Manuscriptus interuptus

Historic Gallier Hall (© Baronplantagenet)

2010 Okeanos Queen Martha Dart and Gallier Hall announcer

In many ways this is the most satisfying part of the busy Carnival season. Two of the Carnival balls for which I serve as both manuscript writer and narrator were held this past weekend. There is only one rehearsal left and that won't take place until the week before big day. Mardi Gras is late this year, March 8, and with the exception of that one remaining script, all other manuscripts have been edited, copied and bound. It is an amazing thing this Carnival season in the city of my birth. With the election of new mayor Mitch Landrieu a year ago, a concerted effort has begun to change some aspects of the official functions at historic Gallier Hall, the hallowed former New Orleans city hall. Festooned with ten massive ionic columns that support a large tympanum and named in honor of its famous architect, Gallier Hall is unique in the history of Carnival insofar that every single Mardi Gras parade that has rolled through the streets of New Orleans has passed in front of its official reviewing stand. This makes my job as the announcer for five of this year's parades even more important and not to be taken lightly. In past years the Carnival captains who run the krewes, the non-profit organizations that are responsible for putting on the street parades and holding the various bal masques and massive parties held at area hotels or at giant venues like the Louisiana Superdome or the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center felt taken for granted or in some cases taken advantage of. The attendant costs of having their royal courts appear at Gallier Hall became outrageously overpriced. The amenities were Spartan and the food items offered were oftentimes inedible. After being handed huge bills for what increasingly became a battle ground between city officials and the krewes who wanted to use the facilities, many captains and their organizations opted to move their official parties to nearby hotels that would accommodate their needs more deliberately and respectfully. As it turns out, of the 29 parading organizations who could use the facilities at Gallier Hall to toast their royal courts, only five do so today. Even the mighty Rex organization toasts its queen and royal court at the Intercontinental Hotel, located a scant two blocks away from Gallier Hall. For many years the Rex toast was held at the tony Boston Club on Canal Street, a practice that was challenged by city fathers who in the 1980s questioned its politically incorrect practice of excluding blacks and Jews. The celebrations at Gallier Hall will become more austere and will take on a less raucous tone in acknowledgment that the way previous administrations ran the hall were less than respectful to the parading krewes and in the hopes of luring several of these back to the reviewing stands there in the coming years. In the meantime my work as the announcer for the Krewes of Ancient Druids, Carrollton, Okeanos , Mid City and Thoth will take on a bigger challenge for me to keep the grand tradition alive and well during this very exciting time in the city. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

12th Night arrives and so do the Phunny Phorty Phellows

The Phunny Phorty Phellows streetcar

Okay, it's that special time again in "the city that care forgot." January 6, known around the world as Twelfth Night, is the official kickoff for Mardi Gras. While the big day (March 8) is still a full two months away, the events leading up to the final celebrations begin in earnest as of tonight. The Phunny Phorty Phellows, considered the official heralds of the Carnival season kicked things off with their traditional streetcar party along historic St. Charles and Carrollton Avenues. A party band playing traditional jazz and Mardi Gras pieces accompanied the group of revelers who were masked and in costumes. The history of the Phunny Phorty Phellows dates back to 1878, only six years after the Krewe of Rex and 21 years after the Krewe of Comus had been formed. The Phunny Phorty Phellows was composed of civic and business leaders who led the Rex parade for a number of years and the organization also presented formal balls. Late in the Nineteenth Century the group disbanded, but it did not stay on the trash heap of Carnival lore. In 1981 a group of Canrival-loving New Orleanians spearheaded by Erroll Laborde, a local editor, author and Carnival historian, re-instituted the practice of having the Phunny Phorty Phellows announce the start of the Carnival season and to highlight their glorious past. The group's symbol is still an owl and the head of their organization is called simply "The Boss" (sorry, Bruce). In addition the group has two mottoes, one in French - "Honi soit qui mal y pense," which translates into "Evil to them who think evil" - and the other more easily understood "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men." It's all in fun and over the past three decades has become one of the more eagerly anticipated events each year. This year marks the second-longest period of time between Twelfth Night and Mardi Gras, just like a few years back the second shortest period of time was when Mardi Gras was on February 5. Just keep in mind that no matter the date of Mardi Gras, the balls and parades can't be that far off.

