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neigh·bor [ney-ber] noun 1. a person who lives near another. 2. a person or thing that is near another. 3. one’s fellow human being: to be generous toward one’s less fortunate neighbors. 4. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward … Continue reading
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I love to walk around with my camera and take pictures of things of interest to me, mostly photos of sites I find attractive. Here is a slideshow of doors and windows (mostly in the French Quarter) that have caught … Continue reading
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Another (partial) milestone was reached today in the City that Care Forgot’s recovery from the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: a portion of the Louis Armstrong Park in the Faubourg Tremé neighborhood re-opened! The Tremé Brass Band kicked things … Continue reading
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We did a weekend pass at the Gretna Fest this year and were treated to one of the most magnificent displays of pride and beauty on Friday evening: The Mardi Gras Indians paraded thru the festival grounds and – thanks … Continue reading
For the first time in over a month hubby and I had a Saturday where we could do some hiking and picture taking. It was a wonderful release.
A place that’s been on our”gotta visit” list is the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Lacombe, just 15 minutes from our house.
Upon entering the site, you’re drawn to the landscaping. The attention to detail is apparent and it reaches back over 200 years.
This site is rich in history and beauty. The August heat appeared to be too much to handle, but it really wasn’t at this site because of the abundance of trees. We arrived at 10 AM and were done by noon.
Here is a brief rundown of the history of this paradise in Lacombe, taken from one of the info boards:
Likely a portion of French or Spanish Land Grant during the Colonial Era, the earliest known owner was Louis Reggio prior to 1820. The property changed hands a number of times later that century, with the Cousin and Ducre names common today in the Lacombe area among the owners during this period into the 20th century.
The land was acquired in 1935 by Judge Wayne Borah (the youngest Federal Judge in the country at the time), who built a residence.
This structure is a Chimney Swift Tower
He and his family did extensive landscaping, laying out the foundation which is known today as the “Bayou Gardens” of Lacombe.
In 1946 the home and gardens were acquired by former (crooked) Louisiana Governor Richard Leche, who settled into the lush surroundings with his family and continued the cultivation of the Bayou Gardens.
In 1956 the land was acquired by the Redemptorist religious order and in 1960 the Holy Redeemer Seminary opened. The seminary closed in 1980, but members of the order continued to live at the site, holding religious retreats. And apparently, a cemetery was established for the priests that stayed until the end of their lives.
The rear of the residence gives way to a great lawn that faces Bayou Lacombe
This site is loaded with walking trails, as shown in the map below
There are walking trails off to each side of the great lawn that are easy to maneuver and full of small surprises if you look for them
A trail that begins at the parking lot of the Refuge leads down to a grotto
which leads to a rudimentary brick staircase:
Made with local bricks
This same trail will also bring you to a lovely little area to sit and ponder the beauty of Bayou Lacombe
If you walk it a little while longer, it brings you to another pensive sight overlooking a pond.
The visitor center is huge and loaded with information and displays.
This little girl was killed by a car in Bayou Teche and her remains were saved and brought to the headquarters
The Headquarters represents the eight of Southeast Louisiana (SELA) Refuges:
Atchafalaya (prounounced A-Cha-FaH-lie-ya)
Bayou Sauvage (through which I traverse on my daily commute)
Bayou Teche (prounounced Tesh)
Big Branch Marsh (in our backyard)
Bogue Chitto (prounounced Boog gah Chitta)
Breton – close to my heart because it’s a bird refuge
Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Mandalay – only accessible by boat, near Houma, Louisiana.
A visit to the Bayou Lacombe Center is a win-win situation any time of the year. Besides all of the hiking trails, the kids would love the Visitors Center for the displays (lots of interactive stuff there too). The best part is that admission is FREE!! You can get to the Bayou Lacombe Center by taking exit 74 on I-12. Staffed by volunteers, the visitor center is open Thursdays-Saturdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Volunteers are needed to help run the visitor center. Please contact the volunteer coordinator at 985-882-2024.
