Mardi Gras

The 'Baby Dolls' Of Mardi Gras A Fun Tradition With A Serious Side

editor — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Just inside a room on the second floor of the Louisiana State Museum's Presbytere, there's a large baby doll dress, big enough for a woman to wear. And one did.

The costume and the baby bottle next to it belonged to 85-year-old Miriam Batiste Reed, who was known as a baby doll and one of the first women to parade in Mardi Gras. The bottle and the dress are part of a new exhibition, They Call Me Baby Doll: A Mardi Gras Tradition.

"The baby dolls are a group of African-American men and women carnival maskers," says Kim Vaz, dean at Xavier University.

Pink Chicken Feet Honor Spanish Town Parade Mainstay

Jarondakie Patrick — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:39:10 +0000

Pink plastic chicken feet were tossed from several floats at the 33rd Spanish Town parade. The unusual throws were an homage to a board member of the Society for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana who knew how to be creative with limited resources.

Mardi Gras Merriment Beyond Bourbon Street Festivities

Debbie Elliott — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:53:00 +0000

It's Fat Tuesday, the final day of indulgence before the fasting and penance of Lent begins.

Meet The Calas, A New Orleans Treat That Helped Free Slaves

editor — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:30:00 +0000

It's Mardi Gras, and down in New Orleans, the King Cakes, beignets and other gustatory delights are flowing freely. But if you prefer your culinary temptations with a side of history, allow me to introduce you to the calas, a Creole rice fritter with a storied past.

Never heard of a calas? Neither had I, until I listened to New Orleans food expert Poppy Tooker rhapsodize about their virtues on public radio last fall.

High School Marching Bands Lay Down The Beat Of Mardi Gras

Keith O'Brien — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:52:00 +0000

In less than an hour, the McDonogh 35 High School marching band — including the flag girls, the dance team, the majorettes, the color guard and the actual band — needs to be on the parade route five miles away. It's the peak of Carnival season in New Orleans, and high school marching bands form the backbeat of Mardi Gras.

But some kids can't find their uniforms. In the parking lot outside, the color guard is all out of sync.

WEDNESDAY: BTR's Jim Caldwell, Author Kim Marie Vaz, Commentator Bruce Herschensohn

Jim Engster — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:29:16 +0000

Jim Caldwell, with Baton Rouge Metro Airport, shares what's going on there.

Kim Marie Vaz, author of "The Baby Dolls", talks about the African American heritage of Mardi Gras.

Political commentator Bruce Herschensohn shares his concerns over the selection of Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.