Gambit: October 26, 2021

October 26 - November 1 // 2021 // Volume 42 // Number 42

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Tricks ~ Treats

OCTOBER 26 — NOVEMBER 1, 2021 VOLUME 42 || NUMBER 42

CONTENTS

ELECTION 2021 PREVIEW

ALL

Trick Or Treat, Vote For Me: Come January The Council Will Look A Lot Different ............19 Scared Straight: For The First Time In Years, Sheriff Gusman Faces A Real Threat.....................20 Candy Bag: There’s A Number Of Sweet Tax Treats On The Ballot This Year......................21

ORDER YOUR ARRANGEMENT TODAY!

CURRENT HOURS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

MONDAY - FRIDAY 7AM TILL 1PM AND SATURDAY 7AM - NOON

Hauntingly Adorable Photos Of Our Younger Selves!............... 23 Get Your Boo On At One Of These Terrifyingly Terrific Events! .............................. 43

Monomin

NEWS Opening Gambit ...............................7 Commentary...................................10 Blake Pontchartrain.....................13

Voted Best locally owned Women’s Boutique 2 Years in a Row

FEATURES P H O T O B Y K AY L E E P O C H E

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Election 2021 Preview

Political slash fest: Clancy DuBos on the Division 2 bloodletting

S TA F F EDITORIAL

Editor | JOHN STANTON Political Editor | CLANCY DUBOS

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(504) 486-5900. We cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts even if accompanied by a SASE. All material published in Gambit is copyrighted: Copyright 2021 Capital City Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Visible stories

Lilli Lewis fills new ‘Americana’ album with narratives

|

by Jake Clapp

My Morning Jacket

LOUISVILLE’S MY MORNING JACKET USED TO BE FREQUENT VISITORS TO NEW ORLEANS, collaborating with

LILLI LEWIS’ NEW ALBUM, “AMERICANA,” FEELS LIKE IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.

Really, the New Orleans pianist and singer started working on her new album in early 2020, soon after the pandemic-forced timeouts started, and her last record, The Lilli Lewis Project’s “We Belong,” came out in summer 2019. It’s not the drastic gap some bands put between their releases — plus Lewis released a prelude EP, “My American Heart,” early this year — but so much has happened in the last 18 months that Lewis is ready for “Americana” to officially greet the world on Oct. 29.

“Up until October, I was in pain.

I was like, ‘Please can the record just come out?!,’” Lewis says with a laugh. “But it feels like this is actually the right time for [‘Americana’] to come out. So many things have happened even since the EP came out.”

This year has seen many more Black musicians take up space in Americana, Lewis says. There have been giant new records from Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah and Yola. Queen Esther released “Gild the Black Lily” and Rhiannon Giddens collaborated with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi for her new record “They’re Calling Me Home.” Even Austinbased psych-soul band Black Pumas, Lewis says, started showing up in Americana articles.

“There is a lot of really potent work coming from Black artists that Americana claimed this year,” she says, “which is kinda cool because the reason I named my record ‘Americana’ is because Americana was not claiming artists like that.

It’s coming out at a time when there’s a deeper context for why it felt necessary.”

Lewis has worked throughout her career for Black equity within Americana. Black music traditions are the foundations of country and folk genres, but Black musicians have historically been blocked out of the industry and the genre became dominated by white people.

The vice president and head of A&R for Louisiana Red Hot Records, Lewis last year was asked to take part in several industry discussions about equity within Americana.

She sat on a panel for the Thriving Roots conference, which was

PROVIDED PHOTO B Y D AV I D V I L L A LTA

Lilli Lewis releases her latest album, ‘Americana,’ on Oct. 29.

covered by Rolling Stone and American Songwriter, met with label executives and organized a showcase for the Country Soul Songbook Summit. Lewis also was invited to perform as part of The Kennedy Center’s “New Orleans Voices on Social Justice” concert, with Sha’Condria “iCon” Sibley and trumpeter Ashlin Parker.

The visibility of more Black artists in Americana — including musicians like New Orleans country trio Chapel Hart and Shreveport’s Willie Jones — has been encouraging, Lewis says. Though, she adds, there’s still a long way to go, especially in Black representation in business positions in the industry, such as label executives and studio owners.

The title of her new album goes further, though. “The record is named as much for the narratives that got lost and left out in Americana as it is for the music styles that get left out,” Lewis says.

“Every single track, I felt like I’m trying to reveal a story that I felt was left out.”

When the pandemic started and Lewis and her band couldn’t perform, the singer-songwriter decided to revisit a few songs she felt didn’t quite fit with The Lilli Lewis Project or that she hadn’t been able to record for various reasons. At the core were the songs “What If It Were You” and the powerful country ballad and album closer “My American Heart.”

She found more “left behind” songs, she says, and began seeing

a pattern. “I thought all of these songs were really beautiful, so I recorded them together as a gift to myself, but I noticed that this is just me walking through the world,” Lewis says. “Every story on there was based on something that was happening or somebody I knew.”

Lewis co-produced “Americana” with Mark Bingham and recorded the album at a number of spaces, including Bingham’s studio in Henderson, Marigny Studios and Artisound in town and Studio 55 in Ponchatoula. Among the musicians who play on the record are singer-songwriter Gina Forsyth, cellist Rick Nelson, Seattle blues musician Lady A, Wade Hymel, Bryan Webre, Mikayla Braun and Kirkland Middleton.

“Americana” spans a range of styles, from slow country to rhythm and blues and funk, which not only displays Lewis’ personal influences but also the styles’ interconnectedness. The album is packed with storytelling and Lewis has a lot to say with a gorgeous, often soaring voice.

Lewis hopes the stories “Americana” tells “might be felt in a quiet heartfelt space,” she says.

“Let’s get real simple with each other because it’s hard for all of us … I hope that it tenderizes people. If they’re able to receive it, that it will leave them tender.”

Find “Americana” at folkrockdiva.com.

the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Jazz Fest and at the Hall.

Following a hiatus and some solo projects by frontman Jim James, the psychedelic-tinged indie rockers are back with their first album in six years. The self-titled release dropped Oct. 22 on ATO Records.

Syrian-born folk singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian, who performs as Bedouine, opens at 9 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 31, at Orpheum Theater. Tickets $45 and up at ticketmaster.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY AUSTIN NELSON

My Morning Jacket performs at the Orpheum Theater on Oct. 31.

Big Freedia with Boyfriend and HaSizzle

THE TOULOUSE THEATRE (FORMERLY ONE EYED JACKS) GETS THE ASS BOUNCING DOUBLE TIME WITH BIG FREEDIA, BOYFRIEND AND HASIZZLE. The show

is at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at 615 Toulouse St. Tickets are $40 for the floor, $45 for the mezzanine at toulousetheatre.com.

Thundercat

BASSIST STEPHEN BRUNER, AKA THUNDERCAT, WON THE BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM for his

fourth album, 2020’s “It Is What It Is.” That follows high-profile work with a wide array of hip-hop stars, including work on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

Channel Tres opens at 9 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Joy Theater.

George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners

GEORGE PORTER JR. IS JOINED BY JOHN “JOJO” HERMANN OF WIDESPREAD PANIC and other guests for this

funky Halloween throwdown at Tipitina’s at 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31.

Tickets $30 at tipitinas.com.

PAGE 46

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A R T S + E N T E R TA I N M E N T

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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS

Why does Dracula read the newspaper? He heard it has great circulation.

#

T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN

1

The Krewe of Themis gave away

Rouses gift cards, large pizzas and essentials to people in Chauvin rebuilding after Hurricane Ida. Terrebonne Councilmember Dirk Guidry also contributed $2,000 and 40 pizzas from his restaurant Pizza Express. Members of the Krewe have been active in organizing aid for area residents, at one point raising more than $2,000 within an hour and getting a significant boost after Jon Batiste posted about the krewe on social media.

P H O T O B Y C H R I S G R A N G E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

Former state Sen. JP Morrell, Xavier University staffer Bart Everson and Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer at a Oct. 20 debate sponsored by Gambit, The Times-Picayune and WWL television.

Division 2 Council candidates talk policy at Gambit debate THREE CONTENDERS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL DIVISION 2 AT-LARGE SEAT

Sustaining Our Urban Landscape

planted around 80 trees in Pontchartrain Park last week, with plans to add at least 600 more with help from the historic neighborhood’s residents, The Times-Picayune reported.

The group aims to add more trees to the city’s landscape to help mitigate flooding, heat and pollution while providing more shade and greenery to neighborhoods.

AT&T has not responded to Louisiana lawmakers about why a large part of its network went down during Ida, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. “At least give us a better explanation as to what happened and, more importantly, what they intend to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said state Sen. Rick Ward, who chairs the Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee.

THE COUNT

squared off at Gambit’s Oct. 20 debate, a day before District D Councilman Jared Brossett announced he’d be suspending his campaign following his DWI arrest.

Current Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer, who represents District C, former state Sen. JP Morrell and climate change activist Bart Everson discussed their opinions on housing affordability issues, violent crime and the frequent utility company failures.

The debate was hosted by Gambit, WWL-TV and The Times-Picayune and underwritten in part by the Solutions Journalism Network.

Morrell at times blasted the council and Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration. He has previously said he’s running for the seat because the current occupants of City Hall have been ineffective.

Palmer, meanwhile, focused on her background in affordable housing and her experience representing a diverse district. But she also said there have been significant problems with the council and that she hopes to improve future oversight if elected.

Everson, who arrived by bike, focused largely on environmental concerns, as well as a need for a more radical approach to fixing violent crime.

“We have to try doing something radically different,” he said.

“We should implement universal basic income, get rid of poverty, legalize drugs and invest in education and health.”

All three candidates agreed that illegal short-term rentals have been plaguing the city and pushing residents out of its historic neighborhoods.

At times, tensions were high between Palmer and Morrell.

Morrell attacked a city ordinance to crack down on STR operators authored by Palmer, calling it a “complete joke.”

“It needs to be thrown out completely,” he said. “The penalties are so loose that all it takes is [for owners] to create a new LLC and transfer the property.”

Palmer defended it and argued a lack of enforcement from the mayor’s office is the problem, not the ordinance itself.

“It’s a good law,” she said. “The issue we have right now is that it hasn’t been enforced to the degree it should be.”

Minutes later, she accused Morrell of “mansplaining” a policing issue to her.

