Tuesday, May 9, 2017

A Toast to New Orleans & YOU: May 9-15 : Finding Neverland/ Guardian Angel Gala/ Art & Soul/Jessica Lang/ Mother's Day Concert & More

My favorite part of the Zoo


Darlings, I hope you enjoyed your week as much as I did. 
I had lot of opportunities to toast to my beloved New Orleans as I attended a myriad of fun activities that included the visit of European Union Ambassador to the U.S., David O'Sullivanhttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154308938370870.1073742841.581200869&type=1&l=6eb3482488
And here are some more shots from this very eventful week:
Saturday at Murray and Geri Valene's “Seis de Mayo” Kentucky Derby Race Celebration: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154308998025870.1073742842.581200869&type=1&l=92d974bb25
WOW! You can tell I was busy and Ienjoyed every one of these events. 
Before I share this week upcoming fun events, I want to express my condolences to the families of my darling friends who I had the pleasure of knowing and cultivating their friendships. They are community activist Harry Greenberger, former New Orleans Police Superintendent  Richard Pennington and talented hairstylist Albert Brown. May their souls RIP. I am going to miss them tremendously! 
On a happy note, I am looking forward to all the upcoming fun events that make our beloved  city so unique!
I am going to start today by attending the Tourism Matters Parade and later on the opening of Finding Neverland at the Saenger Theatre.
On Friday, I am looking forward to covering Dress for Success' Suits and Salad Luncheon at the Hyatt and later on the Project Lazarus Annual Guardian Angel Award Gala at the Ace Hotel.It will honor my darlings friends Vincent Saia Jr. and Bruce Gallassero and will be hosted by Bryan Batt.
On Saturday is the NOCCA Art and Soul at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts at their facility on Chartres Street.
Also on Saturday will be the return of Jessica Lang Dance, sponsored by the New Orleans Ballet Association. When this world-renowned dance company first started touring in January 2013, New Orleans was one of the first places they came to – staging three performances at NOCCA. This time they will be at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts for one show on Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m.
The program will feature all original dances, created and choreographed by Jessica Lang, the nine-member company’s namesake who had created nearly 100 dances for some of the most prestigious companies in the world. Those who saw the NOCCA performance four years ago will recognize the solo dancer in the 20-foot-long white gown that she moves around in with great skill. The other dances in the program will be seen here for the first time, including a major piece dealing with the themes of war and PTSD, and another piece in which the dancers will perform with and below fascinating geometrically shaped set pieces designed by renowned Chicago architect Steven Holl.
Ms. Lang will deliver a pre-performance talk on the mezzanine level of the theater at 7:15 p.m., 45 minutes before curtain time. To read more about the upcoming performance, check out the story that will be in this Thursday’s New Orleans Advocate, which is also posted online on Wednesday evening. This is the final performance of the 2016-17 season for NOBA. Here is the link for information and ordering tickets: https://www.choicesecure03.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=NewOBallet.
Darlings, wish you all a Happy Mother's Day. As in the past I will be celebrating 

20th Annual Mother’s Day at Cabrini Park from 4 to 7 p.m. 

Darlings, I need to save energy to host the Annual Round Table Luncheon co-hosted by Festigals on Wednesday, May 17 at noon in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. The luncheon will be co-hosted by Diane Lyons, Founder of FestiGals, Inc., and Sandra Dartus, Partnership Liaison for Festigals, Inc. This annual "New Orleans Women's Weekend Experience" is a celebration of women and New Orleans and it will take place June 24-26 at the JW Marriott Hotel on Canal Street.
Featured speaker will be Jamie Peckenpaugh, Executive Director of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, who will speak about the upcoming NOWFE from May 25-28. This 25th annual festival, celebrating wine and food, attracts food and wine connoisseurs - as well as art and music lovers - to various venues throughout the French Quarter.
In addition, there will be a mini fashion show featuring Mimi Holaday, New Orleans Fashion Week Design Winner. The show will be coordinated by Tracee Dundas, founder of New Orleans Fashion Week.
We will be entertained by the talented “Songbird of New Orleans,” Robin Barnes who, it was recently announced, will reign as the 2017 Grand Diva of FestiGals.
The $55 all-inclusive price includes a three-course gourmet luncheon, champagne/wines and valet parking. Please make your reservations by calling Judy LeBlanc at (504) 571-4672 or email her at Judy.LeBlanc@BourbonOrleans.com

RESERVATIONS AND PREPAYMENT ARE REQUIRED. Walk-ins will not be accepted, as the hotel will only prepare meals for the number of guests who have made reservations.

