Hometown Hoedown – Winnie Griggs

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Hi, Winnie Griggs here and it’s my turn to tell you a little bit about my hometown, Marrero, Louisiana.

My childhood playground was on the edge of a bayou. While other kids had swing sets, my siblings and I had secret hideouts in the weeds, shed snakeskins to collect and scare each other with, and treasure in the form of shells and bits of petrified wood. Growing up in Marrero, in the mid-1950s and 60s felt like living in a world all our own—a place where bayous framed our extended backyard, shell-covered streets smelled faintly of the river, and community was at the heart of everything. Looking back, I realize just how much those years shaped me—through moments of adventure, challenges, and celebration.

Life in the “Back of Beyond”

I was born and raised in Marrero, Louisiana, just across the river from New Orleans. But we lived on the outskirts, near the Lafitte/Bayou Barataria area, which at the time was extremely rural. I was about six when we moved there, the oldest of three siblings (two more would come along later).

There were more vacant lots than homes in our “neck of the woods,” and my siblings and I, along with a couple of neighbor friends, used those fields, overgrown with brush and edged by the bayou, as our personal playground. We’d build hideouts and forts, chase each other through the tall grass, and pretend we were explorers in uncharted territory. We’d search for buried treasure and find it in the form of unusual rocks, shells, or even shed snakeskin. The bayou itself was both familiar and a bit mysterious, an ever-changing backdrop that helped fuel our childhood adventures.

Our school bus stop was two blocks from our house next to a deep ditch, and since we were the very last stop on the route, most of our classmates thought we lived “in the back of beyond.” Visiting us was always a bit of a trek, so it was a rare treat to play host!

Did you have a favorite childhood playground—maybe something wilder than the usual backyard?

 

Shell Streets and Summers on the Gulf

In our neighborhood, even the streets had their own unique character. They weren’t paved with asphalt or layered with rocks but covered with shells dredged from nearby Lake Pontchartrain. Whenever the parish spread a fresh layer, the streets looked grimy and smelled fishy for days, a scent that somehow became part of the fabric of our lives.

Whenever those fresh shells were dumped, my brother and some of his friends would comb through them, searching for spent .50 caliber cartridges. These were relics from World War II training flights, when aircraft practiced over the lake and ejected their shells into the water. Each time, the boys would usually find a few—maybe three or four—and whoever was lucky enough to find one claimed it as a prized trophy. My sister and I, on the other hand, wanted no part of it. To us, the shells were far too yucky to dig through, so we left that “treasure hunting” activity to the boys.

Riding bikes over those uneven, sharp-edged shells was a challenge, and when we were unlucky enough to fall off, the cuts would be both deep and painful – but we didn’t think much of it—it was just part of growing up. It did give us incentive to get very good at NOT falling off. 🙂

Of course, our world wasn’t limited to the neighborhood. Summers often took us farther afield—to the beaches and sometimes to my uncle’s camp in Grand Isle. The camp house, perched high on stilts and painted a bright Pepto-Bismol pink, felt like a happy fortress overlooking the Gulf of Mexico

Days were spent walking the beach, collecting shells, looking for crabs, or wading in the surf. I was particularly fascinated by little touloulous (what I later learned others outside Cajun country call fiddler crabs) scuttling in and out of their sand burrows.

I remember one particular afternoon while walking the beach, we spotted a sandbar shark gliding just beyond the shoreline. We weren’t in any real danger, but it certainly sent a shiver through us—and the story grew a little bigger and scarier every time we told it that summer.

When it got too hot, we played in the cool shade beneath the camp. At night, we kids slept on the screened-in porch, lulled to sleep by the sound of waves and insects, and feel of the Gulf breeze.

Do you have a special summer place that still feels magical when you think back on it?

 

Hurricanes and the Crazy Quilt

Of course, living in southern Louisiana also meant living with hurricanes. Two storms left a lasting impression on me—Hurricane Betsy (1965) and Hurricane Camille (1969). I vividly remember my dad boarding up the windows before the storm reached us, leaving the house eerily dark, and later the power going out.

