Rhinestone Highway: Celebrating America's Festivals, Fairs & Pageants

Blog on hiatus. Book on the way.

2009-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

This blog is currently on hiatus as I prepare the book which has arisen from my travels. Thanks to all the queens (four pictured with me at left), their families, and festivals who helped make it possible. The book is titled The Rhinestone Sisterhood and will be released by Crown in April 2010. When more details are available, I'll post here and at www.davidvaldesgreenwood.com.

It's not just the Miss queens making a difference

2009-02-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Landry (top photo, left), Susan Dore (right), and Tatum Dore (center) show the role that festival queens of all ages play in their community. Elizabeth is the Woman Okra Festival Queen and the Woman Honeybee Festival Queen, while Susan is the Mrs. Okra Festival Queen, and little Tatum is the Tiny Miss Cracklin Festival, T’Nincy Courir de Mardi Gras, Toddler Duck Festival Queen, and Baby Ray*la*ne XI; together, they brought Christmas presents to all of the children at the Ronald McDonald House. Elizabeth and Susan also teamed up to raise funds for the family of Austin Bryant (pictured below), a four year-old with cancer who is undergoing chemotherapy while awaiting a liver transplant. They raised over $2000, in addition to collecting food for the family and baby clothing for Austin's baby brother Dallas, born last week.

Mardi Gras is timeless

2009-02-26T18:10:00.001-08:00

The 2008 Southwest Mardi Gras Queen, Danielle Herrell, met a senior queen and her court at an Assisted Living Mardi Gras ball in this picture taken by her mom. (This is one of my favorite photos.)

Mardis Moments with the Cracklin Queen

2009-02-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

Brittany Soileau, Cracklin Queen, began her Mardi Gras celebrations by attending two Mardi Gras pageants, where her snapshots captured traditions old and one new: the making of a masque (seen here with the Teen Catfish Queen) and the decorating of Mardi Gras trees, a newer and slightly tongue-in-cheek ritual that extends the shelf life of Christmas trees.

Swamp Pop Music Festival Queen at Queen of Queens

2009-02-15T07:49:00.001-08:00

Megan Waguespack, the Swamp Pop Musical Festival Queen, is a girl with a crown and a mission. Her festival raises funds for Cystic Fibrosis and Megan’s been hard at work attending Bowl-a-thons, Great Stride Walks, Golf Tournaments, and other events for the cause. Since “cystic fibrosis” is hard for children to say, the CF Foundation came up with an easier alternative: “Sixty-five roses,” a phrase which has also become its logo. When Megan arrived at Queen of Queens, her festival surprised her (top left) with a bouquet of sixty-five roses to wish her well and honor her work. The theme of Queen of Queens was LAFF goes to Hollywood, as you can see in Megan’s best red carpet pose with Oscar (far right) and at the costume party, where she was one of the Marilyn Monroes (bottom left, with fellow Marilyn, Miss Beauregard Parish Fair Kacey Brister). This was Megan’s first trip to Queen of Queens and she placed in the Top 15, earning the coveted red pin (center). She and the other finalists shared a prayer of thanksgiving and a plea for calm nerves before the onstage interview portion of the evening; it was the kind of positive moment that shows the best spirit of festival pageants.

Queen of Queens Costume Party

2009-02-10T18:39:00.001-08:00

The 86 contestants delighted the Friday night LAFF convention crowd by dressing up as Hollywood characters. These photos, taken by Dayna Willis, show (clockwise from top left) Crawfish Queen Nonnie Berard as Lucille Ball, Washington Catfish Queen Heather Hickey as Cruella Deville, Cattle Queen Kristen Hoover as Jessie from Toy Story, Miss LA Cajun Food Gabrielle Theriot (Willis's daughter) as Mulan, Strawberry Queen Jeni Abrams as Dorothy, Frog Queen Chelsea Richard as the WB Frog, Miss Allen Parish Fair Rose Woodward as Cleopatra, and Celtic Nations Heritage Queen Winter Duhon as Scarlett O'Hara.

Miss LA Cajun Food keeps up with the many moods of Queen of Queens

2009-02-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Theriot, Miss Louisiana Cajun Food, shows the

presto-change-o nature of Queen of Queens weekend,

in which she began with a 1950's look, went professional

for interview, donned a Mulan costume for the LAFF Goes

to Hollywood party, and then glammed up for the pageant.

(Photos courtesy of Dayna Willis.)

Miss Washington Catfish at Queen of Queens

2009-02-09T12:21:00.001-08:00

Former Queen Ray*La*Ne and 2008 Miss Washington Catfish,

Heather Elise Hickey shows the span of activities included in Queen of Queens:

from the casual 1950’s drive-in party (which she is dressed for in the photo

with her catfish door decoration), to her turn as Cruella DeVille at the Hollywood

costume event on Friday, and then on to Saturday, which involved preparations for

the big night and the chance to make a dazzling entrance in red. Though she’s sad to be

giving up her current title in a couple of weeks, she already has been chosen to re-join

the Rhinestone Sisterhood: in May, she becomes Steamboat Queen, her third opportunity

in as many years to serve Louisiana’s festivals. (Photos courtesy of Heather Elise Hickey)

Queen of Queens: Update

2009-02-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

I will not be posting my own photographs of the wonderful LAFF Convention and Queen of Queens weekend, but will post photos taken by the participants and sent to me. This way they can show their own personal experiences of the events. For Top 15 and other awards, visit www.laffnet.org .

