Dr. Fritz LaCour, Jefferson Davis, Louisiana
Submitted by Kathy Tell
Source: Publication: American Press; Publication Date: 12/22/1991 
Page and Section: 37 IM; BY: NOLA MAE ROSS, American Press Writer
Submitted: January 1998
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************************************************HD: Memories of early-day Christmases in area remain

HD: LaCour family


''I remember a Christmas when I was about 12,'' recalls Dr. Fritz 
LaCour, who lived in Welsh then his father, Dr. Bennett J. LaCour, 
was a dentist there. 

''That was the Christmas my two brothers, Dr. Ernest LaCour, who 
is deceased and Dr. Bennett LaCour, who is a pediatrician in 
Daytona Beach, and I, all received little cowboy suits. I do not 
remember what my sister, Annette Kramer, received. 

''But in addition, my younger brothers got a popgun and a bow and 
arrow, while I got my first BB gun. Ernest and Joseph''his brothers''
were envious, so I taught them how to shoot my BB gun. Since there 
was so much uninhabited land around us, we were able to hunt almost 
anywhere. We brought home lots of blackbirds for Mama to make a 
jambalaya from.

''Around Christmas time the weekly 'boucheries' began. Neighbors 
would gather at different homes to butcher their pork for winter 
meat. There were several unwritten laws about those 'boucheries.' 
The host family always kept two quarters of the pork and the first 
two invited neighbors also got the better pieces of meat. From 
there on the smoked meats and bacon and less choice cuts of meat, 
went to people who dropped by to help.

''Early in the morning my mother would make lots of cornbread and 
the cracklings would be cooked early, so the people could eat 
cornbread and cracklings all during the day.

''There was one Christmas custom that my father never varied from. 
That was buying a lot of fruit for Christmas. He would take us 
through Chloe and across the Manchester prairie to the ferry at 
Gibbstown. From there we'd go to one of the Cheniers to pick the 
large Louisiana Sweet oranges that grew close to the houses. The 
boys would go up on the roof of the nearest house and pick the 
large oranges from the top of the trees.''