Country Roads Magazine "Into The Outdoors Issue" May 2025

R ted rel ionship

“The Bank of St. Francisville has been a valuable partner in helping us grow The Myrtles, Restaurant 1796, Elta and Big River Pizza into Blue House Hospitality. The relationships, connections and resources they’ve provided us over the years are key to our success. Our favorite part of working with BSF is knowing that we’re not just another account; our small business means something to them and they are vested in our vision and success.”

-Morgan & Lizzie Moss

Lizzie & Morgan Moss, owners of Blue House Hospitality • Melvin Harvey, Jr., BSF Sr. Vice President & Real Estate Lender

Mark your calendar for the annual Snappy Sync event, happening May 15–18! Experience the magic of synchronized “Snappy Sync” fireflies lighting up the night along the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway. Looking for a place to stay? We’ve got you covered—visit exploreRidgeland.com.

NOTEWORTHIES

Firefly shows, a new mountain bike trail & Audubon up-close

An ambitious project to restore the ecologically vital Chandeleur islands by James Fox-Smith

A newly-discovered whale species found in the Gulf is already almost extinct by Chris Turner-Neal

Meeting the Mississippi up-close by Sarah Caroline Crall

“IN WILDNESS IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD.”

Sarah Caroline Crall

In cover artist Sarah Caroline Crall’s story, “In Wildness,” she invokes the naturalist Henry David Thoreau, who famously said, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” On a canoe in the middle of the Mississippi River, Crall discovers a profundity in the waters, in the wilds—in a river that has run just on the other side of a levee for her, all her life. She, like her guide John Ruskey of the Quapaw Canoe Company, realize a truth at the center of contemporary conservation efforts: Saving the world becomes more urgent once you have come to know it. The theme of immersion into nature pervades this year’s “Into the Outdoors” issue—in which publisher James Fox-Smith jets twenty-five miles off the Mississippi coast to set foot upon Louisiana’s farthest shore, a vital habitat for dozens of species, many of them critically endangered. On page 40, we meet John Nettles, who hopes to encourage the long tradition of sourcing food from Louisiana’s bayous and forests; and on page 54, a teenager writes about his dream of cultivating one of Louisiana’s great dying ecosystems, the Cajun Prairie. Featured in our monthly “Perspectives” column is the Mississippi artist Robin Whitfield, whose daily artistic sojourns into the swamp near her apartment resulted in its preservation, and its very name. And such tales cannot be told of this region without thinking of the conservation legend, Caroline Dormon, who once said, “I was born with something . . . I call it the gift of wild things.”

Publisher

James Fox-Smith

Associate

Publisher

Ashley Fox-Smith

Managing Editor

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Arts & Entertainment

Editor

Jacqueline DeRobertis-Braun

Creative Director Kourtney Zimmerman

Contributors:

Kristy Christiansen, Paul Christiansen, Sarah Caroline Crall, Jess Cole, John Flores, Oliver Garber, Susan Marquez, Nikki Krieg, Victoria Mikota, C. C. Lockwood, Ned Randolph, Chris Turner-Neal

Cover Artist

Sarah Caroline Crall

Advertising

SALES@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM

Sales Team

Heather Gammill & Heather Gibbons

Operations Coordinator

Molly McNeal

President Dorcas Woods Brown

wildlife, and rare beauty convene on this Mississippi isle by Kristy Christiansen

LIFE’S

portion of this

may be reproduced without permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Country Roads magazine are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. Country Roads magazine retains the right to refuse any advertisement. Country Roads cannot be responsible for delays in subscription deliveries due to U.S. Post Office handling of third-class mail.

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Reflections

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In May 1980, when Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State, the impact on a ten-yearold boy living halfway around the world in Victoria, Australia, was negligible. But in January 1981, when an edition of National Geographic featuring the Mount St. Helens eruption materialized in that boy’s mailbox, it was a different story.

The iconic cover photograph—of an apocalyptic ash plume boiling above a suburban rooftop somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, transfixed me, and, during the days that followed its arrival, I devoured every word and image (that issue devoted more than fifty pages to the eruption and its aftermath) over and over again. While I think my parents had been subscribers to the print edition for several years by that point, the January 1981 issue was the first that truly captured my imagination. Even now, forty-five years later, I can still see the images in my mind’s eye.

That story ignited in me a fascination for the natural world and the human explorers, researchers, and journalists trying to understand it, that has never left. As I grew up, National Geographic did this repeatedly, luring me in with gorgeously photographed cover stories

chronicling momentous events—the maiden launch of the space shuttle Columbia (October 1981), the discovery of the Titanic, (December 1985)—then subtly continuing the indoctrination of wonder with stories of bird migrations, arctic explorations, rainforest ecosystems, and tomb excavations, details of which have stayed with me to this day. As a gateway drug introducing the intricate inner workings of Earth’s web of life, National Geographic was addictive, and I was hooked.

Thirteen years after reading the Mount St. Helens story, I was a twenty-something backpacker visiting a farmhouse in rural West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana for the first time, and it was a bookshelf holding every copy of National Geographic from the 1980s and ’90s that made it feel immediately like home.

In the 1980s at least, National Geographic’s coverage had an unmistakenly North American perspective. Sure, the cover story might be about the rings of Saturn or elephants on the Serengeti, but issues also covered American natural history, culture, and communities; and even when the stories were about lions or lemurs or lemmings, the scientists and explorers doing the discovering were usually American. Not surprising, given that National Geographic is a US-based publication; but as a soft power projection of American preeminence in science and technology, its impact on international readers was huge. American landscapes

seemed bigger, American natural disasters more exciting. American science, it seemed, was everywhere—in space, at the bottom of the sea, burrowing beneath Egyptian deserts. To an impressionable teenager, the coverage seemed far more vivid and compelling than anything Australia was offering at the time, and as a result I probably grew up knowing more weird facts about North American natural history than I knew about those of the continent around me. But actual geography notwithstanding, such was the power of National Geographic’s photography and storytelling that the stories seemed to be everyone’s, no matter what piece of the planet they called home.

If you’ve read Country Roads much, you’ve probably noticed that we’re constantly drawn back to covering the natural history of our region. Partly, I suppose this can be explained by the astonishing biodiversity of Louisiana’s skies and

swamps and waterways, and the ways in which the state’s unique ecology is so intimately woven into its history and culture. But it can also be explained by our growing awareness of the ways in which that ecology, for all its fecundity, is threatened by development and industry and climate change—threats that, economic imperatives notwithstanding, it seems willfully self-defeating to ignore. Yes, you can still take a boat ride to the Chandeleur Islands (page 30) and be blown away by the birdlife they sustain. But if you happened to take that trip with photographer C.C. Lockwood— who has been visiting the islands for forty years (and himself photographed for National Geographic), you’ll learn that today, both the islands and their bird populations are a fraction of the size they once were. To write about the natural world of Louisiana and the Gulf South is an opportunity to recapture some of the childlike wonder that arrived with each new issue of National Geographic But since we’re all grownups now, doing so also requires addressing the ways the region’s ecology is threatened, and to acknowledge the people and institutions working to conserve it. For our sake, and for that of our kids and grandkids, I hope we’re capable of recognizing the importance of both.

—James Fox-Smith, publisher james@countryroadsmag.com

A

Excellence at Home

The goal of medical physicist Chris Schneider, PhD, is to lessen the burden of cancer, one treatment at a time

For Louisiana native Chris Schneider, physics always held a kind of magic. Its methodical observations and precise calculations helped explain the forces of nature and how they could be harnessed for the common good.

“I was always just fascinated with how it revealed how the world works,” said Chris. “I realized that, long-term, I wanted to do something where I could apply my knowledge of physics and work on problems that had a tangible benefit for people.”

“Our goal is to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer. And with technology like this, we can.”

—Chris Schneider, PhD, medical physicist

There’s no question that Schneider’s goal has been fulfilled. After earning a degree in physics from Southeastern Louisiana University, he discovered the field of medical physics at LSU, where he earned a PhD and completed a residency program at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. Today, he serves as Mary Bird Perkins’ adaptive radiotherapy technical director. His job is to deploy and update the cancer center’s adaptive radiotherapy program, the most sophisticated radiation therapy delivery system available anywhere and the only one of its kind in Louisiana.

Much of the leading-edge technology utilized by Mary Bird Perkins comes from Elekta, a company that provides advanced radiotherapy technology across the globe. In March, the Cancer Center hosted a conference with Elekta’s North American arm, bringing medical physicists, physicians and radiation therapists from around North America to its Essen Lane campus. Per a recently signed agreement, Mary Bird Perkins will also help develop new Elekta technology.

The centerpiece of Mary Bird Perkins’ radiotherapy program is the groundbreaking Elekta Unity. The Unity combines an MRI scanner with a radiation treatment machine, enabling treatment to be adapted in real time to more accurately target tumors and preserve healthy tissue in the process.

“MRI is the gold standard in medical imaging,” Chris said. “Combining it with a treatment machine gives us the best possible images so that we can see tumors better and target them more precisely.”

Moreover, the treatment can be adapted on the spot to account for even minor changes in a patient’s anatomy. This could include weight loss or weight gain or the changing size of the tumor itself.

The Elekta Unity also now features a tracking upgrade that automatically tracks tumors during treatment, Chris said. The radiation beam pauses if anything near the tumor moves, or if the patient moves, during treatment. Mary Bird was the fifth site in the country to receive the upgrade, Chris adds.

The chance to work with such advanced technology is just one of many reasons Chris has decided to pursue his career close to home.

“This state has given me a lot and invested a lot in me,” Chris said. “I wanted to do something that would help people in the community, which is why I chose to stay in Louisiana. I’ve been thrilled that I’ve continued to have good opportunities, including working as a medical physicist here at Mary Bird.”

And he’s sharing his expertise. As the Dr. Charles M. Smith faculty

research scholar, Chris works with graduate students in Mary Bird Perkins’ medical physics residency program, preparing a new fleet of highly trained specialists.

For him, it’s all about carrying out Mary Bird Perkins’ crystal-clear mission.

“Our goal is to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer,” he says. “And with technology like this, we can.”

To learn more, visit marybird.org

Medical physicist Chris Schneider with the groundbreaking Elekta Unity radiation treatment machine.

The Fireflies’ Best Kept Secret

CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD HOME TO THE SYNCHRONOUS FIREFLY—AND ONE OF THE MOST ACCESSIBLE

At Bogue Chitto, Mountain Biking is for Everyone

NORBA’S NEW CORTEZ COASTER TRAIL IS A THRILL FOR EXPERTS, NEWBIES, AND DIFFERENTLY-ABLED RIDERS ALIKE

Since 2018, a passionate collective of mountain bike enthusiasts has been shaping the rolling hills of the Northshore’s Bogue Chitto Park into a premier mountain biking destination—the only one of its kind hin the Gulf South. Already, the twenty-plus-mile trail system includes hand-cut single track cross country trails; machine-built flow trails with rollers and wall rides; expert jump lines; rock gardens; drops; an asphalt pump track; a dual slalom course; a kids area; and more. The experience draws hundreds of travelers each weekend, along with a growing local community of mountain bikers, in what Toby Cortez, Development Director of the Northshore Off-Road Biking Association (NORBA) calls “a festival every single weekend.”

This month, NORBA—the nonprofit that builds and maintains the trails—will unveil a brand new trail unlike anything else in the country. The 1.25-mile chipseal Cortez Coaster is built to operate simultaneously as a pumptrack, with integrated wall features, and a traditional trail winding through the woods. But more remarkably, it’s designed to accommodate every kind of rider.

“We’ve created it so that it is going to be truly for everyone,” said Cortez. “This one trail is going to be able to have riders enjoy it that are expert riders, or that are green riders. An expert will be able to have their companion that’s not an expert ride alongside them on the same trail. And in addition, it’s also suited for three-wheel adaptive bikes, designed for riders who don’t have use of their legs.”

The project—developed with input from the Paralyzed Veterans Association, and with a combination of state, local, and private funding—will open to the public with a “Grand Reveal” on May 4. The inaugural ride will be led by the “Dirt Ops,” a veterans’ mountain bike group, at 9 am, which will be followed by a statement from the Louisiana Secretary for Veterans Affairs, a flyover by the Tiger Trac Formation Flight Team, boiled crawfish, and a grand group ride to truly baptize the trail. Details at norbatrails.org.

—Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Every year, tens of thousands of people across the United States throw their hats hin the ring for the rare opportunity to hwitness one of nature’s most enchanting phenomena: the perfectly choreographed light show of the synchronous firefly.

Of the more-than-2,000 species of firefly, only three are dubbed “synchronous,” meaning their blinking patterns coordinate with each other in a general pattern of six flashes, six seconds apart. While scientists have yet to firmly determine the reason for this behavior, theories suggest it may be a maneuver by males to deliver, en masse, a sort of morse code mating song to attract nearby females.

Two of these species live in the Southeastern region of the United States. The most famous places to see their eerily beautiful displays, which occur in late May to early June, are in the dense, unadulterated forests of our national parks—namely the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, and Congaree National Park in South Carolina.

For years, thousands of firefly tourists would flock to these sites, set up camp, and stomp through the woods with their flashlights—unwittingly disturbing not only the fireflies, but other flora and fauna. As a matter of preservation, both national parks have now implemented competitive lotteries, only letting around 150 people in each night during the peak glow period. Most years, around 20,000–30,000 people apply to each park, hoping for a chance to witness the wonder.

But there is another, lesser-known place to see these mesmerizing insects at the height of their magic: Central Mississippi. In the remote, wooded areas around Jackson and Ridgeland, these “Snappy Syncs” have drawn a far more intimate collective of twinkle-chasers that have yet to require large-scale mitigation efforts like the national park lotteries. These quieter locations offer a more accessible opportunity to see the spectacle just a few hours from home. (It hardly needs to be said, but let’s keep it that way by treating these natural environments, and the bugs who brought us there, with respect. Limit flashlight use and phone glow, avoid using insect repellent, leave no trace, and let the fireflies be.)

On May 15, the Craftsman’s Guild of Mississippi will host a “Snappy Sync Soiree” to kick off the firefly mating season, which will culminate in a guided viewing on the Natchez Trace Parkway, lasting from 6 pm–9:30 pm. Guests will also enjoy music and refreshments; all at the Bill Waller Crafts Center in Ridgeland. $40. From May 16–18, the Guild will continue to host twenty-minute Firefly Tours led by Mississippi Master Naturalists. Tours begin at 9 pm and are $8 per person. Details at mscrafts.org.

You can also view the fireflies at Wall Doxey State Park nearby, which is home to eight species of firefly—including one discovered there, the Photuris walldoxeyi. Guided synchronous firefly tours will take place the last weekend of May; 8:30 pm each night. $6. Details at (662) 252-4231 or mdwfp.com. —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Image courtesy of Visit Mississippi

Audubon, Up Close & Personal

HILL MEMORIAL OFFERS THE PUBLIC A RARE CHANCE TO SEE “THE BIRDS OF AMERICA” UP-CLOSE

On May 3, the LSU Hill Memorial Library will pull from its rich archives hone of its rarest holdings: a complete original edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America

The ambition to paint every single bird in North America came to Audubon when he was around age 35, in 1820. He spent the years between 1827–1838 traveling not only to gather source material, but also to attract funders, or “subscribers” for the project. These subscribers would receive five copper engraving plates of the birds he was documenting at a time, paying around $1,000 for the privilege (equivalent to a whopping $34,000 today).

The artistic and scientific quality of Audubon’s birds drew subscriptions from some of the most influential people in the world, including King Charles X of France, Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom, and Kentucky statesman Henry Clay. It is believed that no more than two hundred complete sets were ever compiled, and only 120 still exist today. (One of these editions was sold at Christie’s for $8.8 million in 2000, breaking the record for book sales at the time.)

LSU’s edition, part of Hill Memorial’s E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection, originally belonged to one of the first subscribers, the Duke of Northumberland, and was purchased by the university with a grant from the Crown Zellerbach Foundation in 1964. In 2008, LSU oversaw a meticulous historic restoration of the collection with a donation from the Coypu Foundation.

The work has significance in Louisiana due to the fact that the artist and naturalist completed more of his images here than in any other place; he began 167 of the 435 birds during his travels here. Much of that work was completed while he stayed at Oakley Plantation in St. Francisville which, to this day, offers tours and historic programming focused on Audubon’s four-month residency there. Now owned by the State of Louisiana, the property has even been named the Audubon State Historic Site.

“While a project of this magnitude has many fitful starts, it’s safe to say that The Birds of America would never have happened had it not been for the years that Audubon and his wife spent working in St. Francisville, not to mention the many trips to collect specimens while based there, trips that took him throughout the bayous and forests of the region,” said John Miles, LSU Special Collections’ Curator of Books and Head of Instruction.

Each year, for Audubon Day, the library pulls out all four volumes of the set and displays them for a free public viewing. Such an opportunity to spend time, up close, with all of the original prints, at no cost, does not exist anywhere else in the world, according to Miles. “While people have seen reproductions of prints, possibly even multiple prints, being able to page through the elephant folios and see the scope of the project and the rhythm of the work offers an entirely different and unmatched experience for the viewer.”

Audubon Day takes place from 10 am–2 pm at Hill Memorial Library on May 3. Details at lib.lsu.edu/special/audubon.

—Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

LSU Special Collections’ public services librarian, Germain Bienvenu, shows off an illustration from one of the four volumes of the double elephant folio of The Birds of America to a pair of onlookers.

Photo by Behnoush Tavasolinia, LSU Libraries.

UNTIL

VISUAL ARTS

Events

MASUR MUSEUM OF ART'S 62ND ANNUAL JURIED COMPETITION

Monroe, Louisiana

Continuing in a proud, annual tradition since 1964, the Masur Museum of Art's Annual Juried Competition returns to the museum this spring to showcase outstanding contemporary artists from across the country. Don't miss ninetyfour works from ninety-one artists across thirty states. masurmuseum.org. 1

UNTIL MAY 4th

CULTURAL EXHIBITIONS FRANCOFAE: "CORRESPONDANCE"

Lafayette, Louisiana

Sponsored by CODOFIL, the FrancoFae Fine Arts Exchange presents Correspondance at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, an inaugural curated exhibition featuring twenty artists of Acadian descent in a first-of-its-kind showcase. The exhibition, which features visual artists, photographers, and poets, reflects on the movement and varied influence of the Acadian people across time, up to and including the present day. acadianacenterforthearts.org. 1

"PRAIRIE STORIES: ART AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION ON LOUISIANA'S PRAIRIES"

Lafayette, Louisiana

Prairie Stories: Art and Ecological Restoration on Louisiana's Prairies, on display at the Acadiana Center for the Arts Main Gallery, showcases the spirit of memory and restoration on Louisiana's coastal prairie. From Elemore Morgan Jr.’s landscape paintings, to Rush Jagoe and Maaliyah Simoné's collaborative earthwork installations, the exhibition will explore the revitalization efforts of Indigenous groups, artists, and scientists. Rewilding projects, such as by the Cajun Prairie Restoration Project, Atelier de la Nature, and the Acadiana Native Plant Project, will also be featured. acadianacenterforthearts.org. 1

UNTIL MAY 11th

VISUAL ARTS

"BRIEFLY"

New Orleans, Louisiana

Sadie Sheldon's briefly at Sibyl Gallery is an exercise in reconstruction of salvaged materials, an exploration of introspective analysis, and a quest for self-discovery.