Mardi Gras: An Amazing Mystick Krewe

2009-02-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

The evening winds down with dances led by the costumed Krewe, who call out audience members for seven special dances, leading to boogeying by all. DC Mardi Gras is truly one of the most unforgettable events of any Louisiania queen's year (and the same may be said of all of us fortunate enough to attend).

Mardi Gras: I love a parade

2009-02-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

Things get really unbelievable when the King's float separates from the stage, the back "wall" of curtains splits apart, and a half dozen parade floats appear in the ballroom, leading to a bead-throwing frenzy, with all the bands and krewe members joining the floats in a forty-minute loop.

Mardi Gras: Crowning glories

2009-02-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

The festival queens sit onstage above the ball's King and Queen (this year a father-daughter duo), and add glamour to the scene, while enjoying festivities themselves. Shown here are Strawberry, Rice, Crawfish, Troubadour, and Yam queens, with the Troubadour queen in a hoop skirt so big she had to sit over her chair instead of on it.

Mardi Gras: Hail to the Queens, II

2009-02-03T17:34:00.001-08:00

The queens were often cheered on by attendees from their own parishes. Cattle Queen Kristen, Gonzales Jambalaya Queen Jenna, Queen Cotton Brandy, Dixie Gem Peach Queen Jennifer, Fur & Wildlife Queen Lauren, and Frog Queen Chelsea are shown taking their turns in the spotlight, with especially raucous supporters for Fur and Frog. (Note: If I have mixed up any queens, please do correct me.)

Mardi Gras: Hail to the Queens, Part I

2009-02-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

The final dignataries presented are the festival queens, who glide through the ballroom led by krewe members carrying signs proclaiming each girl's name and festival. I was unable to get good shots of all the queens (and I sincerely apologize to those not pictured), but they all deported themselves well at the ball, earning applause from the crowds. Seen here: Strawberry Queen Jeni, Rice Queen Devin, Crawfish Queen Nonnie, Troubadours Queen Elizabeth, Yambilee Queen Meghin, and French Food Queen Kayla

Mardi Gras: Princesses on parade

2009-02-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

Representing every region of the
state, princesses in white gowns and
gloves promenade before the crowd
on the arms of male relatives, earning
applause especially as they pass
contingents from their hometowns.
Qiana Monique Champagne and her
stepfather (top) were the picture of elegance
as they made their rounds.

Mardi Gras: Geaux Tigers

2009-02-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

No single event of the evening matched the moment the surprise guests were announced: the LSU marching band. Grown men stood on their chairs, jockeying for position to take pictures with their cell phones, and the masses sang along as the band paraded through the ballroom playing fight songs.

Mardi Gras: Let me...and me...and me entertain you

2009-02-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Mystick Krewe keeps
the party grooving by
providing endless entertainment:
from a dixie-land brass band to a
to a swing orchestra to a Marine
marching band, this year from
Quantico.

Mardi Gras: Let's get this party started

2009-02-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

Once the queens are in place in the waiting area,

thousands of guests fill the ball room for the

extravaganza of the year. Several hundred colorful masked Krewe members get the ball rolling in a party

that lasts five hours.

Mardi Gras: A mother's work is never done

2009-02-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

With a mantle fanning out like a peacock, a crown more than a foot tall, and a heavy scepter, the Gumbo Queen
Kayla Troxler had enough to focus on, so it was up to her Mom to carry the weighty train as the queen moved from location to location.

Mardi Gras: All caught up

2009-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Before the ball, SWLA Mardi Gras Queen

2008 Danielle Harrell discovered that her

crown was so tall, it was smacking into the

crystal light fixtures.

Mardi Gras: Hurry up and wait

2009-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's a long wait and a chilly one for girls in sleeveless gowns. Grand Isle's Ariel Terrebonne huddles inside her own skirt as she passes the time.

Mardi Gras: History in hand

2009-02-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Orange Festival Queen and Rice Festival Queen,

both representing festivals more than a half century old, compare their scepters while waiting. The Orange scepter has been passed down for six decades.

Mardi Gras: Puttin' on the ritz

2009-02-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Queens dress in evening gowns and their full festival regalia for the event, preparation which often takes assistance (as the Yambilee Queen here helps cinch Queen Cotton into her mantle). The girls often compare their festival finery, including the full trains, which are often elaborate, including the Shrimp & Petroleum and Frog trains shown here.

Mardi Gras: Ladies in waiting

2009-02-03T16:48:00.001-08:00

After two days touring Washington, the queens ready for the big event: the Ball. The Queens must assemble several hours before they actually make their entrance before several thousand revelers. A long hallway is lined with chairs bearing their names and titles.

Mardi Gras: Meet the Governor

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

Before departing, the queens meet the Governor and First Lady at the mansion. Bobby Jindal is a rising star in the Republican Party, so they have may have stood shoulder to shoulder with a future president. (Photo courtesy of Governor's Office)

Washington Mardi Gras

2009-02-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest traditions for festival queens in Louisiana is the chance to participate in the Washington DC Mardi Gras of the Mystick Krewe of the Louisianians, a 61 year-old tradition run by the son of its original founder. 25 festival queens at a time, with another set of festivals attending in alternate years, represent the parishes in the nation's capital for 4 days.

Spotlight on Bayou Teche Bear Festival Queen

2009-01-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

If you’re the Bayou Teche Bear Festival Queen, sometimes you trade your sash for a life jacket--after all, the home base for your festival is a rich, ecologically diverse Bayou. Heather Lynn Phillips, the current queen, is seen here on the Bayou with an agent of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The college sophomore has spent her reign traveling to other towns and parishes to talk about the threatened species, including educating children on the do’s and don’ts of interacting with a bear in the wild.
One event from her festival weekend is the Oyster Eating contest (shown here, middle and bottom), which Heather makes look blissfully easy, but proved a challenge for a Queen Mom who tried hard to be a good sport. (Note, at very near right, the clown who competed still wearing his make-up!) Heather was joined by visiting Teen and Miss Queens from the Farm Bureau, Cajun Hot Sauce, and Cypress Swamp festivals for the events held in beautiful Franklin, known for its cypress tupelo swamps, live oaks, and antebellum architecture.

