Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Sparkling Toast to you and NO. Happy 2017- Hanukkah and Kwanzaa !‏

Darlings,
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I would just like to express how much joy you have given me, and wish for your joy and happiness in return. Happy New Year 2017!


I have scheduled the next Round Table luncheon for January 18 at noon at the Bourbon orleans More details to follow. Stay Tune !


Sharing one of my favorite Christmas photos- Wishing you and all your family a happy Holiday 2017, a Happy Hanukkah-Prospero Ano Nuevo ,  Joyeuses Fêtes, Buone Feste! Boas Festas! Forhe Feiertage, חג שמח,Счастливых праздников Schastlivykh prazdnikov, Hạnh phúc ngày lễ,節日快樂 !


Darlings,

I hope you have been enjoying your holidays, whether they are Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa! I have been taking it easy in anticipation of a busy end of the year 2016 and the celebrations to welcome 2017.

But before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, fabulous fun events kept me busy.
“A Musical Christmas” by Lyrica Baroque was superb. The historic, beautiful St Mary’s Chapel of the old Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street was the lovely setting for the standing room, free concert presented by this very talented group of professional chamber musicians. The hour-long program featured selections from Handel’s “Messiah,” sung by the magnificent soprano Sarah Jane McMahon, plus selected pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and other 17th and 18th century composers from the Baroque Era.
In addition to Sarah Jane, the ensemble also consisted of husband and wife Benjamin and Jaren Atherholt on bassoon and oboe respectively, Daniel Lelchuk on cello and Joseph Meyer on violin. They were joined by Emmanuel Arakélian, guest artist at St. Louis Cathedral, on harpsichord, which by the way used to belong to the late art patron, Marlene Jaffe. The concert was dedicated to her memory.
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Unfortunately, I had to leave before it was over because I needed to go to the House of Blues for the Patron party for Home for the Holidays where my darling friend, Grammy Award winner Irma Thomas, performed.
The annual NOCCA “Home for the Holidays” benefit was, as in the past, spectacular. It was a night of fabulous art and music benefiting the Daniel Price Memorial Fund for Aspiring Artists, which honors the memory of NOCCA alumnus Daniel Price. In keeping with Daniel’s twin passions of art and music, the fund provides scholarships for outstanding visual arts and music students at the prestigious school that has produced so many great performing artists.
In addition to Irma, I also enjoyed very much the performances of my other darling friends, John Boutte and his niece, sexy and talented Robin BarnesRebirth Brass BandJames and Karen Andrews, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ SwingersTYSSON, Eric Lindell, Shamarr Allen and the UnderdawgsHerlin Riley and Stanton Moore, plus emcee Gralen Banks. 
As in the past, Drew Brees was there with his beautiful wife Brittany Brees.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153943187735870.1073742764.581200869&type=1&l=2ca0fa175b
The mission of The NOCCA Institute is to support the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Louisiana’s arts conservatory for high school students. They invest in young artists, their mentors, and the community by providing programs and building partnerships that leverage creativity as a catalyst for educational and cultural vitality. The list of NOCCA graduates who have gone on to nationwide and worldwide acclaim is nothing short of awesome and, as New Orleanians, we are exceptionally proud of them and the school that nurtured and perfected their talents!