SPRING ART SHOW & RECEPTION

FRIDAY, MAY 9 •

5-9 pm

Client Appreciation party from 5-7pm

the Feminine: the Attendant, the Visitor, the Courier, the Magpie, the Enigma, the Composer, the Archivist, and the Scout. Sheldon's exhibition and artwork, which also include divinatory-adjacent themes, defy a single medium, instead occupying the nuanced intersection of performance, painting, and sculpture in her efforts to reinscribe femininity as an active, purposeful, innovative presence. sibylgallery.com. 1

UNTIL MAY 14th

PHOTOGRAPHY

"DÉJÀ VU: DOUBLE EXPOSURE"

New Orleans, Louisiana

At the NOPA Gallery, Déjà Vu: Double Exposure showcases photography fraught with layered meanings, playing with the tension between memory and illusion. The exhibition, featuring various contributors, explores how "double exposure" can mean two negatives stacked in a darkroom, a single 35mm frame exposed twice, or two contrasting ideas captured in a single image—a challenge for a photographer to grapple with mystery and meaning. neworleansphotoalliance.org. 1

Left: Bridal White, 12x36 oil by Andrea Phillips

Right: Going Court’n, 12x36 oil by Andrea Phillips

Manifest, 12x24 acrylic by Cheri Fry

Yellow Meadow, 36x36 oil by Carol Hallock

Events

Beginning May 1st

UNTIL MAY 14th

SOCIAL JUSTICE

"EXONERATED: PORTRAITS OF THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Exonerated: Portraits of the Wrongfully Convicted showcases the moving work of Becky Gottsegen, exploring the Louisiana prison industrial complex through ceramic busts of exonerated individuals. The exhibition at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center in downtown Baton Rouge seeks to make visible the people who have endured wrongful conviction and incarceration, capturing their resiliency and strength in careful detail. artsbr.org Read more about this exhibition on page 21. 1

UNTIL MAY 18th

FLORA "BLOOM!"

Shreveport, Louisiana

The R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport is resplendent in color and botanical bliss this spring with its exhibition titled BLOOM! The showcase

will feature fifty-three blossom-inspired pieces selected from more than 527 submissions spanning twenty-two countries. rwnaf.org. 1

UNTIL MAY 24th

EXHIBITIONS

LSUA STUDENT ART SHOW

Alexandria, Louisiana

Under the guidance of Professors WangLing Chou and Jeremy Simmons, this exhibition at the Alexandria Museum of Art features pieces from LSUA art students. Witness the development of student art capturing a subject's essence, form, and color. themuseum.org. 1

UNTIL MAY 25th

NOSTALGIA

"GOLDEN LEGACY: ORIGINAL ART FROM 80 YEARS OF GOLDEN BOOKS"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The LSU Museum of Art presents Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books, an exhibition that promises to revive joyful childhood memories of paging through the iconic books.

The exhibition showcases sixty original illustrations of Little Golden Books. Some favorites include classics such as The Poky Little Puppy, Tootle, Home for a Bunny, The Color Kittens, I Can Fly, and more. lsumoa.org. 1

UNTIL MAY 27th

VISUAL ARTS

"DUALITY"

Bossier City, Louisiana

Exploring the duality of the artist—torn between survival and creation—the showcase Duality is on display at the Bossier Arts Council through the last days of May. Artist submissions explore the two-faced nature of art and artistry. bossierarts.org. 1

UNTIL

MAY 31st

VISUAL ARTS

LEMIEUX GALLERIES PRESENTS: "DISSONANCE"  AND  "SUMMER RAIN"

New Orleans, Louisiana

LeMieux Galleries presents two solo exhibitions: Kaori Maeyama's Dissonance and Miro Hoffmann's Summer Rain Dissonance, Maeyama’s third solo exhibition, displays a collection of tonal paintings that interrogate the fluidity of time, memory, and motion—all based on reference photos from an iPhone. In Hoffmann’s Summer Rain, a

second solo exhibition at the Galleries, summertime in New Orleans takes center stage, radiating heat, humidity, and the vivid celebration of color and life through mixed media; the exhibition also delves into climate change, community, and resilience. A reception will be held May 3 from 5 pm–9 pm. lemieuxgalleries.com. 1

UNTIL JUN 21st

ICONS

GEORGE RODRIGUE: "THE RIVER IS THE ROAD"

Alexandria, Louisiana

George Rodrigue: The River is the Road, hosted at the Alexandria Museum of Art, explores more than four decades of the theme of rivers in Rodrigue's paintings, tracing the ways water references his Cajun heritage. The exhibition features forty-five original artworks, including sculptures, paintings, and pastels. themuseum.org. 1

UNTIL AUG 10th

EXHIBITIONS

"NEW AFRICAN MASQUERADES: ARTISTIC INNOVATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS"

New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) presents a major exhibition

featuring the work of four contemporary artists working in cities across West Africa. New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations explores current West African masquerade practices, situating them at the nexus of social, economic, and religious contexts and identities. NOMA will showcase the work of Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, David Sanou, and Hervé Youmbi, including thirteen masquerade ensembles. The exhibition is organized in partnership with the Musée des Civilisations noires (MCN) in Dakar, Senegal. noma.org. 1

MAY 1st

BOOKWORMS

"THE WORD FOR WHEN"

BOOK LAUNCH

Lafayette, Louisiana

The J. Arthur Roy House hosts the UL Press book launch of Denise Rogers's The Word for When, a poetry collection describing a journey through serenity, yearning, relationships, faith, memory, and hope. Her collection moves through themes such as "Then," "Now," and "When." Rogers is a former professor at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, where she taught humanities courses. 5:30 pm–7:30 pm. ulpress.org. 1

MAY 1st

MUSIC

BRSO PRESENTS: "CARMINA BURANA"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra closes its season at the River Center Theatre with Carmina Burana, conducted by Maestro Adam Johnson. Beginning the evening, the orchestra will perform Aaron Copland's classic ballet suite, Appalachian Spring. Dancers Briana del Mundo and Waverly Fredericks will join BRSO, evoking the nineteenth century Pennsylvania countryside. Carl Orff's Carmina Burana will follow, featuring soprano Martha Guth, tenor David Shaler, baritone Dongwon Kim, and the Baton Rouge Symphony Chorus. 7:30 pm–9:30 pm. $19–$65. brso.org. 1

MAY 1st - MAY 3rd FESTIVALS

ALEX RIVER FÊTE

Alexandria, Louisiana

The Alexandria River Fête draws together hundreds of Louisianans from near and far to celebrate the arts, culture, and heritage of Central Louisiana. Set on the banks of the Red River, where it flows past downtown Alex, the three-day fest has historically encompassed several

events including Dinner on the Bricks, an ArtWalk, and the hotly contested Louisiana Dragon Boat Races. Expect dozens of lively arts programs, colorful street performers, vibrant craft displays, food vendors, children’s activities, and live music. Starts at 5 pm Thursday; 4 pm Friday; 10 am Saturday. Free. alexriverfete.com. 1

MAY 1st - MAY 4th

MUSIC AND CULTURE

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL

New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the city's hallmark international music festival, famous for

Miro Hoffmann’s second solo exhibition at LeMieux Galleries titled, Summer Rain, is a love letter of sorts to New Orleans in the summertime, complete with heat, rainstorms, and vivid color. His art captures the precariousness of climate change, explorng the resilience of the New Orleans community. Learn more on page 12. The exhibition runs until May 31. Art courtesy of LeMieux Galleries.

Events

Beginning May 1st - 3rd

immersing the country's most powerful entertainers in the city of New Orleans' incomparable musical legacy. Big names at Jazz Fest have included Katy Perry, Van Morrison, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, and scores more. This year's festival is headlined by Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Kacey Musgraves, and many more of the nation's biggest performers. But we all know that Jazz Fest isn’t just about big names, as there are hundreds of other closer-to-home musicians and bands on the schedule this year, each bringing their unique style and following. In addition to the music, happening simultaneously on multiple stages, the Heritage Fair offers its lipsmacking array of food (more than one hundred varieties available), as well as contemporary and folk crafts. Numerous areas highlight Louisiana’s diverse influences, including the Congo Square African Marketplace, the Contemporary Crafts area, and Louisiana Marketplace. Festival parades, starring brass bands and marching clubs, begin and end in Heritage Square. Everything happens at the New Orleans Fairgrounds. Four day early bird passes for each weekend start at $290 for Louisiana Residents; singleday tickets will go on sale at a later date. nojazzfest.com. 1

MAY 1st - MAY 31st

GOOD EATS

A TASTE OF COVINGTON FOOD, WINE, MUSIC & ART FESTIVAL

Covington, Louisiana

It's the Northshore's favorite month of the year: May brings "A Taste of Covington," giving locals and visitors alike the perfect opportunity to dig into Covington's vibrant culinary scene. On select dates throughout the month, enjoy special four (or more) course vintner dinners at beloved local restaurants such as Marcello's, Cured, Desi Vega's and more. In addition, don't miss two exclusive tasting events on May 10 : the Global Whiskey Tasting presented by Acquistapace's ($25) from 7 pm–7:30 pm, and the Festa Del Vino—a premier wine tasting event featuring a live music by Christy and the Rascals ($125), from 7:30 pm–10 pm. The Grand Tasting will take place at the Art House on May 17 from 7:30 pm–10 pm, with live music by Deja Vu. All dinners and events require reservations. Details at atasteofcovington.com. 1

MAY 2nd

WINE IN THE WILD ROAR AND POUR

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Wine tasting, food sampling, twinkly lights, live music: it's a night of celebration and class we've all been craving. Oh, and then there are the monkeys. And the giraffes. And, of course, the alligators. The Baton Rouge Zoo Foundation invites all to Roar and Pour (formerly Wild Wine Walk), a lively and indulgent stroll through the zoo, enjoying a variety of wines and bites from local eateries. 5 pm–7:30 pm. $50; $75 for VIP, which includes early entry (4 pm), as well as a commemorative gift. brzoo.org. 1

MAY 2nd

TEE TIME

FAMILY SERVICE OF GREATER BATON ROUGE

GOLF TOURNAMENT

Zachary, Louisiana

Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge is inviting the community to show off their swings for their twelfth anniversary Golf Tournament held this year at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Zachary. 8 am–2 pm. $125 individual, $500 group. Call (225)-927-9810 for more information or to enter. 1

MAY 2nd - MAY 3rd

MUSIC

MAMA G'S SWAMP POP FESTIVAL

Morgan City, Louisiana

It's a full day of live swamp pop music in the parking lot at Mama G's Bar & Grill. There will be crafts, a live auction, and music from Caleb Lapeyrouse & The Drivers, Swampland Revival & Cliff Hillebran, Soulshine, Justin Cornett Band, and Brad Sapia Band. Proceeds benefit the NICS group (Neuro Inclusive Community). 6 pm–9:30 pm Friday; 11 am–5 pm Saturday. cajuncoast.com. 1

MAY 2nd - MAY 3rd

RETAIL THERAPY

SALE ON THE TRAIL

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Be prepared to “shop ‘til you drop” along 175 miles of the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas. Follow the trail through the Caddo region which stretches from LA Hwy 6 in Natchitoches to TX Hwy 21 into Nacogdoches, and discover new and

used treasures sold by local businesses and individuals along the way, as well as food, vegetables, and other finds. If you want to participate by hosting a garage sale or becoming a vendor, visit toledobendlakecountry.com. 1

MAY 2nd - MAY 3rd

HIDDEN TREASURES THE MISSISSIPPI ANTIQUE SHOWCASE Oxford, Mississippi

The Mississippi Antique Showcase, hosted by Mississippi Public Broadcasting and the MPB Foundation at The Inn at Ole Miss in Oxford invites attendees to bring family heirlooms and antiques for expert appraisal, filmed for the Mississippi Antique Showcase TV program. Appraisals run Friday and Saturday from 1 pm– 6 pm. $100 covers entry, refreshments, membership, and one appraisal. Past finds include works by Tina Turner, Henry Moore, and Gordon Parks. For details, visit mpbonline.org. 1

MAY 2nd - MAY 4th

BOOKWORMS FRIENDS OF THE JEFFERSON PUBLIC LIBRARY BIG BOOK SALE

Kenner, Louisiana

Make no mistake; this one is definitely BIG. The Friends of the Jefferson Public Library's semi-annual book sale returns to fill the Pontchartrain Center this month. Over sixty-five thousand (yes, that many) used books will be up for grabs, including cookbooks, travel books, art books, history books, and local and regional titles. DVDs, CDs, puzzles, sheet music, audio books, and more on

sale, too. Most items priced between fifty cents and three dollars. There will also be an auction including specialty items like After the Flood by Robert Polidori, which features photographs documenting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and other rare and fascinating books. 10 am–7 pm Friday–Saturday; noon–5 pm Sunday. 4545 Williams Boulevard. Free admission and parking. friendsofjeffersonlibrary.org. 1

MAY 2nd - MAY 17th

MISSISSIPPI TRADITIONS

NATCHEZ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC Natchez, Mississippi

Every May since 1991, the Natchez Festival of Music has been making Mississippi musical, staging a monthlong whirlwind of operas, operettas, Broadway musicals, jazz, and special concerts in historic venues around the city. Catch:

• May 2: Mozart's The Magic Flute (with English dialogue), one of the world's most famous operas. 7 pm at Natchez City Auditorium. $45.

• May 8: "Slavic Serenade: A Musical Journey" with the Szlubowska-Belsky Duo, a violin-piano ensemble performing works such as Cezar Franck's "Violin Sonata," Fryderyk Chopin's "Noctourne," and more. 7 pm at Waverly. $35.

• May 10: "Behind the Legends"—A conversation and book signing with bestselling author Ellis Nassour on Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline and Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon. 10 am at Elms Court. Free.

Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books, on display at the LSU Museum of Art until May 25, showcases famed art from childhood classics, such as The Tawny Scrawny Lion, by Kathryn Jackson, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. ©1952, Random House. More information on page 12. Image courtesy of the LSU Museum of Art.

• May 10: Always . . . Patsy Cline featuring Diana Glaze as Louise Seger, Patricia Garner as Patsy Cline, and Tyler Kemp and the Bodacious Bobcats Band. 7 pm at Natchez City Auditorium. $35.

• May 15: The Heavenly Life: A Child's View of Heaven —Mahler's Symphony No. 4 performed by the Festival chamber ensemble, soprano Sarah Stembel and conductor Jay Dean. 7 pm at Natchez City Auditorium. $35.

• May 17: Whitney Houston . . .

Always Love You!, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Houston's debut album. 7 pm at Natchez City Auditorium. $35. natchezfestivalofmusic.com. 1

MAY 3rd

FIT & FUN

BAYOU SIDE 5K RUN/WALK

New Iberia, Louisiana

Lace up your running shoes. Sponsored by the Iberia Mental Health Initiative, the Bayou Side 5K Run/Walk held at the Steamboat Warehouse features a day of running for mental health awareness. 8 am–11 am. Individual runners $30; team runners $20 per runner. runsignup.com. 1

MAY 3rd

GREEN THUMBS

POINTE COUPÉE MASTER GARDENER END OF SEASON PLANT SALE

New Roads, Louisiana

'Tis the season for all things growing, and the Pointe Coupée Master Gardeners are ready to offer their help. After two previous plant sales brought gardeners out and about during thsose early spring months, this End of Season Sale is the big one. Head to Miles J. Brashier Greenhouse in New Roads for the extravaganza. 8 am–noon. Visit the Pointe Coupée Master Gardeners Facebook page for more information. 1

MAY 3rd

GOOD EATS

SANTÉ SOUTH

WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

Ridgeland, Mississippi

Founded in 2006, the Santé South Wine & Food Festival is now the largest wine and culinary celebration in Mississippi. In keeping with its legacy, Santé South highlights premier wines—featuring more than 120—and the state's most exciting culinary treats from local restaurants. Experience sensational tasting opportunities along with conversations with boutique winemakers at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Ridgeland. 7:30 pm–9:30 pm. $125 for general admission. santesouth.org. 1

MAY 3rd

FIT & FUN

LOUISIANA TRIATHLON

New Roads, Louisiana

Running (and swimming, and biking)

strong since 1989, the Louisiana Tri attracts athletes all throughout the South. The race features an 800 meter swim, an 18-mile bike ride around False River, and a 5K through historic New Roads—all cumulating in a finish festival at The Landing Bar, on the banks of False River. Race starts at 7:30 am on Saturday at the False River Paddle Club. Learn more at trisignup.com. 1

MAY 3rd

FIRE-BREATHERS

LOUISIANA

DRAGON BOAT RACES

Pineville, Louisiana

For the largest Dragon Boat Race in the state, you can expect participating crafts to be not just powerfully propelled, but also spectacularly adorned. Spirited racing roils the waters of Pineville's Lake Buhlow all day, while onshore art and food vendors, live entertainment, and interactive art exhibitions turn the event into a festival with something for all to enjoy. Several high-profile

fitness groups have taken the trophy in recent years' photo-finish endings, and this year promises more of the same stiff competition. Begins at 8 am, closing ceremony begins at 3 pm. louisianadragonboatraces.com. 1

MAY 3rd

PERFORMANCES

"MISSISSIPPI MURALS"

Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Join Grammy-nominated musician Luther Dickinson at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art with Mississippi Murals, a musical suite arranged by Marc Franklin. Dickinson will be joined by acclaimed

Events

Beginning May 3rd - 9th

musicians from across the South, including Callaghan Miles, Gulf Coast Symphony Youth Orchestra Quartet, Art Edmaiston, Jim Spake, Adam Abrashoff, and Wesley Daniels. 6 pm–8 pm. $75. walterandersonmuseum.org. 1

MAY 3rd

GOOD EATS FOOD TRUCK FIESTA

Denham Springs, Louisiana

Denham Springs Main Street invites you to its Food Truck Fiesta, featuring a wide variety of local food trucks ranging from savory to sweet. This event is family friendly and promises to to satisfy every craving. 10 am–3 pm at the Old City Hall. $100. bontempstix.com. 1

MAY 3rd

FURRY FRIENDS

BAYOU TECHE BLACK BEAR FESTIVAL

Franklin, Louisiana

The annual Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival will be held on the banks of

said bayou and in thoroughly historic downtown Franklin. With its focus on educating the public about the life and long-term prospects of the Louisiana Black Bear, this celebration will include birding and field trips, boat outings on the bayou, a cast iron cookoff, an art sale, arts & crafts, food, music, and children's activities. 8 am–5 pm. bayoutechebearfest.org. 1

MAY 3rd

ALL A TWITTER

AUDUBON DAY AT LSU LIBRARIES

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

You know what they say about "birds of a feather," so flock together with other bird-lovers (and history-lovers galore) at LSU’s Hill Memorial Library for Audubon Day, which will include a viewing of John James Audubon's famed double elephant folio edition of Birds of America (1827-1838), and more. Free, but registration is required for different onehour time slots to view the folios between 10 am and 1 pm in groups of forty at lib.lsu.edu/special/audubon. Read more about Audubon Day on page 9. 1

MAY 3rd

SEASONINGS

SUNSET HERB & GARDEN FESTIVAL

Sunset, Louisiana

The Sunset Garden Club presents the chance to meet vendors and master gardeners specializing in all your favorite garden friends: hibiscus, grasses, fruit trees, bromeliads, orchids, ferns, succulents, roses, and more. Local crafts, handmade yard art, and herbal bath and body products can also be found on the grounds for sale. First-timers should know that plants go fast! In the Kids Corner, children can play on fun jumps, enjoy face-painting, visit the fairy garden, or meet some of the bee-keepers or agricultural vendors on site. $5. 8 am–3 pm. sunsetherbfestival.com. 1

MAY 3rd

IS THIS THING ON?

