Mermaids, Music & Mardi Gras
It's Mardi Gras time in Louisiana, so on this week’s show, we're bringing Carnival to you.
We begin with author and songwriter Johnette Downing, who’s also known as “the pied piper of Louisiana music traditions.” Johnette shares her latest album, Swamp Romp, which, among other things, seeks to answer the eternal question, Who put the baby in the king cake?
Next, writer Sally Asher and illustrator Melissa Vandiver introduce us to The Mermaids of New Orleans, who choose one day of the year to mingle with those of us who live above water — Mardi Gras Day, of course!
And Jean LaFleur also joins us to talk about the Courir de Mardi Gras, a ritual that takes place in rural Creole and Cajun parishes.