LAGPAC Announces Endorsements
For
Feb. 7 Election
LAGPAC recently announced
the following endorsements for
the New Orleans' Feb. 7 primary election: Mayor - Marc H. Morial; City Council-at-large - Eddie Sapir and Jim Singleton; City Council, District B - Oliver Thomas; City Council, District D - Roy Glapion; City Council, District E - Ellen Hazeur-Distance; Clerk of Criminal Court - Edwin Lombard; Clerk of Civil Court - Dale Atkins; Assessor, Fourth District - Ronnie Burke; Assessor, Sixth District - Janyce Degan; Recorder of Mortgages - Michael McCrossen; Traffic Court, Division B - Bobby Jones or Arthur Morrell; and, State Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals - David Marcello.
Come To The Ball!!
The Krewe of Petronius invites
everyone to come witness its
37th Bal Masque Sunday, February 15 at 8pm at the Municipal Auditorium.
This year's theme is Petronius Does Dressings-everything from Russian to corn bread to window. Featured entertainment will be Mari ("Patsy Cline") Vigueira and her fabulous band The Instigators and Lyle Guidroz's droll and supple dancing group the Four Skins which will grow this year into six skins--the four skins plus two!
Two seat types are available: general admission for a $5 donation and a reserved seat for a $10 donation. These seats may be purchased from any krewe member, at the Mississippi River Bottom, 515 St. Philip St., or by calling 504.525.4498.
Voyage Of The Tailtanic:
Dogs And Children First
The Mystic Krewe of Barkus VI
has picked the theme for this
year's parade: "Voyage of the Tailtanic: Dogs and Children First." The parade will begin at Good Friends Bar on the corner of St. Ann & Dauphine Sts. on Sun., Feb. 15 at 2pm. Pre-registration is available in person at And Toto Too, 901 Iberville St., Lark's Grooming, 504.947.1322, and LASPCA, 504.944.PETS. Pre-registration fee is $12.50. Registration is also available beginning at noon the day of the parade outside Good Friends Bar. Entrants will also be able to purchase a designer T-shirt, plus a "Mystic Krewe of Barkus Doggie Bowl" at the Bowwow-tique, also located at Good Friends Bar the day of the parade. Added excitement will be the drink specials provided by Good Friends Bar the day of the parade: salty dogs, blue dogs and hot dogs.
The Krewe will parade on an eight block route stopping at Poppy's Grill, 717 St. Peter, where her Majesty Queen Barkus VI and his Majesty King Barkus VI will be toasted by our celebrity guest: Teri Bartlett, Margaret Orr, Leon Impastato, Bob Landry and Andre De La Barre. The parade will continue throughout the French Quarter and end at Good Friends Bar, where everyone can enjoy "Paws to Refresh VI."
His majesty, Atticus King Barkus VI, is owned by David Bruce and Frank Godchaux, owners of And Toto Too. He is a ten month old Neapolitan Mastiff and is one of four puppies. He is a recent graduate of dog obedience school where he graduated top dog. Atticus loves to hang out at the pet store, where he is truly a "king."
Her majesty, Queen Barkus VI will be chosen at random from a pool of females that have been adopted from the LASPCA within the past year.
This year's Celebrity Grand Marshall is Heloise, who will be accompanied by her escort WWL's Angela Hill. Ms. Hill has been a celebrity guest for the Krewe of Barkus for the past five years.
Captain JoJo McWood will be returning to lead the parade procession. Her appointment book has been full this year, speaking to civic clubs, schools, and churches about her platform-Adopt A Pet!
A new feature this year is the Barkus Ball, a black tie or costume (1912s or dogwear) event to be held Sat., Feb. 7, at the fabulous Allegro Bistro in the Entergy Center, 1100 Poydras. The theme for the ball will be "Down With the Ship" in keeping with the "Tailtanic" theme for 1998.
For information on the Krewe, and for purchasing Ball tickets, a hotline has been established at 504.581.BARK.
