News and information from the New Orleans area
Mardi Gras Parade
Mardi Gras 2013 Bears Down On Us!!
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Really looking forward to Carnival in New Orleans 2013. It’s the first one I’ve ever experienced without my wife by my side. We were both huge Mardi Gras fans. Fat Tuesday is February 12, which is rather early.
Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter, and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25, with the exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a spring equinox! If you’re still confused, get out that calendar with the printed holidays on it- it’s the day before Ash Wednesday!
Nevertheless, it’s 72 days to Fat Tuesday, so here we go!! I’m very excited about my own krewe, KdV, or Krewe du Vieux. I’m in the Krewe of Underwear, and we march January 19, 2013!! Most years when we march it’s quite cold, but a couple of years recently, it’s been really warm. We are the only krewe to march in the historic French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny, all our floats are pulled by mules, and only brass bands provide the parade music, with a brass band between each float. KdV is an adult only parade, since we feature very ribald floats. The satire isn’t what the problem is, it’s the vulgarity factor.
Krewe of Underwear 2009
The Super Bowl is being played in New Orleans this year, and the game is right during the parade season. Some parades have been moved to the first half of the season. The season is split!!
May march with the Society of Saint Anne in the Marigny. Never have, but I need to change my routine, as my long time partner is not with me.
Society of St. Anne Revelers
2013 Parade Season Split in Two by Super Bowl!!!
213 years
2012 Super Bowl Tickets, Indianapolis, IN
As was the case for Mardi Gras 2002 after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the 2013 parade season will be cut in two, with the first week of Carnival beginning Jan. 25 instead of Feb. 1. That will be followed by a nine-day break in parading as football fans, city officials, the tourism industry and police turn their attention to Super Bowl XLVII (47)
The Super Bowl is Feb. 3, and Mardi Gras 2013 falls on Feb. 12.
The parade season will pick up again after the big game. Traditionally, the official Carnival season consists of 12 consecutive days that culminate on Fat Tuesday.
A handful of Krewes must change their parading days to suit the new schedule.
Parades rolling on Friday, February 1, Oshun and Cleopatra, move to January 25. Parades rolling on Saturday, February 2, Pontchartrain, Sparta and Pygmalion, move to January 26. Parades rolling on Sunday, February 2, Alla, King Arthur, and Carrollton, move to January 27.
As a result of the schedule changes in 2002, some krewes had to scale back in size. The 11 krewes forced to change their schedules received financial compensation from the NFL. The details of the settlement were confidential, but the krewes asked for $550,000, or $50,000 per krewe. The NFL also paid the National Automobile Dealers Association $7.5 million that year to move its meeting to the Super Bowl’s original slot.
Krewe of King Arthur
Schedule courtesy Tulane.edu.
2013 Orleans Only Parade Schedule
| Day | Date | Krewe | Route |
| Friday | January 6, 2013 | Phunny Phorty Phellows | Uptown Streetcar Route |
| Friday | January 6, 2013 | Krewe of Jeanne d’Arc | French Quarter |
| Saturday | January 19, 2013 | Krewe du Vieux | Marigny/French Quarter |
| Friday | January 25, 2013 | Krewe of Oshun | Uptown |
| Friday | January 25, 2013 | Krewe of Cleopatra | Uptown |
| Saturday | January 26, 2013 | Krewe of Pontchartrain | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Saturday | January 26, 2013 | Krewe of Choctaw (1 year only) | Uptown |
| Saturday | January 26, 2013 | Knights of Sparta | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Saturday | January 26, 2013 | Krewe of Pygmalion | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Sunday | January 27, 2013 | Krewe of Carrollton | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Sunday | January 27, 2013 | Krewe of King Arthur | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Friday | February 1, 2013 | Krewe of Cork | French Quarter |
| Sunday | February 3, 2013 | Mystic Krewe of Barkus | French Quarter |
