It's Carnival Time in New Orleans

[hillvalley]

We of the spinning world are living vicariously through you.

[Mabelline]

Mayhaw Man, I realize this ain't a gnat on an elephant's butt, but I am proud of them nonetheless. Mardi Gras Montana is having it's third annual party on Fat Tuesday, and the proceeds go to my beloved Food Bank. Out of 700 tickets @ 50.00, 550 were bought two days ago. The doctor won't let me go, though...boo. But we have got a new Louisiane restaurant in town, called Creole, and this owner is serious. He flys N.O. bread up here. Haven't gotten to go it yet, either. When my white cells get pumped up, all the good restaurants better watch out. And as a peacepipe gesture, I'll even eat a piece of pickled ok....ra.

[Mayhaw Man]

Carnival Parade Progress Report

It is 6:45 cst and raining like hell in New Orleans. I am stuck at our apt. in N.O. and there will be no parades tonight. This is bad for everybody but bar owners and people with food to sell, they will be packed. Hopefully we will have better tommorrow, although it is not predicted.

We had a beautiful weekend and I don't suppose there is much right to complain. It rained last year on Monday night and there was the same prediction for Tuesday, but it turned out to be a gorgeous day.

Happy Lundi Gras, ya'll!!

Dinner tonight will be sandwiches and stuff from the World Famous (thanks to Bourdain and his show from N.O.) Verti Mart. Which is conveniently located directly across the street from our apt. If you saw the show that's where he ordered up the "gimme your cheapest bourbon, a pack of smokes, and a muffaletta". I have ordered pretty much that same thing many times. THe best part about the place is that they get the NYT early in the morning and they are open 24/7/365.

[Mayhaw Man]

Cold, Wet, Rainy, Kinda Yuck. Mardi Gras 2004

Here is a link to this morning's St Anne's Parade (photos currently there are from last year, but it should be updated sometime today. The photo in my avatar is from this parade in 2003) St Anne's Parade

This is a link to something completely different. A small town marching parade in my little town that is a whole lot of fun, but it in a different, much more casual and thrown together kinda way. Krewe of Puch Mo Parade There will be photos added to this over the next couple of days (as soon as the webmaster sobers up ).

I will now proceed to watch the end of the day on TV. The last part of Carnival is the meeting of Rex and Comus at Municipal Auditorium-a very traditional and stupifyingly dull ceremony that is shown for three hours on public television every Mardi Gras. I watch it every year as some kind of pre lenten punishment. To the unitiated it might be fascinating, but to everybody else it is something you go to if you have to.

Happy Mardi Gras to all. May the weather be better next year!

[hillvalley]

Does anyone work during Mardi Gras? Are the schools open?

The pics from your town parade were great. It is cold and rainy here as well. Pictures of your town in the sun were just what I needed.

[jhlurie]

Brooks, I fully expect a follow-up to all of this on St. Patrick's Day, since I know that's a big party day too!

[Mayhaw Man]

Nope.

School's are out for a week. All of the colleges in the state are closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Banks closed Monday at noon. The only things open (pretty much) are grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. Nobody works unless they have to and it is a paid holiday for most.

We had fun this week, but the weather kinda blew it on Monday and Tuesday (for the second year in a row). Tommorrow you will see all kinds of people with ashes on their face at work (if they have to go) or in the store as all of the Catholics (I'm not one of them) will be hitting Ash Wednesday services in the morning.

[davebr]

Could you please explain to me-- Didnt Comus at one point stop rolling? Is that the parade Harry Connick Jr took over? If not, what is the name of his parade? Just tell me the whole story so I am not confused anymore.

[Comfort Me]

Nope.

School's are out for a week. All of the colleges in the state are closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Banks closed Monday at noon. The only things open (pretty much) are grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. Nobody works unless they have to and it is a paid holiday for most.

One thing that was STILL taking place was the Louisiana Bar Exam -- one of my wife's former co-workers moved to NOLA and took the bar exam yesterday -- which meant she completely missed out on her entire first carnival season, 'cuz Louisiana's exam is one of the toughest. (Y'all still recognize the Napoleanic code down there!)

Sorry for all the rain.

My 7 year old wants to go back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and I've been telling him we can -- when he's 15. I'm not a prude -- I think everyone should get a flash of tittie or dick now and then. They are both, as Martha would say, good things. My fear isn't perverting his mind, it's misplacing him! At 15 I think I could trust him to find his way back to a hotel if we got separated. At 8 I think I'd need sedation just THINKING about what could happen! What am I talking about -- I need sedation NOW just thinking about it! (Plus, at 15 he'd enjoy the flashes of genetalia a lot more!)

Laissez le bon temps arrêt!

Let the good times stop!

[Mayhaw Man]

Could you please explain to me-- Didnt Comus at one point stop rolling? Is that the parade Harry Connick Jr took over? If not, what is the name of his parade? Just tell me the whole story so I am not confused anymore.

Comus, along with Momus and Proteus (Rex, the olther old line parade never stopped) ceased rolling in 1989 thanks to some political correctness and some serious personal vendettas by a single councilwoman named Dorothy Mae Taylor (now deceased). Ms. Taylor decided to make the destruction of private carnival clubs her personal mission. She succeeded in a backhanded kind of way. The old line Krewes ceased parading for a number of years(Comus, the traditional last parade of Mardi Gras and also the club with the most secret traditions in all of Mardi GRas, still does not parade. It's ball, which coincides with Rex on Mardi Gras night, is still the culmination of all festivities. THe final event of Mardi Gras is the meeting of Rex, the King of Carnival and Comus-a really old money white guy), although Proteus has taken back it's traditional night parade spot on the Sunday before Mardi Gras.-which leads us to Harry Connick, Jr.

Harry had two main things going for him when he wanted to start his own parade

1) His dad has been the DA in Orleans Parish for 30 years and arguably was the most powerful guy in town b) Harry had a bunch of money and a bunch of rich friends from out of town who were willing to commit financially to a new parade.

Harry took a name of a defunct New Orleans Krewe and an active Mandeville Krewe, ordered giant floats from Blaine Kern (the king of giant floats) and got a Monday night spot that had been left empty by the departure of an old line krewe.

Everybody in town was overtly critical of this attempt to bring in out of towners and yankees and let them pelt the public with plastic trinkets (we like to think we are the only qualified pelters .) Everybody shut up after the first parade. The floats are gorgeous (and have only gotten better) there is a band between every float (and sometimes on them), weird marching groups get asked to walk (so he gets the hippy/artist vote-including mine) and they throw a ton of stuff (making it very popular with kids and tourists-this is my children's favorite parade behind Muses, the all women's krewe that runs on Wed. night).

Orpheus is a really good parade and good on Harry COnnick. He is homegrown and while he seriously strayed into that lounge singing business, he seems to be getting it back on track. After all, he had James Booker (the best piano player in the history of the world-IMO) as a teacher and can really slap the ivories when he is in the mood.

Now you know.