During Betsy, my Aunt, Uncle and two cousins rode it out at our house. At one point the wind blew the front door open. My dad and uncle managed to get it closed again and shoved the sofa in front of it to brace it closed. They spent the rest of that night sitting on the sofa, listening closely to the news on a battery-operated transistor radio. Meanwhile, my mom gathered the rest of us into an interior hallway, away from the windows. To distract us, she brought out an old crazy quilt my grandmother made over 70 years ago. By flashlight, she’d name a patch—maybe a yellow-flowered rectangle or a green square with white flowers—and we’d hunt for it, competing to be the first to find it. All through that night we alternately prayed and played ‘hunt-the-patch’.

The howl of the wind and the thud of debris outside were frightening, but that quilt and my mom’s ingenuity turned the stormy night into something less terrifying. After the storm, there was always cleanup and repair, but what stuck with me most was the feeling of family—safe, together, and resilient.

Do you remember your first big storm or blackout as a child? How did your family pass the time?

 

Mardi Gras in Marrero

When people think Mardi Gras, they picture the grand, glittery and sometimes raucous New Orleans parades. But Marrero had its own celebration—the family-oriented Krewe of Poseidon parade, which rolled during daylight hours the Sunday before Mardi Gras.

My parent’s friend owned a laundromat on the route, and he let us park there and use it as our “base camp.” We’d set up chairs, eat the snacks Mom packed, visit with fellow parade goers, and wait for the excitement to begin. The air was alive with food smells, chatter, and the sound of marching bands warming up.

When the parade began, it was a mad scramble to catch beads, trinkets, and doubloons tossed from the floats. My siblings and I competed with friends and strangers alike, shouting, “Throw me something, mister!” Mardi Gras wasn’t just a party—it was a celebration of community, family, and pure fun.

I also have wonderful food memories tied to Mardi Gras. One of the iconic treats of the season was King cake, and it was always something we looked forward to with great anticipation.

And since Mardi Gras is the day before Lent begins, our family observed the tradition of no meat on Fridays during those forty-six days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. That usually meant seafood—boiled or fried shrimp, shrimp po’boys, fried catfish, or a big pot of seafood gumbo. To be honest, I never saw it as the sacrifice it was meant to be—it all felt like a feast to me!

Have you ever experienced Mardi Gras—or another community parade? Or do you have a favorite seasonal food that brings back childhood memories?

Reflections on Growing Up in Marrero

Looking back, I realize how much my Marrero childhood shaped me. The bayou and the Gulf gave me wonder and respect for nature. Hurricanes taught me resilience and the value of family. Mardi Gras taught me the joy of celebration and the power of community.

Even now, the smell of shells, the sight of a faded patchwork quilt, or the sound of a marching band can take me back in an instant. Marrero might have felt like the “back of beyond” to some, but to me, it was the center of my world—a place full of adventure, love, and belonging. It’s a place I carry with me, no matter where I go.

Do you feel like the place where you grew up shaped who you are today? In what ways?

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Winnie Griggs is the author of Historical (and occasionally Contemporary) romances that focus on Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace. She is also a list maker, a lover of dragonflies and holds an advanced degree in the art of procrastination.
Three of Winnie’s books have been nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and one of those nominations resulted in a win.
Winnie loves to hear from readers. You can connect with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/WinnieGriggs.Author or email her at winnie@winniegriggs.com.

57 thoughts on “Hometown Hoedown – Winnie Griggs”

  2. What a great way to grow up.
    Winnie, I was raised Catholic in the 1950s, and I agree with you about the “no meat on Friday” rule. It’s not a sacrifice if you really, really love seafood. We have different seafood in New England than you had on the Gulf, but the principle still holds. FRIED CLAMS!

  3. this sounds like a great place to grow up. I can totally identify. I grew up in CA Mojave Desert on a ranch. other homes were 5 acres or more away from us. so there was a lot of walking or riding of horses or moms truck. we were in 4-H. I was in horses, cattle, pigs and sewing. yes this life taught responsibility and love for each other and animals. yes it really did shape me a lot for who I am today.