If ever I cease to Mardi Gras

Louis Lederman, a member of the Krewe of Cosmic Debris and a jester at Mardi Gras

Like a meteor hurling through the atmosphere, there was no doubt that the mad rush towards Fat Tuesday would end very quickly with somewhat unsettling results. The black and gold tinged festival ended very abruptly last night after the final weekend of parades extended into Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras, but Saints fever will no doubt continue unabated for months to come. It was an amazing ride, but still had a few surprises for those of who extended out into the hoopla or watched it unfold on TV. I did get a few hours of sleep following my return from the Krewe of Orpheus Orphescapade at approximately 4:00 a.m. With some urging, I took to the streets of the Faubourg Marigny and the Vieux Carre to soak up the latter portions of the day. Many more people seemed to be in costume or masked for the day of celebration and revelry and it wasn't hard to see that everyone was enjoying himself, from the kids taking it all in to the police officers and state troopers dealing with the huge, but peaceable crowds. Still smarting from the blows to my face from beads thrown by happy paraders on Sunday, I paced myself throughout the day and into the night with appropriate libations and wound up having a most enjoyable day. Still, there's only so much one can do and I missed the final moments of the meeting of the courts of the Krewe of Rex and the Mystick Krewe of Comus that has been an annual broadcast event for decades. It was a beautiful, but chilly day and one I will recall with great affection for some time to come. The one item of note that I did catch was the ceremonial passing of the whistle from the captain of Rex to the Rex official who will take over that prestigious post now. The new captain of Rex like the the new captain of Comus is surprisingly young and it seems this new blood may guarantee many years of continued success for the two oldest Carnival organizations. So, it's back to work for all of us today in the Crescent City, but the countdown to the next Mardi Gras has already begun.