Spotlight on Miss LA Cajun Food Fest

2009-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Theriot, Miss LA Cajun Food Fest, comes from a royal family: her 4 year-old sister Macy (on Santa's knee) is Petite Miss LA Honey Bee Festival Queen and her mother Dayna (not shown) is Mrs. Queen of the Pines for the St. Helena Forest Festival. (Even Gabrielle's grandmother participated in festival pageants as a girl.) Kaplan, the hometown of Gabrielle's current festival, is part of Vermilion Parish, which she says is known “the most Cajun place on earth.” Beyond her festival (which features cook-offs and live music), Gabrielle’s duties include at least 20 events as a visiting queen and regular attendance at Chamber of Commerce meetings in Kaplan. This is her first time as a Miss Queen, but she was Teen Crawfish before this, and says she chose which festivals to compete for based on her favorite foods--not a bad idea, at least if you've ever tasted the food down here!

Spotlight on Miss Luling Boutte Fall Festival

2009-01-13T07:45:00.001-08:00

The queen of the newest festival in Louisiana is Robin Sons, the first Miss Luling Boutte Lions Club Fall Festival. The Fall Festival is a weekend-long spirit booster and benefit, from which all proceeds go to the Louisiana Lions Camp for children with mental and physical challenges, diabetes, and pulmonary disorders. Robin travels the state to introduce people to the new festival, as you see her doing (bottom left) at the Gumbo Festival in Chackbay, but she also must travel an hour each way from home in Berwick to preside over events in Luling, like the Halloween social (bottom right). This summer, the 19 year-old joined other visiting queens as a guest of honor at the New Orleans Zephyrs Ballpark Beauties night.

Spotlight on Erath Miss 4th of July Queen

2009-01-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

Having represented various festivals since she was 16, 23 year-old Allyson Boudreaux (driving the truck bottom left) is officially in her last reign as a Miss queen on the festival circuit. For her final title, as Erath Miss 4th of July Queen, she made it her mission to focus on American troops during her year of service. As she explains, "I joined with a non-profit organization called Soldier's Angels. With them, I do everything from saying farewell to units being deployed to visiting Veterans Hospitals. I'm in the process of doing two projects: trying to get over 1,000 signed 'Thank You' cards sent to soldiers; and working on 'Operation Mardi Gras 2009,' to bring Louisiana Mardi Gras to the soldiers deployed overseas. The 244th Louisiana Guard unit out of Hammond will get together on Mardi Gras day, in Iraq, and put on a Mardi Gras parade 'Louisiana Style' for the other soldiers not from around here." (To learn more visit the website at http://www.soldiersangelsla.org/ .)

Shown here are some of the Erath 4th of July festivities, including water fights between the fire crews from neighboring towns. As queen, Allyson presents the winners with their trophy and a ceremonial red stick that gets passed on year to year. Joining her is the current Queen of Queens, Brandi Stout.

Spotlight on LA Honey Bee Queen

2009-01-10T07:53:00.001-08:00

The Louisiana Honey Bee Festival is unusual among state festivals in that it doesn’t honor one town, parish, or industry but rather the fight against children’s illnesses. Started in memory of Heather Williams, a girl who died of leukemia, the festival’s events (including a vintage car show) all raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and, with other similar fundraisers in the state, bring in about $400,000 a year. The current Honey Bee queen is another Heather, 19 year-old Heather Gonzalez. Among her activities since her October crowning, she attended attended the Festival of the Bonfires (where she had her face painted in honeybee pride), and the Westwego Festival, where she met local mascot Mr. Ray
--an inflatable fireman with a real person inside--and clowned around with visiting royalty, pretending to save her banner from the jaws of an alligator with the St. James Parish, French Food, St. John Sugar, Orange, and Strawberry queens.

Spotlight on the Louisiana Tournoi Queen

2009-01-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Leigh Phillips of Sulphur is Queen over one of the most colorful and historic Louisiana events, Le Tournoi. This tournament traces its roots back to the town’s founding by its first mayor, a major from Napoleon’s army who was enamored of the French tradition of knights in armor riding horseback and fighting with heavy lances. For most of the 19th century, Ville Platte held similar tournaments four or five times a year as major sporting events, which faded in popularity at the dawn of the 20th. Le Tournoi returned mid-century, eventually becoming a feature of the Cotton Festival, and has continued to this day, with knights on horseback racing a track while trying to spear the most rings; the winner receives his prize from the Queen and together they reign over the evening’s ball. As is clear from these photos, Leigh, the 60th Louisiana Tournoi Queen, is no slouch herself when it comes to horses--she can ride to her own rescue! And that's not the only arena in which she excels: she was named Calcasieu Parish Student of the Year in 2009.

Spotlight on the Cracklin Queen

2009-01-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

An important cultural event for St. Landry Parish, the Port Barre Cracklin Festival is a weekend-long celebration of my favorite Cajun snack. (Alas, Cracklins reveal the dirty little secret behind all the best food down here: anything that tastes this sinfully delicious can’t possibly be good for you.) Local girl Brittany Soileau, crowned Miss Cracklin Festival Queen in November, presided over a weekend that included a parade, live music, prize drawings (above left), and a Cracklin Cook-Off, all to raise money for the local Lions Club. After the festival, the high school senior took to the highway to attend other festivals as a Visiting Queen, enjoying the camaraderie of spending time with her Rhinestone Sisters, including Teen Catfish queen Lindsey Burghdoff (above right).

