Sep 232011
 

Detail from "Let the Good Times Roll" by artist Darrin Butler

The Arts Market of New Orleans will host 115 visual artists as well as the usual assortment of food and drink vendors, live music and children’s activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Palmer Park, at the corner of South Claiborne and Carrollton. Continue reading »

Sep 232011
 

A Sojourner Truth Academy student paints at Taylor Park in Central City during March's "Fight the Blight" day. (Sabree Hill, UptownMessenger.com)

On Saturday morning, two of the Uptown New Orleans neighborhoods that have been most energetic in seeking their own revitalization will receive a shot in the arm from the city and hopefully hundreds of volunteers on “Fight the Blight” day at Samuel Square park. Continue reading »

Sep 232011
 
Common Ground Health Clinic invites you to be part  of the“ Black Tie” Bowling Fundraiser” on Thursday, September 29th at Rock n’ Bowl located in Mid City from 7pm – 10pm.  The event,  CGHC’s, first ever fundraising gala, will be a fabulous affair featuring food, drink (can you say “open bar”?), live music and, of course, bowling.
 Comments Off
Sep 222011
 

"Birth of a Muse," by Kim Bernadas

On Friday evening, the Lower Garden District wants you to come play in its parks.

At 5:30 p.m., the Arts Council of New Orleans will celebrate the installation of a new sculpture, Kim Bernadas’ “Birth of a Muse,” in the Terpsichore finger park near Prytania. After Hurricane Katrina, the Percent for Art program focused on restoration of public art, and “Birth of a Muse” is the first new work commissioned since then. The ceremony and reception will feature “live dancers and musicians, refreshments and hor d’oeuvres,” according to the Arts Council: Continue reading »

Sep 222011
 

[The following letter to the editor was written by Tim Garrett, State Street Drive neighborhood activist and administrator of NOLAhoods.com and AskNOLA.com]

As the owner/manager of AskNOLA.com, I may be biased, but I suspect many other native New Orleanians share my assessment of the current “citizen complaint hotline” hosted by City Hall:

Its hours are too restricted: Try dialing 311 at 5:01pm or during the weekend.  A recording asks you to call another day; you cannot leave a message.  The operators are poorly trained: Many of my calls get routed to the wrong department (“I said street light, not traffic signal”), and I’m forced to redial.  That’s quite an inconvenience, especially for tourists, drivers and cyclists. Continue reading »

Sep 212011
 

RSD planning director Adam Hawf (from left), superintendent John White, Carrollton resident Mary DeWitt Dukes and Pensiontown Neighborhood Association president Tilman Hardy speak Wednesday night after a meeting at the Johnson School campus. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

Stung by the pain of a broken promise, members of the James Weldon Johnson Elementary School community did their utmost Wednesday night to convince the new chief of the Recovery School District to resurrect a plan to move their campus to a safer, more prestigious site a few blocks away.

The Priestley site on Leonidas would symbolize social change, many said — traditionally, white schools in New Orleans were built on major thoroughfares like Leonidas, while black schools were tucked behind them in the neighborhood, like Johnson. But more importantly, the Priestley site is in a safer part of the neighborhood, they said.

“The crime is very high here,” said Johnson principal Wanda Brooks. “This school year, we had a killing in the back by the cafeteria.” Continue reading »

Sep 212011
 

The rectory at St. Henry's Catholic Church (image via Preservation Resource Center)

The Archdiocese of New Orleans denied any current plans to demolish the rectory at St. Henry Catholic Church, though it acknowledged inquiring about the possibility of doing so in order to host an exhibit on John Paul II. Continue reading »

Sep 212011
 

Marquel Horton (via opcso.org)

Andre A. Bell (via opcso.org)

Investigators have identified and arrested two men they believe are responsible for a shooting earlier this month on Felicity Street in the Lower Garden District, but the victims’ reluctance to cooperate makes it unlikely the charges will be prosecuted, police said. Continue reading »

 Comments Off
Sep 212011
 

The biggest movement in food these days is quite simply the movement of food.  Cuisine mobility.  Culinaria transportica.  The anti drive thru.  While some American cities have been experiencing a food truck culture for some time, the stride is just now hitting here in New Orleans.  Case in point: the first annual Street Fare Derby coming up this Saturday, September 24th.  And as this phenomenon is slowly becoming a mainstay to the American landscape I am reminded of another from yesteryear: the trucker. Continue reading »

Sep 202011
 

In an interview with the Blackened Out food blog, Jeffrey Talbot of Ancora on Freret Street discusses the primacy of sea salt, the “emotional experience” of pizza in California, the regional flavors of Italy, and the legendary oven he built in his backyard of his home outside Lake Charles. (To borrow Blackened Out’s disclaimer of sorts, the article is flavored with “the profanity laced patois of the kitchen.”)