In the Know

The Louisiana Association of Fairs & Festival is by far the most organized festival system in the nation, with small towns and industries all over the state really supported by these events. Their ambassadors are their queens, who go to other festivals and festival pageants all year, showing their support and encouraging people from other towns to visit theirs. For the most part unlike the catty claw-filled stereotype of the pageant circuits shown in movies and on tv, these girls often speak of a sisterhood and camaraderie to their shared experience. 105 of them came to see the Frog Queen crowned. At left, an 18-inch tiara was the tallest crown of the night. At right, a sea of queens, fronted by Strawberry (looking a bit put out) and Catfish (having a better time).

Root root root for the home team

With several hundred enthusiastic locals, I attended the dual Teen and Miss Frog pageants. There were plenty of Mamarazzi (a term coined by the outgoing Teen queen) on hand to capture the moment and various contestants' supporters made themselves known throughout the night. The girls in the bottom right were a tough crowd--their faces made it perfectly clear when they thought a contestant was full of it.

Where the Frog Royalty Reign Supreme

In Rayne, there are frog titles literally "from zero to the grave," in the words of Cultural Director Cheryl McCarty (a human dynamo of volunteerism). Most of the titles are sponsored by civic organizations, who then raise money for their local programs from the related entry fees, pageant ticket sales, and the sale of what I call frogabilia. The Jaycees sponsor Mr. & Miss Tadpole (kids under 6) and Deb Frog Queen (for tweens). Early teens vie for Junior Frog Queen and girls under 17 aim for Teen Frog Queen, sponsored by a local civic sorority that also sponsors the Miss Frog Queen, the title with the most cache. The Lyons sponsor the frog-dressing Frog Derby Queen and the Frog Jockey Queen. At the top of the age spectrum, the senior citizen Golden Frogs include both a King and a Queen. The only title sponsored by a private business is Ms. Queen, but that representative also does good work; the new Ms. Frog, Summer Parker (a former Queen of Queens) has immersed herself in Rayne activities and charities since her win.

All kinds of traffic

Some things I expected: the frog crossing sign was no surprise in a town of frog murals, scultptures, fountains, and queens. But some things I did not expect: for instance, the drive-through cigarettes-and-booze store took me by surprise. But drive-through venues--there's a drive-through grocery store, for instance--are nearly as ubiquitous as frog decorations. For someone like me, coming from a state founded by Puritans, the apex of this trend is the popularity of drive-through Daquiri bars. Note: Your straw is handed to you separately because no one would want to encourage drinking and driving.

A Taste of Cajun Country

I landed in Lafayette, Louisiana on the morning of the day-long Frog royalty pageants. A quick ride through the Acadian prairie along Interstate 10 led me to tiny Rayne, where I found plentiful evidence of frog love everywhere--including on the plate. I ate lunch at Gabe's, a family-owned place where the line of cars for the drive-through never ends. Blake, one of Gabe's grown children, runs the place and told me he was sad that there are no places in the US processing local frogs in volume anymore. The fat legs I was enjoying were from China. But each June, when frog season starts up, Gabe and his family go frogging to catch--and cook--the local specimens for which Rayne is famous.

Frogs in my future--and past

As a throughline for the book, I want to follow one town, its festival, its queen and her attendants over the course of the year. After doing some research, I have turned my eyes to Rayne, Louisiana, home of the Frog Festival, which boasts not only a Queen, but a Teen Queen and a Ms. Queen, several Frog Derby queens, and more.

With a population of only 8,700 and a median household income of just over $25,000, Rayne is the kind of small town that might be first to feel the pinch of a tough economy. But Rayne is a model of civic gumption as it continually seeks ways to thrive, from creating a state-of-the-art RV camping park to the potential building of Frogland, a theme park. And, of course, it gets a boost from its biggest event, the Frog Festival which brings in 50,000 people in one weekend.

I chose Rayne for a couple of reasons. For one, it connects me to my own small town roots: when I was boy in Norridgewock, Maine, the town's only annual event was its Labor Day fun fair frog races--which my brother and I entered with toad-training fervor each year. My town didn't have a queen, unlike Rayne's festival (also held Labor Day weekend), which has not only royalty but its own frog jumping races (among a raft of frog-themed events). Also, Rayne is part of the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals (LAFF), the best-organized festival system in the country; Rayne's queen is one of more than 80 Louisiana small town festival queens who visit each other's fairs, promote their towns, and help keep local traditions alive. Their home state is the logical starting point for any book about the American festival queen tradition, and I will intersperse stories from around the country with my trips into the LAFF world.

Photo: Larry "RibRater" Jay at RoadFood.Com

Next up: Egg Festival of Pittsfield, Maine

In July, Jason and Lily will joing me for the first time on a trip, this time to rural Maine, just twenty minutes from the town I grew up in. Check back at the end of the month for dispatches from the land of the world's largest frying pan.