A ride to remember

2008-12-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

My visit to Cameron Parish, where nature yields both incredible beauty and stunning challenges, was as uplifting as it was sobering. I won’t forget it.

Nature will have its say

2008-12-21T18:48:00.001-08:00

The serenity of the scene belied a sobering truth: the beach is eroding at roughly 40 feet inward each year. Every bit of beach the queens walked on in their visit—and everything you see in this photo—will be under water by the time the Fur & Wildlife Festival returns in January 2010.

Gifts of the sea

2008-12-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

The refuge ends at the Gulf of Mexico at a lovely beach of coarse, pale sand. Except it isn’t sand at all, but the tiny remnants of countless wave-worn shells. The queens enjoyed picking among the abundant in tact shells, some as big as grapefruit.

Not so fast

2008-12-21T18:40:00.001-08:00

Trying to squeeze through a narrow cut-out in dense marsh,

Refuge Manager Perry (left), the Cotton Queen Brandy Matulich

(far right), and the Fur & Wildlife Pageant director Vicki Little

(near right), found themselves stuck and listing to one side—

not a problem except for being miles from true terra firma

with a lively alligator population calling the marsh home. But

with Scooter adding his muscle and talking Vicki through

driving while he and Guthrie gave a good heave, the airboat

and its passengers ended up free in the end.

Faster than a speeding bullet

2008-12-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

While visitors are welcome to certain parts of the refuge in
specific months, able to do crabbing and crawfish trapping,
only the staff have full access to the 26-mile coastline via
airboats, which are powered by enormous airplane engines.
The Fur Queen arranged for her guests to zip through the
marshland at thrill-ride speed aboard airboats like this one,
which she shares with the Frog Queen.

Guardians of the kingdom

2008-12-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Fur & Wildlife Queen is a rare queen who represents not just an industry or town but an ecosystem. The refuge that is part of her domain is protected, preserved, and studied by a

team of biologists, including Philip Trosclair—better known as Scooter—who grew up nearby, interned here as a teen, got his degree, and returned for his adult career. At left, he shows an alligator skull found in the mud. The institutional memory rests in the experience of Refuge Manager Guthrie Perry, who has worked here for decades, and written books based on his research. Here, Perry introduces the visiting queens to the refuge, describing the challenges it currently faces.

Smile pretty

2008-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

The Fur queen’s next stop led her peers to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, 76,000 acres of marshland. Home to ducks, geese, spoonbill, egrets, deer, armadillo, muskrat, nutria, and mink, among other species, the refuge is perhaps best known for its alligators. But at the visitor’s center, your first greeter is this madly grinning coyote, which was bagged in the refuge. Chelsea tries to match his smile with some killer whites of her own.

Used to be my playground

2008-12-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

The final stop in our tour of damage

and recovery areas were the old

school grounds. The original Cameron

schools plot had multiple buildings,

including the auditorium where the

Fur queen was crowned each year.

Rita wiped all that out, leaving only a

cement footprint, where you can still

see the outline of the aisles once

walked by audiences for school

plays and concerts. After the

schools were rebuilt in one building

a few miles away, the old school

grounds became the festival site—

until Ike roared through this year,

not only blasting the festival site

but leveling the new school.

With board members homeless and

the town struggling to rebuild, the

festival has been cancelled until 2010.

Movin' on up

2008-12-21T18:20:00.000-08:00

One regulation put in place after Rita was that all houses must be built at a specific elevation or manually elevated at levels ranging from 4 to 12 feet (depending on the zone), yielding an unusual landscape of new homes perched on stilts of various materials (concrete block and brick mostly, though some are wooden). One re-builder christened the result with the amusing title at far left.

Debris

2008-12-20T16:48:00.001-08:00

Many residents have not yet been able to return and their empty wrecked homes stand as a testimony to their loss. Houses are spray-painted with their street addresses (though the houses themselves may not have ended up where they stood before the storm) and the owner’s names, a poignant reminder that these were once neighborhoods. FEMA has become something of the hand that giveth and the hand that taketh away; after initially offering money for newly homeless residents who’d had no insurance, FEMA has recently issued a new map prohibiting the rebuilding of property in 80% of the parish, leaving residents with literally no place to call home again. The state is appealing the ruling.

Battered

2008-12-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

After volunteering in
the morning, the queens
headed deep into Cameron
Parish, where the hurricane
aftermath is evident
everywhere. 1800 of the
homes in the Parish were
destroyed by Ike, with the
majority of homes in the town
of Cameron wiped out.
This came just three years after
Rita destroyed 90% of the town.

Home is where the hurt is

2008-12-20T16:38:00.000-08:00

The banner at right is hung on the Christmas tree in the children's room of the Calcasieu Women's Shelter, where the Fur Queen was joined by the Frog and Cotton queens for a morning of community service, helping do clean-up, sorting children's toys, and doing small home repairs in the women's rooms. Hearing from a shelter staffer that a woman is abused every 9 seconds somewhere in the country really made an impression. As Brandy, the Cotton Queen (far right), said after meeting several of the families housed there, “I realized how sheltered I’ve actually been.”

