Film Festival’s opener explores musical connection between New Orleans and Havana

By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger
The 2023 New Orleans Film Festival will open with a screening of Música! It follows student musicians from Cuba on a musical exchange that includes Preservation Hall in New Orleans. The first screening takes place at the Prytania Theatre Uptown on Thursday (Nov. 2) at 7:30 p.m.
Film goers have another opportunity to see the Música! by Academy Award winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music) at the Prytania Theatre at Canal Place 2, on Monday, Nov. 6, at 12:30 p.m.
Viewers meet three young musicians and watch their lives over five years – at school, with their families, performing around town, and on a musical exchange to Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

New Orleans Film Festival comes to the Prytania

By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger

The 34th New Orleans Film Festival will screen films at the Prytania Theater Uptown presenting a wide variety of films, most of which cannot be seen any other way. NOFF opens on Nov. 2 and closes Nov. 7. The festival will showcase films at four venues, including the Prytania Theater Uptown, 5339 Prytania Street.

Ghoul’s paradise on St. Charles Avenue is to die for

By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger

Once again, the queen of ghostly puns has pulled off a Halloween extravaganza on St. Charles Avenue. Crowds gather and a line of cars slows down to see the Skeleton House at 6000 St. Charles Ave., the creation of homeowner Louellen Berger. 

The skeleton krewe is an established fixture on the New Orleans’ Halloween scene. There’s local satire, like the “Scourge and Water Board” on an orange cone in the street, and the “Corpse of Engineers.” New this year are the “Pearly Gates,” Berger’s own front gate draped in long pearls, better known as Mardi Gras beads. 

In the front yard – and spilling over onto the sidewalk and up into the trees — are more than 100 skeletons wearing costumes with wonderfully punny labels.

Volunteers to beautify neighborhoods and meet their neighbors on Cleanup Day

The first Saturday in November (Nov. 4) is Cleanup Day across Uptown neighborhoods in Council District B.

The District B Cleanup Day, organized by Councilwoman Lesli Harris’ office, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. Its success depends on volunteer efforts by neighborhood residents. According to the District B office, Cleanup Day as part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality of life and public safety for District B residents and businesses. Fourteeb neighborhood groups across the Uptown will serve as hosts, each with a designated meeting point (listed below) and a walking route where volunteers will collect trash and improve public areas.

Uptown neighbors to gather Tuesday for Night Out Against Crime

The 40th annual Night Out Against Crime will take place Tuesday (Oct. 17). Events are planned across Uptown neighborhoods and are listed below. The Night Out Against Crime in New Orleans is a community-wide event to raise crime prevention awareness, reduce crime and increase the support of local, state and federal law enforcement. It began over 30 years ago with NOPD officer Kelly Marrione.

Volunteers needed for Lafayette Cemetery cleanup

The Garden District Association is calling for volunteers to clean up the historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 at 1400 Washington Ave. The cemetery has been closed to the public since 2019. The annual cleanup on Thursday morning (Oct. 5) will help prepare the 19th century “city of the dead” for All Saints’ Day.

McMain HS celebrates Dr. Melanie Moore with new principal meet and greet (sponsored)

We’re ringing the alarm that the new school year has started! Exciting times are ahead as we invite you to a special meet & greet with the new principal of Eleanor McMain Secondary School, Dr. Melanie Moore. All alumni, community members, and parents are invited to join us to welcome Dr. Moore and learn more about this new era of learning & growth. Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 at 5 p.m.

About InspireNOLA Charter Schools

Founded in 2013, InspireNOLA Charter Schools operates a network of seven public charter schools in New Orleans, including Alice M. Harte Charter School, Andrew H. Wilson Charter School, Dwight D. Eisenhower Charter School, Pierre A. Capdau S.T.E.A.M School, Edna Karr High School, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, and McDonogh 35 Senior High School. InspireNOLA currently serves more than 5,800 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade.

‘Coffee on Your Corner’ pours zoning and enforcement, public safety and housing

Residents in District A and District B will have a chance to meet with city officials during two August “Coffee on Your Corner” events. Questions on zoning and enforcement issues will be answered at the District A coffee klatsch. The District B Neighborhood Engagement Office event is on public health and housing. The Mayor’s Office created Coffee on Your Corner to bring city government to neighborhood venues. The events give New Orleanians a chance to hear about city programs, initiatives and operations directly from the officials in charge of them.

Uptowners don’t need to travel far for a COOLinary meal

Let’s face it — August in New Orleans, especially with seemingly endless record heat, can be brutal. All the more reason to escape to your favorite restaurant, or that restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, to indulge your taste buds with a COOLinary meal. During the 19th annual August COOLinary, some of the city’s finest dining establishments are offering specially curated prix-fixe menus at unbeatable prices. During COOLinary New Orleans, restaurant goers can enjoy two- and three-course lunch menus for $25 or less and three-course dinner and brunch menus for $50 or less from 109 restaurants citywide. Participants include some of the city’s longstanding and iconic Creole and Cajun restaurants as well as new places featuring New Orleans cuisine incorporating international inspirations.

Mayor’s Office invites public to meetings on the city’s budget

From the Mayor’s Office

Mayor LaToya Cantrell is holding Budget Community Meeting Series this to solicit public opinion on how the city should allocate the 2024 budget. “Building out the city’s budget for 2024 is a process that does not happen overnight; it starts right now,” Cantrell said in a press release. “These town halls are specifically designed for residents to hear directly from my administration and also for us to listen to the public relative to their priorities as well. ”

At the townhall-style meetings in each City Council district, officials will discuss budgeting priorities aligned with the Cantrell administration’s framework designed to prioritize issues that matter most to New Orleanians. These priorities include treating public safety as public health and investing in infrastructure, quality of life, economic development and good and inclusive governance.