Welcome back to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas y'all . This episode we have a special guest with us . It's one of our best friends . Her name's Amy Leges . Hey , hello , amy . Hey everybody , this episode y'all is brought to you by Acadia Parish Tourism . Acadia is also known as the Cajun Harvest Country . We live in Acadia Parish , in case y'all didn't know that Y'all we know how to have a good time here . We know how to have a good time in Acadia Parish . We got festivals , from Mardi Gras to the Rice Festival . They known around the world yes , international Rice Festival , yes , international , yes . So y'all make sure to check out all the upcoming events . At AcadiaTourismcom slash calendar you can get all the info you need on the upcoming 87th annual international rice festival and see all the other good things we have going on in this part of the world .
Speaker 1Plan your vacation it's true , around october is a really good time to visit louisiana , in the first place because yeah , the weather is not horrible the humidity won't just slap you in the face when you walk outside , depending on where you're from well , I feel like we might get a few two , maybe two weeks out of october like perfect weather wouldn't it be nice if that was rice festival it usually you know , when you feel that first cool front
Speaker 3it's called rice festival weather not see you the facebook post it is coming in all the little rice emojis are coming out .
Speaker 2That's true the rice emojis . They to be used , it's just something in the air . You're going to crack out those rice festival earrings and that headband it's coming .
Speaker 1I already know that's right . Yeah , y'all . We brought our friend Amy on here specifically because the rice festival is her Christmas , I feel like it is , even as kids growing up .
Speaker 3That was our Christmas , that was what we looked forward to , or vacation . We didn't't really go anywhere , but we went to rice festival . Clean your room , clean your closet , because if it ain't , you ain't going .
Speaker 2Oh , that's a motivator for you right there home . Oh , lord help , so how ?
Speaker 3long have you been going to the rice festival ?
Speaker 3I mean , that's since I've been born probably yeah , because my grandparents would go , my parents would go , we'd all meet for the parade and , um , we would stay out there . As long as I can remember , there's like an arts and crafts show my mom would go to and we could ride up until the parade time , because that's when it gets crazy . But you always met up with , like your friends from school or your cousins , or you know , we were one of five , so we always had extra people to ride and spread out with everybody .
Speaker 2Did y'all have like a bracelet night where you and all your siblings could go and ride for a bracelet amount Like ?
Speaker 3$ night where you and all your siblings could go and ride for a bracelet amount like .
Speaker 1So it's a weekend bracelet .
Speaker 3It's a weekend pass , oh that you get at . Um , I want to say it's the tobacco plus shop , right , that's it I think they're the only ones that sell . I mean , you got to get it before the festival , so that's now not back then . Yeah , no , you know what ? As long as I remember riding , we always got a bracelet that was a three-day pass .
Speaker 2It doesn't really pay if . If you're going to be there all weekend , better get that bracelet .
Speaker 1Oh yeah , oh yeah , it's worth it , yeah .
Speaker 2Yeah , we were talking about how our mamas would just drop us off at the festival , but that cannot happen at the Rice Festival these days .
Speaker 1You know you've got to be with your kids . How much of a crowd do you feel like it draws ? Do you have any idea , like like how many thousands ?
Speaker 3I don't know number , amount , but it's a lot like they always take a picture from the main stage looking down , and it's almost to the midway stage full of people just from the main stage . That's not counting the crew that's at the rides , the ones that are just yeah because they block off a whole section of like downtown crowley's .
Speaker 1All blocked off right it's main street to pass the track yes , so yeah , that it's a . It's spread wide , so it would be hard to get a count of like or a picture of all the yeah , no , they only get that main , they'd have to get a drone for that , and I think that's what they do for this .
Speaker 2Now I want to say , um , yeah , I'd love to see a picture of actually how many people you know you and there's no way you could count . There's no thousands .
Speaker 3I'll find the picture and I'll send it to y'all so y'all can see it's crazy yeah .
Speaker 2Because when I go with you I take a picture off of that kind of that main stage thing and there's just a sea of people and I remember for COVID being so surprised that that many people just did not care . It did not .
Speaker 3It's the Rice Festival . Covid was not a thing , anymore .
