Muses Restores Autistic Girl's Faith In Carnival After Abusive Comments
The Krewe of Muses opened its den and members' hearts to restore the faith of an 11-year-old autistic girl who was mistreated by parade-goers last Thursday. Amy Mueller told WDSU her daughter, Emily, was ridiculed by a group of possibly drunken teenagers or young adults as she stood along the parade route. The Muses parade is something Emily looked forward to each year, but after being targeted by abusive comments, she and her mother left and went home. Mueller said her daughter wanted to forget Mardi Gras altogether. The incident became widely known after Mueller posted about it on an Internet blog (READ POST), which went viral across social media. That's when members of the krewe stepped in. Krewe members responded to Mueller's post in the comments, with some saying they wanted to give her daughter special Muses shoes, which the daughter was looking forward to all year. Friday, Emily got a personal tour of the Muses Den and a close-up look at the krewe's floats. The Krewe of the Rolling Elvi and the 610 Stompers attended the event after word spread of Emily's experience. - WDSU.COM
Unknown pranksters stick it to Krewe d'Etat
During the Krewe d'Etat parade Friday, Feb. 17, unidentified people attached a large number of stickers to parade floats and other vehicles in the procession. The stickers are roughly the size of a CD and feature the krewe's emblematic skull with a jester hat being stabbed in the eye with a red high-heeled shoe. There's a pool of blood behind the skull. Krewe members noticed the stickers at the end of the parade, but they were clearly visible on the WDSU TV broadcast during the parade. (The camera is set up at Gallier Hall.) Stickers also were put on the velvet outfit of a riding krewe officer and utility vehicles in the parade. But the prank was more extensive than stickers. The same image was painted in color on the sidewalk in front of the Krewe d'Etat den before the morning of the parade, and it was painted in several places on Uptown streets near where the krewe's parade route begins. A krewe spokesman described it as vandalism, and said the krewe would have to repaint some floats not scheduled to be repainted.The sticker's shoe seems to suggest the Krewe of Muses, and there has been some sort of rivalry between the two krewes in recent years. In a response to an email seeking comment, Muses' captain said she had heard about the stickers but said she didn't know anything else about them. - BESTOFNEWORLEANS.COM
Rex and his Queen Announced
The King of Carnival, Rex 2012, is Hardy B. Fowler, a certified public accountant with degrees from LSU and Tulane. Mr. Fowler retired as a managing partner of KPMG New Orleans, and now serves as a Director of Hancock Holding Company. Mr. Fowler has been active in many civic organizations, including the Board of Governmental Research, Junior Achievement, the New Orleans Business Council, LSU Athletic Foundation, Trinity Episcopal Church and School, and Lambeth House. He is married to the former Eleanor (Ellie) Fowler, of Monroe, Louisiana The Queen of Carnival 2012 is Ella Monsted Bright, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Allen Gordon Bright III. Her mother is the former Ashley Walker Simmons of New Orleans. Miss Bright attended Metairie Park Country Day School where she was an AP Scholar and a member of the Varsity Volleyball team. Miss Bright currently attends Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, where she majors in Accounting and minors in Psychology. She is a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and a Board Member of Relay for Life, Survivorship Committee. - REXORGANIZATION.COM
***ALERT*** NEW TIMES: Endymion 5:30 ISIS 7:30
City officials confirm that the Krewe of Endymion(pics) will roll at 5:30 -- weather permitting. The Canal Street Loop has also been eliminated. They also ask those going to the parade not to go out to the route until an hour before the parade starts. In Metairie, the Krewe of Isis has moved back its start time to 7:30 p.m. - MARDIGRASPARADESCHEDULE.COM