Both Morrell and Palmer expressed dissatisfaction with the mayor’s office. Palmer said she’d give her a “C” grade while Morrell PAGE 9

THE NUMBER OF OPENLY TRANSGENDER OFFICIALS WHO HAVE BEEN SWORN IN AS FOUR-STAR ADMIRALS IN THE UNITED STATES. Dr. Rachel Levine, who graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1983, became the first in an Oct. 20 ceremony. She will serve as admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Appointed by President Joe Biden in 2020, Levine previously worked as a pediatrician and as Pennsylvania’s physician general and secretary of health.

C’EST W H AT

?

What would you put in your haunted house of horrors?

53.9%

ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRY

8.6%

A FOUR-WAY STOP AT A BROKEN TRAFFIC LIGHT

26.6%

THE CITY’S BIGGEST POTHOLE WITHOUT A CONE

10.9%

DA ROUGAROU

Vote on “C’est What?” at www.bestofneworleans.com

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PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

Packed sports schedule and intriguing matchups makes fall the perfect time to test your daily fantasy skills This article is brought to you by DraftKings.

We’re in the midst of one of the best sports times of the year. College football and the NFL are in full swing. The NBA and NHL seasons started in the middle of October. The Major League Baseball league championship series have started, with the World Series still to come. All told, the plethora of sports options and multiple games per day makes this an ideal time to try your hand at daily fantasy sports.

In daily fantasy, which is legal and active in Louisiana, a competitor drafts a roster and earns points based on those athletes’ performances in individual games rather than an entire season. That means that a competitor’s victory or defeat can rest on every aspect of a game – each play, foul call and injury. Live sports are exciting enough as is, but with some skin in the game, you’ll want to finish up the chores and put your plans on hold when the contests are on!

Here are a few things for Louisiana sports fans to keep in mind when it comes to making upcoming daily fantasy wagers:

• The New Orleans Saints have historically done well after a bye week and many of their upcoming games look like winnable contests. They get the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home and have proven they can dial up a winning recipe, but Tom Brady also continues to play at a high level and will be ready for the challenge. The next three opponents – Atlanta, Tennessee and Philadelphia – have been mediocre so far, although Tennessee does have the NFL’s best running back in Derrick Henry. The Saints defense has played well throughout the season and the offense may be poised to hit its stride with quarterback Jameis Winston becoming more confident and top wide receiver Michael Thomas expected back from injury in the coming weeks.

• The remainder of the LSU football season will be fascinating to watch. How will the team perform under lame duck head coach Ed Orgeron, who won’t return next season?

The defense has struggled mightily and several starters are out for the year with injury, which could spell trouble against Alabama and Arkansas. Quarterback Max Johnson has been up-and-down, as has the LSU running game. LSU won’t be favored in any

remaining games except for November 20 against ULM, but if the Tigers are determined to fight, they could make things interesting against the SEC slate.

• The New Orleans Pelicans are a bit of an enigma entering the NBA season. New head coach Willie Green is well-respected in the league, but it’s unclear how he will fare with this franchise, especially since star Zion Williamson will be on the bench to start the season because of injury. One of the most fascinating early Pelicans games to watch will be against the Phoenix Suns on November 2. The Suns are coming off their first NBA Finals appearance in nearly 30 years. Suns star Chris Paul started his professional career in New Orleans back when they were the Hornets. And, Green spent the last two seasons as a Suns assistant coach.

One of the best aspects of daily fantasy is that you can get your feet wet without making long-term commitments. DraftKings offers “casual” contests for beginners. You can also go head-to-head or compete in tournaments.

With hundreds of games to choose from across multiple sports, competitors can bounce back quickly even after a rough day or keep the momentum going during a victorious streak.

To learn more or sign up, visit www.draftkings.com.

A timeline of New Orleans politicians’ run-ins with the law since Katrina

IN NEW ORLEANS, SOME OF OUR MOST WELL-KNOWN POLITICIANS have spent

time in jail cells. It doesn’t take a very long trip down memory lane to see evidence of corruption exposed at essentially every level of city government — from the school board to the council to the mayor’s office.

Because even the internet has theoretical space limits, we’re not including politicians who were accused of, say, vigorously enjoying the back of an Uber but who have never been elected. And we’ve decided to keep this list to arrests since Hurricane Katrina. Without further ado: May 14, 2006: Jared Brossett booked with DUI in Florida.

Technically, this was before being elected to City Council in 2014, but still. He got the charge reduced to reckless driving.

Nov. 21, 2007: Former Council President Oliver Thomas sentenced to 37 months in prison for bribery.

Nov. 13, 2009: Former Congressman William J. Jefferson sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery and other charges, including from international companies.

February 11, 2010: Former state legislator Derrick Shepherd sentenced to 37 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

March 11, 2010: Former Orleans Parish School Board member Ellenese Brooks-Simms sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for accepting bribes from Mose Jefferson, William Jefferson’s brother. She received a lenient sentence for helping prosecutors secure Mose Jefferson’s conviction.

Aug. 31, 2011: Former 4th Municipal District tax assessor Betty Jefferson, sibling of Mose and William Jefferson, sentenced to 15 months of home confinement and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud,

cut loose

fall layered looks

PAGE 7

went with a slightly more generous “C+.” Everson appeared to be the most satisfied, giving her a “B.” Additionally, when asked how to improve the Sewerage and Water Board, Morrell said privatization is “not a solution” and called for stronger local regulation.

Palmer said that privatizing it would also not be a “good thing” but added she was not opposed to outsourcing its billing department. “When it comes to their billing and basic numbers, it’s ridiculous,” she said.

Everson expressed support for stronger municipal control over the agency and said he is never a fan of privatization. — SARAH RAVITS

9

aggravated identity theft, money laundering and tax evasion.

Nov. 29, 2012: Former Councilman Jon Johnson sentenced to six months in prison for conspiracy to commit theft by funneling federal rebuilding grant money to his unsuccessful Senate campaign.

Sept. 2, 2014: Former state legislator and City Council member Renee Gill Pratt reports to prison for a 4-year sentence for her role in a corruption scheme involving the Jefferson family.

Sept. 8, 2014: Former Mayor Ray Nagin goes to federal prison for bribery and fraud for a ten year sentence.

Sept. 30 2015: Former Orleans Parish School Board President Ira Thomas sentenced to a year and a day in prison for a bribery scheme.

Feb. 27, 2017: A grand jury indicts David Bell Jr., a former Orleans Parish Juvenile Court chief judge, on both a count of racketeering and another of conspiracy to commit theft for his role in a Jefferson Parish auto theft ring. Bell resigned back in 2010 amid sexual harassment allegations.

May 31, 2018: Former Council President Oliver Thomas arrested after a traffic accident for an outstanding 2015 traffic violation.

July 14, 2020: Former state Sen. Wesley Bishop sentenced to four years of probation for lying to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development about a rental property he owned. Earlier this year, the Louisiana Supreme Court disbarred him.

April 27, 2020: Former Mayor Ray Nagin released from prison three years early due to the pandemic.

June 14, 2020: Councilman Jared Brossett booked in New Orleans with second DWI after crashing a city-owned SUV. June 26, 2020: Federal grand jury returns 11-count indictment charging then-councilman and now-D.A. Jason Williams and his law partner Nicole Burdett with tax fraud. The trial is set for 2022.

Jan. 7, 2021: Collin Arnold, the city’s director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, booked with DWI after crashing his cityowned vehicle into a parked vehicle.

He pleaded not guilty and returned to work after a 60-day suspension.

Oct. 4, 2021: Frank Marullo Jr., Louisiana’s longest-serving judge, booked with drunk driving, driving against traffic and careless operation of a motor vehicle after a traffic accident.

October 18, 2021: Councilman Jared Brossett booked in New Orleans with third DWI after allegedly being found asleep at the wheel in a Brother’s parking lot.

— KAYLEE POCHE

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C O M M E N TA R Y

LaToya Cantrell’s legacy is entirely in her hands WE HAVE DECIDED TO NOT ENDORSE A CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR this election

forcing rents up and exacerbating economic disparities.

Most recently, huge season. Our decision was not an easy swaths of the city went one, and we take this position with weeks without trash pickup mixed feelings. As mayor, LaToya before Hurricane Ida, a Cantrell has done a remarkable job problem that only got of protecting the city from COVID-19. worse after the storm. In an But, in judging someone’s fitness for interview with The Timespublic office, it’s important to look at Picayune, Cantrell acknowlthe totality of that person’s record — edged a general “malaise” particularly when the candidate is an among voters. That’s putincumbent mayor. ting it mildly.

While we applaud the courageous With no viable candidate decisions Cantrell made during opposing her, the mayor the pandemic, we feel she has not will of course win reeleckept her 2017 campaign promises tion. While we readily when it comes to the fundamentals acknowledge that inevof managing city government on a itability, we respectfully day-to-day basis. take this opportunity to Four years ago, when we suggest ways in which she endorsed then-candidate Cantrell, can still build a legacy of we argued she was best suited greatness for herself and to handle issues related to crime, New Orleans. It starts with reform of the Sewerage & Water shaking herself and the city Board, blight, short-term rentals, out of the malaise. economic disparity and the overall First and foremost, quality of life. “Every one of those we hope Cantrell embraces the is a make-or-break challenge. New transparency and coalition building Orleans cannot afford a mayor she advocated while an activist in who faces a learning curve,” we Broadmoor and a member of the wrote. On those key metrics, the City Council. Too often during her mayor’s first term has been a first term, she exhibited an authordisappointment. itarian streak, particularly on the From chronic flooding after modquestion of moving City Hall. If she est rainstorms to ongoing billing hopes to resolve the major issues snafus, the S&WB remains a blatant facing New Orleans in her next term, example of municipal dysfunction.

Cantrell will need the help of an Meanwhile, our streets continue to increasingly independent council — crumble; repair projects often leave and many thousands of citizens. entire blocks torn up for weeks That means making the case or months at a time; crime spirals for her proposals, finding comout of control; and blight shows mon ground with the council no signs of abatement. To make and, crucially, understanding that matters worse, STR operators have sometimes compromise or even plundered historic neighborhoods, reversing course is necessary. This is especially true of her dead-in-thewater proposal to put City Hall next to Congo Square.

