Krewes of Pontchartrain, Choctaw and Freret

This sunny, warm Saturday, the parades kicked into high gear with 5 parades rolling the Uptown route and 2 parades in the Marigny. We hit the daytime ones, the Krewes of Pontchartrain, Choctaw and Freret.  The tractor-drawn Krewe of Pontchartrain (established 1975 and named for Lake Pontchartrain) allows anyone with the cash to roll with them – even if they’re here as a tourist! The Dance Connection led the way for other dance teams including Xtreme Voltage Dance Team, Dance Innovation and crowd favorite – the Muff-A-Lottas (all pictured below).

Dirty Dozen Plays the Square

It was unseasonably cold for YLC’s Wednesday at the Square featuring the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Even in my knit cap and many layers, I envied the people who thought to wear gloves. Louisiana Spice was onstage playing fun covers of popular radio tunes when I arrived but the first thing I noticed was the new jumbo-screen broadcasting images to the furthest corners of Lafayette Square.

Krewe of Alla

This was my first time seeing the Krewe of Alla parade, the 4th oldest Krewe. This was the first time it rolled the Uptown route having just moved from the West Bank where it’s rolled since the 1930’s. I imagine it was both disappointing for them not to see the same familiar route and faces and also exciting to roll St. Charles and Canal with the big crowds of locals and tourists. Though she was on the opposite side of the Captains float, on the turnaround, I did get to spot Margie Perez, a local musician and the muscle behind Mardi Gras bead recycling at ARC of Greater New Orleans.

Recycling Mardi Gras Beads at Arc 2013

A couple of years ago, I spent a day sorting Mardi Gras beads at  Arc of Greater New Orleans. Arc  provides services and employment for people of all ages with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). I first became aware of the ID community when I was 5. My 2 year old friend Sarah was born with Down’s Syndrome. She couldn’t walk or talk yet and her tongue was always dry from keeping her mouth perpetually open (mostly for smiling) but she was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met and I loved her. In high school, I was a hugger for the Special Olympics

Mardi Gras Decorations (with a Django twist)

Though I love donating my Mardi Gras beads to Arc of Greater New Orleans and Stephan Wanger‘s Guinness-record-breaking mural, my favorite use of parade throws is decorating my home for the season. Though the NFL tried to create a “clean zone” where they could tell us what to decorate our houses with, what signs we could carry and what clothes we could wear (!!!) , the ACLU has stepped in to protect our right to party our way  (I, for one, will be wearing Saints gear every chance I get!). So, I’ve beaded my fence, wreathed my door and redecorated my Christmas tree as a Mardi Gras tree.

Mardi Gras Bead Mural

There’s never a shortage of fun, creative things to do in New Orleans but sometimes you stumble onto something truly special. Stephan Wanger of Galeria Alegria is attempting to beat his own Guinness World Record for largest beaded mural with a 42 foot wide, 8 foot high panorama of the NOLA skyline made almost entirely of recycled Mardi Gras Beads. This eco-friendly artwork is being created with the cooperation of Arc of Greater New Orleans and St. Michael Special School, both of whom collect throws in support of their organizations and employ people with special needs, as well as the Drew Brees affiliated Companies with a Mission Super Service Challenge. Best of all – it’s being created inside Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World!

Favorite Things in NOLA 2011

I continue to accumulate favorite things about New Orleans, but here’s my second year favorites in a nutshell. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2010 is marked with an Asterix*. Though there are too many “ties,” revealing an inability to “just pick one,” I promise you there were so many more things I wanted to include, so many more people and places I felt deserved mentioning.

Recycling Mardi Gras Beads at Arc

When I was 5, I became friends with Sarah, a tot with Down’s Syndrome. She couldn’t speak and her tongue was always dry from keeping her mouth perpetually open (mostly from smiling) but she was as kind as they come and I loved her. Throughout my life, I’ve involved myself in the Intellectual Disabilities (ID) community in various ways, from working with the Special Olympics to getting a Best Buddy in L.A., so when it became clear that the best way to have lunch with my friend, singer Margie Perez ,was to volunteer for Arc of Greater New Orleans, I was thrilled.