624.  Part 2 of Ed Branley's return to the porch to talk about the 200th anniversary of  the Marquis de Lafayette's visit to America in 1825. Fifty years after the Revolutionary War, Lafayette returned for a triumphant tour of the United States. Nowhere was he more welcome than in his visit to Louisiana. Ed is a volunteer docent at the Cabildo Museum in Jackson Square, and the Museum has a fantastic eshibit commemorating the occasion.      "Bienvenue Lafayette. Thu, April 10, 2025 - Sun, January 18, 2026. Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Visit to Louisiana. Lafayette's tour was marked by public celebrations, music, and the creation of commemorative items, making him a precursor to modern celebrity. One notable stop was his five-day visit to New Orleans in April 1825, where city officials spared no expense, spending the equivalent of $450,000 to transform the Cabildo into lavish accommodations for Lafayette, symbolizing the city's growing significance in the United States.     "To commemorate the bicentennial of Lafayette's tour, the Louisiana State Museum presents Bienvenue Lafayette from April 10, 2025, to January 18, 2026, opening on the exact 200th anniversary of his arrival in New Orleans. The exhibition features artifacts, documents, and works of art from local and national collections, and offers visitors insight into Lafayette's legacy as a champion of liberty, democracy, and the abolition of slavery. This exhibition deepens the public's understanding of Lafayette's impact on both the United States and France and highlights New Orleans' role in the broader historical narrative" (Cabildo). Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 221 years. Order your copy today! This week in Louisiana history. May 3, 1699. After exploring Miss. River, Iberville returns to France This week in New Orleans history. May 3, 1978 had been designated as "Sun Day" — a day set aside, in the United States, to bring attention to the potential uses and advantages of solar energy.  In New Orleans, ten and on-half inches of rain fell on the metropolitan area; eight and two-tenths inches fell between 7:45 and noon, which was double the amoun