News and information from New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. NOLA is most associated with the French Quarter when tourists think of the New Orleans. Also popular are the Saints NFL Football Team, Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. The nola411 website is here to roll up information from around the web that locals ad visitors will hopefully find as a useful tool and check back frequently for the latest news.
The state Recovery School District has issued several plans over the past few years to match its New Orleans public school buildings -- all renovated or redone after Hurricane Katrina -- with charter school programs. They are long-term destinations: The charters might have to spend several years in temporary space while construction proceeds. Many buildings have been reassigned as the years pass.
New Orleans is saying good-bye to jazzman Lionel Ferbos with a jazz funeral, including a traditional second-line parade. His funeral Saturday morning comes as the Satchmo Summerfest music festival celebrates the legacy of another New Orleans trumpeter, Louis Armstrong. Festival organizers plan photo tributes to Ferbos at stages and seminar areas.
Rebirth Brass Band's new video shot live at The Howlin Wolf New Orleans.
The Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band performs "Rebirth Groove," a tune from the new album. It was recorded live at Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans. Rebirth, who won its first Grammy Award in 2012, released the new album, "Move Your Body" in April.
Chef Emeril Lagasse now has his sights set on becoming a tortilla chip mogul. As first reported by Snack and Bakery, Lagasse has partnered with CoPak solutions to create a line of gluten-free Emeril Tortilla Chips. According to a rep, the Emeril-branded chips have "just been softly launched in Louisiana" at 40 locations of the Rouses Supermarket chain, and are available three flavors: Bam! BBQ (which plays off Lagasse's familiar catchphrase), Essence (featuring the "bold spice of New Orleans"), and, uh, Sweet Potato.
Weber doesn’t mean to take anything away from other New Orleans stores; he says the city is full of great ones. “They tend to be very niche in a lot of ways,” Weber says. “Domino (Sound Record Shack) is great and small and well-curated, the place you send diehard music fans to. Louisiana Music Factory does a great job mostly focusing on regional and local stuff.” Weber also sees his Euclid Records as a cultural center, common of record stores nowadays.
If you’ve been cleaning up the vacant lot next door to your home, you could eventually wind up owning it. The “Mow To Own” program would reward adjacent homeowners and address city-wide blight.
The latest national chain to open on Magazine Street, Uptown is causing concern for some in the business community. West Elm opened Thursday morning at the corner of Magazine and Eighth Street. The upscale contemporary furniture store is a subsidy of national retailer Williams-Sonoma.
If you're craving authentic New Orleans fare, you're likely imagining the spicy, smoky and savory flavors of jambalaya, red beans and rice or crawfish etouffee. That's not to say we locals don't revere the sweeter indulgences, too. But in the August heat, even the most fabulous flaming Bananas Foster or Baked Alaska can't hold a candle (or more aptly, a flambé torch) to a good old-fashioned ice-cream cone.
Say what you will about Davis Rogan, human being. He can take it. In fact he doesn't give a bleep. But fess up and give the man his musical dues. Rogan has lovingly crafted a compelling musical and lyrical odd-yssey, from the reluctant rebirth of a city to the depths of his own personal frailty. In person or in his music Davis can't help expressing himself. He is larger-than-life and loaded with character flaws, and all that comes through on the CD. Love him, as I do, or not, you must admit that the guy is giving his all, raw and unfiltered. The world could stand to have a few more artists, and I mean this in the capital "A" sense, of Rogan's caliber, might and murky majesty.
A mystery tipper known for leaving outrageous tips at restaurants around the country paid a visit to the Crescent City. It’s every server’s dream, especially during New Orleans' slow summer months.
"As the pioneer of the cold drip process, we’ve perfected our 24-hour cold-brew technique, resulting in a higher-quality product that is significantly less acidic than traditional hot coffee," said PJ’s roast master Felton Jones. "We’re allowing our customers to use their imagination and create a variety of drink experiences within their own homes.”
The local chain has no plans to release the concentrate into grocery stores as of yet, but it is available at every PJ's location. (No word on if the Blue Bottle variety will ever arrive in its namesake town.)
