Destrehan fall festival a real country fair

Yesterday, I drove out to Destrehan Plantation for its annual Fall Festival. The antebellum mansion is near Luling and St. Rose, both little places along the river you've probably never heard of, but on this particular weekend, Destrehan is packed.

The event won the Southeast Tourism's Top 20 Events award and the Louisiana Fairs and Festivals Classics Award - who can beat that? It is always held at one of the loveliest times of year when you are sure autumn is finally on its way.

I have seen the nicest crafts at this fair than any I can recall. It is not high-end art like that of the Art Market, but quilts, wreaths, jewelry, antiques, Christmas decorations and kitschy home decor - 150 artists and crafters in all. Some of the exhibitors are retired folks who enjoy doing woodwork so now make bird houses and funny yard signs.

I have admired for the third year in a row the handmade quilts made by Doris Calamia of La Place, but decided once again, it is not time. When it is, I will definitely be calling Doris, perhaps to make a custom cover for my bed in a favorite color scheme.

The Fall Festival features pony rides, face-painting, tours of the plantation home, live music and volunteers demonstrating centuries-old homemaking techniques, such as indigo-dying, Bousillage construction and open-hearth cooking. You can rest on bales of hay and hear Louisiana music all weekend long.

All the local food specialties are for sale - poboys, corn and crab bisque, crab cakes, beef brisket,  pork and crawfish boudin, alligator sausage and roasted corn.

I took a quick spin around and decided on a kitchen floor mat decorated with red peppers, crawfish and tabasco sauce, as well as a Saints door wreath. Who could live without one of those?

New Orleans is the place where the music never stops

French Quarter Fest happened last weekend, April 13-15. It is sort of a warmup for the Jazz Fest in two weeks, featuring 150 performances on 15 stages. The advertisements said 250 hours of free music.

Saturday was cool, so many of us stayed home, doing chores, knowing Sunday would be much nicer. Indeed, the weather was perfect and the French Quarter was teeming with music lovers, listening and eating and loving it all.

Sizing up the crowds, I wondered how this picture would mesh with the images of violence the media continues to send out to the country. Attendance was very diverse and everyone was having fun.

I didn't arrive until mid-afternoon when I headed for Royal Street where I listened to Doreen's Jazz New Orleans band, playing for tips.
I got a cell phone call from a friend over on Bourbon summoning me to hear Philip Melancon play his own satirical post-Katrina songs. Phil sat at a piano, banging out melodies and belting out lyrics that the local audience could personally understand. Melancon is a retired school teacher who owns the Neutral Ground Coffee House. We ambled over to Jackson Square to sample crab cakes with Remoulade sauce - oh cher!

After my friends left, I continued on to the Old Mint to hear the Zydeco Twisters and Fredy Omar con su Banda where everyone was salsa dancing. On the way back to my car, I checked out Glasgow, performing on the Woldenberg Riverfront Park stage. Though rock is not my favorite, the big sound with the wind whipping across the the levee was thrilling.




Chicago has great Lakefront festivals, but I've rarely been able to get this close to the performers or move around with such ease. I'm getting excited about Jazz Fest and am regretting not buying the WWOZ Brass Pass to go every day.

WWOZ 90.7 FM is New Orleans' Jazz and Heritage radio station, which anybody anywhere can listen to online. It will be broadcasting live from the Jazz Festival April 27-29 and May 4-7.