugs to be found in North Louisiana, this seafood establishment is no slouch in the crab, shrimp and oyster department either during the mudgbugs’ offseason.

Among their delectable appetizers are snow crab clusters; fried pickles; beerbattered jalapenos; crawfish pies and boudin balls.

For a new take on sandwiches, the crab cake poor boy is delightful – the crab cake itself is a perfect blend of texture and flavors perfectly 72 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

fried. Then, for a new take on an entrée, the same delicious crab cake is served topped with crawfish etouffee in the crab cake dinner, accompanied by cole slaw and hush puppies.

Traditional seafood platters are offered with the addition of frog legs, fried crawfish tails and boudin balls to the usual fried and stuff shrimp; stuffed crab and oysters.

If you’re in a lighter frame of mind, take salads to the edge of decadence by choosing a salad with fried oysters, which features a combination of fresh greens and your choice of dressing along with the delicious crunch and texture of the aforementioned shellfish.

THREE HOLIDAYS The first of October is always enchanting. Gateway to the seasons of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Oct. 1 presages cooler air; open windows; and the Impressionist blur of crimson,

gold, purple and bronze autumn flowers and leaves – all accompanied by the aroma of homemade vegetable soup.

On this day, I hang a life-sized fabric ghost, a wind catcher, outside my front door. I have come to enjoy the strange little dance we engage in each night I return home and the autumn wind causes the ghost and I to entangle, trapped by its cloth in a comical struggle.

The fine city of Monroe also gives the lovely month of October due celebration as the wonderful Downtown River Market sponsors a series of events all month. Featuring the Children’s Coalition, the All Children’s Festival at the RiverMarket is a French-style marche, multicultural in nature, that sells fresh produce, artisan works and food in a charming town-square setting. The Herbal Harvest and Original Arts and Crafts Festival, held at St. Paschal’s Catholic Church on Oct. 24,

will boast 60 vendors selling their harvest of herb plants, home cooking, and arts and crafts. Attendees feast on scrumptious taco soup, herbed chicken salad, grilled sausage, sweets and almond tea.

The Downtown Monroe Alliance will hold The Holiday Market early in October. This market is geared to jumpstart holiday shopping that includes Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas items. Everything needed for all the holidays is available under one roof: seasonal decorations; party clothes; gifts; caterers for festive occasions; portraits and candles. The fashion show will highlight the works of participating boutiques. Decorators will be on hand to give advice on how to transform your home into holiday wonderlands while seasoned cooks and chefs will dole out their recipes and tips for memorable holiday meals.

Teeming with festivity, the Holiday Market is a perfect starting point to create Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days your children will long remember. n Information, Crawfish Hole #2, 12903 Highway 371, Minden, 71055, (318) 377-0252; The Holiday Market: October 10-11, 2015, Monroe Civic Center, 318-8071735, river.market@ci.monroe. la.us; All Children’s Festival: Oct. 15, 318 South Grand, Monroe, (318) 807-9985; Herbal Harvest and Original Arts and Crafts Festival: 10/24/15, (318) 801-9138

around louisiana

Central

SAVING THE WORLD IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA The historic Hotel Bentley in Alexandria, under new ownership and extensive renovation, is just hair’s breadth from its grand re-opening. This past July, according to a report filed by Jay Matthews of the Town Talk, the grand old hotel opened its doors for a fundraiser to raise money for the Friends of the Louisiana National Guard Museum while providing exposure to the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum in Pineville. It was a fitting location: George Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower slept, plotted, planned and partied here after long days in mock battles fought among trainee soldiers. Not only that: the Hotel Bentley was the place where key military geniuses met to strategize fighting the war in Europe.

According to National Guard Brigadier General Glenn Curtis, adjutant general, the time spent by would-be soldiers in this part of the Bayou State was invaluable.

“The Louisiana Maneuvers was the premier training that prepared the Army to go to Europe and win,” he states.

In 1941, half a million men arrived in Central Louisiana to begin the maneuvers that prepared them to take on Hitler and his Axis of evil.

“From Winnfield to Fort Polk to Alexandria,” said 93-year maneuvers veteran and Alexandria native Herbert St. Romain, “there were soldiers everywhere.”

Also attending the fundraiser from South Carolina was Pat Waters, Patton’s grandson, who brought along his grandfather’s old army boots. Remembering the stories he heard about the good times his grandfather had at the Hotel Bentley, he expressed pleasure that the Mirror Room had reopened.

The Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum stands in a replica of an old WWII barracks holding many items reflective of that time in Central Louisiana, but also presents artifacts of Colonial Louisiana straight

through Desert Storm. The Hotel Bentley lobby held a display of some items found at museum--equipment; uniforms; insignias and videos that exposed the visitors to the scope of the immense operation that was orchestrated in Central Louisiana. The contributions of both soldiers and civilians who worked to eventually save the free world are likewise honored in the barracks-like setting.

According to Museum Curator Rabbi Arne Task, the importance and long lasting impact of the Louisiana maneuvers is not to be forgotten.

“Some of the soldiers who trained here,” says Rabbi Task, “are among those who liberated the (concentration) camps.”

UNCOVERING A JEWEL Cemeteries: Paradoxically, they are so much a part of life. I remember once as a 15-year-old attending a wake of one of my great uncles in Bordelonville. Now, the wakes held in Bordelonville used to give the Irish wakes a run for their money. Held in the Pavilion, the town hall of sorts, wakes lasted all night.

They were crowded events, where strong coffee and delicious food were consumed as the dearly departed lay in state until the time of the funeral the next morning. I remember that cold windy night one of my male cousins challenged me to run through the dark cemetery at St.

Peter’s Church and lie on a grave. (I refused.)

The Historical Society of Central Louisiana is on a concerted mission to preserve one Central Louisiana cemetery and keep it from being forgotten. Rapides Cemetery has now come under the umbrella of the newly formed Historic Rapides Cemetery Preservation Society. The group meets regularly to keep this graveyard from being swallowed by Mother Nature by removing fallen branches, trees close to toppling and cleaning the graves with natural solutions. The names on the grave markers tell some of the story of Central Louisiana: Alexander Fulton, founder of Alexandria; Pierre Baillio, builder of Kent House Plantation; James Madison Wells, state governor during tumultuous Reconstruction times and George Mason Graham who is called the “Father of LSU.” It also contains the graves of soldiers who fought in the American Revolution all the way through time to the Vietnam War. Volunteers are welcomed, and events with docent-guided tours are periodically held. n Information, Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum, 409 F Street, Pineville, (318) 641-5733; Historic Rapides Cemetery historicrapidescemetery@ gmail.com

LouisianaLife.com | 73

around louisiana

Cajun Country

FULL MOONS AND 13 PENNIES Legend has it that the Rougaroux, Louisiana’s incarnation of the werewolf, lurks at night in swamplands and sugarcane fields. Its glowing eyes blink among the cane stalks as the full moon pours its creamy light onto earth. Sometimes, it howls. Rougaroux Rum, made deep in the heart of Bayou LaFourche country by a distillery surrounded by sugarcane fields produces a trio of mysterious elixirs of rum made with molasses and the raw sugar raised and milled on a nearby family owned farm. From their seemingly enchanted cauldron of spirits, Donner-Peltier

74 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Distillers have unleashed sheer imbibing pleasure.

Autumn calls one to sit on the porch in the cool air at the end of a hard day or in front of the fire in contemplative rumination of strange things with likeminded friends, and it is usually not complete unless something is sipped.

Sipped in slow contemplation of the change in season, Mike the Tiger and whether or not Blue Dog was really a ghost. Rougaroux Full Moon Dark Rum, made with blackstrap molasses and raw sugar, is aged in white oak for smoothness yet remains bold and mysterious. You might taste the subtle notes of vanilla and orange peel mingling with

an oaky wood flavor as you inhale the rich bouquet even a loup would love. This is sipping rum at its finest, but it also mixes beautifully in cocktails.

The creators of this rum triumvirate know their legends well. It is said that, because the Rougaroux has only 12 fingers, he cannot count to 13 – casting 13 pennies outside your door will distract this furry fiend from entering your door. (Snarling and growling, he will keep trying to count them until the sun rises and his nocturnal reign of terror is done.) The 13 Pennies Praline Rum is also made with the local sugar and molasses in small batches to which is added Madagascar vanilla beans, toasted pecans and local artisan cane syrup. Consider it a bottle of Halloween treats for adults to be enjoyed in the light of a Jack O’ Lantern.

Lastly, there is Rougaroux Sugarshine rum. 101 proof, it’s a tribute to the 101 daylong curse that plagues each Rougaroux. This clear rum is considered “Rum Moonshine,” so if you’ve been lured by the seductive mystery of the first two, beware. By itself, this rum comes on almost like an outright Rougaroux attack, burning and startling. Yet, like the Dark Full Moon rum, it is a perfect mixer for cocktails.