  4. I was raised in a small community where everyone new everyone. We never had to lock our doors or worry about break ins of anything like that. We spent our days playing outside and swinging on grapevines which my mother would have had a fit if she knew we where swinging on the grapevines. We had one country store to get things that we needed unless we went to town to get them. We raised pigs for the meat that we couldn’t keep in their pens. Someone put a sigh on the road that said Hog caution. I really miss those days and yes they made me in the person I am today.

  5. I honestly don’t remember hurricanes from when I was really young, though I’ve lived in the same house in FL all my life. The first one I really remember is David, and I was a senior in high school then!! Maybe it’s because that’s the first time we had any real “damage” and that was a tree that fell in the backyard. It fell the only way it could to not hit anything, and it didn’t! Cousins were visiting from GA then, and it was the first hurricane they’d ever been through. I live 15 minutes or so (depending on traffic!) from the Atlantic. I love listening to waves, though I don’t go to the beach, as I burn very fast! I can go outside and watch the launches from Kennedy Space Center. I know my life here in FL has shaped me into the person I am today.

  7. I didn’t grow up with hurricanes but grew up with tornadoes. I was born in Nebraska and lived mostly in Grand Island before moving to our family farm in Wyoming. I remember spending the night in the basement a lot of time during tornado warnings. Mom and daddy would make it fun by making it seem like it was a campout. After we moved to the family farm when I was 6, our playground became the farm. My grandparents had planted trees and my brother and I loved to climb them. We were not allowed to play in the barns but we had a big front porch to play on.

  8. I “grew up” (lol) all over the U.S. and South America. My Dad was an Air Force fighter pilot so up until I was 7 we moved a lot. As an example, I started first grade on Long Island, NY and finished first grade in Montgomery, AL. We finally settled back in AZ (where I was born) for 3 years before we left for Lima, Peru. So yes, my various travels definitely shaped me into who I am today. I learned new ways of doing things, new ways of saying things and different ways of looking at things. I am grateful and blessed to have had the life I have.

  9. Good morning Winnie! My brothers and I built forts, played cowboy and Indians, cars and trucks in the sand, rode our bikes(no hard roads), and many more adventures that was to be had on a farm. I don’t remember any bad storms. I can remember Hurricane Dora, but it mainly flooded our hometown of Live Oak, FL. I was very young. Maybe around 3 years. We had to help my aunt and uncle move out of their house because they lived in a valley and it flooded.

    I think all the adventures of growing up on a farm shaped me. My grandmother and aunts were always doing some craft. Yes, and quilts. You can make something from what little you have. And family is everything. That’s what shaped me.

    Great memories Winnie! Thanks for sharing your childhood with us!

  10. When I was young we lived on a good sized farm and my brothers and sisters and I would roam around,playing several different areas,(when they weren’t farming).

  12. What a wonderful childhood you had in your hometown! I’m such a city girl that this sounds like a fantasy to me! Thanks for sharing your hometown with us!

  14. Good morning Winnie, wow, what an awesome childhood you had growing up. When I was 4yrs old we moved from a big city to a small town where our dad built the very 2nd house in that town. There was a railroad track and it was more desert and there were some hills , actually if you went over a mountain the other side was Mexico. We were 6 kids and of course my parents. People starting building houses not too long after. Our house was the very first house to have a water well. And actually our parents would go pick up a Catholic Priest from a nearby town come to our house and he would hold church services on our carport and people would come for Mass. Our parents also made it possible for 2 Catechists to come to our house to give us all Catechism lessons one day a week. We would have different fund raisers to raise money so that a Church would be built and a Church was built. My siblings and I would have fun exploring the desert , there were lots of ground squirrels, and we would also walk to the railroad tracks. We always stayed busy though, later on my brothers had a comic book club – no girls allowed of course, so my sisters and I kept busy playing games or paper dolls. We had a great growing up and learned alot of things. Actually after I got married and had 2 kiddos of my own , I became a Catechist for over 25 years at our Catholic Church. I actually stopped teaching at the church when our grandaughter was in 2nd grade and I was her teacher when she made her First Holy Communion, our grandson was in his kinder Catechism class so I am still giving my grandson lessons and he is a Senior In HS this year , our daughter is in College now and she had Catechism lessons until she was in 12th grade in HS. This is her second year in College. I loved being a Catechist and yes growing up in a small town really shaped me and I truly am grateful to my parents. Being a Catechist is so Very rewarding. Thank you for sharing about your childhood, I also have lots of beautiful memories. We would also play cards with our grandmother, I also taught all 3 of my grandchildren and children how to play cards. Have a great day.