STAY TUNED MUSIC FEST

Natchez, Mississippi

The inaugural Stay Tuned Music Fest kicks off in Natchez at 84 Homochitto Street, on the grounds of historic Dunleith Historic Inn. The lineup features Monsters of Yacht, Chad Wesley, Jack Curtis as Elvis, Hana Hart & Friends, and Mira Got Soul. Grounds

open at 11 am, bands start to play at noon. $25; free for children ten and under. staytunedmusicfest.com. 1

MAY 3rd - MAY 4th

HANDMADE

MELROSE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Every spring, Melrose Plantation hosts an Arts & Crafts Festival, the longest-running of its kind in the state. This two-day event, sponsored by the Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches, attracts more than two thousand visitors each year from throughout the nation and world. The festival presents local artists, handmade items for your home and yard, gorgeous works of art, flowers, local food, and live music. Melrose’s festival focuses on presenting artisans who demonstrate their crafts at the festival itself so that festival-goers can get a first-hand look at the artistic process in action. Jewelry, paintings, wooden furniture, and other items will take shape, and examples will be available to purchase directly. Saturday 9 am–5 pm; Sunday 10 am–4 pm. Admission $5, $2 children six to twelve, free for kids five-and-younger. melroseplantation.org. 1

MAY 3rd - MAY 4th

MUSIC LESSONS

VERLON THOMPSON SONGWRITING WORKSHOP

St. Francisville, Louisiana

3V Tourist Courts in St. Francisville hosts the nationally recognized Nashville songwriter and long time sideman to Guy Clark, who returns to the town to teach a songwriting workshop. 7 pm– 9 pm. $25. bontempstix.com. 1

MAY

8th

LIVE MUSIC

BURDEN'S MUSIC IN THE GARDENS

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie garden will serve as the setting for Burden's Music in the Gardens, returning for a third year of performances. The lineup includes the LeTrainiump, Molly Taylor, and Rhett Glindmeyer. Pack a lawn chair and picnic, and check out some of the food trucks at the event while enjoying music in the beauty of nature. 5:30 pm–8 pm. $20; $5 for children. lsu.edu/botanic-gardens. 1

MAY

8th

ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE

TUT'S TIPSY TRIVIA: A FUN AND INTERACTIVE EVENING OF EGYPTIAN HISTORY

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dust up on your ancient Egyptian cultural knowledge—and not what you learned in fourth grade. At "Tut's Tipsy Trivia" at the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum's Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, test how much you know about ancient Egypt, drink, and have fun celebrating the museum's exhibition, Discoveries on the Nile: Exploring King Tut’s Tomb and the Amin Egyptian Collection. Additional beverages by Parish Brewing Co. 6 pm–8 pm. $20; free for LASM members.lasm.org. 1

MAY 8th - MAY 9th

THEATRE "TWELFTH NIGHT, THE MUSICAL"

New Orleans, Louisiana

Enjoy the Shakespearean classic Twelfth Night —with a musical twist. This famed story of mistaken identity, love, and comedy will leave audiences laughing (perhaps lyrically). Head to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in Lupin Hall to watch the show for two nights only, performed by the Musical Theatre students of the Theatre Arts Department. 6:30 pm. $20. nocca.com. 1

MAY 9th

LIVE MUSIC

PEPSI POPS

Ridgeland, Mississippi

Spend an idyllic evening at the Old Trace Park on the Rez, enjoying music by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Bring the whole family, a friend, or a date— and of course a picnic complete with a blanket or some lawn chairs—and listen to a dazzling lineup of popular songs. 7:30 pm–9 pm. $15; $20 at the gate. msorchestra.com. 1

MAY 9th

ART FESTIVALS

HOT ART COOL NIGHTS

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Each year, Jefferson Highway at Goodwood Boulevard to the intersection of Government and 14th streets in Baton Rouge comes alive for a night filled with original art, music, and festive food. Head to the heart of Midcity Baton Rouge for the spring arts and cultural festival. 6 pm–9 pm. Free. midcitymerchantsbr.org. 1

MAY 9th

YOUNG CREATIVES

ART EXHIBIT BY TALENTED YOUTH

Opelousas, Louisiana

The Opelousas Museum showcases artworks by youth of The Talented Arts Program of St. Landry Parish, which includes a curriculum to inspire and train students interested and adept at visual arts in the public school system. On display will be paintings, drawings, collages, and sculptures created by sixty-five students between first and sixth grades. The reception will take place from 4 pm–5 pm. museum@cityofopelousas.com.

MAY 9

SOUND ON NATCHITOCHES

JAZZ/R&B FESTIVAL

Natchitoches, Louisiana

A full day of incredible jazz and R&B acts in Natchitoches's historic downtown? You'd better believe it. For almost three decades now this festival has brought a full-fledged celebration of these high energy genres (and others, too!) to its riverbank district. This year's lineup includes almost twenty acts, including Dead Reckoning String Band, Gretchen Wilson, 50 Man Machine, Sonny Gullage & the Blues Groovers, The Bar-Kays, Cypress Brake, Deep Water Rehab, and so many more. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, but leave your ice chests and outside food and drink at home. Kicks off Friday night at 5:30 pm, and carries through the weekend starting at 11 am Saturday. $25 for Friday-only; $55 for

Events

Beginning May 9th - 10th

Saturday; $70 for the whole weekend; $125 for VIP. Discounts are available for students. natchjazzfest.com. 1

MAY 9th - MAY 10th

HIP-HOP

FROG FESTIVAL

Rayne, Louisiana

Watch your step on the Rayne Fair Grounds this weekend, since there are bound to be frogs underfoot at this toadally awesome festival. When not rooting for their favorite fleet-footed frogs in the racing/jumping contest, festival-goers enjoy great food (including fried frog legs, of course), huge carnival rides, arts and crafts shows, accordion and dance contests, frog cook-offs and frog eating contests, and musical talent including Clifton Brown and The Rusty Bucket Band, Adam Leger, and Wayne Toups. raynefrogfestival.com. 1

MAY 10th

STROLLS

OPEN STUDIOS BR: AN ARTISTS' STUDIOS TOUR

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Get to know the local painters, jewelers, potters, and sculptors who're shaping the capital city's creative culture during Open Studios BR: A Baton Rouge Artists' Studios Self-Guided Tour, which encourages visits to locations across Baton Rouge. Open Studios BR invites the curious and those looking to get a head start on their holiday gift lists to the city's studios and creative spaces during a coordinated open house, using a web-based map. Free. 10 am–6 pm. jewelofhavana.com/openstudiosbr. 1

MAY 10th

SUMMER FAVORITES

MARITIME

MUSIC & ART FESTIVAL

Madisonville, Louisiana

Support the Maritime Museum Louisiana at their fourth annual Music & Art Festival, a lively family-friendly event with live music, scrumptious food offerings, and vendor booths featuring local work by regional artists. The fun starts at noon and will continue until 10 pm. $20; free entry for kids twelve and under. maritimemuseumlouisiana.org. 1

MAY 10th

GOOD EATS

MANDEVILLE

FOOD TRUCK FEST

Mandeville, Louisiana

Mobile cuisine is the star of the show

at Mandeville's Food Truck Festival, held at the Mandeville Lions Club. Come for the sweet eats and stay to support the Louisiana Handicapped Children's Camp and The Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation. 4 pm–8 pm. Free admission. Visit the Mandeville Lions Club Facebook page for details. 1

MAY 10th

GREEN THUMBS

ST. FRANCISVILLE HOME & GARDEN STROLL

Saint Francisville, Louisiana

The Feliciana Master Gardeners invite you to take a tour of the lush gardens in West Feliciana Parish in all their springtime glory. Admire six private residences in St. Francisville's Historic District area for patio and garden tours, and enjoy refreshments along the way. 8 am–1 pm for the open house and garden tour ($40); 1 pm–5 pm for lectures, workshops, and a plant sale in the Garden Space at The Corbel ($40); 6 pm–9 pm for a "Bridgerton"-style dinner at the home of St. Francisville Inn owners Brandon Branch and Jim Johnston (Limited seating at $250 per person). bontempstix.com. 1

MAY 10th

BARD BASH

LOUISIANA

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Fest on —in honor of the Bard of Avon himself—at the Capitol Park Museum for the inaugural Louisiana Shakespeare Festival. The familyfriendly day is devoted to celebrating the famous plays that continue to entertain and move audiences centuries later, and the man who penned them. The period-appropriate event will feature interactive library program plays, combat demonstrations, outdoor scene performances, a gall ink experiment, and Renaissance costume exhibits. The festival will also include special guest performances by acclaimed improv duo Jeff Wolfthal and Jules Schrader, who have ties to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. 10 am–2 pm. Free. lashakes.org. 1

MAY 10th

GREEN THUMBS

GARDEN DISCOVERIES: “USING NATIVE PLANTS IN YOUR HOME LANDSCAPE"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Learn from Master Gardener and Master

Naturalist Bob Dillemuth about how to use native plants to add color, diversity, and habitat in your home landscapes, just in time for summer gardening. 10 am. Free. Registration is available at ebrpl.co/calendar. 1

MAY

10th - MAY 17th

PERFORMANCES

MUSIC AT THE DEW DROP Mandeville, Louisiana

In 1885, a group of civic-minded African American residents of Mandeville, headed up by a woman named Olivia Eunio, established the Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Association—which would be a community space of shared resources and neighborly care. Like many such places in the South, the physical headquarters of this organization came to be many things apart from a community touchstone—a dancehall among them. Still standing today, the Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall is considered the world's oldest virtually unaltered rural jazz dance hall, built the same year that traditional jazz was born in New Orleans. Today, the Friends of the Dew Drop continue to maintain the historic building and to host regular celebrations of rural Southern music, and especially jazz. Here is what's on the schedule for May:

•May 10: Sam Warren as Ray: A Tribute to Ray Charles

•May 17: Marc Stone & Friends, 6:30 pm. $10; souvenirs and beverages available for purchase; plus homecooked meals available from next door. dewdropjazzhall.com. 1

MAY 10th - MAY 24th

LIVE MUSIC

JAZZ 'N THE VINES SPRING CONCERT SERIES Bush, Louisiana

Come take a swig of good fun with the folks at Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard, and embark on the spring edition of the property's Jazz 'n the Vines outdoor concert series. Vineyards wines are available for tasting and purchase and food trucks will be on site. See the lineup here:

•May 10: Dave Jordan and the NIA

•May 24: Flow Tribe

81250 Old Military Road. $10–$25; children 17 and under free at bontempstix.com. Details at wildbushfarmandvineyard.com. 1

MAY 10th - JUL 26th

ART EXHIBITIONS

"WEEKS HALL, AVANT GARDE" New Iberia, Louisiana

The Shadows Visitor Center hosts the exhibition Weeks Hall, Avant Garde, featuring rarely displayed works by William Weeks Hall spanning his artistic life from a young boy to late career. Hall studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1913–1918, before embarking on a European tour after World War I. He returned home to New Iberia in the 1920s where he began to restore the Shadows, painting all the while he worked on the home's restoration. A reception will be held May 10 from 4 pm–6 pm. Free, but registration encouraged. shadowsontheteche.org. 1

Pineville's Lake Buhlow fills with dragon racers each summer to support the Alexandria Museum of Art. Learn more about the Louisiana Dragon Boat Races on page 15. Photo courtesy of LSUA.

THINGS

1 . Explore the trails at Bonita Lakes.

2 Soak up the sun and enjoy a day on the water.

3 . Cool off and make a splash at the scenic Dunn’s Falls.

4 Watch the sun go down and rise to the rhythm of nature.

5 . Feel the beat at an unforgettable outdoor concert.

Events

Beginning May 11th - 15th

MAY 11th

STROLLS

OLD MANDEVILLE HISTORIC ASSOCIATION MOTHER'S DAY HOME TOUR

Mandeville, Louisiana

This Mother's Day, go on tour with Mom. The Olde Mandeville Historic Association returns with its annual Home Tour—this year themed, "From Creole to Contemporary". The experience will take you to seven private Old Mandeville homes, in addition to the Jean Baptiste Lang House—one of only a few remaining "AngloCreole" structures remaining in Old Mandeville. Visitors will delve into the architecture, restoration process, antiques, and artwork of each site; and the ways owners have made the space their own. 2 pm–5 pm. $25 in advance, $30 day-of; $15 for students. Wristbands and tour maps will be available at the Lang House on May 9 and 10 from 10 am–4 pm, on Saturday 10 am–1 pm, and on tour day beginning at noon. oldmandevillehistoricassociation.org. 1

MAY 14th

LECTURES

SOUNDS OF CONGO SQUARE, VIEUX CARRÉ, AND BAYOU

ST. JOHN: THE BANJO IN 19TH CENTURY NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans, Louisiana

Join author Kristina R. Gaddy at Gallier Historic House to learn about music, dance, and the banjo in New Orleans as she presents her book, Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History

The book explores over two hundred years of the banjo, particularly its role in Black spirituality, rebellion, and ritual. 6 pm–7 pm. $15. hgghh.org. 1

MAY 14th

MINIATURES

BONSAI WORKSHOP AT PORT ORLEANS BREWING CO.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Interested in the art of bonsai? Grab some friends and a drink and head to this beginner workshop at Port Orleans Brewing Co. to make tiny trees. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out, with teachers to introduce

core concepts and serve as guides. 6:30 pm–8:30 pm. $85. bonsaibar.com.1

MAY 15th

LIVE MUSIC

LOUIS MICHOT: "RÊVE DU TROUBADOUR"

Lafayette, Louisiana

Louis Michot, fiddler for the Grammy award winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, has long sustained a passion for Louisiana French and local folklore.“Rêve du Troubadour,” translated in English to “The Troubadour’s Dream” in English, refers to Michot's process of pulling music from dreams into reality. Despite his lengthy list of published songs, Michot believes the album Rêve du Troubadour is his strongest and most personal work. 7:30 pm–9:30 pm. $40–$70. acadianacenterforthearts.org. 1

MAY 15th - MAY 17th

JOY RIDES

CRUISIN' CAJUN COUNTRY

New Iberia, Louisiana

Classic and muscle cars motor into Louisiana's Cajun Country to enhance the experience of New Iberia's awardwinning Main Street historic district, local food, and live music—all the while showing off their rims and revved

up engines. Excursions take visitors to experience local culture and business: visit a shrimp peeling plant, the Cajun Heritage Museum, the Military Museum, and Earl's Palace—where everyone will get the chance to learn the secrets to Cajun dancing. The Hampton Inn in New Iberia will host the main events. $65 for early registration; $80 if registering after May 1. Details at cruisincajuncountry.com. 1

MAY 15th - MAY 18th

GOOD EATS

BATON ROUGE

SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Southern cuisine, live music, competitions, vendors, and more are coming to the Main Library's Plaza for the annual Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival. Expect acts by local favorites including Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor and the Listening Room All-Stars, vendors stirring up the best of Louisiana soul food, and more. 11 am–8 pm. $25. A pre-party will be held at Henry Turner Jr.'s Listening Room on May 15 from 7 pm–10:45 pm featuring a sneak peak of talent performing at the festival. $30. Tickets for both available at bontempstix.com. 1

A Place of Honor

INSIDE THE SCULPTURE EXHIBITION RECOGNIZING

LOUISIANA'S WRONGFULLY CONVICTED

Story by Jacqueline DeRobertis-Braun

Thhere is a certain solemnity—even reverence—suffusing the quiet gallery space displaying the busts of twenty-three men wrongfully imprisoned by the State of Louisiana.

Exonerated: Portraits of the Wrongfully Convicted, currently on exhibit at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center in downtown Baton Rouge, features effigies of men incarcerated for a total of 644 years combined for crimes they did not commit. Artist Becky Gottsegen sculpted the ceramic busts to honor the men after learning about the work of the Innocence Project New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that seeks to free innocent people serving unjust prison sentences.

Gottsegen hopes the portraits will shed light on the plight of innocent men and women incarcerated by the state. In addition to the busts, the exhibition includes informational placards describing the cost of wrongful imprisonment, which include psychological trauma, legal hurdles, health issues, and lack of compensation, among other lingering scars. There is also a section listing causes for wrongful convictions and the impact on families who have an innocent loved one behind bars. Inspirational quotes from civil rights and social justice leaders adorn the room, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, and Elie Wiesel.

“She wanted to give a voice to the men who had been exonerated,” said Sarah Nichols, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Arts Center. “It’s just another way for their stories to live on and [to] really humanize that experience.”

The busts are replicates; each individual depicted has his own, original bust—“to honor them,” according to Gottsegen’s artist’s statement. “I am hoping this exhibition will draw attention to the many innocent people spending years of their lives in Louisiana prisons.”

A bust, created by artist Becky Gottsegen, of Sullivan Walter, a man who, when he was seventeen, was wrongly convicted of a crime that resulted in him spending more than thirty-six years in prison—the longest known wrongful incarceration of a juvenile in Louisiana history. Image courtesy of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

Grouped evenly on two sides of the room, each bust is distinct—set apart not only by the men’s individual features, but by their stylistic choices. Some wear baseball caps (one a Stetson, another a flat cap), others sport beards, bald heads, or natural hairstyles; they are depicted in bowties, collared shirts, suits, casual tees’s. Several are bespectacled, with real glasses in different styles. Beneath the busts, a plaque lists each man’s name, the age he was incarcerated, the location of his incarceration, the duration of his imprisonment, and the date of his exoneration. A quick glance around the room reveals most of the men were imprisoned in their late teens or early twenties.

So often those accused of crimes are associated with the color palette of assumed guilt—an orange or tan jumpsuit, silver shackles, the harsh blues and reds of police lights. Exonerated rejects this narrative; the busts rest on pale gold plinths, the men’s portraits rendered in a bronze hue reminiscent of monuments to notable historic figures. In a similar vein, the expressions on display—perhaps once previously weighed down by assumptions and judgements of a suspicious public when glimpsed on B-roll, or a newspaper’s 1A report—are all happy. The majority of the men depicted wear only the slightest suggestion of a smile, while others appear barely able to suppress their joy as it tugs at the corner of closed lips. Only one of the men— Archie Williams, exonerated in 2019—grins broadly with all his teeth, a vision of unrestrained elation.

Exonerated: Portraits of the Wrongfully Convicted, will remain on display through May 14 at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center's Shell Gallery in downtown Baton Rouge. Visit artsbr.org to view a program detailing the names and case stories of each wrongfully incarcerated individual. •

Events

Beginning May 16th - 17th

MAY 16th - MAY 18th

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

MID-CITY BAYOU BOOGALOO

New Orleans, Louisiana

Plan a Girlfriends’ Getaway of Historic Proportions! Take a private tour of Albania Mansion or Shadowlawn. Enjoy cocktails and shopping along Franklin’s Main Street and top it off with a candle-pouring soirée or paint party!

MESMERIZING BEAUTY, CAPTIVATING HISTORY, DREAMLIKE MOMENTS. THE PERFECT GIRLFRIENDS’ GETAWAY. M ystically B eautiful . c ajun c oast !

