Twenty Years

 I remember creating this blog in 2006, right after Katrina.  

I was a babe of 50 years and had just gone through an experience of my lifetime, along with the rest of the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

I'm now 70 and am dying of fucking cancer.  So I'd like to finish this up with this last post.

This blog encompasses our collective fear, loss, sadness and rebirth.  I'm proud of what I've put into it:

It contains posts about Ray Nagin, mayor of "The Chocolate City".

LINKS:  https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/31361101?q     

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Post Katrina was the era of the New Orleans blogosphere.  Some VERY GOOD writing came out of this.  Here are the links to the writing of those folks from that time.  

Combing thru my list of Katrina related blogs created in 2006, I am making a list here of the blogs that are still available to read.

Toulouse Street , in my opinion the best Post Katrina blog. The writing, the feelings and pictures Mark Folse creates were addicting to me.

Michael Homan's (RIP) account of going through the storm and the aftermath was riveting as well as heartwrenching.

Mosquito Coast, written by Swampwoman. You'll get a good feeling of how it was back in July of 2006.

After the Deluge, by Josh Newfeld . Josh remembers events via comics (not the funny kind), using real people's experiences after the flood.

Varg Vargas, an artist and reverend, recalls the haunting and hilarious after the storm in New Orleans.

NOLAblogger brings back those "great memories" from 2006.

Library Chronicles . Jeffrey - who acts like the grumpy old man he WILL BE in 40 or so years - will give you a great perspective of what was happening in his world back then.

Metroblogging New Orleans. Check out the list on the right side of the screen for the blog authors. The ones that begin with 'no_' are your post Katrina blog observations. Good reading here. Especially Craig.

MANY  more bloggers at this link:  https://archive-it.org/collections/7625


If you read any of the links above, I hope you will come away with a bigger picture in your mind about the way this area has healed since Katrina the bitch visited us. Thanks to all.

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If you need a laugh, take a look at my #MondaySmile posts

https://thanks-katrina.blogspot.com/search?q=Monday+Smile

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For a while, I shared my  photos of interesting windows in the NOLA area

https://thanks-katrina.blogspot.com/search?q=windows+wednesday

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Here are posts detailing the rebirth of the Gulf Coast, from 2006 to 2010-ish

   https://thanks-katrina.blogspot.com/search?q=rebirth

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Thanks for reading this blog.  And goodbye.  

Finally, the Tenth Anniversary is Over

It's been a whirlwind of remembering ten years ago: TV, Radio, Internet, Books.

But people who lived through, witnessed the storm and the aftermath, don't feel happy about all of the hoopla. Only Chris Rose can described how we feel.

Taken from the website Vice, is a Chris Rose original:


August 29, and Hurricane Katrina has reached critical mass in New Orleans.

But when I tell you about a storm hitting south Louisiana right now, I am not talking about August 29, 2005, the day that wet, wide mess of a storm whipped across our coast and kicked our asses.

This is not a reenactment, a retrospective, nor a documentary. This is now. Right now, today, the howling, gale force winds are blowing hard down here and the flooding is catastrophic, again.

The flooding is of memories in this town, none of them good, some of them haunting people to the brink of collapse, like the levees. The hard winds of emotion are reducing some residents to fits of agony. The "remembrances" and "observations" and "celebrations" from that time and since are so intense that some residents have packed up and left town this weekend to get away from the media maelstrom and relentless sorrowful nostalgia that is now filed under the name: Katrina, Ten Years After.

Related: The Lower Ninth Ward,Ten Years After Katrina

OK, this is also a time of metaphors gone wild around here. Of total loss of perspective. Of holding on tight, to something or someone—anything or anyone. I am no less guilty of that than any other.

New Orleans is an all-Katrina, all-the-time carnival of excess right now. Every newspaper headline. Every talk show. Every art gallery, playhouse, even every nightclub because every band has a Katrina song. Some have entire albums.

All the famous people are here, from presidents to the pundits. The American fetishizing of anniversaries has hit this town like a Category 5. And although you can look around and see a city standing tall and tough, physically—with all our new hotels and hospitals and malls and even our new levees—the damage here now, at this most poignant date on the Gulf Coast calendar, is emotional, psychological, and just plain mental.