When it comes to the fundamentals of making New Orleans a highly functional city, Cantrell must go all-out to find and implement innovative, long-lasting solutions to crime and its causes, overhaul the S&WB (including the possibility of putting P H O T O B Y S O P H I A G E R M E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E all drainage funcPrioritizing enforcement and inspections will be key to tions under the avoiding future tragedies like the Hard Rock collapse. city’s Department of Public Works),

find new ways to fight blight and increase affordable housing, and literally get trash picked up — on time and twice a week. These are the baselines of a decent quality of life in any American city.

Toward that end, the mayor also should prioritize meaningful regulatory enforcement — not

“ WHAT HAPPENS IN

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS

WILL DETERMINE MUCH OF WHAT WILL BECOME OF NEW ORLEANS IN THE NEXT DECADE.

“

against buskers and struggling small businesses, but rather against the monied interests at the heart of many of New Orleans’ problems. City contractors have flouted key obligations, developers have ignored basic safety regulations, and STR operators have thumbed their noses at tough regulations — all with impunity. The consequences of lax enforcement literally stare citizens in the face: piles of garbage sitting on city streets for weeks; the

S TA F F P H O T O F R O M T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

Mayor LaToya Cantrell celebrating her election in 2017.

deadly Hard Rock Hotel collapse; and the gentrification of historically Black neighborhoods. Addressing all these issues starts with the mayor’s office.

As the fight over moving City Hall shows, the mayor clearly has an eye toward her legacy. Part of that — her handling of the pandemic — has already been written. Her reelection in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida gives her an opportunity to write the rest. What happens in the next four years will determine much of what will become of New Orleans in the next decade.

More than ever, New Orleans needs a leader with the vision to find the best path forward and the strength to lead us there, to hold the line against those who would exploit our neighborhoods and our culture, and to finally break the cycle of “this is how it works in New Orleans.”

We hope Mayor Cantrell makes honest efforts to accomplish all those goals, and we promise to support any and all such efforts.

That, we believe, will help her much more than a politically superfluous endorsement right now. Ultimately, how history remembers the mayor is entirely in her hands.

11

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@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake,

The recent news about the remains of former Gov. Edwin Edwards got me thinking. Where is the state’s first governor, William C.C. Claiborne, buried? What about the governors who followed Edwards — Treen, Roemer, Foster and Blanco — where are they buried?

Dear reader,

WILLIAM CHARLES COLE CLAIBORNE , born in Virginia, was appointed

by President Thomas Jefferson to serve as governor of the state of Louisiana when it entered the union in 1812. He was then elected to the post and served for four more years. When he left office, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for eight months until his death in November 1817.

According to a 1976 TimesPicayune article, Claiborne was initially buried in the churchyard of an Episcopal Church on Canal Street (the future site of the Maison Blanche department store). He was later moved to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 and finally to the Claiborne family tomb in Metairie Cemetery.

Former Gov. David “Dave” Treen, who succeeded Edwin Edwards as governor in 1980 following Edwards’ first two terms in office,

T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E A R C H I V E P H O T O

Taken around 1895, five women decorate graves of departed loved ones with flowers in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. died in 2009. He and his wife, Dolores “Dodie” Treen, are buried in St. Timothy United Methodist Church’s Memorial Garden in Mandeville, where the couple lived.

Charles “Buddy” Roemer III, governor from 1988 to 1992, died this past May. His ashes were scattered on the grounds of Scopena, his family’s cotton plantation near Bossier City.

Murphy J. “Mike” Foster, who was first elected in 1995 and served from 1996 to 2004, died in 2020. He is buried at Franklin Cemetery in his hometown of Franklin, Louisiana.

Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the state’s first female chief executive, served from 2004 to 2008. She died in 2019 and is buried in St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery in Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

BL AKEVIE W THIS WEEK, WE REMEMBER NEW ORLEANS MUSIC LEGEND and six-time Grammy winner Harold Battiste Jr. The prolific composer, arranger, producer, performer and educator was born on Oct. 28, 1931 — 90 years ago this week.

Battiste graduated from Gilbert Academy and Dillard University, where he formed his first band. After graduation, he embarked on a career as a public school music teacher.

After becoming a New Orleans-based talent scout for Specialty Records, he found success in California as a studio arranger. In 1961, Battiste formed AFO (“All for One”) Records, the first Black musician-owned record label.

Within a few months he had produced a million-selling hit song, Barbara George’s “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More).” It reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 3 on the pop charts. The AFO label also released Ellis Marsalis Jr.’s first album, “The Monkey Puzzle.”

Battiste served as musical director for TV’s “The Sonny and Cher Show” and was the studio producer and arranger (and played saxophone) for the iconic duo’s 1965 hit “I Got You Babe.” He went on to earn six gold records for his work with the couple. Battiste was also an arranger for early hits for Sam Cooke, Joe Jones and Lee Dorsey.

In the mid-1960s, he helped fellow New Orleanian Mac Rebennack get work as a studio musician in L.A. and helped Rebennack create his Dr. John persona. He also produced Dr. John’s first album, “Gris-Gris,” in 1968.

After dividing his time between California and New Orleans for decades, Battiste returned home in 1989 and joined Marsalis as a professor of jazz studies at the University of New Orleans.

Battiste died in 2015.

Photo by J. Maher

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PHOTOS BY BRETT DUKE / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E & PROVIDED

And then there were two.

BY CL ANCY D U BOS HE ABSENCE OF A HOTLY CONTESTED Tdoesn’t New Orleans mayoral race mean this election cycle

has to be dull. The contest for the City Council’s At-Large Division 2 seat has already produced as many plot twists and surprises as a Halloween slasher flick — including a familiar bogeyman and lots of political bloodshed.

With early voting set to begin Saturday, Oct. 30, voters can expect to see more political gore all the way through Election Day, Nov. 13.

Even those dates represent a plot twist. Hurricane Ida prompted state officials to push the original Oct. 9 primary back to Nov. 13.

The new runoff date is Dec. 11.

Four candidates qualified for the council seat vacated in January by new District Attorney Jason Williams: District D Councilmember Jared Brossett; District C Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer; former state Sen. JP Morrell; and Xavier University staffer and climate activist Bart Everson.

Brossett, Palmer and Morrell are Democrats; Everson is the Green Party candidate.Brossett “suspended” his campaign on Oct. 21, announced his intention to enter inpatient rehab — and left the door open for a future return to politics.

“I will complete my term as Councilman for District D,” Brossett said in a prepared statement.

“Over the next few weeks, my

staff will ensure continuity in constituent services, and upon my return, I will shepherd a smooth transition. With God’s grace, I will get well and hopefully serve you again.”

Because a campaign “suspension” is not an official withdrawal, Brossett’s name will appear on the ballot AND votes cast for him will count, even though his campaign has effectively ended. Had he formally withdrawn from the

race, votes cast for him would not have counted.

The political implications of Brossett’s decision are clear: It helps Palmer because it makes it more difficult for Morrell, the perceived frontrunner, to win a majority of the votes in the primary.

Brossett’s announcement came after he skipped a council budget committee meeting on Oct. 19 and several other scheduled events — including an Oct. 20 debate hosted by Gambit. At that debate, the three other candidates expressed their personal support for Brossett but avoided the issue of whether he should remain a candidate.

Even before Brossett’s announcement, local politicos quietly acknowledged that his recent arrest tanked his chances in this race (which most saw as a long shot anyway).

THE GLOVES COME OFF

BOOKING PHOTO VIA O R L E A N S PA R I S H SHERIFF’S OFFICE

New Orleans City Councilman Jared Brossett was arrested Oct. 18, and faces a charge of driving while drunk.

REGARDLESS OF BROSSETT’S DECISION not to withdraw, his arrest appeared to upend his recently formed tag team with Palmer. The two council members traded runoff endorsements of each other in the primary on Oct. 13 — five days before Brossett’s arrest. The press release announcing their political pas de deux included a barrage of attacks against Morrell, whom they labeled “a lobbyist” who

hails from a “political dynasty” and engages in “kickbacks.”

“We’re endorsing each other because we’re deeply worried about corruption,” Palmer said in the release. “After eight years on the council, we’ve seen how lobbyists are pulling the strings in City Hall. JP Morrell is a lobbyist; it’s as simple as that — he works for one of the most notorious lobbying firms in the state. Electing a lobbyist to be one of the presidents of the City Council would be tragic for our city.”

Palmer and Brossett didn’t stop there. Days after the cross-endorsements, their campaigns jointly mailed voters a slick flyer making the same claims, only more bluntly. One side of the mailer proclaimed in all caps that Morrell “WILL $ELL US OUT TO MAKE HIS CLIENTS RICH.” Morrell is an attorney and has never registered as a lobbyist with the state Ethics Commission, which is required of all persons who lobby at the state or local levels. He bristled at the attacks and dismissed them as “a complete fabrication.”

“They’ve provided absolutely no evidence that any of this actually happened,” Morrell said, adding, “I have never been a lobbyist, nor have I ever worked with any law firm that has a registered lobbyist in its ranks. The truth is I haven’t talked to Kristin or Jared about anything, except in passing as a

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L A C I T POLI

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POLITICAL

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Candidate Bart Everson, center, flanked by JP Morrell and Kristin Gisleson Palmer, gestures at a forum sponsored by Gambit.

pleasantry, in the entire last three-plus years they’ve been on the Council.”

In response to the “dynasty” charge, Morrell said, “Kristin speaks frequently, with pride, of her father who was a federal prosecutor. I’m very proud of my dad’s work in the legislature, where he cast one of the few votes against the gay marriage ban. I think it’s okay for both of us to be proud of our parents’ public service.”

Palmer later told Gambit that Morrell is “playing with words” when he denies being a lobbyist.

“On his disclosure form to serve on the Superdome Commission it says that he’s a legislative liaison for [the law firm of] Middleberg Riddle,” Palmer said. “All that means is he’s a lawyer who didn’t register to be a lobbyist.”

The idea of two opposing candidates trading endorsements in a local primary is unprecedented.

Some observers say it telegraphed a sense (or a fear) that Morrell is the contest’s frontrunner.

Others say it was a calculated political strategy.

“The cross-endorsement was the silliest political move I’ve seen in years,” said pollster and political strategist Ron Faucheux, who served in the state legislature in the 1970s and ran for mayor (unsuccessfully) in 1982. “It made no sense for either candidate and made both of them look weak — almost like neither one could win on their own, so they joined forces.

It often happens that two competitors both attack the same third candidate, but not to the point where they officially join forces and cross-endorse.”

Silas Lee, another local pollster, took a different view.

