NEW ORLEANS — It's an annual Thanksgiving tradition you'll only see in New Orleans. Thanksgiving at the Fairgrounds isn't just about horses, but also about what people are wearing on their heads.
It's the 100th year of the Thanksgiving races at the New Orleans Fairgrounds, and the tradition is, to wear your biggest, loudest and most outlandish hat.
Michel Napolis said, "One more thing to craft and have fun with, it's great."
From a horse hat, to the horse on the hat – wearing a hat. There was no cap, on creativity. Stacy Vansickle said, "We are the candy... Any excuse to dress up."
Some really put their thinking caps on, when it came to designing their headpiece. Austin Sandlin said, "This year it was called pop-offs, so I did like fireworks popping."
And there were no cats in any of these hats... Instead, a flock of turkeys. Jamie Kertis said, "This is our eighth year of coming, every year we just try and add something to the hat, they're all custom... We love this tradition, it's probably our favorite holiday tradition."
Hats off to Meghan Davis, for her design. She said, "I am an artist in general and this is actually made out of craft foam, it is made out of foam that you can buy at the craft store, I actually have a hard hat in here so it adjusts the balance."
While non-New Orleanians may have a bee in their bonnet seeing people celebrate Thanksgiving at the races. For New Orleanians, thanksgiving at the fairgrounds, it's just another one of the city's hat tricks.
Sandlin said, "Very much a community of New Orleans, whether it be over the top hats, having a good time."
Davis added, "It's part of why I love this city so much it's because people can actually get together and wear ridiculous hats that they've made, where else are you going to wear something like this."
And I take my hat off to that.
