| |
|
|
|
|
|
⚜️ Love what you're reading? Forward this edition to a friend or send them to subscribe here.
|
|
|
|
This Week's Edition
|
|
St. Patrick's Day parades roll across Louisiana this weekend, Mardi Gras Indians return for Super Sunday, and we look back at the March day in 1803 that led to Louisiana becoming American. Here's your guide to the greenest week of the year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 10-16, 2026
|
|
Louisiana Turns Green — St. Patrick's Day Weekend Arrives
|
|
|
|
Floats roll through the streets for St, Pattys day.
|
| This is the week Louisiana trades beads for cabbages. | | St. Patrick's Day parades roll across the state this weekend, from the Irish Channel in New Orleans to downtown Baton Rouge. People line the streets in green, waiting for floats to throw vegetables, flowers, and beads. It's one of those uniquely Louisiana celebrations—part Irish tradition, part Mardi Gras throwback.
| |
Saturday brings the biggest parades. Baton Rouge's Wearin' of the Green rolls at 11 a.m. New Orleans' Irish Channel parade starts at 1 p.m. By Sunday, the Mardi Gras Indians return for Super Sunday, and the streets fill with hand-sewn suits and second lines.
| | It's a big weekend. Spring is here, the weather's perfect, and Louisiana knows how to celebrate. Here's what's happening across the state—March 10 through 16.
|
|
 |
|
|
What's Happening in Your Area Code
|
|
|
|
🎷 New Orleans / Kenner / Metairie - 504
|
|
|
|
Crowds in the streets of New Orleans
|
| Wednesday at the Square (Spring Series Begins) |
| Lafayette Square, New Orleans · March 11, 5:00-8:00 PM (every Wednesday through May 6) |
| Free outdoor concert series featuring local musicians. Jazz, rock, swamp pop, brass, and Latin music. Bring chairs and blankets. Food vendors on site.
|
|
| Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade |
| Irish Channel (begins at Felicity St & Magazine St) · March 14, 1:00 PM |
| One of New Orleans' biggest St. Patrick's Day parades. Famous for throwing cabbages, carrots, onions, and moonpies. Floats, walking groups, and live music. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade |
| Baton Rouge (starts near Hundred Oaks Blvd & S Acadian Thruway) · March 14, 11:00 AM |
| Baton Rouge's 41st annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Family-friendly with floats, music, and plenty of green. Shamrock Run 5K kicks off the morning. |
| |
|
|
|
|
🎶 Lafayette / Acadiana Area - 337
|
|
| Celtic Bayou Festival |
| Downtown Lafayette · March 13-14 (Friday 5:00 PM, Saturday 12:00 PM) |
| Celtic music, Irish dance, food, and Cajun-Irish culture blend. Live bands, vendors, and family activities all weekend. |
| |
|
|
|
|
🚤 Houma / Thibodaux / Bayou Country - 985
|
|
| Slidell St. Patrick's Day Parade |
| Slidell |
| Over 50 floats celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the Northshore. |
| |
|
|
|
|
🌲 Shreveport / North Louisiana - 318
|
|
| No major St. Patrick's Day events this week in North Louisiana, but spring weather brings outdoor activities, farmers markets, and live music venues back to life. |
|
| |
|
|
| Napoleon's Decision |
| The Day Napoleon Decided to Sell Louisiana to America |
|
|
|
A historical depiction of Napoleon Bonaparte planning his British invasion in March 1803, the decision that led him to sell Louisiana to the United States.
|
| 📅 March 11, 1803 |
| The decision that changed Louisiana forever |
| On March 11, 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte began planning an invasion of Great Britain. That decision would lead directly to the Louisiana Purchase less than two months later.
|
Napoleon had big plans for Louisiana. He wanted to rebuild France's empire in the New World, using Louisiana as the granary to supply French colonies in the Caribbean. But those plans were falling apart.
