Halloween

Ghost Manor is ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ and ‘giving the devil his due’ (with video)

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Ghost Manor on Magazine Street is back with two new Broadway-style vignettes this Halloween season. David Gentry, who creates the Halloween extravaganza, prefers that it not be referred to as a light show — as it’s so much more. The spectacle is an immersive theme-park-inspired theatrical show with coordinated animatronic characters, special effects and elaborately orchestrated performances that celebrate the magic and whimsy of Halloween with singing skeletons, dancing zombies, flying ghosts and other creatures. “I like to think that this is what ghosts and ghouls do after they get home from their jobs haunting people,” Gentry said. “My place is like a speakeasy for ghosts to unwind and entertain themselves.”

“Puttin’ on the Ritz” with the Ghost Manor gang of ghouls (courtesy of Ghost Manor)
This year’s light, music and animatronic dancing skeleton sequences feature two distinctly different new shows.

books and literature

Tulane opens the Anne Rice vaults for ‘Absolutely Unpredictable’ exhibition (with video)

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Just in time for the annual celebration of the macabre, Tulane University Special Collections will open an exhibition of its Anne Rice collection on Thursday (Oct. 27). Absolutely Unpredictable: Anne Rice in the City of Transgression will display rare items and archival materials related to Rice and her works. The exhibition, free and open to the public, will be on display through Feb. 17, 2023, and will be celebrated with a costumes-optional reception on Thursday evening. 

The materials center on New Orleans cultural touchstones such as Carnival and the Southern Gothic genre.

events

Neal Bodenheimer to talk about ‘New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em’

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Neal Bodenheimer, owner of renowned New Orleans bars and restaurants — Cure and Vals on Freret Street and Cane & Table and Peychaud’s in the French Quarter — will be at the Garden District Book Shop on Monday (Oct. 24) for a pre-publication celebration of his debut cocktail book, “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em.” Due out nationwide on Tuesday October 25, the book will showcase New Orleans’ iconic cocktail scene through 100 drinks — each chosen to represent the city’s past, present and future. The event will kick-off at 6 p.m. with a welcome reception within The Chicory House featuring bites and select cocktails from the book. Afterward, Bodenheimer and his friend and partner in Cure and sister concept Cane & Table, Kirk Estopinal, who contributed some of his original recipes to the book, will sit down to discuss the book and the cocktail culture in New Orleans.

Halloween

Halloween crowds gather to see the house with good bones

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Every year in October, if you ride on St. Charles Avenue in the vicinity of the corner of State Street, you will see crowds gathered at the Skeleton House. 

This has become a fixture on the New Orleans Halloween scene. In the front yard – and spilling over onto the sidewalk and up into the trees — are more than 100 skeletons wearing costumes and wonderfully punny labels. The plays on words satirize politicians (John “For Whom the Bel Tolls” Edwards, Bobby Dwindle), celebrities (Dead Astaire, Bone Jovi), and local personalities (TromBONE Shorty, Morris Bat). 

Homeowner Louellen Berger is the brains behind the funny bones, and last year the display came back in full force after the pandemic. Uptown Messenger caught up with some spectators during a beautiful mid-October day. 

Olivia Nolt and her sister, Adrienne Nolt, visiting from Maryland were there among the audience.

second line

Prince of Wales to second-line on Sunday

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The Prince of Wales Social Aid & Pleasure Club will second-line through the Touro-Bouligny, Central City, Garden District and Irish Channel neighborhoods on Sunday (Oct. 9). Prince of Wales is one of the oldest social and pleasure clubs still parading in New Orleans. It was formed in 1928 by dock workers; its roots are in the Irish Channel and other Uptown neighborhoods along the river. “We bring the spirit,” Prince of Wales member Joe Stern told WWOZ.

events

Al Copeland celebrated in biographical cookbook by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl

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“Secrets of a Tastemaker: Al Copeland The Cookbook” by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl was published Sept. 13 by the Cookbook Studio. The book is a biography of fried chicken magnate Al Copeland Sr. It is also a cookbook packed with some of Copeland’s most famous (and not-so-famous) recipes. Copeland was the larger-than-life figure behind the Copeland’s restaurant chain and the famed Popeye’s franchise. Al Copeland Jr., who wrote the book’s forward, and Kit Wohl will be at the Garden District Book Shop on Saturday afternoon (Oct.

Festivals

Broadmoor Fest offers full musical lineup at ‘neighborhood extravaganza’

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Broadmoor Fest will bring live music, local foods, children’s activities and more to the Broadmoor neighborhood on Saturday (Oct. 1). Broadmoor Community Church is presenting the free one-day festival. It will feature performances by T Marie & Bayou Ju Ju, Sharon Martin, Righteous Wrong, the Jackson Square Allstars and the Broadmoor Community Church Praise Team. The festival will be held on the church grounds at 2021 S. Dupre St.

events

Art for Art’s Sake to ring in the cultural season on Magazine

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Art for Art’s Sake is returning to Magazine Street for one night only on Saturday, Oct. 1. The fall evening event traditionally heralds the start of the city’s art season. More than 100 businesses stretching the entire length of Magazine Street will be participating, offering free white wine as well as art shows, special deals, promotional sales and live music. Art for Arts’ Sake
Oct.

city government

City officials celebrate Nix Library’s reopening

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After a long closure, then a reopening, then again closing and reopening, the ribbon was officially cut last week on the renovated and fully accessible Nix Library on South Carrollton Avenue. The modifications for American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance include the addition of a wheelchair lift at the building entrance and construction of a new restroom, at a total cost of $591,000. Other repairs included work on the roof and the drainage system. “We certainly encountered a few setbacks and unexpected challenges,” said Emily Painton, executive director of the New Orleans Public Library. “The Carrollton community has been so patient and deserves a library that is open to all people.

Advertiser specials

Second Line Arts Collective: Music Education from Recess to Record Deals (sponsored)

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In 2016, professional musicians Darrian Douglas and Gregory Agid were perplexed. New Orleans is a world renowned music city- Why were so many local musicians struggling to make ends meet? They soon discovered that many artists were lacking business skills and too often were depending on playing endless gigs to pay the bills. 88% of musicians they surveyed had zero music business exposure throughout high school or college. They decided to change the narrative by founding Second Line Arts Collective, a music education nonprofit for aspiring artists to grow their industry skills and knowledge base.