HURRICANE Z IN HOUMA Picture it: You’re in a shelter during a hurricane filled with screaming winds and torrential rains. In the midst of the tempest the power of the storm has conjured up a zombie apocalypse that swoops down on you like a storm surge. What must you

do? This evening of horror is hosted by the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center and is part of the annual Krewe Ga Rou Festival. This fundraiser is for future construction of their Discovery Center and to promote awareness of the ecological issues facing south Louisiana and coastal erosion. Volunteers, happy to shriek their hearts out as they temporarily deprive you of yours, keep things horrifically lively as you experience Hurricane Z. The Festival includes the Rougarou Run wherein the course is plagued by attacks of swamp monsters and zombies who try to steal the flags from your flag football belt. Whoever crosses the finish line with at least one flag on their belt survives the zombie apocalypse. The Krewe Ga Rou Parade, filled with homemade floats and waddling horror creatures is geared towards the family, and since it is not Mardi Gras Day in the French Quarter, modesty of costume is required.

Costume contests; food; live music; mask making and a Pin the Tail on the Rougarou contest are among some of the activities certain to draw laughter from children. n

Information, Donner-Peltier Distillers, 1635 St. Patrick St., Thibodaux, (985) 446-0002; Hurricane Z, Bayou Terrebonne Wildlife Museum, 7910 Park Ave., Houma, Oct.10-11; 17-18;2 4-25; Krewe Ga Rou Festival, Oct. 24-25, Downtown Houma, rougaroufest.org

photograph courtesy donner-peltier distillers

around louisiana

Baton Rouge Grace Episcopal Church and adjoining graveyard

Houma House Plantation just upriver from the Houma House Inn

THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE UFO In a report written by one Thomas Jefferson, president of the American Philosophical Society, in Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia 1804), the sighting of a UFO over Baton Rouge was described as observed by William Dunbar, native of Natchez and tireless student of natural phenomena in the lower Mississippi Valley. Dunbar reported he had witnessed a phenomenon moving rapidly in the southwest sky, passing over assembled spectators, “crimson red, the size of a large house, wholly luminous, not emitting sparks.” The object disappeared into the northeast,

and a loud explosion, but not a sonic boom, was heard as it crashed, leaving a relatively small portion of scorched earth and vegetation in its wake. Further analysis of the data taken at that time concluded the object was no meteor; its speed and semi-hollow metallic density could classify the object as a “supersonic aerial craft – of some kind.” One thing is apparent: If it had been an object the size of a house entering earth at meteoric velocity, it would have wiped out humans and property for miles around. The sighting, as of today, remains unidentified.

SUGAR PALACE Early on a Saturday morning in March at Houmas House Plantation, I arose with a cup of coffee brewed in my guest cottage room and sat on the front porch cradling a copy of Jim Blanchard’s book, Louisiana’s Sugar Palace, Houmas House Plantation and Gardens. I don’t use the term cradling loosely; indeed holding this broad, heavy book that weighs six pounds is like holding a child on your lap – and what a child Blanchard has begotten.

Blanchard, architectural archivist, artist, photographer, history purist and all-around Renaissance man, once lived on the grounds there in a converted pigeonniere.

His book is a brilliantly conceived, multi-dimensional and beautifully executed work. Rich in text and Blanchard’s breathtaking photography, it’s divided into sections that first tell the history of Houmas House, from the time of the Houmas Indians; John Burnside building his sugar empire; slavery and Louisiana’s Code Noir. It contains some descriptions of economic reasons the South went to war against the North – tariffs were placed on Southern goods, and Southern financiers were forced to pay higher interest rates to supplement the failure of Northern banks in 1857. Family photos of the generations who lived at Houmas House carry you

right through through the last century to the present when history at Houmas House took another turn as it passed into Kevin Kelly’s ownership.

The remaining sections of Blanchard’s work capture the renaissance of Houmas House from the barracks-white drab imposed on it by a former owner to its present-day transformation into an exquisite dragonfly gleaming in the light of the River Road. It is rife with interesting minutiae and details that combine together to eave the broader picture of an era. Each page that blooms with Blanchard’s rainbow-like photography of the exquisite plantation rooms, antiques, grounds and gardens seems captured by someone with the mind of a curator and the soul of a poet. On a beautiful Friday night last March, Jim Blanchard and I stood beneath the pilot house that crowns the plantation home and he pointed out to me lights strangely flickering there like a feu follet. Blanchard has long experienced supernatural encounters at the plantation since he and owner Kevin Kelly set out to restore it. I asked him if there were electrical problems. Blanchard just shook his head, smiled and told me the flickering lights couldn’t be explained. n Information, Louisiana’s Sugar Palace, Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, published by Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, (225) 473-9380.