Darlings, in case you did not know, people like me from the Dominican Republic and from all over Latin America, celebrate Nochebuena on December 24. It the most important Christmas celebration for members of Spanish-influenced cultures. Alternatively known as Noche Buena, La Cena de Nochebuena or Navidad, the keywords mean “Good Night” in Spanish and they refer to Christmas Eve, the biggest Christmas fete for most Latinos. As such, I celebrated last night Noche Buena and invited a few neighbors and a very distinguished composer from Santiago de Cuba,Rodolfo Vaillant, who was visiting New Orleans.
I rested on Christmas Day and enjoyed eating my leftovers and watching great movies and specials on PBS.
Darlings, this week coming up is going to be full of fun events that will include Hanukkah at the Riverwalk. Here are the details:
Chanukah at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, Spanish Plaza, 500 Port of New Orleans Place, from 5:00-7:00 pm, Tuesday, December 27.
In celebration of the first night of Chanukah, Chabad of Louisiana presents the annual Grand Menorah Lighting in Spanish Plaza. The free and open-to-the-public event includes live music, a hot latke bar, dreidel house kid's activity center, face painting and more. In keeping with Jewish tradition, the ceremony commences at sunset.
And another wonderful event, Friends of the Cabildo - the support organization for the Louisiana State Museum - announces that its 2016 Creole Christmas is set for Tuesday-Thursday December 27-29. The three-day event allows guests to visit five French Quarter historic houses decorated in traditional Christmas decorations.
Featured houses include Gallier House, 1850 House, Spring Fiesta, Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Residence and Beauregard-Keyes House. The hours are 10:00 am–4:00 pm. Self-guided tours begin at the 1850 House Museum Store, 523 St. Ann Street on Jackson Square, and ticket sales end at 3:00 pm. Spring Fiesta House will provide refreshments and docent-led tours throughout the day $25 per person ($20 for FOC members).
Tickets can be purchased online at www.friendsofthecabildo.org or the day of the event at the 1850 House Museum Store. For media inquiries please contact Jason Strada at (504) 523-3939.
Also, this is the final week of a very special event you don’t want to miss out on - the NOLA Christmas Fest at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Here are the details on that:

NOLA CHRISTMASFEST USHERS IN THE HOLIDAYS WITH 15 DAYS OF FAMILY FUN!

The New Orleans region’s only indoor Christmas festival ushers in the Christmas spirit with an expanded ice skating rink and ice skating lessons from a pro. During the annual 15-day celebration, which runs through this coming Friday, December 30, figure skater Sarah Zanolli, “The Ice Ambassador,” provides pre-reserved private skating lessons each morning before the new, 7,280 square-foot rink opens to the public.

This year’s NOLA ChristmasFest also features an exciting 120-foot ice slide, an amazing walk-through maze, themed inflatables and fun rides such as the Kringle Carousel, Winter Whirl, Snowball Fight and Snowy Summit Climbing Wall. Visitors will have the option to take memorable Christmas photos with Santa and several of his North Pole friends, including Mrs. Claus and Rudolph. Plus colorful Christmas trees and holiday decorations galore! For more details, including ticket information, visit their website at http://nolachristmasfest.com/.

And, last but not least, this fun-filled weekend appropriately with New Year’s Eve on Saturday night. No city in America – not even New York with its Times Square ball-drop at midnight – can compare with the excitement of NYE in the world-renowned, fun-filled French Quarter. In Times Square, the streets are being cleared of revelers 15 minutes after the ball drops. In New Orleans the party goes on well into the night and the wee hours of the morning and, to top it off, our weather is always a lot warmer than it is up North!

There are certain New Orleans New Year’s Eve traditions that shouldn’t be missed and the main events are the annual midnight fleur-de-lis drop from the rooftop of the Jax Brewery, the breathtaking fireworks show over the Mississippi River immediately afterward, and the live entertainment in Jackson Square leading up to the midnight hour. But no matter what you’re into, New Orleans has just the party to suit your style. Here are our top five ways to spend New Year’s Eve in the Big Easy:

Fireworks and Fleur de Lis Drop
Celebrate New Year’s Eve from Jackson Square, Ground Zero for the main action, where live music performances will entertain crowds of partiers as they eagerly await the Crescent City countdown. At the stroke of midnight, watch the traditional New Orleans fleur-de-lis drop and the spectacular fireworks show over the Mississippi River. 

Nightclub in the French Quarter
Dance your way into 2017 at one of the many booming nightclubs in the French Quarter. All you have to do is walk down Bourbon Street to choose from countless options for energetic music and late-night mingling. Many bars and clubs offer open-air courtyards and balconies, which are perfect for scoring a great view of the fireworks.

Reveillon Dinner
Every December, New Orleans’ best restaurants offer a lineup of reveillon dinners: specially priced multi-course tasting menus starting at $34 per person. Gather your loved ones and celebrate New Year’s Eve with one of these gourmet meals. Take your pick from classic historic venues or trendy new hot spots — just make sure to book your reservation early, as New Year’s Eve seating fills up quickly. 

