Category Archives: New Orleans

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St. Paddy’s Parades 2017, St. Joseph’s Day Parades too

Saturday, March 11 & Friday, March 17, 2017

Tracey’s St. Paddy’s Day Party – 11 a.m. til
Annual celebration in the Irish Channel – 2604 Magazine Street. Lots of green beer, corned beef and cabbage and more fun. They are the party at the end of the Irish Channel Parade.
See party location.

Saturday, March 11 & Friday, March 17, 2017

Parasol’s Block Party Celebration – 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
3rd and Constance 10am to 8pm. Music, green beer, food and surprises. The start of the block parties on the day of the Irish Channel Parade. The fun runs from 10 am to 8 pm, both days.
See party location.

Saturday, March 11

Irish Channel Parade – 12:30 p.m.
The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club will hold its Annual Mass and Parade celebration at St. Mary’s Assumption Church (corner of Constance and Josephine Streets) followed by the parade (corner of Felicity and Magazine)
See parade route.

Sunday March 12

St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Metairie Road – 12 Noon
The annual Metairie Road St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place at noon in front of Rummel High School on Severn Avenue, goes down Severn to Metairie Road, then Metairie Road to the parish line.
See parade route.

Friday, March 17

Molly’s at the Market & Jim Monaghan’s Parade – 6:00 p.m.
In the French Quarter, riders in carriages and marching groups. Begins and ends at 1107 Decatur St.
See parade route.

Friday, March 17

Downtown Irish Club Parade – 6:00 p.m.
The annual downtown St. Patrick’s Day parade begins on the corner of Burgundy and Piety in the Bywater, proceeds roughly up Royal, across Esplanade to Decatur, up Canal to Bourbon. The parade makes several “pit stops” on its way to Bourbon St.
See parade route.

Friday, March 17

Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club block party – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This block party takes place on St. Patrick’s Day and is located at Annunciation Square on the 1500 block of Chippewa. This block party has Irish music, food, drinks, and dancers, and proceeds benefit St. Michael’s Special School.
See on map.

Saturday, March 18

Italian-American St. Joseph’s Parade in the French Quarter – 6:00 p.m.
The Italian American Club celebrates St. Joseph with a parade through the French Quarter. The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Convention Center Blvd. and Girod Street. It includes 16 floats, nine marching bands and a whole lot of guys dressed in tuxedos.
See parade route.

Sunday March 19

Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade (Metairie) – 12 Noon
The Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade will roll at 12:00 noon, on the traditional Veternas Highway route in Metairie.
See parade route.

Saturday, April 1

St. Bernard Irish Italian Islenos Parade – 12 noon
The St. Bernard Irish Italian Islenos Community Parade is one of the largest events in nearby St. Bernard parish. The parade starts at 12noon along the W. Judge Perez route in Chalmette – from Meraux Dr. down to Ventura and back! It consists of 53+ floats, 35+marching groups 1,500+ members and 350,000 pounds of produce!
See parade route.

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Nola Files: The First 20 Stories

The Nola Files is preparing stories of the most influential people and places in New Orleans history. To do this history project justice we need to first focus on the people and places that had the widest impact and connected with most of the city. Please look through some of these options and vote for those you think need to be our focus first.

In this survey you will vote on PEOPLE who stories must be told.

 

The First 20 Stories

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Royal Mule Team

One of the trueisms about living in the Quarter ( and different from even the experiences of our “almost-residents” aka storekeepers or other business owners)  is the scads of information that one gets from popping out on the sidewalk dozens or more times  in one day, observing the activities or even while still back in your space, hearing them happen and perhaps noting the time in the back of your mind while you put laundry in the washer before any commerce is even beginning. Those activities include workers arriving at dawn and standing in front of your door soberly assessing current tip levels; delivery trucks huffing and puffing outside from 5:30 am on, pulling cases of items out (which ramps up especially in mid-week);  knowing the tour guides who do their work with respect and gusto and those who do not;  separating the good hustlers from the dangerous ones and much more. One other  is learning the names and company of the sanitation crews and the identification of who actually works versus those who just walk and swipe at the ground once in a  while. One of the good ones is Royal Carriages. In case you didn’t know, all of the carriage companies are supposed to take their turn in the Quarter, cleaning up after their mules; however most do not bother. The one company that is consistent and conscientious is Royal Carriages.

