GUMBO GURU: Charlotte’s Country Kitchen
May 5, 2015
Wallace Thibodaux
May 13, 2015
A local model was crowned queen of Houma’s upcoming Rougarou Festival Saturday night, at a packed ball at the Marriott Courtyard hotel.
Courtnee Salas will now represent the relatively new local festival at various regional gatherings, passing on the message that Louisiana’s fragile coast matters, and must be respected and saved.
“Each year things are elevated, things are better,” said Jonathan Foret, director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, the local non-profit which benefits from the festival, and whose concerns are trumpeted through its related events. “People get a better idea because we have done it a few times.”
Foret said that Salas is the second queen to be crowned; the festival, scheduled for Oct. 24 and 25, is now in its fourth year. More than 200 people attended Saturday’s ball – a greater number than the 180 who pre-purchased tickets.
The pageant’s basic premise is to find wetlands spokesperson in a costume which, in the words of Foret “is revolutionizing how we think, teach and learn about Louisiana’s disappearing coastline.”
Although a queen is crowned, it is the team behind the costume that gets all honors. It’s more about the creativity in makeup, costume and hair.
This year’s theme was “Gris-Gris,” a reference to talismans related to Voodoo and other African-rooted belief systems, which migrated to Louisiana with slaves. Gris-Gris locally refers to any such magic an individual might perform, and is therefore intertwined with aspects of local culture.
The group responsible for Salas’ make-up, hair and dress was called Team Phoenix Rising, one of whose members, Yoli Funderburk, described the model as “out Cajun canvas.”
The winner’s costume featured over 300 feathers,. The head-piece was designed by team member Mike Slage. The shoulder piece, ankle wraps, skirt, wristband and gris-gris bag completed the outfit, each an individual work of art.
Team captain J. B. Daigle, owner of the LeBijou Spa in Houma, created Salas’ hairstyle. A longtime “hair artist” for the Redken company, Daigle has traveled nationwide for hair shows.
“You’re always reaching for that outer realm of creativity,” Daigle said.
Natalie Dupre was the team’s make-up artist, designing Salas’ face in dramatic red and black patterns that matched her costume. “The collective effort of the team was phenomenal. You had 3 artists here all wanting to go in a different direction, but the creative flow really got going when we all bounced ideas off each other.”
Local business owners and workers together with elected officials performed various functions at Saturday’s ball. Wetlands Discovery Center president Chris Pulaski said that type of involvement is essential.
“These fundraisers are important,” Pulaski said “As a non-profit organization we look to the comunity for support. We tap into as many resources as we can find. Though we have our longtime supporters like Norby Chabert, Emily Elmore, Dr. Joy Tingle and Juana Woodard we are always looking for more ways to fund our future projects like the Wetlands Nature Exhibit.”
Attendees expressed various reasons for being sure not to miss Saturday’s event.
Kelly Bergeron of Thibodaux was among them.
“Number one, I’m married to Susan Testroet-Bergeron, the new director of the Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program. Number two, I was born and raised in the wetlands. I trapped nutria for two years to buy myself a ping-pong table as a teenager,” Bergeron said, “The land is disappearing and I can’t experience with my grandson the things I got to do with my grandfather.”
