New Orleans and Corona Virus

I miss New Orleans. I walk St. Charles and miss parades. The St. Patrick’s parade was cancelled well before the stay-at-home came. Then my favorite day of the year was cancelled, Super Sunday when the Mardi Gras Indians parade Central City in elaborately beaded and feathered suits they spent a year (and thousands) sewing. As the virus spread across the country and ravaged our state, in the city we retreated to our homes and looked for tips on finding toilet paper.

Krewe Boheme Parade

Carnival is kicking into gear with a 4-parade weekend starting with Krewe Boheme. Now in its second year, the Bywater/Marigny/French Quarter walking parade is more romantic and beautiful than most. Established by artists, the krewe’s symbol is a green fairy – the nickname for absinthe, a super-intoxicating liqueur. My favorite of the marching clubs was the Merry Antoinettes with their towering, ringleted wigs and elaborate French 18th century, corseted gowns. Tank of the Grammy-nominated Tank and the Bangas served as Queen.

Looking forward to a weekend of festivity ending with my post-Oscar appearance on WGNO’s News With A Twist where we’ll be reacting to the results.

Krewe du Vieux & Krewedelusion (R-rated)

At 30 years old, Krewe du Vieux is certainly the bawdiest of Carnival season’s parades. Though the satire is generally pointed in the direction of local politics and concerns, the floats often feature a giant penis or the occasional vagina. A spin-off of the Krewe of Clones (1978-85), the Krewe du Vieux parade was born of a scheduling clash with the city’s hosting of Super Bowl XX that cancelled the Clones’ parade that year. A few of the Clones’ 32 Subkrewes decided to march anyway. By the following year, Krewe of Clones had disbanded and reformed into Krewe du Vieux and rolled with a funeral as their theme to give birth to the new tradition.