Sometimes you feel like a crown, sometimes you don't

2008-12-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

A Fur Queen has to enjoy the outdoors, even if she’s never picked up a gun or skinned a wild animal in her life. Lauren Naquin shows both sides of the Fur Queen lifestyle here: dressing up for formal events and dressing down to head into a nature reserve, as shown, where she has swapped her crown for noise-canceling headphones to board an airboat on the day she showed us around.

Cameron Parish: Home of the Fur & Wildlife Festival

2008-12-20T16:21:00.000-08:00

Cameron Parish, Louisiana, is the largest of the state's parishes in land mass—1900 square miles—but second smallest in population, with just over 8,000 residents. It’s endless combination of open prairie, vast marshes, and bayous make it a sportsman’s paradise, and the natural home to the Louisiana Fur & Wildlife Festival. Since 1955, the festival has involved skeet-shooting, nutria-skinning, oyster-shucking, and more. But not this year: Hurricane Ike has wreaked so much havor, the January 2009 festival has been cancelled. This week, the Fur queen invited several of her fellow festival queens to come see her Parish anyway, both in its devastation and its natural splendor.

When the clown poops out, it's time to go home.

2008-12-10T08:15:00.001-08:00

All good festivals must come

to an end and the 62nd Orange

Festival was no exception, as

this clown--unable to tie one

more balloon animal--made clear.

The thrill of victory?

2008-12-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

Among the more challenging events were the satsuma race--in which three entire satsumas (like mandarin oranges) are eaten at once--and the kumquat stuffing, in which as many kumquats as possible are stuffed into the competitor's mouth (though not consumed). The respective winners were Jenna Levert, Gonzales Jambalaya Queen (left), and Blaine Nielsen, the current Orange Queen (right), though these were victories neither could celebrate with a smile, for obvious reasons.

Go speed racer, go!

2008-12-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Among the citrus-themed events, festival queens participated in citrus peeling contests (to see who could make the longest ribbon of peel) and rapid orange-eating. The Andouille, St. John Sugar, Gheens Bon Mange, Orange, and Gonzales Jambalaya queens show how it's done.

Heart attack on a plate.

2008-12-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

This Orange Festival midway offering looks really really good and really really bad all at once. Please don't tell the Surgeon General.

The Queen Mother only wears a hat in England

2008-12-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Politicians love to talk about "soccer moms," but Louisiana has a special breed of its own: Queen Moms. These are the moms of festival queens, who often drive their daughters all over the state and, in some cases, put in nearly as many hours on behalf of their festivals as the queens do. One Queen Mom--as her lapel pin identifies her--is Dawn Childs, mother of Queen Cotton Brandy Matulich. Dawn always has her camera with her, which makes her one of the Mamarazzi (one of my favorite terms), and the Orange Festival photos here are all hers.

Into the woods

2008-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

It was cool enough by Louisiana standards (you know, 50's) to require winter coats as the festival queens from around the state arrived and explored the orange groves. Queen Cotton discovers that it isn't easy to pick oranges and keep your crown on at the same time. (Photos: Dawn Childs)

Not just for breakfast anymore: Plaquemines Parish Orange Festival

2008-12-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

The Plaquemines Parish Orange festival is a 62-year tradition unbowed by hurricanes, including Katrina, which wiped out its original hometown and cost citrus growers 10 million dollars in losses. Though Buras, in the southern end of Lousiana's southermost parish, is still recovering, the festival continues to the north in Belle Chasse. This year's festival drew thousands this past weekend for a high-spirited time symbolized by Blossom and Man-Darin, the roving mascots (top left). Signs everywhere proclaimed "Think Orange" and there were plenty of citrus-themed activities, including orange races and citrus cook-offs, as well an art competition, whose winners included the maker of the all-fruit carnival scene below, which features terrified kumquats clearly desperate to get off the ride. (Top photo: Orange Festival. Bottom photo: Dawn Childs.)

Serious Sparkle

2008-12-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

You might think an 8-tier Living Christmas Tree big enough

to house 20 full-grown adults might be enough stage decoration

for one event, but when the forty-plus visiting queens took

the stage at the Miss Festival of the Bonfires Queen pageant,

they completely out-dazzled even the enormous tree.

Though the queens are gone now, the bonfires burn this weekend

and Christmas Eve, so there's still time to find your way

to Lutcher for a view. (Photos: Dawn Childs)

It's all fun and games till someone loses a pie

2008-12-10T06:07:00.001-08:00

Being good sports, the visiting queens--
some having traveled from hours away--
made of the best of being trapped inside,
with old school games and silly fun,
including the classic pie-in-the-face
trick, as the Catfish Queen demonstrates below.
(Photos Dawn Childs)

Another sign of the times.

2008-12-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

This is the sled made by the Hurricane Queen. (Yes, there's a Hurricane Festival. It strikes me as being in the "if you can't beam 'em, join 'em" spirit.)

(Photo: Dawn Childs)

Charlie's Angels meet Martha Stewart

2008-12-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

One tradition is for the visiting festival queens to build sleds big enough for them to ride in down the levee. Here, the queens show their crafty skills, wielding glue guns like weapons of mass creation. The fruits of their labors were sleds themed to match their home festivals but, sadly, the levee races were rained out, which meant the only sledding was done on a gymnasium floor. (Photos: Dawn Childs)

Burn, Baby, Burn: Festival of the Bonfires

2008-12-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

Lutcher, Lousiana (population 3,600) is home to one of the state’s most visually arresting traditions: the festival of the bonfire. This weekend, 18-foot tall log pyres will rise alongside the Mississippi levee, and each night, a different one will be set ablaze. This is a prelude to Christmas Eve, when 100 such bonfires will illuminate the levees throughout St. James Parish, a tradition that local legend says grew out of a need to light Santa’s way through the Bayou. The festival period actually started two weeks ago with Bonfire pageant day, when visiting festival queens (including Fur, Cotton, and Cattle, pictured) came from around the state to kick things off.
Photos left and right from Nola.com and Dawn Childs, respectively.