LouisianaLife.com | 75

around louisiana

New Orleans

KREWE OF BOO Picture a Mardi Gras Krewe and parade conceived in the mind of mad scientist Morgus the Magnificent one night high above New Orleans in the old City Ice House. There you will have the Krewe of Boo, the official Halloween Parade of New Orleans since 2007.

Each Halloween season, the autumn night skyline of the Big Easy is set aglow with Kern-designed, beautifully horrific floats of skulls, skeletons, werewolves, vampires and other various and sundry ghouls as the cries of, “throw me something, monster” rise from the crowd.

The Krewe of Boo riders throw favors to the spectators costumed as aliens, witches, warlocks, zombies and other members of Congress lining the streets in this Big Easy version of the celebration of Samhain. Candy corn necklaces; voodoo pins and dolls; Aunt Sally’s Pralines 76 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

and doubloons redeemable for Halloween treats at local eateries are eagerly caught by claws and hooks to eventually be chewed by fangs of locals and tourists alike. The madcap macabre parade wends its way from Elysian Fields, traveling through the “Boo Carre” on Decatur, Royal, Canal and Tchoupitoulas Streets and ends at the Convention Center. The Krewe’s ball, the “Monster Mash” culminates the fiendish festivities from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Mardi Gras World.

KNOW THYSELF I remember once reading that in some ancient cultures physicians were also priests, the concept being that they not only ministered to the body, but also to the soul. It seemed like common sense to me –treating the entire person and not just the disease. Recognizing that the mind, spirit and body

are connected influences in the overall picture of health, New Orleans-based fitness expert Emelina Edwards, author of the acclaimed book, Forever Fit and Fabulous – Even at 70 and Beyond, has taken her training expertise a step further in her latest book, Journey to Self-Esteem, Learn to Love and Appreciate Yourself. She makes the very credible point that in order to properly care for our physical well being (through healthy diet and exercise) we must first love ourselves enough to do so. Edwards is the poster person for this mission to promote positive self-awareness – her latest book not only chronicles the mire of ill health (such as cancer) and depression that she has triumphed over, it’s the perfect primer to teach us how to flag (and conquer) negative thought tendencies that family, society and we ourselves have ingrained in

our minds and undermined our self-esteem.

One revelatory chapter identifies the 12 common cognitive distortions that can lead you into the low self-esteem quagmire of negative inertia. Among these distortions are: all-ornothing thinking; filtering out all the positive aspects of a situation; and believing that negative emotions reflect the truth of a situation, among a few. Edwards also tackles the root problem of having a poor body image.

Not only is low self-esteem a factor in poor health, obesity and depression, it is a self-defeatist plague. Once Edwards identifies the many factors that can comprise poor self-esteem, she offers inspiring ways to vigilantly combat it in the form of morale-boosters and excellent mental, cognitive, emotional and physical exercises.

“The road to peace and happiness is paved with constant self-monitoring,” writes Edwards.

At 73, she is the picture of youthful vitality and happiness. Her newest book is a wonderful guide for everyone to achieve the same. n Information, Krewe of Boo Parade, October 24, 2015, parade rolls at 6:30 PM. kreweofboo.com; Journey to Self-Esteem, Learn to Love and Appreciate Yourself.

Soul Garden Press. photograph courtesy krewe of boo

LouisianaLife.com | 77

texas travel

Falling for Port Aransas On Mustang Island, this village is a favorite vacation spot for travelers.

By Paris Permenter and John Bigley

Are you sad to see summer go? While many travelers pack up the bathing suits and beach balls with the start of autumn, in 78 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Port Aransas, Texas, the fun is just beginning.

Known as a year-around destination for summer vacationers, spring breakers

and winter Texans, this village of under 5,000 residents on Mustang Island is also a favorite getaway for fall travelers. Deemed the best time of

year to visit by many “Port A� regulars and residents, autumn brings plenty of beach sunshine enjoyed with cooler temperatures and lower prices.

Although you can reach Port Aransas via a drive along Mustang Island from Corpus Christi, the most popular way to arrive is with a short (and free) ferry ride from Aransas Pass. Hop out of your car on these open-air ferries operated by the Texas

LouisianaLife.com | 79

Department of Transportation for a chance to sight some of the numerous dolphins that frequent the channel.

