Mardi Gras

Babylon rolls through Uptown a day late with only floats (photo gallery)

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The Knights of Babylon celebrated their 81st anniversary with a parade through Uptown on Friday (Feb. 21), with  27 floats and 15 lieutenants on horseback. The club was to roll Thursday but high winds and the chance of rain resulted in a day delay. Originally known as the Jesters Club, Babylon retains the jester as its symbol, with a jester float and throws such as jester koozies and lighted jester hats along with the club’s new signature throw, an LED jester on a stick. The identity of the king, called Sargon, is never revealed to the public, and the queen’s identity is not know until parade day.

Mardi Gras

Muses rolls with fine weather after delay (photo gallery)

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After being canceled Thursday due to high winds, the Krewe of Muses’s 20th anniversary parade rolled Friday (Feb. 21) through Uptown with 29 floats following the theme “2020 Visions: NostradaMuse Sees All.”  The all-female krewe adopted a green philosophy this year tossing “reMuseable” throws. New throws included car magnets, custom cocktail napkins, lighted shoe headbands and spinning ducks. The most coveted item was of course the hand-decorated glitter and bedazzled Muses shoe handed out by float riders.

Mardi Gras

A who’s who of Uptown Mardi Gras marching clubs

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By Sue Strachan, Uptown Messenger

In the early hours of Mardi Gras in Uptown, future revelers awaken to the sounds of walking clubs meandering through neighborhoods before the day’s parades roll.

In the Irish Channel, the Corner Club starts its stroll from its club at Annunciation and Laurel streets, while Lyons Carnival Club begins at Grits, at Lyons and Annunciation streets. The Jefferson City Buzzards commences from Laurel Street at Audubon Park. Further east in the Garden District, the Half-Fast Walking Club is awakening Commander’s Palace, with Mondo Kayo Social and Marching Club soon following it.

events

Rolling tonight: Muses, Babylon, Hermes, d’Etat, Morpheus

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It will be an especially Fat Friday on the Uptown parade route tonight, with Krewe of Muses and the Knights of Babylon float-only processions joining the Mystic Krewe of Hermes, Le Krewe d’Etat and the Krewe of Morpheus.

The weather that ousted Muses and Babylon from their usual time slots is expected to calm down. On Friday morning, the National Weather Service was predicting clear skies and 5 to 10 mph winds. The cold air is sticking around though — with a low around 40 — so bundle up to head out to parades.

city government

Viewpoint: Cantrell still the queen despite changing poll numbers

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By Danae Columbus, opinion columnist
Although Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s job performance ratings took a hit from last year, according to a new poll, Cantrell still reigns supreme over all things News Orleans. The poll — taken earlier this month by Ed Chervenak’s Edgewater Research and Tony Liccardi’s My People Vote — provided a snapshot of the mayor’s favorability midway through her first term.  Results showed that Cantrell is less popular than either mayors Landrieu or Nagin were at this point in their administrations.