293. Dolph Williams, part 1.

293. Part 1 of our interview with Dolph Williams, founder of the Frosty Factory in Ruston, LA. After his mother invented the frozen daiquiri, Dolph used his engineering skills to build the machines to make them. When Dolph Williams asked his suppliers to develop larger-capacity machines, manufacturers scoffed and suggested that they saw no need. Necessity reawakened Williams’ Louisiana Tech engineering education in construction technology. His earlier lessons in calculating and designing bridges proved useful as he created his own version of a frozen daiquiri machine. Beginning with sketches on the back of a brown paper grocery bag, Williams soon had crafted a machine that could produce 12 gallons of alcohol slush per hour. These Ruston experiments contributed crucial innovations to the realm of frozen alcoholic beverages. Now the frozen daiquiri is a staple of Louisiana culture, and has spread far beyond the state.

1. This week in Louisiana history. December 29, 1898. Monument to Public School benefactor John McDonogh dedicated in New Orleans.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The cornerstone of the Southern Regional Research Laboratory had been set on December 29, 1939 in the 40 acre building site at 2100 Robert E. Lee Boulevard. This area had formerly abutted the grounds of Spanish Fort amusement park and resort. It was here that local scientists developed wash-n-wear cotton, the predecessor of Permanent Press.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   New Year's Eve in New Orleans
      New Orleans, we celebrate New Year's Eve a little bit different from most places. Sure, we have funny hats and noisemakers (if you want them), but we add a little pizzazz to the occasion by ringing in the New Year our own way.
      For the biggest party in the city, head down to Jackson Square – the Quarter is packed with festive partygoers eager to count down the time until the New Year arrives. And because New Orleans does everything a little differently, don’t expect your run of the mill New Years ball drop; instead “Baby New Year” drops from its perch on the top of Jax Brewery followed by a magnificent fireworks show over the Mississippi. Follow the crowds to Bourbon Street and party til’ the early morning, or break away from the group and find your own special spot to celebrate in.
4.  Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the New Orleans Swinging Gypsies at the Spotted Cat Bar on Frenchman Street in New Orleans.

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292. John LaFleur II, part 2

292. Part 2 of our interview with John LaFleur II, author of Their Voices, Their Hands, and Their Gifts: Louisiana's Creole Food & Culture A Menu of Diversity. Owner / operator / entrepreneur at John LaFleur's New Orleans, Director / Manager / Creole Gourmet chef at John LaFleur's Louisiana Creole Guesthouse & Kitchen and Former Saturday French News Announcer in Ville Platte, Louisiana at KVPI Radio Past: New Orleans' Save Our Cemeteries" & Basin Street Tourist Center.

1. This week in Louisiana history. December 22, 1814. British began moving to attack New Orleans.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Alvin "Shine" Robinson (December 22, 1937 – January 24, 1989), sometimes credited as Al Robinson, was an American rhythm and blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter, based in New Orleans. His recording of "Something You Got" reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   32nd Celebration in the Oaks
   The Most Spectacular Holiday Lights Festival in the Country
   Celebration in the Oaks in City Park is one of the most spectacular holiday lights festivals in the country, with more than 165,000 visitors pouring into the Park to see the magical winter spectacle. City Park’s famous oaks are swathed in hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights and breathtaking light displays are scattered throughout 25 acres of the Park, including the Botanical Garden, Storyland, and Carousel Gardens Amusement Park.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Roz de Roos and her band play at the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street in New Orleans.
5. Louisiana Christmas Card. Poet David Middleton reads his poem "The Shepherd — A Christmas Play."

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291 John LaFleur, part 1

291. Part 1 of our interview with John LaFleur II, author of Their Voices, Their Hands, and Their Gifts: Louisiana's Creole Food & Culture A Menu of Diversity. Owner / operator / entrepreneur at John LaFleur's New Orleans, Director / Manager / Creole Gourmet chef at John LaFleur's Louisiana Creole Guesthouse & Kitchen and Former Saturday French News Announcer in Ville Platte, Louisiana at KVPI Radio Past: New Orleans' Save Our Cemeteries" & Basin Street Tourist Center.