Running for Mardi Gras

Okeanos Queen Martha Elizabeth Dart at Gallier Hall with sidekick

Yesterday was a real workout. After what for me was an unusual night of at least four hours of sleep, I awoke to prepare myself for the challenges of being the announcer for four day parades at Gallier Hall. Being prepared is a bit of an understatement. No matter how well I held up my end of what was needed, I was still dependeent on lots of external factors and other people to do what had to be accomplished. After finding a parking spot within three blocks of Gallier Hall, I walked the ten blocks to the hotel where the Queen of Okeanos' mother was hosting a special breakfast in her daughter's honor. All of the royal maids of Okeanos and their mothers were smartly attired in dresses or suits. Each maid donned an attractive hat. The queen, Martha Elizabeth Dart, was resplendent in a white suit with a crown symbolizing her reign. The limousines carrying the royal party had a bit of a problem. Because the four parades needed motorcycle escorts to their respective staging areas, the New Orleans Police Department's Motorcycle Division was hard pressed to provide a full escort until after the 10:00 a.m. start time. As a result, we had to "buzz" the parade route on the way to the uptown staging area, making our way through Carnival crowds already camped out on Napoleon and St. Charles Avenues. Two stretch limousines, which were in reality converted SUVs, carried the maids, a male escort and yours truly in one and the mothers and the captain of the krewe and a female escort followed behind in the other car. The police did a great job getting us to where they thought the beginning of the parade was, but it soon turned out they didn't know where they were going. We got within a block of the start of the parade and I stopped the caravan, grabbed a dozen yellow roses intended for the king's float and ran like the dickens for three blocks bouquet in hand. After handing the flowers to the aid on the king's float, I ran back to the waiting limousines, while the officers conferred as to what route would get us to the reviewing stand in time for me to announce the parades. I marvel at my breakneck speed in making it through the obstacle course of people and parading units. A bit out of breath, I waited for another two minutes while the motorcycle escorts and the drivers figured out a suitable side street on which to turn. These stretch limos were quite long. Finally I made a suggestion and off we went. As it turned out, we made great time getting back. However, by the time I got into the stands, the Knights of Babylon parade was already at Gallier Hall. It took a bit of running up the marble stairs and negotiating through the crowd, but the toast from the city to Sargon XLV went off magnificently as my adrenaline kicked in yet again. The parade, rescheduled from Thursday night's rainout, passed by in rapid order due to the fact they had no marching bands. It seemed to be less than ten minutes in length from the time of the toast to the time the trailing police and fire department units were passing the reviewing stand. It was then time to announce the arrival of the royal party. I called out each maid's name and her parents and introduced the Queen of Okeanos, Martha Elizabeth Dart, to my announcer's booth. After the captain's wife was introduced, all of the mothers of the maids were allowed into the mayor's reviewing area. Within a few minutes the 61st parade of the Krewe of Okeanos winded it way to the former New Orleans City Hall. The theme "Okeanos Asks: 'Will You Be Mine?" was an obvious homage to Valentine's Day The Krewe of Mid City followed right behind with 18 bright and dazzling floats decorated in alumninum foil of many colors. Another parade and another two toasts to the 2010 king and queen. Finally, the crowing achievement of the day came about when the impressive Krewe of Thoth, the second largest Carnival krewe behind Endymion passed in review. It was a huge parade with 42 floats in total and the theme "Thoth's All Mixed Up," a tribute to libations and potent potables like the White Russian, Margaita and Fog Cutter. The final toasts were done by recently re-elected Councilperson Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, but the parade seemed to last forever. It was a great day for Carnival, but I must admit I was plain tuckered by the time that the Krewe of Bacchus was set to roll with Drew Brees as its celebrity king. Brees was picked to be Bacchus several months ago when the Saints were still undefeated and when a Super Bowl win was still an unrealized dream. It was the third parade Brees has been in since the win last Sunday in Miami. He was in Orlando at Disney World for their parade on Monday, in New Orleans for the Super Bowl parade on Tuesday and, following stints on the Ellen Degeneres, David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey shows managed to get back in town to portray the Roman god of wine. Meanwhile, I am ready for the Greek god Morpheus to take over. Sleep...sleep...sleep.

The run to the finish

The last few days have been a whirlwind of excitement in the city. Tuesday's parade honoring the world champion New Orleans Saints was unlike any ever held before. That's a lot to consider because, after all, this is a town known for putting on parades. The cooperative effort by several Carnival krewes who "loaned" Barry Kern of Blaine Kern Productions twelve floats on which the team owners, players and coaches would ride was unlike anything ever seen in New Orleans. It was the biggest parade ever held in downtown New Orleans and the track took only a couple of miles. Estimates were that 800,000 fans came into the downtown area to cheer on the boys in black and gold. That's incredible when you consider that the latest census estimates have the New Orleans population at a little over 300,000. Usually, the celebration of Carnival intensifies in the last week leading up to Mardi Gras. This year is decidedly different. The Saints celebration party brought out every politician to Gallier Hall including both U.S. Senators, the governor, the mayor, the entire city council and most of the legislators who hold sway in Baton Rouge. Since that parade set a very high mark, the pattern could be likened to a rollercoaster ride that starts at the top, quickly plummets and then must start the climb back to the top. Wednesday the Krewe of Ancient Druids rolled through the city and I was there to announce the parade at Gallier Hall. The night before there were thousands there. The Druids parade with a theme titled "Holes" offered a funny exposition for a determined crowd that braved chilly winds in the Crescent City on Wednesday. Thursday's night parades were rained out, which mean the cancellation of the Knights of Chaos satirical parade and the postponement of the Krewes of Muses and the Knights of Babylon. Muses rolled last on Friday night's in what were four different parades one behind the other. Babylon chose to reschedule for Sunday in the morning. Yesterday's day parades include the Krewe of Iris, the oldest women's Carnival organization and I was pleased to be selected to provide music for a special group of ladies in the 25 float presentation. The spectacular Krewe of Endymion parade paralyzed the city last night on what has become known in recent times as Samedi Gras. The krewe featured Saints owner Tom Benson as the grand marshall and the 2400-plus members enjoyed the Endymion Extravaganza until the wee hours of the morning. It is only fitting that the announcer for Endymion is none other than Jerry Romig, the Saints announcer for the past 42 years and the announcer for Endymion since it began. So, I must leave to attend duties for announcing at Gallier Hall the four parades for today: the Knights of Babylon resecheduled from the rainout on Thursday night, the Krewe of Okeanos, the Krewe of Mid City and the second largest Carnival organization, the Krewe of Thoth.