A vibrant public transit system is the backbone of opportunity for cities like New Orleans. Public transit connects people to jobs, food, schools and health care. A reliable, coordinated public transit system could make a real difference for families who might need to take a sick child to their doctor. It also could determine what access families have to healthy food. And for cities like New Orleans, public transit is an economic generator. Research shows that investments in public transit systems yield significant gains. Every $1 spent on public transit generates a local economic return of $5; every $1 billion invested in public transit creates and supports 36,000 jobs. In short, public transit is a booster for economic growth.
Do you have time to relax in your recliner and binge-watch classic New Orleans recipe videos? It will take a couple of hours. You might want to have a little bite before you start, because you're sure to get hungry when you see all the delicious things being cooked for you.
Follow the link for all the classic Louisiana dishes made in the In Judy's Kitchen video series, from 2013-2014.
Two of TV's memorable leading men, NCIS star Mark Harmon and Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise), are joining forces to push a third series in the CBS law-enforcement franchise, NCIS: New Orleans (Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET/PT), into the spotlight. New Orleans will have the benefit of following NCIS, TV's most-watched show scripted series last season, and also the experience of people like Harmon and Gary Glasberg, an executive producer of both series.
In recent years, New Orleans has become a case study in how children and families are affected by rapid decentralization of public education and mental-health systems.
In theory, the city’s families should have more options than ever when it comes to schools and mental-health providers. But decentralization has wrought some unintended consequences, particularly for children with the most severe needs — needs that aren’t always met by private operators.
Tales of the Cocktail® is the world’s premier cocktail festival, bringing together the international spirits community for five days of what’s now, what’s new and what’s next in bartending. Held annually in New Orleans, Tales of the Cocktail® has something for bartenders and spirits professionals with opportunities to mix and mingle with the brightest minds in mixology during an always-spirited schedule of seminars, dinners, competitions, tasting rooms and new product launches. Join us in New Orleans July 16-20 for the 12th Annual Tales of the Cocktail® where for five days the cocktail reigns supreme. All Hail the Cocktail!
New Orleans cuisine famously developed through contributions from a crazy quilt of ethnic groups. None played a role more crucial than the African-Americans who dominated New Orleans kitchens through much of the city's history.
Which is to say what might be called "African-American cuisine" is basically everywhere you look in New Orleans, although soul food, the cooking most commonly associated with African-American kitchens, has long flourished here, particularly at black owned and operated restaurants.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said Friday the Essence Music Festival “may be the most important event the people of this city are involved in.”
Over the past 20 years, big names from Beyoncé to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have drawn massive crowds to the “party with a purpose,” which has become the largest African American music festival in the U.S. The three-day event generated around $241 million in 2013
]Parrain Vin has often been dubbed “the Bayou Weird Al Yankovic.” Kreamer said he has created comical videos with his brother, Kenny Kreamer, 25, for more than 15 years, but it wasn't until they began posting their videos to YouTube that they received notice from the community.
In May, the brothers filmed “BP Got Away,” an adaptation of Nirvana's “Something in the Way,” on the east side of Houma and posted it on YouTube.
As part of our continuing series “On the Road,” Steve Hartman goes to New Orleans and discovers the mystery men trying to share the love. Steve Hartman reports.
6 people were listed in stable condition and one person, an unidentified woman, was listed in critical condition. The shooting happened about 2:45 a.m. in the 700 block of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. The victims were taken to the hospital.
When architect Robby Cangelosi faced a tricky problem related to a French Quarter building, he did what he often does: Research the building’s history.
Having nearly 40 years of experience as an architect specializing in the restoration and renovation of historic structures, Cangelosi has an arsenal of resources to draw upon when researching a home’s history.
More than 18,000 of the world’s top food science and technology professionals, representing the most prominent organizations in the global food sector, will converge in New Orleans this weekend to learn about the most recent product, ingredient, and technology developments, and their potential business impact, as well as to identify trends that will shape the industry.
The IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo brings together professionals involved in both the science and the business of food — experts in R&D, product development, and QA/QC, as well as executive management, marketing, procurement, sales, and more — from industry, academia, and government.
Construction crews at the Smoothie King Center have a lot to do between now and the start of the next basketball season. Phase two of the New Orleans Pelicans $50 million arena renovations is now underway. The new grand entrance is beginning to take shape.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday he plans to pull his state out of the Common Core academic standards, announcing an executive order aimed at blocking the testing program in the state.