1. This week in Louisiana history. December 15, 1802. Pres. Jefferson, worried of French takeover of La., seeks to purchase Isle of Orleans.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Renato (René) Beluche, born in New Orleans on December 15, 1780, was a privateer who enlisted in the American forces defending New Orleans against the British invasion of 1814-1815; he commanded one of the 24-pounders (seacoast cannons — the heaviest used at the time by the U.S. Army) in Battery No. 3 at Chalmette. He also commanded the privateer ship Spy under United States letter of marque during War of 1812.  As master of several merchant vessels out of New Orleans, he used the alias Pierre Brugman,
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Noel Acadien au Village
   December 1-23
   200 Greenleaf Drive
   Lafayette, LA
   337-981-2364
   More than half a million lights are incorporated into displays lighting up 10 acres of land. There also are carnival rides, local food vendors, live entertainment, a shopping area and photos with Santa. 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. daily. $10, free for children 4 and younger.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to Joe Shedlo on Royal Street in New Orleans.
   

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290. Krista Bordelon, Part 2

290. Part 2 of our interview with Krista Bordelon, Baton Rouge activist and founder of Compassion Louisiana, which is an advocacy organization focused on community relations, awareness, and neighborhood development. It is entirely community organized, community led, and community funded.
     With the intent of building a strong future for Louisiana, Compassion’s focus revolves around 13 goals for sustainable development. Those goals are: no poverty; affordable and clean energy; zero hunger; work/economic growth; good health and well-being; industry, innovation, infrastructure; quality education; reduced inequality; peace, justice, strong institutions; sustainable community; partnerships for the goals; clean water and sanitation; responsible consumption and production. The ultimate goal of Compassion is to create independent, strong, sustainable communities. In a state that frequently falls behind the direction of the rest of the country, our hope is to not only move up on the list, but to become leaders in growth and development.

1. This week in Louisiana history. December 8, 1872. Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, 24th Governor of Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Fabulous Poodles performed at A Warehouse on December 8, 1979.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   New Orleans Running of the Santas
   Mannings & Generations Hall
   New Orleans, LA
   December 8, 2018
      Running of the Santas returns to the Warehouse District for an unbelievable day of events! DRINK SPECIALS AT ALL LOCATIONS!!! South Pole – 3:00pm at Mannings. A HUGE outdoor party with drink specials and GREAT Music! Doors open at 11am. At 5:45pm, the Santas will “RUN” from the “South Pole- Mannings” to the “North Pole – Generations Hall” (only a few blocks). Costume contest at 8:00pm! A portion of the proceeds benefits “That Others May Live” Foundation. LIVE MUSIC BY TOP CATS and FLOW TRIBE at the GENERATIONS HALL (aka “North Pole”) starting at 6pm!!!
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to Krewe member Maude Caillat and the Afrodisiacs at the Circle Bar in New Orleans, LA.

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289. Krista Bordelon, part 1

289. Part 1 of our interview with Krista Bordelon, Baton Rouge activist and founder of Compassion Louisiana, which is an advocacy organization focused on community relations, awareness, and neighborhood development. It is entirely community organized, community led, and community funded.
     With the intent of building a strong future for Louisiana, Compassion’s focus revolves around 13 goals for sustainable development. Those goals are: no poverty; affordable and clean energy; zero hunger; work/economic growth; good health and well-being; industry, innovation, infrastructure; quality education; reduced inequality; peace, justice, strong institutions; sustainable community; partnerships for the goals; clean water and sanitation; responsible consumption and production. The ultimate goal of Compassion is to create independent, strong, sustainable communities. In a state that frequently falls behind the direction of the rest of the country, our hope is to not only move up on the list, but to become leaders in growth and development.