Speaker 1I mean outdoors , you know , for the Rice Festival , you know , but listen you close . Yeah , yeah , yeah , I bet what's your favorite part of it ? Like , can you say a favorite part ? Is it the music or the food ? Probably the music .
Speaker 3Yeah , I knew you were going to say that , yes , I would have to say the music part would be my favorite part . But you just get to like every people you ain't seen in years . They come in for the Rice Festival and they're going to walk by and listen . Everybody's going to be cowboyed up at night too .
Speaker 2I love it . So this is one thing my friend Amy does every year for the Rice Festival . She sends us pictures when that thing is going up when they start setting up the sound stages . That's it we're getting pictures she gets really excited for the rice mills , and you get to see all that because of Kramer .
Speaker 1We're on the corner .
Speaker 2Yes .
Speaker 1Amy's family owns Kramer Equipment right in Crowley . You can say a little bit about that . We're a hardware store .
Speaker 3We actually service the rice mills in Crowley , but we're right next to the Midway stage , so you get to see like I mean I'm pulling my chair up in the window and I'm watching it go up , but I'm not the only one . You'd be surprised how much traffic goes around the court circle when the portal bodies come .
Speaker 1Everybody passes to see , and everybody's .
Speaker 3We nosy , everybody's nosy . Yeah , kind of like Rice Festival weather . Oh , the stage is coming up , time to go . Yeah , and they got it blocked , but they still going to pass and go kind of to see what's going up .
Speaker 2I love it when we get those pictures . I know my friend is having a good week .
Speaker 1It is our best time . It's the week .
Speaker 2It is the week yes , All right , let's take a second to talk about Lily and me . It is a pacifier that's designed for a better latch . Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding , Lily and Me is the perfect pacifier . I use it personally . It's backed by pediatric specialists , lactation consultants and pediatric dentists . It's a great tool to encourage proper oral development in your child and just check it out . It's a great gift as well . You can order from lilyandmecocom and check them out on social media at lilyandmeco .
Speaker 1Yep , and that's lily L-E-E-L-E-E and A-N-D-M-E-C-Ocom , very good , my friend Very good , just in case .
Speaker 2All right , let's talk about .
Speaker 1What do you want to talk about ?
Speaker 3Some of the events that you can only get at the rice festival , like what are some things ? Yeah , they have a rice eating contest on the saturday morning . I can't even imagine how this looks a fiddle and accordion contest oh , and it's different age groups . It's not they kind of divide them up that would be very fun to watch that's . That's one of the reasons I want to put cole in accordion lessons .
Speaker 2It's because I want him to do that yeah , oh yeah , that would be fun , that would be great .
Speaker 3Now I'm just thinking about that rice eating contest .
Speaker 1I'm picturing like you just eating this rice , a big bowl of cooked rice , and you just are they shoveling it in with their hands .
Speaker 2They're just trying to get it .
Speaker 1Is it just cooked rice , or is it ?
Speaker 3like a dish . I'd have to look that up again , I'm not sure .
Speaker 1I mean you'd be more than right . They have to keep it fair . They have to keep it fair Because if you did John Beliah , I'd be like he got a bigger piece of meat than me yeah , yeah , yeah . He got a bigger piece of meat than me .
Speaker 2It's piece of taco in his plate yeah , can you imagine how swole up your ? Or after .
Speaker 1Yeah , you don't have to go home and take a nap , for sure , that'd be the biggest fat nap I ever would have taken .
Speaker 3My life there's also a dish with rice in it , and they issue an award for whoever wins .
Speaker 1Like they have judges and like the only requirement is you gotta have , it's a gotta be rice dish . Yeah , wow .
Speaker 3And it can be anything um from a dip to I mean a jambalaya .
Speaker 1A rice and gravy ?
Speaker 3Yes , and they like there's a chef , maybe Chef Doritz , maybe it's called . I should look that up . Oh it's okay , but it's a yeah and they issue an award and that person wins .
Speaker 2That's so cool because I know 4-H does a rice cookery and , like your kids , can enter a rice dish . You know , and there's different . You know and there's different you know the dessert rice or entree , whatever .
Speaker 1I never thought about sweet dishes with rice , but like a rice pudding or something Correct , I don't feel about that .
Speaker 2but have you had it ? I have not .