Last Saturday a couple of friends and I toured The New Orleans Healing Center near the corner of St. Roch and St. Claude. Although construction is on-going in the re-purposed building, several businesses are already up and running including Island of Salvation Botanica, Wild Lotus Yoga, The Movement Room, The Street University and The Building Block. Wild Lotus was in the midst of a yoga class and Island of Salvation was open where we had a little chat with Ms. Sally Ann Glassman who graciously allowed me to snap a few pics inside. We also checked out the future homes of Cafe Instanbul (a performance arts space), Fatoush Restaurant ,Coffee Shop and Juice Bar, The Inter-faith Center and the New Orleans Food Co-op, among other spaces. The space that will house the Inter-faith Center opens onto an area of the roof where a deck is planned to show off the beautiful view of the city(see slideshow). An arts and crafts bazaar will be housed in the main lobby/gallery area, a beautifully appointed space with lots of natural light flooding in from the large front windows. One of the services I’m most excited about is the Full Circle Women’s Collective whose webpage states, “The Women’s Collective is a place of gathering for women of all ages, races, faiths, and socio-economic status. All activities and events offered through the Women’s Collective are based on the confidence that intrinsic in each and every one of us is a life purpose ready to be recognized, acknowledged and fueled.”
How wonderful that sounds!
If you haven’t visited the Healing Center yet, I urge you to do so and see for yourself what a promising and exciting venue this is for the community. Meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow below showing both the finished and unfinished areas of the center.
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Going back over my blogging during the last two years or so, I see that I have had several posts with train references.
While not as obsessed with trains as I am with photography, I ~do~ love the idea of traveling long distances via the rails. My husband works for Amtrak and I hope that one day before he retires we can take a long train ride and enjoy the scenery without the hassles of driving.
I recently posted about our visit to the New Orleans Botanical Gardens where we discovered an incredible section devoted to a small model train town centered around the City of New Orleans. I’ve finally taken the time to look at the pictures (we stayed near home this weekend due to my aggrivating my bursitis) and pictures from that visit follows.
But first some other train-centric pictures I’ve discovered while traveling through my picture archives.
as always, click on the pictures to see full-sized versions
We attended our first Gretna Fest last year and loved it! While walking around the grounds of the festival (which is huge and spacious, unlike a lot of fests), we came across this beauty
A genuine steam engine.
We also encounter remnants of trains from an earlier time every time we bike the Tammany Trace in St. Tammany Parish.
This old pole is assumed by us to be used by the train employees to hang mailbags or change signals.
One Saturday a few years ago we discovered a model train display at the Covington Trailhead of the Tammany Trace. I must admit that as a lover of doll houses as a child I was blown away at the details of this display. Check it out.
Here are two pictures taken in 2004 of an abandoned train in Abita Springs:
I think the Train Garden within the Botanical Gardens at City Park is so intricate and beautiful. From their website:
The Train Garden, located inside the Botanical Garden, features buildings made entirely of botanical materials in a layout approximating the layout of the city itself. As visitors walk on a pathway representing the water surrounding New Orleans, they overlook over 1,300 feet of track carrying streetcars and trains like those that traveled the city in the late 1800s to early 1900s, at 1/22 of their actual size.
We took so many pictures of the Train Garden! I apologize for the number of pictures shown here, but they represent a fraction of what this beautiful showcase to the city offers.
Do take half a day to stroll through the Botanical Gardens and at least half an hour for the Train Garden.
Without further ado, here are my offerings.
First the signs dedicated to the different sections of New Orleans. Each sign gives a brief history of the particular neighborhood.
Now on to photos of the buildings and trains. I was amazed by details of the architecture of the buildings.
Across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans lies St. Tammany Parish.
I have called the eastern part of the Parish home for over 30 years. While I adore all that New Orleans has to offer, I prefer the quiet of the northshore. A truely beautiful attraction in St. Tammany is Fontainebleau State Park .
Located about an hour from the city, Fontainebleau is a world apart from the music, food, unique individuals and wonderful ambiance of the Crescent City.
This past Friday hubby and I headed out to the park to check out the health of the area since Katrina and the BP Oil Spill. Good news: all is well at Fontainebleau. The following pictures should give you an idea how nicely things are going.
The Visitors’ Center is newly completed and has some fascinating items from the park’s past. It also offers picnic tables and bathrooms.
This sign used to be hung out on Highway 190. If you look closely you will see that where it says “Cold Beer” it looks a little scratched out. Our host told us that the sign originally said “sandwiches” until they realized that cold beer would bring more people into the park. 
The Center is located right behind what used to be a sugar mill.
The Visitors’ Center itself is fascinating. It gives one the opportunity to learn about the geology and ecology of our region
This display shows all of the different areas of activity at the park: from camping to swimming.
There are miles of hiking/biking trails.
On the far eastern edge of the park are about a dozen cabins ready to be rented for about $120/nite. In these days of high gas prices, we are considering renting one instead of taking a road trip for vacation this year.
We spent a week in a cabin in 2008 and loved it.