France's army in Haiti was being decimated by yellow fever and a slave rebellion. War with Britain looked inevitable. Napoleon needed money for the war, and Louisiana—sitting thousands of miles away across an ocean Britain controlled—would be impossible to defend.
So on April 11, less than a month after planning his British invasion, Napoleon offered to sell the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States. Not just New Orleans. Everything.
The deal was signed on April 30, 1803. The United States paid $15 million for 828,000 square miles of land. It doubled the size of the country and made Louisiana American.
|
| |
| All because Napoleon decided to invade Britain on a spring day in Paris, 223 years ago this week. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Can You Guess This Iconic Louisiana Last Name?
| | This name means "leader of the group" in French.
It comes from the Old French personal name "Baudricus," which stems from Germanic elements meaning "bold" and "ruler." The name literally translates to "descendant of the bold ruler."
It arrived in Louisiana through Acadia after the French expulsion in the 18th century. The name became deeply embedded in Cajun and Creole culture and is now one of the most common surnames in south Louisiana.
But this name is more than just a surname. It's become a cultural icon in Louisiana. It appears in folklore, Cajun jokes, and regional storytelling as an archetypal Cajun character. If you've ever heard a Cajun joke, there's a good chance this name was in it.
You'll find this name on mailboxes, businesses, and church records across Acadiana. It's a name that represents Louisiana pride, Cajun heritage, and cultural identity.
|
| The answer: Boudreaux. |
|
|
|
|
A quiet Louisiana bayou landscape reflecting the deep Cajun roots behind one of the region’s most recognizable surnames.
|
|
|
| Louisiana Classics |
| Why Sunday Jazz Brunch at This Restaurant Started a Louisiana Tradition |
|
| Commander's Palace — Where Sunday Jazz Brunch Became a Tradition
1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans | | Commander's Palace didn't invent Sunday brunch in New Orleans, but it made it a cultural institution.
| | The Brennan family bought the restaurant in 1974 and introduced the jazz brunch shortly after. Live jazz. Creole cuisine. A leisurely Sunday afternoon in the Garden District. It became the New Orleans brunch experience.
| | The format is simple: three courses, bottomless drinks, and a jazz trio playing standards in the dining room. Turtle soup. Gulf fish. Bread pudding soufflé. The menu changes with the seasons, but the experience stays the same. | | Sunday jazz brunch became so popular at Commander's Palace that restaurants across New Orleans started copying it. Now it's everywhere—but Commander's Palace is still where it's done best. | | But locals still go there for Sunday brunch with family, just like they have for 50 years. The turquoise and white Victorian mansion. The courtyard. The jazz. The food. |
| Sunday jazz brunch at Commander's Palace isn't just a meal. It's a New Orleans tradition that started in the Garden District and spread everywhere else. |
|
|
|
A jazz band performs in the elegant courtyard of Commander's Palace during the legendary Sunday jazz brunch service.
|
|
|
| Free Giveaway - Your Last Name Family Heritage Video |
|
A sample Family Heritage Video intro
|
| Every subscriber is automatically entered into our ongoing Last Name Family Heritage Video giveaway. |
|
"Good stuff. Didn't know half of that." — Christine Boudreaux
|
| A new last name is chosen regularly, so keep an eye out. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Greenest Weekend of the Year
|
This is the weekend Louisiana turns green.
| St. Patrick's Day parades roll across the state. The Irish Channel throws cabbages. Baton Rouge shuts down roads. Bars open early. People wear green everything. And by Sunday, the Mardi Gras Indians are back in the streets for Super Sunday.
| | It's one of those weekends where the whole state is celebrating. Different traditions, same energy. Whether you're catching a cabbage in New Orleans or watching the Wearin' of the Green in Baton Rouge, it's a Louisiana weekend through and through. | | Spring festival season is officially here now. From here until summer, there's something happening every weekend. Until next time, | | Michael |
| Michael |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