Meanwhile, back at home...

2008-12-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

As I take a break from my trips south
for my third book, I am at home in
time for my second book,
A Little Fruitcake: A Childhood in Holidays,
to return to book stores. Readers of
A Little Fruitcake will discover
why I'm so interested in small town
festivals--my own roots are in a town of
2,000 people in rural Maine, which is the
setting for the book. The 12 stories
in this book are all set around Christmases
as I battle with my grandmother and the
rest of my clan over how Christmas
should be. A Little Fruitcake was a Today
Show holiday gift pick last Christmas
but, as a seasonal title, has been hibernating
ever since. Now that the holidays are here,
it's available again, and I'm back to spreading
the word. It's a good glimpse of my affection
for small town traditions and my sense of
humor, both of which I hope to bring
to the new book.

Community Service Field Notes: Traveling Wall in Sabine Parish

2008-12-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

The Traveling Wall replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial came to Many, Louisiana last week and was hosted by Sabine Parish; Kelli Sepulvado, shown here, visited the Wall in her role as Sabine Parish Fairs & Festival Queen. Sabine Parish had 12 soldiers whose names are among the more than 58,000 inscribed on the wall, including a Zwolle High classmate of Kelli’s dad. Kelli’s uncle served in the Vietnam War but came home safe, which cannot be said of the loved ones of some of the families she visited with in her time at the memorial. On the final day of the visit, 50 veterans arrived by motorcycle in a group and rode a procession around the wall in honor of the soldiers. Kelli describes the entire event as making her feel both “proud and sad that so many have given their lives.”

Community Service Field Notes: Miss Sulphur Heritage and the kindest cut of all

2008-11-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Erin Husbands, Miss Sulphur Heritage, grew her

hair out for over two years, not as a style choice,

but as a community service. This fall, she had 10

inches cut off to donate to the non-profit organization

“Locks of Love,” which provides wigs for children

who have lost their hair due to illness. As reporter

Lee Peck of KPLC TV told viewers, this is the

second time; Erin first donated hair to Locks of Love

almost three years ago, and she planned for this

second haircut almost from the moment the first

was complete. That’s quite a vision—a donation

two years in the making. But Erin says that getting

new hair is “a life-changing experience for those

children, and I just had to step in and do what I could.”

24 hours

2008-11-21T03:39:00.001-08:00

Festival queens are usually insanely busy,
juggling school, work, volunteer events,
and queen duties. In this photo from
earlier this fall, you see glimpses of
that life for Chelsea, the Frog Queen.
In the span of 24 hours, she finished
working an 8-hour shift at her job in
the mall, woke up early for a full-morning
Buddy Walk with Down's Syndrome
children, went rock-climbing (in banner,
no less) just to see what it would be like,
went home to pack up her regalia and
drive to another city, and then headed
off to attend that city's festival ball regalia.

Presto change-o

2008-11-12T06:27:00.001-08:00

One of the fascinating elements of the evening is that the Queen wears the same dress as all the Queens before her—literally. It has adjustable seams and pieces that fold down or out as necessary, so that when her successor is crowned, both Queens are whisked away to a room where a seamstress stands by to help speed the dress exchange. The new Queen returns to begin her reign literally wrapped in history. This year’s queen, Blaine (shown at right), loves the festival so much, she ran for this crown four times—and, finally, it is hers.

Princess practice

2008-11-12T06:25:00.000-08:00

Each girl competing for the crown has her own young attendant, who wears a white formal and sits up front for the entire ball. The youngest participants of all are the Orange Blossoms, shown here with orange sashes at the waist, one of whom is shown reacting to the chill of air conditioning in a sleeveless dress.

Minding their manners

2008-11-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

The entire Ball is very ritualized, with escorts and attendants, formal wear and even a traditional way to wave a scepter (in front of you, sweeping left to right and then back). The attendant presenting herself to the outgoing royalty with the required curtsy is the granddaughter of Popich, the first king. Kari, the Queen shown here, is the sister of a past Orange queen and daughter of a past president.

Return of the King

2008-11-12T06:08:00.000-08:00

The King’s Coronation Ball, which crowns both
the new King and the new Queen, is now held in
the English Turn Country Club, which may well
be the nicest venue any of the festival queens
will see for months. People who grow up in
Plaquemine’s Parish see the King’s Ball as both the
party of the year and a family tradition. The first
King, Tom Popich, attended 42 years after his
crowning, and more than 20 of his successors
joined him; they were easily identified by the
heavy silver medallions around their necks.

Plaquemine's Parish Orange Ball: A grand tradition

2008-11-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

It isn't all cattle yards and pig barns for the festival queens. The Orange Ball is held in a country club outside New Orleans, but it wasn't always that way. The ball's celebrants all hail from Plaquemines Parish, which was almost completely flooded during Katrina, as all the ring levees gave way. Buras, the original hometown of the festival, was wiped out: its water tower collapsed into itself, the civic center was smashed, and homes were leveled. But the tradition of the Orange Festival is so important that the community, while rebuilding and heartsick with loss, held the festival anyway, but in Belle Chasse, 50 miles away (though still in the same parish). 107 days after Katrina, they proved they wouldn’t let one storm change history. Nights like this one are proof of their spirit.