The ending of Carnival

Celebrating the Sunday before Mardi Gras in 2009, the calendar date on which I was born, with my mother at historic Gallier Hall.

It has been a most serene day for me following a most dizzying weekend of events related to Carnival celebrations here in the City That Care Forgot. It has been so busy that this blog has suffered and for that I apologize, but it could not be helped and I hope I will be forgiven. The last few moments of Mardi Gras are drawing to a close, captured over the airwaves at the Meeting of the Courts of Rex and Comus. This finely scripted affair is actually two in one and begins at the Sheraton Hotel, where the Rex organization (officially known as The School of Design) holds its ball, later moving across historic Canal Street to the Marriott Hotel, where it ends at the ball of the Mystic Krewe of Comus. The tableau is full of symbols relating to the power of the King of Carnival and his court as they pay homage to Comus, credited as the originators of Carnival. For many years the meeting of the courts took place at the now shuttered Municpal Auditorium, which suffered heavy damage due to Hurricane Katrina related flooding and has yet to be restored or is slated to be repaired anytime soon. The pomp and circumstance of the affair is dazzling and filled with various protocol which must be observed. Who arrives at whose ball is dictated by tradition and the images of Rex and his lovely queen in gold meeting Comus and his radiant queen in silver is a thrill for those of us who enjoy the pagaentry of the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

As I watch the events enfold over the TV in glorious color, I think back on the last several days. There were, of course, several impressive balls leading up to the final weekend. Saturday morning I prepared to journey along the traditional St. Charles Avenue route as part of the spectacular Krewe of Iris, the oldest ladies organization. The weather was near perfect and the ride surprisingly short. It was a busy day that most New Orleanians considered because of the impending run that evening for the largest Carnival parading organization, the Krewe of Endymion, that features over 2400 riders and the largest of all floats in Carnival. One of this krewe's floats, Captain Eddie's Steamboat, features over 200 masked riders, more than some other entire krewes. Endymion splits New Orleans down the middle with its route that spans Canal Street. There is no part of New Orleans that is not affected by Endymion, which ends its journey along the streets by entering into the Louisiana Superdome. It is there where the crowd of nattily attired women and men greets the floats and dances to musical acts throughout the night and into the next morning. That next morning I met with the recently installed Queen of Okeanos, whose selection was made only a few weeks earlier at their Coronation Ball. The Queen's Breakfast was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, following which the Queen and Maids journey with chaperones to the start of the parade uptown and then "buzzed" the parade route along Magazine Street and Napoleon and St. Charles Avenues. The police escorted limousines stopped at Gallier Hall, where the queen and her court were eventually introduced to the crowd just prior to the onset of the parade. It was my job to narrate the parade at the former New Orleans City Hall named after its famous architect. After the queen and her party left, I stayed to continue narrating the parades for the Krewe of Mid City and, later in the afternoon, the incredible Krewe of Thoth. I recuperated on Monday just long enough to prepare to journey to the Morial Convention Center and await the arrival of the Krewe of Orpheus and its most spectacular parade featuring millions of light emiting diodes (LEDs). The affair featured gifted Cajun and popular violinist Amanda Shaw and the Bucktown All Stars cover band before the arrival of the Orpheus units. Later, Celebrity Monarchs Jim Belushi and Josh Gracin from American Idol entertained the crowd with one other local band before the affair ended at 2:30 a.m. I was there until nearly the bitter end and elected to rest up for Fat Tuesday and enjoy the affairs going on vicariously by watching the local broadcasts. Trust me, I was quite bushed and needed the rest. It seems hard to believe it's all over, but I am already beginning to think about next year's fabulous offerings when Shrove Tuesday falls on February 16, a little over a week earlier than this year.

