274. Dawn Collins, part 1

274. Part 1 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 18, 1769. "Bloody" O'Reilly arrives in N.O. with 24 ships and 2,600 Spanish troops to take possession of Louisiana for Spain.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Lafreniere Park Evolves from the
   Louisiana Revolution of 1768. Nicholas Chauvin de Lafreniere wass Arrested for Treason on August 18, 1769, and executed on October 25, 1769. Part of the family estate was eventually used in Lafreniere Park, which opened in 1982.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   76th Annual Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival
   September 27-30, 2018
   New Iberia, LA
   337-369-9323
   info@hisugar.org
   The Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival has assembled an excellent team comprised of volunteers, who are the backbone of the association. Their love for their community, loyalty to the festival, and experience in the industry sets this group for sweet success.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce and Lisa Walker listen to Maude Caillat play saxophone in the French Quarter.

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273. Kimberly Jochum Johnson, part 2

273. Kimberly Jochum Johnson, part 2. We talk to Kimberly Jochum Johnson about City Park and about her work as the Processing Archivist/ Records Analyst at the Archdiocese of New Orleans. City Park is as magical and unique as the city of New Orleans. The 1,300-acre outdoor oasis has enchanted New Orleanians since 1854, making it one of the nation’s oldest urban parks. Each year, millions of visitors stroll under the same historic oaks and picturesque moss canopies that served as the backdrop for dances, concerts and even gentlemanly duels or “affaires d’honneur” for generations.

1. This week in Louisiana history. August 11, 1856. A hurricane kills more than 200 people vacationing at Isle Derniere (Last Island).
2. This week in New Orleans history. The 1929 vintage bridge carrying Highway 90 over Chef Menteur Pass was repaired and re-opened to traffic on August 11, 2006 after it had been closed due to  Hurricane Katrina damage. Meanwhile the modern I-10 Twin Span (now Frank Davis bridge) was in need of a complete rebuild.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival
   Front Street Downtown
   Natchitoches, LA
   OR
   450 Fairgrounds Road near the airport (We found both addresses)
   Sept 14-15, 2018
   Hot air balloons, balloon glow, tethered balloon rides,
   live entertainment, children’s activities, meat pie vendors, arts & crafts, spectacular fireworks event and so much more. 
   
4. The Superband plays on Royal St. to raise money for Hector Gallardo, a Cuban drummer who has lived in New Orleans for decades.

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272. Kimberly Jochum Johnson, part 1

272. Part 1 of our interview with Kimberly Jochum Johnson about City Park and about her work as the Processing Archivist/ Records Analyst at the Archdiocese of New Orleans. City Park is as magical and unique as the city of New Orleans. The 1,300-acre outdoor oasis has enchanted New Orleanians since 1854, making it one of the nation’s oldest urban parks. Each year, millions of visitors stroll under the same historic oaks and picturesque moss canopies that served as the backdrop for dances, concerts and even gentlemanly duels or “affaires d’honneur” for generations.

1. This week in Louisiana history. August 4, 1901. Allen Greene school opens in town of Grambling, will later become Grambling State Univ.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Sun Belt (athletic) Conference was founded on August 4, 1976 with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of South Florida.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival
   August 30-September 3, 2018
   Lawrence Park
   Morgan City, LA
   715 Second Street
   P.O. Box 103
   Morgan City, LA
   Phone: 985.385.0703
   Fax: 985.384.4628
   Festival Information: info@shrimp-petrofest.org
      It all began over 70 years ago, when the placid port at Morgan City and Berwick received the first boatload of jumbo shrimp, fresh from the deepest waters ever fished by a small boat. The very first celebration was held, appropriately on Labor Day, when members of the local unit of Gulf Coast Seafood Producers & Trappers Association, in recognition of the holiday, staged a friendly labor demonstration that has come to be known as the first festival. There were frog and alligator hunters, shrimpers, crab fishermen, dock workers and oystermen parading in the streets. Of course, it was not the grand procession that it is today, but it was the first street parade nonetheless.
4. Bruce listens to a 2nd line band on Royal Street.

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271. Charlie Stephens, Part 2

271. Part 2 of our interview with Charlie Stephens, President of the High School Democrats of Louisiana. Charlie is a high school student at Lee High School in Baton Rouge. Charlie is not only a leader of the Louisiana High School Democrats at Lee High School; he is also the head of the organization for the whole state. Charlie recognizes that we have to regrow the Democratic Party from the ground up, and there's no better place to start than in school.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 30, 1812. William Charles Cole Claiborne becomes the 1st Governor of the state of Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. German American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church James Hubert Herbert Blenk, S.M. (July 28, 1856 – April 20, 1917) served as Bishop of Puerto Rico (1899–1906) and Archbishop of New Orleans (1906–1917).
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   39th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival July 20-21, 2018
      The 39th annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival will be held inside air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The 2018 festival theme is "Celebrating Louisiana's Folk Roots."
      The festival will include a wide variety of traditional crafts, folk foods, Kidfest, three stages with live music, narrative sessions, music informances, and a Cajun fiddle workshop, which will be free for Festival attendees. In addition, the annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held in the Magale Recital Hall on the afternoon of July 21.
      Crafts, exhibits, and Kidfest will be presented on Saturday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
4. Bruce and Kerr talk to a couple of vegans at the New Orleans VeganFest.

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270. Charlie Stephens, part 1

270. Part 1 of our interview with Charlie Stephens, President of the High School Democrats of Louisiana. Charlie is a high school student at Lee High School in Baton Rouge. Charlie is not only a leader of the Louisiana High School Democrats at Lee High School; he is also the head of the organization for the whole state. Charlie recognizes that we have to regrow the Democratic Party from the ground up, and there's no better place to start than in school.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 22, 1923. Ted Lyons (Vinton) pitched his first major league baseball game.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Southern Yacht Club's organizational meeting was held on July 21, 1849  at the Pass Christian Hotel, which became its headquarters until 1857 when the club relocated to New Orleans and held its regattas on Lake Pontchartrain.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Delcambre Shrimp Festival
   August 15-19, 2018
   The town devotes an entire weekend to honor this economic lifeblood. Events include a shrimp cook-off, queens pageants, fais-do-do's, food booths, carnival rides, and the blessing of the shrimp boat fleet. There's plenty of fun for "kids" of all ages and lots to see, hear, and EAT!
   
4. A group of Dead Heads play on Decatur St.

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269a. Mimi Methvin

269a. We interview congressional candidate Mimi Methvin about her campaign to represent Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives. With 28 years’ experience as a federal and state judge along with a track record as a successful attorney and mediator, Mimi knows how to lead opposing sides to work together and find solutions. She’s also a mother, a yoga instructor, and a genealogist. Mimi believes the spirit of civility, respect and integrity that this country was founded on must be reignited to preserve our democratic institutions. She wants to bring her common sense, skill and intellectual honesty to Washington as a strong voice for the people of Louisiana’s Third Congressional District.

269. Langston A. Williams, Part 2

269. Part 2 of our interview with filmmaker Langston A. Williams. Langston didn’t start off with a plan to make a social commentary as his master’s thesis film at the University of New Orleans. But the summer after Williams finished writing the screenplay for a horror short, a 37-year-old named Alton Sterling was shot by police officers in Baton Rouge. Williams discovered then that he had an entirely different screenplay in him – one about race, police brutality and the media. “The story almost wrote itself,” said Williams (M.F.A.,’17). Now, Williams’ 25-minute short film, “Stay Woke,” is racking up honors on the film festival circuit and, most impressively, was invited to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner on May 17, a first for a student film made through UNO’s Department of Film & Theatre program.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 14, 1937. First piling driven for N.O. Charity Hospital.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Bob Hope came to New Orleans on July 14, 1955 to play in a golf match at Lakewood Country Club to benefit the United Cerebral Palsy Association. When the match had to be called off because of bad weather, Hope instead made two personal appearances at the Saenger Theater.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
      The International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo is held during the last weekend in July that includes the Sunday. Please fill out the registration form below and mail to
   P.O. Box 25
   Des Allemands, LA 70030
   by the deadline of July 16th.
      Registrations received after Friday July 16th will not be processed via mail.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Tanya Huang plays a song by Evanescence on Royal St. 

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