Downtown - Alive and Happening!

Art. Film. Music. We found it all this week in downtown Shreveport.

The Brown Bag Series kicked off Friday around lunchtime with the Four Seasons String Quartet. Three more Fridays are left: April 27 - Freddie Pierson; May 4 - Professor Porkchop and the All Stars; May 11 - Buddy Flett and Friends. The live music is sponsored by Downtown Shreveport Unlimited.

Thursday night films were shown on the other side of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, across the street in the Artisan's Court. The most well known being Bill Daniel's* black and white documentary "Who is Bozo Texino?" It was an event put together by Susan Garner (hard to imagine this chicka is only in high school).

As we walked to our car after viewing the movies, near Nanking's we ran into folks getting out of the Coast Guard concert that had been at the Strand Theatre. Animation in an urban downtown, there are plenty of cities around America who'd be tremendously jealous if they knew.

*For more on filmmaker Bill Daniel, see Trudeau's Shreveport blog.

Bestsellers $1

Friends of Shreve Memorial Library Book Sale is today until 5 PM and tomorrow from 1 - 4 PM.

RRBJ got in line at 8:30 AM. One of the guys near the front of the line arrived at 5:30 AM. We spent $16 on books. Our best bargain? Fifty cents for Louisiana Hayride Years: Making Musical History in Country's Golden Age by Horace Logan (with Bill Sloan).

Blueberry Cafe

The plan was to watch the re-enactment of the Battle of Pleasant Hill but we got a late start and arrived just as everything ended last Sunday. Determined to salvage the day, we drove up Hwy 175 to Mansfield and along the way we discovered the Mansfield State Historic Site.

It was only $2 to get in and they don't take plastic or out of state checks. The site commemorates the Battle of Mansfield, which was the last decisive Confederate victory of the Civil War. The movie, exhibits, historical information and clean restrooms were well worth digging up the change.

The lagniappe was the tip we overheard about where to eat on a Sunday afternoon in Mansfield. The Blueberry Cafe turned out to be a truck stop and casino but the food was great. The head foodie in our group had chicken fried steak and declared "I'll drive down from Shreveport just to have this again."

The gentleman pictured is Dan Buie from Martindale, Texas. The picture was taken inside the museum at the Mansfield Historic State Site. Buie's great-great grandfather perished as a result of wounds recieved during the Battle of Pleasant Hill in 1864.

Dixie on Holiday?

There was a loud argument in the offices of RRBJ today. Half of us could swear Holiday in Dixie used to run the entire month of April, the other half said "no way! It was never that long!" What ever the case, HID starts tomorrow.

The festival was held in 1949 as a "Salute to the Southland." Today the ten day event celebrates the arrival of Spring and the Louisiana Purchase. Top picks for this weekend: the carnival at Festival Plaza, Barksdale Air Force Base Air Show, HID Classic Parade and the Miss HID Pageant.

For a daily sneak preview of the HID treasure hunt clues click here. This year's booty is $1,250.

Picture of the Day

It's funny how a stranger to our city can spot things we may overlook regularly. ShalomGeek captured this shot in Shreveport and posed the question "Who is Mr. Shorty?"

Thanks to ShalomGeek for the use of your picture.

Not Monkeying Around With This Website

(We know, we know chimps are not monkeys but it made for a better headline).

RRBJ made it to the April Discovery Day at Chimp Haven. The sanctuary is set in Eddie D. Jones Park in south Caddo Parish. We didn't spot baby Tracy or her momma. Saturday was a cold windy day.

Chimp Haven may be a case of where the website is even better than the actual location (the parking area at Chimp Haven freaked us out --- we expected zombies to come lumbering out of the piney woods). And had we read the notes at the Eddie D. Jones Park website "visitors are advised to come prepared for a wilderness type experience" we wouldn't have worn the metrosexual sandals we got on sale in the men's section of The Gap.

Next Discovery Day is Saturday May 12 from 9 AM until 12 PM (just wish those chimps got up a tad later).

Pictured above is Chimp Haven's Assistant Director, Elysse Orchard and Katee Fontane. Don't know the name of the chimps although Dr. Orchard could tell you.

Shane's Acadiana Catering on Youree

Last week when we dined at Shane's on Youree Drive it was too cold to eat on the patio but we enjoyed pigging out inside under the mural on the wall. It gave us time to ponder the advertisements running on a TV. The menu was also covered in ads. We were amused by what seemed to be an interesting way for a restaurant to expand its revenue.

When the red beans and rice arrived we were a little concerned. Our group's Louisiana cuisine expert (born and raised in Bunkie, LA) declared them to be pinto beans and not red beans. Of course, this sparked a debate on where to find traditional Louisiana dishes in SB Land. Shane's newest location just opened in Bossier on Texas Street near Barnhill's Buffet and Southern Maid Donut.