Several of the 2007 Louisiana festival queens make an appearance at the Shrimp & Petroleum in Morgan City, La. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Nathan Pete holds up his 11-month-old daughter Nyla Justine Pete moments after she was baptized by Father Jerome LeDoux at St. Augustine Catholic Church in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. Her baptism in March 2006 was expected to be the last one performed during the last mass at the historic church before its planned merger with another parish. After an outpouring of support for the church, however, archdiocesan officials decided to keep it open. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Left to right, Darlene Davis, 11, Keisha Allen, 11, Geranisha Robertson, 7, Beulaa Allen, 11, and Tyeshia Robertson, 11, play in the flooded street on Pine St. after it rained on a summer day in 1999. The group of cousins, who live in the Girt Town neighborhood, took advantage of the water to cool off. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Half Time
With only a few minutes left of half time, a cheerleader takes a few minutes away from the football game to chat with a friend behind the stadium in the fall of 2004.
Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Moments after Brandon Bennett won first place in the 2002 International Images of the King competition, his fans from Louisiana scream and cry with joy for the local boy who went up against more than 90 other Elvis tribute artists for the title. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Debutantes in the Original Illinois Club practice their N'SYNC songs as they wait in a locker room of the Municipal Auditorium before being presented at the ball in the spring of 2002. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Young maids in the Crowning of the Queen of the Italian-American Club dance together at the end of the ceremony in 2002. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
Every debutante dreams of being queen, and Adair Williams lives that dream as she rides in a limousine to a ball thrown by the carnival social club called the Krewe of Hermes. She will reign over the ball, surrounded by other debs of the 2002 season. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
After waiting for this moment for months, Alexis Barbarin is escorted on stage and presented to an audience during a debutante ball in 2002. The gala events are part of a more than 100-year-old tradition in New Orleans. This prestigious African-American social organization, called the Young Men of Illinois Club, chooses several young women to present at its annual carnival ball. Copyright Jennifer Zdon
2009 Finalist Jennifer Zdon
Swamp Queen