It's not to say that these are not better days in New Orleans—the Crescent City, the Big Easy that isn't so big and never was as easy as most folks think. Our economy is ripping. The recession of the past ten years was, for us, a windfall. We got so much federal, corporate, and charitable money that no one in the world has any idea exactly how much.

We have a lot to be thankful for. We have, for the most part, blossomed into that big, bright, beautiful, rebuilt, reborn, and re-imagined shining city on the hill. Except for the hill part. There are no hills here. But you get the point.

Numbers tell the story: In fiscal year 2014, the city collected over $46 million in revenue from hotel occupancy fees, and this year is on pace to be even higher. According to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB), 9.52 million people laid their heads down to rest in our 39,000 hotel rooms last year—both of those the largest numbers on record.

And here's a fetcher for you: Prior to Hurricane Katrina, there were 809 restaurants in the city of New Orleans. Now, there are 1,408. Of course, since I started writing this story, two or three more probably hit the market.

I mean, everyone knows we love to eat down here. But 600 more restaurants than before? With 10 percent fewer residents?

This country is hungry for some New Orleans right now, to be sure.

According to Katrina 10, a Rockefeller Foundation think tank and the city's primary source for economic statistics and analysis, New Orleans is among the most vibrant small business environments in the country now.

"Entrepreneurial activity in New Orleans is 56 percent above the national average, painting a rosy picture for the business climate," reads one recent analysis. "Fueled by an engaged community, strong financial incentives, and an unmatched culture, one of the fastest growing startup hubs has grown out of the recovery of New Orleans."

The publisher of Forbes magazine described the city's economic growth since Katrina as "one of the great turnarounds in American history."

So, like I said, these are better days. We should be walking on sunshine, right?

And many are. Lots of folks—maybe even most—are feeling just fine around here about what this city has become. It's cleaner, smarter, and prettier—if that were possible.

But it's also still a dangerous place to walk around at night in some neighborhoods. And beyond the veneer of national coverage, we have more broken streetlights than some cities our size have streetlights, total. Our streets—paved upon a wet, sinking foundation—are in a constant state of upheaval (literally, not metaphorically).

And the truth is, for all the tax dollars this country has poured into rebuilding our levee system—the previous incarnation of which collapsed the first time it was ever tested and killed 1,600 of us—we have no idea if the new one works. There is no way to know if it will work until millions of pounds of water get hurled into the rock again like last time.

We are living now, as we lived before all this, on blind faith.

So for all the good and bad, we flutter back and forth about what terminology is appropriate for this occasion that looms over us. Is it an anniversary? A remembrance? Mourning? Observation? Celebration? Eulogy? Commemoration? You tell me: What are you calling it?

Truth is, they're all appropriate. In a larger communal sense, this is a time to raise a toast to the triumph of the human spirit and a recognition of the resilience of the people of New Orleans. But there is a strong undercurrent bubbling up this weekend, flushed out by the endless stream of imagery and remembrance and observation and celebration and media lights shining down on us, which has some folks running for cover.

And not the metaphorical kind. Wounds have been re-opened here. Scabs ripped away. Memories a lot of people had managed to escape for ten years have come flooding back like, well... a flood. (I warned you!)

Like I said, it is the anniversary of metaphors, ten years since Katrina, the glorification of which we have managed to avoid for, well, ten years.

There are many here wishing hard and fast for this to go away, for the date to pass, for the attention to wane, for the conversations to switch to the weather, the Saints, the elections, anything but this.

Jesus, even Donald Trump would be a welcome distraction.

We here are stuck in an endless cycle of Katrina—a name many here still refuse to speak. And despite the profound, inescapable and triumphant leaps of recovery and rebirth we have experienced, there's no two ways about it: This is tough as shit to go through again, to relive on a local level the exposure of our national nightmare and disgrace.

To see how far we have come yet how far we still need to go. It's a national discussion being played out in a city of lore that looms large in the American imagination but is actually, truthfully, a pretty small town. Considering.

Nevertheless, New Orleans is shouldering once again the burden of our unfinished—and in some cases unstarted—national conversations. Race. Poverty. Income Inequality. Energy. Rising seas. Loss of the wetlands.