From the ferry landing, it’s just a short drive to the miles and miles of beach that line Port Aransas and stretch beyond the village to outlying condominium and resort complexes, to Mustang Island State Park, and finally to nearby Padre Island. In Port Aransas, you can drive on the sand between the dunes and the post markers; for a $12 annual parking pass, you can park along the beach as well.

And be prepared to share the road with plenty of golf carts; they’re legal to drive in the city except on Highway 361 beyond Avenue G and are for rent just about everywhere.

Those miles of sand are the chief attraction in Port Aransas, luring everyone from sandcastle builders to surfers, anglers to kite flyers. Port Aransas is also a big destination with dog lovers; four-legged beachgoers are welcome on leash. You can even camp for free on the beach for three nights.

Walking or driving along the beach, you’ll spot the Horace Caldwell Pier that stretches for 1230 feet into the Gulf. Since the 1950s, this pier has been the home base for many Port A fish stories (the record is a 13-foot, 7-inch tiger shark).

Anglers try their luck for everything from pompano to black drum – while others pay the $2 pier fee just to enjoy a stroll.

But it was the tarpon that first focused the eyes of the world on Port Aransas back in the 1930s, when Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived here on a presidential yacht to fish with a local guide. Today a tarpon scale signed by FDR hangs in the Tarpon Inn, a historic hotel that is home to Roosevelt’s 80 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

at the Tarpon Inn, one of the town’s most elegant eateries.

Serious anglers also take advantage of deepsea excursions that depart from near the ferry landing.

Dolphin watching tours, sunset cruises, and even a cruise aboard the 70-foot Red Dragon Pirate Ship also depart from this area. For dolphin watching from onshore, head to nearby Roberts Point Park for a chance to see the dolphins that frequently

“escort” the ships as they maneuver the channel.

Dolphins aren’t the only wildlife to claim your attention. Port Aransas is also a birding hotspot and home to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. Landscaped with plants to attract migrating hummingbirds that come through every fall and spring, the center’s wide boardwalk features a telescope to spot pelicans, egrets and spoonbills – or even resident alligators.

Whether you’re looking for one more fun in the sun getaway before winter, a fishing excursion for the whole family, or some world-class birding, don’t put away the beach gear just yet. Port Aransas is saving the best time of year just for you.

For More Information:

Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Board; (800) 45-COAST; portaransas.org. n

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promotional section

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lifetimes

Zwolle Tamale Festival October 8-10

Statewide Calendar September and October events, festivals and more.

Compiled by Judi Russel

CAJUN COUNTRY Sept. 4-5. 33rd Annual Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival. South City Park Civic Center, Plaisance.

(337) 948-6263.

Sept. 4-6. Labor Day Fishing Rodeo. Quintana Canal Boat Launch, Cypremort Point.

(337) 365-7301.

Sept. 4-7. Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival. Downtown Historic District, Morgan City.

(985) 385-0703.

84 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

Sept. 6. 100 Black Men of St. Mary 18th Annual 5K walk/run.

City Hall, Morgan City.

(985) 255-9775.

Sept. 18-19. Pepper Festival. 203 New Market St., St. Martinville.

(337) 394-7408.

Sept. 23-26. Tinsel & Treasures.

Cajun Dome Convention Center, Lafayette. (337) 988-2739.

Sept. 23-27. Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival. Various Venues, New Iberia. (337) 369-9323.

Sept. 24-25. Chennault International Air Show. Chennault International Airport, Lake Charles.

(337) 491-9961.

Oct. 3. La Grande Boucherie. St. Martinville. www.stmartinville.org

Sept. 26. Breaux Bridge Chamber of Commerce Jambalaya Cookoff.

Parc Hardy, Breaux Bridge.

(337) 332-8500.

Oct. 3-4. SugaSheaux. 713 NW Bypass (Hwy. 3212), New Iberia.

(337) 365-7539.

Sept. 26-27. 2015 Deep South Racing Association “Battle on the Basin” Drag Races. Russo’s Landing in the Atchafalaya, Morgan City. (985) 519-1351.

Sept. 26-27. Best of the Bayou Festival. Downtown Houma. bestofthebayou.la Sept. 27. Calca Chew Food Festival. St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, Lake Charles.

(337) 436-9588.

Oct. 1-4. Tour du Teche Canoe Race. Along Bayou Teche, New Iberia. (337) 394-6232.

Oct. 3-4. 21st German Fest. Robert Cove.

