events

Porch concerts respond to canceled music festivals

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Porch concerts had been popping up throughout the city when Milan area residents Natalia and Guy Gonzalez began hosting concerts on their Marengo Street front porch. The tradition started for the Gonzalezes in the fall of 2020, after a musician asked Natalia’s 94-year-old mother if she would put on a porch concert to help out the Radio Bird Quartet. She agreed, and then Natalia took on the project. “We have had Radio Bird, of course, as well as The Walrus, a Beatles cover band,” Natalia Gonzalez said. “In fact, recently when their Zony Mash show got canceled, they came to our porch and played the concert there.”

They are now presenting shows twice monthly, with Mia Borders booked for an upcoming show.

opinion

Viewpoint: Will proof of vaccination be required for festivals and Saints games?

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The Delta variant is quickly overtaking America. It already accounts for 93% of Covid-19 infections. To combat it, government and the private sector are announcing new mandates almost daily. Anyone planning to pay $200 or more to see the Rolling Stones at Jazz Fest in October must surely be wondering if a vaccination card or a recent negative Covid-test will be required for admission. Without such precautions, the Jazz and Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, Saints games and other fall special events could become superspreaders unlike any seen before. 

Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis has always said the Fest will adhere to the prevailing Covid guidelines.

Soulfood Sunday with Chef Ash at Rouses on Tchoup (sponsored)

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It’s never too hot for gumbo! Just ask Chef Ash. Chef Ashley Dominique has a thriving catering business, A Taste of Chef Ash, and works as a private chef to big names in the sports world. Her clients request gumbo year-round. On Sunday, you, too, can get A Taste of Chef Ash’s famous gumbo, when Chef Ash pops up at the Rouses Market at 4500 Tchoupitoulas St.

‘Think You’re Funny’ picks up the mic again at Carrollton Station

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The open-mic show that boasts that of being “New Orleans’ (once) longest running uninterrupted weekly comedy event” has returned to the stage after its long interruption. Back from the pandemic, “Think You’re Funny” at Carrollton Station. encourages comedians, both experienced and new, to take to the stage and work out their material in front of a live audience. Cassidy and Mickey Henehan co-host the weekly show. Mickey Henehan said that the local open-mic has wandered from bar to bar over the course of many years. As he explained, the show has previously found a weekly home at spots such as True Brew, Lucy’s and Keystone’s, but has been settled at Carrollton Station since 2008.

opinion

Viewpoint: Councilman Joe Giarrusso kicks off his campaign for a second term with talk of ‘smart growth’

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District A Councilman Joseph Giarrusso told several hundred supporters at Ralph’s on the Park last week that he has spent his first years in office building relationships and working on major issues but that there is much more to accomplish. The fundraising event officially kicked off Giarrusso’s campaign for a second term. “When I ran last time as a first-time candidate, you bet on me not knowing what you were going to get,” he told his supporters. Giarrusso said he has worked hard on the three areas he knew were important to his constituents: economic development, crime and infrastructure in District A, which includes portions of Uptown, Mid-City, Bayou St. John and Lakeview.

Uptown team wins top prizes at Hogs for the Cause

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An Uptown team of amateur pitmasters was named the 2021 champion over the weekend at Hogs for the Cause. The celebration of smoked meat returned to the festival scene at a new site in Belle Chasse. The barbecue and music festival hosted over 80 pork-punny teams from around the country along with musical acts like Anders Osborne and Old Crow Medicine Show. The Grand Champs, Lard and in Charge, are a true Cinderella story. In a field of teams consisting of 30 to 50 members, the Lards got it done with less than a dozen dedicated barbecue warriors.

community meetings

Carrollton neighbors back “Marsalis Unity Park” as the new name for Palmer Park

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The Carrollton area neighbors of Palmer Park agreed on “Marsalis Unity Park” as a new name for the park at a meeting hosted by Carrollton United. Palmer Park, which sits at the corner of Carrollton and Claiborne avenues, is currently named after the Rev. Benjamin Palmer, a 19th century minister who was a staunch vocal supporter of both slavery and the Confederacy. Originally called Hamilton Park, it was renamed in 1902, during the Lost Cause movement, for the New Orleans minister who preached to Confederate soldiers and was best known for a speech given after the election of Abraham Lincoln defending slavery and endorsing secession, according to New Orleans Historical. Marsalis, who died April 1, 2020, was a jazz musician, educator and lifelong New Orleanian who lived near Palmer Park for many years. Members of his family still live in the neighborhood.

events

Shotgun House Month features tours of Uptown homes

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The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans is bringing back Shotgun House Month in a virtual format throughout June. Shotgun House Month is a series of house tours and programs that highlight the history and the distinctive design of of these quintessentially New Orleans homes. This year, the Preservation Resource Center will forego in-person tours in favor of live guided virtual tours. These include tours of Uptown homes — the home of Emma Fick and Helvio Prevelato Gregorio on June 19 and the home of Julie Neill on June 27. The tours will showcase shotgun homes throughout the city that have undergone smart renovations, highlighting the livability and versatility of the historic house type.

arts, books and music

Uptown writer Michael Tisserand to release ‘My Father When Young’ in time for Father’s Day

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A wedding procession in Orleans, France. Young women puffing cigars in Evansville, Indiana. A costumed reveler crossing the street during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. These photos, and many more, were captured by Jerry Tisserand between 1955 and 1959. His collection of images is now the subject of the book, “My Father When Young” by his son, Uptown resident and award-winning author Michael Tisserand.

events

YAYA Arts Center to host Back in Bloom on Friday

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YAYA Arts Center in Central City is hosting Back in Bloom, a spring showcase with art demos, live music from Jack Sledge and the Hammers, and an art market by YAYA artists. The free celebration of spring will be held Friday (May 21) from 6 to 8 pm. at the YAYA Arts Center, 3322 LaSalle St. Participants can also watch glass art demos and take part in the Goblet Grab, which involves buying a handmade glass that can be filled, free of charge, throughout the evening. YAYA, for Young Aspirations Young Artists, was founded in 1988 as a creative partnership between New Orleans artist Jana Napoli and art students from International High School of New Orleans as an after-school enrichment program.