1. This week in Louisiana history. December 1, 1769. The first meeting of the Cabildo was held.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On December 1, 1898, Ormond plantation was purchased by State Senator Basile LaPlace, Jr., son of New Orleans pharmacist and land owner after whom the town of LaPlace is named. Mr. LaPlace was a well-known Justice of the Peace and then as a state Senator, and also successfully managed the LaPlace land area left to him by his father. Legend has it that on the night of October 11, 1899, Basile LaPlace, Jr. was shot and hung from one of the oak trees on the property by members of the Ku Klux Klan after a prior disagreement.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Victorian Christmas
   Joseph Jefferson Home & Rip Van Winkle Gardens
   5505 Rip Van Winkle Rd.,
   New Iberia, LA 70560
   337-359-8525
   Tours of the Joseph Jefferson Home and Rip Van Winkle Gardens decorated for the Holiday Season.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to a brass band in Jackson Square, New Orleans.

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288. Lamar White. Election Update.

288. Louisiana Anthology Krewe member Lamar White joins us to discuss the runoff and review the fall elections in Louisiana. He also gives us an update on his reporting of the Mississippi runoff. For more than eleven years, Lamar White, Jr. published CenLamar, one of Louisiana’s most acclaimed and well-known progressive blogs, attracting more than two million readers and repeatedly receiving recognition from national and international news organizations. The Bayou Brief expands the original scope of CenLamar to cover the entire state. For news that's both factual and progressive, follow The Bayou Brief.

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 24, 2005. On November 24, 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded "Oriental Jazz" (or "Jass").
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Royal Branch at 2110 Royal Street (Royal at Frenchmen), funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie, was the first New Orleans Public Library branch to open, on November 25, 1907. Two other branches, Algiers and Napoleon, also built with Carnegie funds, opened shortly afterward and continue to serve the public today.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Cottonport on the Bayou
   December 8-9, 2018
   318-876-3485
   Fireworks at 6:00 pm on Saturday Dec 8. The Christmas parade, on Sunday at 1:00, winds its way along the picturesque Bayou Rouge as it runs through downtown Cottonport. Christmas goodies abound and fireworks light up the night sky as thousands of visitors party along the banks of the bayou. Food and craft vendors on Sunday.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce talks to Robert Desmarais about bringing back French.

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287. Earl Hampton

287. Today we interview Earl Hampton. Earl writes books on the New Orleans streetcar history. While railroading is Earl's life's work, and model railroading is his hobby, streetcars are his passion. He is a published author, in 2010 and again in 2013 by Pelican Publishing. Streetcars of New Orleans 1964-Present is his first book, a dovetail book following Louis Hennick's Streetcars of New Orleans 1835-1965. Earl's second book is Streetcar Guide to New Orleans, a tour book using New Orleans' wonderful streetcars. It is REALLY nice, well done so pick up a copy. They make great Christmas gifts!

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 17, 1906. First Louisiana State Fair held in Shreveport.
2. This week in New Orleans history. In 1805 the Rev. Philander Chase came to New Orleans and organized the Christ Church Episcopal community which began worship in the Cabildo on November 17, 1805.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Natchitoches Christmas Lights Festival
   November 18, 2017 – January 6, 2018
   Over 300,000+ Christmas lights and 100 plus riverbank set pieces are on every night at dusk through January 6, 2018. All events take place Downtown Natchitoches and the riverbank of Cane River Lake unless otherwise specified. (All times and dates are subject to change.)
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce joins the Uptown Swingers Second Line Parade in New Orleans.

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285. Candy Nugent

285. We interview Candy Nugent of the Snyder Museum in Bastrop. Located on spacious, beautifully landscaped grounds, the 1929 brick home of Charles and Esther Snyder was developed into the Snyder Museum and Creative Arts Center by the members of the Morehouse Historical Society in 1972. In addition to the original home two other buildings are located on the property, the Carriage House and the Garden Room with adjacent patio. The Carriage House includes a permanent exhibit of historic farm implements as well as a horse drawn hearse and country store. The Garden Room and patio, through the efforts of Clarklea Garden Club was built in the late 1990’s to be used as a rental venue for weddings, social events and community functions.