(800) 256-2931 | CajunCoast.com | #cajuncoast

Before the sizzling summer heat sets in, the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo returns to invite all to the banks of beloved Bayou St. John for a family-friendly festival of live music, delicious food, art, and all kinds of other fun. The festival strives to be a "zero-waste event" by reducing the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserving and recovering all resources, and not burning or burying waste—all the more reason to join in. If that's not enough, this year's lineup includes major acts like Big Freedia and her Gospel Revival, Honey Island Swamp Band's Dark Side of the Bayou, and a set from the 420 Funk Mob featuring members of Parliament/Funkadelic. The three-day event features countless other musicians, an Alanis Morissette tribute by New Orleans's own Alexis Marceaux, comedy, cabaret, arts markets, a crawfish eating contest, and more. Find the festivities on Bayou St. John where Orleans Avenue meets Moss. Experience by water or by land. $39.50 weekend pass. Visit thebayouboogaloo.com for a full schedule. 1

MAY 16th - MAY 18th

OPERA "PAGLIACCI"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, a troupe of traveling actors perform in the tradition of commedia dell’arte while jealousy, passions, and true crime abound. The Manship Theatre hosts this much anticipated production by Opéra Louisiane. Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 3 pm. $25–$100. operalouisiane.com. 1

MAY 17th

CARNIVAL OFF SEASON FOOLS OF MISRULES

spankings to those caught on the street unaware. The Fools of Misrule integrated into its name homage to the historic St. John District of old Covington, where the group was founded and annually conducts its bawdy procession. Their slogan: Vivere Vitam Omnino!— Live Life Completely! For this spring event, Fools Fest, the fools invite all to enjoy a free concert at the Covington Trailhead, featuring a lineup that includes: Cowboy Mouth, Eli Howard & the Greater Good, Wes Jeans, PJ & the Bear, Cypress Creek, Bruiser Broussard Trio. 11 am–9 pm. Free. VIP tickets available. foolsofmisrule.org. 1

MAY 17th

NOCTURNALS

OWL PROWL

Saint Francisville, Louisiana

Come explore the park at Audubon State Historic Site with a ranger during evening hours. With a little luck, you'll glimpse owls, swifts, and bats, along with other night wonders. 7 pm–9 pm. $5 grounds fee; participants are encouraged to bring binoculars, a flash light, and bug spray. (225) 635-3739. 1

MAY 17th

ANCIENT HISTORY

EGYPTIAN POTTERY DEMONSTRATION & CRAFT MAKING WITH BILL MOORE Baton Rouge, Louisiana

At the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, local ceramicist Bill Moore will direct a pottery demonstration focused on Egyptian-style pottery. Free with general admission, and for LASM members. 10 am–noon. lasm.org. 1

MAY 17th

GOOD EATS

THE RIFF RIDGEL CRAWFISH COOKOFF Tickfaw, Louisiana

Indulge in all the crawfish you care to eat from twenty-three teams of die-hard boilers seeking the title of the "best" in the region. This tenth-anniversary gathering at the Tickfaw Festival grounds includes good food, music, and more. Adult beverages, soft drinks, water, snowballs and additional food items will be available for purchase. Proceeds support families and individuals who have experienced life-changing accidents or illnesses. 11 am–4 pm. $30 in advance for those twelve years of age and older; $35 at the gate; free for children eleven and younger. Visit the Riff Ridgel Crawfish

Events

Beginning May 17th - 23rd

CookOff Benefit Facebook page for more information. 1

MAY 17th & MAY 18th

BARD BASH SHAKESPEARE AT THE LIBRARY

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This summer, children ages 5–11 are invited to embrace their inner bard at two interactive presentations at East Baton Rouge Parish Libraries. Learn about A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Delmont Gardens Branch at 10 am on May 17, and Hamlet at the Bluebonnet Branch at 10 am on May 31. ebrpl.com. 1

MAY 17th - OCT 12th

CREOLE CULTURE

RADBWA Ê TIRE TIK-LAYÉ: THE ART OF JONATHAN MAYERS

Port Allen, Louisiana

Jonathan “radbwa faroush” Mayers presents a solo exhibition at the West Baton Rouge Museum, titled Radbwa ê tire tik-layé (Opossum pulls the ticks). Mayers, a Baton Rouge native who has spent years reconnecting with his

Creole heritage and identity, creates art that grapples with the intersection of language, culture, heritage, and visual storytelling—often with an environmental lens that speaks to Louisiana's precarious climate realities. westbatonrougemuseum.org. 1

MAY 18th

GREEN THUMBS

HILLTOP ARBORETUM

SPRING GARDEN TOUR

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Each spring, Hilltop Arboretum leads a look inside the city's most fabulous private gardens. Browse the homes in The Garden District, which will feature seven elegant gardens and porches to admire. 1 pm–4 pm. $20 for Hilltop members and students; $25 for the public. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (225) 767-6916, or at any of the seven gardens on tour day. lsu.edu/hilltop. 1

MAY 18th

GOOD EATS

ACADIANA POBOY FESTIVAL

Scott, Louisiana

The brainchild of Pop's Poboys' Collin

Cormier, Rob Sandberg, and Zach Doise as well as the former Jefferson Street Pub's Gus Rezende, this festival gathers a large and inventive variety of poboy purveyors from the area together in Scott's West Village, a direct challenge to the primacy of the New Orleans poboy scene. Over twenty-five poboy shops make up the cast. Plus kids activities, live music, and arts & crafts vendors, and—naturally—a poboy eating contest. 11 am–5 pm. Free admission, but bring $$ to buy your poboys. acadianapoboyfestival.com. 1

MAY 18th

LIVE MUSIC SOME ENCHANTED EVENING WITH THE NORTHSHORE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA

Slidell, Louisiana

It’s the perfect recipe: a picnic with family and friends, mix in some great music provided by the Northshore Community Orchestra, add a dash of memorable artwork, arrange a gorgeous sunset over Bayou Bonfouca as a backdrop, and voilà! 5 pm–7 pm. Free. (985) 646-4375. myslidell.com. 1

Longue Vue House and Gardens hosts a free family Sunday on May 4, allowing Louisiana residents to stroll through the blooming flora and fauna adorning the landscape of the historic estate free of charge.

Photo courtesy of Longue Vue.

MAY 22nd

GREEN THUMBS

EBR MASTER GARDENERS

PRESENT: BEES AND THE PLANTS THEY LOVE

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Stop by the Bluebonnet Library in Baton Rouge to learn more about bees, a topic gardeners have been buzzing about this spring. Master Gardener Debi O’Neill will share tips for starting a home hive— perhaps in the hopes of replenishing the declining local bee population. O’Neill has been a beekeeper for almost a decade; she will also speak about the wildflowers and plants bees adore, and a description of the bee life cycle. Door prizes will be available. 6:30 pm. Free. ebrmg. wildapricot.org. 1

MAY 22nd - MAY 25th

GOOD EATS

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL

Gonzales, Louisiana

Gonzales, the self-proclaimed "Jambalaya Capital of the World," hosts its annual festival dedicated to your favorite regional meat and rice concoction (and surely, around here, there are plenty). The event is free to the public and features a jamba-cooking contest, carnival rides, a

& Foret Tradition, the Justin Cornett Band, Thomas Cain, and more. Free. Full schedule at jambalayafestival.net. 1

MAY 23rd - MAY 25th

MUSIC FESTIVALS

BAROQUE ON THE BAYOU

Arnaudville, Louisiana

In a three-day celebration that will take music lovers up and down the Bayou Teche and into the vibrant rural communities of Acadiana, the Atchafalaya Orchestra presents the inaugural Baroque on the Bayou festival. The vision was to bring some of the world's masterworks of music from the Baroque era, played alongside indigenous Louisiana genres, into accessible, intimate, and historic venues in our community. Each day will feature a one-hour concert at a site in St. Martin Parish, starting with NUNU Arts & Culture Collective in Arnaudville, where the orchestra will perform concertos by Vivaldi and Bach, and local musician Forest Huval will premiere Louisiana composer Jessé Bateman's reimagination of Louisiana folk music in a neo-Romantic style for a contemporary orchestra, titled "Five Cajun Songs". Saturday, the show will take place at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cecilia,

"Spring," and Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor, followed by original songs by composer/vocalist Laura Huval in concert with the orchestra. And it will all close out with a celebration of baroque opera at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville, including selections from Cadmus et Hermione and Amadis and a concluding presentation of French opera selections sung by the festival's own founder and St. Martin Parish native, André Courville. Friday and Saturday concerts at 7 pm; Sunday at 3 pm. $35 each; $90 for the whole festival. Details at bayoutechemusic.com. 1

MAY 23rd - MAY 25th

CULTURAL FESTIVALS

NEW ORLEANS GREEK FESTIVAL

New Orleans, Louisiana

For fifty years, this family-friendly festival has taken place on the banks of Bayou St. John at the Holy Trinity Byzantine Cathedral—the first Greek Orthodox church in the country. There'll be plenty of homemade traditional Greek food and wine, desserts, live traditional Greek dancing performed by the Hellenic Dancers; and a live Greek band will be playing on the bayou —plu s tours of

5 pm Friday; 11 am Saturday and Sunday. $10 per day; $25 for the weekend. greekfestnola.com. 1

MAY 23rd - MAY 25th

LIVE MUSIC

CAJUN COUNTRY JAM

MEMORIAL DAY FESTIVAL

Denham Springs, Louisiana

Bring the whole family out to PARDS North Park for the Cajun Country Jam Memorial Day Festival—three days of live music, sunshine, and good times in the heart of summer. Headliners for this year's event include Frank Foster, Craig Morgan, Chase Tyler, Kendall Shaffer, Dylan Scott, Lauren Lee, Sam L. Smith, Parish County Line, and others. $75 for general admission weekend passes, and $125 for pit passes, which includes earlier entry. Ages 5–15 get in for $38, and passes are free for those younger. Camping and parking passes are also available. For more details, visit, thecajuncountryjam.com. 1

MAY 23rd - MAY 31st

THEATRE ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE

New Iberia, Louisiana

Upcoming Markets

Events

Beginning May 23rd - 31st

musical Always ... Patsy Cline. This month, the company is staging the story of Louise Seger, a Houston housewife who first met Cline as a fan and grew to be one of her closest confidants. Rife with the country legend's tunes (including "Crazy," "Walkin' After Midnight," and "Sweet Dreams"), the show acts as a melodic representation of true friendship between two women. 7 pm Thursday–Saturday; 2 pm Sunday. $22.58. ipaltheater.com. 1

MAY

23rd - JUN 1st

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

CAJUN HEARTLAND

STATE FAIR

Lafayette, Louisiana

Now over thirty years old, this massive, days-long midway carnival attracts more than 175,000 people to the heart of Cajun country each spring. Bring the kids out for a whirl on the giant Ferris wheel and the Mega Drop; try your hand at a prizewinning ring toss. If the Ferris wheel is too tame, try out a Zipline & Warrior Challenge Park, where you can cruise down a zipline like Indiana Jones, for free! Get your sweet tooth ready for eleven days of funnel-cake-fueled fun. Located on the

grounds and parking lot surrounding the Cajundome. Free admission; full schedule available at cajundome.com. 1

MAY 24th

INKLINGS

AUTHORS ROW

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Celebrate Louisiana writers at the East Baton Rouge Parish's annual Authors Row at the Jones Creek Regional Branch. Published local authors will be available to sell and discuss their work, and to sign their books. Be one of the first 250 people to arrive and receive free ice cream, provided by Red River Bank. The event runs from 11 am–2 pm. Free. After the sale/signing, from 2 pm–4 pm, local bestselling author Alex Jennings will present a workshop titled "Fictional Futures, Timeless Truths: A Speculative Writing Workshop." ebrpl.com. 1

MAY 24th

LIVING HISTORY LIFE ON OAKLEY PLANTATION

St. Francisville, Louisiana

Learn about what life was like for the

enslaved men and women at Oakley Plantation the year that prolific naturalist and artist John James Audubon lived there. The day promises a glimpse into the time-honored crafts of woodworking and blacksmithing, along with a chance to better understand what family life was like for enslaved individuals amid the adversity of plantation life. 11 am–3:30 pm. (225) 635-3739. 1

MAY

26th

PERFORMANCES

BATON ROUGE

CONCERT BAND

MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Baton Rouge Concert Band presents a concert of patriotic music and lively marches, along with some more solemn songs, to honor and remember those soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our country. Come out for a free concert in their honor at the East Baton Rouge Main Branch Library on Goodwood. 7 pm. ebrpl.com. 1

MAY 26th

REMEMBRANCES

MEMORIAL DAY AT ROSEDOWN STATE HISTORIC SITE

Saint Francisville, Louisiana

Rosedown State Historic Site is honoring

those who have served and lost their lives with a Memorial Day tour about the members of Rosedown's TurnbullBowman Family who served. 10 am–4 pm. $12, $10 seniors, $6 students. lastateparks.com. 1

MAY 30th

UP IN THE AIR

WASHINGTON PARISH BALLOON FEST

Franklinton, Louisiana

It's a balloon festival that's full of more than just hot air: catch food vendors, live music, local artists, a carnival, and more at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds in Franklinton. 5 pm–10 pm Friday; noon–10 pm Saturday; noon–8 pm Sunday. $5; $12 for three-day pass; $100 for VIP, with access to tent drinks and food provided in an air conditioned space. wpballoonfest.com. 1

MAY 30th - MAY 31st

VISUAL ARTS

2025 TREASURES OF POINTE COUPEE EXHIBIT

New Roads, Louisiana

The Poydras Center hosts the fifteenth annual Treasures of Pointe Coupee Art Exhibit, featuring local and regional artists. The two-weekend

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event includes art workshops, an arts market, conversations with artists, a treasure hunt, and Petite Gallerie exhibit. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 30, from 6 pm–9 pm; all other days will open at 10 am. artscouncilofpointecoupee.org. 1

MAY 30th - JUN 1st FOOD FESTIVALS

JEAN LAFITTE

SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

The Jean Lafitte Seafood Festival is back again, fresher and tastier than ever. Live music, visual artists, swamp tours, kayak rentals, and of course plenty of local seafood to try are highlights of the weekend. Friday gates open from 5 pm–11:30 pm, Saturday 11 am–11:30 pm, Sunday 11 am–8 pm. lafitteseafoodfest.com. 1

MAY 31st

CRAIC

SHAMROCK SOIRÉE

Abita Springs, Louisiana

The Northshore Traditional Music Society is presenting an evening of Irish music, food, dance, and general camaraderie. Expect performances by a small NSTMS "Irish" band and the

legendary Gerry O'Connor, who will perform with guitarist Don Penzien. Following the concert there will be a céilí (community dance) and open jam session. Beef and Guinness Stew, along with other Irish treats, will be available for purchase, prepared by Patrick McElligott. 5 pm–8 pm. Tickets $15–$25 at eventbrite. Details at visithtenorthshore.com. 1

MAY 31st FUNDRAISERS

FIREFLY SUPPER

Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Support the educational programming and collections at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art while feasting beneath the live oaks at the enchanting Firefly Supper, featuring renowned chefs, a silent auction, live entertainment, a four-course meal, fine wines, and a dessert cocktail to end the evening. Southern chefs Alex Sumrall of White Pillars and Siren Social Club, Alex Perry and Kumi Omori of Vestige, and Michael and Stephanie Paoletti of Butcher Baker, Food, Booze & Hiccups and Sweet Enchantments will craft the meal for guests. Proceeds fund the educational programming at the museum and help preserve its collections. 5:30 pm–9:30 pm. $200. walterandersonmuseum.org. 1

MAY 31st - JUN 21st

LIVE MUSIC

FESTIVALSOUTH

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

From Broadway, to Motown, to opera, to ballet, and any genre in between, the multi-week FestivalSouth in Hattiesburg offers something for every lover of music and the arts, across a broad and nuanced spectrum of interests and themes.

That's the point of this annual creative extravaganza: to expand beyond societal, culural, and economic boundaries, all in the name of art for everyone. This year, a robust slate of diverse performances make for a cultural "choose your own adventure"—from Elvis tributes to opera celebrations and performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 4 to pottery workshops and a beer-themed homage to Beethoven. The lineup is packed and varied. Find tickets (some events are free) and a full schedule for all the different acts at festivalsouth.org. 1

MAY 31st - OCT 12th

CREOLE CULTURE

KONT KRÉYOL-YÉ (CREOLE FOLKTALES)

Port Allen, Louisiana

The West Baton Rouge Museum presents an exhibit and publication, Kont

Kréyol-yé (Creole Folktales), based on the 1931 LSU Master’s thesis by Lafayette Jarreau. Jarreau's thesis recorded Creole folktales in both Pointe Coupée and West Baton Rouge Parishes, capturing a rich storytelling tradition and featuring artwork by Louisiana Creole artists. Some of those artists include Malaika Favorite, Keith “Cartoonman” Douglas, Jonathan Mayers, George Marks, Henry Barconey, and Henry Watson among others. westbatonrougemuseum.org. 1

For more events, visit countryroadsmag.com/eventsand-festivals.

You’re free to live your life out loud! Because you’ve got the compassion of the cross, the security of the shield, and the comfort of Blue behind you.

VISIT ST. FRANCISVILLE

Teeing Off in the Tunica Hills

At the West Feliciana Sports Park, Louisiana’s most scenic disc golf course opens May 3.

One of the St. Francisville area’s best and most accessible recreational resources awaits at the West Feliciana Sports Park. A stateof-the-art sports and recreation facility situated between historic downtown St. Francisville and the campus of the award-winning West Feliciana Public School system, the sports park welcomes parish residents and visitors with lighted soccer and baseball fields, tennis and pickleball courts, challenging hiking and biking trails, summer splashpads, a fishing pond, a croquet pitch; and the latest addition, a brand-new 5,800-foot-long disc golf course.

Aptly named “Hidden Meadow,” this 18hole disc golf course challenges players to “tee off” by the park’s fishing pond, then tackle a sinuous trail that traverses grassy meadows, forest clearings, and shaded woods and ravines. Semi-pro disc golfer and St. Francisville native James “Colby” Bennett designed the course, which leads players on a picturesque hike through the Tunica Hills’ dramatic, forested terrain. “Hidden Hills is one of the most beautiful disc golf courses in Louisiana,” says Bennett. “When the grass is freshly cut, we have deer grazing, rabbits, and all of nature involved out there.”

“Hidden Hills is one of the most beautiful disc golf courses in Louisiana. When the grass is freshly cut, we have deer grazing, rabbits, and all of nature involved out there.”

—Colby Bennett, course designer

As a St. Francisville native, Bennett grew up frequenting the West Feliciana Sports Park for Little League baseball games— memories of dusty cleats, cheering parents, and the clink of a baseball bat firmly etched in his mind. Around 2017, Bennett discovered his passion for disc golf, and has been serving as something of an ambassador for the fast-growing sport ever since. In summer, 2023, he approached the sports park with a new project in mind: to develop a top-tier

disc golf course for West Feliciana—one named “Hidden Meadow” for the tracts of rolling, open terrain that drop away behind the treeline towards the rear of the park. Created in collaboration with the Baton Rouge Disc Golf Association, Hidden Meadow presents a challenging, 18-hole layout, with amateur and pro tee pads serving each hole so players can choose to play either a longer or shorter course, with few interruptions for out-ofbounds areas. Varied topography keeps things interesting, and ensures that the well-maintained course remains accessible year-round. “The Baton Rouge Disc Golf Association and West Feliciana Sports Park community have put a lot into this course”, said Bennett. “Through their generosity, we’ve created one of the best disc golf courses in Louisiana.”

Bennett hopes that Hidden Meadow helps more residents and visitors to discover a fun, fast-growing sport, while also appreciating the beauty of the area’s Tunica Hills topography. “Disc golf is growing in West Feliciana,” said Bennett. “I want people to know that it’s a cheap, easy, fun sport that anyone can play, experienced or not.” He also emphasizes the sport’s respect for nature and community spaces. “In disc golf, we live by the motto 'Pack in, pack out.’ We always aim to keep our parks clean and maintained, to ensure everything is nice and to help people enjoy the sport and nature.”

Hidden Meadow officially opens to the public on Saturday, May 3, when the course will host the Baton Rouge Disc Golf Association’s Cinco de Meadow tournament beginning around 8:30 am. All are welcome to attend the course ribbon cutting and to watch the competition, then come back to play the course themselves for free (bring your own discs). Capped at 100 participants, the Cinco de Meadow tournament is sold out, but to join a waiting list, visit discgolfscene.com/tournament/Cinco_ de_Meadow_2025. To learn more about West Feliciana Sports Park, visit wfprec. com or call (225) 784-3710.