At a news conference, Jindal said he's sent a letter requesting his state's withdrawal from the program to the Partnership of Assessments for College and Career Readiness (PARCC) - a conglomerate of states developing the standards for students in the subjects of English and math.
Peter Fonda is set to play Nicolas Cage‘s father in The Runner, a political drama about a New Orleans congressman whose career is in turmoil following a sex scandal and the 2010 BP oil spill. Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) has also boarded the project as Cage’s character’s wife, while The Wire‘s Wendell Piece will play his chief of staff. Indie producer Austin Stark (Infinitely Polar Bear) wrote and will direct the pic.
Let Big Freedia the Queen Diva teach you how to release your wiggle
Big Freedia knows a thing or two about twerking — last fall she helped set the Guinness World Record for the most people twerking simultaneously. This month, she has even more reasons to get on the dancefloor and celebrate: Her new album, Just Be Free, comes out today, and the second season of her Fuse TV reality show, Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce, kicked off last week.
As an ambassador for New Orleans bounce music, Big Freedia hasn’t been thrilled with how the recent attention surrounding twerking watered down and misrepresented a dance tradition with decades of history.
New Orleans is well-represented in the latest work from Playing for Change, a global recording project that seeks to bring people together through music.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Glen David Andrews and French Quarter street musician “Grandpa” Elliott Small are among 180 performers from 31 countries who participate in the CD/DVD set “Playing for Change 3: Songs Around the World.”
All gentlemen should wear a jacket at Commander's Palace, in the opinion of Ti Martin, who helps oversee her family's elegant Garden District restaurant. But they don't have to. Commander's used to require jackets, but after 9/11, when business was down, it relaxed the dress code.
Summers are hot in New Orleans. People, particularly tourists, are more casual today. But New Orleanians still like to dress up, and many locals want to see other diners dressed up as well. Fine dining restaurants in New Orleans struggle to strike a balance between decorum and customers' desires.
Read more via nola.com
The Ministry Against the Death Penalty (MADP) was founded by Sister Helen Prejean’s religious congregation, the Congregation of St. Joseph, to deepen public discourse about the death penalty in the United States. MADP is based in New Orleans with a Special Projects office at DePaul University in Chicago.
Ministry Against the Death Penalty believes in the dignity of all people and fosters creative, reflective and educational programs that awaken hearts and minds, inspire social change, and strengthen our democracy’s commitment to human rights.
"Jazz Houses: Where They Lived" is a new mobile app developed by the PRC and New Orleans-based technology firm Culture Connect to bring the history behind those markers to life, melding images of the musicians and neighborhoods, historical and modern photos of the houses and music clips.
The app is the culmination of more than 10 years of research by leading jazz historians, with more than 500 of the 800 entries into the PRC's database verified by at least two sources. You can search by musician or by neighborhood, Blaum said.
Sandra Bullock was asked to give the commencement speech at Warren Easton High School in New Orleans. Her speech was both moving & gross at the same time...that's why we love Sandra Bullock!
John Goodman joined officials with the New Orleans Film Society to urge support for the festival and for the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s GiveNOLA Day
Newly re-elected Sheriff Marlin Gusman has, at times, seemed to brush aside the seemingly endless onslaught of federal lawsuits he’s faced over the abysmal conditions at Orleans Parish Prison. But now a federal magistrate judge has threatened him with a unique penalty if Gusman continues to miss deadlines for providing court-ordered discovery to inmates seeking compensation for hardships they faced inside the violent lockup: the time-out chair.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow to sponsor an exhibit called New Orleans in Photographs, which opens May 16 at the ultra-sleek Multi-Media Museum – Moscow House of Photography. Curated by New Orleans photographer Frank Relle, the show combines 100 large framed images by recognized photographers with another 1,000, smaller images culled from the photo-sharing social media app Instagram. Through New Orleans in Photographs, Russians get a chance to peek into the lives of everyday New Orleanians and people from southeast Louisiana, and to glimpse a more updated and complex view of a region known primarily by stereotypical images: Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Public Enemy's politically charged performance ended at the prescribed time on the New Orleans Jazz Fest Congo Square stage Friday (April 25), but as the rest of the group filed off stage, flamboyant frontman Flavor Flav stayed behind to offer a postscript soliloquy that included comments on vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, tensions in Ukraine and the onging recovery of New Orleans, which he dubbed the Bounceback City. The still photos used in the video are by Dmitriy Prytikin.