So long and thanks for all the Frogs

2008-11-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Festival director Cheryl McCarty and ultimate volunteer Miles Boudreaux wave from their gator as the parade passes by. The friendliness and warmth they offer defines Rayne, where

the welcome mat is always out. Thanks, Rayne, for making me so at home.

Belle of the Ball

2008-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Once the shy girl who didn't say boo,

now Chelsea reigns over the entire festival

from the highest perch in the parade,

a long-held dream that she made come

true with effort, patience, and the right

attitude

Candy queens

2008-11-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

Katelyn, Queen RayLaNe, and Heather, Washington Catfish Queen, throw candy to the crowds from their float, where they were joined by a Whitman's Sampler of assorted queens representing both Rayne and other towns.

I think I detect a theme here...

2008-11-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Stevie, the Gueydan Duck queen, graces an enormous duck decoy that might be upstaged by the duck mascot, with its feathered headdress, riding in the truck pulling her float.

Brighten the corner where you are

2008-11-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

You might not think an RV would be the most glamorous locale but if you're a festival queen getting ready for your big parade, you can make do. Chelsea's family had set up camp by the festival grounds, cooking ribs and gumbo, and offering her a home base close to all the events. Here, she gets dressed for the Grand Parade.

Duty calls, round two

2008-11-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

This year, several photographers thought that simply holding a frog wasn't good enough, so Chelsea and her Teen Queen Kelsey were pressed to eat frog legs on camera as well. It's not really their fave--bbq burgers are much preferred--but they played along, with samples from the local Jaycees booth. (For the record, the Jaycees' frog legs were delicious.)

Duty calls

2008-11-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

On Saturday of the festival, the press expects the Frog Queen to pose with a frog. This year's queen Chelsea grew up here, so she was pretty comfortable complying with this request. The trick to keep the frog as poised as the queen is to hold the frog with one finger on either side of its backbone.

Oh, pioneer!

2008-11-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

At Frog Derby, the crowds were entertained by this irrepressible dance troupe from neighboring Crowley. The first time I saw the International Rice Festival dancers (at the Rice Ball last month), I was surprised when the line up of young women appeared to contain a man. It was explained to me that the group, formerly known as the Ricettes, had been all-female for many years until he signed up, and the name had been changed to reflect the new gender diversity.

Frog Derby 5: The good Grandpa

2008-11-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

The overall winner was Madison Guidry, whose grandfather is seen here safeguarding her trophy and frog bucket (yes, Pete's inside) as the press clamored for Maddie's picture.

Frog Derby 4: Ups and downs

2008-11-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Nicole watches as her frog makes a valiant leap in the frog jump portion of the competition, but her sister Summer won that battle instead.

Frog Derby 3: Not as easy at it looks

2008-11-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

Emily seems to question how much she really wants to be a Frog handler.

Frog Derby 2: Meet the toads

2008-11-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

The costumes of the non-human participants this year included (left to right) an offshore oilfrog (Pete), cowboy frog, clown frog, and farmgirl frog (named Bella Mae). Unseen is the first frog's accompanying three-foot tall oil rig, which contributed to its win in the costume category.

Frog Derby 1: Suit up

2008-11-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Byron and Monica Foote, parents of Frog Derby contestant Maddie Guidry, help her dress up her frog Pete in the costume she has made for him to wear in the competition that kicks off day two of the festival. Maddie, like the other competitors, has a costume of her own: checkered tops and caps, with white shorts and shoes, intended to evoke races of the equine, not amphibious, sort.

Dancing by moonlight

2008-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

One of the big attractions to fairs and festivals is the chance to hear great musicians play live and dance the night away. At the Frog Fest, the fancy footwork spilled out of the main Pavillion (where the Golden Frog royalty twirled about the dance floor) onto the midway itself.

Fueling up

2008-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Is it still a "girly drink" if it's 20 ounces?

Attention! (Sort of...)

2008-11-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

The festival kicked off on Friday night with the local boy scouts and weeblos parading the colors. There was something magic about seeing this little troop doing their job by Ferris Wheel light.

How to eat a deep-fried Oreo on a carnival midway

2008-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hand over three bucks. Watch a teenage girl dunk oreos in a vat of pale, sweet batter, then toss them one at a time into a trough of oil that sizzles when they make contact. Stand by as they are fished out, dried on a hot metal vent, and then handed over in a paper cone covered with so much confectioner's sugar that the Oreos resemble snowdrifts. Wait three minutes before eating to avoid losing all the skin off the roof of your mouth. When you are finished, feel vaguely dirty and unseemly about the whole thing.

A taste of tradition

2008-11-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

One thing I love about Louisiana festivals is how often food vendors are not just carnival workers manning some interchangeable booth but local cooks who have served their fare at the same festival for years. Boo John's "drippy beef" (cooked for 4 hours) has long been a staple at local festivals. Boo passed away this summer, but daughter Sabrina keeps his delicious legacy going.

A new wind blowing

2008-11-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

The festival's move to November from its usual September date meant changes in the weather: for the first time in memory, opening day was cool and windy (50s in Louisiana!) instead of hot and sticky (with past temperatures usually in the 90s). One old lady groused about the move to the director but I heard even more say they hope the move becomes permanent. One reason so many like the new date is this: November isn't tropical storm season, so the Frog Fest didn't get rained on for the first time in many years.

Grammy would approve

2008-11-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

One of Rayne's claims to fame is that it is still home to a true five-and-dime store (and not just one of the national dollar stores that are everywhere). Worthmore 5&10 is currently run by the grandchildren of its original owners and has sat on this corner--shelves stuffed with goods both practical and whimsical--for as long as anyone living in Rayne can recall. The front window was already full of Christmas gear--the day after Halloween. This is the kind of place my Grandmother used to love: perfect for picking up, in her words, "Oh ya know, this 'n that."