“I think it’s a tight race between Palmer and Morrell,” said Lee, who also is a Xavier University sociology professor. “I think the cross-endorsements recognize that Morrell is a formidable candidate who has been leading in the polls, but a lot of voters are undecided, and some voters may be ‘soft’ supporters of Morrell. Brossett and Palmer are trying to peel off soft Morrell supporters and persuade undecided voters in a low-turnout election — at least enough to force a runoff.”

Brilliant gambit or silly stunt, Palmer doubled down after Brossett announced his campaign suspension. “I’m proud to have Jared’s endorsement because I believe that we are all better than our worst moments,” she said in a prepared statement.

Meanwhile, the slash fest continued unabated, from all angles.

A group calling itself People Over Politics has posted a Facebook video accusing Palmer of supporting the Hard Rock Hotel project when it came before the council during her first council term in 2011. Palmer’s council District C includes the French Quarter.

Morrell says he has no connection to the group behind the ad, but he piled on, accusing Palmer of “trying to politicize Hard Rock tragedy for her political benefit.”

“She has held multiple press conferences with victims’ families in the past year, without disclosing that she fought preservationists, neighborhoods and civil rights leaders in a divided council vote to allow that hotel to be built,” Morrell

POLITICAL

THE BOGEYMAN AND THEN THERE’S THE FAMILIAR BOGEYMAN, against which the candidates appear aligned: Entergy New Orleans (ENO). The council regulates ENO, and all aspirants promise to be more aggressive in their oversight of the electric and gas utility.

During the Gambit debate, candidates were asked who should pay for ENO’s storm-related costs after Hurricane Ida if Congress does not bail out the utility, as was done after Hurricane Katrina.

There is substantial bipartisan opposition in Congress to that idea right now, but the council candidates all agree that ratepayers should not have to shoulder that burden.

“We don’t get good deals” under the current council’s regulation of the utility, Morrell said. “If the council were better negotiators, we could get rates down to reasonable levels.” He added that whenever ENO has an infrastructure issue, “we ask ENO, ‘How much do you need and what does it cost?’ … The primary job of a regulator is to be a good fiduciary of ratepayers.” At that, he said, the current council “has not done a good job.”

Palmer suggested municipalization as an option. “When we look at the structure of other utilities, we should look at public ownership,” she said, adding that publicly owned utilities “can recapture storm-related costs from FEMA.” Palmer failed to note, however, that municipalization takes time — up to a decade in some instances.

She did say, as others have noted, that ENO “has not done a good job of hardening the system” against storms.

Everson, who rode a bike to the Oct. 20 debate, agreed. “I got into this race to draw attention to the need for action on the climate

P H O T O B Y K AY L E E P O C H E

Former state Sen. JP Morrell speaks at the New Orleans Women’s March with his daughter at his side. crisis … energy issues and Entergy,” he said, noting that the council “has unique regulatory control” over the utility. “Entergy is a very profitable company,” he said. “But Entergy has its way with the council. This is as good a place as any to draw the line.”

Pollster Lee expressed surprise at the candidates’ focus on Entergy at a time when most voters are more concerned about the high rate of violent crime and the low incidence of trash pickups these days.

“I see it in all the council races,” Lee said. “They all promise to stand up to utility companies, and Entergy has emerged as the new lightning rod. You don’t see any candidate saying, ‘No, no, Entergy’s right.’ But the truth is Entergy got the power back much faster than initially predicted.”

Another issue on which the candidates agree is their opposition to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s proposal to relocate City Hall to Armstrong Park in a repurposed Municipal Auditorium. Their only difference is one of who’s against it more.

Palmer says she was first to come out against it publicly. “Others jumped on board after I led,” she said at the Gambit debate.

Palmer touted her council motion declaring the area an interim zoning district, which puts the issue in the council’s lap for a year.

Morrell says the interim zoning district is not a “final” solution because it “expires after the election.” He suggested moving city offices across Poydras Street into vacant office building space and added that he was the only candidate to march against Cantrell’s proposal during a protest march on City Hall.

Everson said the city should consider putting City Hall in New Orleans East, as suggested by District B Councilman Jay Banks.

P H O T O B Y S A R A H R AV I T S

Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer, fourth from left, joins protesters and residents of Treme who are opposed to relocating City Hall into Armstrong Park.

Even if the seat of city government stays where it is, Everson said, the city should strive to build “the greenest possible City Hall.”

The trio also agreed that NOPD is not yet ready to be released from the federal consent decree that has governed departmental policy for almost a decade.

A LOT AT STAKE ONE AREA OF SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENT between Morrell and Palmer was how best to rein in short-term rentals (STRs).

Morrell blasted the current STR ordinance — which Palmer authored — calling it “a complete joke [that] needs to be thrown out completely. The penalties are so ridiculously loose that all it takes to get around regulation is [for owners] to create a new LLC and transfer the property.” He added that banning STRs in high-end areas such as the French Quarter and the Garden District “pushed STRs into Treme” and other historic but fragile neighborhoods.Palmer countered that the ordinance “is a good law. The issue we have right now is that it hasn’t been enforced to the degree it should be.”

She added that Morrell’s criticism of her ordinance is “not based on fact” because STRs “will never be allowed in the French Quarter.”

The current law, she said, was “based on zoning, not on whether a neighborhood is gentrified …

The problem is the proliferation of illegal STRs and a lack of enforcement. Let’s have a city that actually enforces the current law.”

On still other issues, there were nuanced differences between the candidates. For example, asked if

privatization might be the answer for the beleaguered Sewerage and Water Board, Morrell and Everson each gave an emphatic, “No.” Palmer agreed with them for the most part, but said hiring a qualified, experienced private company to take over billing is an idea worth considering in light of the agency’s longstanding record of sending property owners inaccurate bills.

Much is at stake in this race, politically as well as policy-wise.

As a citywide elective office, an at-large council seat can be a steppingstone to future advancement, including the mayor’s office. Several previous at-large council members have run for mayor — and two of them, Sidney Barthelemy and Moon Landrieu, succeeded. With Cantrell term limited, that’s definitely a factor in this race.

Speaking of Cantrell, the mayor will need allies on the new council, which is poised to be significantly more independent than the current body. Insiders say the mayor was hoping Brossett might win this contest, but that’s not going to happen now. Her worst nightmare, according to almost every observer, would be a Morrell victory, although Palmer also is firmly not in the mayor’s corner on many issues.

Finally, at-large council members rotate annually as the council president, a post that allows them to name committee members and chairs. That allows the president to shape policy and to lead the council through some of its most difficult decisions.

For now, though, the biggest decision is in the hands of voters.

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said. “She spoke glowingly in favor of the Hard Rock project.”

Palmer says that’s a lie and claimed the financiers of the group attacking her include big-name supporters of Morrell.

“The ad takes everything out of context, and he’s lying about it,” Palmer said. “My vote in 2011 was for conceptual approval. It was supposed to be residential, not a hotel. It wasn’t even a Hard Rock project when I voted to approve the conceptual use there. It was supposed to provide more residential use downtown, not more hotel rooms. That all changed while I was gone from the council.”

“In fact, the developers are now suing me because I’ve gone after them in the wake of this tragedy,” she added.

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BY KAYLEE POCHE AND SARAH RAVITS WHILE ALL ATTENTION IS ON THE SHOWDOWN for City Council’s Division 2 at-large seat, there are several other New Orleans races on the ballot this fall that are worth keeping an eye on.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell is expected to easily win reelection, but we’ve got some incumbent council members who will have to fend off a sea of opponents to keep their seats — including a few that could give them a run for their money — as well as races to replace those current members who are term-limited or vacating their seats for other positions.

We’re sure to see some familiar faces return to the council next year, but there also will be some new ones as well. And there’s a solid chance we’ll see a lot of these names pop up again four years from now — including a few who are making some chess moves with sights on becoming mayor in 2026.

Arguably, the biggest event this election cycle has been Hurricane Ida. The storm not only delayed the elections, but it also shifted residents’ priorities, pollster Silas Lee told Gambit. Post Ida, the biggest issues on voters’ minds have been trash pickup and holding utility companies accountable for their disaster response as climate change brings more frequent storms to the area.

“Hurricane Ida changed the dynamics because people were displaced for weeks,” Lee says. “It changed the focus on the election to survival and restoring the city.”

DIVISION 1 AT-LARGE REGULATING ENTERGY IS AT THE FRONT of incumbent and City Council President Helena Moreno’s reelection platform, as head of the council’s Utility Committee, especially post-Ida. Her sole opponent is Kenneth Cutno, a community development consultant who wants to increase the minimum wage for city workers to $20 an hour and halt property tax increases. He lost the last council race against Moreno in 2017.

“Moreno has remained competitive without spending a lot of resources,” Lee says. “The challenge for Cutno was to create doubt about [her] and depart from supporting her.”

S TA F F P H O T O S B Y T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E A N D P R O V I D E D P H O T O B Y F R E D D I E K I N G I I I

From left: Incumbents Cyndi Nguyen (District E), Jay Banks (District B), Joe Giarrusso (District A). Freddie King III seeks a seat in District C.

DISTRICT A: SIMILARLY, INCUMBENT JOE GIARRUSSO is likely to sail to reelection. As chairman of the Public Works Committee, he oversees the Sewerage & Water Board and the city’s Public Works Department, including infrastructure projects in the city.

As the chair of the Quality of Life Committee, he has been hearing from constituents during a time when life hasn’t been so “quality.”

His opponents are Amy Misko, a Libertarian real estate broker who told The Times-Picayune she was running the race for “widowed white women,” and software developer and comedian Bob Murrell, a progressive advocating for a city-based version of the Green New Deal.

Zapletal, attorney and president of the Touro Bouligny Neighborhood Association, is also running for the seat, vowing to fix blight and busted streets.

DISTRICT C:

DISTRICT B:

WITH KRISTIN GISLESON PALMER RUNNING for the at-large Division 2 position, there are seven candidates looking to fill this seat. Lawyer Freddie King III, a Democrat, is a big name in the race. He wants to increase shortterm-rental fines and reduce the minimum age of police officers from 20 to 19. But with so many opponents — like Stephanie Bridges, the director of the New Orleans Council for Community and Justice, and coffee shop owner Alonzo Knox who fought against moving City Hall to Treme — we’ll have to see what happens.