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 10, 1845. John Slidell of New Orleans appointed Minister to Mexico.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On November 10, 1797, Don Gilberto Guillemard, Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Army and Commander of the post, informed the Cabildo (the Spanish governmental body in New Orleans) that by order of El Baron de Carondelet he had made the plan for the construction of the Cabildo Building, and was directing its construction.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Tbipac (Tunica-Biloxi Indians Political Action Committee)
   Fall BBQ Throwdown and Trade Days
   Paragon Casino RV Resort
   711 Paragon Place
   Marksville, Louisiana 71351
   November 22, 2018
   BBQ Throwdown
   A Food Festival-Cook-off organized by Tbipac. We will have crafts, flea market, commercial/retail, homegrown products, corp./information and antique/collectibles exhibitors, and 1 food booth. This event will also include: classic car show, christmas extravaganza.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to singer Myoshen in the Musicians' Village in New Orleans.

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285. Antoine Pierce, part 2

285. Part 2 of our interview with Antoine Pierce, Baton Rouge activist. "I am a public servant who is passionate about the socioeconomic growth, development, and unity of my community. I believe in a beautiful city with...

• consistent economic development
• technologically advanced modes of transportation
• an infrastructure that accommodates growth and addresses traffic congestion
• smoke free indoor air and pollution free outdoor air
• crime free communities
• workplaces with hiring practices that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

"These things don’t just exist in an Utopian society. I believe that Baton Rouge can be that city! This can be our reality!"

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 4, 1967. John McKeithen re-elected to his second consecutive term.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Born on November 3, 1936  in New Orleans,  Earl John Robinson was a Major League Baseball outfielder who who played from 1958 to 1964 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Point Barre Cracklin Festival
   November 9-11, 2018
   Serving as the main annual fundraiser for the Port Barre Lions Club, the Port Barre Cracklin Festival was first held in 1985. This original gathering was a quaint one day celebration held at the boat launch near the intersection of 3rd Street, Bayou Road and Boggs Street. Offering a small selection of rides and games, a couple vendor booths and the essential Cracklin Cookoff, this introductory festival boasted a couple hundred attendees. Since that fateful start over 30 years ago the Port Barre Cracklin Festival has evolved into a major cultural and social event for both the city of Port Barre and St. Landry Parish as a whole, attended by thousands of locals and tourists each year.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to Maude Caillat at the Musicians' Village in New Orleans, LA.

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284. Lamar White. 2018 Congressional Elections

284. Friend of the podcast Lamar White joins us to discuss the fall elections in Louisiana. He also gives us an update on his project, The Bayou Brief. For more than eleven years, Lamar White, Jr. published CenLamar, one of Louisiana’s most acclaimed and well-known progressive blogs, attracting more than two million readers and repeatedly receiving recognition from national and international news organizations. The Bayou Brief expands the original scope of CenLamar to cover the entire state. For news that's both factual and progressive, follow The Bayou Brief.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 27, 1768. Rebellion against Ulloa began with spiking of protective New Orleans cannons.
2. This week in New Orleans history. John William Corrington (October 28, 1932 – November 24, 1988) was an American film and television writer, novelist, poet and lawyer.  While on leave from LSU, Corrington obtained his D.Phil. in 1965, from the University of Sussex and then moved to Loyola University New Orleans in 1966, as an Associate Professor of English, where he also served as chair of the English Department. Corrington graduated from Tulane University Law School in 1975, joined a small New Orleans personal injury law firm, Plotkin and Bradley, and spent the next three years practicing law. With his wife, Joyce Hooper Corrington, Corrington wrote five screenplays, Von Richthofen and Brown (1969), The Omega Man (1970), Boxcar Bertha (1971), The Arena (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) and a television film, The Killer Bees (1974). 
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   50th Annual Louisiana Pecan Festival
   November 2-4, 2018
   318.627.5196
   Downtown
   Colfax, LA
      The Louisiana Pecan Festival takes place on the first full weekend of November each year. The festival and the Town of Colfax play host to 60,000 to 75,000 visitors each year, who come from all over Grant Parish, central Louisiana, the state and throughout the U.S. for three days of fun, great food, live musical entertainment and much more.
      Why celebrate the pecan? For one, many area farmers grow the crop, and pecans are native to the area. Pecans were a staple of the diets of the local Native Americans, and when the settlers began to arrive here from the Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, large plantations grew pecans along with their other crops. Wild pecans were grafted and new varieties cultivated, and soon the crop flourished in the rich soil of the Red River Delta. Local homesteaders also benefited because almost every yard had one or two trees that produced enough pecans to "keep some and sell the rest", providing them a small money crop in the fall.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to African drums in the Musicians' Village in New Orleans.  