It was very peaceful and close enough to restaurants and stores AND home. The perfect spot. But I digress……
Leaving the Visitors’ Center the road curves around. In the middle of the curve this is the first sight you see
This row of magnificent live oak trees marches towards the lake. There were many more oaks before Katrina, but these are all that survived the flooding.
I could still see the beauty in these oaks
As you get closer to the lake, there is a trailhead off to your left. This will lead you in three different directions. We were headed towards the boardwalk that brings you out into the wetlands.
It is out here that Katrina’s destruction is still visible.
But nature is resilient. These wetlands hold so much life! While out here on the boardwalk, the only sound you hear is the wind and the very lovely call of the redwing blackbird.
This little crab was trying to bury himself in the mud.
There had to be a reason why this sign was put up.
The beachfront of the park has been expanded and is really very nice.
The fishing pier is alway busy.
This picture of New Orleans was taken from the pier.
This little weather vane sits atop the building that houses bathrooms and dates back to the 20′s.
To the east of the beach is a trail that follows what used to be a line of cypress trees. It is inside this area where you can find a quiet piece of beach and a little shade to enjoy the day.
Here are some other things we captured during our visit
Here is a link to my album containing all my pictures from this wonderful place
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v217/judyb54/FOUNTAINBLEAU/
By now I’ve pretty much established myself as a picture manic poster on this website. I revel in sights that delight my eye.
After spending Friday at French Quarter Festival (a great time), we decided to check out City Park’s Botanical Gardens. After this visit I will refer to it as the Garden of Eden. What a beautiful place it is. (note to self: go to thesaurus dot com to find a more appropriate word for beautiful).
Between the two of us, hubby and I took over 1,000 pictures. No kidding. I’ve only checked out what I took as of this posting. I have whittled down my 500 plus pix to 50, but don’t worry – I will not post them all here. Just what I think are the best.
So without much further ado I present you the beauty of the Botanical Gardens at City Park
If you ever visit the Botanical Gardens, there is a fantastic, secret garden for train lovers. It’s the Train Garden and I plan to publish my pictures from this wonderfully imaginative garden soon. If you’re ever bored on the internet – as my 22 year old daughter is wont to do – check out the rest of my Botanical Garden pix at my photobucket site
Annunciation Church in the Marigny (neworleanschurches.com photo)
The Archdiocese of New Orleans is moving to sell or lease property in thirteen church parishes that were closed after the storm. This is a big step for the archdiocese and Archbishop Gregory Aymond, in that it indicates a greater willingness on part of the Church to work with neighborhoods to preserve buildings that were once community anchors.
Five of the properties to be put on the market are already vacant, victims of the storm: Immaculate Heart of Mary in New Orleans East, St. Robert Bellarmine in St. Bernard Parish, St. Phillip the Apostle in Gentilly, and two in Plaquemines Parish, Our Lady of Good Harbor and St. Anthony.
Of the remaining eight, St. Simon Peter in Da East and San Pedro Pescador in Florissant (St. Bernard Parish, down past Poydras) are literally in the middle of nowhere. Located on Gannon Road near Hayne Blvd. (past Bullard), St. Simon Peter would be a great neighborhood-anchor facility. Of course, the big problem is, will the neighborhood come back? Five years after the storm, Da East is such a patchwork of development and abandonment, it’s unclear.
Incarnate Word Church during the “snowstorm” of 2008 (wikimedia commons)
The other six properties run literally from one side of the city to the other. Incarnate Word, located in Hollygrove, was officially merged with Mater Delorosa on S. Carrollton in 2008, under Aymond’s successor, Fr. Hughes. There was a certain amount of logic in the parish mergers that were made after the storm, mainly because of the dwindling number of priests available. Still, a church is more than its priest, and the Incarnate Word church building has a lot of potential to continue as a Hollygrove anchor. The big question with facilities like Incarnate Word will be how much does Abp. Aymond want for it? It’s listed as “for lease” as opposed to outright sale. If a community group could put together a package that would cover insurance and operating costs, hopefully the archdiocese will take them up on it.
Blessed Sacrament Church, Uptown (wikimedia commons)
Moving east from Hollygrove, the next property with potential is Blessed Sacrament. Located on Constance and Soniat Streets Uptown, it’s good to see this building is listed as “for lease.” This is another example of a building with an infinite amount of potential if the right community group would step up and assume the expenses. The closure of Blessed Sacrament and its merger with St. Joan of Arc was, along with the closure of St. Henry’s, not one of the finest hours for Fr. Hughes and the business side of the archdiocese. This church means too much to the African-American community to demo it or to see it converted into a restaurant. Blessed Sacrament should follow the model of St. Alphonsus in the Irish Channel.