Super Weekend

This weekend has been fairly exciting, but not for the reason that might jump to mind for most people occupied with the big game in Tampa. There is Super Bowl fever across the country, but it is mitigated here in New Orleans. The reason? Two words. Mardi Gras. No, don't check your calendar. I haven't lost it all completely. The date for Fat Tuesday is still February 24; that hasn't changed. But the hoopla leading up to the big day has taken off this week with the first of several weeks of Carnival balls I will be narrating. The first one occurred Friday with the Krewe of Iris, the oldest woman's krewe in Carnival founded in 1917. Celebrating a 92nd birthday at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, the krewe members, royal court consisting of maids, dukes, king and queen took part in a tableau titled "On the Road Again." The event ended at 10:30 p.m., but the night was still young. The krewe sponsored a "supper dance" that began at 12 midnight across town at the New Orleans Hilton Riverfront Hotel. After the royal court was introduced (shortly after 12:30 a.m.), the dancing and music provided by local legend Bobby Cure and the Summertime Blues -- the guys who played at my wedding back in 1984 -- continued until the meal was served. That was sometime around 1:30 a.m. Dessert was served around 3:00 a.m. Anyone who doesn't live in New Orleans will never fully comprehend what this whole thing is about, but trust me, once you're sucked into it, you never fully recover.

Passing into Carnival Season

With the end of September comes the realization that fall is now into full bloom. Fall means the changing of foliage and the preparation for winter-like weather in other areas of the country. The first snows of the season were already dusting the mountaintops in Alaska in advance of fall two weeks ago when I was there. But here in New Orleans fall doesn't really manifest itself until much later when most of the northern and eastern sections of the country are well within the throes of winter. While it may not be obvious as the leaves on the trees, what we do observe is the beginning of the Carnival Season. "Carnival? Isn't that in winter? " I can hear many of inquire. The short answer is yes. Carnival or Mardi Gras always falls in February or March. But the planning for the next year almost always begins immediately after it has passed. The first evidence that Carnival is fast approaching is the coronation ball season, the time that is approaching. This is the time when all of the Carnival krewes begin to announce just who will be in the royal court for the ensuing year. Over the course of the next month or so all of the kings, queens, maids and dukes will be finalized and revealed at lovely events in area hotels. It is a time when the captain of the organization has great fun in making the reveal public to the other members of his or her krewe. Meanwhile, for me it's not quite time to hear the herald calls that announce the arrival of royalty, but to listen instead for the blasts of the shofar that will signify that Rosh Hashanah is here.