***ALERT***CHANGES FOR PARADES ON SATURDAY NOMTOC will forsake its West Bank route to kick off Sunday's parades at 9 a.m., Berni said. Following will be the all-women's Krewe of Iris, followed by Okeanos, Mid-City and Thoth in Sunday's mid-day line-up. The Krewe of Bacchus is not expected to alter its 5:15 p.m. start on Sunday evening. Meanwhile, the irreverent Krewe of Tucks, which is scheduled to roll Uptown at noon on Saturday, will instead open Monday's revelry by preceding the Krewe of Proteus along the Uptown course starting at 3 p.m. Harry Connick Jr.'s superkrewe of Orpheus headlines Monday night's events with a 6 p.m. roll. Leaders of the Krewe of Endymion will wait until Saturday morning to decide whether predicted heavy rain and strong winds will alter their plans to roll at 4:15 p.m. - NOLA.COM
Samedi Gras celebration canceled Endymion officials have announced that the annual Samedi Gras celebration set for Saturday has been canceled. Given all of the equipment necessary to erect the Samedi Gras stage and to install sound equipment, barricades, etc., the neutral ground will be too sloppy for anyone to really enjoy this event. As of now, Endymion is still scheduled to parade Saturday afternoon. - FOX8LIVE.COM
Rex reroutes Mardi Gras parade path The Rex organization will trim a few blocks off its Fat Tuesday parade route by turning right instead of left when the procession reaches Canal Street. Instead of heading toward Baronne Street to make a U-turn and roll down Canal toward the Mississippi River, the 28-float procession will turn right from St. Charles Avenue, Rex spokesman King Logan said. The change -- believed to be the first to the Rex route in decades -- will shave about 15 minutes off the parade time to give the king and krewe more time between events, including an afternoon party and the night's ball, Logan said. The Rex parade, whose theme will be "Lore of the Ancient Americas," is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21 at Napoleon and South Claiborne avenues. The modification to the parade route will not apply to other krewes rolling on Fat Tuesday, Logan said. - NOLA.COM
The Krewe of Little Rascals new start time The Krewe of Little Rascals will be starting this Sunday February 5, 2012 at 11am instead of their normal 12pm time. The change was made due to the Super Bowl. They should return to their normal start time for the 2013 Mardi Gras season. - MARDIGRASPARADESCHEDULE.COM
Phunny Phorty Phellows Herald the arrival of the 2012 Carnival Season Carnival Officially begins with the ride of the Phunny Phorty Phellows on Twelfth Night.The Phunny Phorty Phellows will board at the RTA streetcar barn, located on Willow Street, at 6:30 p.m. on Twelfth Night, Friday, January 6th, 2012. The Phunny ride will begin at 7:00 p.m. sharp The streetcar, which, traditionally, is still bedecked in it’s yuletide dressings, will leave the station for a route that will take the partying Phellows on the St. Charles Streetcar line past Lee Circle and turnaround at Canal and then back to the barn. You can’t miss the streetcar, it’s the one with the really noisy party inside and a big sign hanging from it reading: “It’s Carnival Time!”. Look for members passing out special commemorative beads from the streetcar. - MARDIGRASPARADESCHEDULE.COM
Actress Patricia Clarkson to reign as Honorary Muse
N.O. native and award-winning actress Patricia Clarkson has been named the Honorary EveryMuse for the 2012 season, the krewe announced Thursday. Clarkson will lead the parade from the iconic 17-foot tall fiber optic-encrusted red pump shoe float.The krewe said it chose Clarkson because she is a woman the Krewe deemed the embodiment of the spirit of the nine muses. Traditionally, the Krewe of Muses annually selects an honoree who exemplifies a single Muse from Greek mythology."We are honored to have Patricia Clarkson as our first-ever Honorary EveryMuse. She is most deserving of this selection. Her lyrical poetry skills are worthy of Erato and her place in history is set as an Emmy winner for Clio. Melpomene-pleasing in her tender portrayals of women facing tragedy like cancer victim Mia in 'Five', to her dance of love for Terpsichore in 'Cairo Time'. Urania would certainly agree, as do we, she is the Muses true star," said Krewe of Muses Captain Staci Rosenberg. - WWLTV.COM
Will Ferrell will reign as Bacchus in 2012
Will Ferrell will reign as Bacchus XXIV when the parade rolls on Feb. 19, 2012, the krewe announced today. The "Saturday Night Live" alum is in New Orleans filming the Warner Bros.-backed political comedy "Dog Fight," about two rival Congressional candidates. “He promised us that he will be a very enthusiastic Bacchus 44,” said Bacchus executive director Owen Brennan III. “He loves the city and told us he is determined to eat his way through New Orleans during his stay here."We are proud that he is going to be our king and predict that before the parade is over, New Orleans will love Will Ferrell.” Ferrell joins the long line of funnymen who have reigned as Bacchus over the years, including Bob Hope, Billy Crystal, Drew Carey and Dom DeLuise.