And that's fine. We love conversation down here. We love talking as much as we love eating. In fact, all we talk about when we're eating is what we're going to eat next.

But I stray. Everyone here has a story to tell. And over this weekend, unless you unplug, disconnect, and go off the grid, you just might hear every one of them. But we're OK. We're gonna make it. And we're gonna stay here and keep making our way through this wild ride, trying to find our way back home.

There is nowhere else for us to go—even though many in the media, clergy and Congress told us we should find another place ten years ago. But maybe they have learned, at long last, at this most painful and triumphant juncture, what we here have always known: The longer you live in New Orleans, the more unfit you become to live anywhere else.

That's the one true crazy thing about all this. Here, at the nation's first geographical front against disaster, subsidence, evaporation and extinction: We're still here, ya bastards.

Chris Rose is a New Orleans-based freelance writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of the New York Times bestseller 1 Dead in Attic.some aspects.

August 29th

It will probably be mentioned as an afterthought on the nightly news, but here in Southeastern Louisiana August 29th is a day that is more memorable than the rest of the year. On this date 8 years ago - August 29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, devastating the small towns of Waveland and Bay St. Louis.

She also flattened Gulfport and Biloxi.


I'm not even going to go into the political impact of these storm. I'm also not going to dwell the repulsive comments from our "fellow Americans". Although the haters represent a small chunk of our fellow citizens, their vitriol hurt. And they're still at it today. I feel sorry for people with that much hate in their hearts.

A lot of the immediate coverage was centered around New Orleans, and rightly so.

There are so many stories of horror and survival. Even today - 8 years after the storm - when you meet someone in line at a festival or in the store, the subject usually comes up. We survivors need to talk about "The Storm". I don't think we'll ever NOT want to talk about it. It's therapy to those of us who lived through it and still want to live here.

I've put together a montage of Katrina's devastation on this page. After The Storm I was out of work for 2 months, so I taught myself basic HTML and created the page. It kind of helped my survivor's guilt.

Memories of The Storm are anywhere one travels in Katrina's path: overgrown lots, forgotten decrepit houses, flattened beachfront properties on the coast. To offset those sights, it is still evident that the area is still coming back, 8 years later.

Oh, yeah. Something else happened on August 29th: Hurricane Isaac. The odds of this storm hitting on the same date as Katrina blew us away. Isaac blew away our electricity for almost a week, flooded our streets. He did much less than Katrina, he was just a nuisance.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We survived both storms and the ineptitude of the U.S. Government in their aftermath. Today - August 29, 2013 - we are blessed with cool weather and clear blue skies. Many thanks to those who've cared, contributed toward our rebirth and all of the prayers.

Rebirth on Bayou Liberty

Almost seven years after it was swamped by Katrina, St. Genevieve Catholic Church on Bayou Liberty has been rebuilt. I pass the church on my daily commute, so I watched in January 2007 as they demolished the old church , built in 1958. I have followed and chronicled her rebirth for the past five years .

On January 15, 2012 St. Genevieve opened to her parishoners. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

This is what she looked like before Katrina

During the groundbreaking in October of 2010, parishioners were asked to place a small amount of dirt from their home into the groundbreaking hole in celebration of their unity.

The doors to the church were donated by Dr. John Breaux and were produced in Honduras. They depict the history of the parish from the time it was a mission until the present new church.

In 1852, a brick chapel was built by Mrs. Anatole Cousin on land she donated.

In 1914, Father Francis Balay renovated the old church and rededicated it

In 1950s another Bayou Liberty Church - St. Linus - was merged with St. Genevieve

In 1958, a new church building was built and dedicated Dec. 28 by Reverend Joseph Rummel.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the church. Immediately following the storm, Mass was celebrated under an oak tree for several weeks and then in the parish hall.

In 2011, the new church was completed!

