Visit contemporary homes in Garden District and Irish Channel

The New Orleans Architecture Foundation, in partnership with New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, is holding a self-guided tour of contemporary homes Sunday in the Irish Channel and Lower Garden District. The tour is May 19 from 10 a.m. 4 p.m., beginning at the Modern Market, 1200 Annunciation Street. For decades, the Irish Channel and Lower Garden District neighborhoods, nestled just upriver of the CBD, suffered from disinvestment and demolition of their historic built fabric. In recent years, vacant lots have given way to innovative new homes, creating a vibrant neighborhood where 19th century mansions and shotguns coexist with the best of contemporary design. Tickets are $30 on the day of the tour.

Irish Channel Parade set to roll on Saturday

It seems like the Carnival parades just passed by, and it’s time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Channel Parade. On Saturday, March 16, cabbages, kisses and green bling will be flying along the parade route. The parade is scheduled for 1 p.m., starting after a noon Mass at St. Mary’s Assumption Church.

It’s time for green beer to flow at block parties in the Irish Channel

Partying in the streets, a New Orleans specialty, will be full force this week in celebration of St. Partrick’s Day. There are multiple opportunities in the Irish Channel to celebrate your Irish roots, or someone else’s Irish roots, or just the fact that there is an Ireland. Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club Block Party
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free music and entertainment.

Package theft in Irish Channel caught on camera

New Orleans police are searching for a suspect in connection with a package theft from an Irish Channel front porch. The incident occurred Feb. 19 around 4 p.m. A vehicle was seen stopping in front of a residence in the 500 block of Fourth Street. A man was seen getting out of the vehicle, approaching a residence and stealing two packages. He then fled the scene.

Irish Channel neighbors to discuss creating private security patrol

Based on the requests of several residents, the Irish Channel Neighborhood Association will begin a discussion tonight (Thursday, Aug. 9) about the process of setting a private security patrol in the area. Representatives from a private security company and from the Garden District Association have been invited to explain how a security district is created, said association president Kara Morgan. The Irish Channel held similar deliberations several years ago, but the idea never got off the ground, she said. The meeting will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship, located at 819 First Street.

Jackson Avenue chicken-wings restaurant faces growing opposition to liquor license

Concerns about what neighbors described as repeated disruptive block parties at a Jackson Avenue chicken wings restaurant led the Coliseum Square Association to withhold its support for a liquor license at the establishment Monday night. The owner of Finger Lick’n Wings, Marlon Horton, has said that he originally envisioned his competition for customers as small sandwich shops in the neighborhood, but discovered that many customers prefer takeout orders or delivery because he cannot sell alcohol with his food. On game days, “it’s like crickets” in his restaurant, because sports fans are all at restaurants like WOW Cafe and Wingery that can sell alcohol. Horton extolled the good behavior of his business, noting its well-kept storefront and dedication to fighting litter, but many neighbors complain that he has frequently held large parties that consume all of Jackson Avenue. Horton replied that his local fame as bounce artist 10th Ward Buck means that any event at his store draws a large crowd, but said he was willing to sign a good-neighbor agreement to stop having any parties.

Driver in Irish Channel survives gunshot to head with bullet lodged in skull

Deemed “the luckiest man in the world” by investigators, a driver in the Irish Channel survived being shot in the back of the head and even managed to drive himself to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said. The man was driving near Annunciation and Toledano around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 13 when he heard gunshots ring out, and one bullet shattered his rear window and lodged itself in the back of his skull, said NOPD Sixth District investigators last week’s internal meeting. The man then drove himself to Touro Infirmary, just a few blocks away, where doctors treated him and subsequently released him without removing the bullet from the bone, said Lt. Troy Savage of the Sixth District investigative unit. The victim offered very little in the way of information about the shooting, telling investigators he didn’t know who was shooting in the area or why anyone would target him, Savage said.

Prince of Wales to second line Sunday down Magazine, through Garden District, Irish Channel, Central City

Second-line season returns to Magazine Street on Sunday when the Prince of Wales and Lady Wales clubs put on their 83rd annual second line through the Irish Channel and Garden District. From email:

Prince of Wales/Lady Wales: 83rd Annual Second Line
Sunday, October 9, 2011
1:00pm – 5:00pm

2011 King: Thomas Harris

Be Aware! Start: Rock Bottom Lounge. 3801 Tchoupitoulas. Back Peniston to
Annunciation.