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283b. Jessee Fleenor

283b. We interview candidate Jessee Fleenor, who is running as a Democrat for the 5th Congressional District of Louisiana. Jessee is a farmer and family man who believes in a new vision for Louisiana.  One that is inclusive, vibrant, dynamic, and achievable.   Born and raised on a family farm Jessee knows the value of hard-work and respect for the land but has seen too many of his neighbors fall behind, despite all their struggle and diligence.  Its time to reinvigorate the American Dream and make sure every Louisiana citizen has a fair chance to succeed.

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283. Antoine Pierce, part 1.

283. Part 1 of our interview with Antoine Pierce, Baton Rouge activist. "I am a public servant who is passionate about the socioeconomic growth, development, and unity of my community. I believe in a beautiful city with...

• consistent economic development
• technologically advanced modes of transportation
• an infrastructure that accommodates growth and addresses traffic congestion
• smoke free indoor air and pollution free outdoor air
• crime free communities
• workplaces with hiring practices that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

"These things don’t just exist in an Utopian society. I believe that Baton Rouge can be that city! This can be our reality!"

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 20, 1795. Treaty of San Lorenzo gives Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River.
2. This week in New Orleans history. October 20, 1997 Eugene D. Cizek, Architect submitted plans for new construction at the home of Hollywood Director Francis Ford Coppola at 714 Governor Nicholls Street. For a time, Coppola used the building as a seven-room luxury hotel. As of October 2013 he uses it as his residence.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   45th Annual French Food Fest
   October 26-28, 2018
   Larose Civic Center
   Larose, LA
   Free Parking & No Gate Fee
   The best in Cajun food, music & dancing. Carnival mid-way & live auction. New this year: Zomibie Outbreak Lasertag, Troll Character Dinner & Movie, Hottest Things to Hit French Food Fest Bonfire. Art show, Cajun market and petting zoo. Contests of all kinds: Fun Walk/Race, cake decorating contest, art contest, 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Over 40 booths of fun. Overnight camping available with advanced reservations.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the Fat Catz Band on Bourbon St.
   

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282. Kelly Jackson, part 2

282. Part 2 of our interview with Kelly Jackson, founder of the Cane River Film Festival. Natchitoches has a long and intimate history with American cinema. The Cane River film festival represents the latest chapter in that history. We are as diverse as the community that we represent. Our mission is to showcase, nurture, and support the emerging creative student and independent filmmakers stories about and or filmed in Louisiana. We want to share their films with an audience, seek opportunities for distribution and celebrate their achievement in telling their story that they want to tell. The Cane River film festival is not just a film festival — it's an experience.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 13, 1931. Lt. Gov. Cyr takes oath of office "since Huey Long is now a senator."
2. This week in New Orleans history. On October 14, 1975, the Dome hosted Muhammad Ali Appreciation Day. The Muhammad Temple of Islam 46 in New Orleans organized the activities, with Ali's appearance as the day's highlight. Speakers included Dr. Na'im Akbar, Wallace D. Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   International Rice Festival
   Crowley, LA
   October 18-21, 2018
    The International Rice Festival held annually in Crowley is one of Louisiana's largest and also it's oldest Agricultural Festival. Since it's first festival on October 5th, 1937, over 7 million people have attended the annual event. The celebration brings attention to the importance of rice as food and also emphasizes it's place in the world's economic picture. It is usually held on Friday and Saturday of the 3rd weekend in October. Location is Downtown Crowley. There are 2 parades, Friday (Children's Day), which is the Children's Parade, and Saturday, the Grand Parade. There are also Special Events including the Rice Cooking Contest, Rice Eating Contest, Farmers Banquet and also the Queens Ball. There is also entertainment continuously from early morning to midnight. Also in conjunction with the Festival, is an Arts and Crafts exhibit, which is held adjacent to the Festival Grounds and also on Main Street.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. The Funky 544 house band plays on Bourbon St.

