Celebration of Live in the Ruins
It was a cold day today. Weather that would usually make me deem 2nd tier Carnival parades as optional, but not today. I caught a little bit of the Krewe of Carrollton on St. Charles, with the theme "Blue Roof Blues", which was good, but then I headed out to what really got me out of the house today-- the Knights of Nemesis Parade in Chalmette-- the only parade this season in St. Bernard Parish.
The Parades in New Orleans this year are confined to the 20% of the area that wasn't under water. St. Bernard didn't have any %. Hardly anyone (I heard last month something like only 200 out of 65,000) had pre-Katrina homes in livable condition yet; most of those living back there are in trailers, and many more are still living elsewhere and commuting in to St. Bernard to work and gut & repair their homes. Folks who lost everything decided they were damn well going to have at least one Carnival parade this season.
I drove down Claiborne, past a fire sending up smoke from a residential section of New Marigny, through the ruins of the Lower 9th Ward, on down into the Parish. The parade started and ended at the small concentration of local small businesses that have gutted, repaired, and reopened on Paris Road near St Bernard Av, then wound back along what used to be the commercial throroughfare of Judge Perez Boulevard, now mostly empty and ruined buildings, with occasional groups of post-K dwelling trailers. People were out in force along the route, families barbequeing on little grills. I felt a great afirmation of life that I can't think of how to describe. The parade consisted of 12 floats, unremarkable in a normal year, with the theme "Proud to Call St. Bernard Home", mostly generic boosterism with some storm first responders riding as heros and a few obligiatory cracks at FEMA, along with some marching bands and costumed marchers.
In other news, the delayed New Orleans mayor election race is heating up, with the first serious content free wacky attack ads airing on local tv.
The Parades in New Orleans this year are confined to the 20% of the area that wasn't under water. St. Bernard didn't have any %. Hardly anyone (I heard last month something like only 200 out of 65,000) had pre-Katrina homes in livable condition yet; most of those living back there are in trailers, and many more are still living elsewhere and commuting in to St. Bernard to work and gut & repair their homes. Folks who lost everything decided they were damn well going to have at least one Carnival parade this season.
I drove down Claiborne, past a fire sending up smoke from a residential section of New Marigny, through the ruins of the Lower 9th Ward, on down into the Parish. The parade started and ended at the small concentration of local small businesses that have gutted, repaired, and reopened on Paris Road near St Bernard Av, then wound back along what used to be the commercial throroughfare of Judge Perez Boulevard, now mostly empty and ruined buildings, with occasional groups of post-K dwelling trailers. People were out in force along the route, families barbequeing on little grills. I felt a great afirmation of life that I can't think of how to describe. The parade consisted of 12 floats, unremarkable in a normal year, with the theme "Proud to Call St. Bernard Home", mostly generic boosterism with some storm first responders riding as heros and a few obligiatory cracks at FEMA, along with some marching bands and costumed marchers.
In other news, the delayed New Orleans mayor election race is heating up, with the first serious content free wacky attack ads airing on local tv.