gnomad:

I'm sure my brother would have reassured me about the 18-year legal ago, but thanks anyway for your quick reply.

Drinking age in Louisiana changed from 18 to 21 a few years ago -- it was necessary in order to keep receiving Federal highway money. States have the freedom to make their own laws independent of the US federal gov't in many areas, including this one, but the feds wanted to "discourage" under-21 drinking (to prevent drunk-driving accidents & deaths) and control enough road-buiding money to strongly influence the states.

My older kids had the experience of drinking legally on their 18th birthdays and afterwards (for two years in one case, for just a couple of months in the other), and then becoming illegal until age 21. Go figure...

dick:

Thanks to you too; I'm off to look up Whitby Week