 

From watching this steeple lying on the ground during deconstruction of the old church,

 

It was such a good feeling to see the old steeple rising toward the heavens again

The original stained glass windows are used in the new church (photo by Slidell Sentry News)

The altar looks out over Bayou Liberty

The old Chapel is shown here after the church was razed

And now the Chapel is once again united with the church

After Katrina, St. Genevieve's pastor is quoted as saying: "The church is not the building, but the people, we are the church."
~ Reverend Roel Lungay

I salute the strength and faith parishioners of St. Genevieve and congratulate them on this long-time coming occasion.

2012 New Orleans Jazz Fest Lineup

from NOLA.com
The New Orleans Jazz Fest has released its 2012 lineup for both weekends, April 27-29 and May 3-6, 2012. Performer names below are in the order listed on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Presented by Shell's Wednesday, Dec. 14 news release.



FIRST WEEKEND: APRIL 27-29, 2012

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
John Mayer
Al Green
Trombone Shorty
Bon Iver
Jill Scott
Allen Toussaint
Janelle Monae
Dr. John
Iron & Wine
Yolanda Adams
Pete Fountain
Feist
Steel Pulse
Dianne Reeves
Gomez
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Dave Koz
Givers
Israel & New Breed
Tab Benoit
Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Cowboy Mouth
Bobby Rush
Chuck Leavell & Friends
Amanda Shaw
Sonny Landreth
Gary Clark Jr.
Cubano Be
Cubano Bop: Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Band feat. Terence Blanchard
Papa Grows Funk
Ellis Marsalis
Walter "Wolfman" Washington
Cheikh Lô (Senegal)
Buckwheat Zydeco
Evelyn Turrentine-Agee
Voice of the Wetland Allstars
The Texas Tornados feat. Flaco Jimenez, Augie Myers and Shawn Sahm
Nicholas Payton
Ironin' Board Sam
The New Orleans Bingo! Show
Enlarge Matthew Hinton, The Times-Picayune MATTHEW HINTON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE The Neville Brothers perform on the Acura Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival or Jazz Fest 2011 Sunday, May 8, 2011 in New Orleans at the Fair Grounds.
Soul Rebels
Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs
Eric Lindell
Irma Thomas' Tribute to Mahalia Jackson
Corey Harris
James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars
Lindigo (Reunion Islands) feat. Fixi (France)
Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots
Pine Leaf Boys
Luther Kent
The Dixie Cups
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas
Dee-1
Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes
Sasha Masakowski
New Orleans Klezmer Allstars
C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles
Khris Royal & Dark Matter
Los Po-Boy-Citos
Butch Thompson
Treme Brass Band
Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band feat. Thais Clark
Savoy Music Center of Eunice Saturday Cajun Jam
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
Leyla McCalla
Roddie Romero & the Hub-City Allstars
Midnite Disturbers
Bill Summers & Jazalsa
Peter Martin
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
Jewel Brown & the Heritage Hall Jazz Band
Tribute to Alex Chilton feat. Dave Pirner
Alex McMurray
Susan Cowsill and Rene Coman
Stephanie Jordan
Stooges Brass Band
Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band
The Classic New Orleans Revue feat. Frankie Ford
Al "Carnival Time" Johnson
Tribute to Wardell Quezergue feat. Jean Knight and Robert "Barefootin" Parker with Blue Eyed Soul
The Dixie Cups and more
Bucktown Allstars
Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue
Lil' Buck Sinegal
James Rivers Movement
Victor Goines
Fredy Omar con su Banda
Kristin Diable & the City
Washboard Rodeo
Panorama Jazz Band
Kirk Joseph's Tuba Tuba
Leah Chase
The Batiste Brothers
Brice Miller & Mahogany Brass Band
Shades of Praise: New Orleans Interracial Gospel Choir
Lars Edegran's New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra
Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders
Betty Winn & One A-Chord
Guitar Lightnin' Lee & the Thunder Band
City of Love Music & Worship Arts
Tim Laughlin
Lionel Ferbos & the Palm Court Jazz Band
The Revivalists
Jumpin' Johnny Sansone
Empress Hotel
Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders
Cindy Scott
Watson Memorial Music Ministry
The Electrifying Crown Seekers
Bamboula 2000
Ivoire Spectacle feat. Seguenon Kone
Ingrid Lucia
Paulin Brothers Brass Band
The Courtyard Kings
Dukes of Dixieland
Kevin Bryan
D.L. Menard & the Louisiana Aces
Real Untouchables Brass Band
Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians
Clive Wilson's New Orleans Serenaders
High Ground Drifters Bluegrass Band
Beth Patterson & Potent Bathers
Marc Stone
Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys
Erika Flowers
Tonia Powell & the Left Field Band
Henry Gray & the Cats
Women in Jazz
Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes
Hadley J. Castille Family & the Sharecroppers Cajun Band
Chris Clifton
Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns
Tom McDermott & Friends
Jeremy Lyons & Members of Morphine
Leo Jackson & the Melody Clouds
Gospel Soul Children
Cameron Dupuy & the Cajun Troubadours
Louis Ford & His Dixie Flairs
Riccardo Crespo & Sol Brasil
101 Runners
Creole Wild West and Golden Star Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Storyville Stompers Brass Band
Jamil Sharif
Pastor Jai Reed
Tonia Scott & the Anointed Voices
Secondline Jammers
Men of Class
Family Ties
Dumaine Gang and Divine Ladies Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Lois Dejean Gospel Diva
Pat Casey & the New Sound
DJ Soul Sister
E'Dana & Company
Black Mohawk
Black Foot Hunters and Geronimo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble
Young Pinstripe Brass Band
The Heavenly Melodies Gospel Singers
New Wave Brass Band
Red White & Blue
Wild Mohicans
Golden Comanche and Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians
Loyola University Jazz Ensemble
Keep N It Real
We Are One
Zulu and Big Nine Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Johnette Downing
Morning Star Mass Choir
The Bester Singers
The Sammy Rimington International Band
The Dynamic Smooth Family Gospel Singers
Tulane University Jazz Ensemble
Tornado Brass Band
Carrollton Hunters
Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows
Ninth Ward Hunters and Ninth Ward Navajo Mardi Gras Indians
Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir
Golden Voices Community Choir
Olympia Aid
New Look and The First Division Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Bishop Sean Elder & the Mount Hermon BC Mass Choir
The Wimberly Family Gospel Singers
Josh Kagler & Harmonistic Praise Crusade
Big Steppers
Untouchables and Furious Five Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Black Eagles Mardi Gras Indians
Reverend Jermaine Landrum & the Abundant Praise Revival Choir
Miss Claudia & her Biergartners
Asociacion de Peruanos en Louisiana
Ayla Miller
Young Band Nation Blues Project
The Jones Sisters
GrayHawk
Alana Villavaso
N'Fungola Sibo West African Dance Company...

