![]() They produced a whole bunch of little Voitiers, including the famous and possibly infamous Rob, Billy, Mary Beth, and Paul. The first Yambilee queen was Jean Horecky of Church Point who later married Bob Voitier. Reed, Allen Dezauche, John Thistlethwaite, Alex Watkins and Seth Lewis. ![]() The original board of directors consisted of a who’s who of Opelousas legends from that period, including J.F. Low was the owner of Low’s five and dime and Dezauche ran a sweet potato canning plant and distribution center. Low and Felix Dezauche, and the first parade rolled in October 1946. The Yambilee Festival was founded in Opelousas by two civic-minded individuals, J.W. “Yambilee” makes a catchier-sounding name for the festival, sort of a combination of jubilee and jamboree with a “y” thrown in, so Yambilee it is. The founders of the Yambilee probably didn’t know that there was a yam-sweet potato identity crisis – no Wikipedia back then. Why bother with yams (do not ever eat real yams raw!) when you can enjoy the sweet-tasting, bright orange, Louisiana-grown sweet potato! They are delicious baked and slathered with butter or in such dishes as the sweet potato casserole that is almost universally served in South Louisiana at Thanksgiving. They have been grown here for many years at one time my father grew sweet potatoes on our family farm. On the other hand, sweet potatoes have their origins in the tropical and semi-tropical regions of the Americas and are ideally suited for cultivation in Louisiana. Here’s something you probably didn’t know: raw yams are toxic! Cooking eliminates that problem, but leave it to Opelousas to name its fall festival after a poisonous vegetable that is not even grown in Louisiana.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |