When the Louisiana Superdome reopened on September 25, 2006 after being the devastated by Hurricane Katrina and becoming the visual focal point of a city’s suffering to the rest of the world, New Orleans became “America’s City.” The fact that…
Chef Paul Prudhomme, CHERYL GERBER PHOTOGRAPHS, It’s not much of a stretch to say that in the last 25 years that correspond with this magazine’s existence (1981- 2006) there have been more changes in the way Louisianians eat, particularly in…
This old Municipal Association coffee mug with its fine-print list of towns, Abbeville to Zwolle – a constant companion through half of Louisiana Life’s 25 years – is as good as a journal for recording memories of past adventures.There are the Big…
Billy Solitario, “Three Egrets;” Over the last 25 years, the Louisiana art scene had grown and prospered in cities across the state, especially in south Louisiana. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita almost swept it away. Derelict buildings in rundown Main Streets…
Northern LouisianaQUIRKY PLACESThe Music Never DiesTodd Weaver, of Louisiana Spirits Investigations, sets up a paranormal investigation at the Municipal Auditorium.(Jim Hudelson/The Times PHOTOGRAPH) Even the skepticism of paranormal investigator Brad Duplechien, Director of Louisiana Spirits Investigations, [see “Central Louisiana”] couldn’t…
Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry: Jimmy C. Newman, a veteran of the Opry, waits in his dressing room for the music to begin. Band members are seated on a sofa, miscellaneous opry-ites step in to greet Newman. The performer…
Postcard, circa 1911, showing the then recently built pavillions1906It was a relatively new century – a new age – and fairs were the bee’s knees. The Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exposition had been held in St. Louis just two years earlier,…
Duck in Audubon park, New Orleans. Louisiana’s natural landscape is a dreamy world for painters and photographers. Its bayous, rivers, primeval swamps and the undisturbed and timeless life that drifts in the shadows can be unsettling but magnificent. It has…
The beautiful view of Natachine Lake can be seen from every angle of the wide wraparound porches, as well as from the two seating groups of comfortable furniture in the great roomLocated on 40 acres of pristine forest, 35 miles…
Fall often brings some of our nicest weather. Unless we have a hurricane, you can almost hear the entire state breathe a great sigh of relief when the summer heat finally breaks. With clear blue skies, lower humidity and some…
The Colvin family circa 1885 in Dubach. Dogtrot Capital Receives a New FindThe community of Dubach is adding to its collection of 19th century dogtrot cabins by restoring an 1883 house, which will be used as a welcome and information…
What's HotHonoring Korean vets. U.S. Highway 80, which crosses Louisiana from Monroe to Shreveport, has been dedicated as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. Louisiana has 54,900 Korean War veterans.Rink remembrance. Professional boxer Preston Scott Hartzog, who died recently of…
Football in Louisiana was just not the same in 2005. Games were played, bands performed, cheerleaders did their acrobatics and occasionally the crowd would roar. Nevertheless, the season must have been what it was like when boys tried to play…
April 20, 1992, ended as any other typical day for attorney Barry Viosca. The self-described obsessive-compulsive workaholic went to bed late that night after a heavy dinner with a whole lot of stress on his mind. As usual, he was…
One of the defining features ofsouth Louisiana’s distinct Cajun culture is the food. Of course there’s the language, the music, the geography and the shared traditions and heritage, but it’s the food that stands second to none. While the region…
BRIAN GAUVIN PHOTOGRAPHS THIS PAGE TOP, FACING PAGE BOTTOM; PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS EARL K. LONG LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, THIS PAGE BOTTOM AND FACING PAGE TOPBoth economically and politically, Louisiana in the 1930s was one of the nation’s…
Levees and spillways have long been part of the Louisiana landscape, but Katrina and Rita put them on the map Levees in Louisiana, besides keeping us dry, provide some welcome elevation for low-lying areas and have added cultural benefits. As…
The Untold Story of the Louisiana National Guard, Katrina, Questions of Command, the Law and the Battle to Save Lives In any ordinary early Friday evening, 19-year-old Anthony Harrison would be helping out during the weekend rush at Fanta’s Seafood…
In the shadow of Katrina, the parishes of “Imperial Calcasieu” stagger from Rita n a Tuesday evening. George Swift is popping a bag of popcorn in his Lake Charles home, marking the end of another day, most of which he…
NORTHERN LOUISIANA CAUSE TO CELEBRATE The wearing of the green Celtic culture influenced the Old World and the New. When the Celts crossed the Rhine around 600 B.C., this fierce and brave race began settling across Europe and ventured as…
As a resident of Bossier City in northwest Louisiana for four years, we are very proud of our new Louisiana Boardwalk, which was briefly noted in the “Around Louisiana” section of your magazine in the Summer 2005 issue. The issue…
Finally, the future. For too many Louisianians, over too many days, the future stalled. Too many hours, filled with too much uncertainty, was too much to take. “This, too, shall pass.” Who first said that? Was it Jesus? Buddha? Moses?…
The phone rings. It’s 5:45. That’s a.m. As in, earlier than 6 o’clock in the morning. In most households – in normal people’s households – this might be cause for alarm. But here on our fresh-produce farm north of Franklinton,…
Is there a future for cypress? Down a half-mile gravel footpath, deep within the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge near St. Francisville, stands a majestic 1,500-year-old bald- cypress tree. “Old Cat,” as the tree is affectionately called, stands more than…