Another blow to African-American Catholics in New Orleans was the closure of St. Francis de Sales parish on Second Street in Central City. St. Francis is considered to be a “pioneer church” in that it was one of the church parishes established during the Reconstruction specifically to give roots to the black community. The parish grew out of St. John the Baptist, making for an easy solution to the incredible black-white mix of Uptown and Central City New Orleans. This is another lock, stock, and barrel sale-church building, rectory, shrine, and parish hall. Combine this with the rectory of nearby St. John the Baptist on the list and you’ve got incredibly solid property on the market in an incredibly bad part of town. The odds of the new owners getting shot in the crossfire of drug wars is higher in this neighborhood than most other parts of the metro area. The St. Francis complex could be a major anchor in restoring sanity to this neighborhood, but where to begin? As with any of these properties, someone has to pony up the archdiocese’s asking price before doing anything else. Tough to get investors excited about a war zone. Perhaps someone from the very-vocal opposition that rose up when the parish was closed will step up.
St. Maurice’s in the Lower Nine, prior to the storm. (neworleanschurches.com photo)
Speaking of war zones, that’s pretty much the impression the world has of the Lower Ninth Ward. It’s a miracle that St. Maurice’s is standing in any condition. If the building survived the Federal Flood, the parish complex has historic value but as a community anchor. Since the L9 is where so many feel they can earn their “New Orleans merit badge,” one of the do-gooders should step up, buy the place, and use the facility to help along the rehabilitation of the area.
I’ve saved Annunciation (top photo) for last because it’s got the most personal connection for me. Located at Mandeville and Marigny Streets, Annunciation Parish was one of the “feeder” neighborhoods for St. Aloysius College, on Esplanade and N. Rampart. Even before the Brothers of the Sacred Heart established a permanent presence in the city, they used Annunciation as their base during the Civil War, which forced them to close St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, MS, to boarders. Now, as the Marigny and Bywater are returning, we should all be thankful to these communities for fighting as hard as they did when the archdiocese wanted to demolish Annunciation in 2008. Now, the church, rectory, and parish hall buildings are up for sale. With streetcars returning to this area, it’s only logical that such a facility will play a significant role in the renewal of the area.
I can’t help but wonder if the “gay-ness” of the Marigny is one of the stumbling blocks in terms of the church’s involvement in the area. There was no logical reason to tear down this church other than to sell it as a vacant lot. Did someone over on Walmsley decide that an empty lot in the hands of Teh Gay was better than an old church? I don’t know, but we are all fortunate that such a historic location was saved. The neighborhood associations should take steps to make sure a private investor doesn’t come up with what might be considered compelling reasons to tear it down.
Like everything involving property in post-storm New Orleans, there’s no black-and-white when it comes to these thirteen parcels of land. Still, with so much history in some of these “sliver on the river” churche, we have to make sure they stay a part of New Orleans for future generations.
NOTE: This is my first article for Da Girl Blog! I’m proud to bend the gender here, and my thanks to Charlotte for having me.
Driving along Canal Street lately, you may have noticed the emerging moonscape sprawling off across the landscape near S. Galvez Street. It’s a striking change to see across acres and acres of dirt all the way to Tulane Avenue because until this past summer, the area was dense with blocks and blocks of historic housing. It doesn’t look much like New Orleans at all.
For over a year, I’ve been chronicling the fight to save the Lower Mid-City neighborhood as well as the neighborhood’s ongoing demise to make way for the LSU/VA Hospital. I was pulled off the sidelines in September of 2009 as I learned more and more about the hospital plans that appalled me. I went down to see for myself what the “70 acres of blight” really looked like up close. I found a neighborhood with quintessential New Orleanian architecture that was progressing in its effort to rebuild from Katrina.
To date, approximately 70 historic homes have been moved off the VA Hospital Footprint, the footprint that has been almost entirely cleared. But it’s important to note that even as houses moved off the site for rehabilitation in other vacant lots around New Orleans (as demanded by citizens, facilitated by various entities, and funded by the city), demolitions have continued apace. A similar number of properties, dozens and dozens of them contributing to the Mid-City National Register Historic District, have been demolished since May.
