Cajun Racing

Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown, longtime turf writer Ed McNamara tells the story of a remarkably resilient people with a passion for racing and an unmatched touch with quarter horses and Thoroughbreds. In Cajun country, there's a lot of character and a lot of characters, as superstar jockey Kent Desormeaux likes to say. You'll meet trainer Pierre LeBlanc, a wheeler-dealer who ran an illegal casino and won one of his best horses, Palomino Joe, in a card game. You'll meet his son Pete LeBlanc, who bought jockey Robby Albarado his first horse and saddle and taught him how to ride. You'll meet other great families of Cajun racing: the Romeros, the Desormeaux, the Borels, the Bernises, the Delahoussayes and the Delhommes.

This insightful book is by far the broadest examination of traditional Cajun culture ever assembled. It goes beyond the stereotypes and surface treatment given to Cajuns by the popular media and examines the great variety of cultural elements alive in Cajun culture today--cooking, music, storytelling, architecture, arts and crafts, and festivals, as well as traditional occupations such as fishing, hunting, and trapping. It not only gives fascinating descriptions of elements in Cajun life that have been woven into the fabric of American history and folklore; it also explains how they came to be. Cajun Country reveals the historical background of the Cajun people, who migrated to Louisiana as exiles from their Canadian homeland, and it shows their folklife as a living and ongoing legacy that enriches America.

Only in the Bayou State do Louisianans travel door to door on horseback collecting gumbo ingredients for Mardi Gras gatherings. Residents compete in egg pâquer contests to see who can crack their opponent's Easter egg first. Louisiana is a place where frequent collisions with natural disasters can inspire a drink like Pat O'Brien's famous hurricane. And the state's history is filled with colorful figures like Governor Earl K. Long, whose wife committed him to a mental institution--only for him to use his political pull to inspire his own release. Elsewhere these accounts may seem odd or farfetched, but it all happens in Louisiana. Join author Sam Irwin as he details these intriguing Pelican State stories with pithy observations, humorous asides and droll determinations.

In the early 1900s, some match race jockeys rode bareback. Blackstrap molasses was smeared on the horse's back to help the jockey stick onto a fast breaking horse. No rules, no electric timer, no programs, no stewards.. I never saw anybody handicapping. When the jockeys did weigh in, they used an old bathroom scale.There were races matched "turn loose" (no jockeys) just empty beer cans with rocks inside, tied to the saddles. I've even seen a rooster tied to the saddle by his legs, with wings flopping all over and feathers flying everywhere...I remember watching a race with a monkey riding.For a long time, my desire was to write a book about the history of the old bush tracks in Louisiana. My quest began with talking to the old-timers, their relatives and finding some who have long since moved away. The stories are true to life as they were told to me and there are humorous antics as well.

There's just nowhere else but South Louisiana to find real knee-slapping, crowd-hooting Zydeco music. Even the big-city chefs can't cook up a Cajun meal the way they do at the roadside restaurants deep in the bayous of Acadiana. Likewise, no other guide matches the amount of in-depth information presented in Cajun Country Guide. It's a study of Cajuns that tells visitors how to find the sights, sounds, and flavors of one of America's most culturally unique regions. Take a vacation to a part of our own country that, in some places, didn't even speak English until nearly fifty years ago. While modern technology is weeding out some of the one-of-a-kind qualities of this subculture, not all of them are gone, or even hard to find, if you know how to hunt for them. And there are no better hunters than authors Macon Fry and Julie Posner. With the handy maps, reviews, and recommendations packed into the Cajun Country Guide, a trip to the bayous won't leave one feeling like a visitor, but more like a native who has come back home.

Cajun Steve is well versed in the Cajun culture having been born in New Orleans. He shares highlights from some of his most memorable fishing and hunting trips in this book for readers of all ages. Stories of catching record-breaking fish, including a world record for a Mangrove Snapper that still stands, will have you yearning to explore the great outdoors. Youll also find: Cajun Steves favorite recipes, which make ample use of seafood and wildlife; Cajun jokes that have been selected by Cajun Steve himself; pictures of memorable adventures that you can embark on yourself; inspirational religious scriptures that will help you overcome obstacles. Get ready to have some old fashioned, clean fun, and experience the great outdoors that the Lord wants us to enjoy with Louisiana Cajun Adventures.

"This work serves as a model for compiling ethnohistories of other nonliterate peoples."--BOOK JACKET.

Surveys the geography, history, people, and customs of the state of Louisiana.