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281. Kelly Jackson, part 1

281. We talk to Kelly Jackson, founder of the Cane River Film Festival. Natchitoches has a long and intimate history with American cinema. The Cane River film festival represents the latest chapter in that history. We are as diverse as the community that we represent. Our mission is to showcase, nurture, and support the emerging creative student and independent filmmakers stories about and or filmed in Louisiana. We want to share their films with an audience, seek opportunities for distribution and celebrate their achievement in telling their story that they want to tell. The Cane River film festival is not just a film festival — it's an experience.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 6, 1860. John Slidell publishes his address to people of LA. "Let every man go to polls...we may soon be called under a common flag against a common enemy"
2. This week in New Orleans history. October 6 to November 10, 1857. New Orleans chess master Paul Morphy participated in the First American Chess Congress, held in New York.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Louisiana Cotton Festival
   Ville Platte, Louisiana
   704 N. Soileau Street
   Ville Platte, La 70586
   October 9-14, 2018
   Our festival is a fun-filled week for the entire family! All festival events are held at the North Side Civic Center. 
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Grandpa Elliott sings on Royal St. in New Orleans.

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280. Ed Branley, part 2

Part 2 of our interview with Edward Branley, the NOLA history guy. Ed is a writer, teacher, historian, and computer nerd who lives in New Orleans. He graduated from the real Brother Martin High School. Edward dated several girls who attended the real St. Mary's Dominican High School, eventually marrying one of them. While he's yet to have Hassan's Collectibles and Curiosities deliver a dragon egg to the house, he can attest that seventeen-year olds attending Catholic school do act like The Trio do. Edward has two grown sons who, in their own ways, inspired The Trio and their adventures.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 28, 1868. The Opelousas Massacre occurred in Louisiana in which an estimated 200 to 300 black Americans were killed.
2. This week in New Orleans history.
   Truman Capote September 30, 1924 — August 25, 1984 was born in New Orleans. Named Truman Streckfus Persons, he was the son of Archulus Persons, a nonpracticing lawyer and of the former Lillie Mae Faulk of Monroeville, Alabama. Years later he adopted the name of his stepfather, Joe Capote, a Cuban-born New York businessman. As an adult, Capote lived briefly in a Royal Street apartment where he did some writing before producing his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). He visited New Orleans sporadically over the last two decades of his life to lecture or to be interviewed in his "hometown." Capote claimed to have established a new literary form with the publication of In Cold Blood (1965). He died in Los Angeles on August 25, 1984.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Red River Revel 43
   September 29-October 3, 2018
   Festival Plaza
   Shreveport, LA
   The Red River Revel, winner of the 1988 President’s Volunteer Action Award, began in 1976 as the Junior League of Shreveport’s Bicentennial gift to the citizens of the region. The goal of the festival is to provide the general populace a celebration of the finest visual and performing arts experiences. The Revel has grown into an eight-day, annual celebration of the arts attracting nearly 100,000 people to the downtown/riverfront area of Shreveport each year.  The 501c3 non-profit organization strives to provide everyone an opportunity to experience and participate in the Arts in multiple formats.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to a brass band play on Royal St.
5. Postcards from the stump. Jessee Fleenor, candidate for the 5th District seat in Congress, speaks to a gathering at the Grambling City Hall.