Lafete News Link May 9, 2017

The Travel Rally, Parade and Industry "Toast"
Tuesday, May 9th, 2017, beginning at Tableau and ending at the Capital One Pavilion at Woldenberg Park.  
8:30 AM - Gather at Tableau- 616 St. Peter St.
9:00 AM - Parade proceeds through the French Quarter, immediately followed by an industry "toast" at the Capital One pavilion.



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Finding Neverland is Broadway's biggest new hit and the winner of Broadway.com's Audience Choice Award for Best Musical! This breathtaking smash "captures the kid-at-heart" (Time Magazine). Vogue cheers, "it's a must-see you'll remember for years to come!" Directed by visionary Tony winner Diane Paulus, Finding Neverland tells the incredible story behind one of the world's most beloved characters: Peter Pan. Playwright J.M. Barrie struggles to find inspiration until he meets four young brothers and their beautiful widowed mother. Spellbound by the boys' enchanting make-believe adventures, he sets out to write a play that will astound London theatergoers. With a little bit of pixie dust and a lot of faith, Barrie takes this monumental leap, leaving his old world behind for Neverland where nothing is impossible and the wonder of childhood lasts forever. The magic of Barrie's classic tale springs spectacularly to life in this heartwarming theatrical event. Finding Neverland is "far and away the best musical of the year!" (NPR).

Playing At
Saenger Theatre 1111 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
  • Schedule
Tuesday 5/97:30PM
Wednesday 5/107:30PM
Thursday 5/117:30PM
Friday 5/128:00PM
Saturday 5/132:00PM
Saturday 5/138:00PM
Sunday 5/142:00PM
Sunday 5/147:30PM
Time
2 Hours and 35 Minutes.
Octavia Books Presents
Wednesday
May 10
6:00pm

Come meet New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews when she presents and signs THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK.
You don't have to own a beach house to enjoy Mary Kay Andrews's recipes. All you need is an appetite for delicious, casual dishes, cooked with the best fresh, local ingredients and presented with the breezy flair that make Mary Kay Andrews's novels a summertime favorite at the beach.
  
From an early spring dinner of cherry balsamic-glazed lamb chops and bacon-kissed green beans, to Fourth of July buttermilk-brined fried chicken, yuppie potato salad, and Coca-Cola cake, to her New Year's Day Open House menu of charcoal-grilled oysters, home-cured gravlax, grits n' greens casserole, and Meyer lemon bar trifle, this cookbook will supply ideas for menus and recipes designed to put you in a permanently carefree coastal state of mind all year long.

read more
Wednesday
May 10
7:15pm

We are delighted to welcome Mary Gaitskill for a discussion and signing of SOMEBODY WITH A LITTLE HAMMER.

From one of the most singular presences in American fiction comes a searingly intelligent book of essays on matters literary, social, cultural, and personal. Whether she's writing about date rape or political adultery or writers from John Updike to Gillian Flynn, Mary Gaitskill reads her subjects deftly and aphoristically and moves beyond them to locate the deep currents of longing, ambition, perversity, and loneliness in the American unconscious. She shows us the transcendentalism of the Talking Heads, the melancholy of Björk, the playfulness of artist Laurel Nakadate. She celebrates the clownish grandiosity and the poetry of Norman Mailer's long career and maps the sociosexual cataclysm embodied by porn star Linda Lovelace. And in the deceptively titled "Lost Cat," she explores how the most intimate relationships may be warped by power and race.

Witty, tender, beautiful, and unsettling, SOMEBODY WITH A LITTLE HAMMER displays the same heat-seeking, revelatory understanding for which we value Gaitskill's fiction..

read more

coming soon



Friday 
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Saturday 
read more

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read more


and reserve your place early


Dear Friend of Politics with a Punch,
Join us on Thursday May 11 for another unforgettable edition of Politics with a Punch, our local version of "Politically Incorrect." It is a fast-paced, free-wheeling, no-holds barred discussion of what is happening in our city, state and nation. We place a premium on having a good time and expect plenty of laughs as we discuss the controversies and the outrageous antics of our local leaders and scoundrels.
We launched Politics with a Punch in 2002 and have enjoyed 15 years of great times thanks to our awesome panelists and faithful patrons. This next event will be another very special show as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary!    

