Jewish Family Service to honor mother and daughter for community work

The Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans will honor Marjorie Bissinger and her daughter, Nancy Bissinger Timm, later this month at its annual Rhythm and Soul Fundraiser. The event will be held on Sunday, May 31 at 5 p.m. in the Audubon Tea Room, 6500 Magazine St. It will consist of a patron hour and then a seated dinner and program. Marjorie Bissinger worked to promote education throughout her career. She served as the storyteller and elf on WDSU’s “Let’s Tell a Story” for 17 years. Bissinger also taught nursery school for 18 years at the Jewish Community Center.

City’s Uptown recreation advisory team seeks new members at May meeting

The New Orleans Recreation Department Commission Advisory Team that covers parks and playgrounds in the District A area is looking for new members before their next meeting later this month. 

The group — known as the Uptown CATS — represents parks including Danneel Park, Alma Peters Park, Carver Park, Harrell Park, Dublin Park, Avenger Park and the Audubon Pool. Members both provide input on needs at individual parks and receive updates on any work scheduled at the parks from city officials. The next meeting of the Uptown CATS will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28. A meet and greet will be held before the meeting starts at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the French Casting Company office, 8025 St. Charles Ave.

Courtyard Brewery to host “Lost and Found” PechaKucha speakers

The 17th “PechaKucha” night in New Orleans — which features speakers who offer brief presentations on a variety of topics — focus on the theme of “Lost and Found” this week at Courtyard Brewery in the Lower Garden District. 

This event will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at the Courtyard Brewery, 1020 Erato St. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

There will be nine speakers, including people such as Chris Stuckey, Jennifer Rowe and Kiernan Dunn. Taceaux Loceaux food truck will provide food until 9 p.m.

Green Light New Orleans is giving away free spinach seedlings today

Green Light New Orleans, a non-profit looking to make the city more environmentally friendly, will give away free spinach today and host a celebration in support of the Give NOLA fundraising efforts. They will give out free Malabar spinach seedlings from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. At 5 p.m., they will begin their Give NOLA Day party. Both these events will take place at the the Green Light New Orleans Headquarters, located at 8203 Jeanette St. Their goal for Give NOLA Day is to raise $10,000 that would go toward building 25 gardens in the city.

New Orleans to celebrate first Independent Bookstore Day — after Jazz Fest

New Orleans will join the rest of the country in celebrating the first Independent Bookstore Day, just as soon as we get this little thing called Jazz Fest behind us. 

While Independent Bookstore Day will be celebrated nationally today (May 2), New Orleans will celebrate it on May 9 so it does not interfere with Jazz Fest. Garden District Book Shop, Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop and Octavia Books will each host their own events. They will team up to offer $75 in gift certificates for those who visit all three stores as part of a scavenger hunt. Each store will sell some exclusive items made exclusively for Independent Bookstore Day. Garden District Book Shop

2727 Prytania St./ (504) 895-2266

Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop 

631 N. Carrollton Ave./ (504) 598-5536

Octavia Books

513 Octavia St./ (504) 899-7323

 

Bridge House / Grace House to celebrate role models in overcoming addiction

Bridge House / Grace House will hold their 20th annual Women of Substance Luncheon next week to honor local women who are role models for those struggling with addiction. 

The theme of this year’s luncheon is “New Beginnings,” and will be held in the Audubon Tea Room at 11 a.m. Friday, May 8. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.

At the event, Walton Goldring, Ali Rouse Royster and Celie Stumm Howard, Susan Rodriguez, Pam Albers and Michelle Duplantis will be honored. There will also be a silent auction during the luncheon, which will go to help Bridge House/Grace House continue serve the community. Bridge House and Grace House both look to provide men and women who are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction with the help and support they need. Tickets for the event are $100 each, and can be purchased online at bridge house.org or by calling Joe Pittman at (504) 821-7288.

Men come together for weekly community bootcamp

 

F3, a free all-male bootcamp, happens twice weekly in Audubon Park. 

The men meet at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesdays in Audubon Park by the Magazine St. pull-up bars and again on Fridays at 5:30 a.m. by the St. Charles entrance. They plant a shovel flag at their workouts. The New Orleans chapter of F3 began last October and they currently have about 60 men who work out with them.

New Orleans College Prep to host spring concert

New Orleans College Prep will present its spring concert to honor New Orleans’ musical legacy on Wednesday evening at Cohen High School. 

The concert will be held in the Cohen Auditorium at 3520 Dryades Street. It will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 29. The event is free and open to the public. There will be performances by the Cohen Band, Sylvanie Williams and Crocker Drum Line, the Crocker Kitten Dance Team, the Cohen Choir and the Cohen Elite Models, with light refreshments to follow.  

Preservation Resource Center to dedicate Professor Longhair’s home as museum

The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans will dedicate Professor Longhair’s former home as a museum o Wednesday in a dedication ceremony complete, of course, with an array of local musicians. 

Music will begin at noon Wednesday, April 29, both inside the museum and on the street at 1738-40 Terpsichore Street. The dedication and unveiling of the museum will be at 4:30 p.m., and all events are free and open to the public. Performers will include pianists such as Marcia Ball, John Autin and Armand St. Martin, along with The Gentilly Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indians and James Jordan and the Beautiful Band.

Local artist to display new science-inspired art at Cafe Luna

Adrienne McFaul, a New Orleans artist, will showcase her new science-inspired artwork at Cafe Luna through the month of May. McFaul’s art mainly focuses on combining the science of visual perception and different symbols of Louisiana. As a psychology graduate student, she was very interested in how people see what they see, and tries to translate this into the paintings she produces. The exhibition starts Friday, May 1 and will run through the end of the month at Cafe Luna at 802 Nashville Ave. Cafe Luna is open daily from 7 a.m. until midnight.