Lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap),
meaning "a little something extra," is a
Cajun/French word that is common to South Louisiana.
Remembering When
Maison Blanche - Canal Street - is only
one of the many area landmarks in New Orleans
that have "Gone with the Wind." The building is
still
there; however, it is sadly no longer "Home" to
Maison Blanche.
When Maison Blanche went
out of business, along went its dearly beloved Christmas mascot,
Mr. Bingle. The darling little snowman, with holly wings and
an ice cream cone hat, had been the Christmas mascot for Maison
Blanche, a Canal Street landmark department store, since he was
first introduced during the Christmas Season of 1948. He was
actually 50 years old in 1998 when Maison Blanche was
sold. For years, children would run to their TV sets every
evening during the Christmas season to watch WDSU-TV's 15-minute segment of the Mr. Bingle show. He will forever
remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved him and his
landmark home. I can still hear the sound of that
old familiar jingle which was aired over radio and TV throughout
the Christmas holidays for so many, many years:
"Jingle, Jangle, Jingle, here comes Mr.
Bingle...
with another message from Kris Kringle.
Time to launch the Christmas Season,
Maison Blanche makes Christmas pleasin.'
Gifts galore for you to see,
each a gem from... MB."
Vintage Maison Blanche Mr.Bingle
Click thumbnail to see full-size
photo
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All photosAshleigh
Austin. |
WDSU-TV's 1st ID and Test Pattern
Dec. 18, 1948
Courtesy of Paul Yacich
Click above to see Mr. Bingle as one of the
WDSU-TV On-camera Celebrities!
While you are there, be sure to browse the rest
of the great history of New Orleans Broadcasting!
Me and my younger sister with Santa at Maison
Blanche in the 50's
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Click above to see Mr. Bingle and Maison Blanche Santa
on the "Jingle, Jangle...Christmas!" pages.
K&B Drugs (1985) located at the corner
of St. Charles Avenue and
Louisiana Avenue.
All the K&B Drugs were replaced by Rite Aid;
however, New Orleanians were not so easy to part with what
had
become their long-time friend and part of their city:
"In a two-pronged effort to warm customers to Rite Aid's
K&B takeover and to benefit an area hospital, Rite Aid
held a garage sale in New Orleans, offering up such K&B
memorabilia as the chain's purple signs and bags, shopping
carts, employee uniforms and other items. The chain raised
more than four times what it had expected at the sale, reaching
a total of about $22,000, all of which was donated to the
New Orleans Children's Hospital." - Drug Store News,
October 5, 1998
Lovely Louisiana
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Let
me live in Louisiana
Where the winding bayous flow,
Where mocking birds sing all night long
And wild azaleas grow.
Where cottonfields are ghostly white
When the harvest moon rides high and bright,
Where voices are crooning with delight
In lovely Louisiana.
Let me hear the forest singing
To the melody of years
As it sang to hearts of the long ago
In their laughter and their tears.
Where stately pines and sycamore
And age old oaks on the sandy shore
Will whisper their secrets evermore
In lovely Louisiana.
Let me live in Louisiana
Where the wild geese furl their wings
Near the trapper's hut in the trembling marsh
And the upland's crystal springs.
Where faithful souls of a sturdy race
Still pray to God through His loving grace -
In the whole wide world I have found no place
Like lovely Louisiana.
Emma Wilson Emery
Poet Laureate of Louisiana
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Click
Here for MORE Lagnaippe!
Been to Lagniappe Before?
You
may use the links below to view the various pages!
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