INCUMBENT JAY BANKS, whose recent career accomplishments include implementing inclusionary zoning and championing crackdowns on Airbnb, faces some tough competition against attorney Lesli Harris.

Harris has earned notable endorsements, including from the New Orleans Coalition and the Forum for Equality, whom she argued for in federal court to help strike down anti-gay marriage laws. Rella

JARED BROSSETT IS TERM-LIMITED and 14 candidates are vying for his District D seat, making this race a toss-up.

Among the hopefuls are Mariah Moore, executive director of House of Tulip, who hopes to make history as the city’s first openly transgender council member, and Troy Glover who works providing re-entry opportunities for formerly incar-

DISTRICT D:

cerated people. Contenders also include Gordon Plaza activist Kevin Griffin-Clark and real estate broker Eugene Green. Timolynn Sams, who has worked in the nonprofit sector and is aligned closely with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, is also a top contender.

DISTRICT E: INCUMBENT CYNDI NGUYEN Is running on a revitalization platform for another term representing New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward, touting the addition of an amusement center and a senior apartment center in her district. Oliver Thomas, a former council member, could be a threat, though his tenure at the council was cut short once he was sentenced to 37 months in prison for bribery. Lee dubs this one a “race of redemption.”

Also running for District E is former state Rep. John Bagneris; mental health professional Michon Copelin, whose father is former state Rep. Sherman Copelin; founding vice president of nonprofit A Community Voice Vanessa Gueringer Johnson; and teacher and pastor Aaron Miller.

There’s a number of other elections this fall, including for the Orleans Parish Criminal Court Clerk and the Orleans Parish Assessor.

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Come January, the City Council Could Look a whole lot different

19

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THIS YEAR’S CONTEST FOR SHERIFF is shaping up as one this year’s other marquis races, with incumbent Sheriff Marlin Gusman facing a real challenge for the first time in years in former Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson. Both are Democrats.

The other candidates are perennial candidate Quentin Brown, independent; Janet Hays, no party; and Christopher Williams, Democrat.

Hays is the founder of Healing Minds NOLA and has worked as a mental health advocate. Williams worked in the sheriff’s office from 1988 to 1991. He’s also served as Dillard University’s director of public safety, as well as the chief of police at the Veteran Affairs Hospital.

Gusman has served as sheriff for 17 years, having won the office in a 2004 special election. He inherited more than an office. Former Sheriff Charles Foti Jr. built a sprawling political empire in his 30-year tenure as sheriff years.

“When I was elected, there were 13 jails,” Gusman told Gambit. “I have since closed, abandoned or demolished every single one. We had 7,000 inmates when I came in.

Now we have less than 900.”

Much of that reduction has been due to external pressure from criminal justice reformers and a federal judge. Since 2013, the jail has been under a federal consent decree that led to significant changes — and strict oversight.

Gusman was sidelined from jail management in 2016 and replaced by a federally appointed “compliance monitor,” until regaining control in August 2020.

Gusman says that’s a sign of the progress he has made. Hutson says it marked the beginning of a “backslide.”

“The jail’s consent decree has seen some backsliding, to about 56% full compliance [with the consent decree],” says Hutson, an attorney who served as independent monitor of NOPD for 11 years under that department’s own federal consent decree. “The previous report in February had 63-65% full compliance, plus some partial compliance.”

PHOTOS BY STEVEN FORS TER A N D D AV I D G R U N F E L D / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

Former police monitor Susan Hutson is one of four candidates vying to oust Sheriff Marlin Gusman this fall.

A key part of the consent decree is a federal order for Gusman to build a new, 89-bed mental and medical health facility. “Phase III” of the new jail has triggered a backlash among criminal justice reformers. Gusman says he must follow the judge’s order — and he says the facility is needed. Currently the jail includes a separate, temporary health care facility.

Hutson and others say there’s room for 89 mental and medical health beds in the present jail because several hundred beds there are routinely not filled.

Gusman says that’s not feasible because inmates can’t all be lumped together.

During a candidate forum in August, Hays argued that rather than a new facility or retrofit, the city should use FEMA funds allocated for Phase III to build a forensic psychiatric hospital “under the jurisdiction of psychiatrists who have the knowledge and ability to treat people, especially when they don’t want treatment,” according to The Lens.

Williams, meanwhile, said during the forum he would like to use part of the Phase III funding to build a training center for incarcerated people to earn “certification training in electrical, plumbing, computer-aided drafting, CDL licenses, so that they would be able to get a job once they leave the prison system.”

21

CANDY BAG

BY CLANCY DUBOS THE NOV. 13 BALLOT includes four proposed amendments to the state constitution. A good source of objective information about the proposed revisions is the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (parlouisiana.org), which has published an indepth guide to the proposed amendments.

AMENDMENT 1 deals with how businesses report and remit sales and use taxes.

It would not change any state or local sales tax rates. Instead, it would create a new state commission authorized to provide for electronic filing and remittance of state, local and remote sales taxes.

The commission would forward revenue to local taxing authorities and to the state, issue policy advice, and develop rules for audits.

If approved by voters, lawmakers would still need to adopt legislation (by a two-thirds vote of both chambers) further outlining and implementing the new system.

Reformers for decades have complained that the current system is too fractured and burdensome because it forces many businesses to file multiple sales tax returns every month. While this amendment doesn’t completely solve the problem, supporters say it’s a huge step forward.

Critics include Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who recently came out against the proposal. The mayor says the amendment leaves too much uncertainty regarding future legislation — which is not yet written — and takes away collection and auditing authority from local governments.

With statewide turnout expected to be extremely low — not much is on the ballot outside New Orleans — the vote in Orleans Parish could play an outsized role in determining the fate of this amendment.

AMENDMENT 2

is tied to three companion bills that lawmakers recently passed dealing with

P H O T O B Y S U S A N V I N E YA R D / G E T T Y I M A G E S

Changes to how sales tax is collected are just one of several initiatives on the ballot this fall.

income taxation. If approved by voters, this amendment (and the companion new laws) would lower the maximum individual income tax rate from 6% to 4.25% and reduce other rates as well for individuals and corporations. It also would significantly reduce the corporate franchise tax. The amendment removes the individual income tax deduction for federal taxes paid but substantially lowers rates and provides less volatility in their tax bills (and the state budget) over time.

AMENDMENT 3 allows levee districts created since Jan. 1, 2006, to impose 5-mill property taxes without a vote of the people in those districts. This amendment does not affect Orleans or Jefferson parishes, whose levee districts were created before 2006. It does affect levee districts in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes, whose voters (along with voters statewide) must approve the amendment if it is to apply to them.

AMENDMENT 4

would allow the governor, with the approval of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, to “sweep” up to 10% from certain (but not all) constitutionally and statutorily dedicated funds to address major revenue shortfalls. This authority is currently capped at 5%. The amendment would not affect dedicated funds currently protected from such sweeps.

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Four Constitutional amendments amendments on Nov. 13 Ballot

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New Leadership • New Direction • New Orleans

I WILL TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH QUALITY OF LIFE -Develop and incentivize a standard of cleanliness across our city.

-Promote community involvement through GREEN initiatives.

-Design a comprehensive hurricane evacuation system.

-Create healthy outlets for our youth.

CLEAN UP MISMANAGEMENT -Take a deep dive into city contracts and hold existing contractors and city workers accountable.

-Schedule accountability measures into all processes including contractors, and government functions.

CRIME -Model the successes of the juvenile process of our city’s neighbors for our young offenders.

-Work with all law enforcement agencies to share resources and manpower while we work to increase our force.

IMPROVE OUR ECONOMY -Provide Skills to make our youth job-force ready.

-Remove barriers to success and execute business development.

-Create a satellite office of City Hall in NO East to increase access to city government.

-Coordinate with universities to design programs to provide skills that match existing local businesses.

#

24

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University of New Orleans gala to celebrate alumni contributions and success in business and community

The Distinguished Alumni Gala honors UNO alumni who are leaders in their fields.

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com This story is brought to you by the University of New Orleans.

The University of New Orleans will celebrate the achievements of its graduates at the 2021 Homer L. Hitt Distinguished Alumni Gala on November 4. The recognition goes to those who are making a significant impact in their professional spheres the New Orleans region and the country.

This year’s Homer L. Hitt Distinguished Alumnus of the Year is David Gallo, president and chief executive officer of Gallo Mechanical, LLC. The Norma Jane Sabiston Young Alumna of the Year is Lacey Merrick Conway, president and chief executive officer of Latter & Blum.

The in-person ceremony will also recognize the 2020 honorees, who were celebrated in a virtual format last year because of the pandemic. The 2020 Distinguished Alumnus is Timothy Adams, a business executive and the mayor of Bowie, Maryland. The 2020 Young Alumna of the Year is Sheba Turk, an author and co-anchor of WWL-TV’s Eyewitness Morning News.

“So much pride emanates from the event around the university, our city and our alumni because our alumni play such a critical role in business and in our city,” said UNO President John Nicklow. “It’s a time to come together and celebrate our graduates and their success, especially these honorees that embody the spirit of UNO so well. The event also reminds all of us how important the only public, research university in New Orleans is to our city and the country.

For Gallo, the decision to attend UNO for his bachelor’s degree in management was based largely on logistical reasons. He grew up near campus and wanted to continue living at home. He was also working at Gallo Mechanical and wanted a college experience that could accommodate his budding career.

It didn’t take long for Gallo to embrace the UNO experience. His business and engineering courses laid the foundation for future success.

He made friends and learned teamwork through his involvement in intramural sports, especially flag football, and a fraternity.

David Gallo is the 2021 Homer L. Hitt Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

“UNO was very good to me. I’ve always been proud of graduating from there, but it’s only been more recently that I’ve become involved again,” Gallo said. “There are some good things going on there which will help the university and the city. I’ve seen how important UNO is to the city of New Orleans and the businesses that operate here. There are so many UNO graduates who are leading and doing well at companies throughout New Orleans.”

Gallo is optimistic that trend will continue, especially because of UNO’s commitment to diversity and making higher education affordable for everyone.

“It’s all about the ability for everyone to get a high quality education,” he said. “They have a fantastic faculty and the students are tremendous.”

For Conway, a New Orleans native, returning to her hometown for her master’s degree in business administration was an ideal opportunity to reset while helping advance her career.

“I went to a really large college for my undergraduate, and it was such a nice shift to come back to UNO for my graduate program,” she said. “I felt like I had a lot of one-on-one attention because the classes were smaller.

