RSS Feed

September 5, 1917-February 16, 2019
Gladys Hotard Cloutier, born September 5, 1917, in Bourg, Louisiana, passed away Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the age of 101, at Maison Jardin Assisted Living in Morgan City.
Gladys was employed as a librarian at the Morgan City Public Library. She was a charter member of Holy Cross Catholic Church. She was also a member of a Come, Lord Jesus group as well as Court Massabielle, Catholic Daughters. She enjoyed traveling and camping, square dancing, weekly canasta card games, and spending time with her family and friends. She was also one of the birthday girls.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her two children, Sandra Cloutier Blanco of Warner Robins, Georgia, and Clive R. “Rusty” Cloutier and wife Brenda of Lafayette; five grandchildren, Theresa (Blanco) Vick and husband Brian, Charlene (Blanco) Lilly, Melissa (Cloutier) Trahan, Troy Cloutier and wife Jeanne, and Jennifer (Cloutier) Dartez and husband Jeremy; 13 great-grandchildren, Katie and Jacob Vick, Austin, Alec and Carly Trahan, Nathan and Avery Lilly, Camden, Brendan and Blaine Cloutier, and Madeline, Annabelle and Louis Dartez.
The family greatly appreciates Gail Lombas and Mary Faulk for years of care given as well as Maison Jardin Senior Living Community, Morgan City.
Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, Ruffin and Julia Hotard; husband, Clive H. Cloutier; and four siblings, Hilda O’Rourke, Dorothy Conner, Jeanette Michel and R. L. Hotard.
Visitation will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 4 at Holy Cross Catholic Church of Morgan City with Father Clyde Mahler celebrating Mass at 11 a.m. Pallbearers will be Patrick Cloutier, Dean Conner, Brian Vick, Austin Trahan, Jacob Vick and Camden Cloutier. Gladys will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery Mausoleum.
Following interment, a celebration of her life will be held at Café JoJo’s, Front Street, Morgan City, Louisiana.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in memory of Gladys to the Morgan City Public Library, 220 Everett St., Morgan City, Louisiana 70380.

Shona Tennelle Bill, 42, a native of Morgan City and resident of Houston, died Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, in Hou-ston.
Visitation will be Sat-urday from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. at New Zorah Baptist Church in Morgan City. Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.
She is survived by three daughters, Amber Bill of Baton Rouge, and Areon Howard and Alasha Bill, both of Houston; her mother, Thelma Bill of Morgan City; her siblings, Linda Brown, Felton Hawkins, Reginald Bill, David Hawkins, Jovicia Alexander and Lebelle Williams, all of Morgan City, Joseph Hawkins of Lorain, Ohio, Diana Wilson, Shena Decuir, Michael Hawkins and Stephanie Daniels, all of Patterson, Sam Haw-kins of Houston and Ronald Bill of Thibodaux; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her father, four siblings, and maternal and paternal grandparents.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrange-ments.