. - NOLA.COM
Bret Michaels and Cyndi Lauper to reign as Orpheus monarchs
Musicians Bret Michaels and Cyndi Lauper have been selected to reign as Krewe of Orpheus monarchs for the 2012 Carnival season, officials announced Wednesday. Michaels, the former frontman for the 80s rock band Poison, has seen a career resurgence as a reality television star. Lauper, a 80s pop music icon, also had a comeback of sorts, winning a Grammy award in 2011 for a blues record. "Nonsense and Tomfoolery" is the theme for the 2012 parade, which rolls on Lundi Gras - February 20, 2012. - WWLTV.COM
Blaine Kern, son back in court over Mardi Gras World flap
The father-son feud over control of the region's dominant Mardi Gras float-building company returned to a courtroom on Tuesday. Blaine Kern and his son Barry sat on opposite sides of the aisle in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, refusing to look at each other more than a year after appearing on TV to declare a public truce. An appeals court panel heard oral arguments over the 84-year-old father's bid to overturn a ruling by Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese in April. Reese, declaring Carnival season too precious and crucial to risk at the hands of a family feud, ordered the elder Kern to abide by an agreement reached in October, 2010 to turn over control of Blain Kern Artists, Inc., to his son. - NOLA.COM
Krewe of Nyx wins approval from New Orleans City Council
The first new full-fledged Carnival parade in Orleans Parish since before Hurricane Katrina, the all-women Mystic Krewe of Nyx, won approval Thursday from the New Orleans City Council. The council voted 6-0 to amend the 2012 parade calendar to schedule Nyx after the Druids procession on the Uptown route on the Wednesday night before Mardi Gras.The krewe is named after the Greek goddess of the night. The city’s last new parading krewe was Morpheus, which first rolled in 2002, a year after Muses and the Knights of Chaos made their debuts. The city’s 2012 Carnival calendar now includes 32 full-fledged parades, including five on the West Bank, plus five walking processions on the Uptown route on Fat Tuesday. Krewe of Nyx officials said they have 280 members, with some spots still available. Many of the members are from out of town, including as far away as New York. The group’s captain and president, Julie Lee, said the krewe wants “to put on a beautiful parade for the city” and to enhance the local economy. She said the first queen will be crowned at a luncheon Nov. 19.“Bringing together women of diverse backgrounds and enhancing the spirit of Mardi Gras for the community is the vision for the krewe,” its website says. “Embracing a little bit of tradition, with a twist of new and fun ideas, is what makes the Krewe of Nyx so special.” - NOLA.COM
New Orleans City Council motions 7-0 for Krewe of Nyx to roll in 2012
On October 20, 2011, the New Orleans City Council voted 7-0 in favor of putting forth a motion for the all-female Krewe of Nyx Parade to roll in 2012. One of the 'motions or resolutions not on the agenda', Resolution R11-498, was presented by Councilmembers Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, Eric Granderson and Kristen Gisleson Palmer 'supporting the application of the Krewe of Nyx to roll in the 2012 Mardi Gras season and intending to add them to the parade schedule.' What this means, in a nutshell, is that the Mystic Krewe of Nyx has an excellent chance of becoming the first new parade krewe to roll in New Orleans in 7 years. Nyx plans to roll February 15, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. along the traditional Uptown New Orleans parade route. - EXAMINER.COM The New Orleans City Council today, by a 7-0 vote, granted a parade permit for the new female Krewe of Nyx. The new group will follow the Ancient Druids parade on the Wednesday night before Fat Tuesday. The Mayor's Mardi Gras Committee had recommended against adding any new parades to the calendar for 2012 but its advice was ignored. - MARDIGRASGUIDE.COM Nyx was the goddess of night. Her name, synonymous with Night, describes how her dark light falls from the stars, and she dictates to men and also to the gods. Not even Zeus wanted to upset Nyx, as the stories go. She was one of the most powerful goddesses to be talked about in Greek mythology. - KREWEOFNYX.COM
Endymion announces musical lineup, guests
The Krewe of Endymion has announced the musical acts that will headline this year's Extravaganza and ride in the mega-parade. The band Maroon 5 will serve as Grand Marshall. Also riding in the parade and performing at the big party will be country singers Big Kenny and John Rich (known as "Big & Rich,") Gretchen Wilson, and Cowboy Troy. CNN's Anderson Cooper will also be a special guest in the parade and at the Extravaganza. Endymion founder and Captain, Ed Muniz, announced Thursday night that the Endymion Extravaganza will celebrate its "Domecoming," returning to the Superdome after relocating last year due to construction. This year’s Endymion theme is “Happily Ever After” and will feature floats depicting Shrek, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid and other fairytale characters. - WWL.COM
