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Meet Dixie the
Cajun Pixie
For centuries, explorers, treasure hunters, and curiosity seekers have reported seeing beautiful sparkling lights over the Manchac swamp, just outside of New Orleans. There is an impenetrable area of Manchac where a secret society of Cajun Pixies live. This area where I live is known as Pixie Parish, which has ancient cypress, gum and tupelo trees towering over the swamp. I am the only Fiddle Playing Cajun Pixie in existence. I am the daughter of Queen Carnival, the ruler of all Louisiana Swamps and Bayous. I am Princess Dixie, the protector of all the residents in Pixie Parish.
The Cajun Pixies are the fastest flying pixies in the entire world, moving faster than the speed of light. We fly over the Jasmine, Brown and Toro rice fields gathering our favorite food. In just a matter of seconds we can acquire all of the ingredients that are needed for our favorite dishes. On Sundays all of the Cajun Pixies come together on Pixie Point to hear my fiddle playing and to enjoy some real Cajun Pixie food.
Meet Yats
Yea-u-rite
Yats was born in the musically rich New Orleans neighborhood called Treme to Matt and June Yea-u-rite. Treme is famous far and wide for its talented jazz musicians and its historic homes. My mother is the best cook in the neighborhood, she is affectionately known as Mama Ju-nee. When she starts cooking the whole neighborhood comes over for some food and fun. My house is a magnet for all of the local kids, who come to hang out and prac- tice their music every day after school, not to mention mooch a meal. My favorite meal that Mama Ju-nee makes for me is, what she calls YAT burgers, and she says she calls them that because she makes them with love, just for me.
I attend St. Augustus High School where I was voted by the school as being the best trumpet player and I am the proud leader of the Marching 100 band there. I’ve won several competitions with my trumpet. You can catch me and my friends hanging out on Frenchman Street on weekends trying to get inside the music halls to play our music. Whenever my friends would see me they’d always yell out my name, “Yea-u-rite!”
Meet
Datz the Clown
I was the headlining clown from the traveling circus and ran away while performing in the Crescent City. Why? Because I fell in love with the Magical ambiance, history, music and food that is New Orleans. My favorite is Louisiana seafood.
I hid from the circus ringmaster Endymion Von Backus who put out a bulletin all over town saying that his clown was missing, after a week the traveling circus left and I came out from hiding.
When the Who Dat Nation spotted me, they whispered under their breath, and then yelled out "DATZ the Clown, DATZ the Clown," so I became "DATZ the Clown from New Orleans." You can find me entertaining the tourists in front of the Saint Louis Cathedral First built in 1727 in Jackson Square. As DATZ the Clown I represent the seafood industry of Louisiana, with my white shrimp boots and red crab hat.
Meet Tip Toe
Yea u rite
Where yat everybody? My name is Antoine. My mother named me after her favorite New Orleans musicians and songwriters... Antoine (Fats ) Domino & Dave Bartholomew. My friends call me Tiptoe. When I was about five years old my brother Yats took me with him and his band to the French Quarter. My hat fell off and landed by my toes and the tourists, entertained by our music and my Dancing, filled it with tips, so my brother called me Tiptoe, and would always take me to the French Quarter on the weekends to perform with him and his band.
The crowds really liked us! Everyone knew that when Tiptoe showed up, the hats would fill up with money. I was born with amazing talents. I have never had music or dance lessons in my life, yet people tell me that I can dance like professional. I can also juggle coins between my fingers, twirl my clarinet like a baton, and do sleight of hand magic tricks to entertain the crowds. They say that I play the licorice stick just as good, if not better, than Pete Fountain, I wish.
Meet
Tommy 2 Short
Babtiste
Tommy Babtiste was born in Creole, Louisiana. He still loves going with his father to the Louisiana Hayride on Saturday nights, where he plays the squeeze box in his father's Zydeco Band and looks forward to eating jambalaya. Tommy's favorite jambalaya flavors are shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage and tasso!
Tommy was loved by his teachers because he was a model academic student and was always on time for school, never missing a lesson. As a musical prodigy, he could play almost anything, including percussion, strings, brass, and woodwind instruments.
As a child, Tommy's biggest challenge was to play the slide trombone, but since he was only 4 ft. tall, his father said that would be nearly impossible. When Tommy asked why, his father said, "Because you are too short!" But Tommy refused to accept that answer.
Mrs. Bertha, the Band instructor at Bell City High School in Creole, LA, helped Tommy devise a technique to play the trombone, which was taller than he was. Tommy won a full tuition scholarship to the Loyola School of Music in New Orleans. He is now a member of Yats’ New Orleans Dixieland Band and is regarded as one of the best trombone players in the Crescent City.
Meet
Mario Galvez
My Name is Mario Galvez; my friends call me Tubby. I am the great, great, great, grandson of Louisiana’s very first Spanish governor dating all the way back to 1777.