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279. Edward Branley, Part 1

279. Part 1 of our interview with Edward Branley, the NOLA history guy. Ed is a writer, teacher, historian, and computer nerd who lives in New Orleans. He graduated from the real Brother Martin High School. Edward dated several girls who attended the real St. Mary's Dominican High School, eventually marrying one of them. While he's yet to have Hassan's Collectibles and Curiosities deliver a dragon egg to the house, he can attest that seventeen-year olds attending Catholic school do act like The Trio do. Edward has two grown sons who, in their own ways, inspired The Trio and their adventures.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 22, 1722. A hurricane hit just west of the Miss. River and swept through central Louisiana with 15 hours of hurricane force winds, eight foot storm surge, and three days of flooding.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Jazz musician Dorothy Sloop (also known as Dorothy Sloop Heflick) was born in Steubenville, Ohio on September 26, 1913. During her performing years, she was best known as a pianist with a number of all (or mostly) female jazz bands in the New Orleans area, primarily from the 1930s through the 1950s. Her name is now commonly associated with the song "Hang on Sloopy", performed by The McCoys and other artists during the 1960s, as it is alleged that Dorothy was the inspiration for the song. 
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   State Championship Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown
   The State Championship Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown is a great event held in Vidalia on September 23, 2018 to September 24, 2018.
   Contact Information:
   Ann Westmoreland
   Phone: 318-336-8223
   awestmoreland@cityofvidaliala.com
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the Patti Rambin Band in Monroe, LA.

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278. Dedrick Handy

278. Our interview with Dedrick Handy. Dedrick, who started the Facebook group Black Lives Matter Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Black Lives Matter group started after the police shooting of Alton Sterling. Dedrick has started the Facebook group as a way of helping people communicate.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 15, 1699. Bienville bluffs the English and keeps them from exploring the Mississippi River.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Bensons Buy a Tower, September 15, 2009. Completed in 1989, the structure located at 1450 Poydras Street  is the  the 12th tallest building in New Orleans at 26-storys and a height of 406 feet. Developed by the DeBartolo Corporation as the New Orleans Centre (a mixed-use property of offices, retail shopping, and a 2,000-space parking garage), it is a component of a complex of connected buildings which includes the Superdome, 1250 Poydras Plaza, Entergy Tower, and the Hyatt Regency New Orleans hotel. It has been known as the CNG Tower, the Dominion Tower, and Benson Tower.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   42nd Annual Gueydan Duck Festival
   P.O. Box 179
   Gueydan, LA. 70542
   404 Dallas Guidry Rd
   Gueydan, LA. 70542
   Duck Festival Park
   Phone: 337-536-6456
   Fax: 337- 536-9997
   Email: info@duckfestival.org
   ​September 20th-23rd 2018
   The Duck Festival offers the public great entertainment with its Duck and Goose Calling Contest, Skeet Shooting, Dog Trials, Duck Dash, and Decoy Carving.
       This is in addition to great food, nightly bands, Junior and Senior Queens pageants, a Grand Parade, Outdoor and Indoor Cooking Contest, and to top it all off, a thriling Carnival.
       As with any event in Cajun Country, the Gueydan Duck Festival gives everyone an excuse to meet old friends and make new ones. This "joie de vivre" ensures that a great time is had by one and all! "Laissez les bon temps rouler... Let the good times roll!!"
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to a Apache Sax play on Royal St.
   