| Wednesday | February 6, 2013 | Krewe of Ancient Druids | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Wednesday | February 6, 2013 | Mystic Krewe of Nyx | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Thursday | February 7, 2013 | Knights of Babylon | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Thursday | February 7, 2013 | Knights of Chaos | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Thursday | February 7, 2013 | Krewe of Muses | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Friday | February 8, 2013 | Krewe of Hermes | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Friday | February 8, 2013 | Le Krewe d’Etat | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Friday | February 8, 2013 | Krewe of Morpheus | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Saturday | February 9, 2013 | Krewe of Iris | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Saturday | February 9, 2013 | Krewe of Tucks | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Saturday | February 9, 2013 | Krewe of Endymion | Mid-City |
| Sunday | February 10, 2013 | Krewe of Okeanos | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Sunday | February 10, 2013 | Krewe of Mid-City | Uptown – Jefferson |
| Sunday | February 10, 2013 | Krewe of Thoth | Uptown – Henry Clay |
| Sunday | February 10, 2013 | Krewe of Bacchus | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Monday | February 11, 2013 | Krewe of Proteus | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Monday | February 11, 2013 | Krewe of Orpheus | Uptown – Napoleon |
| Tuesday | February 12, 2013 | Krewe of Zulu | Uptown – Jackson |
| Tuesday | February 12, 2013 | Rex, King of Carnival | Uptown – Claiborne |
| Tuesday | February 12, 2013 | Elks Krewe of Orleanians | Uptown – Claiborne |
| Tuesday | February 12, 2013 | Krewe of Crescent City | Uptown – Claiborne |
Now I’m a member of Krewe du Vieux, and it really is a blast to be in a krewe. I love Mardi Gras from the street perspective, but belonging to a Carnival Krewe, that’s a whole other level of fun. We get to march in the historic French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny. Our super satiric, ribald floats are adults only. Our floats are pulled by donkeys and each float has it’s own brass band! The Hot 8 Brass Band was in front of us in 2012 and they kicked butt and I mean they kicked butt. The entire miles long route was an excuse for these brass warriors to take our entire Krewe of Underwear to a new party parade level, which energized the crowd as they passed.
Blaine Kern Faces Foreclosure, Continued Court Fight With Son
014 years
REX New Butterfly Float 2012
Since April, Blaine Kern Sr, Carnival legend and founder of Mardi Gras World, was heading down the slippery slope of foreclosure. Blaine Sr has been embroiled in a nasty law suit with his son, Barry Kern.
As readers of this blog already know, I always preach one axiom when discussing this case- never sue your parents, it won’t work out in the long run no matter what you believe at the time. This is a time honored axiom that can’t be overcome or changed.
When the first Super Parade was born in 1967 with Bacchus, who was the float builder who made Captain Augie Perez’s dreams come true? Blaine Kern Sr. He’s been the float builder of record for Rex, Orpheus, Endymion, Muses, Bacchus, Alla, and Caesar, all the Super Krewes of note in recent Carnival history
Traditional Jester Float of REX, the King of Carnival!
Blaine sought national accounts, and landed Disneyland and MGM as major clients, among other big businesses. He’s represented the great traditions of Mardi Gras in the best New Orleans tradition of service and quality. I personally helped grow it (Mardi Gras) into a billion-dollar industry, says 85-year-old Blaine Kern, nicknamed “Mr. Mardi Gras”. I’ve been doing this for 74 years.
The Algiers Point house he bought with his fourth wife, Holly Brown-Kern, is slated for the auction block in two months, according to a foreclosure notice filed this week by Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s office.
The notice lists a May 3 auction date for the Abalon Court property in the Algiers Riverpoint subdivision. Whitney Bank sued Kern in January over a $283,849 debt on the house, which the couple bought five years ago for $290,000, according to public records.
Dr. Gets Off Float and Beats Woman Unconscious!!
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Lafayette’s Mardi Gras has it over New Orleans in this respect. We have no Carnival criminal drama of this intertwined variety at all. This story wins the prize for Carnival depravity for 2012!!
The peaceful Mardi Gras celebration turned violent for three Lafayette residents on Tuesday, February 21, resulting in a woman being knocked unconscious and a Hub City doctor’s arrest. Lafayette developer and Dr. Glenn Stewart was arrested without incident Tuesday night at his home. He is charged with second-degree battery.
- Dr. Glenn Stewart
The charges stem from a one sided fight that took place Tuesday at around 12:40 P. M. near the start of the Independent Parade (which is not associated with the Independent newspaper) route. Stewart’s float referenced Lafayette newspaper publisher Cherry Fisher May and her August 2010 DUI arrest.