My dad owns Galvez Heating and Plumbing in St. Bernard Parish. St. Bernard Parish is named after my great, great great, grandfather the governor Bernardo de Galvez. My dad is a great story teller. During Sunday dinner at our house in Mid-City, you’re sure to hear the story of how Bernardo de Galvez was invited by President George Washington himself to the first 4th of July parade. There he was honored for winning the Battle of Baton Rouge in 1779, which saved New Orleans from British takeover. My family is very proud of this because if it wasn’t for us New Orleans just might not be the place it is today.
I love gumbo especially REAL LOUISIANA GUMBO and I eat it just before a gig. When it’s spiced just right I can hold a note longer than any other tuba player this side of the Mississippi River. People who don’t know me confuse my tuba playing with the sound a steamboat makes when it blows it’s stack, he he he, but it’s just me—Tubby.
Story of Tujaques
( 2 - Jacks )
It was a warm summer day in 1897 when a Pirate ship pulled into Manchac Cove. Jean Lafitte The pirate Captain gave the order to the First Mate to assemble a landing party to go into the swamp and forage for much needed rations. While making their way through the swamp, the landing party of pirates came upon a sight they had never seen before. The pirates described them as mud castles. The First Mate gave the order for the entire landing party to immediately start digging below the little structures and investigate what was hidden below. To the pirates’ surprise, they found red crustaceans that resembled the lobsters they had seen in New England, only much smaller. They immediately named them “mud bugs.” The First Mate ordered the crew to dig up as many of these mud bugs as they could and then put them into their hats to transport them back to the ship. After filling everyone’s hat to the brim, they left the mud castle area and continued their search for more food. Suddenly they came upon a very thorny thicket and discovered it was loaded with large black berries. The First Mate again ordered the crew to gather as many of the berries as they could and to put them into their pails. After filling all the pails they had, they quickly headed back to the ship. But on their way, the small band of pirates came to a small clearing… and in the middle of the clearing, laying in a beam of sunlight and stretched out on an old log, was a large, strange looking creature. It was sound asleep. So using a net and ropes, the pirates quickly captured the creature and carried it to their ship. When the landing party arrived back at the ship, they presented the Captain with their discoveries, first the berries, then the mud bugs, and finally, the crew brought out the giant creature. The Captain looked in amazement at the creature, then asked it, “What are you?” and to the captain’s surprise, the creature answered, “I am Gator, king of all animals in the swamp.” “Well Gator,” the Captain said, “I will play you a game of cards ....my Captain’s hat for your life.” Gator looked the Captain straight in the eyes, and agreed. So the Captain began shuffling the cards; then dealt each of them a hand. “Show your hand,” said the Captain, as he laid his pair of eights on the table. “Ace high,” shouted the Captain with a smile. Gator then laid down his cards, a pair deuces and a pair of jacks, “Two pair,” Gator said with a gator smile. “You win!!” the Captain said. Gator got up to leave, but the captain slammed his fist down on the table and said, “Not so fast, Gator !we are pirates!” He growled under his breath, “Now we play best two out of three.” The Captain then reshuffled the deck and dealt the second hand. “Show your cards,” said Lafitte as he laid down a pair of tens, queen high. Gator slammed his cards down on the table, showing a pair of jacks. “Two jacks again,” Gator announced with a smile. “You win again,” shouted the Captain in disbelief. With one quick move Gator quickly snatched the Captain’s hat from his head and dove overboard in to the deep murky waters of the swamp. Gator swam back to his friends in PixieParish, where he told his story of beating the pirate Captain at cards with two pairs of jacks. And so, from that day on, Gator was known as 2-Jacks.
New Orleans is
ALL ABOUT DA COLOR!
Click below to print our coloring sheets of your favorite characters!
Can You Speak Cajun French?
Joie de vivre
Joy of Living
Fais do do Party
Bounjour
Hello
Excusez-moi
Excuse me
Bien
Good
Monsieur
Mister
Can You Speak Spanish?
Amigo
Friend
Donde'
Where
Hola
Hello
Beignets
Ingredients:
-1 can of refrigerated flaky layers buttermilk biscuits
-Vegetable oil (for frying)
-Powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. Separate the biscuits and cut each into quarters.
2. Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F.
3. Carefully fry the biscuit pieces in batches until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side).
4. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. Roll the hot beignets in powdered sugar.
6. Serve hot.
Muffalettas
Ingredients:
-Olive Salad
-Small deli rolls
-Swiss cheese
-deli ham
-provolone cheese
Genoa salami.
Instructions
1. Spreading olive salad on the rolls, layering meats and cheeses with more olive salad 2. Wrapping in foil
3. baking at 350°F for 14-16 minutes until the cheese is melted.
The Rougarou is a creature from Cajun folklore, kind of like a werewolf, but with its own unique characteristics. Imagine a being that can change shape, sometimes appearing as a human and sometimes as a scary monster, often with features of a wolf or dog.
KNOW YOUR NOLA LEGENDS
New Orleans is famous for it's iconic musicians. The Yat's favorites are below...do you recognize these legends?
