ACADIA PARISH — For Janice Cart, the Rice Festival is more than just a celebration — it’s a way of life. After more than three decades in the rice industry, she’s seen how the event brings farmers, families, and generations together through a shared appreciation of Louisiana’s most iconic crop.
“I have been in the rice industry for 32 years now, I work for Supreme Rice,” Cart said. “Next year they’ll be celebrating 90 years of existence in Crowley.”
“It brings everyone, including the farmers together and celebrates them,” she added.
Cart’s connection to rice runs deep — it’s even how she met her husband, Fred.
“Actually, we met through a farmer — a rice farmer,” she said.
The couple shared nearly twenty years of marriage before Fred passed away from prostate cancer five years ago. This year’s Rice Festival, however, brought her a moment she never expected — a glimpse of her late husband she thought she’d never see again.
A friend reached out to Cart after recognizing Fred in one of KATC’s broadcasts, which included file footage from a past Rice Festival.
“I called KATC and asked if there was any way for me to get a copy of it,” Cart said.
When she finally saw the clip — a brief shot of Fred in the festival crowd — the moment stopped her in her tracks.
“I couldn’t help it, I had to wave back. It was just a larger-than-life moment,” she said.
Cart sat down to relive the memory and instantly recognized the man she called the love of her life.
“Wow, yep, there he is,” she said, smiling.
She described Fred as comical, witty, and intelligent — qualities that filled their years together with laughter and adventure. Inside her living room, mementos from their life in the rice industry and their travels around the world serve as daily reminders of the bond they shared.
“This is my husband Fred, the love of my life,” she said.
Before parting ways, Cart offered a final message — one that captured both her gratitude and the power of memory.
“I just wanna thank KATC for recognizing my story and bringing Fred back,” she said.