SECOND WEEKEND, MAY 3-6, 2012

The Neville Brothers
The Eagles
Foo Fighters
Zac Brown Band
Herbie Hancock
My Morning Jacket
Ne-Yo
Bunny Wailer
Bonnie Raitt
Paulina Rubio
Irma Thomas
Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
Florence & the Machine
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
Esperanza Spalding
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Levon Helm Band with special guest Mavis Staples
Steve Earle
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Ani DiFranco
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Bruce Hornsby
Asleep at the Wheel
Funky Meters
Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 50th Anniversary Jam
David Sanborn and Joey DeFrancesco
Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers
Zebra
Aaron Neville
Rebirth Brass Band
Better Than Ezra
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Marcia Ball
Big Sam's Funky Nation
The Bounce Shake Down feat. Big Freedia, Katey Red, Keedy Black and DJ Poppa
Sarah Jarosz
Pedrito Martinez
Anders Osborne
Charmaine Neville Band
Jon Cleary
Deacon John
Bombino (Niger)
Donald Harrison
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners
Bonerama
Rockin' Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters
Glen Hansard
John Mooney & Bluesiana
Theresa Andersson
Honey Island Swamp Band
Regina Carter's "Reverse Thread"
Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias
James Cotton "Superharp" Band
Mia Borders
John Boutte
Wayne Toups & ZyDeCajun
Terri Lyne Carrington's Mosaic
Supagroup
MyNameIsJohnMichael
Bill Miller
Joints Jumpin'
Astral Project
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience
Jeremy Davenport
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Orchestra
Glen David Andrews
Boutte Family Sunday Praise
Wycliffe Gordon
Ruby Wilson's Tribute to Bessie Smith & Ma Rainey
Little Freddie King Blues Band
Iguanas
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Gregg Stafford's Jazz Hounds
Hot Club of New Orleans
Germaine Bazzle
Andrew Duhon
Rotary Downs
Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove
New Orleans Nightcrawlers
Bobby Lounge
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Silky Sol
Joe Krown Trio feat. Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Russell Batiste Jr.
Leroy Jones & New Orleans Finest
New Birth Brass Band
The Malone Brothers
Marlon Jordan Quartet
Roland Guerin
Zion Harmonizers
Wendell Brunious & the Music Masters
Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band
Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show
Otra
Mac Arnold & Plate Full o' Blues
Amina Figarova Sextet
Feufollet
Banu Gibson
Doreen's Jazz New Orleans
The Stars of Heaven
Red Stick Ramblers
Rumba Buena
Magnolia Jazz Band of Norway feat. Topsy Chapman
Kipori "Baby Wolf" Woods
Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Bigtimers
Jambalaya Cajun Band
Flow Tribe
Free Agents Brass Band
Spencer Bohren
Guitar Masters feat. Jimmy Robinson
Phil DeGruy
John Rankin and Cranston Clements
George French & the New Orleans Storyville Jazz Band
Mariachi Jalisco
Jim McCormick Band
The Revealers
Black Feathers
Black Seminoles and Red Hawk Mardi Gras Indians
Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys
Hot 8 Brass Band
The Raymond A. Myles Singers 30th Anniversary
Mas Mamones
Jo "Cool" Davis with Sugarboy Crawford
Mem Shannon
Blodie's Jazz Jam
Vivaz!
ELS
A Living Tribute to Harold Battiste
Creole String Beans
Michael Ward
Golden Blade and Fi Yi Yi Mardi Gras Indians
Original Pinettes Brass Band
Forgotten Souls Brass Band
Casa Samba