Speaker 1I think I've had it before , I don't know , kind of like a not grits , because it would have bigger pieces in it .
Speaker 2You had rice pudding before . Mm-mm , I don't know about that . Look , she said I don't , I don't know about that , no , I've had it but maybe not good , I don't know .
Speaker 1You know a good version
what you got .
Speaker 3It is jambalaya . See , it's from the . That's a picture from one of the previous years and it is a mixture of A big old pan of jambalaya , Are you ?
Speaker 2serious and they . Yeah , I know , but I thought to make it fair .
Speaker 3You call it popcorn rice , Popcorn rice . My kids could live on that yeah , that's all cold .
Speaker 1A little bit of rice and butter with a little bit of salt .
Speaker 2My kids could live on that , jovi puts soy sauce she takes when she'll heat up some rice soy sauce on top .
Speaker 1She's international flair , that one , oh Lord help .
Speaker 2And she tries to even eat it with her chopsticks .
Speaker 1I don't know , that's all the reason she's doing it . She wants to eat them chopsticks and she wants to feel authentic , but it takes an hour .
Speaker 2I just don't know how Cajun that baby is .
Speaker 1I really don't how long it takes to eat a little bowl of rice , one little grain at a time . I can see that happening . Lord have mercy , all right .
Speaker 2While we're talking about food , let's mention yeah y'all .
Speaker 1Talking about sweet things like that rice pudding . Okay , if that ain't your thing , what about donuts ?
Speaker 2Oh , it's always my , thing , I mean donuts .
Speaker 1You can't go wrong with a nice , hot , fresh donut .
Speaker 2When you think about rain , what you think about ? What kind of donuts ? Donuts which one Go-Tros , go-tros , absolutely .
Speaker 1Yes , y'all . Go-tros Donuts at 705 South Adams Avenue . That would be an avenue , not a street In rain . They open seven days a week , 5 am to 11 am . The donuts are made fresh every single day . There's such a big selection . You got your old-fashioned cake donuts , blueberry donuts , specialty flavors , kolaches and butter biscuits . If you don't want something sweet , you can have something salty . Get you some hot community coffee there . They do the happy birthday donut letters too . You can call in and order that . Those are so cute , mm-hmm . And one thing we didn't mention the last episode they are known for their king cakes .
Speaker 2Yes , y'all .
Speaker 1The king cakes . They're not only available around Mardi Gras .
Speaker 2No , no , you can get them , you can special order them anytime , she said .
Speaker 1Miss Cherie Gautreaux , she said a day's notice is all they need for their king cakes . So it's basically like a large donut , but it's braided with cinnamon my mouth is watering right now . Oh my gosh , I can taste it . If you have never had a king cake at all , like , do yourself a favor . This is a great place to start . It's a good place to start . Okay , gautreaux's Donuts in Rain .
Speaker 2Give her a day's notice , though . Give her a day's notice .
Speaker 1They need time to make that special for you , if it's not during Mardi Gras season , but anyway y'all they family owned and operated , so if you're in this area , give them a try .
Speaker 2Gautreaux's Donuts in Rain . All right , while we're talking , because you know I'm about food .
Speaker 3You can find shrimp on a stick , chicken on a stick , alligator on a stick , just about anything on a stick . Anything on a stick , anything on a stick . They have jambalaya , they have fettuccine , they have just different things . Fried Oreos are a big hit . Bloomin' Onions are one of your favorites I love Bloomin' Onions .
Speaker 1I will go get me a Bloomin' Onions . I no Either , and all we have is some sad ham sandwiches in a bag right there , we brought some sandwiches to scarf down , like we was going to have time for that .
Speaker 2But one of the things we like to get at the rice festival and I'm hoping that they're going to be there is the noodle .
Speaker 3Yes .
Speaker 2Cajun noodles .
Speaker 3The Cajun truck .
Speaker 2Oh , I'm pretty sure they're going to be there . Oh my gosh , I don't ever seen and I'll go to town on it . It don't have no rice in it . Well , you could get rice you got rice , you can .
Speaker 3She has the fried rice , she has the noodles , she has the egg rolls .
Speaker 2Now , one thing I do love to go when we go to the rice festival . They have them hot cracklins , them long ones , the long ones , yeah , like the big curly ones .