30 AN ADVENTURE TO ONE OF LOUISIANA'S MOST SIGNIFICANT WILDLIFE HOTBEDS, AND THE MISSION TO SAVE IT // 34 THE GULF'S WHALE, ALREADY ALMOST GONE // 36 IMMERSION IN THE MISSISSIPPI • MAY 2025

CONSERVATION

Louisiana's Farthest Shore

AS STORMS AND RISING SEAS THREATEN LOUISIANA'S ECOLOGICALLY VITAL CHANDELEUR ISLANDS, AN AMBITIOUS REBUILDING PROJECT SEEKS TO RESTORE THEM FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

Story by James Fox-Smith • Photos by C.C. Lockwood

Tho reach Louisiana’s remotest island chain by boat, your best bet is actually to depart from Mississippi—Ocean Springs, to be exact, where, one morning in May 2024, a well-caffeinated group of marine scientists, engineers, geologists, wildlife biologists, photographers, and journalists gathered around a pair of shallow-draft aluminum crew boats at the Ocean Springs Harbor Boat Launch. The group was there at the invitation of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority (CPRA) for a site visit to the Chandeleur Islands, the forty-mile-long archipelago of island fragments that mark both the outer boundary of the Chandeleur Sound, and Louisiana’s easternmost point.

The CPRA led this outing to observe sea turtles and bird colony activity on the islands at the height of spring nesting season, and to raise awareness of the Chandeleur Islands Restoration Project. The $350 million engineering effort aims to increase the long-term resiliency and sustainability of the landmasses in the face of rising sea levels and increased storm activity, by rebuilding thirteen miles of beach and marsh along the barrier island chain. After introductions, group members

Top: Laughing Gulls settling on Chandeleur Islands marsh at sunset. Lower left: Scientists and members of the press wade shorewards during a visit to learn about the Chandeleur Islands Restoration Project. Lower right: Todd Baker, project manager of the Chandeleur Islands Restoration Project for the CPRA, describes the project's plan and engineering.

Why the Chandeleur Islands are Unique

The Chandeleur Islands are hard for humans to get to, and that’s what makes them special. In a crowded world, this remote archipelago strung across a crescent of open water is one of the few places in the Gulf South where nature retains the upper hand. In the absence of any anthropogenic threat, the biodiversity that the islands support is staggering. As our group waded shorewards, the sky darkened with wheeling flocks of gulls and terns, while the distant shell ridges and scrub-covered dunes literally shimmered with birds—a noisy, chattering horde. Each year, hundreds of thousands of birds use the Chandeleurs as nesting, foraging, breeding, and roosting habitat; 171 bird species were observed here in 2023 and 2024 alone. Many migratory species, including Piping Plovers, Snowy Plovers, Red Knots, and Redhead Ducks, utilize the islands as nesting locations and as a critical stopover point for rest and refueling. Colonial nesting species, including Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Reddish Egrets, and Louisiana’s iconic brown pelicans, gather here in such numbers that, during the 1980s and 1990s, the Chandeleur Islands were recognized as supporting the largest colonial nesting bird population in the world. Today, the islands remain one of the largest known bird nesting areas in the Gulf, leading the National Audubon Society to designate the Chandeleurs as a “globally significant bird area.” One species, the Chandeleur Gull, is not known to nest anywhere else.

The birds are just the beginning. The leeward side of the Chandeleurs supports more than five thousand acres of seagrass meadows—the only such meadows in Louisiana and the most expansive in the northern Gulf. That makes the islands essential foraging and nursery habitat for fish and shellfish species such as Red Snapper, Redfish, Spotted Trout, Gulf Sturgeon, Tarpon, Lemon Sharks, Blue Crabs, and several species of shrimp.

The Loggerhead Turtle and the Kemp’s Ridley—the smallest and most critically endangered species of sea turtle in the world—both nest here. Taken together, the Chandeleur Islands support seventy-six species considered to be in “greatest conservation need” by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, mollusks, and plants.

That the Chandeleurs serve as a vital link supporting an intricate web of species and processes has been understood for a long time. Neil Lalonde, project leader of the Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted that the Chandeleurs have been part of the Breton Islands National Wildlife Refuge since its establishment by President Theodore

But isolation alone will not protect the islands, nor the species that rely on them. Natural marine processes continue to shape their structure, and in recent decades, factors like rising sea levels, more intense storms, and ecological disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have battered the islands and the populations they support.

During the boat ride out, Miner explained that the Chandeleurs are the last remnants of the Mississippi River’s St. Bernard Delta Complex, a delta that remained connected to the river’s main channel until around 1,500 years ago. At that point, Miner said, the river shifted course to the Bayou Lafourche area in present day Terrebonne Parish, abandoning the St. Bernard delta. Starved of river silt, the delta’s main structure

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Now 25 miles from the mainland, the Chandeleur Islands are the last remnants of the Mississippi River's St. Bernard Delta Complex, which the river abandoned 1500 years ago. This photo was taken nearly forty years ago; the lighthouse seen here was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Left: During nesting season, a brown pelican touches down on New Harbor Island, which will be enlarged by the restoration project. Right: A Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla, hunting for his lunch.

side, and add a marsh complex and sand reserve on the leeward side.

Baker explained that the reserve is essentially a “sand engine,” designed to mimic naturally occurring land-building processes by infusing fine sediment sand into the littoral zone, where it will continue nourishing the beach.

The idea for the sand engine was developed as a result of Hurricane Katrina, which fragmented the Chandeleurs into thirty small islands. Five to ten years after the storm, researchers noticed the islands beginning to heal themselves back together. Testing revealed that sand reservoirs buried beneath the marsh were supplying the fuel. By reintroducing sand to the system to restart that process, the restoration project has the potential to extend the system’s lifespan by decades, and perhaps as much as a century.

Paying the Price

Baker put the cost for restoration of North Chandeleur and New Harbor at around $355 million, with additional dollars for ongoing monitoring increasing that figure to perhaps $380 million over ten years. Ironically, the funding making the project possible results from the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history—the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which released some 3.9 million barrels of raw crude into the northern Gulf in 2010.

As one of the land masses closest to the spill site, the Chandeleurs were hit early and repeatedly, leaving its beaches and seagrass beds heavily oiled. The islands’ remote location further complicated cleanup efforts, with long-lasting impacts on terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The resulting settlement for environmental damages totaled $20.8 billion—the largest in U.S. history. Baker explained that most of the money for the project will come through the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) fund, which was established to restore damages resulting from the oil spill. NRDA’s Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) contributed $8 million to pay for the project’s design and engineering phases.

Construction will be funded from various sources, many of which are also under the NRDA umbrella. Baker said that the lion’s share of construction will be funded with monies from the Louisiana TIG and the Open Ocean TIG; a decision is expected this summer. CPRA is pursuing additional funding from various sources that include Louisiana state surplus dollars and grants from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited. Construction should begin in the spring of 2026 and last around two and a half years.

If successful, the Chandeleur Island Restoration Project stands to preserve not only the bird, fish, and turtle species that nest there, but also a vast network of interconnected systems that extends far beyond the islands themselves, to the mainland and the human communities that call it home. Baker observed that as the eastern boundary of the Breton, Chandeleur, and Pontchartrain sounds, the islands regulate salinity and water flows through the eastern part of Louisiana. “The biodiversity that we have: a lot of it depends on these islands. Oysters, fisheries—they all depend on the regulation of those sounds. And if you live in Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, these islands are your first line of defense from hurricanes. This is a very rare opportunity to do whole ecosystem restoration. Most people mightn’t know they’re out there, but we’d sure miss them if they were gone.” •

coastal.la.gov/chandeleur-island-restoration-project

Sandwich and Royal Tern nesting colony in the Chandeleur Islands, photographed in the 1980s, when biologists counted 30,000 terns in this colony. Since then, the islands have lost 90% of their land area.

WILDLIFE

Hello, and Goodbye

TA

NEW SPECIES OF WHALE DISCOVERED IN THE GULF IS ALREADY ALMOST EXTINCT

Story by Chris Turner-Neal • Illustration by Kourtney Zimmerman

he good news is that a new species of whale has been discovered in the United States’ southern waters. Everything else is bad news.

You might reasonably ask how a new type of whale gets “discovered” at this point in time, especially in such a heavily-observed area as the Gulf. Whales are famously big; surely, we’ve seen them all? Rice’s whale was discovered hiding, as it were, within another species.

Until 2021, Rice’s whales were considered specimens of Bryde’s whale, a species whose broad range includes seasonal sojourns in the Gulf. (Unpleasantly, “Bryde’s” is pronounced “broodus”; even worse, the name commemorates a Norwegian whaler who established the first whaling stations in South Africa.) After examining skulls of several types of whales, in 2003 scientists decided to split Bryde’s whales into two subspecies: what became Rice’s whale, and Omura’s whale—a related species which had been separated from Bryde’s whale. (Dale Rice and Hideo Omura were marine biologists— much more appropriate figures to name whales after.)

Then in 2021, differences in the shape and features of the skull, backed up by archival genetic data, indicated a that Rice’s whale was different enough to be its own species, and Balaenoptera ricei was “born.”

Because Rice’s whale has only recently been identified and is relatively rare, some information about the animal has to be inferred from its former taxonomic roommate, Bryde’s whale. They are one of the rorquals, a subgroup of baleen whales with special adaptations in the jaw and throat to optimize gulp-feeding. To eat, these

whales take in a big gulp of seawater, then force it out through their sieve-like baleen, retaining a mouthful of plankton and small animals to swallow. (Baleen is the “whalebone” used in old-fashioned corsetry, though it’s made not of bone but of keratin, like fingernails.) And they sing: these whales are among those who communicate over long distances through echoing calls that remind human observers of song.

Before Rice’s whale was even identified as a separate species, it was endangered. Scientists observing whale populations in the Gulf petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to recognize as endangered what was then considered the northern Gulf population of Bryde’s whales in 2014. The bureaucratic wheels clanked, and the “subspecies” was recognized as endangered in 2019, preserving this designation upon its graduation to full species in 2021.

And indeed, this whale is in trouble. Estimates of the number of individuals left vary, but none of them crack a hundred whales. For Rice’s whale to survive, it would need robust protection and support: the United States Marine Mammal Commission identified a range of factors needed to support the whale’s population, including abundance of prey (they are inconveniently choosy eaters), sufficiently quiet waters for the whales to communicate, ideal temperatures, and limited pollutants. This last point is important: the Deepwater Horizon spill may have counted a fifth of the Rice’s whales then living among its colossal death toll. And emblematically, the dead whale whose dissection made identification of the whale as a separate species possible seems to have

died after consuming a sharp piece of plastic that led to internal bleeding. These environmental factors are theoretically to be prioritized when the whale’s critical habitat is designated in July 2025, but it is difficult to imagine such concerns remaining on the agenda of state or federal governments under the current circumstances. When I contacted a friend who works for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ask about interviewing a researcher for this article, he candidly informed me that he didn’t think there would be much point in the attempt, given the chaos present within the agency at the time of writing. (In fairness, the previous federal administration also failed to give serious support to efforts to protect Rice’s whale.)

To date, the only real actions taken to prevent or even postpone the extinction of Rice’s whale have been to find it, name it, and add it to various lists of endangered species: birth certificate and epitaph in one slim file. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a conservation nonprofit, notes that the end of the Rice’s whale will be the first human-caused extinction of a large whale species if and when the whale’s faltering numbers are allowed to drop to zero. An advocacy group, Our Gulf Whale, gathers and presents information about Rice’s whale, along with creative works inspired by the animal. There is no mention of ongoing fundraising or lobbying, but they do present a link to a recording of the Rice’s whale’s call. Without quick and, frankly, improbable changes, this call will soon live only on servers. •

In Wildness

THE POWER OF MEETING THE MISSISSIPPI UP CLOSE

Fhor millions of years, the Mississippi River has flowed into the Gulf, the heartbeat and circulatory system not only of its named state, but of much of North America’s landscape, sustaining and dominating the surrounding ecosystems, those of nature and those of man.

We who live in the Gulf South are innately connected with this powerful life source, whether we are aware of it or not. The River is not just a channel for transportation and industry, for shipping and waste removal. It’s more than a superhighway of water: gray, ominous, overly engineered, and resembling something dead. When you meet it at its heart, the opposite becomes overwhelmingly evident: The Mississippi River is alive.

On the day I was to embark upon the Mississippi River for the very first time, things started to feel different as soon as I got on the water. Our canoe launch location was near a corn milling operation and an industrial lined bank. Towboats putted on by, and the Helena Bridge towered in the distance, but things were already starting to go quiet. It became clearer that the deeper we pushed in, the more civilization would melt away.

The only sounds we heard for a long stretch of time were the voices of guide Mark “River” Peoples and John Ruskey, founder of the Quapaw Canoe Company—which has been in operation, based in Clarksdale, for almost thirty years

now. Ruskey is an explorer whose life is radically intertwined with the Mississippi River. His goal, from the beginning, was to share this affinity for river exploration while educating others on the Mississippi’s historical, ecological, and cultural significance.

The river as a site of exploration has been, according to Ruskey, “criminally underrated.” The way the river has been engineered plays a role in the disconnect, as many people who live along the Mississippi see a levee, not the river itself; in most places, it appears to be a

with the river, had never even seen the other side of the levee.

Earlier in the day, at the Quapaw Canoe storefront, I had found myself poring over a worn book laying open in the shop. It was full of heartfelt notes and messages thanking the guides for taking them on the river. I noticed letters from people across the globe—The Netherlands, Australia, and Egypt. These people had traveled halfway across the world, wide-eyed and ready to experience The Great River that flows in my backyard.

"I COULD FEEL IT, THIS SENSE THAT WE ARE ALL PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER. FROM THIS VANTAGE, THE LANDSCAPE FELT MASSIVE. INSCRUTABLE. I HAD NEVER BEEN IN A SPACE SO VAST. I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW THE WATERS CARRY ON FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MILES ... TO THINK I'D ONLY SEEN A FEW BREATHS OF IT."

working river, not a sacred space.

In fact, when he began his work at Quapaw, Ruskey noticed that almost 1,000 miles of the river were unused. No one on the Lower Mississippi was engaging with the water; even people who grew up in the South, close to her waters—such as myself—had never had an authentic and intimate encounter

In an interview with journalist Boyce Upholt for The Bitter Southerner, Ruskey noted that while around 600 people climb Mount Everest each year, and around 700 hike the Appalachian Trail, only around fifty paddle the length of the Mississippi. While Ruskey has not himself paddled the entire length from Lake Itasca to the Gulf, he has covered

every stretch below St. Louis at least four times—logging more hours paddling the Mississippi than anyone else alive.

Through Quapaw, as well as decades of work crafting guidebooks, maps, and resources for adventurers, Ruskey invites people to understand that they, too, have access to this great and mighty resource.

Back on the River, Ruskey and River’s voices calmly, but forcefully, guided my group on when to rest and when to paddle, filling the silence with tales from their lives, which are so very influenced by the river. We found a rhythm as we listened, our paddles dipping into the coffee-colored water, propelling our vessel elegantly forward.

Gliding along, I tuned into the way my own senses started to come alive in the most unexpected of places, my mind processing this up-close encounter with the Mississippi. The multiplicity of her character impressed itself upon me: wildness, peacefulness, color, slowness, energy, calm. It almost felt rebellious, as though we were breaking some unspoken rule, being out on these waters.

Even with nearby banks bearing signals of our modern world, there was still a profound sense of pause and reset. Ruskey would later describe the sensation as “blossoming” on the river. Your spirit soars. Your imagination is opened. You experience magic. He said he’s traveled all over North America and other parts of the world, but has found

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himself closer, spiritually, to the wild here on this big river than anywhere else.

The Lower Mississippi, while critically understudied by scientists, is the perfect place for adventure and reconnection with nature, Ruskey explained. Here, more than in the north, the river is rambunctious and chaotic and turbulent, full of unknowns and extremes, flush with the wilds at their best.

This connection Ruskey speaks about

is best exercised, he believes, by canoe— the quietest, most efficient, most elegant manner of navigation, and the closest you can get to “the spirit” of the river. Being as close to the water as possible is imperative, he says, as proximity is what makes the river come alive.

I could feel it, this sense that we are all part of something bigger. From this vantage, the landscape felt massive, inscrutable. I had never been in a space so vast.

I thought about how the waters carry on for thousands and thousands of miles . . . to think I'd only seen a few breaths of it. Later, while our crew rested on one of the barrier islands, Ruskey suggested I actually go into the water. In that moment, I died to my fears and responded to the river’s great invitation. I slathered the Mississippi mud on my skin and floated in the murky, cool water. Though it appeared brown up close, when I looked

out further, the water assumed a blue tint, reflecting the sky. That moment, immersed fully in the Mississippi’s waters, I felt like I was finally really hearing what the river was trying to say.

The day was an evolutionary journey of sorts. I journeyed atop the water’s surface and then submerged myself beneath it. I saw the colors and vast islands with my own eyes; I felt the mud between my own toes; I witnessed the contrast of industrial sounds and nature’s stillness with my own ears; I dipped the paddle into the spiraling waters with my own hands. I let those same waters seep into my skin and impress themselves upon me. As Ruskey described it: this day was my baptism into her wild waters.

In retrospect, the experience was a mere glimpse of this place and its wonders, but even just that taste enabled me to better comprehend the river’s mystery. I observed a similar shift in my fellow adventurers; in the beginning, complaints sounded every so often from the younger river goers. But as the day wore on, the children softened, becoming more curious, pointing out observations and asking questions. The adults, too, listened with what seemed like an increased intentionality, a hunger to learn more about this simultaneously ubiquitous and mysterious landscape.

Over the course of our journey, Ruskey spoke repeatedly about the Mississippi being a sort of wilderness within.

Although it is surrounded by cities, farmlands, and industry, much of the river and its immediate landscape remains lush and untamed, a land of white sand beaches, sycamores, willows, and diverse wildlife. Ruskey’s personal guiding philosophy, borrowed from Henry David Thoreau—“In wildness is the preservation of the world”—bears such truth. Exposure to this wildness is what, in turn, leads to appreciation and preservation of our mighty Mississippi.

It’s important to note that Thoreau’s quote is often misinterpreted or mistaken to say “wilderness” rather than “wildness,” and the two are not synonymous. What Thoreau suggests and Ruskey proclaims is that wildness is a state of being, rather than a distinct place. The wild Mississippi is not defined by a mark on a map, but in the desire it invokes for a wild life—characterized by openness and possibility. And it is from this perspective that we are then able to make decisions about our home from a place of earnest respect, awe, and concern. Building a connection to the rhythm of the river, logging hours on her waters, being fully present in the landscape, and sensing your smallness against the vast Mississippi—it lights a fire of appreciation, and thus, stewardship. •

Learn more about the Quapaw Canoe Company at island63.com.

In his practice, Nettles emphasizes using multiple resources, like Facebook foraging communities, to ensure foraging safety. “Always get a positive identification from as many resources as possible,” he advised. “Then, you’re on the path to becoming a safe and capable forager.”

It is well-documented that many edible mushrooms have poisonous look-alikes, and even a small mistake could be dangerous, but Nettles believes proper education can help people overcome fears of eating from the wild.

FLAVORS OF THE BAYOU

grapes, elderflowers, greenbrier tips, yaupon holly leaves, curly dock, pokeweed, common purslane, and blackberries.

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS

Foraging with Nettles

In Louisiana, foragers can find a variety of edible mushrooms, such as oysters and wood ear. During the summer months, golden chanterelles can often be found peeking out from underneath oak trees after seasonal downpours. These bright orange clusters boast a fruity flavor redolent of apricots, and a firm structure that holds up well when cooked. In colder months, oyster mushrooms grow like shelves on dead and dying trees in swamps. Other mushrooms in Louisiana include morels and lion’s mane. When humidity rises, the ground nearby blooms with explosive bounties.

Of course, mushrooms aren’t the only harvest of Louisiana’s wetlands. Other noteworthy edibles of these ecosystems include muscadine

Deep in the lush wetlands of hLouisiana, within the verhdant undergrowth of the bayou, there lies a world hidden, untouched except for by a few discerning human hands.