Patrice Fisher & Arpa & the Garifuna Connection
The Johnson Extension
Joe Hall & the Cane Cutters
Orange Kellin's New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra
Mark Braud
Nayo Jones
Reggie Hall & the Twilighters feat. Lady Bee
Belton Richard & the Musical Aces
Phillip Manuel
Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band
New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra
Pinstripe Brass Band
New Orleans Spiritualettes
Jockimo's Groove feat. War Chief Juan
Ted Winn
Courtney Bryan
Sam Doores & the Tumbleweeds
AsheSon
Young Tuxedo Jazz Band
Tommy Sancton's New Orleans Legacy Band
Kim Che're
Kid Simmons' Local International Allstars
Robert Jardell
Tarriona "Tank" Ball & the BlackStar Bangas
Erica Falls
Baritone Bliss
Kumbuka African Dance & Drum Collective
TBC Brass Band
The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders
Lesa Cormier & the Sundown Playboys
Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers
Donnie Bolden & the Spirit of Elijah
Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble
Cha Wa
Cynthia Girtley
Rocks of Harmony
Val & Love Alive Fellowship Choir
Connie Jones & the Crescent City Jazz Band
Julio y Cesar
Brass Bed
Lynn Drury
Kora Connection feat. Morikeba Kouyate and Thierno Dioubate
Kelcy Mae
Connie & Dwight with the St. Raymond/St. Leo the Great Gospel Choir
McDonogh 35 High School Gospel Choir
The Mighty Supremes
Lyle Henderson & Emmanu-El
Yvette Landry Band
VIP Ladies
Original Big 7 and Original Four Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Zulu Male Ensemble
Zazou City
John Lawrence & Ven Pa' Ca Flamenco Dancers
Guitar Slim Jr.
Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters
Wild Tchoupitoulas
Wild Apaches
Cherokee Hunters and Young Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians
Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble
Forever Jones
Trombone Woodshed
J. Monque'D Blues Band
Kristi Guillory & the Midtown Project
Ceasar Elloie
Revolution
Ladies of Unity
Scene Boosters
Ole N Nu Style Fellas and Lady Jetsetters Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Kenneth Terry Brass Band
Gregory Agid
Brother Dege
Palmetto Bug Stompers
Kid Chocolate
Seva Venet & the Storyville String Band
Kinfolk Brass Band
St. Joseph the Worker Choir
DJ Captain Charles
Topsy Chapman & Solid Harmony
Golden Sioux
Young Cherokee
Big Chief Trouble & Trouble Nation and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Voices of Peter Claver
Pastor Terry Gullage & the Greater Mount Calvary Voices of Redemption Choir
Pastor Tyrone Jefferson
New Orleans Indian Rhythm Section
Gospel Inspirations of Boutte
Jeffery Broussard & Creole Cowboys
O. Perry Walker Charter High School Choir
Eleanor McMain Singing Mustangs
The Pfister Sisters
First Emanuel Baptist Church Mass Choir
Wild Red Flame
Buffalo Hunters and Apache Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
High Steppers Brass Band
Tanya & Dorise
Matthew Davidson
Westbank Steppers
Valley of Silent Men
Pigeon Town Steppers
New Generation and Undefeated Divas Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Culu Children's Traditional African Dance Company
14 and Under Cajun Band
David & Roselyn
Smitty Dee's Brass Band
N'Kafu African Dance
Baby Boyz Brass Band
New Orleans Hispano America Dance Group
Versailles Lion Dance Team
Young Fellaz Brass Band
Judy Stock
Eulenspiegel Puppets
Lady Rollers
Original C.T.C. Steppers
Nine Times Ladies
Prince of Wales and Original Lady Buckjumpers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Opera a la Carte
Young Guardians of the Flame
Stephen Foster's Foster Family Program

