Yardi Gras stories: Audubon-Riverside neighborhood has a sense of déjà vu

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In its second year, the Audubon-Riverside subkrewe of House Floats selected the theme “Déjà Vu in 2022.” It has a double meaning. First, it’s here we are again — still with the pandemic. The Krewe of House Floats’ overall theme for the 2022 Carnival season, “Vaccinate, Decorate, Celebrate,” is also a nod to the enduring pandemic. 

Audubon-Riverside’s theme has a second meaning, recognizing that many residents plan to re-use most or all of their house float decorations from last year. One such resident is Sarena Teng, whose house float on Laurel Street at Napoleon has its own Instagram account (@queenofbouncehouse). Her Queen of Bounce House uses the same Big Freedia figure from 2021, but added a twist, based on the KoHF theme “Vaccinate, Decorate, Celebrate.”

“It is still and always will be the Queen of Bounce House, but this year, it’s ‘Big Freedia Saves the World’ against viral invaders,” Teng said. 

Playing off the popular 1980s “Space Invaders” video game, she made coronavirus germs out of lime green paper lanterns with hot-glued red glittery pompoms to look like spike proteins. Her Big Freedia has a giant vaccine syringe with a light-up laser gun that shoots down the germs. Nighttime viewers can see the vaccine explode in a fireball of green flashing lights.

good works

Broadmoor Improvement Association holding Day of Service on MLK Day

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The Broadmoor Improvement Association is holding a Day of Service event Monday (Jan. 17) in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Volunteers will repaint the mural on the Gen. Pershing Street side of Broadmoor Arts & Wellness Center and assist at the Broadmoor Food Pantry. The neighborhood association will also hold its first meeting of the year on Monday morning. To take part in the Day of Service, meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Broadmoor Arts & Wellness Center, 3900 Gen. Taylor St.

food and drink

Dragonfly Café offers breakfast, lunch and transformation in the Irish Channel

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A new breakfast and lunch spot is bustling in the Irish Channel. Dragonfly Café opened in November as a partnership with Raphael Academy, a state-licensed school for students with developmental disabilities. 

Thaddaeus Prosper manages the café, and Chef Gregory Thomas runs the kitchen. Tammy Patterson is the café’s master baker. 

Prosper was approached by the executive director of Raphael Village and asked if he would like to help open a café. It was a prospect that he and Patterson had considered for a while. Prosper worked for decades at Emeril’s and NOLA restaurants, and the café is a dream he has had for a long time.

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Bayou Relief Porch Concert with Amanda Shaw at CR Coffee Nov. 27th (sponsored)

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Free Porch Concert and artisan coffee/teas is the perfect mix to bring a burst of energy to Uptown for Small Business Saturday. Music will fill the air on Magazine St. Nov. 27th, thanks to CR Coffee Shop and special guest Amanda Shaw. As we enter the season of gratitude and giving, this festive event will be an opportunity for the community to donate to The Amanda Shaw Foundation Fund while supporting their local cafe. While strolling Magazine, guests will get into the holiday spirit by enjoying the sweet sounds of Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys and sipping one of their favorite CR favorites.

Ursuline Academy announces Fall Festival with lawn concert on Nov. 14 (sponsored)

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The concert on the lawn at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans will feature three performances: The Hundreds Brass Band — The Original Pinettes — Charmaine Neville. Here in New Orleans, festivals play an essential role in celebrating our unique culture. After a year of virtual concerts and drive-by events, fall 2021 is finally gearing up for the return of live gatherings. 

Ursuline Academy is joining in the revelry with a Fall Festival on State Street featuring music, food and fun. Ursuline will kick off its inaugural Fall Festival on Sunday, Nov. 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. with a musical celebration featuring live performances from three of New Orleans’ most beloved bands.

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Registration is open for Grow Dat Youth Farm produce boxes (sponsored)

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Sign up to pick up a box of produce at the farm each week. 

The CSA program is Community Supported Agriculture, the Farm Share initiative is an opportunity for customers to enjoy chemical-free, fresh produce while investing in the Grow Dat farm and youth leadership program. This locally grown produce box runs for 29 weeks and allows flexibility for pick up at their farm located in City Park. SNAP registration is also available, reach out for more information. 

“We envision a vibrant New Orleans where youth and adults transform their communities, their environment, and themselves by engaging in the meaningful work of growing healthy food”

The Farm Share initiative is a way for the community to become “member-investors” who receive a portion of the farm’s harvest every week. For decades, CSAs have supported small-scale farmers and strengthened local food systems. Members experience the seasonal fluctuations of the farm’s produce, a process that teaches consumers more about the natural cycles of food production. 

Deep rooted values with a love for the City and the land that serves it. Making a commitment to New Orleans by championing sustainability, youth leadership, inclusion & multiculturalism, and food justice.

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Enjoy ‘Coffee with Candidates’ event before Nov. 13 at CR Coffee Shop (sponsored)

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Try new signature fall beverages and have your questions answered this October, at CR Coffee Shop on Magazine St. Owner Kevin Pedeaux is opening his Uptown space as a hub for candidates this election season to reach the community. The informal atmosphere is open to respectfully ask pressing questions, share ideas, or simply observe and listen. 

Upcoming ‘Coffee with Candidates’ events include Leilani Heno for Mayor scheduled for Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m., and JP Morrell for at-large City Council Division 2 scheduled for Oct. 19 at 8 a.m.; at CR Coffee Shop, 3618 Magazine St.

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.

Kingsley House changing its name in light of revelations about Charles Kingsley’s racist views

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Kingsley House board members, senior leadership, elected officials and staff announced that the name of the 125-year-old nonprofit will be changed. The decision came after racist ideologies of Charles Kingsley, a Victorian-era British clergyman, author and social reformer, were discovered. The nonprofit is a social and human multi-service organization with a focus ranging from toddlers to seniors, Kingsley House officials say. Its main campus is in the Lower Garden District. Kingsley House CEO Keith Liederman said that he and others involved in the decision believe it’s important to dissociate the nonprofit from someone with contradicting viewpoints.

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.