It felt like you could take a breath and settle down for a bit. It was a nice time to focus.”

Conway said she was “completely flattered, surprised and grateful” when she learned about her honor. As she continues her involvement with the university, she hopes to encourage current students to take part in the many networking opportunities that are available.

“I think UNO has done a great job of offering students the chance to reach out and see what jobs are available,” Conway said.

“I would tell them to take advantage of that.

The people at UNO are willing to provide that help. They want everybody there to succeed.”

When Timothy Adams was ready to further his education with a master’s of business administration, UNO was high on his list because of the strong reputation of its business program. He enrolled as a graduate student and soon learned that he had made the right decision.

“It gave me the basis to really understand business and tie it in with my undergraduate degree,” Adams said. “It really gave me

the tools I needed to move forward, especially when I entered the defense industry.

At that time, you needed a technical degree and an MBA to move forward in that field.

I had checked those boxes and had a solid foundation that I developed at UNO. It really propelled my career and made me feel confident when I started my own business.”

Adams founded Systems Applications & Technologies, Inc., a professional services firm, in 1989. In 2019, he was elected the first Black mayor of Bowie, Maryland. Even from afar, Adams remains closely tied to UNO and is proud of its accomplishments, especially in recent years.

“I will always say that the University of New Orleans is a gem for the state of Louisiana,” he said. “We are becoming recognized nationally in many areas and I think the administration is doing a phenomenal job in moving the university forward. Everyone is working hard and doing so in a smart way.”

When Sheba Turk graduated from UNO in 2011, she never imagined the university would recognize her as one of its outstanding alumna just a decade later. Back then, she was finishing a stretch of time in which she moved to New York for college, changed her mind and returned to New Orleans, enrolled at UNO and began working full time. She was determined to work hard, but didn’t know where her career or life would take her.

“I think that’s why this award was so shocking to me,” she said. “But I also hope it can encourage other students to keep working even when things are hard. You just have to keep moving forward.”

Turk said the support of UNO professors was crucial to keeping her on track and creating a learning environment where she felt safe and supported.

“For the first couple of years, I kept to myself, but I spoke to one of my English professors during my senior year because I was struggling to balance work and class,” she recalled. “I think a lot of UNO students go through that. Most of them are commuting and working and have a lot of things going on in life. I always tell them to talk to their professors. They are a lot more understanding than people sometimes think.”

At the gala, the university will also honor distinguished alumni from its four academic colleges and athletics. Those honorees are:

Lacey Merrick Conway is the 2021 Norma Jane Sabiston Young Alumna of the Year.

College of Business Administration: Melonie Johnson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UNO. College of Engineering: Tony Cibilich, President and owner of C&C Marine Repair in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Cibilich earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UNO. College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development: B. Jeffrey Brooks, a partner with the law firm Adams & Reese.

Brooks earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNO. College of Sciences: Sabrina Farmer, vice president for engineering site reliability at Google. She is the founder of the Scholarship for Women in Computer Science at UNO, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Privateer Athletics: Dr. Robin Martin, deputy director of strategy, planning and management for the postsecondary success team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Martin earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from UNO, where she played basketball.

Nicklow said the gala is the perfect chance for alumni to reconnect with those in the UNO community who helped them along the way as well as other graduates who have experienced their own successes. Those reconnections feel especially meaningful this year after so many months of people being apart because of the pandemic.

“I think people enjoy seeing friends who they may not have seen for many years and learning what’s new at the university,” he said. “I always have a moment where I am just awe-inspired at the success of all of these alumni in the room and their impact on the world. It’s incredible.”

The gala will take place at 7 p.m. November 4 at The National WWII Museum, Boeing Freedom Pavilion, 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans. There will be reduced capacity and advanced safety measures in place. The event will also be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. For tickets or more information, visit www.uno.edu/gala.

27

BEST BLACK OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

Local Life!

BEST COSTUME STORE 1 Miss Claudia’s Vintage Clothing & Costumes

1 Neyow’s

(3332 Bienville St., 504-827-5474; neyows.com)

(4204 Magazine St., 504-897-6310; facebook. com/missclaudiasvintage)

BEST ANTIQUES STORE

BEST LOCALLY OWNED JEWELRY STORE

1 M. S. Rau

(622 Royal St., 888-557-2406; rauantiques.com)

1 Aucoin Hart

(1525 Metairie Road, Metairie, 504-834-9999; aucoinhart.com)

BEST AUCTION HOUSE 1 Crescent City Auction Gallery

BEST HOSPITAL 1 Ochsner

(Citywide; ochsner.org)

BEST HOTEL

(1330 St Charles Ave., 504-529-5057; crescentcityauctiongallery.com)

BEST DRY CLEANER

BEST BANK/CREDIT UNION

(4814 Prytania St., 504-897-2161; libertocleaners.com)

(214 Royal St., 504-523-3341; hotelmonteleone.com)

BEST FLORIST

BEST JEFFERSON NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY

1 Hancock Whitney

(Citywide; hancockwhitney.com)

BEST BARBERSHOP

1 Liberto Cleaners

1 Villere’s Florist

1 The Parker Barber

(600 Carondelet St., 504-679-0990; parkerbarber.com)

(750 Martin Behrman Ave., Metairie, 504-8333716; 1415 N. Highway 190, Covington, 985-809-9101; villeresflowers.com)

BEST GARDEN STORE

BEST BICYCLE SHOP

1 Perino’s Home & Garden Center

1 Mike the Bike Guy

(4411 Magazine St., 504-899-1344; mikethebikeguy.com)

(3100 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, 504834-7888; perinos.com)

BEST CAR DEALERSHIP

BEST HAIR SALON

1 Bryan Subaru

(8305 Airline Drive, Metairie; 504-466-6000; bryansubaru.com)

BEST HEALTH CLUB/ FITNESS STUDIO

BEST DAY SPA 1 The Woodhouse Day Spa

1 Paris Parker

(Citywide; parisparker.com)

(796 E. Interstate 10 Service Road, Suite 230, Slidell, 985-641-7772; 4030 Canal St., 504482-6652; 5004 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, 504-584-4004; woodhousespas.com)

1 New Orleans Athletic Club

(222 N. Rampart St., 504-525-2375; neworleansathleticclub.com)

1 Hotel Monteleone

1 Rouses

(Citywide; rouses.com)

BEST LAW FIRM 1 Morris Bart

(601 Poydras St., 504-613-4771; morrisbart.com)

BEST LIQUOR STORE 1 Martin’s Wine Cellar

(714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, 504-896-7300; Village Shopping Center, 2895 Highway 190, Mandeville, 985-951-8081; 3827 Baronne St., 504-899-7411; martinwine.com)

BEST LOCAL SHOP TO BUY LINGERIE 1 Trashy Diva

(712 Royal St., 504-522-8861; 2050 Magazine St., 504-265-0973; trashydivalingerie.com)

For the complete list of winners visit bestofneworleans.com/2021

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LET’S CELEBRATE THE BEST OF

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BEST LOCALLY OWNED BOOKSTORE

BEST LOCALLY OWNED PET SUPPLY STORE 1 Jefferson Feed

1 Octavia Books

(4421 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, 504-733-8572; jeffersonfeed.com)

(513 Octavia St., 504-899-7323; octaviabooks.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED PHARMACY

BEST LOCALLY OWNED BRIDAL SHOP 1 The Bridal Boutique by MaeMe

(3331 Severn Ave., Suite 102, Metairie, 504-266-2771; maemebridal.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED CHILDREN’S STORE 1 ZukaBaby

1 Castellon Pharmacy

(8232 Oak St., 504-866-3784; castellonrx.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED SHOE STORE 1 Orleans Shoe Co.

(701 Metairie Road, 504-407-2700; zukababy.com)

(509 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite B, 504324-7718; 541 Chartres St., 504-3500035; 3000 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-888-7080; 3112 Magazine St., 504-875-2929; orleansshoes.com)

Local Life!

BEST LOCALLY OWNED FURNITURE STORE 1 Doerr Furniture

(914 Elysian Fields Ave., 504-9470606; 1645 N. Highway 190, Suite 600, Covington, 985-900-2425; doerrfurniture.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED KITCHEN DESIGN STORE 1 Nordic Kitchen and Baths

(1818 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, 504-888-2300; nordickitchens.com)

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BEST LOCALLY OWNED MEN’S CLOTHING STORE 1 Perlis

(600 Decatur St., 504-523-6681; 1281 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville, 985-674-1711; 6070 Magazine St., 504-895-8661; perlis.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED MUSIC STORE 1 Peaches Records

(4318 Magazine St., 504-282-3322; peachesrecordsandtapes.com)

MORE WINNERS ON PAGE 28

For the complete list of winners visit bestofneworleans.com/2021

# " # ! $ $

%

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% # " % $#

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LET’S CELEBRATE THE BEST OF BEST PLACE TO BUY WINE 1 Martin Wine Cellar

(714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, 504896-7300; Village Shopping Center, 2895 Highway 190, Mandeville, 985-951-8081; 3827 Baronne St., 504-899-7411; martinwine.com)

BEST SMOKE SHOP 1 Ra Shop

BEST NORTHSHORE NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY

BEST PLACE TO BUY ADULT TOYS

1 Rouses

1 Dynamo

(Citywide; rouses.com)

504-592-7424; 1212 S. Clearview

BEST PET BOARDING/DAY CARE BUSINESS

Parkway, Suite A, Elmwood, 504-

dynamotoys.com)

592-7424; 4121 Magazine St., 504-

1 Camp Bow Wow

BEST PLACE TO BUY CBD OIL PRODUCTS

9939; campbowwow.com

1 The Woodhouse Day Spa

(796 E. Interstate 10 Service Road, Suite 230, Slidell, 985-641-7772; 4030 Canal St., 504-482-6652; 5004 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, 504-584-4004; woodhousespas.com)

1 Waxing the City (225 W. Harrison Ave., Suite D,

(2001 St Claude Ave.,

3647; 3301 Conti St., 504-309-

BEST PLACE TO GET A MASSAGE

BEST PLACE TO GET WAXED

504-534-8697;

(2731 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-891-

(Citywide; rashop.us)

Local Life!