A beautiful artistic rebirth

Although it has been open for over four years now, there really wasn't a lot of hoopla about the reopening of the "Bay Bridge" in coastal Mississippi. Here's a link to the history of the rebuilding of the 54 year old bridge destroyed by Katrina

Unless you enjoy traveling to Gulport/Biloxi and beyond away from I-10, you've never had the pleasure of crossing St. Louis Bay. It's a peaceful ride and quite scenic. An added bonus is that the bridge now has a pedestrian walkway on the eastbound side, complete with artwork done by local artists cast in bronze.

We walked the four mile trek to discover the outdoor art gallery that is located upon the bridge and it was a very enjoyable walk overlooking the Bay. I found it exhilirating to witness the artwork first-hand on a sunny day.

A local sculptor was chosen to create three-dimension plaques using the selected artwork and
using bronze recovered from the destroyed Bay bridge. In addition to the physical link restored by
the bridge, the artwork reflects a symbolic link connecting the past to the present.


Speaking of links, I have provided a link to the best site I could find to give the viewer more insight into each individual artist.

Here are the plaques:

(click on pictures for larger versions)


Artist: Marty Wilson, from Gulfport



Artist: Donna Lynne Riviere



Artist: Robert Waldrop



Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.



Artist: Laura Pecoul



Artist: Patricia Rigney



Artist: Shea Marie Nicosia




Artist: Elizabeth Schafer




Artist: Anita Gallagher




Artist: Vicki Niolet



Artist: Jorge Lovato



Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.



Artist: Julie Mello




Artist: Yuki Northington



Artist: Terry Blake Edwards



Artist: Yuki Northington



Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.



Artist: Terry Blake Edwards



Artist: Lea de Vaux Saucier



Artist: Tazewell Morton

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.



Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.




Artist: Joan Coleman



Artist: Robert Waldrop

This photo of the bridge reminds one of the resiliance of the people of the Gulf Coast and her beauty

Rebirth, festivals and small town America

Happy Independence Day! I'm posting this slap dab in the middle of the 2011 July 4th Weekend and am hoping that the two readers of this post are enjoying themselves. ;)

We spent our "celebrating America's Independence" Day in one of my favorite cities, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Located about 40 minutes from our home in Slidell, Bay St. Louis epitomizes the "comeback city".

On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina made her final landfall at Bay St. Louis. The little town was flattened and it still working on her rebound. In the past six years she's done well.

click on picture for full size version



My husband and I take pleasure from our trips to Bay St. Louis, especially when we want a fantastic burger. We either go to the Mockingbird Cafe or the Buttercup Restaurant. Both restaurants are on the same street. The joys of small town America.