Recently, they had an open house at their stables in the Marigny where they invited the locals via social media to see what was up and offered some free food and drink and music. I went by and was impressed by the cleanliness and attention they paid to their space. So when I saw the cleaner out on the cart today and that he was stopped right in front of my door, I thanked him for his work and we had a short chat.  His name is Roger and he is proud of his company and told me that the mules there get 4 months off per year and the place is kept “spotlessly”clean. He was as cheery of a worker as the modern world has and I am glad to have him around and to have a name to assign to his face.

The workers and residents of the Quarter acknowledge each other’s dependency on the other. We share a pride in our place and a willingness to play the hosts to the city’s millions of visitors. Royal Mule Carriages illustrates that truth.

 

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Krewe Du Vieux has a new parade route

588b6897a4fcf-imageMardi Gras 2017 in New Orleans shifts into high gear on Feb. 11 this year with a parade known for its decidedly adult themes – Krewe Du Vieux. Here is their new route.

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Storyville ‘Guidebooks to Sin’ subject of upcoming events 

“Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans”

  • Author lecture: Pamela Arceneaux will discuss the book
  • Queen Anne Ballroom of the Hotel Monteleone: 214 Royal St.
  • When: Friday, Feb. 3, 5:30 p.m.
  • More information: The lecture will be followed by a reception and signing at the collection, 533 Royal St. The lecture is free, but reservations are required. They can be made by writing wrc@hnoc.org or calling 504.523.4662.

“What the blue books give you is the sizzle but not the steak,” Arceneaux said.

 

This promises to be a landmark book uncovering an often misunderstood era of New Orleans. Arceneaux is a very well-respected librarian and researcher and an expert on Storyville. The event on Friday will be fascinating but if you miss it you can grab a copy of the book at HNOC’s lovely gift shop in the 500 block of Royal.

 

Source: Storyville ‘Guidebooks to Sin’ subject of upcoming events | NOLA.com

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Pralines (PRAW-leens) Are More Than Just Candy 

This Eater  story is pretty good, but could use a little more context outside of the French Quarter tourist angle. Still, I am so very glad that Knapp included Rien Fertel’s analysis and research.

As a past farmers market organizer, I can tell you that the praline biz extends past the Quarter to thousands of locals who search for a particular variety that they grew up with: some look for a creamy taste, others want lots of chopped nuts and others need the sugar-free type. Most New Orleanians expect to find middle-aged African-American women as the chef behind the treat, although the Crescent City Farmers Market has most recently had genial Wayne Brown and his momma’s Crescent Creams pralines along with his of the old-timey “Nipples of Venus” concoction. Other vendors of pralines at CCFM include or have included the (white) family member of market fishing family Gerica Seafood who makes some tasty sweet treats based on a hundred-year old recipe from Raceland, and school bus driver Betty Walker who hails from New Orleans East, which remains one area of town where the homemade candies can be found on counters of all types of stores.

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Available at farmers market frequented by locals, at Broadway Ave and the River on a recent Tuesday. Pralines are NOT just for tourists.

 

Additionally, the dozens of varieties sold only through churches or a daughter’s office to this day also show the resilience and creativity of this local cottage industry.

Check out this wonderful piece that covers the “mammy” stuff that Rien alludes to; that crap certainly has denigrated the art of praline making which should be deeply respected and widely encouraged.

 

 

 

 

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Norwegian Seamen’s Church becomes Jazz Church

Finally some good news in the city! Their annual Scandinavian Festival is a delight; I’m certainly going to try to get to more events here to support this idea.

(The coming year will be an important test of the new concept. If, by mid-2018, it becomes clear that the newly configured church and cultural center isn’t viable, the local board will be released from its commitment and the Church of Norway will put the church up for sale.)

This past summer, it looked like the Norwegian Seamen’s Church would be shuttered for good. If all goes as planned, the New Orleans church will officially become the Scandinavian Jazz Church on Feb. 1.

According to the plan, the church complex will serve as a home base for people of Scandinavian heritage. But it also will reach out to New Orleanians of all heritages by hosting concerts and expanding upon the church’s rich history with the city’s jazz community.

Jazz Church