Today we chase chickens at Mardi Gras but, way back when, the celebration of “Fat Tuesday” in France was about a fat bull. Most Mardi Gras historians say the Boeuf Gras, the first Carnival celebration held in France, was in the early 1500s — but that it had roots reaching far into the pagan past.
According to one of them, in France, at the Fete du Soleil, the Druids sacrificed a young bull, which was led through the streets covered with garlands of leaves and flowers. ... This spring festival later gave way to the Roman carnival, and under the French kings, their bull became the Boeuf Gras, favorite and best-loved symbol of the fete. (Perry Young, The Mistick [sic] Krewe: Chronicles of Comus and His Kin, Louisiana Heritage Press, 1969)
Later, the Boeuf Gras became a street parade led by a fat ox on a decorated cart. The butcher’s guild in Paris was in charge of the parade in those days, and it was probably designed to sell a little extra meat before Lent began. (The word "carnival: probably comes from the Latin carnem levare, meaning "to take away the meat.")
In those days, fasting during Lent was a really serious thing. Meat, eggs, and milk were forbidden by both church and civil law. At one time, the penalty for breaking fasting regulations was death, and even as late as the middle 1500s butchers could be fined for slaughtering animals during Lent.
Sometimes during Boeuf Gras, a masked man in regal robes rode the fat beef, proclaiming himself Roi des Bouchers (King of the Butchers).
The Parisian revelries disappeared at the time of the French Revolution, but Napoleon reinstated them in all their glory in the early 1800s, including a decorated cart carrying the Boeuf Gras bedecked with greens (ivy, not collards).
The historians think students from New Orleans who attended school in Paris at that time brought the Carnival to New Orleans, including the tradition of Boeuf Gras.
The Daily Picayune reported on Feb. 19, 1901, “It will be with a sentiment somewhat akin to regret that the public will learn that the boeuf gras will not be a feature of the Rex parade this year. For many years the fat ox led the royal parade, and was much admired by children, to whom his colossal proportions and gaily bedecked guardians were objects of mingled awe and commiseration. But with the increasing splendor of the pageants it has been felt that this barbaric display was little in accord with the refined artistic feeling apparent in every other portion of the display. The … the boeuf gras can hardly claim an appropriate place in the modern carnival, however proper might have been his appearance therein in former times.”
We could probably generate a healthy debate over the “refined artistic feelings” displayed in some modern parades, but that’s for another day.
The urban carnival, absent the beef, spread from New Orleans to other communities in south Louisiana, sometimes in response to, or even opposition to, the New Orleans fete.
When steamboats began plying the Teche, Courtableau, and other south Louisiana streams in the early 1800s, they did everything they could to attract passengers, and one of the most popular of them was a special “excursion” rate to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
The railroads did the same when they replaced steamboats in the late 1800s.
All those folks taking themselves, and their money, to the city didn’t sit very well in many south Louisiana towns, so merchants began to push for their own celebrations.
The story in New Iberia was typical of many places. “Hundreds of New Iberia residents made an annual pilgrimage to New Orleans for Mardi Gras,” according to Glenn Conrad’s history (New Iberia, Center for Louisiana Studies, 1979).
“Merchants loudly lamented the fact that large sums of local money were being spent in the Crescent City.”
Some towns struggled with local celebrations at first, but it appears that the lament is on the other foot today; hundreds of people from New Orleans now come here to spend their money. According to one analysis, south Louisiana suppliers today make more on just the sale of beads and gee-gaws than they did for the whole celebration not too long ago.
Fun and profit, too! Could anything be better?
Let the good times roll and the cash registers ring.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, "Cajuns and Other Characters," is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

A 41-year-old woman was charged with hit-and-run Wednesday in Morgan City after admitting she left the scene of a crash, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Stephanie Ann Steward, 41, of Terrebonne Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:12 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of hit-and-run.

Officers were dispatched to a crash. Upon officers’ arrival, they learned one of the vehicles had left the scene. Officers searched the area and later located the vehicle and driver, Steward. She admitted to officers she was the driver at the time of the accident and left the scene, Blair said. She was jailed.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 34 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Quincy James Johnson, 25, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with seven counts of failure to pay fines. Johnson was located at the Patterson Police Department and transported to Morgan City Police Department.

—Robert John Skipper, 38, of Dora Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:22 p.m. Wednesday on charges of no driver’s license, tail light violation and possession of marijuana first offense.

—Jerroid Jermaine Garrison, 26, of Federal Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:22 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 for a traffic violation. Skipper was identified as the driver and did not have a valid driver’s license, Blair said. During the traffic stop, Garrison was identified as a passenger in the vehicle. Both Skipper and Garrison were in possession of marijuana, Blair said. They were jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that deputies responded to 34 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrest in east St. Mary Parish:

—Kashif Jermaine Wallace, 30, of Clines Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 11:14 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with disturbing the peace by fighting.

A deputy patrolling the Amelia area located Wallace on the active warrant. He was jailed with bail set at $1,000.

Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrest:

—Ernest Davis, 71, of Eads Camp Road in Campti, was arrested at 4:24 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of simple assault. Davis posted $301 cash bail.

Franklin Police Chief Morris Beverly reported the following arrest relating to east St. Mary Parish:

—Dwayne Isaac Jr., 25, of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Patterson, was arrested at 6:32 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Isaac was additionally arrested on a warrant for 16th Judicial District Court for failure to appear on charges of license plate required, no driver’s license and failure to honor written promise to appear. Isaac was jailed on $1,865 bail.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.