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Cruise
Hop aboard a riverboat for a special New Year’s Eve cruise, featuring live entertainment, food, open bars and unparalleled views of the fireworks. Choose from the Creole Queen paddlewheeler or Steamboat Natchez, both of which offer exciting options for celebrating the start of 2017. 

Live Concerts
Ring in the New Year at one of New Orleans’ famous live music venues, where you can experience authentic jazz and blues, as well as contemporary DJ sets. You can find plenty of low-lit jazz clubs and vibrant concert halls on Frenchmen Street, such as Maison, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, Blue Nile and The Spotted Cat Music Club.

Want even more ideas for New Year's Eve? Check out this additional guide to New Year's in the Big Easy.

As a significant footnote to our NYE celebration, our city is finally getting the recognition it deserves. On December 31, “Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve” heads to New Orleans for a first-ever live Central Time Zone countdown. Yes, you heard that correctly . . . ! Here it is again.
For the first time ever, “Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve” with Ryan Seacrest will include a Central Time Zone countdown, as the New Year's Eve 2016-17 edition of the annual broadcast will include live coverage from New Orleans!

The live segments will include exclusive performances from the Allstate Fan Fest, in which New Orleans locals and tourists gather to celebrate New Year's Eve and usher in the Allstate Sugar Bowl held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, pitting the Auburn University Tigers against the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

The broadcast will also include interviews leading up to midnight and the fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square when the clock turns to 2017. Ryan Seacrest will lead the New Year’s countdown to midnight live from New York City with comedian, Jenny McCarthy, in Times Square. Singer-songwriter and Black-Eyed Peas vocalist, Fergie, will return to host the Billboard Hollywood Party from Los Angeles.

We also will be celebrating New Year's Eve at Crescent Park, just downriver from the action in Jackson Square. But wherever you go – or if you choose to stay home and celebrate there, have a Happy, Prosperous New Year 2017. For all my Spanish-speaking friends, I wish you “Un Prospero Ano Nuevo 2017!” 

i look forward every year to attend my darling friend, talented photographer Pat Jolly's Silly Birthday party : 

Pat Jolly's Silly Hat Birthday Party -Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 8pm 
The Funtrepreneur's Jazz Jam 
Café Istanbul 2372 St Claude Ave NOLA

Darlings, soon after New Year’s one of my favorite Broadway musicals is coming to the Saenger Theater from January 4-29 and I cannot wait. It’s THE LION KING. Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant premiere at the Saenger Theatre!

I’ll have more to say about this in next week’s blog. For more details, including ticket info, go to http://www.saengernola.com/shows/the-lion-king

Darlings, I just learned of the passing of my darling friend, talented, Jane Pyle who just passed away while visiting her relatives in Texas. I feel blessed to have known her. She was a volunteer extraordinaire who was always there when you needed her. She was a member of many organizations 
JANE PYLE you will be missed. May your Soul Rest in Peace.LOVE YOU my darling friend!
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As 2016 comes to a close, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that this is my 10th year of writing this column. My darling friend Dean Shapiro, always take the time to look and edit it before I send it. LOVE YOU DEAN! It has been a long, rewarding and fun-filled run; one I hope to continue for a long time. I want to thank all of those who have made this possible for me, especially those whose gracious hospitality has allowed me to share these wonderful events and the beautiful memories that accompanied them. Many many thanks to you all and Muchas Gracias!


link December 27, 2016

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LaFete News
Editor / Publisher: Frank Stansbury
504-450-1955



Tuesday, December 27
THE OUTLET COLLECTION AT RIVERWALK® CELEBRATES FIRST NIGHT OF CHANUKAH
WITH GRAND MENORAH LIGHTING
Christmas is a big part of New Orleans’ holiday celebrations due to the city’s Catholic roots, but the city also has a rich Jewish tradition. Be sure to include in your holiday celebrations some of the great events happening around Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which this year happens Dec. 27 • Chanukah at Riverwalk
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In celebration of the first night of Chanukah, Chabad of Louisiana presents the annual Grand Menorah Lighting in Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza on Tuesday, Dec. 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The free and open-to-the-public event includes live music, a hot latke bar, dreidel house kid’s activity center, face painting and more.
Free event features live music, latke bar and kid’s activity center
WHAT: Chanukah: Grand Menorah Lighting
WHEN Tuesday, Dec. 27
5 to 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza,500 Port of New Orleans Place




