events

Paradigm Gardens offers bumper crop of activities on Sunday mornings

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The Paradigm Gardens Plant Sale, held Sunday mornings in the shadow of the Pontchartrain Expressway in Central City, offers not just pots of herbs and tomatoes but a chance to enjoy an outdoor, socially distanced brunch and concert. The brunch on Sunday (Oct. 11) included food from Coquette restaurant and the vocal stylings of Robin Barnes. Plus, goats — all in a gorgeous garden. The sale of the plants and brunch items helps finance the Paradigm Gardens School — the only K-12 garden school in Louisiana.

events

‘Eve’s Bayou’ Reunion: Live chat with Kasi Lemmons and Lynn Whitfield

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The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) is reuniting Eve’s Bayou (1997) director Kasi Lemmons and actor Lynn Whitfield for a special livestreamed conversation this Friday (Aug. 21) at 5:30 p.m. Ahead of the 31st Annual New Orleans Film Festival (Nov. 6-22), this reunion kicks off the “Why Film Matters” series in which NOFS highlights a landmark film as the basis for a series of conversations and varied programming around its impact. Fans of “Eve’s Bayou” are encouraged to stream the film synchronously on a platform of their choosing and live tweet with NOFS using the hashtag #EvesBayouReunion starting at 3:30 p.m. The NOFS Twitter account will be leading the conversation with lesser-known facts about the film and scenes with the help of fans, writers, and critics. The reunion conversation is free to stream and will be moderated by NOFS Programming Manager Zandashé Brown (Blood Runs Down).

events

Uptown homes featured in PRC’s virtual Shotgun House Tour

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The COVID-19 shutdown this spring resulted in the cancellation of many popular events, including the Preservation Resource Center’s annual Shotgun House Tour, a major fundraiser for the nonprofit devoted to the historical preservation of New Orleans architecture and cultural identity. Now the PRC is bringing back the beloved tour in a safe and entertaining way — online. This virtual event will present Shotgun Sundays featuring a different house every Sunday at 4 p.m. in July and August. Participants can take a guided virtual tour through each home. From the comfort of their couch, they can learn about the history each home and the individual use of space to suit a modern lifestyle.

historic preservation

St. Francis de Sales Church renovation featured today on virtual Preservation Fest

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The former St. Francis de Sales Church is featured in the Preservation Resource Center’s Preservation Fest 2020, a full day of free online programs.

Built circa 1867, just two years after the Civil War, the stately St. Francis de Sales Church served as a Catholic church parish until 2008, when it was sold by the Archdiocese of New Orleans and deconsecrated. The wooden church building remained vacant for nine years and fell into disrepair before developer Peter Gardner purchased it in 2017 and commenced an extensive restoration. Today from 12:30 to 1 p.m., take a virtual tour of the property here on the PRC Facebook page. For a Preservation Fest schedule, see here.

Advertiser specials

GiveNOLA Day 2020 is June 2!

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The seventh annual GiveNOLA Day, an initiative of the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF), is on Tuesday, June 2 from 12:00 am to midnight. This is a 24-hour online giving event for the 13-parish Greater New Orleans region. “Now more than ever, our local nonprofits need your support,” said Greater New Orleans Foundation’s President and CEO Andy Kopplin. “COVID-19 has adversely impacted our region, let’s not let it impact our region’s giving spirit. “The challenges facing our families and neighbors during the COVID-19 crisis only magnifies the need for our nonprofit community to provide the critical resources our region depends on, and after this crisis ends, their work will be that much harder and even more important.”

GiveNOLA Day provides support for over 700 regional nonprofits in the 13-parish region (Orleans, Jefferson, St.

Mother's Day

City cemeteries, including Lafayette No. 1, open for Mother’s Day

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The city will allow residents to visit city-run cemeteries on Sunday, May 10 — Mother’s Day — to pay respects to loved ones. The day will include a temporary opening of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which has been closed for repairs since September 2019. The Garden District cemetery, which dates back to the 1830s, will be monitored by city staff, with supervision available at other cemeteries as well. Social distancing protocols will be enforced, with visitors required to limit their groups to no more than 10 people, and all visitors keeping the required six-foot distance from one another.

transportation

Digital town hall to outline plans to revamp region’s transit system

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A initiative to overhaul the region’s public transit system, called New Links, was at a crucial phase in February. It had released three comprehensive transportation concepts and was asking the public to weigh in. That public input would drive the final proposal, Regional Planning Commission officials said. When the COVID-19 emergency hit, the New Links team was in the middle of intense outreach at busy transit stops and community meetings. Social distancing put a stop to that outreach.

events

Sip and shop — virtually — during the Magazine Street Champagne Stroll

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The 10th annual Champagne Stroll on Magazine Street is still on for May 2. It’s just not on the street, it’s online, the Magazine Street Merchants Association has announced. Magazine Street (@MagazineStreet) will host an interactive Instagram live video feed, the “Virtually Champagne Stroll,” on Saturday, May 2. Merchants will offer special deals and followers can chime in with their messages supporting Magazine Street and photos of themselves drinking champagne and shopping online. This night has been one of the flagship events of the Magazine Street Merchants Association, providing heavy traffic and much needed sales to many businesses on Magazine Street, giving them a boost before the traditional summer slump sets in.

coronavirus

NOLA.com: Neighbors bang out a nightly thank-you note

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At 7 p.m. every night, a racket breaks out on quiet stretch of Laurel Street in the West Riverside area. It’s neighbors sending a thank-you note to the doctors and nurses, RTA workers, ambulance drivers, firefighters and everyone else who is working to help New Orleanians through the coronavirus pandemic, reports Doug MacCash on NOLA.com. The ritual, modeled on similar demonstrations of unity in New York and around the globe, was initiated by 72-year-old Uptown resident Natesh “Mo” Mohan to show respect and gratitude for everyone on the front-lines.  

 

events

Archbishop, rabbi to take ‘Spirit Flights’ over city

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From Big Easy Wing

In an initiative to honor this week’s religious holidays during a major health crisis, the Big Easy Wing of the Commemorative Air Force will launch its first “Spirit Flights” over New Orleans. Two local religious leaders will be flying over the city in a World War II plane. The first flight will take on Good Friday (April 10) at 10 a.m. Archbishop of New Orleans Gregory Aymond will fly over the city to bless the citizens of metropolitan area during this pandemic. Aymond himself only recently recovered from COVID-19. “We continue to ask for prayers for our health care workers, our leaders, those who are sick, and those who have died,” Ayond said.