You’ve heard of the Grand Ole Opry, but how about the Abita Spring Opry? There’s one stop light in the town of Abita Springs, Louisiana. It’s nestled in the piney woods about 40 minutes north of New Orleans. Abita Springs is probably best known for being the place where Abita Beer originated. But, for more than 20 years, it’s also been home to the Abita Springs Opry. Each year, the Abita Springs Opry hosts six performances. Its main mission has been to showcase and preserve Louisiana roots music. In this episode, I visit the Abita Springs Town Hall where the show takes place and to learn about how Louisiana roots music has evolved. My guide is the founder of the Abita Springs Opry, who has a very personal connection to the sleepy, small town. 

You’ve heard of the Grand Ole Opry, but how about the Abita Spring Opry? There’s one stop light in the town of Abita Springs, Louisiana. It’s nestled in the piney woods about 40 minutes north of New Orleans. Abita Springs is probably best known for being the place where Abita Beer originated. But, for more than 20 years, it’s also been home to the Abita Springs Opry. Each year, the Abita Springs Opry hosts six performances. Its main mission has been to showcase and preserve Louisiana roots music. In this episode, I visit the Abita Springs Town Hall where the show takes place and to learn about how Louisiana roots music has evolved. My guide is the founder of the Abita Springs Opry, who has a very personal connection to the sleepy, small town.

From hard hitting news to the quirky aspects of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana, the Thanh Report takes an in-depth and intimate approach to the stories of the region. Through continually added content, veteran New Orleans journalist Thanh Truong gives listeners a unique perspective on one of the most interesting cities in the U.S.

From hard hitting news to the quirky aspects of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana, the Thanh Report takes an in-depth and intimate approach to the stories of the region. Through continually added content, veteran New Orleans journalist Thanh Truong gives listeners a unique perspective on one of the most interesting cities in the U.S.

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A grand ole time at the Abita Springs Opry as it enters its 22nd season

What does it take to book the Rolling Stones? A lot of patience and persistence according to Quint Davis. He’s the producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has been pursuing the Rolling Stones for quite some time. Every year, over two weekends in the spring, the New Orleans Fairgrounds is transformed from a venue for horse racing to one of the biggest music festivals in the world. “Jazz Fest” is nearing its 55th anniversary. Throughout the decades, musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Stevie Wonder have been marquee acts. Quint Davis has been at the center of it all. Ahead of the first weekend of this year’s festival, I sat down with Davis to get to know the man behind all the music. From dropping out of college to his friendship with a late 60 Minutes correspondent, Davis gives us a glimpse of a life that even he didn’t quite expect.    

What does it take to book the Rolling Stones? A lot of patience and persistence according to Quint Davis. He’s the producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has been pursuing the Rolling Stones for quite some time. Every year, over two weekends in the spring, the New Orleans Fairgrounds is transformed from a venue for horse racing to one of the biggest music festivals in the world. “Jazz Fest” is nearing its 55th anniversary. Throughout the decades, musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Stevie Wonder have been marquee acts. Quint Davis has been at the center of it all. Ahead of the first weekend of this year’s festival, I sat down with Davis to get to know the man behind all the music. From dropping out of college to his friendship with a late 60 Minutes correspondent, Davis gives us a glimpse of a life that even he didn’t quite expect.

Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis on booking some of the biggest names in music and his thoughts on a third festival weekend

It was a massive cargo ship striking a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that caused the catastrophic bridge collapse which captured the attention of the nation. Video of that collision showed how quickly the bridge buckled after the cargo ship named Dali struck one of the bridge’s support beams. If stood upright, the Dali would almost reach the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Dali’s size is considered to be average in the cargo industry. The size of cargo vessels has greatly increased since 1956, when the first commercially successful cargo ship was introduced. In this episode, I visit the Port of New Orleans to get a sense of why these ships have grown so much and why the port and others like it are building to host so called monsters of the sea. 

It was a massive cargo ship striking a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore that caused the catastrophic bridge collapse which captured the attention of the nation. Video of that collision showed how quickly the bridge buckled after the cargo ship named Dali struck one of the bridge’s support beams. If stood upright, the Dali would almost reach the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Dali’s size is considered to be average in the cargo industry. The size of cargo vessels has greatly increased since 1956, when the first commercially successful cargo ship was introduced. In this episode, I visit the Port of New Orleans to get a sense of why these ships have grown so much and why the port and others like it are building to host so called monsters of the sea.

The size of cargo ships has grown, our infrastructure is trying to catch up

What’s your favorite Easter candy? Your answer may say a lot about where you live and what kind of candy and chocolate you ate during your childhood. Of course, Easter is a religious holiday for Christians, and along the Gulf South there seems to be quite a religious following for treats like the Gold Brick Egg, Heavenly Hash, and Pecan Egg. Those are a few of the Easter chocolates made by Elmer Chocolate. The company is based in the small city of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, but it got its start in New Orleans back in 1855. Today, the Elmer Candy Corporation uses state of the art robotic technology to produce chocolate and candy that can be found in stores across the U.S. and beyond. When it comes to Elmer’s Easter chocolates though, the company and its workers go back to some old school ways. In this episode, I go inside Elmer’s chocolate factory to see how man and machine are cranking out something truly sweet. 

What’s your favorite Easter candy? Your answer may say a lot about where you live and what kind of candy and chocolate you ate during your childhood. Of course, Easter is a religious holiday for Christians, and along the Gulf South there seems to be quite a religious following for treats like the Gold Brick Egg, Heavenly Hash, and Pecan Egg. Those are a few of the Easter chocolates made by Elmer Chocolate. The company is based in the small city of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, but it got its start in New Orleans back in 1855. Today, the Elmer Candy Corporation uses state of the art robotic technology to produce chocolate and candy that can be found in stores across the U.S. and beyond. When it comes to Elmer’s Easter chocolates though, the company and its workers go back to some old school ways. In this episode, I go inside Elmer’s chocolate factory to see how man and machine are cranking out something truly sweet.

A grand ole time at the Abita Springs Opry as it enters its 22nd season

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