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WRKF's News Team

Ashley Westerman
Ashley Westerman
Host and Reporter
Elizabeth Eads
Elizabeth Eads
Host and Operations Director
Kelly Connelly
Kelly Connelly
Government & Politics Reporter
Amy Jeffries
Amy Jeffries
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Tagged: Mardi Gras

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Mardi Gras
4:16 am
Sat February 16, 2013

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

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Credit Skip Bolen / Getty Images
The Baby Doll Ladies pose during Mardi Gras in New Orleans on Tuesday.
Credit State Library of Louisiana / AP
This 1942 photo provided by the Louisiana State Museum shows Gold Digger Baby Dolls, one of the neighborhood groups that adopted the "baby doll" costumes.
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By editor

Originally published on Tue February 19, 2013 12:17 pm

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.

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Mardi Gras
9:39 am
Thu February 14, 2013

Pink Chicken Feet Honor Spanish Town Parade Mainstay

Credit Jarondakie Patrick / WRKF
The Society for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana float rolls through downtown Baton Rouge during the Spanish Town parade, Feb. 9, 2013.
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By Jarondakie Patrick

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.

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Mardi Gras
11:53 am
Tue February 12, 2013

Mardi Gras Merriment Beyond Bourbon Street Festivities

Credit Josh Noel / MCT /Landov
A reveler dances with a young girl during the Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou, La., in 2007.
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It's Fat Tuesday, the final day of indulgence before the fasting and penance of Lent begins. While the revelry in New Orleans tends to grab the spotlight, you can find some fascinating Mardi Gras traditions elsewhere.

From chasing chickens in Cajun Country to catching MoonPies in Mobile, communities all along the Gulf Coast have their own way of marking Carnival season.

The Fatted Ox

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Mardi Gras
10:30 am
Tue February 12, 2013

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

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Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Waitress Gaynell James serves up calas cake from the kitchen at The Old Coffeepot Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Jan. 28, 2013.
Credit Via Times-Picayune
An illustration of a classic Calas Vendor from a 1886 edition of Century Magazine
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By editor

Originally published on Thu February 14, 2013 12:35 pm

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.

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Mardi Gras
9:52 am
Sun February 10, 2013

High School Marching Bands Lay Down The Beat Of Mardi Gras

Credit Keith O'Brien for NPR
The McDonogh 35 High School band marches in a parade to usher in the Carnival Season.
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By Keith O'Brien

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 8:18 am

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.

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