Creole Christmas

December 27 – 29, 2016

  • Location: 1850 House
  • Address: 523 St. Ann Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
  • Times: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Admission: $25
  • Contact: Friends of the Cabildo
  • Phone: 504-524-9118
  • Email: jason@friendsofthecabildo.org
  • Visit Website
  • Friends of the Cabildo, the support organization for the Louisiana State Museum, announces its 2016 Creole Christmas is set for Tuesday-Thursday December 27th-29th. The three-day event allows guest to visit five French Quarter historic houses decorated in traditional Christmas decorations. Featured houses include Gallier House, 1850 House, Spring Fiesta, Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Residence, and Beauregard-Keyes House. Tuesday-Thursday, December 27-29 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Self-Guided Tours begin at the 1850 House Museum Store at 523 St. Ann Street on Jackson Square and are available all day from 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Ticket sales to end at 3:00 pm. Spring Fiesta House will provide refreshments and docent led tours throughout the day $25 per person, $20 FOC members Tickets can be purchased online at www.friendsofthecabildo.org or the day of the event at the 1850 House Museum Store. For media inquiries please contact Jason Strada at 504-523-3939 or purchase tickets online atwww.friendsofthecabildo.org

Celebrate the New Year while helping animals in need!
View Online.
Louisiana SPCA Logo

PAWty like it's 2017!

Join us Saturday, December 31 from 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency for the Big Night New Orleans New Year's Eve gala! For the last five years, Big Night New Orleans has brought out more than 3,500 of the city's most progressive movers and shakers making it the preeminent New Year's Eve celebration in New Orleans.
louisiana spca laspca spca new orleans cat for sale adopt kitten new years 2017 new years eve party new year party fundraiser give back big night new orleans gala
This year they've chosen the Louisiana SPCA as their charitable partner and will give a portion of the tickets sales to animals in our care. Visit www.la-spca.org/nye2017 to get your tickets now!
Big Night New Orleans
December 31 from 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Ave.
GET TICKETS
  •  

    Allstate® Fan Fest
    The Allstate® Fan Fest is back for its 11th year to once again serve as the backdrop for pre-game events and celebrations leading up to the 2017 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®. As college football fans descend on New Orleans to see a premiere college football bowl games, the Crescent City will come alive with a mix of interactive activities, highlighted by free New Year's Eve performances featuring David Garibaldi, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Panic! at the Disco and Jason Derulo.

    Saturday, December 31: 12 p.m.-12 a.m.6 p.m.: David Garibaldi 
    7:15 p.m.: Preservation Hall Jazz Band 
    9 p.m.: Panic! at the Disco 
    10:45 p.m.: Jason Derulo
    Sunday, January 1: 12-6 p.m.

    Allstate® Fan Fest will also feature football-themed activities, including an opportunity to kick a field goal into the iconic Allstate "Good Hands®" Field Goal Net, as well as high-energy pep rallies featuring marching bands, mascots and cheerleaders from the participating schools. In addition, the Allstate Combine will give fans an opportunity to participate in football-related drills leading up to the big game.

    In addition to celebrating the events that take place on the field, Allstate will help shine a spotlight on the good deeds that take place off the field. Members of the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, one of the most prestigious community service awards in college sports, will be recognized during halftime of the 2017 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®.  For the ninth year, Allstate and members of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will give back to the local community by hosting a special youth football clinic.

    The Allstate® Fan Fest is free to the public and open from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday, December 31, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 1. Fan Fest is located at Jackson Square in the Jax Brewery parking lot off Decatur Street.

  • 12-31-16

    'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve' Heads To New Orleans For First-Ever Live Central Time Zone Countdown

    For the first time ever, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest will include a Central Time Zone countdown, as the New Year's Eve 2016-17 edition of the annual broadcast will include live coverage from New Orleans.