It will be held at the beautiful Eiffel Society, 2040 St. Charles Avenue. This outstanding venue offers plenty of available parking, a superb staff and tremendous amenities for Punch patrons. It has been recently renovated and looks outstanding. Join us for this special program and enjoy another fabulous panel.
The doors open at 6 p.m. for Punch Happy Hour as the Eiffel Society bar will offer a delicious menu of specialty drinks for our patrons. As an added treat, dining will be available for our patrons at the Eiffel Society. After our event ends, we invite you to stay with us for cocktails and socializing with our patrons and panelists.
Our show will begin at 8:00 p.m. As usual, we have picked an outstanding panel with some of our favorite all-stars plus some exciting newcomers. Check out our exceptional line-up of celebrities for this New Orleans POLITICAL COMEDY TRADITION: 
  • Becky Allen, Comedienne, Actress, Entertainer, New Orleans Icon   
  • Dennis Assaf, Co-Founder, Executive/Artistic Director, Conductor of JPAS
  • Captain Black, Real Life Superhero, Urban Safety Consultant, Commentator
  • Jim Brown, Commentator, Syndicated Talk Show Host, Former LA Ins. Comm.
  • Hon. J.P. Morrell, Louisiana State Senator (D-New Orleans)
  • Frank Scurlock, Founder of Space Walk, NOLA Mayoral Candidate



Tickets are only $20.00 per person/$35.00 per couple.
If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please RSVP by sending me an e-mail reply. You can also purchase tickets in advance at a discounted price ($15.00 per person/$25.00 per couple) on-line at our website:
POLITICS WITH A PUNCH ONLINE TICKET STORE
For e-mail reservations, I need to know the number of people in your party as the tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.
At Punch, we guarantee everyone will have a good time, and anyone who has attended one of our events can attest to that fact.
For more information, call me at #504-669-6076.
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Venice meets New Orleans in a Carnival-style party
 sponsored by Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World 
that keeps the museum open till midnight. 
Live music, specialty cocktails, 
circus acts and other surprises await.

5 - 7:30 p.m.
Music by The Melatauns


5 - 8 p.m. 
Krewe of Kolossus
5 - 10 p.m.
Art on the Spot art activities


6 - 11 p.m.
Yas Queen
Twitter scavenger hunt

6:30 p.m. 
Tour of
A Life of Seduction:
Venice in the 1700s
with curator Vanessa Schmid

7:30 p.m.
Mardi Gras Indian
performance by the 
Wild Magnolias

8:30 - 11 p.m. 
Music by
Panorama Jazz Band

9:30 p.m.
Comedy tour with
The New Movement

11 p.m.
 Spectacular finale 
with drag queens 
Reba Douglas and 
Amber Douglas
APPEARANCES BY
Societé de Saint Anne
'tit Rǝx
the Merry Antoinettes 
and more!

FOOD BY
Café NOMALa Cocinita
Crêpes à la Cart, and 
Cocoa and Cream Catering
Specialty cocktails by
COSTUMES ARE ENCOURAGED
Please note some restrictions. Masks must be handheld
 or easily removable. For safety concerns, 
we ask that masks do not obstruct the entire face,
 or have any protruding parts (crowns, noses, etc).

ADMISSION

$12 adults | $10 seniors (65+) & active military with ID
$8 university students with ID | $6 children (7-12)
FREE for NOMA Members, children 6 and under, teens (13-19)

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NOBA presents
Jessica Lang Dance
Sat., May 13
Mahalia Jackson Theater
The stunning Jessica Lang Dance has skyrocketed into a major dance force led by the remarkably gifted American choreographer Jessica Lang. Hailed by Dance Magazine as a "master of visual composition," this gorgeous company brings a spellbinding evening of dance. Chicago Tribune raves, "astonishing...superb...marvelous." An evening with Jessica Lang Dance makes a perfect Mother's Day Gift! Info and tickets here!

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Mother's Day at Audubon Zoo
Moms of all ages get complimentary admission into the Zoo on Mother's Day. Mother's Day is always popular, so expedite your entry by purchasing and printing tickets at home. Complimentary admission tickets for moms will be available at Audubon Zoo's front gate when you arrive!