Oct. 9-11. Voice of the Wetlands Festival. 5403 West Park, Houma. www.voiceofthewetlands.org Oct. 9-11. Festivals Acadiens et Creoles. 500 Girard Parkway, Lafayette. festivalsacadiens.com Oct. 9-11. Louisiana Gumbo Festival of Chackbay. ChackbayChoupic Fair Grounds, Thibodaux.

(985) 633-2828.

Oct. 14-18. Cal-Cam Fair. West Calcasieu Arena, Sulphur.

(337) 527-9371.

Oct. 15-18. International Rice Festival. Downtown Crowley.

(337) 783-3067.

photos courtesy sabine parish tourist commission

Oct. 16-18. Andouille Festival.

2900 Hwy. 51, LaPlace.

(985) 652-9569.

Oct. 16. United Way Wild Game Cookoff . Downtown Alexandria.

(318) 443-7203

Oct. 23-24. Boo at The Zoo. Audubon Zoo, New Orleans. auduboninstutute.org

Oct. 17-18. Experience Louisiana Festival. LSU-Eunice.

(337) 580-3363.

Oct. 16. Fall Artwalk. Downtown Alexandria. ticket-central.org/ events/artwalk-2015

Oct. 23-24. Ghosts in the Oaks.

City Park, New Orleans.

(504) 483-9376.

Oct. 23-25. French Food Festival.

Larose Regional Park & Civic Center, Larose. (985) 693-7355.

Oct. 17. Zombie Walk Downtown Alexandria. alexandriapinevillela.com

Oct. 24. Krewe of Boo. French Quarter, New Orleans. kreweofboo.com

Oct. 24. Sweet Dough Pie Festival. St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Grand Coteau.

(337) 662-3058.

Oct. 24-25. Rougarou Festival.

Downtown Houma.rougaroufest.org Oct. 30-31. Blackpot Festival & Cookoff. Vermilionville, Lafayette.

Blackpotfestival.com Oct. 31. Adeline Guienze Breast Cancer Memorial Fund 5K Run/ Walk. St. Mary Parish Courthouse Square, Franklin. (337) 828-2550, Ext. 2181.

Oct. 31. 16th Annual Franklin Merchants Association Harvest Moon Festival. Main Street, Downtown Franklin.

(337) 828-6326.

CENTRAL Sept. 4-5. Cane River Zydeco Festival & Poker Run. Downtown Riverbank, Natchitoches.

(800) 259-1714.

Sept. 5. Drake Salt Works Festival & Trail Ride. Goldanna.

LouisianaTrails.org Sept. 5. Open Car Show. Yellow Bayou Civil War Memorial Park.

Simmesport. (318) 941-2483 Yellow Bayou Civil War Memorial Park, Simmesport Oct. 8-10. Zwolle Tamale Festival. zwolletamalefestival.com Oct. 9-11. Natchitoches Fall Tour of Homes. Downtown and Cane River Lake, Natchitoches.

(318) 581-8042.

NEW ORLEANS Sept. 2-7. Southern Decadence Festival. French Quarter, New Orleans. southerndecadence.net Sept. 12, Oct. 10. St. Bernard Seafood & Farmers Market. 409 Aycock St., Arabi. (504) 278-4242.

Oct. 25. Bywater Merliton Festival. Bywater neighborhood, New Orleans. experienceneworleans.com Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Voodoo Music Festival. City Park, New Orleans.

(877) 569-7767.

NORTH

Sept. 30-Oct. 4. Tangipahoa Parish Festival. Amite. tangipahoaparishfestival.org

Sept. 12 Ruston Makers Fair.

Downtown Ruston. (318) 245-6970

Oct. 2-4. Gretna Heritage Festival.

Downtown Gretna. (504) 361-7748.

Sept. 25-26. Louisiana Chicken Festival. Dubach. 318) 777-1964

Oct. 3-10. Red River Revel Arts Festival. Shreveport.

(318) 424-4000.

Oct. 3-4. Chalk Art Festival at the River Market. River Market, Monroe. (318) 807-9985.

Oct. 9-10. Carnival Latino. Various locations, French Quarter and Downtown New Orleans.

(504) 428-8560.

Oct. 6-10. Annual Webster Parish Fair Parade. Goodwill Street, Minden. (318) 377-6250.

Oct. 9-10, 16-17, 23-24.

Oktoberfest. Deutsches Haus, Metairie. (504) 522-8014.

Oct. 10. Fall for Art. 322 N. Columbia St., Covington (985) 892-8650.