Speaker 1The big curly ones .
Speaker 2Look , I'm telling you we're going to have to bring the kids to the little kid parade just so we can eat . I'm down Because you can get them hot cracklings and they long and they have meat and fat on it .
Speaker 1It's a good ratio .
Speaker 3And they cook them right there , right there in the street , in a big pot . I got to have it and you can like the smell is like no other .
Speaker 2Girl . Oh , that's it . We , that's it . We go on to so many festivals in October .
Speaker 1We're like oh , K-Ball Fest .
Speaker 2Like I want to go to German Fest and have them cookies . You know those little cookies I'm talking about .
Speaker 1Do they have a name ? Do you know ?
Speaker 3I can't think of the name of them . Actually , you know , Edwards was selling them during crawfish season . He had the German Fest cookies at his place .
Speaker 2I wish I'd have'm not I only would know .
Speaker 1I only get them once a year when Miss Connie and my in-laws go to German Fest and bring back those little sugar cookies , and I don't know what's in them or how they make them , but they just , they are so good .
Speaker 3We just call them German Fest cookies . Robbie used to run the German Fest .
Speaker 1I didn't know that your brother-in-law ran that thing , he still goes .
Speaker 3They make a pass , but you don't do the , it's just too , much with everything going on . You know Involved .
Speaker 2Yeah , oh man , yeah , I'd like to go one year , but we're going to have to , I know , but there's .
Speaker 1I feel like , like I said , october is such a good time to come visit and there's always something going on in October and the weather's usually really nice . So , yeah , weekend , go to AcadiaParisTourismcom slash calendar and y'all can see everything that we have going on around here , absolutely yeah . So let's take a second and talk about Lily and Me Passies again . This little company right here is special to our hearts because , well , sarah has firsthand experience using the passies with her babies . But the owner and developer , hannah Simon , she is just such a sweet person , a sweet soul .
Speaker 2So delightful . She's a delight honestly . Yeah , that's the word I want to use for Hannah .
Speaker 1delightful and Lily is what her kids call her mama . Right , that's how they got the name Lily , her grandma .
Speaker 2That is her mama , their grandmother . So yes , correct .
Speaker 1That's their Lily yep . So Lily and me , they developed a pacifier that gives your baby a better latch , whether that be at the breast or on a bottle . It's just going to be a better latch for your baby , going back and forth between feeding and pacifier . You can use it as a tool to encourage the proper oral development and it strengthens your baby's sucking . So there's some science behind this , you know .
Speaker 2There is , and I just love that you know's not there is , it's , and I just love that you know she's from .
Speaker 3She's from our little hometown .
Speaker 2It's a small little business . Yeah , you know , and it's making , it's making waves .
Speaker 1Yes , lily and me pacifier is making waves yes , so when you support this , you're supporting a mama and a small family absolutely I love that about it too . I love it . You can check them out at lilyandmecocom and on the social media platforms At lilyandmeco , l-e-e-l-e-e and M-E-C-O .
Speaker 2Lily and me . All right , we talked about food , we talked about . We really didn't talk about music a whole lot .
Speaker 1That's where I was going . Okay , let's do it . Let's talk about the music of the Rice Festival .
Speaker 3So you're going to gonna get a variety of music . It's not just cajun zydeco style music . It's not , uh , it's not just cajun music . It's sometimes you have the 80s cover band , sometimes you have country , yeah , country style yeah there's different . It's different , it's a different genre . There's always two stages playing , so you can go between you can choose which one you'd like yes , and our podcast producer actually is going to be a dj .
Speaker 1Right at one of the stages stages Chris Logan . He emcees and does DJ , so I'm sure there's other types . I mean he can play all kinds of music you know too .
Speaker 3Yeah , because there's in-between , band change in-between I mean there's before the band
starts . You have the pageant , you have the little pageant , the little kids , the kids . They choose two from each school to represent their school , and then they have their actual pageant .
Speaker 2I'm so glad you brought that up because you know pageants , that's a big thing of it too . You know the Rice Festival , queen , the Rice Festival . What ?
Speaker 3else they call them the little kids ones . They have a little king and queen . So I'm going to need O&P to bring that back , so when my kids are in second grade they can run Mom listen , you're going to have to fight for that one .