The incident was prompted by the Mardi Gras float Stewart entered into the Independent Parade featuring Cherry Fisher May (the victim’s Mother) as the “driver” of the float with the warning on big banners: Caution!!! Float Driven by Cherry Fisher May. Stewart also ran Fisher May’s mug shot from her 2010 DUI arrest.
The parade has stated they were unaware of the personal attack banners Stewart covered the sides of his float with at the last minute.
Read here for more on Stewart’s relentless retaliation against the Independent Weekly for its coverage of an agricultural tax loophole he took advantage of for his Parc Lafayette development at the corner of Kaliste Saloom Road and Camellia Boulevard.
According to Lafayette police, Erin May Fitzgerald, 41, Lafayette, approached Stewart’s float near the start and attempted to remove a banner. Stewart confronted Fitzgerald, who is also Fisher May’s stepdaughter.
Fitzgerald’s stepfather, John St. Julien, 60, Lafayette, intervened, sparking an altercation between the two men. St. Julien took photographs after she was knocked out. Those photographs show Stewart taking pictures of the unconscious woman.
- Glenn Stewart Taking Cell Phone Photos of Erin Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was hit in the face during the fight, knocking her out and leaving her with facial injuries. She was treated at a local hospital.
- Erin May Fitzgerald “after”
Stewart and St. Julien each were issued a misdemeanor summons for disturbing the peace by fighting. Fitzgerald also received a misdemeanor summons for disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct. The case remains under investigation.
While Stewart paid all fees and met regulations for his float, Independent Parade Organizers said they weren’t aware of its content and said this type of signage should not be allowed. In a written statement, Chairman Mike Mitchell said, they can’t let this ever happen again. This can’t be in our parade. He said the committee will re-examine their signage rules.
It’s possible Dr. Stewart could lose his medical license for harming her, then failing to aid the woman he punched. Ms. Fitzgerald has apologized for messing with the float. We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Kern’s Movie Credits Used to Build Floats!!
014 years
- Mardi Gras World
This is the second entry that goes on both my blogs- Watchopp and my Mardi Gras blog as well. We can thank the Legislative Auditor‘s office for this one, they released the report that the Kerns used the movie tax credits to build floats in 2006 instead of their unfinished documentary, Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras: Building of the Greatest Free Show on Earth. The Kerns own Mardi Gras World, a New Orleans institution. They build REX, Bacchus, Orpheus, Endymion, Muses, and Alla, among others.
- Barry and Blaine Kern in Happier Times
Barry Kern’s huge response to the Auditor report states that the practices the Kerns followed were somewhat widespread at the time among live entertainment documentaries that applied for the tax credit during the same time period. Those productions include Jazz Fest, Voodoo Fest and Essence Fest. That’s pretty esteemed company for the Kerns to be keeping. I guess French Quarter Festival kept their nose clean on this live entertainment documentary mess. Good for them!!
Barry Kern thinks his dad, Blaine Kern Sr., notified the Legislative Auditor about the tax credit situation. That made Barry Kern very mad. If Dad’s objective was to make Barry mad, it worked. The Kern family is in the middle of well known legal battle for control of the Kern empire. Barry started the legal feud, and Blaine is doing his best to continue it. This is the juiciest, saddest public legal family battle we’ve seen in quite some time. My condolences to all involved.
- Kern’s REX Parade on Mardi Gras Day
The big news in the case is at the end of February 2012, the Louisiana Appeals Court overturned the lower court and gave Kern Sr. back control. They threw out the deal the Kerns brokered with the key Mardi Gras Captains, and lifted the temporary injunction against Kern Sr.
That means the lawsuit, in which Barry Kern accused his father of ruining the company, will go back to Orleans Civil District Court for a full hearing.
Barry Kern now has 14 days to appeal the ruling to the full Fourth Circuit bench for a rehearing. Otherwise, the case will be sent back for trial before Judge Kern Reese.
So if the elder Kern is back running the business, why would he contact the Legislative Auditor and draw attention to the possible misuse of tax credits? To embarrass Barry for sure is probably the only reason. The elder Kern oversaw the building of those floats, not his son, more than five years ago.
The Kerns’ movie was billed as a look at the history, design, building and production of Carnival and Mardi Gras floats, with a focus on the 2007 season, according to the Legislative Auditor’s report.