For the first time a cooperative of several Mardi Gras Indian tribesare selling their suits, and pieces of the suits at the jazz fest. Their booth on the Fair Grounds at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is between the Fais Do-Do Stage and the Galaxy Stage (formerly the Gentilly Stage).
Jazz fest will be broadcasting the fest via AXS TV starting Thursday, May 1st – Sunday, May 4th with a nightly rebroadcast.
Thursday, May 1st:
Santana
Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters
Jason Isbell
Galactic
String Cheese Incident
Friday, May 2nd:
Vampire Weekend
Alabama Shakes
Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys
Anders Osborne
Irma Thomas
Marcia Ball
Saturday, May 3rd:
Phish
Theresa Anderson
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Honey Island Swamp Band
Better Than Ezra
Bonerama
Sunday, May 4th:
Arcade Fire
John Fogerty
The Revivalists
The Radiators
Voice of the Wetlands Allstars
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk w/ special guest Art Neville
Scientists are still trying to figure out the effects of the BP oil spill four years later. Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley discusses with Ronan Farrow.
Raw oysters, so good with hot sauce, increasingly can carry something even more unsettling to the stomach: A bacteria linked to vomiting, diarrhea and pain.
There were 242 infections last year with vibrio, a saltwater-based bacteria that can pool in shellfish, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said in a report Thursday. That's a 75 percent jump from 2006-2008 and the highest level seen since tracking began in 1996, the CDC said...
Local restaurants are finding it tough to put prime beef on their plates without it eating into their profits. The price of beef is at its highest level since 1987.
Jazz Fest's producers have revised the schedule so Springsteen can play two hours and 45 minutes. He and the E Street Band are now slated to start at 4:15 p.m., nearly an hour earlier than previously scheduled, and end at 7 p.m. If they run over by a few minutes, they may tie jam band Phish - scheduled for three hours on the first Saturday, April 26 -- for the longest show at the 2014 Jazz Fest.
One of the American Songbook’s greatest clarinetists and a musical icon, Pete Fountain, has retired from performing. His son-in-law and longtime manager, Benny Harrell, said Thursday night that Fountain, who is 83 years old, is in good health but just feels it's time to retire.
The French Quarter will be hopping Easter Sunday (April 20) as three parades roll in celebration of the springtime holiday. Each of the parades is unique, but all will feature their share of fashionable finery, including the obligatory Easter hats. Parade route maps for Easter Sunday.
Mickey Easterling, a New Orleans socialite known as much for her grand lifestyle and outlandish hats as for her civic, cultural and political activism, died Monday at her Lakefront home...
The New Orleans Museum of Art, in partnership with the New Orleans Photo Alliance, is pleased to present PhotoNOMA, a photographers' portfolio sharing night at the museum. From 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., 100 photographers, from beginners to the well established, will display their work for a community walk-through. Photography enthusiasts and the public are encouraged to come out to see the wide range of work that will be on display and to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to meet and engage with the artists.
Saying goodbye to New Orleans seems nearly impossible. The lingering finality of it has me filled with hopeless dread. I don't want to leave New Orleans. How will I start calling po'boys "hoagies" or "subs" or whatever dreadful thing they call them elsewhere? How will I follow speed limits without the very real fear that my entire car will be swallowed by a pothole if I go too fast? How will I avoid winter weight because I'm still carrying around that extra ten pounds from last crawfish season?...
The annual Spring Garden Show in the New Orleans Botanical Garden invites visitors to explore horticultural exhibits and enjoy educational lectures, and family-friendly activities. The festival includes plant and garden product sales, a Plant Health Clinic, the Children’s Discovery Zone, Art Market and live music on the Haspel Outdoor Stage...
Hulk Hogan will be hosting Sunday's WrestleMania 30 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. However, Hogan might have a few hard fists left in the red-and-yellow tank.
New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, one of the poorest and most neglected parts of town, suffered most from Hurricane Katrina. And unlike other neighborhoods, it hasn't seen a post-Katrina renewal bump over the last decade.