BEST PET GROOMING BUSINESS 1 Zeus’ Place (715 O’Keefe Ave., 504-324-3335; 4601 Freret St., 504-304-4718;

899-1500; waxingthecity.com)

1 Your CBD Store (Citywide; cbdrx4u.com)

BEST PLACE TO BUY EYEWEAR 1 Art & Eyes

zeusplace.com;

(3708 Magazine St., 504-891-4494;

zeusplacedowntown.com)

artandeyesneworleansla.com)

BEST REAL ESTATE OFFICE 1 McEnery Residential (4901 Magazine St., 504-605-4400; mceneryresidential.com)

BEST PLACE TO GET A MANICURE/PEDICURE 1 Cindy’s Nails & Spa

(6112 Magazine St., 504-900-1939; 1000 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-304-3422)

For the complete list of winners visit bestofneworleans.com/2021

Local Life!

31

BEST LOCALLY OWNED STORE FOR HOME DECOR / ACCENTS

BEST STORE FOR VINTAGE / CONSIGNMENT CLOTHING

BEST VAPE SHOP

1 Funky Monkey

1 Home Malone

(3127 Magazine St., 504-899-5587;

(2268 St. Claude Ave., 504-2333934; 3869 Gen. DeGaulle Drive, Suite B, 504-309-9295; 4507 Magazine St., 504-309-8134; crescentcityvape.com)

(629 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-3248352; 4610 Magazine St., 504-7666148; homemalonenola.com)

BEST LOCALLY OWNED WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE 1 Monomin

(2104 Magazine St., 504-827-1269; monomin.com)

BEST NEW ORLEANS NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY 1 Rouses

funkymonkeynola.com)

BEST TATTOO/ PIERCING PARLOR 1 Mid City Voodoo Tattoo (140 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-278-

BEST VETERINARY/ ANIMAL CLINIC

1465; voodoux.com)

1 Prytania Veterinary Hospital

BEST THRIFT STORE

(201 Nashville Ave., 504-899-2828; prytaniavet.com)

1 Red, White & Blue Thrift Store (605 Lapalco Blvd., Gretna, 504393-1072; 5728 Jefferson Highway, Harahan, 504-733-8066; redwhite-

(Citywide; rouses.com)

1 Crescent City Vape

andbluethriftstore.com)

MORE WINNERS ON PAGE 30

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE 1 Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave., 504-895-8477; tipitinas.com)

For the complete list of winners visit bestofneworleans.com/2021

VOTE

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MORGAN

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A PROVEN LEADER WHO GETS THINGS DONE!

CLEVENGER CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT D

54

COMMITMENT • COMMUNITY • COURAGE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13 | EARLY VOTING OCT. 30-NOV.6 (EXCLUDING 10/31) Morgan is a native New Orleanian with a proven record of fighting for change in New Orleans.

• •

• • • •

President of the Fairgrounds Triangle Neighborhood Association since 2010 Organized and led longtime residents to get the drugs & guns out of our Playground, permanently stopping alcohol sales next to Playground, reducing crime and keeping longtime residents in their homes.

Organized and led effort to call out skyrocketing property tax assessments in 2019, resulting in State legislation to cap annual increases.

Lifelong advocate for musicians, hospitality workers and culture bearers Honored recipient of the 2018 Black Men of Labor 25 year Indigenous Culture Bearer Award A founding organizer to Stop City Hall proposed move to Congo Square/ Armstrong Park resulting in City Council proposed legislation. As Councilmember, I am committed to this fight.

As your Councilmember, Morgan will continue to standup for:

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Public Safety & Crime Prevention Creating Productive, Meaningful Opportunities for Youth Safe, Strong, Healthy Communities Expanding Access to Mental Health Resources Cost of Living vs. Living Wage Holding Entergy, Cox & S&W Board Accountable Property Tax Reform Affordable Housing and Affordable Homeownership Protecting and Investing in our New Orleans Culture Disaster Recovery and Small Business Development Equitable and Inclusive Government Infrastructure that works, Solar for All, Green Jobs & Training

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Fresh start

FORK + CENTER

Olive serves Mediterranean cuisine in the CBD

|

by Beth D’Addono

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

WHEN HANI RABEE CAME TO AMERICA

from his hometown of Jerusalem seven years ago, he thought he knew what he would find.

“I thought the whole United States is the same thing,” says Rabee, 35, who came to the U.S. with his wife Nura. “But New Jersey is very different than New Orleans.”

That understatement was the result of the couple’s first visit to see his sister in central Jersey, before they came to see his brother in New Orleans. Rabee had worked in restaurants since he was a teenager, and his dream was to have his own restaurant. Until then, he figured he’d work with his brother.

“My brother owns Sahara Cafe (in Gretna),” Rabee says. “I thought we would work together in the restaurant.”

But his brother was adamant Rabee work somewhere outside of the cafe and learn the city until he could open a place of his own.

So with his brother’s help, Rabee instead got a job managing a beauty supply store in Mid-City.

“My brother Shakor said, ‘No, you won’t learn English if you work with me. You won’t understand people in New Orleans. You won’t grow. No,’” Rabee says. “I didn’t really get it then, but he was right.”

Five years later, Rabee opened Olive, a Mediterranean cafe at 339 Carondelet St. in the CBD. He signed the lease days before the Covid shutdown, and after doing all the renovations and painting himself, he opened the restaurant almost a year ago, on Nov. 11, 2020.

“This is my dream,” he says.

Along with Rafat Hennawi, a business partner and childhood pal from Jerusalem, Rabee opens the restaurant at 7 a.m. daily for breakfast and serves a vast, all-day menu throughout the day. Olive closes at 9 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday nights, when it stays open until 1 a.m.

“We make everything — with all my recipes — fresh to order,” he says. “I cook the way we cook in Jerusalem, always from scratch.”

Dia de los tacos

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER

The breakfast specialty shakshuka is a satisfying stew of fresh tomatoes, herbs and garlic topped with two sunny-side-up eggs, plus hummus and salad on the side.

Musabaha is a dip like hummus, made with whole chickpeas and herbs and served warm with grilled pita. Kalaya features fresh tomatoes, chicken or beef, and plenty of garlic. There are only three fried items on the menu: falafel, french fries and chicken nuggets for kids.

Entrees also include shawarma made with chicken or beef, the ground meat mixed with spices and formed into a kebab. Marinated lamb chops are a house specialty, grilled to medium rare and served with rice, hummus and salad.

Seafood lovers can opt for grilled shrimp and sauteed vegetables with rice and hummus. Grilled catfish fillets are dusted with herbaceous za’atar and served with basmati rice and salad.

There are plenty of options for vegetarians, including a handful of green salads, from fattoush to Greek salad with feta. Tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, lemon juice, olive oil and lots of parsley.

There’s a grilled vegetable plate that includes grape leaves and two sides, and another vegetarian plate combines hummus, baba

Partners Rafat Hennawi and Hani Rabee at Olive. ghanoush, falafel and tabbouleh.

Falafel also is available in a sandwich or on a platter.

Breakfast dishes have a decidedly Mediterranean accent, with spinach pie served with a side of thick yogurt labneh. Olive toast includes feta, olives and tomatoes. Rabee recently met a Turkish baker who will be supplying him with bagels for the breakfast sandwiches. There is American or Turkish coffee, mint tea and Lebanese tea, made with pine nuts and rosewater.

Despite the pandemic and a rough first few months, business is picking up, Rabee says.

“It was really scary opening the business at this time,” he says. “But I have a passion inside of me and I was going to do it no matter what.”

Despite the ongoing pandemic, Rabee remains upbeat, having gone through both a major professional and personal life change during it.

“I opened my business in 2020, and we had our son Amir born during Ida,” he says.

The family feels right at home in New Orleans.

“I went from not knowing anything about American football to being a huge Saints fan,” Rabee says.

?

WHAT Olive

WHERE

339 Carondelet St., (504) 766-9271; facebook.com/ olive.mediterranean.lebanese

WHEN

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, late-night Fri.-Sat.

HOW

Dine-in and takeout

CHECK IT OUT

Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine in the CBD

THE LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL TOP TACO, normally held on the New Orleans riverfront in the spring, is Thursday, Oct. 28, at Lafreniere Park in Metairie. To fit the season, it has a Day of the Dead theme, “Back from the Dead.” It has missed two years of its regular dates.

The festival presents traditional and creative tacos from roughly 40 participating restaurants, as well as tequila cocktails. A panel of judges chooses top entries in various categories, and attendees can vote for their favorites.

The event will cap attendance at 3,500 people, and the grounds will be laid out to encourage an open flow of foot traffic and less congregating. The event has a band lineup of Otra, Muevelo and Darcy Malone and the Tangle, but unlike a music festival, the main attraction at Top Taco is food, served at dozens of

PHOTO BY CHRIS GR ANGER / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

individual booths spread across the park. Tickets to Top Taco include all food and drinks.

Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test is required for admission.

With no mask mandate or restrictions on event sizes in Jefferson Parish, or any other part of Louisiana outside of New Orleans, the vaccination requirement was a voluntary move. Event producer Shane Finkelstein says he wants to show a way to continue with events during the pandemic.

The event also raises money for the PLEASE Foundation, a nonprofit that serves young people with mentoring and scholarships to attain a college education. The PAGE 37

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37

FORK & CENTER

group had already enrolled new students this year, banking in part on proceeds from Top Taco. That provided another impetus for Top Taco to find a way forward.

Finkelstein heard from some people who said they wouldn’t attend because of the vaccination policy, but he says tickets have been selling swiftly and he’s encouraged by the positive feedback he’s heard from others.

“I think people are really excited because there hasn’t been a festival in so long,” he says.

The festivities include a Luche Libre wrestling match and a Day of the Dead costume contest. Tickets are $75 for general admission, $95 for early admission and $125 for VIP packages. Visit toptaconola. com for tickets and details. — IAN McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Kitchen combo

THE LANDMARK DOOKY CHASE’S RESTAURANT WILL PAIR UP with a

star chef from the next generation, Nina Compton, for a collaborative menu in November that’s part of a national series of such pairings.

Called the Classics Remix, the series is produced by the online reservation company Resy.com.

Dooky Chase’s has for generations held a prominent role in New Orleans, one that starts with Creole cuisine and reaches into the realms of civil rights, politics and art. It was led for many years by the late Leah Chase. Now, her grandson Edgar “Dooky” Chase IV directs the kitchen. Nina Compton earned a national following for her star turn on the TV cooking competition “Top Chef” and then came to New Orleans where she opened Compere Lapin and Bywater American Bistro, each with its own lens on contemporary cuisine.