For centuries, locals have turned to Louisiana’s wetlands as a resource to sustain and provide life, nutrients, and connection throughout our communities. Today, these traditions are carried forth within a growing community of foragers, collecting wild mushrooms and vibrant greens growing along the waterways.

Avid forager and founder of the foraging education company Slowhike, John Nettles (with his all too appropriate surname) traces his initial interest in foraging to a childhood spent reading about the world of Hobbits, in which Frodo Baggins found Farmer Maggot’s prized mushrooms. As a native of Prairieville, Nettles grew up surrounded by Louisiana’s natural beauty and spent a

lot of his time exploring his backyard––a place where an abundance of budding plants and fungi grew. In college, Nettles’ love for J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy storytelling was emphasized by the works of naturalists like John Muir and transcendentalists like Henry David Thoreau. “Their deep reverence for the natural world shaped my perspective, and foraging was a way for me to step into these stories,” said Nettles.

Later, Nettles connected with the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Baton Rouge, taking plant and mushroom identification courses, which gave him the confidence to begin foraging inde pendently. With a professional back ground in digital marketing, Nettles combined his skills with his passion for the natural world to create Slowhike.

“I can blend my professional back ground with my love for nature, making foraging accessible and exciting, while keeping its roots in tradition,” he said.

Nettles maintains that the joy of foraging extends far beyond the hunt itself—it’s about bringing classic Louisiana flavors into his kitchen. “I wanted to familiarize myself with the local plants in Louisiana to incorporate these unique foraged flavors into my favorite dishes.” When we opt for store-bought produce, Nettles believes we are missing out on the freshness and locality of foraged ingredients. What’s more, the bounty of foraging is free—and often much tastier. “Knowing where your food comes from—that it’s lived out its full life cycle in the wild—makes the experience more meaningful.”

Nettles' passion for foraged foods fuels creativity in the kitchen, where he crafts recipes intended to highlight the rich, earthy flavors of this region. Dishes include a savory wild mushroom dip, or a vibrant persimmon salad with toasted pecan vinaigrette.

In a world where so many are disconnected from their food sources, Nettles brings a refreshing perspective to connecting our cultural communities to the natural world around us. For those who want to embark on a journey into foraging, Slowhike offers educational workshops, foraging events, and resources to help reconnect people with the land, their roots, and each other. •

40 SLOWHIKE // 41 JOHN NETTLES' OYSTER MUSHROOM PASTA // 43 SOUP

Story by Victoria Mikota • Photos by Molly McNeal

Top left to right: dewberry flowers, false turkey tail (non-edible, check for white bumpy pores on the underside, found on the edible version), thistle or "chadron." Bottom left to right: yaupon holly leaves, young oyster mushrooms.

John Nettles, owner of Slowhike foraging company.

Creamy Cajun

Oyster Mushroom Pasta

A FORAGED FEAST

Recipe by John Nettles

Ingredients

2 lbs. oyster mushroom, prepped

3 shallots diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Herbs, to taste

Orzo pasta

1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (optional)

1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning (optional)

Instructions

First, sauté the aromatics. Then, add flour and make a light roux. Once the roux sets, add liquids and cook to desired consistency. Finally, add cheese, herbs, and last, cooked pasta.

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Oyster mushrooms

SMALL SHIFTS: EMBRACING OUTDOOR HEALTH HABITS

In the depths of a popsicle-melting, sweltering Southern summer, the last thing on most people's minds is figuring out ways to purposely work up a sweat even more. Getting that recommended 30 minutes of daily activity can feel almost impossible in South Louisiana, when the temperature spikes and the humidity drives the heat index well into triple digits.

The team at Pennington Biomedical Research Center knows that Baton Rouge temperatures during those mid-year months are no laughing matter. But they also know that there are ways to get moving despite the heat, a little bit at a time. Instead of staying glued to your couch (and air conditioning) when the heat feels unbearable, try these tips and tricks from the team at Pennington Biomedical to stay active and healthy.

Stretch it Out

Flexibility, according to Pennington Biomedical researchers, plays an important role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You don't need to lift weights or kickbox to stay fit. Stretching, yoga, and tai chi are all effective options that let you slow down, while still building strength and flexibility, during the hottest months of the year.

Bring a beach towel or blanket outside and spread it out on the grass, then focus on deep breathing, stretching, and mindfulness in the fresh air. A change of environment stimulates the brain and is not as taxing as walking.

Break Up the Workout

If 30 minutes of walking sounds unrealistic in the humid height of summer, how about 10 minutes in the morning-before the sun gets high and the hottest part of the day sets in?

Don't let the standard prescription for 30 minutes of daily activity keep you from getting your body moving. Begin with 10 minutes of walking in the cooler morning hours; add another 10 or 15 minutes during lunch, and finish with another 10 minutes in the evening.

Breaking up your workout keeps you from overheating and reduces the risk of putting too much stress on the body's systems during the hottest part of the year.

Any movement that raises your heart rate, gets you moving, and gets you off the couch and into the great outdoors is a small victory. All healthy activity leads to positive steps and positive changes. Learn more about how to stay healthy this summer with Pennington Biomedical Research Center's Small Shifts Campaign.

Family-friendly Outdoor Activities

Exercise doesn't need to be a solo endeavor to be effective. Get the family involved with these group activities to get outside and stay moving.

Gardening: Move some dirt around with the little ones this summer by planting a vegetable garden. It's an opportunity to get messy, get everyone involved, and get outside while doing something creative and rewarding.

Obstacle Courses: For kids and adults alike, creating a challenge course on the sidewalk with chalk is a great way to make movement fun. Hop, stretch, zig-zag, and race to see who can make it through the fastest.

Add Weight Training: If your walk seems a bit boring, change up your motion by adding squats, lunges, or other body weight exercises. Do some wall pushups against a tree or the side of the house to add variety.

Water, Water, All the Time

It almost goes without saying that staying hydrated is critical while exercising in the heat. Drink before and after a walk-even if you don't feel like it.

Soupçon

A DASH OF DINING NEWS

By CR Editorial Staff

A Culinary Road Trip Along

Louisiana’s

Coast

New Orleans's PBS television station, WYES-TV, recently premiered its latest cooking show, Louisiana Coastal Cooking, narrated by WWL reporter Courtney P. The thirteen-part series brings viewers up-close-and-personal with the landscape that produces Louisiana’s incomparable cuisine, and the culture that emerges around it—focusing on topics like coastal restoration, hunting and fishing, and traditions like cook-offs. Thirty dishes will be showcased, from home cooks as well as beloved celebrity chefs the likes of John Folse, Michael Nelson, Dickie Brennan, and more. The show airs every Saturday at 9 am, repeats on Sundays at 11 am, and can also be streamed at wyes.org.

The MICHELIN Guide turns South

In 1900, when the Michelin brothers were brainstorming ways to (subtly) get people on the French roads more often, and for longer—therefore increasing the demand for MICHELIN tires—they had no idea that their venture into content marketing would create the globe’s most highly esteemed culinary critique system. And they surely never imagined that 125 years later, that system would reach the American South. The MICHELIN Guide first came to North America twenty years ago—casting its coveted eye on a couple hundred restaurants in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. But in early April, MICHELIN announced its arrival—yes, the anonymous inspectors are already among us—in the until-now largely overlooked Southern region. This edition of the guide will, in fact, be regional, the first of its kind in North America, encompassing Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and the pre-existing Atlanta, Georgia guide. There is little doubt that many of our restaurants here in Louisiana are MICHELIN-worthy—made by masters and with love, utilizing unparalleled access to fresh ingredients and a rich diversity of approaches. But we’ve known this all along, stars or no.

The full 2025 MICHELIN Guide to the American South will be published sometime later this year. guide.michelin.com.

Bayou Teche Brewing heads to the city

One of rural Acadiana’s most detour-worthy destinations is Arnaudville’s Bayou Teche Brewing—known for creatively-crafted beers with distinctly regional influence, delicious wood-fired pizza, and for throwing a damn good party. In April, the bonafide institution announced that it would be joining the collective of local businesses in downtown Lafayette next year, with a second location on the ground floor of the future Hotel Lafayette, set to open at the location of the former Don’s Seafood sometime in 2026. The 4,500 square-foot site will maintain all of the Teche traditions: on-site beer production, the Cajun Saucer’s menu, and a rotation of live music. bayoutechebrewing.com.

A dish featured on WYES-TV's new cooking show, Louisiana Coastal Cooking. Courtesy of WYES-TV. '

TRADE-OFFS

Try This, Not That

TRADING POPULAR LANDSCAPING PLANTS FOR NATIVE ALTERNATIVES

Story by Jess Cole

Thhis is the time of year, before the dire straits of summer fall upon us, that I am rushing to do any final transplanting in my garden. In all honesty, it's really too late, but I cannot help myself. Before I move that volunteer mulberry that shot up in the middle of my perennial garden, I watch the weather like a hawk, waiting for the perfect heavily forecasted afternoon thunderstorm. In harmony with the late spring rains, I move and plant as much as possi ble, before it starts to feel simply unbecoming to plant anything.

So, with this last chance to get good things in the dirt, I want to high light some native plants for you to consider instead of more common non-natives that tend to be troublesome (“pests,” disease ridden, sensitive to extreme weather, etc.) while offering little ecological benefit. If you are attempting to switch some of your garden over to native plants, use this as an initial guide to native alternatives.

Two caveats: (1) nothing is a perfect exchange, as every plant is its own unique creation. And (2) as I’ve repeatedly held, non-natives are not al ways worthless; in fact I have quite a handful of these mentioned below in my gardens. These are just merely suggestions for those interested in incorporating more natives, with all of their ecological benefits and sense of place, into your landscapes.

Crepe Myrtles vs. Parsley Hawthorne

Even I have trouble denying the beauty of the crepe myrtle, with its flo ral confetti falling post-bloom. However, the trees are prone to troubles. I offer the parsley hawthorne instead! Similar in size and form, this tree is a fast grower with precious tiny, white blooms. I have seen an infinite number of bees surrounding these flowers, and little birds seem to flutter in and out of the trees all day.

Shi Shi Camellias and Plum Yew vs. Fetterbush

It’s difficult to deny the grandeur of an old camellia in full winter bloom, but the fetterbush is a strong contender to the overused and quite emo tionless shi shi camellia. This native is a shade-loving, less pest- and dis ease-prone, low evergreen shrub. I often find camellias struggle in envi ronments with a lot of standing water, but the fetterbush loves water and can handle periodic flooding, making it a great candidate for the shady wet spots so common here in South Louisiana.

Asiatic Azaleas vs. Swamp Azaleas

Bizarrely enough, the azaleas that southern Louisiana is known for are actually native to Asia, and our native azaleas are not planted enough. The biggest difference between this flowering shrub and the more common Asian azaleas is that our native version is not evergreen. It has an interesting form, grows tall, and is one of the first magnificent blooms of spring. The early spring blooms show off before the small tree leaves out for the utmost garden drama. I love using them as a pair flanking a gate, or solo as a focal point to a naturalistic garden.

Boxwoods vs. Yaupon Holly

This classic switch up is becoming more common in the region. I have seen both classic yaupon holly and dwarf yaupon holly make excellent evergreen hedges, meeting boxwood expectations in every shape or form while being far more tolerant of excess irrigation and less prone to blight.

Photos: Top: Fetterbush, by Mary Keim on Flickr. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; Second Row: left, yaupon holly, public domain, and right, parsley hawthorne, by Nikki Krieg. Third Row: left, wild azaleas, by Nikki Krieg, and right, arrowwood viburnum, by F.D. Richards on Flickr. CC

2.0. Bottom: Carolina jessamine, by Bob Peterson on Flickr.

2.0.

Tropical Hibiscus vs. Native Mallows

There are so many excellent native members of the hibiscus family (Malvaceae) to choose from. The mallow is especially easy and returns each year, even after the hardest of winters. Its ecological value is unparalleled when compared to the non-natives. My favorites are Coastal Mallow, Turks Cap/Little Apple, and Scarlet Rose Mallow. Plant and enjoy the bee and hummingbird extravaganza that follows.

Distyliums, Yews, and Junipers vs. Darrow’s Blueberry

This evergreen, colony-forming, native blueberry can be an excellent landscaping plant, solo or en masse. Distyliums, yews, and junipers are popular for adding foliage and interest to the garden, but can all suffer from our random, yet few, cold snaps and/or are sensitive to wet feet. These blueberries, born and bred in our humid climate, are much hardier. They are thought to need partial shade, but I have seen them grow beautifully in harsh, full sun as well.

Italian Cypress, Leyland Cypress, or Arborvitae vs. Red Cedar

Red cedar trees are evergreen junipers and wildlife powerhouses—drawing birds to them to strip the

Often “nativars” are not as ecologically beneficial as true natives and genetic diversity is lost. But, if the smaller ‘Brodie’ is a better fit for your yard, don’t fret. A native cultivar is better than a non-native choice.

Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Wisteria, and English Ivy vs. Carolina Jessamine

I adore the Confederate Jasmine vine or, as I like to say, Marigny Jasmine . . . I connect the deep vanilla scents to childhood spring memories wandering through jungles of New Orleans gardens. But Carolina Jessamine is the evergreen native vine of choice here in Louisiana, as far as I am concerned. Jessamine will live through drought, deluge, shade, and harsh sun. It’s a super early bloomer with an elegant form and leaf shape.

May Plant Spotlight: Copper Iris, Iris Fulva

My heart stands still when I encounter a stand of Louisiana Iris, and Copper Irises are the most precious to me. I see these beauties often on country drives through Pointe

Scarlet rose mallow, by Jess Cole

Copper iris, by Nikki Krieg

EDIBLES

An Ode to the Loquat

A DELIGHT OF THE SEASON IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH, AND BEYOND Story by Chris Turner-Neal

On one of my first days working in the Country Roads office, I took a hwalk to clear my head. It turned out I had very much bright-sided my hfamiliarity with desktop publishing software, and I was wound a bit tight trying to get the monthly events calendar laid out. As I talked myself out of trying to thumb a ride upriver on the next barge, I saw a man casually pluck a little orange fruit off a tree in front of me and pop it into his mouth. I waited for him to round the corner and tried one myself: I was curious, and if it poisoned me, I wouldn’t have to learn InDesign.

I did have to learn InDesign (whether I learned it well is up to anyone who read the Country Roads events calendar in 2017-18), because I had had my first, delicious but nontoxic, loquat.

Somehow, I’d never tried this treat, called a “misbelief” in New Orleans and a Japanese medlar in less linguistically vivid areas. Loquats come from China (hence the similarity of the name to that of the unrelated, also-from-China, kumquat), but have been widely cultivated as a pretty, low-effort landscaping plant in the American South, among other warm to warm-temperate climates. (A warning to optimists above the freeze line: the tree can survive farther north than it fruits.)

Like a lot of fruits, loquats are in the sprawling rose family. The short, sturdy-looking trees resist many pests and blights and don’t need much water, though they do well in rainy Louisiana. The smallish white blossoms look like those of their distant cousins, the apples, and give off a sweet smell that doesn’t travel as far as those of heavy-perfumed magnolias or sweet olives—a demure whisper, not a forward “yoohoo!” Loquats blossom relatively early, and the fruit reaches ripeness in Louisiana for a few weeks in March and/or April, depending on that year’s weather; a late frost can effectively wipe out a year’s worth. (See, for example, after this past winter’s snows: you may wish to put this article on the refrigerator to remind you to be attentive during the hopefully-better 2026 loquat-poaching season.) The fruits are smallish, oblong, and orange; fleshy and juicy, with a thick but soft and edible skin. Pluck them when they are fully yellow or apricotty, light orange, and come easily off the stem—if you have

to really tug, that one’s not ready. Two brown seeds nestle in the center; you can pick these out daintily or see how far you can spit them, depending on your mood and the sort of company present.

Loquats are cultivated in some parts of the world—especially in Japan, which apparently goes nuts for them, and home-country China, but in the United States they are farmed only on a small scale, with shortfalls in the admittedly low demand made up for by Spanish imports. The relatively delicate loquat doesn’t travel well, so is rare in grocery stores, though lucky shoppers may spot some in farmer’s markets or Asian grocery stores. Its most avid fans are foragers, but “trying something you found outside to see if it tastes good” is discouraged by parents and botanists worldwide, and so most people in the United States won’t know to be tempted by even the heaviest branches of the most sunrise-gold loquats. Online foraging communities, however, buzz with jam recipes, tricks to make an amaretto-like liqueur from the pits, and above all, tip-offs to trees that can be harvested.

After that first loquat in Baton Rouge, I became obsessed with them. I kept a mental roster of which trees in my neighborhood bore the sweetest fruits (in my experience, fruit quality varies widely from tree to tree) and waited for the blossoms with impatience every year. “Loquat walks” kept me marginally tethered to the consensus reality during the first few weeks of COVID sequestration, and when a friend came down with a nagging, dry cough he couldn’t shake, I picked him a pawful and left them on his porch in lieu of soup. (I found out much later that he “appreciated the gesture” but never ate them, so of course now I wish I had.)

I’ve been able to keep up my loquat habit even after moving away from Louisiana. Where I now live in South America, the seasons are reversed. I arrived in chilly June, excited for a year with two springs. Buenos Aires blooms for a few months in spring, the result of intentional planting of trees that flower one after another. Among the jacarandas and tipus and silk trees, loquats thrive under their local name, níspero. There’s a tree between my apartment and the grocery store, and I have plucked one every time I pass, a little bite of my last home in my new one. •

SWEET THINGS TO DO

Ralph’s Market Spring Wine Gala | May 2

National Day of Service | May 3

Donaldsonville’s Downtown Live | May 3

Mother’s Day Craft & Vendor Market | May 3 - 4

Gospel in the Park | May 10

Mother’s Day Buffet at Houmas House | May 11

Gonzales Gun & Knife Show | May 17 - 18

Gonzales Jambalaya Festival | May 22 - 25

Juneteenth Music Festival | June 14

View our full calendar of events!

Culture

MOTHER TREES

WOMEN OF THE WILD

In the Longleaf's Shade

In what is perhaps the most famous photograph of the revered Louisiana naturalist Caroline C. Dormon, she is captured leaning against the hbody of a longleaf pine. The tree is massive, its knotted base shrouded in needles. Dormon sits—knees tucked in, wearing a collared dress, glasses, hair pulled back. Her body is poised, pressed against the trunk, cheek not quite touching the surface, a thin hand splayed comfortably across the bark. Her mouth is unsmiling, a serious, thoughtful line. This is “Grandpappy,” a centuries-old longleaf pine Dormon always deemed her favorite, which still stands in the forested region of northeast Natchitoches Parish: “My very soul lives in that beautiful old gnarled and weather-beaten tree,” she once said. “Oh, my, the tales he could tell of his rugged survival through the storms of life.”

A Louisiana legend, Dormon’s interests and expertise spanned forestry, botany, horticulture, conservation, ornithology, archaeology, ethnology, literature, art, educa-

tion, and preservation, all fueled by an unassuming yet steadfast passion for all things wild. Born in 1888 at her family’s summer estate near Saline, Louisiana—called “Briarwood”—Dormon came of age at a time when women were largely absent from the fields in which she would thrive. She was a Renaissance woman, an intellectual ahead of her time who kept up a relentless pace to safeguard her corner of the world and all its natural beauty.

Dormon’s passion for nature, and all it held, began when she was a child, spending her days running wild through the overgrown woods of northern Louisiana. She was one of eight children. Her family lived in Arcadia and would spend an annual six-week vacation at Briarwood amid the cool serenity of the forest’s longleaf pines. Dormon’s mother, Caroline, an author who published a novel titled Under the Magnolias (1902), and her father, James, a respected attorney, placed a premium on education. An avid reader throughout her life, Dormon was able to write at the age of three.