Across S. Galvez Street, crews continue to demolish historic buildings in the LSU Footprint – despite the fact that the University Medical Center Board is short on financing to build the hospital to the tune of about $400 million. At present, there is no house moving plan for the LSU Footprint, unlike the positive effort we’ve seen on the VA Hospital side.
It’s also important to note that people still live in the VA and LSU Footprints. Other residents have already departed after having their properties expropriated by the state. Some sold out with knowledge that expropriation was looming in the background. Some went to federal court when they felt that the state’s move to cut off utilities infringed on the ability to secure adequate compensation. Whether it was an 80-year old veteran displaced to Metaire by the VA Hospital or a young family that arrived post-storm to help with recovery who bought a home that was ultimately dismantled, the process has been painful, ironic, and trying for many.
Looking back at what led to this unfortunate point, I would advise New Orleanians to heed the story of Lower Mid-City as a cautionary tale. If urban-renewal-style mass demolition could happen there, it could happen in any neighborhoods in the city that are less than pristine. The mass outry calling for saving Charity Hospital has seemingly saved the physical building. But the structure remains vacant with no tenants planned despite polling that showed restoring hospital facilities in the Art Deco edifice was highly popular before demolition got underway in the neighborhood to make way for replacement facilities.
Neighborhoods weakened by the storm need to hold public, state, and federal officials accountable – and keep them from being blinded by the panacea of economic development and federal dollars alone. In the case of Lower Mid-City, city officials imposed a moratorium on even repairing homes in the area in 2007, which led to a decline in property values and made blight a self-fulfilling prophecy. These same officials called repeatedly for a “full public hearing” on the issues surrounding the hospitals, only to repeatedly refuse to schedule such a hearing. State officials just don’t get New Orleans. And federal agencies failed to change course under the Obama administration, leaving the completely inappropriate suburban-style hospital plans of the Nagin-Blakely axis intact.
We, as a city, can do better. New Orleans’ historic architectural street fabric is an asset. It’s what drew me to this city both before and after the storm. It’s unique. Future development in the city needs to be guided by a respect for historic neighborhoods and for the people who inhabit them so that growth is organic and sound rather than imposed like an alien force from above.
New Orleans is an old city, but not just any old city. Based on the scorched earth policy playing out in Lower Mid-City, though, you’d never know.
- Brad V
Administrator’s note: Many thanks to Brad, our first male contributor, for this provocative post. Please visit his blog, Inside the Footprint, for more information about the demolition of the Lower Mid-City neighborhood.
The Kern family is currently embroiled in a legal mess over control of Algiers Mardi Gras World. The elder Kern, who recently married a much younger, allegedly gold digging wife, is in the process of squandering the company’s assets according to the lawsuit filed by his son Barry Kern.
Here is a video of the “lovely Mrs. Kern” and her new husband, you can make your own call.
and here is the text of the Times Picayune article
Mardi Gras business royalty mired in Kern family lawsuit filed by son
Published: Friday, October 01, 2010, 7:05 PM Updated: Friday, October 01, 2010, 7:33 PM
John Pope, The Times-Picayune
Claiming that his father, the legendary Carnival impresario Blaine Kern, is no longer fit to run the business he founded 53 years ago, Barry Kern filed suit Friday with the hope of seizing control of the company that makes floats for many of the most prominent parading krewes, including Rex, Bacchus, Zulu and Muses.
The suit, filed in Civil District Court and assigned to Judge Michael Bagneris, depicts Blaine Kern Artists as a company in crisis. The Algiers firm has been unable to meet payrolls and repay loans, the suit says, and it has had to furlough employees. Within the past month, according to the suit, company checks have bounced.
Barry Kern lays much of the blame for the turmoil at the feet of Holly Brown Kern, 34, whom the 83-year-old Kern married in July. She is his fourth wife.
Since she came into his father’s life several years ago, the elder Kern’s expenditures on such items as houses, cars and entertainment “skyrocketed,” as did his debts, forcing him to ask for cash advances from the company, according to the suit.
“Barry Kern directly implored Holly Brown to stop badgering his father for more and more money, without success,” the suit says. “Instead, Holly Brown has manipulated her 83-year-old husband and largely alienated him from his family, friends, business associates and employees.”
In filing the suit, Barry Kern issued this statement:
“I love my dad and will continue to support him, but recent actions have forced me to respond to protect him, my family and our employees. Furthermore, we have an obligation to preserve the integrity of Mardi Gras and to ensure that it remains a world-class celebration of our rich culture and heritage.”
He declined further comment. His father did not return calls seeking comment.