About four years ago we attended the Crab Festival put on by Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St.Louis and appreciated the atmosphere, food, music and breezes from the Bay. So we decided to revisit the fest this year and were not disappointed.



While we truly love the French Quarter, PoBoy, Oyster and countless other Festivals in New Orleans, the ambience and down home comfort of a festival away from the Crescent City is a welcome hot weather diversion. The OLG (Our Lady of the Gulf) Fest is well done and small enough allow us park our chairs in a shady spot and take off for a few hours of eating and photography and return to find our chairs still there, unoccupied.

There were more than 50 dishes offered, a good deal of them containing the subject of the Festival.



Here is the food we sampled and savored:


Boiled shrimp (very tasty) and Lake Pontchartrain Crabs (sweet crabmeat)


Fried Catfish with fries, hush puppies and coleslaw


Crabmeat pie and fried softshell crab with cole slaw and seafood smashed potatoes

In between stuffing our faces we took walks and pictures. Our first foray was thru the arts section of Bay St. Louis.


This sweet little courtyard is dedicated to Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, a colonizer in the Gulf Coast region.


Here is a closeup of the plaque in the opening of the courtyard. Apparently Bay St. Louis was originally named Shieldsboro after Thomas Shields, a ship's purser.

Main Street is the section of town that I love to haunt. It has shops and galleries that beg to be discovered.


This building is one of the few that survived the 30 foot storm surge of Katrina.


One of the tenants of this building, Bay Breeze, rents bikes and kayaks. It also sells home furnishings.


A little watering hole on Main Street by the Bay.


One of the art galleries we visited was Maggie May's, a purveyor of local art.

I asked the owner if I could take pictures inside and she said as long as it's not of the artwork. So I took a picture of this nifty glass block window:



There were some very nice pieces and paintings in the gallery which takes up a city block. Plus it has air conditioning, making it a perfect spot if you're visiting BSL in the summer to take a break from the heat. Attached to the gallery is Lulu, a great little spot to catch a bite to eat. .



Moving across the street we found one of our favorite bread baker Serious Bread. We went inside and got a lovely, crusty loaf of bread and two craisin scones along with a complementary bottle of water from the owner himself! Mr Jensen makes fantastic scones, not dry like most that I've sampled.

Fueled up for another leg on our jouney around downtown Bay St. Louis, we carried on and soon discovered the sweetest little community garden which seems to be doing well despite our dry conditions this summer. Here are some pictures of their crops:










This old place is right next to the Mockingbird Restaurant on 2nd Street.


In the garden outside the Mockingbird is this very cool bottle tree.



On the other side of the Mockingbird Cafe is The Shops at Century Hall. Originally built by the Woodmen of the World for fraternal functions, Century Hall now houses an art gallery and many rooms of vintage antiques and one of a kind items. It's a great place to spend an hour or two.



Here are some of the sights we found interesting:






I found this piece to be rather spooky.


I love this stained glass. Unfortunately, my little tiny house has no room for it.




There is a room devoted to old kitchen tools.


Another room is filled with folk artist and Bay St. Louis resident Alice Moseley's work, including this video of Alice explaining her art. In another part of BSL you can visit Miss Moseley's home, which is now a museum.




This plaque depicts the story of BSL's "angel tree". The background to the story is here..


Century Hall's next door neighbor is an ancient cemetery, which I found fascinating.


Doves carved into a tree that died from the saltwater intrusion from The Storm seem to flutter among the graves.


some graves were behind old gates like this one


This angel, most likely carved from a Katrina tree, presides over the small cemetery.



Back at the Crab Fest they were still boiling crabs and shrimp



Ceiling fans and the breeze from the Bay kept it tolerable in the afternoon.

We decided to catch some of the more unique and patriotic outfits at the fest













One of the bands that played early in the day was the 41st National Guard Army Band They rocked.


Toward the late afternoon, we took a walk toward St. Stanislaus College and chilled out on the bench, watching the Bay and the crowds.






Seeing the beach being restored six years after the storm is very heartwarming .

All in all it was a relaxing and enjoyable trip. One that assures us that we will