“Her father was not just an attorney—he was a brilliant man who loved nature,” said Fran Holman, Dormon’s biographer and author of The Gift of the Wild Things: The Life of Caroline Dormon. “It was her family that was the remarkable influence on her. The other thing they valued that you see throughout her life is the value of education … and more than formal education, though they all got degrees: the idea of knowledge for its own sake.”

At Briarwood, Dormon and her siblings would splash in creeks, build treehouses, fashion rope swings, and spy on birds. “Carrie” made tree-climbing her specialty, much to the appreciation of her brothers, one of whom had a carefully curated egg collection and regularly reaped the bounty of her excursions. Once, she found a nest of rare gnatcatcher eggs, and carried her treasure all the way down the tree, secure in her mouth.

“My guardian angel had little time for loafing,” Dormon once wrote in her column for the Shreveport Times, hearkening back to her untrammeled youth.

THE WILD AND WONDROUS LIFE OF CAROLINE DORMON

Story by Jacqueline DeRobertis-Braun

Photos courtesy of Bayli Q. Brossette, curator at Briarwood Nature Preserve.

When she was sixteen, Dormon enrolled at Judson, a private Alabama college, where she received a formal education in literature and art (a more traditional educational route for women at that time than the sciences, despite her interests, noted Holman). A contemplative, intelligent woman, Dormon managed to find friends and a certain acceptance at school—though she felt wholly divorced from the social norms and the polite veneer society demanded of her gender, later recalling, “I still belonged to the wild.”

Upon graduation, she taught primary school classes, and later high school, managing to infuse nature outings and education into her singing and art courses. However, at only thirty years old, Dormon sought retirement at Briarwood due to chronic health issues, such as regular bouts of the flu, persistent arthritis, and unresolved heart problems. Her sister, Virginia, joined her there in a small log cabin after her marriage ended, taking on administrative duties in the household as Dormon devoted her time to native plants, art, and local conservation efforts.

“She moved back to Briarwood and wanted to dedicate her life to flora and fauna,” said Bayli Q. Brossette, curator at Briarwood Nature Preserve, which today operates as a nonprofit sanctuary and continuation of Dormon’s vision. “It wasn’t just plants; it was birds too. She wanted to conserve those native species.”

In the peaceful surroundings of Briarwood, Dormon befriended a number of animals—welcome and frequent visitors. These included a mockingbird named “Shelley,” and a speckled king snake named “Hezekiah.” Her appreciation of birds was such that she refused curtained windows (which would obstruct her view) and even allowed her feathered friends to fly in and out of her house, building nests in her room.

At one point, Dormon was sitting on the porch watching the birds when a titmouse spied her “uncombed and fuzzy hair,” deeming it useful material for a nest, and plucking several strands from her very head.

Dormon, characteristically, was ecstatic.

Although she would become a revered giant in the naturalist community, renowned internationally and sought after by the likes of Thomas Edison, Dormon’s love of old-growth forests and native plants remained a powerful, insistent throughline that always anchored her to Briarwood. And while she pursued countless initiatives and careers, rarely did she venture beyond Louisiana, too intent on conservation work in her home state, and access to the plants and animals that inspired her.

It was from these humble surroundings that Dormon would actualize her greatest accomplishments. Distraught by the rapid expansion of the logging industry into old-growth forests in the early twentieth century, she spent more than a decade pressuring officials to save the Kisatchie Wold—“a name as musical as the wind in the pines,” she once wrote—campaigning to turn it into a national forest. She spent long days motoring around the uplands in a Model T Ford, driven by Virginia, to identify possible areas ideal for protection.

“The great pines came right to the water’s edge on these lovely clear creeks, with only an occasional Magnolia [sic] and dainty wild azalea and ferns,” Dormon wrote in her account of the forest’s preservation. “There the idea was born—this unspoiled beauty must be preserved for future generations to enjoy. Since childhood, my love for the kingly longleaf pines had been an obsession with me, and here they grew to perfection in an idyllic setting.”

cultures. Dormon wrote articles about different tribes' pottery designs and basket-making, publishing them in popular magazines like Art and Archaeology and Holland’s, the Magazine of the South, granting the tribes new exposure. For the Chitimacha, she pressured the Office of Indian Affairs to build a school that revitalized Indigenous crafts after an extended period of cultural suppression; today, the Chitimacha are internationally recognized for these baskets.

“I WAS BORN WITH SOMETHING. . . I CALL IT ‘THE GIFT OF THE WILD THINGS.’” —CAROLINE DORMON

Because of her efforts, Kisatchie—today comprising more than 600,000 acres—was designated a National Forest, with all of the protections that encompasses. Dormon named the site herself, choosing a Native American word for “long cane” that was also a tribute to the Kichai Indians (part of the Caddoan Confederacy), who called themselves “Kisatchie.” She, in turn, is remembered as the “Mother of Kisatchie.”

Dormon’s interest in Native American archaeology and ethnography prompted her to forge friendships and connections within the Chitimacha and Tunica-Biloxi tribes, among others, finding in these communities a shared love and respect for nature. Into these spaces she brought archaeologists, liaising with representatives at the Smithsonian to highlight diverse Native American

“She encouraged them to keep going. That was not something people were doing in those days, said H.F. “Pete” Gregory, a professor of anthropology at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. “She knew them as people, as individuals. She didn’t want them to lose the culture, so she did a lot of things to help them keep that.”

Though distinguished by her fight for Kisatchie, Dormon’s quiet, stubborn battle to preserve nature for future generations was waged on numerous fronts.

Beginning in 1919, she served as State Chairman of Conservation and Forestry, in which capacity she lectured at schools, clubs, churches, and youth groups— appealing to the wives of wealthy and powerful men as she sought to carve out locations for state parks. A year later, she was appointed to the Legislative Committee of the Louisiana Forestry Association, promoting forestry education programs. Dormon was so effective in her campaigns that she caught the eye of the state commissioner for the Department of Conservation in 1921, who made her an education specialist in the Division of Forestry.

In this role, Dormon was a powerhouse—despite her lack of formal forestry training. She developed her own teaching materials and programs, wrote books, and conducted workshops for teachers, among other efforts. Crucially, she showed teachers how to instill forestry knowledge into everyday lessons, bringing an organic appreciation and understanding of the natural world to basic classroom instruction. According to American Forests magazine, Dormon was listed as the only woman employed in forestry in the United States in 1922. She would later be elected as an Associate Member of the Society of American Foresters, an honor that led to “the only time in [her] life [she] ever had the swell-head.”

Other roles—too numerous to mention in full—include working as a “highway beautification consultant” with the Louisiana Department of Highways, heading the initiative to establish the Louisiana State Arboretum, and representing Louisiana on the De Soto Commission through an appointment by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

At Longue Vue House & Gardens, Dormon’s quieter victories return each and every April, even now. Sponsored by philanthropist Edith Rosenwald Stern, in concert with landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, Dormon’s Wild Garden at the historic home is populated exclusively with native Louisiana plants—including, today, 3,500 irises.

Dormon loved irises, and on a 1920 trip to South Louisiana spied a few blooms in the swamps and bogs. She retrieved these, transplanting them in her northerly Briarwood, where they flourished under her care. In conversation with Dr. J.K. Small, curator of the New York Botanical Garden, Dormon began studying the Louisiana iris. Her work led in no small part to providing the scientific nomenclature required to expand the irises’ distribution, and her forays into hybridization

produced colorful specimens of Louisiana irises that remain famous the world over. Once a relatively rare sight hidden in the black bogs of South Louisiana, Dormon wrote that the “swamp debutante has become a horticultural queen.”

According to Dr. Jared Barnes, an associate professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University, Dormon was ahead of her time in her advocacy for growing and protecting native plants. The native plant “movement” didn’t gain widespread popularity until decades later in the 1980s and ‘90s, when people became more aware of habitat degradation as insect numbers began to decline.

“The southeast is very blessed with a wide assortment of great native plants that grow really well in our heat and humidity conditions,” said Barnes. “One of the things I love about Briarwood and Caroline Dormon is that she was an early proponent of some of these species. We’re fortunate some people had the forethought to look ahead and see the benefit of these species.”

Ever enamored with the botanical, Dormon also authored several books on her home region’s particular flora, including Wild Flowers of Louisiana (1934), Forest Trees of Louisiana (1941), Flowers Native to the Deep South (1958), and Natives Preferred (1965) a few years before her death.

“I think that, of course, the flowers—that was her passion,” Holman said. “And she could not only write about them because of her vast knowledge, but she could paint them.”

Dormon was indeed a prolific artist. She would frequently visit Melrose Plantation in Natchitoches, where she would sketch or paint native plants, often getting lost in her depths of concentration.

During her lifetime, Dormon received more acclaim for her achievements in places like Australia and England

than Louisiana (“There’s something, perhaps, to that adage, ‘you can’t be a prophet in your own land,’” Holman noted).

“At first [my neighbors] strained their minds trying to understand what it was all about…” Dormon wrote at one point after receiving national recognition for her work in forestry. “A woman that spends all her time foolin’ with bushes and weeds … At last they have just given me up as hopeless. They know I am crazy, but harmless, so anything I do is all right.”

For all of her successes—including those tempered by the roadblocks of bureaucracy and politics, of which there were many—Dormon lived in relative financial strain for her entire adult life. She and Virginia tried many different avenues to make ends meet, but Dormon often grew distracted or ill, focusing on other projects or spending necessary time resting to keep her health in check.

Exceptional Forest Conservationist and Naturalist.” “She simply had to keep living if for no other reason than to record the results of her hybridization experiments with irises.”

Dormon did not seek wealth, in any case. “She never had money,” said Holman. “And if she did, she bought a flower.” She was, rather, burdened by the indomitable drive to keep doing important things, whether or not they paid anything at all.

As she advanced in years, Dormon wrote that her life was full, “even if it did look very quiet and uneventful to others.”

“Carrie even claimed that she was too busy to die,” wrote James P. Barnett and Sarah M. Troncale in a USDA report titled, “Caroline Dormon: The South’s

In many ways, both literal and figurative, Briarwood’s beauty—the plants, the animals, the trees, even the weather—were Dormon’s constant companions: “I was born with something—I call it ‘the gift of the wild things,’” she wrote. In the endless and ordinary moments of nature, she found breathtaking joy, and her purpose.

Before she died in 1971, Dormon donated her home to a foundation that, today, is a hub for conservation and educational purposes—an opportunity for the public to glimpse the natural beauty that Dormon worked so hard to preserve. •

briarwoodnp.org

required another surgery. In the process, the doctors discovered possible blood lymphoma.

Shortly before her accident, I had begun work on a book about Louisiana and climate change. That summer of 2023, temperature records were breaking in Beijing, Kuwait, Iraq, and Algeria. The world felt like it would never cool. In mid-July, Texas regulators reported that pipeline operators were venting hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because of heat-related pressure. Explosions erupted in Louisiana at a Marathon Petroleum Refinery and at Dow’s petrochemical operations. The average temperature for July in Louisiana was the highest ever, which was followed by record highs in August, September, and October. An unthinkable drought in subtropical New Orleans lit a marshland fire that smoldered for weeks. Its early morning “super fog” caused a 168-car pile-up on Interstate 55 that killed seven people on October 23. By New Year’s Eve, we had seen the hottest year ever recorded in modern times.

As my mother fought to recover from her own ailments, I was hunched over my laptop with the curtains pulled, and I started experiencing panic attacks. One morning, I woke up in crippling pain, due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder that left me unable to sit or work for weeks. It felt akin to an impalement.

We go from believing we can change the world, to hoping we can protect our own bodies. And then, we realize that sometimes the only thing we can control is our intention for the day.

Lessons from Our Mother Trees

Story by Ned Randolph

Fthan 170 articles on forest science and plant intelligence, but she is best known for her theory of the “Mother Tree”—a phenomenon that suggests forests are sustained in large part by central, large trees that share nutrients with younger saplings through networks of mycorrhiza fungi. Facing an uncertain future for themselves, Mother Trees pass their life force to their offspring to help them prepare for changes ahead. In this way, nature has given us a model for cooperative survival.

We often say it is up to the new generation to save the planet, but there’s a determined fortitude in our elders. I’m thinking of my own mother, who fights for the earth not for the sake of her own future, but for our collective “obligation to endure,” as Rachel Carson, the mod-

and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself,” she wrote. It is in our basic interest—and perhaps our very nature—to care for a future ecology.

I used to marvel at my mother’s muscular biceps and broad shoulders, which she credited to climbing trees behind her New Jersey subdivision.

When she was growing up, her family would pile into their Buick for the long trek back to Crowley, Louisiana to spend the summer with relatives. Decades later, my teenage summer treks were made in reverse—visiting Mom in New York, working in a law firm mailroom and scarfing down hotdogs from the Greek vendor at her West 96th Street corner.

My mother channeled her passion for outdoors into school reform, helping

tegrate adventure-based learning into public schools. She’s led camping trips on islands in New York Harbor and hiked the suspension cables of the Brooklyn Bridge. In retirement, her passion for open skies fuels her climate activism.

Trained by Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, she speaks frequently to her local council in Marin County, California, where she lives now.

As age and mortality start to claim her contemporaries, my mother tenaciously persists. Almost eighty-three, she has begun contemplating her own epilogue and what it means to leave the work unfinished.

In December 2023, Mom broke her shoulder ice skating with my family. The open fracture required surgery to implant a metal plate on her right humerus, which came loose within weeks and

Even out on the West Coast, Mom still reads the New York Times every day, sometimes well into night. Deep in the opinion section, she shakes her head in dismay.

When I started fighting with my writer’s anxiety about climate anxiety, she told me, “Get mad.” Temperatures were smashing records and Canadian wildfires were smoking out U.S. cities. “Let your anger carry you.”

I began to search for ways to process what was happening to our planet. Researchers on the matter suggest we begin with breaking what they called the “spiral of silence.” According to a 2016 survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, about a third of Americans never talk about global warming. “People concerned about the climate avoid voicing their worry because they rarely hear others discussing the topic, and thus the spiral continues,” wrote Yale’s Angus McLean.

It occurred to me that speaking our fears aloud is not merely a therapeutic way to combat paralysis around the topic, but necessary to ensure knowledge is passed on. Simard’s Mother Trees have been doing this for millennia. She found that trees who have survived difficult

times actually transfer their “wisdom” to younger saplings. Sensing threats, they synchronize carbon transfers to the next generation.

My mother is a unique force: a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, Harvard doctorate, and among other things, an effusive traveler. She has a gift for connecting with strangers: cab drivers, doormen, grocery clerks, newspaper vendors. Her longevity and perpetual motion seem to reinforce a virtuous cycle. When I would call her from college, overwhelmed by assignments, her question and message was consistent: have you made your bed? Small things lead to big things. One foot in front of the other.

Six weeks after my injury, I finally climbed back into my desk chair to resume my research on my home state.

Louisiana’s famous “laissez-faire” attitude has historically extended to its stance on protecting the environment, where short-term economic gain is too often prioritized over the long-term health of the state’s abundant natural resources.

Coastal lands and forests—once full of old growth timber, fisheries, and migratory waterfowl that darkened the skies— have been sacrificed for the money that can be extracted from them. When immigrants came to Louisiana, they often made their fortune, or at least their livelihood, from the bounty of the land: the Croatian oyster harvesters, the Post-Reconstruction lumber barons, Cajun and Vietnamese fishermen, cotton and sugar cane plantations, oil and gas roustabouts.

My own grandfather arrived in Baton Rouge aboard a steamer from New York to work for Standard Oil in 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression. He boarded the SSG Stewart in June and arrived in Louisiana three weeks later. “The land of the Kingfish,” my grandfather recalls in his papers.

My grandparents were married by the time Huey Long was shot by Dr. Carl Weiss’s 32-caliber pistol. They lived and entertained off campus on Lover’s Lane, then considered the countryside. They loved Baton Rouge so much that, when my grandfather rose through the company ranks and was reassigned to New York headquarters, my grandmother cried. Neither wanted to leave. He described it as “wrenching.”

“Baton Rouge was as pleasant a place to live as anywhere in the world,” he wrote. “It was small enough (at around 35,000) so that you knew everyone from the governor on down… where you could walk down the main drag on Second Street on any day, and you would know practically everyone you passed.”

Louisiana’s capital city has since grown, in heavy industry and suburban sprawl. When I lived in Spanish Town and worked for The Advocate in the early 2000s, the odor of burned engine grease from the nearby refineries often drifted over the neighborhood. I never knew the Baton Rouge my grandparents did, but my grandmother’s nostalgia for Loui-

siana won her the concession to return after my grandfather’s retirement from New York. Instead of the wholly changed Red Stick, they settled in rural Crowley, where she could enjoy the companionship of her cousins, screened porches, and a large kitchen of rocking chairs and languid conversations. Their presence there brought my mom to Louisiana in those summers and ultimately planted me here to do this work.

By then, the industry that brought so many families to the shores of the Mississippi River was gaining a darker reputation, one marked by the devastation of much of Louisiana’s coastal marshes by way of poor waste disposal, canals, and subsidence. The once high-flying promise of oil has left behind idled workers and struggling communities. Oil revenues from royalties and severance taxes account for less than 8% of the state budget, compared to as much as 50% in the 1970s. Layoffs are more common, and sudden, due to fluctuations in global energy prices. Accidents and spills threaten not just the workers, but also the communities nearby. And sometimes, there is a smell on the highway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans coming from over the tree line, where gas flares from Shell Norco light up the southern horizon.

Rationales for delaying climate action here often hinge on promises of new technologies to magically remove greenhouse gases or deliver emission free energy. Sixty years ago, at the very beginning of the age of climate activism, Carson challenged this thinking. “It is a disservice to humanity to hold out the hope that the solution will come suddenly, in a master single master stroke.” She said, as my mother says, that the solution comes slowly. “One step at a time.”

When I started writing again, I began with an editorial about finding hope in precarious places. My panic attacks subsided, and my sleep began improving. By May, my mother was on the mend. The lymphoma turned out to be a false positive. She was renewing her environmental activism and planning trips. I traveled to meet her last summer in New York City, where we made a hopeful jaunt to her old neighborhood on West 96th Street to see if the Greek hotdog vendor was still there. “He was such a nice man,” she said. “He used to loan me money for the New York Times.” When we emerged up the stairs at 96th Street and Central Park West, he was gone. He would have to be in his eighties now. We saw, instead, a larger truck operation in his old spot.

There are few like my mom still left. But her resilience stands as a powerful model for addressing the extended challenges we continue to face. I returned to my work in New Orleans and left her to the backend of her trip up to Northampton for her sixtieth college reunion. We all do our best to endure. But our chances for success are greatly enhanced by the mother trees in our midst. •

Treatments For Aging Oaks

• 2 to 3” layers of composted organic matter will fuel soil organisms. Create a forest ecosystem under your tree.

• Improve soil health (de-compact, aerate, improve drainage).

• Apply continuous small doses of elements: less nitrogen, more phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and beneficial soil microbes.

• Remove competition: remove turf, vines, shrubs, and other competing canopy.

• Expand resource space. Mulch open soil space.

• Prune to reduce mass (trim exterior crown weight). Support mass and control movement via installing tree support system, TSS’ (cables, brace rods, guys, and limb props).

• Protect high value trees from lightning.

• Manage against insects and disease infection.

• Minimize injury and soil damage. Keep people and machines away.

Predator Bikes

Something Worth Saving

JOINING THE FIGHT TO RESTORE THE CAJUN PRAIRIE

Story by Oliver Garber

Ihfirst became captivated by the Cajun Prairie in the spring of 2022, after hear ing its history directly from the leaders of the fight to save it: Drs. Malcolm Vidrine and Charles Allen. For the rest of the growing season, until October hor even November when the last seeds were falling, I visited two of the re gion’s oldest prairie restorations every few weeks—at the ten-acre habitat in Eunice overseen by the Cajun Prairie Preservation Society, and Dr. Vidrine’s Cajun Prairie Gardens beside his home. There, I would gather seeds among the strange flowers and waving grasses, and walk through one of North America’s most forgotten habitats, an ecosystem that has been almost completely decimated over the last century.