Blaine Kern Artists has about 70 employees, and it provides floats for 21 parades, including those of Babylon, Muses, Hermes, Tucks, Endymion, Orpheus and Alla.
Barry Kern had been its president from November 1994 until Aug. 31. On that day, the younger Kern said in the suit, his father, the chairman of the company’s board of directors, announced that he was accepting a resignation that the younger Kern said he had not offered.
The elder Kern’s action came as a complete surprise, the suit says, because he “had never voiced any significant criticism of the service of Barry Kern.”
Moreover, Barry Kern claims, his father had no authority to sack him because, he said, that is something that only a majority of the company’s board can do.
Despite his contention that the firing was “unauthorized and unwarranted,” Barry Kern resigned on Sept. 15 because, the suit says, he had been shut out of participation in the company’s activities.
In a letter to his father, which is included in the suit, Barry Kern said it is “painfully obvious” that his father and his wife, whom he describes as “your former paramour,” “have been engaged in a course of conduct designed to undermine me and my reputation and are incapable of working with me in a rational, business-like manner.”
Relations between father and son have disintegrated, according to the suit, and attempts to patch up the situation have been futile.
Five days after Blaine Kern told his son he intended to force him out, he issued a letter saying Barry Kern was “terminated” as president and chief executive officer of Blaine Kern Artists and Blaine Kern Mardi Gras World, as well as “any other position with any companies that I am involved in,” according to the suit.
Since then, the suit says, he “has publicly disparaged Barry Kern to employees, customers and business associates … (and) misrepresented the role of Barry Kern and Blaine Kern Artists Inc. in prominent business deals, requiring the issuance of cease-and-desist letters.”
Before his departure, Barry Kern loaned the company “tens of thousands of dollars” to meet its payroll, the suits says. Since he left, the suit says, payroll checks have bounced.
However, Barry Kern says, his father has continued to receive money from solvent company accounts.
“Under Holly Brown’s influence, Blaine Kern . . . has used his recent control of (the company) to aggrandize his own financial situation,” the suit says.
The elder Kern furloughed employees on Sept. 21, claiming he couldn’t afford to pay them, the suit says, and the company has failed to make payments on loans and to the Internal Revenue Service.
“If the payments are not honored, (the company) may be saddled with penalties and interest,” the suit says, adding that the company “lacks sufficient cash reserves to operate for any significant period of time” and that Blaine Kern owes Whitney National Bank “in excess of one-half million dollars on a commercial note that has matured.”
Based on these developments, the suit contends that the elder Kern is unable to operate the company.
Barry Kern is asking the court to appoint a receiver to take over the company and its property. He also wants the court to force his father to show the authority he has to control Blaine Kern Artists “and ultimately to declare that he has no such authority.”
Blaine Kern was an artist’s son who painted a hospital mural to cover his mother’s medical expenses, according to the suit. It caught the eye of the captain of the Krewe of Alla, who hired the young man and his father to build Alla’s first float in 1932.
He moved on to design increasing numbers of parades and to build his business. Along the way, he acquired the moniker “Mr. Mardi Gras.”
While Blaine Kern was the company’s “artist, dreamer and visionary” and public face, day-to-day operations were taken over by, among others, Barry Kern and Jerelyn Hall “Pixie” Naquin, a precise, detail-oriented woman who rose from secretary to executive vice president during her 47 years with the company.
“I was the puppet, and Pixie was the puppeteer,” Blaine Kern said in an interview earlier this year.
But her health began to decline as she battled cancer. Naquin, whom the suit describes as a “voice of reason,” died in June.
As Naquin’s influence diminished, Holly Brown started taking over not only Blaine Kern’s finances but also, in 2009, company accounts, the suit says.
Now I saw FOX-8 news last night and the elder Mr. Kern was painted in a somewhat sympathetic light, but the gravity of the situation is palpable. Personally, I think the elder Kern has gone daft.
So for everyone interested in preserving the fragile cultural history of New Orleans, this bears watching. It is a HUGE deal, because if Blaine Kern goes under, Mardi Gras as we know it will collapse. City Hall needs to get up close and personal with this imbroglio because this is a potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars of city revenue if Blaine Kern goes under.
Bottom line, everyone involved needs to take a step back and look at the big picture instead of their own selfish motives…
The City of New Orleans Neighborhood Conservation District Committee has just denied the demolition of the historic Annunciation Catholic church in the St. Roch neighborhood.
Thanks to our own Michelle Kimball for tweeting the proceedings for those who couldn’t attend. Good job!
More details on WWLTV.com.