Holy Cross is also part of the historic New Orleans high ground known as “the sliver by the river,” the next stop down the Mississippi from the now swank Bywater and Faubourg-Marigny neighborhoods. It's recently gotten the attention of a local developer, Perez Architects, APC. Perez wants to construct a condo and retail development on the 12.5 acres of the old Holy Cross College grounds, hoping to capitalize on the growing appetite for in-town riverfront living. The developer is asking for a zoning variance to allow the construction of nearly 300 apartments in several multi-unit buildings, including two that would be 7 stories tall—higher than the 4 stories permitted under current zoning, although reduced from the initial 13-story proposal. The plan also calls for more than 500 parking spaces...
Food trucks might have taken a while to really take off in New Orleans compared to other American cities, but there's no doubt that mobile food vending has wholly captured the love and attention of Big Easy diners. Nothing proves this more than a return of the Vendy Awards to the Crescent City on April 3rd, when trucks and event caterers alike will battle it out to see who reigns supreme...
The Super Sunday gathering of Mardi Gras Indians has been postponed due to rain, according to New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian council spokesperson Ashlye Keaton. The day of parades and music originally scheduled for this Sunday morning will now take place on Sunday, March 23, 2014. With forecasters predicting a 70 percent chance for rain this Sunday as of this morning, the Council is hoping the weather will clear up in one week’s time...
This recipe delivers big flavor without the usual complement of fat and calories.
Associated Press photo by Matthew Mead
The star of this show is the breast of duck, a well-known fount of flavor that — depending on how you cook it — doesn’t have to be terribly heavy. I recommend you saute it with the skin on to maximize its deliciousness and moistness. The duck and its sauce are brightened with homemade Creole seasoning. My version is modeled on the spice mixes of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse.
For Bourbon Heat, a club near the corner of Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue, the busiest night of the year is the Saturday before Mardi Gras, said club owner Angelo Farrell. And like clockwork, as Saturday (March 1) became Sunday (March 2), the dance floor was packed at 2 a.m.
A server spotted the weapon, security pounced, and in the scuffle, Belvin lost control of the gun. It discharged -- shooting him, quite literally, in the foot.
Across New Orleans, residents are stitching final touches onto costumes, formulating parade-watching plans and gearing up for the biggest free party in the nation.
Mardi Gras is set to erupt again Tuesday, an annual city ritual rooted in nearly 300 years of tradition.
For the uninitiated, the citywide party may seem like a single-day booze-and-bare-breast bacchanal. But there's much more to the revelry. It's a crucial force in bringing together residents of a special city that has endured so much.
Carnival is not just the one day. It's a two-week event that kicks off each year with the satirical Krewe du Vieux parade and culminates on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras...
For more than 100 years, black New Orleanians have "masked Indian," walking through the city's streets dressed in feathers and beads, shouting chants and rattling tambourines. Their hand-sewn suits are massive creations of elaborate beadwork, feathered headdresses and intricate inlays of jewels crafted in tribute to Native American and African aesthetics, that take up to a full year to make.
The Guardians of the Flame are one of dozens of gangs, or tribes, of Mardi Gras Indians. Led by the Big Chief, groups like the Yellow Pocahontas, the Mohawk Hunters and the Creole Wild West parade on holidays, such as Mardi Gras, St. Joseph's night and Super Sunday in mid-March.
Honey & Littdell Bannister at the funeral of Big Queen Barbara Sparks of the Yellow Jackets Mardi Gras Indians at Charbonnet-Labat Funeral Home in New Orleans, LA, July 26, 2008. Erika Goldring
The Big Easy is already well into the throes of Mardi Gras madness: beads are flying and parades are marching in our favorite southern city. But the final crescendo comes next week on Fat Tuesday, with revelers planning to go all out one more time. Some of our favorite hotels in NOLA are conveniently situated for those looking to join the debauchery—so choose your favorite and then, as they say in New Orleans, let the good times roll.
The best day ever starts with a green drink in the courtyard of Satsuma in the Bywater, a juice bar and vegetarian breakfast/lunch spot (they’re just now starting to serve dinner a few nights a week); its cavernous interior is a mellow but social place to spend the morning.