Speaker 2Did you know my ?
Speaker 1husband was the little king one year .
Speaker 2Oh really yeah . Can you imagine we're going to have to make him a crown ?
Speaker 3Tyler was maybe the first runner-up , or something .
Speaker 1That is so funny to me , I'm going to have to ask Miss Connie how old he was when that happened .
Speaker 2Miss Connie whip us a picture out of Nathan as the little king .
Speaker 1As the little rice festival king .
Speaker 2Please , Miss Connie .
Speaker 1You're just dying to see that . I'm looking at the lineup of music too . They have a 90s cover band that just seem . I mean , how fun would that be to go see .
Speaker 2That would be fun .
Speaker 1It's called that 90s Show that's playing . That's on Saturday night , october 19th . But , amy , just go ahead and tell us your favorite . I already know .
Speaker 3My favorite is Gino Delafalso . Of course , but there's nothing like if you love the Rice Festival and you love being there . There's nothing like hearing Wayne Tubes play Please Explain on a Friday night .
Speaker 2Ah , love it .
Speaker 3It's kind of like hearing Garth Brooks play Call of Matt and Rouge in Tiger Stadium .
Speaker 2Oh , exactly Kind of thing . Oh , my God , I love that . I love that . I love that . That's perfect . Yeah , Wayne Toops , absolutely .
Speaker 3We love .
Speaker 2Gino Della . For us we can see Gino . You know we can see Gino . It is a treat to see Wayne Toops , it just is , and at the Rice Festival and at the Rice Festival , like you said and he's always closed out the Friday night .
Speaker 1as long as I can remember , he's always been there that night , friday October 18th , wayne Toops , 10 pm till midnight Now past years .
Speaker 3You're going to call me on stage playing with Gino playing that scrub board .
Speaker 1I need you to tell us how this happened , because I've always and you send us pictures every year .
Speaker 2How did this start ? How did your ?
Speaker 1scrub board playing days start .
Speaker 3You know , me and my friend Heather would just follow him everywhere , you know , because we'd like to go dance . It wasn't just him , him , we'd go listen to Wayne , sometimes we'd go listen to , uh , chubby Carrier . I mean , we would just follow different bands and then we just like stuck with him , I guess because he always played at Red Dog . That was close and we just followed them and then he played for my big birthday . Um , yes , he also played the wedding march when I walked down the aisle . Did you know that ? On the accordion .
Speaker 3I think I knew that at your wedding , at my wedding in the church .
Speaker 2in the church , gina Della Foss was up in the in the parlor playing the wedding . In the church , gina De La Fosse was up in the parlor .
Speaker 1With an accordion playing the wedding . March on the accordion . I wish I knew you back then . I wish I was at that wedding .
Speaker 2Her wedding shower was Mardi Gras themed . And we could wear our Mardi Gras outfit Too bad , too bad for you , too bad .
Speaker 3We weren't friends back then , because what a time to be alive . And that was when we had just joined the them , because I was getting married , yeah , and we had just joined them , oh gosh .
Speaker 1And so we met not long after that . But yeah . Oh my gosh , what a time yeah , so it just they would always laugh .
Speaker 3They're like , come on , come on , I'm like I'm not doing that . And then I mean I did it a couple of year . So y'all know , justin right , everybody knows that's your brother yes , the one that's shy , the one that has dystrophy and he's kind of we thought he was shy and he's like I want to go uh-huh , and of course you know I have a shy at the right time I have an autographed scrub board that they gave me for my birthday .
Speaker 3Um , and he got it and he went on stage and played in front of all those people yes , my mama was proud I bet you she was crying a little bit , and Amanda too , tears coming out .
Speaker 1That was your moment of fame . I feel like you was up on that stage in your element , just getting down .
Speaker 3You know the first time was the main stage . He used to play on the main stage . Oh wow , yes , there wasn't always that little side stage there was . He used to play on the main stage instead of the , so we switched him to that stage when we sponsored that stage for a few years .
Speaker 2And we sponsored him . So it was more fitting for him to be on that stage .
Speaker 3For him to be on your stage . I love it .
Speaker 2The Rice Festival is definitely a festival .