34th Annual
Bourbon Street Awards
The Thirty-fourth Annual Bourbon Street Awards Show will
be held on Mardi Gras Day, Tues., Feb. 24, at 12noon. The location will be at the corner of St. Ann and Burgundy Sts. Miss Varla Jean Merman, formerly of New Orleans and now a chanteuse from New York City-and recently featured on HBO's Dragtime-will emcee the show.
Wood Enterprises, who brings us this fantastic contest, has gathered Celebrity Judges from New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. The categories include: Male, Female, Group, Fantasy and Leather. There will be a first, second and third place award given for each of these categories. Also to be awarded will be "Best Tits" (male or female) and the grandest of grand awards for "Best of Show."
The Bourbon Street Awards, well into its fourth decade, has hosted some of the most exciting and extravagant Mardi Gras costumes ever seen, and a bit of controversy as well. In 1963, Arthur Jacobs, then owner of the Clover Grill, was facing declining revenues, as were other businesses in the Lower Quarter. "This end of the Quarter, around Bourbon and Dumaine, had a bad reputation in those days. Things around here have come a long way," Jacobs recalled. Jacobs began and oversaw the event until 1974, when he conceded the show to Tommy Hopkins, the owner of Cafe Lafitte in Exile, located across the street from the Clover Grill. During Jacob's tenure with the Awards, he faced a good bit of opposition because of the participation of female impersonators. "A big shot reporter tried to degrade the Awards with a feature in a New York magazine in 1964. He inferred that the show contributed to moral decay. The city was no help either with its additional restrictions and rules. I'm happy the city fathers have taken a different view today," Jacobs said.
When Thomas Wood bought Cafe Lafitte in 1974, the Bourbon Street Awards were assumed with the bar. Escalating production costs and more restrictive city guidelines threatened the Awards, but the show went on. The late Ed Smith, a favorite emcee of the show, well known locally for his flamboyance and humor, produced-in his own name-the requisite permits for the show in 1982 and 1983. He staged it at the corner of St. Ann and Bourbon. To avoid conflict with Smith's show, Wood decided not to compete. "Everyone knew it as the Bourbon Street Awards anyway," Jacobs noted. "Contestants from all over the world came to participate and model their costumes."
When Smith fell terminally ill in 1984, the Awards were not staged, but Jacobs proudly recalled, unofficially, contestants returned to Dumaine and Bourbon to show off their costume creations. 1985 brought the Bourbon Street Awards officially back home to Cafe Lafitte in Exile at Dumaine and Bourbon.
In 1986, the Awards were relocated to the corner of St. Ann and Burgundy in front of the Rawhide. "By staging it there, more viewers were able to see the show, " said Wood.
In 1994, American Chronicle did an hour long segment on Mardi Gras entitled, "Farewell To The Flesh," and the Bourbon Street Awards got great coverage.
Mr. Thomas Wood, owner of Wood Enterprises, and his staff are once again doing the background work and promise that the 34th Annual Bourbon Street Awards will be "The Best Free Show of Mardi Gras."
Krewe du Vieux
gets
"Souled Down
the River"
It's a buyer's market these days, as
more local institutions close down
or get sold off. On Sat., Feb. 7, it's "buyer beware." All offers will be honored all night long as the Krewe du Vieux straggles through its traditional French Quarter route to the now closed Krauss Department store. The route starts at Franklin Ave. and Port St., traveling up Royal St. to Frenchman to Esplanade Ave. to Decatur. Onto Dumaine, the route staggers back to Royal St. to Bienville St. to Basin and ends at Basin and Iberville behind Krauss.
Led by the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Miss Irma Thomas, the action starts at 7pm. Honorary New Orleanian Marcia Ball will be the Grand Duchess. Both royal ladies will perform at the Krewe du Vieux Doo post parade.
The public is invited to the Krewe du Vieux Doo acts and celebrations which commences at 9pm at 1201 Canal St. Parking and security will be provided. Tickets are $20 at the door, or $15 in advance at Louisiana Music Factory, 210 Decatur St., or The Mushroom, 1037 Broadway.