I would marvel at how each plant is so clearly and uniquely itself, as easy to tell apart as people are, when you really look. But then there is also the prairie as a whole thing unto itself, all the plants coexisting with the dragonflies, butterflies, and other such parts of this great landscape. Reading Dr. Vidrine’s scientific and historic per spectives in his book The Cajun Prairie: A Natural History glories of this place’s past, held in its roots.

Photos courtesy of Malcolm Vidrine.

innumerable smaller animals. The whole region—the soil, the water, the air—was filled with harmonious and abundant life.

But those days are in the past. The ecosystem began disappearing in the 1880s with the rise of commercial farming, and as the prairie’s size dwindled, so also did its memory. It would likely all be gone today, if Drs. Vidrine and Allen hadn’t come across its meager remnants beside the railroad tracks in 1986. Then, the impossible reversal—the enduring work of saving the prairie from oblivion—began.

carried out in the root system, the deep foundation upon which the prairie rests.

All the while, I kept up my observations, my seed collecting. I continued to read books— exploring the prairie habitat, in all its delicate balance, through Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe’s ReWilding: The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery and Enric Sala’s The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild They showed that a habitat is like an orchestra, composed of many different parts brought into harmony together, sometimes one taking the lead and now another, but all in their proper place. It could also be compared to an old-fashioned dance, in which all the members are so attuned to each other that even though they are individuals, the whole room dances as one. When one goes missing, there is a gap which can only be partially filled by the others, and when a new, unfamiliar member is brought in, discord and confusion follows—turning the dance, the habitat, into a riot.

Out of this work emerged a vision of what I hope to create: something beyond a yard prairie restoration, expanding into open fields, ditches, woodlands, ponds, whole sections of an orchestra. In them, I want as many as possible of the original species, calling back together all the scattered members of the lost dance for a resounding encore. I want to return the prairie to its home. And I want to make it my home.

To accomplish this, I am now seeding more prairie across my property, planting small groups of plants likely to spread more on their own, and I am even experimenting with grazing Gulf Coast native sheep, descendants of those brought over in the 1500s by the Spanish, in one of my restoration fields, to see how they might contribute to the cycle of life there.

The Cajun Prairie was great in the days before its decline, spanning 2.4 million acres with its hundreds of species, all tuned to the slightest variation of soil, light, water, and disturbance so that every square foot was different in composition and appearance, but equal in strength and harmony. Vast herds of bison called this prairie home; packs of red wolves, flocks of birds and

After the seed collecting season was over, I cast out what I had gathered into a field just outside of Iota.

With the spring came the time for growing cuttings and transplants, a process I learned under the mentorship of Dr. Vidrine. We propagated until the weather became too hot and dry. These plants would normally have grown and flowered quickly, but because of the previous summer’s drought, most of the growth was

From the first I heard of the disappearing Cajun Prairie, it has been a foregone conclusion that this shall be my work. The mission spoke to me so deeply because here was something which I had before found with such force only in books: a thing worth saving, a great cause. This thing once great and beautiful, now at the point of death, but fought for and perhaps saved at the eleventh hour by a small band of those who remember—it reminded me of epic stories like Tolkien’s Silmarillion, the Anglo-Saxon’s struggle against the Vikings, and the saga of the Cajuns. I heard in the prairie’s story not only of the dangers of losing it and the good in saving it, but after discovering the legacy of struggle and determination around this ongoing fight, I felt called to join in the long tradition of saving the lost good of the past. • cajunprairie.org

Escapes

neers between 1859 and 1866, Fort Massachusetts was strategically placed to protect the only deep-water harbor between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River. Today, it serves as a visual reminder of Ship Island’s notable

Sojourn to Ship Island

HISTORY, WILDLIFE, AND RARE BEAUTY CONVENE ON THIS MISSISSIPPI ISLE

Story

by Kristy Christiansen

Photos by Paul Christiansen

On a cloudless day in March, we stood hin line with more than a hundred other hpassengers waiting to board the Ship Island ferry in Gulfport, Mississippi. It was opening week for the seasonal Ship Island Excursions ferry service, which has been shuttling beachgoers to Mississippi’s islands for ninety-nine years now.

Despite the chill in the early morning air, tourists were dressed for a day at the beach. Our ferry was wedged between private boats and a fleet of Coast Guard vessels, overlooking the Mississippi Aquarium and the countless fishermen lining the road to the nearby marina.

Shortly after we filed onboard and settled in seats across the spacious vessel, we set sail from the harbor into the calm, barely rippling waters of the Mississippi Sound. Right at the start, dolphins started tracking our wake along the twelve-mile path, rolling their dorsal fins above the water in a playful wave to the passengers. My husband, Paul, and youngest son spent the nearly hourlong ride roaming the boat and buying out the snack store below deck, while I gazed at the seemingly endless water spreading out all around us.

One of five barrier islands in the Mississippi section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Ship Island is the only one accessible by commercial ferry. Perhaps just as important, it’s also the only one offering convenient facilities like bathrooms, picnic pavilions, and concessions

serving a full lunch menu as well as selling visors, beach toys, and everything else you forgot to bring.

We docked on the island’s north side by historic Fort Massachusetts, and immediately a red-winged blackbird landed on the boat and cocked his head to watch our procession down off the gangplank. While the group shuffled down the pier toward the beach, juggling folding chairs and ice chests, schools of fish and a roaming stingray passed beneath us in the shallow blue-green water. The ferry guides reminded us that “Ship Island sunburns are legendary,” and we stopped to spray each other down before setting foot on the shell-lined sand before us.

Most of the passengers seemed to be familiar with their surroundings, some hiking the island’s one-third mile boardwalk to the south beach, others scouting the north side for shells, and one couple setting off for a leisurely stroll around the east end. Charles, our oldest, grabbed his fishing gear and, without a backwards glance, went west towards a fly fisherman already casting his line.

After watching him go, we turned toward the D-shaped, brick fort before us. Most days, the National Park Service offers tours of Fort Massachusetts, but today it was closed due to flooding. So instead of exploring its arched corridors, we picked our way around the outside walls, peering through the openings to catch a glimpse inside. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-

The Spanish landed here in the 1500s, and Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville followed in 1699. French explorers named the island “Ile aux Vaisseaux,” translated to “Ship Island.” It served as a point of entry for French colonists in the 1720s, was handed over to Great Britain at the end of the Seven Years’ War, and after the American Revolution, the Spanish flag flew here. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1810, Ship Island became part of the United States. During the War of 1812, British warships anchored off its coast while preparing for the Battle of New Orleans, and during the Civil War, it served as an active small city, with a prison for Confederate prisoners of war and a base for the African American Louisiana

On the island’s backside, the rather protected Mississippi Sound was an important commercial shipping route between Mobile and New Orleans, but it could become dangerous during storms. So, Ship Island also became home to several lighthouses. The first, a fortyfive-foot-tall brick structure, was completed in 1853 and outlasted storms and a seizure by Confederate soldiers, only to be destabilized by erosion. Abandoned in 1885, it collapsed into the surrounding waters in 1901. A second, seventy-five-foot-tall wooden lighthouse replaced it in 1886 and continued to light the way for passing ships until 1957. Unfortunately, it was accidentally burned down by campers in 1972. To pay tribute to the island’s lighthouses, a third replica light was erected in 2000 but destroyed only five years later when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore.

We continued past the fort along the boardwalk that traversed the island’s marshy interior. By now, people were mingling in the convenience store, emerging with cheeseburgers and kid-sized shovels. On the Gulf side, rows of chairs and umbrellas stood ready to rent and bikini-clad teenagers sunbathed while children played in the sand. There were no shells here, only white quartz sand we learned had washed out of the Appalachian Mountains after the last ice age, interspersed with patches of darker sand deposited by the Mississippi River. We lingered for a bit, our younger sons burying themselves in the sand while we walked the beach. Later, we unfolded our picnic blanket and sat down to eat our PB&J sandwiches, entertained by still more dolphins diving in the Gulf waters before us.

As the sun got hotter, we made our way back to the north end, stopping for shade and a water break under the covered pavilion. A blackbird friend, perhaps the same from before, landed on our backpack and spread his wings to show off his red stripe. When he bid us adieu, we returned to the Sound and began searching the thousands upon thousands of shells lining the beach. Most were broken, but every so often, a perfect specimen emerged.

Realizing this side of the island had been built up with dredged sand, Paul began a closer inspection of the ground and almost immediately zeroed in on a shark’s

BEACH DAY

marveling at the upside-down, plate-shaped jellyfish washed ashore and nearly stepping on a perfectly preserved, foot-long horseshoe crab. Charles, drawn by hunger, made his way back to us and offered tales of a half dozen stingrays, elusive black drum, and even a shark trolling the waters around his fishing bait. The

Disclaimer: This trip was partially funded by Ship Island Excursions, though the opinions of the writer are entirely her own and formed independently of this fact.

ternoon on the sand. We lingered with our toes in the cold water, soaking up every last minute of the sun’s rays before our afternoon departure time. Making our way back to the ferry, we waved goodbye to several tourists who were staying for the long haul, waiting for the evening ride out.

The return trip passed quickly, the boys taking silly photos of each other and the dolphins following us home. As the sharp breeze swirled through the open boat, passengers began feeling the streaks of bright red sunburns emerging in the spots the sunscreen hadn't reached. Toddlers lay passed out on their parents’ shoulders, and the morning’s perky travelers now reclined on benches, looking tired, sandy, and windswept. Yet, every one of them had a smile on their face and a story to remember about their day at Ship Island. •

msshipisland.com.

Life's a Picnic

EXPLORING THE CREOLE NATURE TRAIL'S ONE-OF-A-KIND BEACHES Story and photos by John Flores

II would take them on picnics, usually to the beach—where forever etched in our minds were their chants as we drew close to our destination. They would shout, “The beach, the beach, the beach!” Ahh, picnics with small chil-

transferred by little fingers, to be washed down without fuss with a sippy drink.

Years have passed, our children have grown. And now, I am able to use our picnic tradition instead as a romantic outing.

spot along the twenty-six miles of beach that line the Creole Nature Trail. Here, on both Holly and Rutherford beaches, there are no high-rise hotels, no beach front condominiums. And most of the time, there is hardly anyone around.

You can simply pull off on the side of the Gulf Beach Highway (LA-82) or authorized seaside parking area, and step directly onto the beach—where there is ample opportunity for shelling, bird watching, or just sitting under an umbrella listening to the waves as fingers of rushing water stretch out over the sand. When we visit, we’ll often pick up sandwiches, drinks, ice, chips, and desert at a reasonable cost from the nearby Rouses Supermarket deli. (Note: drinks in glass bottles are not allowed on these coastal beaches, so you’ll have to bring drinks that are in plastic bottles or cans.) Besides lunch, things to consider packing for your beach picnic might include a wheeled ice chest or a wagon to tote fold-up chairs, beach bags, and camera gear, if that’s your thing. And don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses.

In past springs and summers, I have watched my wife slowly stroll these beaches in her bare feet, the Gulf breeze blowing through her hair, eyes peeled until she suddenly stops, then bends over to pick up something the surf has to offer. One of the pillars of a strong marriage is having good communication, and you can’t be a good communicator without listening. What can be more wonderful than hearing about a unique shell your spouse discovered on the beach?

As far as your eye can see, up and down the Holly-Rutherford shorelines, is a distinct rack line that the surf replenishes with shelling treasures. Popular shells one might find here include whelks, which look like a top, or a tornado-shaped funnel cloud. There’s also the iconic cockle shell—if you’ve stopped in for gas at a Shell station, you’ve seen the classic symbol. Angel wing shells live up to their name when you find two roughly the same size that fit together. Other shells you’ll find on these two beaches are cat’s eyes, shark eyes, olives, wentletraps, coquinas, and periwinkles. The cool thing about shelling on these lightly trodden southwestern beaches is you are permitted to keep them all.

Which beach is better for shelling? Kathryn Shea Duncan, who is the Director of Social Media at the Lake Charles Southwest Louisiana Conven-

Top: Shark’s Eye Shells. Bottom: A group of American Avocets walking along the beach.

tion and Visitors Bureau, says she prefers Rutherford. “I like to walk east along the coast and have found the shelling is more abundant there,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of visitors who are so excited to show me what shells, or sometimes even shark teeth, they’ve found. I even have a small collection of my favorite shells from along the Gulf, specifically Rutherford, that decorate my office and living room.”

A couple years back, I met a beachcombing family, Darren Alcock and his daughters Abby and Anna, who were scurrying about on Holly Beach filling buckets with shell treasures of all shapes and sizes. It was something Alcock says he and the two girls do frequently as a family.

A math professor at McNeese State University, Alcock says the best time to go shelling is right after it storms, when the winds are hard out of the south.

“The storms wash the shells up on the beach and we’ll come down here and pick them up,” he said. “We polish them up and use them for artwork and things like that.”

In addition to these sea treasures, Southwest Louisiana’s beaches are teeming with shore birds. Gulls, terns, plovers, sanderlings, and avocets feed and rest along Holly and Rutherford Beaches.

On our most recent picnic, American avocets cautiously walked in the surf along the beach while we ate, no more than twenty yards from them. The rusty orange of their heads showed them to be in full mating plumage.

Since our travel time from home to Holly and Rutherford Beaches is the better part of three hours, we occasionally elect to stay overnight in Lake Charles— which is about thirty to forty minutes down the Nature Trail from the beaches. There are plenty of accommodations for overnight stays in this city, particularly along Prien Lake Road, as well as plenty of excellent eating establishments. •

The author’s spouse Christine Flores with a beach treasure.

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PERSPECTIVES: ART OF OUR STATE

Painting with the Earth

USING NATURAL PIGMENTS,

ROBIN WHITFIELD PRESERVES HER SWAMP Story by Susan Marquez

As the artist Robin Whitfield slowly paddles through a dense wetland in Grenada, Mississippi, she glides past ancient cypress htrees rising out of the smooth water, and the sunlight appears dappled on her kayak. A dragonfly lights upon her sketchpad, and she stops to observe its delicate wings. Around her, a pair of butterflies flitter, dipping and soaring before flying away. Birdsong fills the air, along with an occasionally croaking frog. For Whitfield, it’s like going back in time to a place unspoiled by modern life. Yet, the swamp she visits almost daily is located halfway between Jackson, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, right in the middle of so much busy human life. The environment is not simply a background for the artist. She notices and reveres the nature that surrounds her, and she has made it her mission to foster that connection in others, too.

While artmaking has been a constant in her life, Whitfield said she stumbled into nature by accident.

When she was attending college at Delta State University in Cleveland, painting under the mentorship of Sammy Britt, Whitfield responded to a job opportunity. The Grenada School District wanted an artist to paint the school’s interior. “I put in the lowest bid by far,” she said, and spent the next five years painting ancient cultures on four different hallways for $950. “I found out later that the next lowest bid was $10,000.”

While working on the project, Whitfield found an old building in downtown Grenada, and with financial help from her parents, she purchased it. The building was an ideal spot for an art gallery, with an apartment upstairs. And three blocks away was a 300-acre swamp owned by the city. “People called it ‘dump lake,’” she said. “It wasn’t uncommon for people to trash old couches, dead

dogs, and such. I started going there every day and began to pay attention to the abundant wildlife."

Inspired by other Mississippi artists like Walter Anderson and Wyatt Waters, Whitfield received a kayak as a gift and began taking it out every day, along with a small watercolor kit. “Painting was like a daily meditation for me,” she said.

Then one day, she had a breakthrough. While painting in her boat, a sudden gust of wind blew the paper she was working on onto the water’s surface. “To the naked eye, the water looked very clear,” she said. But when she picked up the paper, it was coated in a chocolate brown color. “I had not realized there was a translucent sheen on the water. I was transfixed. I realized the sheen came from the oils from rotting plants. I kept dipping the paper in the water, learning, by accident, that I could manipulate it.”

That revelation set Whitfield on a path she never imagined. “I began to wonder where other colors may come from. Native Americans had color in their art. Where did they get those colors? I had an almost childlike glee as I began to experiment.” She soon began incorporating foraged pigments from berries, flowers, and leaves into her palette—discovering their distinct chemical properties along the way.

“Dirt and burnt grass make my favorite black,” she said. “Berry juice and mud will create a very raw color… spinach leaves, beetroots, and strawberries all adhere well to watercolor paper.”

Now, when painting the wildlife she observes, Whitfield begins with a color in mind. “When I look at a great blue heron, I think about what color I’ll use,” she said. “The pepper vine is the perfect color. I use trial and error by squishing the color onto the paper.”

For her series, Seasons of the Cypress, she created twelve images with birds, plants, and insects that tell a story. “Nature offered every color I needed,” she said. “I like to tell people that plants are nature’s perfect magic marker.” Her Mississippi Palette series uses mineral colors connected to particular locations in Mississippi.

Saving the Swamp

After college, Whitfield stayed in Grenada, painting and selling work in her gallery while maintaining her daily practice of visiting the swamp outside of her apartment. In 2009, Whitfield assembled a volunteer citizens/ friends group to protect and promote the wetland she’d developed such a relationship with, while working to establish trails and a wildlife observation deck. In 2010, the city officially dubbed the area the Chakchiuma Swamp Natural Area, honoring a Native American tribe once located in the upper Yazoo region. The citizen’s group gained non-profit status and is now known as the Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp. Whitfield is the executive director and visionary for the group’s ongoing activities, events, and projects. Introducing the swamp to children is a major role of the organization, which facilitates school field trips and an annual summer camp for kids. As a result of their work, the Chakchiuma has also become a haven for other local artists, photographers, and nature lovers.

A day came, in 2016, that Whitfield went to the swamp to paint, as she had for over a decade, and discovered ribbons hanging on trees, signaling that they were to be harvested for timber. “The city was in dire economic straits and wanted to sell off the timber in the swamp for income,” she recalled. “I called City Hall, and they said, ‘they didn’t think I’d mind.’”

But Whitfield did mind. The loss of the trees would adversely affect the swamp’s delicate and precious ecosystem. She learned that the city would net $40 to $80 per tree, adding up to a $300,000 price tag. Whitfield proposed “selling” the trees in a kind of symbolic adoption fundraiser, promising the city they would receive market value. They gave her eight weeks. She started a GoFundMe campaign and raised close to $30,000 in three weeks, with support from all over the state. The cause captured the attention of a local businessman who agreed to match all donations in exchange for honoring a Grenada law enforcement officer, who had loved the outdoors, and who had recently died in the line of duty. As a result, in 2017, the property was officially dubbed the Lee Tartt Nature Preserve and the city agreed to a sixty-year lease with the Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp to pay off the $300,000.

“I used my power as a visual storyteller, by sharing my art, so everyone would understand what they would lose,” said Whitfield. Since the beginning of the program, which is still ongoing, hundreds of trees have been tagged by student volunteers, who then send donors the coordinates of their adopted tree with an invitation to visit the swamp.

The Artist Becomes the Teacher

Today, Whitfield shares the knowledge and wisdom she has gathered from the swamp as an artist, and now a certified Master Naturalist, with others—teaching earth color workshops all across the region. “I love it when people who don’t identify as artists try painting in nature. Natural pigments have the ability to wake people up. I try to remind them that we can connect to nature through play—and art is play.”

“We explore wherever we are,” she went on, “looking for colors in the most unlikely of places. It could be a weed growing through a crack in an alleyway. We are simply looking for colors to make a connection with nature and our ancestors.” •

robinwhitfield.com

Artwork by Robin Whitfield

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