The advent of Purim

Today is a date to check the calendars, all three of them. There must be a connection between the Jewish celebration of Passover and the Christian holidays of Holy Week, people reckon. The historical record says that the crucifixion of Jesus took place during the Passover celebration, so most Christians assume that the date for Passover is more or less connected to Easter. The fact is that there is no direct correlation to the two other than they both must be observed during the spring. The date of Easter is observed differently by the Western (Roman Catholic, Protestant and Anglican Churches) and Orthodox Churches. In the Western Churches, Easter is decided by the determination of Ash Wednesday, the date that follows Mardi Gras and is always 46 days prior to Easter. The date of Ash Wednesday is fixed according to a formula that is largely based on a lunar cycle (just like that found in the Jewish or Hebrew calendar) and a solar calendar that recognizes March 21 as the vernal equinox. Similarly, the Jewish calendar is not strictly lunar. Because there is a specific admonition in the Torah that the celebration of the festival known today as Passover must take place during the spring, there is a solar aspect to it as well. Similarly, the date of Ash Wednesday (not observed by the Orthodox Church) was set according to dates that were first fixed at the First Council of Nicaea in 365 C.E. when the Julian calendar was in place. Some may be surprised to learn that Easter had not always been observed on a Sunday, for example, prior to this important gathering. Changes implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 determined new dates for observance of Easter and Ash Wednesday for the Roman Catholic world and the Protestant churches which sprang up during the Reformation kept those new dates, the Anglican Church being the last major church to accept them in 1752. However, the Orthodox Church has kept its dates for observance of Easter more or less in line with the Julian calendar. As a result, the observance of Orthodox Easter can be many weeks different from the date set by the ecclesiastical formula used to determine Ash Wednesday and, hence, Easter, in the Western Church. This year the observance of Easter between the Western and Orthodox Churches differs by five weeks. That means that the observance of Passover, which begins at sundown on April 19 will be closer to the date set by the Orthodox Church for Easter, which is April 14. What is unusual is the proximity of the Jewish celebration of Purim, which happens to occur on Good Friday (as observed by the Western Churches) this year. Usually, Purim is closer in proximity to Mardi Gras (or Ash Wednesday), but because the date for Ash Wednesday in 2008 was set as February 6 (the second earliest date it can be set), and because this year the Jewish calendar has an extra month inserted, Adar II (in order to keep Passover in the spring), we have this highly unusual occurrence. If all of this makes your head spin, just think about the nightmare this presents for calendar makers. I don't know about you, but my recommendation is just to go with the flow and take it one day at a time.

Orpheuscapade

Lundi Gras is an amazing day of community building. When the Rex organization was relatively young, it began a tradition of having the King of Carnival arrive at the banks of the Mississippi River by steamboat on the evening before Fat Tuesday to officially signal the beginning of the holiday. The tradition was held from 1874 until the entry of the United States into World War I. Starting in 1987 the School of Design, the parent organization for Rex, brought back the tradition by having Rex arrive by water transport at the foot of Canal Street. With the immense popularity of Zulu as a worthy competitor for the public's attentions in recent decades, it wasn't long before city officials and the Zulu organization campaigned with the Rex organization to make the new Lundi Gras a community event incorporating both groups. Zulu, formed in 1909 by the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, began as an outlet for prominent New Orleans blacks to ridicule the Rex organization. Their early king arrived on an oyster lugger wearing a crown made from a tin can and holding a banana stalk as a scepter. For many years the organization continued to provide an outlet for the disenfranchised members of black New Orleans, growing in popularity and acceptance. One of the biggest events for them was in 1949 when Louis Armstrong returned in a rare visit to his hometown to accept the crown as King of Zulu. Yet, the Zulu parade continued to be an impromptu affair without any specific parade route until city officials clamped down on them in the last three decades, forcing them to deal with respectablity. That respectability has grown in stature so that Zulu also now takes part in the Lundi Gras celebrations taking place in Kenner at their Rivertown area. The King and Queen of Argus, the major parade held on Mardi Gras in Metairie, greet the King and Queen of Zulu at midday. Then the Zulu royalty travels to the foot of Canal Street and meets with Rex, who accepts the mayoral proclamation giving him the rule of the city for the following day. Musical acts play throughout the afternoon with street dancing and carousing heavily encouraged. Later, pyrotechnics are used to signal the beginning of festivities. The parades on Monday night are among the best in all of Carnival. Zeus, the oldest parading group in Metairie handles very large crowds, while in New Orleans the traditional Krewe of Proteus makes its way early in the evening along the traditional uptown and downtown route. They prepare the way for the final superkrewe, the Krewe of Orpheus, formed 15 years ago by Harry Connick, Jr., his father, and Sonny Borey, the artistic director at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré. Their parade ends at the Ernest Morial Convention Center as the huge, colorful floats, many featuring fiber optic displays, arrive for the Orpheuscapade, a party featuring well-known bands and celebrity figures who perform into the wee hours of the night. That was where I was until late (or early) this morning. I awoke this morning with a kosher king cake (no baby inside this one) and a cup of coffee and chicory. I think I am ready.