Mardi Gras parade in Gretna discontinued because of financial impasse
After decades in the spotlight as Jefferson Parish’s oldest Carnival organization and the West Bank’s only local celebration on Fat Tuesday, the Krewe of Grela will not parade on Mardi Gras next year. Grela Vice President Carmen Kass said she feels “rotten” about the krewe’s missed year, questioning whether the council ever really wanted to save Grela. She said initially the krewe was told it would cost the city $67,000 to host a Mardi Gras parade, but that number grew to $85,000. She said that amount would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for the krewe to raise in addition to the $150,000 to $165,000 price tag for the parade. More important, she said city officials told Grela that raising the money wouldn’t be a temporary fix until the city got back on its feet financially, but the new status quo. “I feel that they played us from the time that this started in April,” Kass said. “We were told that we would never be in the budget again.”Kass said Grela members will be officially notified of the cancellation next week, and refunds will be issued to members who request them. She said that in 2013, the parade could resume parading in Westwego, but it will be a change from its longtime home and namesake in Gretna. “They totally let us down after 65 years,” Kass said. “If we leave Gretna, we will never return again.” - NOLA.COM
Krewe Of Rhea Ceases Operations
The Krewe of Rhea has notified Jefferson Parish officials that it will not parade in 2012 and will be "retired." Financial, Personal Problems Cited For Retirement Of Metairie Organization Rhea paraded in the 2 p.m. time slot on the first Sunday of Carnival, leading off a two-parade day in Metairie. Rhea’s Captain, Anna Marie Soto, on Monday informed officials that the krewe will not roll next season. In noting the retirement of the krewe, Soto expressed hope that the organization might someday come back to life. - WDSU.COM
Runner-up for 2012 King Zulu drops his challenge to election results
The runner-up in the recent election for the 2012 King Zulu has decided to drop his challenge of the results, clearing the way for lawyer Elroy James to claim the coveted crown.Second-place finisher Jay Banks, who reportedly lost by seven votes, sent shock waves through the century-old Carnival organization this week by charging that election day irregularities may have cost him a victory. Zulu members ratified James’ May 29 election on Sunday. Banks said Monday that he supports the decision and he will not press the issue further.“The brotherhood of Zulu is as strong as ever,” Banks said in an email message. “I wholeheartedly support our 2012 King Elroy James.”. - NOLA.COM
12 revelers charged in dustup with New Orleans police over second-line Mardi Gras parade
The Orleans Parish district attorney's office is moving forward with charges against a dozen people who scuffled with New Orleans police during a parade in March that left several officers injured, three revelers shocked by police Tasers, and a trail of accusations that cops overreacted. Prosecutors accepted charges Thursday for all 12 people arrested in the fracas during the unpermitted Krewe of Eris second-line parade. All of them remain out on bond or free on their own recognizance. Only one faces felony charges. Described in one online post as "anarchic" in spirit, the nighttime walking parade through the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny on March 6 drew the concerns of police as it headed away from the French Quarter, including a report that some revelers were walking on or kicking cars to set off alarms.The paraders had crossed Elysian Fields Avenue near the riverfront when an officer was struck in the forehead by a brick, police said. At least four other officers were injured in the set-to, according to police, and tires were slashed on two police cruisers. Police said they used Tasers on three people, all of whom were resisting arrest.. - NOLA.COM
Zulu's election of its 2012 king is contested by second-place finisher
The contest to name the 2012 King Zulu took place Sunday, with lawyer Elroy James emerging as the unofficial winner in a five-way scramble. James’ victory cannot be certified until the Zulu membership approves the results next weekend. But before James can claim the crown, it looks like he must withstand a challenge from second-place finisher Jay H. Banks, who reportedly lost by seven votes. But Banks’ supporters said he is claiming that about a dozen absentee ballots requested by members who could not attend Sunday’s festivities were never received. The Banks camp added that the missing ballots had been a topic of heated discussion among Zulu members during the two weeks leading up to Sunday’s vote. A special meeting of the Zulu board has been called for Wednesday night “to address a complaint filed by one of the King Zulu candidates,’’ according to an e-mail message sent Tuesday by Chairman Gary Thornton. The e-mail message doesn’t mention James or Banks. - NOLA.COM