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277. Shirah Dedman, part 2

277. Part 2 of our interview with Shirah Dedman. Shirah made a documentary Uprooted, about the lynching of her great-grandfather Thomas William Miles, Sr. in Shreveport in 1912. Racist violence was so severe in Shreveport that the parish earned the nickname, "Bloody Caddo." Shirah is an activist, filmmaker, and attorney. From a high school dropout at 15-years-old to a licensed lawyer by the age of 23, she inexplicably found herself consistently un- and under-employed. So after her last layoff, she decided to relentlessly pursue her true passion: the intersection between media, economics, race and the environment.Last year, Shirah was featured the Equal Justice Initiative and Google produced short film Uprooted, documenting her family's return to the site of her great-grandfather's lynching. She also released You a Nomad, a short documentary about the displacement of Oakland's black population.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 8, 1954. Ruby Bridges was born in Tylertown, Mississippi before moving with parents to New Orleans at the age of four.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On Thursday, September 8, 2005, President Bush issued an executive order suspending the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, allowing federal contractors rebuilding after Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   2018 Alligator Festival
   West Bank Bridge Park
   St. Charles Parish
   I-310 Exit 7
   13825 River Road
   Luling, LA 70070
   Please join us for the Annual Alligator Festival at the Westbank Bridge Park in St Charles Parish. The festival is our main fundraiser and helps us fund college scholarships for local youth. Play with baby alligators, shop the arts and crafts mall, enjoy cajun cuisine and exciting carnival rides, and listen to great live music all weekend long! Come join us and pass a good time!
4. Bruce listens to the Patti Rambin Band at Coney Island Riverside in Monroe, LA.

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276. Shirah Dedman, part 1

276. Part 1 of our interview with Shirah Dedman. Shirah made a documentary Uprooted, about the lynching of her great-grandfather Thomas William Miles, Sr. in Shreveport in 1912. Racist violence was so severe in Shreveport that the parish earned the nickname, "Bloody Caddo." Shirah is an activist, filmmaker, and attorney. From a high school dropout at 15-years-old to a licensed lawyer by the age of 23, she inexplicably found herself consistently un- and under-employed. So after her last layoff, she decided to relentlessly pursue her true passion: the intersection between media, economics, race and the environment.Last year, Shirah was featured the Equal Justice Initiative and Google produced short film Uprooted, documenting her family's return to the site of her great-grandfather's lynching. She also released You a Nomad, a short documentary about the displacement of Oakland's black population.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 1, 1715. King Louis XIV died.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Pelican Stadium Closes September 1, 1957. The last baseball game to be played at the old New Orleans Pelican Stadium occurred on Sunday, Sept. 1, 1957. The Pelicans had furnished fond memories at this location dating back to April 13, 1915, when the site was officially opened after having been moved piecemeal from Banks and Carrollton by mules and then reconstructed at the Tulane and Carrollton location.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Linnzi Zaorski
   Monday, September 3
   @ 8:00 PM CDT
    Three Muses
   536 Frenchmen St.
   New Orleans, LA 70116
   504.252.4801
   http://3musesnola.com
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to Tanya Huang play violin on Royal St. 

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275. Dawn Collins, part 2.

275. Part 2 of our interview with Dawn Collins. Dawn is an advocate, public official, and small business owner.  On March 5, 2016, she was elected to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board with nearly 80% of the vote. It was her first time being on a ballot. Dawn’s desire to empower families had led her into the world of grassroots organizing. She was drawn to President Obama’s message that community empowerment is a true vehicle of change. In 2008, she began work as a paid Staff Field Organizer and has continued the journey of organizing ever since.

1. This week in Louisiana history. August 24, 1955. U.S. Appellate Court desegregated LSU undergraduate classes.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Willy DeVille (August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary music, including Jack Nitzsche, Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo. Latin rhythms, blues riffs, doo-wop, Cajun music, strains of French cabaret, and echoes of early-1960s uptown soul can be heard in DeVille's work.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Taste of TABASCO Week
   Saturday, August 25
   Admission: $15 - $60
   Dine out for Taste of Tabasco® Week
   January 28 - February 3
   Celebrate TABASCO® Brand’s 150th anniversary and the City of New Orleans’ 300th anniversary with a week of bold dining experiences during this special edition restaurant week!
   Enjoy dishes and prix-fixe menus inspired by TABASCO® Brand at dozens of the city's top restaurants.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the Patti Rambin Band at Coney Island Riverside in Monroe, Louisiana.

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