Speaker 3you need to experience it's international , you'll go .
Speaker 2If you're going to travel to Louisiana , you're going to take the time to come out here . Y'all need to make it to the Rice Festival in October .
Speaker 3Before we go away from music . Another fun part is to watch , like before the parade . You have usually an old band or older Cajun music playing . You can see all the Mamon Papas dancing .
Speaker 1Oh , that's a sight to behold , and I bet , like they just glide together when they dance , like they've been dancing , you can look at them and you can say they've been dancing for so many years together .
Speaker 3I used to go dance with my grandpa right there oh yes , before .
Speaker 1the parade .
Speaker 2I remember that I remember seeing your grandpa at the parade . That's on Saturday , you said Before the parade .
Speaker 1Or not the kids' parade huh the Friday .
Speaker 3It's the Saturday have some stuff . The Friday before there's always music playing . Yeah , I feel like it's just . There's always a DJ that does the mid-stage and the main stage , so there's always something going on , yeah , but it's just like those older couples are waiting for the parade , oh . So you know they gotta get their spots and same and down .
Speaker 2They're early , yeah , yeah , how precious oh , I love it .
Speaker 3Yeah , that's gonna be you and your husband one day one day listen , I told him he , he always wouldn him . He likes to joke and say the Rice Festival is not his favorite thing . But I told him , when you said I do , you said our Rice Festival .
Speaker 2You know that's it . That's it when you signed .
Speaker 1you didn't know , but you committed to come to this festival with me every year . Don't be thinking , you're working .
Speaker 2Don't be thinking , you're doing anything else , when else we're not ? Hunting . We're rice festival , yeah we're taking off .
Speaker 1Yeah , ain't nobody working on rice festival weekend , all right all right so , um , we're gonna take a second , before we close out , to mention acadia cajun harvest country . That's a little tongue twister for me , acadia cajun harvest country .
Speaker 2Of course , we've been talking about the international rice festival , held annually every third full weekend in october . This year , october 17th through 20th , is one of the louisiana's oldest and largest agricultural festivals , celebrating rice and festival fun , live entertainment on two sound stages . There's also the classic car show , crowley high 5k run walk and the fiddle and accordion contest which we already said .
Speaker 3Right , you know , it's actually a free festival too .
Speaker 2There's no entry . Oh , that's a good thing too . There's no entry fee to mention .
Speaker 1Man you got to pay to get in the duck festival , what I mean ?
Speaker 3Most might be the only free festival left .
Speaker 1That's a good thing .
Speaker 2I never , thought of it might be no wonder they can't get a good number on it . It's free .
Speaker 1It's free , you wouldn't be able to try it Go as you please ?
Speaker 3Yeah , that is true . And then there's the Harvest Fest too . If you know the big crowd in your thing , the Baptist Church is like a block off and they have fun jumps and like little Bible games for your kids to play .
Speaker 1It's during the same weekend . It's like same time .
Speaker 3They're just a block show . Oh , oh , how fun that's awesome .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , that's good to mention too . And arts and crafts yeah , because sometimes you may not , you may not keep for the little kids , especially like if you're not really a big festival goer , you know yeah , but there's like levy park , has vendors set up like arts and craft vendors oh , wow , okay so it could really stand on its own , you know so not just for the kids , right ?
Speaker 3they sell arts and crafts yeah , like you , you can go get your kid a belt with his name stamped on it coming back . Oh cute , I love it . Yes , y'all .
Speaker 1Okay , so go ahead and go check out AcadiaTourismcom . There's so much information about this area on that website Anything from where to eat , where to go to shop , where to go see historical things around here , and then , of course , a list of festivals going on and and when they happen . So thank , you .
Speaker 2Yeah , thank y'all so much . Amy , thank you for hanging out with us for this . Thanks for having me . Special rice festival episode immediately .
Speaker 1We both knew you had to be here for this , like when we first started this podcast .
Speaker 2We were like okay , we're gonna have Amy on for the rice festival .
Speaker 1You know yes all right .
Speaker 2Well , that was fun . Thank you hanging out with us and thank y'all for listening in .
Speaker 1See y'all next time To .
Speaker 2Coffee Talk with the KG Mom . See y'all next time .
Speaker 1All right .