Time stands still and rolls on

2008-11-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Rayne is a town of contrasts, where "old school" and "the latest thing" rub shoulders, or, in this case, face each other down across the street: Farmer's True Value Hardware, looking every bit like a time capsule of the mid-20th century, sitting directly opposite the Glamour Closet.

The Big Gig: Frog Festival in Rayne Louisiana

2008-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Rayne--the town which launched my discoveries of Louisiana back in August when I attended its crowning of a new frog queen--finally got to celebrate what is known as the "Big Gig," it's annual Frog Festival, which had been delayed by Gustav and Ike. I headed south to see my Rayne friends and participate in that frog spirit, on display everywhere I looked.

Save the last dance for Basile.

2008-11-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

The Swine Festival is the smallest
of the festivals I have yet been to
and it feels almost like a family
barbeque for a really big family
who just happen to know the best
Zydeco bands. From the tiny
Swine royals to the elderly couple
dancing under the pig barn roof,
it was a true all-ages party.
The welcome was warm,
the music great, and
I thank Basile for sharing
its tradition with me.

Hogs at Swine

2008-11-02T06:47:00.001-08:00

As the late afternoon sun started throwing long shadows, a dozen or so Harleys roared into the fairgrounds, the riders all suited up in leather and denim and bandanas. But don't think Hell's Angels just yet: once they parked, the group--mostly in their 40s and 50s, men and women both--politely approached the gate to apologize for parking without having yet paid admission. They lined up, paid five bucks each, and donned the proof-of-admission: little robin's-egg blue paper bracelets that added a cheery note amid all the skulls, crossbones, metal jewelry, and rawhide cuffs.

Warning

2008-11-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

She's walked a mile in those baby shoes

2008-11-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

During a portion of the day when the Visiting Queens joined the Swine royalty onstage to introduce themselves to the fairgoers, the littlest royals were lifted up by their "big girl" role models for introductions. The Petite Miss Swine is held here by the new International Rice Festival Queen, Devin Babineaux, who knows what it's like to a pint-sized festival royal: at 8 months old, she was won the Baby Rice pageant, and then every two years won the next title up (tiny, petite, and toddler). After the children's divisions, there is only Junior queen, chosen by the schools, and nothing again until the Queen's pageant. So when she wasn't picked to be Junior Queen, she cried so hard that her mom consoled her with the encouragment that, "One day, you'll go on and be the big Rice queen." And now, at 18, she is. She was given the option of competing for Queen of Queens, but has turned it down, because she doesn't want to risk winning and then having to give up her Rice title. "Rice was my dream," she told me, "And I want to keep it."

Try this on for size

2008-11-02T06:24:00.000-08:00

Misty Picard, age 22, is the new Swine Queen, and new to festival pageants in general. She has dipped her toes in the waters of two other kinds of pageants, first what she refers to as "a glitz pageant," and then in a city title as Miss Church Point. She set her sights on joining the festival sisterhood after attending Swine last year and being impressed by the friendliness and spontaneity of the queen. At the festival last year, Misty caught the greasy pig, a feat which came naturally because she loves animals. This year, she has a hog on her crown, not in her hands: with her new title comes a crown taller than her own head, and adorned with a pink rhinestone pig. (Hmm, does that make it swinestone?) She says she's glad to have joined the festival system because, "It has more personality. You really get to talk to people in your
travels, so you can work on your people skills." She's already thinking about competing against 84 of her new sisters at Queen of Queens in February. "I just got
the title, but I promise you, I'll be ready!"

The Away Team

2008-11-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

Unlike in Ohio and Washington, where festivals tend to send their full courts to other festivals, in Louisiana, it is often just the official Queen (the winner of the Miss title) or the Queen and her Teen Queen who travel. When you see an entire visiting court it makes quite an impression. Shown here at Swine are the Frog court: Tadpole, Miss, Teen, Deb, Ms. and Junior.

The Home Team

2008-11-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

At most festivals, you see the whole slate of a town's representatives appearing together. At Swine, that included the Ms., Miss, Petite Miss, Teen, Junior Teen, Toddler, Deb, and Queen Petunia winners all above.

The family that sparkles together...

2008-11-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

With festival pageants playing such a major role in so many towns' local traditions and civic fundraisers, it's no surprise that often whole families have been involved. Three generations here include: 2 year-old Breanna (past Baby Miss Swine), mom Kayla (the reigning Ms. Evangeline Parish), grandmother Janice (Evangeline Parish She's My Grandma Queen), and little brother Brycelin (1st runner up Baby Mr. Swine). Several weeks ago, when I attended the Rice Ball (the formal festival event, not the arancini served in Italian restaurants), every person at my table either was related to, was friends with, or had been a festival queen.

Prize and prejudice

2008-11-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

It is remarkable to me how many

of the elements of a fair from my childhood have not changed at all: the Zipper is still a ride (and still called The Zipper); the scent of fried dough still fills the air; and midway games still offer terrible prizes. I overheard a young couple arguing about such a win: TJ, left, spent $3 on a balloon game to win this painting of a scary clown, which irritated Danielle, on the right. She has a prejudice against anything in costume. "I hate clowns. I don't like them at all, or the Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus. None of it." She agreed to look at it for this picture, but otherwise demanded he keep "the stupid thing" covered up.

There are no safety codes involving rhinestones

2008-11-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Hang on to your crown, missy--it's gonna be a bumpy ride.