412. E. L. "Bubba" Henry discusses the 1973 Constitutional Convention.

412. We interview E. L. "Bubba" Henry about The Last Constitution, which covers the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1973. Jeremy Alford collaborated with Bubba Henry to write this account. The delegates to Louisiana’s 1973 Constitutional Convention were an unruly bunch of policy pirates who charted their own course. Their generation swept aside the deeply rooted influences of Huey P. Long’s legacy and replaced it with the kind of independent spirit that permeated American culture and politics during the 1970s. First-term Governor Edwin W. Edwards and the Legislature’s "Young Turks" charged delegates with reviewing and approving a constitution drafted mostly by staffers. The delegates, however, ignored that charge and penned a plan for drafting their own constitution on the back of a cocktail napkin from Pastime Lounge, which in turn became one of the first official documents entered into the Convention record.

1. This week in Louisiana history. April 10, 1824. French Marquis de Lafayette arrived in New Orleans.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Delphine Macarty Lalaurie was a wealthy white New Orleans woman infamous for cruel treatment of her slaves. Rumors of her atrocities had been circulating for years, and on the morning of April 10, 1834, a fire at Madame Lalaurie’s [1140] Royal Street mansion revealed seven bondspeople who had been starved, tortured, and chained. As the day went on and the sheriff did not arrest the culprit, an increasingly angry crowd gathered around the Lalaurie home. Finally her carriage burst out of the gate and sped to Lake Pontchartrain, where she boarded a schooner. The mob, enraged by her escape, nearly demolished the empty house. The lurid nature of the actual events gave rise to subsequent rumors, urban legends, and folktales.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Visit Louisiana's Pick-Your-Own Farms
   The freshest, sweetest berries are ready for picking! Bring the kiddos and have a family fun day. While Louisiana’s farmers markets are great spots for picking up fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies, so are our pick-your-own farms. A visit to a pick-your-own farm is a fun, family-friendly thing to do in Louisiana. Teach your kids about where their food really comes from, and savor the flavors of berries fresh off the vine. No matter what you’re picking, there are a few things to keep in mind for your visit. Always call the farm in advance to inquire about hours and make sure the produce is prime for picking. Some pick-your-own farms post updates on crops and farm conditions on their websites or Facebook pages. Also ask if baskets and other picking supplies are provided. Remember, you’re visiting a farm, so dress appropriately. Wear closed-toe shoes, loose clothing and a hat. Pack your sunscreen too. Louisiana’s farms most often offer you-pick strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Growing seasons for these berries vary throughout the state, but April is typically prime time for strawberries, with blueberries and blackberries following from May through mid-July.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Doreen the Clarinet Queen sings "House of the Rising Sun" on Royal St.
   

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