Oct. 10-11. Wooden Boat Festival.

Madisonville. (985) 845-9200.

Oct. 11. Celebracion Latina.

Audubon Zoo, New Orleans.

(504) 581-4629.

Oct. 15-22. New Orleans Film Festival. Various locations, New Orleans. neworleansfilmsociety.org Oct. 16-18. Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. Lafayette Square Park, New Orleans. (504) 558-6100.

Oct. 16-18. Violet Oyster Festival.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Violet. (504) 583-0555.

Oct. 3-24. Corn Maze Saturdays.

LSU Agricultural Center Botanic Gardens at Burden, Baton Rouge.

(225) 763-3990.

Oct. 4-25. Angola Prison Rodeo.

Louisiana State Penitentiary, St. Francisville (225) 655-2592.

Oct. 16-18. KC International Acadian Festival. 58715 Price St., Plaquemine. (225) 687-2061.

Oct. 22-Nov. 1. Greater Baton Rouge State Fair. 10672 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge.

(225) 755-3247.

Oct. 23-24. 27th Annual Southern Garden Symposium & Workshop.

Various locations, St. Francisville. southerngardensymposium.org Oct. 24-25. Frisco’s Fall Arts & Crafts Festival. San Francisco Plantation, Garyville.

(888) 322-1756.

Oct. 10-11. The Holiday Market.

River Market, Monroe. (318) 807-9985.

Oct. 24. Herbal Harvest & Original Arts & Crafts Festival. 711 North 7th St., West Monroe (318) 801-9138.

BATON ROUGE Sept. 11. USS KIDD 9/11 Candelight Vigil/Freedom Walk.

USS KIDD Veterans Memorial & Museum, Baton Rouge.

(225) 342-1942.

Sept. 12-13. Oldies But Goodies Fest & Smokin’ Oldies Cook-Off. I-10 W .Exit 155 to Hwy. 415, Baton Rouge. (225) 344-2920 Oct. 3. Iberville Parish Swamp Life Expo 2015. Gross Tete. www. visitiberville.com

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/LouisianaLife/Submit-an-Event. To submit a parade for carnival season go to: MyNewOrleans.com/ Louisiana-Life/Submit-a-Paradeto-Louisiana-Life

LouisianaLife.com | 85

Great Louisiana Quiz Answer this BONUS QUESTION and be eligible to win an overnight stay for two at the luxurious PARAGON CASINO AND RESORT:

A. Attorney General B. Mayor C. Secretary of State D. Member of Congress 6. One office that has clearly not been a stepping stone is Lieutenant Governor. In modern times only one person has been elected governor directly from being the sitting Lieutenant Governor. Who was it?

A. Buddy Roemer B. Mike Foster C. Kathleen Blanco D. Bobby Jindal 7. This contemporary governor’s grandfather was governor from 1892- 1900.

Running for Governor 1. This poster is from Earl Long’s 1940 gubernatorial campaign. On it, he tried to evoke the memory of his assassinated brother Huey and also OK Allen who served out Huey’s term as governor after the former was elected to the U.S. Senate. Allen was seen as being the ultimate political puppet as controlled, from Washington, D.C., by Huey. What joking comment about Allen was credited to Earl Long?

A. Huey pulled the strings and OK danced.

B. OK called Huey each morning to see if it was all right to get up.

C. A leaf blew in to the governor’s office and OK signed it thinking it was legislation from Huey.

D. If Huey sniffed OK sneezed.

2. Who won the election of 1940?

A. Earl Long B. Sam Jones C. A.O. King D. Jimmie Davis

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3. Though as a member of congress Bobby Jindal represented the suburban New Orleans 1st congressional district, where was he born?

A. Baton Rouge B. Shreveport C. Monroe D. Bordelonville 4. As a student, this former governor was the captain of LSU’s football team and, in 1893, played in the university’s first game against Tulane. Who was it?

A. Ruffin Pleasant B. John Parker C. Robert Kennon D. Mike Tiger 5. Your friend says he wants to run for Justice of the Peace because he thinks that would put him in line to run for governor. You tell him to look again. Since 1972 six different individuals have served as governor. Of those, four held the same office at the time when they were first elected. What is it?

A. Edwin Edwards B. John McKeithen C. Mike Foster D. Dave Treen 8. Which governor wrote a book entitled My First Days in the White House?

A. Bobby Jindal B. Edwin Edwards C. Huey Long D. Buddy Roemer 9. Which former governor’s son was, in 1910, appointed Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court?