    The live segments will include exclusive performances from the Allstate® Fan Fest, in which New Orleans locals and tourists gather to celebrate New Year's Eve and usher in the college football Sugar Bowl held in New Orleans on New Year's Day. The broadcast will also include interviews leading up to midnight and a fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square when the clock turns to 2017.
    Ryan Seacrest will lead the New Year countdown to midnight live from New York City with comedian  Jenny McCarthy  in Times Square. Singer-songwriter and Black Eyed Peas vocalist  Fergie  will return to host the Billboard Hollywood Party from Los Angeles.
    Marking the 45th anniversary of the annual show, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 will feature 5 1/2 hours of performances and reports. Previously announced performers include  Mariah Carey , DNCE, Thomas Rhett and Gloria Estefan and the cast of the Broadway musical On Your Feet. Performers for the Los Angeles wing of the broadcast will be announced in the coming weeks.
    Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 airs Saturday, December 31 starting at 8 PM ET/PT on  ABC 




    12-31-16


Happy New Year 2017

I would just like to express how much joy you have given me, and wish for your joy and happiness in return. Happy New Year 2017!


I have scheduled the next Round Table luncheon for January 18 at noon at the Bourbon orleans More details to follow. Stay Tune !


Pat Jolly's Silly Hat Birthday Party -Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 8pm 
The Funtrepreneur's Jazz Jam 
Café Istanbul 2372 St Claude Ave NOLA

Darlings, one of my favorite Broadway Show is coming to the Saenger Theater January 4-29 and I can not wait. 
THE LION KING: 
Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. This is Disney’s THE LION KING, making its triumphant premier at the Saenger Theatre!
More than 80 million people around the world have experienced the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the un...
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1-7-17
MUSICAL TALENT ANNOUNCED FOR LINK STRYJEWSKI FOUNDATION BAL MASQUÉ
Dr. John & the Nite Trippers Headline 2nd Annual Fundraiser 

New Orleans, Louisiana - The Link Stryjewski Foundation is proud to announce the musical lineup for the Second Annual Bal Masqué, set for January 7, 2017 at the historic Orpheum Theater in New Orleans. Dr. John & the Nite Trippers will headline the evening, following performances by Big Sam's Funky Nation, Cha Wa, and the Roots of Music. The gala fundraiser is a celebration of New Orleans' Creole carnival roots, capturing the spirit of a classic Bal Masqué with music, dance and food. The evening will feature culinary creations from world-renowned chefs John Currence (City Grocery, Oxford, MS), Suzanne Goin (Lucques, Los Angeles), Paul Kahan (Publican, Chicago), Mike Lata (FIG, Charleston), Nancy Oakes (Prospect, San Francisco), Richard Reddington (Redd, Yountville, CA), Andrea Reusing (Lantern, Chapel Hill), and Maggie Scales (La Boulangerie, New Orleans). The Bal Masqué will follow an intimate event preview dinner on Friday, January 6, 2017, at Calcasieu, hosted by returning chef Mario Batali (Babbo, New York City). Tickets available now at balmasque.linkstryjewski.org or by calling 504-588-2189 Ext. 5.

"Dr. John is an international legend and New Orleans icon who represents the musical soul of our city," states Chef Donald Link. "We are honored that he will join us in support of our mission to help nourish and educate the youth of New Orleans this year." Dr. John, whose career spans six-decades, recently released a new album, The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music. The album includes performances by Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Widespread Panic and Dr. John & The Nite Trippers' Music Director Sarah Morrow. It also includes performances by several New Orleans legends, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Terence Blanchard, John Boutté, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste of the Meters, and Aaron, Charles and Cyril Neville.

The Link Stryjewski Foundation was created to address the persistent cycle of violence and poverty, as well as the lack of quality education and job training opportunities available to young people in New Orleans. The Link Stryjewski Foundation provides support to organizations that directly work to end the cycle of violence and poverty that affect the lives of children.

More information about the Bal Masqué and the Link Stryjewski Foundation can be found at http://www.linkstryjewski.org/bal/


Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski created the Link Stryjewski Foundation to address the persistent cycle of violence and poverty, as well as the lack of quality education and job training opportunities available to young people in New Orleans. The Link Stryjewski Foundation provides support to organizations that directly work to end this cycle. The mission of the Link Stryjewski Foundation is to help nourish and educate the youth of New Orleans, allowing them to realize their potential and become active positive members of our community. For more information about the Link Stryjewski Foundation and its beneficiaries, visit www.linkstryjewski.org