I’d follow that with a yoga class at Swan River Yoga in the Marigny, a light-filled room above a beautiful courtyard. Then I’d ride my bike back through the colorful cottages of the Marigny and up Esplanade Avenue towards City Park, where I’d gulp down a killer bowl of gumbo from Liuzza’s by the Track for lunch.
A federal judge has ruled that BP is not entitled to see confidential documents used by a court-appointed investigator who has alleged that some attorneys acted improperly in the claims process arising from the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
Loyola University hosted its third annual Mardi Gras Forum, a presentation celebrating Mardi Gras’ unique traditions and importance to the city of New Orleans, on Feb. 24.
“Mardi Gras has always been central to this city,” said Jim Gabour, artist-in-residence and professor of video technology at Loyola.
Gabour specializes in documenting New Orleans’ rich culture through video and aims to teach students that Carnival in New Orleans is more than just a night on Bourbon Street.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman and New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas displayed what's more formally known as the Mobile Communications Unit and Mardi Gras Alternate Intake and Processing Compound. The mobile booking site, now in its eighth year, will be open for business Friday through Monday, enabling NOPD officers to quickly book people and move on to other work...
It seems there is a tradition here in South Louisiana that every house have a pot of Mardi Gras gumbo simmering on the stove on Fat Tuesday. This ritual is linked to Le Courir de Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras Run) that came from the back country — something totally unlike the pageantry and parades seen in the cities. This maintains its French pronunciation because of its place of origin, the French countryside. It is the Mardi Gras my mom grew up knowing, the “real Mardi Gras” as she said — masked men on horseback and in costumechasing chickens that would end up in a communal pot of gumbo. That tradition, along with many others, was buried deep within her but it was not passed on. I do remember stories she tried to tell us about the “Mardi Gras” on horseback riding through Mamou and Ville Platte, “stealing” chickens and wearing mask that hid their identity and partial intoxication; it was, after all, Fat Tuesday and the next day Lent began and the merriment would stop abruptly at midnight within these strict Catholic communities. It was all so steeped in tradition and creed — the masks, the flying feathers, the horses, and the kids in the country witnessing this amazing and mystic troupe of riders. Imagine the thrill and wonderment, there was no FB, TV, or Instagram to alert them or refer to — just masked men appearing in the early morning fog on Mardi Gras day running through fields and yards chasing chickens at the direction of the Capitaine.
To most, beads are only important during the season and quickly lose their luster when the parades have stopped rolling. But the beads travel a long way to arrive in the Crescent City and their lives continue on well after Fat Tuesday has passed.
As we roll up to Mardi Gras, which has arguably become one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the U.S., some of us are lucky enough to find ourselves heading to the heart of the party -- New Orleans. With so many great bars to visit in the area, both on and off of Bourbon St., we've made a list of some of our favorites for you to try this year.
Billy Iuso has been added to the lineup for this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The guitarist and songwriter will take the stage on May 1 with members of his band, The Restless Natives, and other special guests.
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It seems there is a tradition here in South Louisiana that every house have a pot of Mardi Gras gumbo simmering on the stove on Fat Tuesday. This ritual is linked to Le Courir de Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras Run) that came from the back country — something totally unlike the pageantry and parades seen in the cities. This maintains its French pronunciation because of its place of origin, the French countryside. It is the Mardi Gras my mom grew up knowing, the “real Mardi Gras” as she said — masked men on horseback and in costumechasing chickens that would end up in a communal pot of gumbo. That tradition, along with many others, was buried deep within her but it was not passed on. I do remember stories she tried to tell us about the “Mardi Gras” on horseback riding through Mamou and Ville Platte, “stealing” chickens and wearing mask that hid their identity and partial intoxication; it was, after all, Fat Tuesday and the next day Lent began and the merriment would stop abruptly at midnight within these strict Catholic communities. It was all so steeped in tradition and creed — the masks, the flying feathers, the horses, and the kids in the country witnessing this amazing and mystic troupe of riders. Imagine the thrill and wonderment, there was no FB, TV, or Instagram to alert them or refer to — just masked men appearing in the early morning fog on Mardi Gras day running through fields and yards chasing chickens at the direction of the Capitaine.