Irma Thomas, New Orleans' beloved Queen Of Soul, will stage her 34th annual Mother's Day performance at Audubon Zoo.
Families heading down to the Audubon Zoo for the traditional Mother's Day performance by Irma Thomas this year will have a new dining option: a brunch buffet in the Audubon Tea Room
On Sunday May 14, the Grammy® Award winner will be back in her customary position on the Capital One Stage in Audubon Zoo, where she has headlined the Mother's Day celebration for more than three decades.
Thomas and her band, The Professionals, will perform everyone's old favorites and new hits from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Before New Orleans' beloved Queen of Soul belts out her first song, guests can visit the Tea Room for a buffet that will be served from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

Tickets to the Tea Room brunch buffet are $50 per person and $25 for children 5 to 12. There will be a $5 discount for Audubon members; kids under 5 receive a complimentary brunch buffet.
The menu will include one complimentary "Mom-mosa'' for each mother. There also will be a cash bar.
Credit cards are required for reservations. For more information and reservations call 504.212.5230 or click here.
The full day of food, music and family fun begins at 10 a.m.The Mother's Day Celebration at Audubon Zoo always draws big crowds, so non-members are urged to buy tickets online ahead of time. Guests with advance tickets can skip the long lines
Live music begins at 12:30 a.m. on the Capital One Stage. Irma Thomas and her band, The Professionals, will perform everyone's old favorites and new hits from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.Guests looking for a Mother's Day gift can shop for jewelry at craft tents.
In addition to the buffet, there also will be a menu of po-boys, plate lunches and desserts that will be available for purchase. No outside food or beverage is allowed at Audubon Zoo for special events and festivals
Arrive early and bring your swimsuits and towels to enjoy the Cool Zoo splash park and the Gator Run lazy river.
Visitors can take advantage of the new Zoo + Cool Zoo Combo ticket which is $29.95 for adults (13-64), $24.95 for children (2-12) and $26.95 for seniors (65+). Standard admission to Cool Zoo is $10 for members and $12 for non-members in addition to regular Zoo admission.
Mother's Day activities are included in admission to Audubon Zoo, which is located at 6500 Magazine St.
Mother's Day Performance Lineup
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Robin Barnes and the FiyaBirds
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Irma Thomas & the Professionals
Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
http://audubonnatureinstitute.org/zoo

Events

Sunday | May 14, 2017 | 4pm—7pm

Make this an extra special day for your Mother by sponsoring the concert to honor your Mother or her memory!

Your donation enables us to continue this special tradition for Mothers & families
  • Honorees’ names will be mentioned in our emails, website, and other PR materials for the event
  • Honorees’ pictures and names will be displayed on a board at the concert (if received via email by May 1)
  • Honorees who attend the concert will receive a corsage so they will be recognizable in the crowd
  • A song will be dedicated to honorees, and their names will be read
 

20th Annual Mother’s Day at Cabrini Park!

Make this Mother’s Day extra special for your mother by sponsoring the concert in Cabrini Park to honor your mother or her memory. Donate your sponsorship via GiveNOLA Day to make an extra impact!
 17

Margarita Bergen, Hostess
Round Table Luncheon 
811 Marigny Street, Unit C
New Orleans, Louisiana 70117
The monthly Round Table Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, May 17, at noon at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel.
The luncheon will be co-hosted by Diane Lyons, Founder of FestiGals, Inc., and Sandra Dartus, Partnership Liaison for Festigals, Inc. This annual "New Orleans Women's Weekend Experience" is a celebration of women and New Orleans and it will take place June 24-26 at the JW Marriott Hotel on Canal Street.
Featured speaker will be Jamie Peckenpaugh, Executive Director of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, who will speak about the upcoming NOWFE from May 25-28. This 25th annual festival, celebrating wine and food, attracts food and wine connoisseurs - as well as art and music lovers - to various venues throughout the French Quarter. 
In addition, there will be a mini fashion show featuring Mimi Holaday, New Orleans Fashion Week Design Winner. The show will be coordinated by Tracee Dundas, founder of New Orleans Fashion Week. 

We will be entertained by the talented "Songbird of New Orleans," Robin Barnes who, it was recently announced, will reign as the 2017 Grand Diva of FestiGals.  
The $55 all-inclusive price includes a three-course gourmet luncheon, champagne/wines and valet parking. Please make your reservations by calling Judy LeBlanc at (504) 571-4672 or email her at Judy.LeBlanc@BourbonOrleans.com.
RESERVATIONS AND PREPAYMENT ARE REQUIRED. Walk-ins will not be accepted, as the hotel will only prepare meals for the number of guests who have made reservations.

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