A. Edward Douglas White B. Isaac Johnson C. Henry Watkins Allen D. Benjamin Franklin Flanders 10. Your friend decides that if he wants to be governor one day he should bone up on Louisiana history.

He can’t decide which to read first, an essay on post-Reconstruction economic development or an account of Earl Long having dated a stripper. Just in case, what was the stripper’s name?

A. Westie Feliciana B. Carroll East C. Blaze Starr D. Candy Barr

At the time he was elected governor John McKeithen held this public office. What other governors held a similar position at the time they were elected?

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 remodeled Paragon Casino and Resort in Marksville. Winners’ names will be announced in the November/December 2015 issue.

From our May/June issue, the question was: Which town has been the home of the most post-Civil War governors; Winnfield or New Orleans? Name the governors from each.

The answer: Winnfield: Earl Long, Huey Long, OK Allen; from New Orleans there have been two: Louis Wiltz and Richard Leche.

Winners are: Debra Coyle of Pineville and Tommy Zentner of Monroe

ANSWERS 1.C 2.B 3.A 4.A 5.D 6.C 7.C 8.C 9.A 10.C 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

Danielle Nierenberg A globetrotting food activist calls New Orleans home.

By Megan Hill

The nature of Danielle Nierenberg’s career means she can make virtually anywhere in the world her home base, but the 37-year-old activist and author chose New Orleans.

“Why not live in a city that exemplifies hope and success?”

Nierenberg says. “It’s a hopeful city that can regenerate itself.

And no food quite compares anywhere else in the United States. I figure if I’m going to be at home, I might as well make it a fun place.”

Nierenberg travels the world as the co-founder of Food Tank, a “food think tank” special-

88 | Louisiana Life September/October 2015

izing in education, research and advocacy around issues of food security and sustainable agriculture worldwide. She also keeps a busy speaking schedule, appearing regularly on MSNBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera. She’s given talks at major international events like World Food Prize, The New York Times Food for Tomorrow Conference, TEDxManhattan, Edible Institute and more.

And she’s written articles and op-ed pieces for major publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and

Bloomberg Businessweek.

The Defiance, Missouri native says she didn’t always have a robust understanding of the issues facing agricultural systems and farmers.

“I was always an environmentalist from a very young age,” Nierenberg says.

“But in my head I blamed farmers for destroying the environment. Once I started working with these farmers and understood many of them were protecting indigenous crops and protecting water and soil, it really became clear to me how they’re so important for linking not just food production but public health, environmental sustainability, and poverty alleviation.”

This understanding was developed during Nierenberg’s undergraduate studies at Monmouth College in Illinois.

The small liberal arts school allowed her to develop her own major, which she built around environmental policy and government with a healthy dose of science courses for a strong foundation.

Then, Nierenberg completed a Peace Corps stint in the Dominican Republic as an environmental awareness educator, where she shared a bathroom with 16 or 18 neighbors, experienced clean water shortages, started a tree nursery and worked closely with farmers. One aspect of her project was working in a school district running environmentally focused summer camps and helping teachers develop learning materials.

“In a lot of developing countries it’s just a lot of memorization, and there’s no sort of interaction, so we tried to really work with these awesome teachers who were doing a lot with very little, to

incorporate more of that and to have me there when I could be so that the kids got something a little bit different,” she says.

Next it was on to Tufts University’s School of Nutrition, Science and Policy for a Masters in Agriculture, Food and Environment.

After eight years working at Washington, D.C. environmental think tank Worldwatch Institute, Nierenberg founded Food Tank.

“I learned so much at the World Watch Institute, it’s really where I grew up, but like a lot of environmental organizations it’s focused on the problems and a little bit doom-and-gloom...At this point now I’ve traveled to 60-plus countries –and I traveled my whole career, but what I found on the ground is there’s so much inspiration,” she says. “There are definitely problems, but there are also all these inspiring examples of hope and success and things that can be replicated or scaled up in different ways.”

Nierenberg’s schedule would be exhausting to someone with less passion. Meeting the people she’s helping firsthand keeps her inspired.

“I get to talk to real people who are changing the food system every day. If it wasn’t for them, why would anyone do this work?... They motivate me. I don’t mean to sound naïve and trite; I really mean it.

I’m constantly inspired, even if I’m jetlagged, by what’s going on on the ground. I’m so lucky and I want to tell those stories.”

Nierenberg hopes to add more voices from her home community and encourages anyone with relevant information on the food movement in New Orleans to contact her at foodtank.com. n photo by romero & romero