  15. It sounds like a wonderful place to grow up in! Thank you for sharing these memories here, and I look forward to diving into your books. 🙂

  16. You had a very interesting childhood …fun to read about. I grew up on my grandparents farm in Southeast Colorado where my sister and I attended a one room schoolhouse for a couple of years. I always envied the kids who lived far from school who rode horses to get there. There was a building out back especially for keeping the horses during school hours. When in third grade my family moved to Arizona so then we went to city schools. But I always remember how much living on a farm enriched me so much more (I thought) than the city kids. It is rather hard to explain to those who never lived on a farm about all the wonders and joys of living the farm life. I think it has influenced my life in many ways, especially my love of animals.

  17. I was raised in a small town . Do you feel like the place where you grew up shaped who you are today? yes. T hank you for sharing these memories. I love to read your books.

  18. I don’t remember blackouts growing up, but we didn’t watch much television. We all played together so if there was a blackout we didn’t know about it. As for parades, I don’t remember seeing any until I was an adult. I remember going to the basement for tornado warnings as a child, but I never lived through one.

  19. Where I grew up in the rural area of Colorado, there were trees all around. My siblings and i used to play in that “big forest” ( a few trees) We were cowboys and Indians, at times pirates, and other fun adventurers.
    I grew up appreciating nature which did not seem to be around me when we moved to the city.

  20. I too have so many fond memories of my childhood. I grew up in a small community in Alabama, out in the country. The youngest of 7, we always had someone to play with. Mother was busy taking care of washing and cooking for all of us so we entertained ourselves. We would make playhouses by pushing pine straw into piles to make walls, and whatever we could find to make furniture, boards across two rocks or whatever. Mother would play with us whenever she had time and that was always fun. She was 40 when I was born so that was saying something that she got out there and played baseball with us, using a tennis ball. lol She also let us play hide and seek in the house at night. My brother would stand me up on the mantel and no one could find me except by feeling my feet. We lived in Louisiana from 1972 until 1976 in Zachary and visited Grand Isle several times. The mosquitos almost carried us away the one night we camped there. Made some really good friends there, lots of good people. Thanks for sharing about your childhood.

    • My mother was 18 when I was born so she virtually grew up with me. It was always kind of cool that I had the youngest mother of all my friends. And those years you were in Louisiana I was in college 🙂

  22. I was born and raised in NYC. I was raised in a melting pot neighborhood, so I grew up used to being exposed to a variety of different cultures. Living in such a famous big city I saw many historical sights growing up and was exposed to a variety of foods. Such an exciting time in my life.

  23. I love the quilt story! My Grannie had a quilt that she made from scraps from making clothing, mostly my moms as she was growing up. She kept it on her bed, and sometimes when we would visit she would show is the different squares, and my mom would tell us all about what the dress looked like from that fabric. 🙂

  26. Growing up outside Washington, D.C. in Prince George’s County, MD, we didn’t have terrible summer storms. The year we moved to a 5 bedroom house (there were eventually 12 of us, 10 kids plus my parents), that area had a snowstorm that deposited a couple feet of snow. I recall my mom and the 2 other stay-at-home moms who lived on our “elbow” (the street turned and 5 houses were clumped together at that juncture) going out to shovel the snow, so the dads would be able to drive to work. Another bonding memory was my dad coming up with the notion of “folding parties.” While watching TV of an evening, he had us fold the day’s clean laundry (we scurried to put it away during commercial breaks).

