So long and thanks for all the Frogs

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

Frog Derby 2: Meet the toads

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

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

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

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

Attention! (Sort of...)

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

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

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

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

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."