Blaine Kern Sr.'s loss of management control over float-building company to be appealed
Blaine Kern Sr.’s attorney, William Wessel, vowed to appeal the decision from Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese, who aimed to resolve a six-month feud threatening to hamstring a company that outfits most of the major Carnival parades with floats and props. “This is not just widgets. This is the character of the city,” Reese said in ruling on a preliminary injunction. “Blaine Kern Artists is a unique entity in this world … You’re obviously entitled to your emotions and feelings, but this is way bigger than that.” Wessel said the October deal between father and son was designed as a stopgap in the family dispute until Mardi Gras, and it expired on March 9. “He's disappointed in it. He doesn’t think it’s justified,” Wessel said of Blaine Kern’s reaction to Friday’s ruling UPDATE (6/8/2011): Blaine Kern loses appeal. - NOLA.COM
Blaine Kern to be removed from company he founded
A judge has settled a feud involving the first family of New Orleans Mardi Gras, at least for now.Friday, he ordered that Blaine Kern honor a previous agreement to surrender control of the float building company that bears his name to his son Barry.The Kern family feud played out in Orleans Civil District Court with attorneys for the Kerns, battling it out before Judge Kern Reese.Barry sued his father for managerial control of the mult-million dollar float design and building empire. Attorneys for the younger Kern argued that the 83-year-old founder of Blaine Kern Artists has not fulfilled the terms of an agreement he signed six months ago. That agreement made Barry head of the company in exchange for $1 million and other considerations. The judge ordered that the company be turned over to Barry Kern no later than April 26. - WWLTV.COM
Gretna cuts off financing for Mardi Gras, casting doubt on future of Grela parade
The future of the Krewe of Grela, Jefferson Parish’s oldest Mardi Gras organization, is in doubt after the Gretna City Council pulled the plug on financing for all 2012 Carnival activities, ending parades on Mardi Gras and bolstering support for the popular and rapidly growing Gretna Heritage Festival. The move to eliminate financing for Carnival festivities not only ends Grela’s 35-year run of parading on Fat Tuesday, but it also left the krewe’s future murky. Grela vice president Carmen Kass said she doesn’t know what the next step will be for the 63-year-old organization. Kass, who nearly broke down in tears at the council meeting, said board members will have to discuss whether they want to take offers to move to a different area. “It’s just so hard to accept,” Kass told the council, her voice quivering as she discussed what she called a covert betrayal of Grela. “If Mardi Gras is over in Gretna, it’s over for me forever.” - NOLA.COM
Kern Father-Son Spat Headed Back To Court
A father-son dispute over the management of Blaine Kern Artists is back in court -- six months after both sides announced a deal laying out the future of the company whose name is synonymous with Mardi Gras. The case of Kern vs. Kern was filed in Civil District Court on Thursday. In documents obtained by the WDSU I-Team, Barry Kern. -- son of company founder Blaine Kern, Sr. -- claims his father has repeatedly violated the terms of an October 2011 agreement. That agreement set a path for Barry Kern to assume management of Blaine Kern Artists, Inc., with the senior Kern retained in a consulting role. - WDSU.COM
About the Book Never before has the history of the Mardi Gras celebration been looked at this way. Errol Laborde focuses on the first 60 years of the organized celebration in New Orleans, a period that bridges the premiere parade of the Mistick Krewe of Comus and the founding of the Zulu organization. Along the way he discovers fascinating characters; including a poetic journalist who survived a bloody attack, an archduke looking for fun and a would-be king finding religion. Laborde also links an African War with Custer¹s Last Stand and disproves some of the conventional wisdom about Carnival¹s early history. This is the most important contemporary book on early Carnival history. And it fun to read too.
about Errol Laborde Errol Laborde is the Editor-in-Chief of Renaissance Publishing Company. In that capacity he serves as Editor/Associate Publisher of New Orleans Magazine and Editor/ Publisher of Louisiana Life Magazine.He also oversees several other company publications, including St. Charles Avenue and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.
Laborde is producer and a regular panelist on Informed Sources, a weekly news discussion program broadcast on public television station WYES-TV, Channel 12.
Laborde's
most recent books are Krewe: The Early Carnival from Comus to Zulu and Marched the Day God. a history of the Rex organization. He also wrote the text for a pictorial book, Mardi Gras- A Celebration and has published two compilations of his Streetcar local color columns, The Buzzard Wore A Tutu and I Never Danced With An Eggplant. BUY THE BOOK