  27. Isn’t it wonderful how the simplest things can be the most treasured memories. It is sad that so many children today are not getting those experiences.
    Until 7th grade we lived just on the edge of town, literally the last house past the new subdivision. We took advantage of the fields and woods, building forts, climbing trees, and building a raft for a small pond hidden in the woods. It wasn’t deep, but we were still lucky no one drowned. There was a mostly dry marsh behind a couple of the houses. the cattails were taller than we were. We played there, breaking off some of the long leaves and weaving mats we would use in our fort or in a marsh area we turned into a meeting area.

    When I was in 7th grade, the county took our land to build a bypass and we moved out in country near a small neighboring town. More fields and woods to explore and a great hill a few fields behind our house. In the winter it was a fantastic hill to toboggan down. During the summer and fall I would sit at the top of it and watch the den of foxes that was part way down the hill opposite of where we went sledding. I spent hours sitting there watching the parents come and go and the kit foxes play. We had an apple orchard directly across the street from the house. Beautiful to see the blossoms in the spring. There were a few trees of varieties they did not pick for market that we were free to pick. I loved the large Greening apples. They were a bit bigger than a softball. I would sit eating slices cut from it while doing my homework. We were also allowed to pick any drops (apples that fell off the trees) from the other trees. They could be bruised so wouldn’t be sent to market. We actually did them a favor cleaning up the orchard. We usually had at least a couple bushels of them in a cold closet and they would keep through the winter. We also befriended a farmer that worked the fields adjacent to our house. We rode combine and helped with haying, loading bales and driving the tractor. We would cut cross lots through the orchard and pastured to the farm (about a mile) to “help” with the milking and feeding. I don’t know how much help we were, but we enjoyed it. Because we were in the country, we had cousins, aunts, and uncles visiting often. It wasn’t unusual for the cousins to spend the weekends, filling the house with 15 or more children, although we seldom spent much time inside.

    Some time during high school, my family got a camp on a small mountain lake. It was a rough cabin, but had built in bunks and a couple of beds we could all squeeze into. That was my favorite place in the world and I wish we owned it now, although so many camps and homes have been built on it, it is not the same. I would take the canoe out and paddle down into the swamp/marsh at our end of the lake. I would take the row boat and row around the entire edge of the lake which usually took several hours. I hiked to the top of the mountain that was adjacent to the lake. There was a bald at the top that gave a nice view of the mountains around it. there was no trail. I would just walk into the woods and head up. Most of the time I went out alone, telling the family first, but obviously not real direction of travel other than up. I never seemed to go the same way twice. I found a nice little ledge with quartz crystals, but could never find it again. I did a college research paper on the white tailed deer, staying up there for about a week one winter. We would skate on the lake when it froze over and in the warmer weather swim and fish in it. One early morning I sat on the dock. The fog was thick on the water and slowly burning off. It was eerily quiet and I would not have been surprised to see a dinosaur walk out of the mist. It just had that feeling of being suspended out of time. It was quiet and peaceful most of the time and a wonderful place to just relax and restore. Even with 8 people in the cabin(I am the oldest of 6 siblings) or sometimes more when cousins joined us, you could always find your own space to be alone.

    thank you for sending me down memory lane. It was an enjoyable trip.

  29. I grew up on a (small) cattle ranch, so I learned responsibility and animal care from a very early age. We had horses, dogs, chickens, goats (for a little while) and occasionally a pig, so I spent my childhood doing chores and horseback riding. Though I no longer have any animals (I lost my dog earlier this year), I still have a strong work ethic because of how I was raised.

  30. I live in ct. and I had my first Hurricane when I was 24. Mostly we had snow to worry about,, lots of blizzards we were young one I remember was a bad one to no heat or electricity for five days likely we had camping supplies and had a stove that we used to cook food. I remember we all wrapped in 2 to3 blankets to keep warm. The, wall was wet from sweating from the cold and the Windows had frost on them. We were together that’s all that mattered I live in a neighborhood and I we would play Cowboys and Indians and lot of water balloon fights we had with the neighborhood kids, girls against the boys. Build forts explored the woods near by and we had a small place in Vt. that we would catch frogs and baby fishes, hiking, such fun. Totally different from your childhood. I love hearing about your adventure as a child, what wonderful memories.

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