Their Classics Remix menu includes Creole gumbo, fried jerk catfish with coconut braised collard greens and rum raisin bread pudding with dulce de leche, plus a specialty cocktail.

The menu is available at Dooky Chase’s at 2301 Orleans Ave. on Nov. 11-13 for dine-in or takeout.

Reservations are available via Resy. com. — IAN McNULTY/ THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Taco conversion

RYE & PIE OPENED IN THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT in 2019 with a broad patio,

a big bar and a menu of wood-oven pizza. It closed in May under pressure from the pandemic. But now owner Ryan Hollard is transforming the place into a new taco joint, banking on the draw of the patio and a straightforward menu.

“It’s stripped down,” Hollard says.

“It’s tequila, it’s margaritas, it’s tacos and beer.”

To gin up more business for Rye & Pie in the grind of the pandemic, Hollard started his own pop-up, serving a different menu of tacos for one night — Tuesdays, naturally.

The response was encouraging — Rye & Pie got more business in taco mode than on normal nights.

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The former Rye & Pie pizzeria in the Warehouse District will become Taqueria La Lucha.

Taqueria La Luche will serve a traditional taqueria menu, with six types of tacos, including chicken tinga, shrimp, grilled fish and cactus, and a few other dishes, including Mexican shrimp cocktail. — IAN McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

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Links to recovery

#2E

THE EMERIL LAGASSE FOUNDATION’S BOUDIN, BOURBON & BEER EVENT

usually draws dozens of local and visiting chefs to present creative types of boudin in a festival atmosphere with live music. The centralized event is canceled this year, and instead, the foundation is using the event platform to help restaurants, which are recovering from a year and a half of restricted business due to Covid and the e ffects of Hurricane Ida. Dubbed Back to the Table, this year’s promotion will feature boudin dishes, Abita beers and Buffalo Trace cocktails at participating restaurants. They include Atchafalaya, Blue Oak BBQ, Boucherie, Bourree, Brigtsen’s, Broussard’s, Cochon Restaurant, Commander’s Palace, Commons Club, Criollo, Emeril’s Restaurant, La Boca, La Petit Grocery, Maypop, Meril, Piece of Meat, Restaurant R’evolution, Rosedale, Saint John and Toups Meatery. Restaurants also will mentor aspiring chefs in the e vent’s internship program.

The Foundation has distributed $15.5 million to date, much of it to recipients focusing on education and basic childhood needs, according to a press release from the Foundation. Visit boudinbourbonandbeer.com for information.

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DIA de los MUERTOS

3 COURSE INTERVIEW

Sarthak Samantray and Aman Kota Chefs

by Will Coviello SARTHAK SAMANTRAY AND AMAN KOTA WENT TO CULINARY SCHOOLS in

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their native India, but they met in New Orleans while working in the French Quarter. Samantray grew up in Odisha in eastern India and attended the culinary program at Manipal University. Kota is from Hyderabad and studied at the Culinary Academy of India. They launched their Indian food pop-up Lufu (which stands for “Let Us Feed U”) in June and most weeks they serve food from Friday through Monday at changing locations, which have included Miel Brewery, Pal’s Lounge, The Drifter Hotel, Parleaux Beer Lab, Coffee Science, Café Negril and elsewhere. Find the pop-up on Instagram at @lufu_nola.

How did you wind up cooking in New Orleans?

AMAN KOTA: I graduated from the Culinary Academy of India. After I finished, I worked on a cruise line for one year. I visited 22 or 23 countries.

Then I moved to America for work. I came to Branson, Missouri, to do an internship. My friends told me that if I want to learn more about food, I need to come to New Orleans. So I visited New Orleans and I fell in love.

So I moved to New Orleans.

SARTHAK SAMANTRAY: I was 19 when I came to the U.S. I had already finished culinary school. We came to America and got jobs in different hotels. It was a coincidence that we used to work for the same boss. He owned several restaurants and bars around the city. We liked it, and we were appreciated.

K: We used to talk about food.

It’s our passion.

S: He’d cook something and bring it to my house. I’d cook something, and we’d get some beers and talk.

That’s where Lufu was founded.

K: We were like, we are graduates from the top culinary schools in India. Let’s show people what they don’t know about Indian cuisine.

What do you think people should know about Indian food?

S: We learned French techniques in India, because we have a heavy British influence in our food. In certain parts of India, British food

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LUFU

Sarthak Samantray and Aman Kota is celebrated. But we have our own idea of food. We also are heavily influenced by Middle Eastern food and Persian food. India was ruled by the Mughals for 100 years.

There is a heavy food impact on Indian cuisine.

K: People think butter chicken is our only dish. There are so many other things. We’re motivated to change the mindsets of people.

They always say, “It’s a curry, so you guys use curry powder?” (In India) we never us curry powder. There is nothing called curry powder in India.

S: Curry is an English term for any kind of gravy or liquidy stuff. To the English, everything is curry in India.

But everything is so different. Some things are yogurt based. Some things are tomato and onion based.

There’s different types of masala — wet masala and dry masala. We have an upcoming eggplant dish with a wet masala in it, and its coconut based with garlic and onions. It’s so beautiful when you put it together.

We have garam masala. It’s a mix of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, clove, cardamom, bay leaf. You can make your own version.

K: All over India, it’s not about (spicy heat). It’s about flavor.

S: Here, we see mango lassi everywhere. That’s not even a thing in India. I mean, they have mango lassi, but it’s not popular like it is here.

There are so many varieties.

In my part of India, they drink savory lassis. In India, if you go 30 miles, you find different food, languages, people.

What types of dishes do you like to do for Lufu?

K: We decided to do authentic Indian food no matter what. We

decided to change the menu so that they can always try something different.

S: The Royal Frenchmen Hotel was the first to accept us. We did tandoori chicken salad, butter chicken, aloo gobi and gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding). Every week is a different creation based on the produce (that is available). We look at what regions of India we’ve already covered. We mix and match around India.

K: The first classical regional dish was qurbani ka meetha. It’s from Hyderabad. It’s a dessert of stewed apricot with homemade ice cream.

S: We did shahi tukda (bread pudding) from Lucknow, lamb vindaloo from Goa and bhel puri from Maharashtra. It’s a stew.

K: We do baby eggplant curry, which is famous where I am from.

It’s a stuffed eggplant. You make a gravy with onions, tomato and marsala and add the stuffed eggplants and finish it with creamy yogurt sauce and serve it with rice.

S: It sounds weird to mix dishes from different regions. But when you work with it, it’s not, because you’ve studied all these dishes. I studied Indian cuisine from every region and worked around the country. Traveling helped me a lot — going into grandmas’ houses and seeing what they do.

Home cooked Indian food is different than restaurant food. It’s healthy and light. There are a lot of basic stews with rice, or soup with rice. Indian restaurants use a lot of masala, oil, ghee (clarified butter).

K: We want to serve everything.

India has so many dishes. We’re only doing three a week, so we can do this for the next 20 years.

O U T T O E AT

Out 2 Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are in New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

B — breakfast L — lunch D — dinner late — late 24H — 24 hours

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11 to $20 $$$ — $21 or more

NOTICE: Due to COVID-19, dining at restaurants is impacted. Information is subject to change.

Contact the restaurant to confirm service options.

CBD Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; juansflyingburrito.com — See Uptown section for restaurant description. Outdoor dining available.

No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

CARROLLTON Mid City Pizza — 6307 S. Miro St., (504) 509-6224; midcitypizza.com — See MidCity section for restaurant description.

Takeout and delivery available. Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Thu.-Mon. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. Takeout and delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Pyramids Cafe — 3151 Calhoun St., (504) 861-9602 — Diners will find Mediterranean cuisine featuring such favorites as shawarma prepared on a rotisserie. Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

CITYWIDE Breaux Mart — Citywide; breauxmart. com — The deli counter’s changing specials include dishes such as baked catfish and red beans and rice. Lunch and dinner daily. $

FAUBOURG MARIGNY Kebab — 2315 St. Claude Ave., (504) 383-4328; kebabnola.com — The sandwich shop offers doner kebabs and Belgian fries. A falafel sandwich comes with pickled cucumbers, arugula, spinach, red onions, beets, hummus and Spanish garlic sauce. No reservations.

Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Mon. $

FRENCH QUARTER Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — The menu features Gulf seafood in traditional and contemporary Creole dishes, po-boys and more. Char-grilled oysters are topped with Parmesan, herbs and butter. Reservations recommended. Takeout available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$

GENTILLY NOLA Crawfish King Seafood & Barbecue — 5321 Franklin Ave., (504) 571-5038 ; crawfishking.com — The restaurant specializes in boiled seafood and barbecue. The Gentilly Reuben features house-smoked brisket pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and house sauce on marbled rye. No reservations. Takeout and outdoor seating available. Lunch and early dinner Wed.-Sun. $$

HARAHAN/JEFFERSON/ RIVER RIDGE

The Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, (504) 834-4938; therivershacktavern.com — This bar and music spot offers a menu of burgers, sandwiches and changing lunch specials. Curbside pickup and delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 7333803; theospizza.com — There is a wide variety of specialty pies and toppings to build your own pizza. The menu also includes salads and sandwiches.

Curbside pickup and delivery available.

Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $

LAKEVIEW

The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 2842898; thebluecrabnola.com — The menu includes sandwiches, fried seafood platters, boiled seafood and more.

Basin barbecue shrimp and grits features eight jumbo shrimp over creamy cheese grits and a cheese biscuit.

Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Lakeview Brew Coffee Cafe — 5606 Canal Blvd., (504) 483-7001; lakeviewbrew.com — This casual cafe offers coffee, pastries, desserts, sandwiches and salads. Tuna salad or chicken salad avocado melts are topped with Monterey Jack and Parmesan. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. Breakfast and lunch daily. $

METAIRIE

Andrea’s Restaurant — 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant.com — Chef Andrea Apuzzo’s speckled trout royale is topped with crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce.

Capelli D’Andrea combines housemade angel hair pasta and smoked salmon in cream sauce. Curbside pickup and delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sun. $$$ Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 8352022; gumbostop.com — The Seafood Platter comes with fried catfish, shrimp, oysters and crab balls and is accompanied by fries and choice of side. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery — 3519 Severn Ave., Metairie, (504) 888-2010; koshercajun.com — This New York-style deli specializes in sandwiches, including corned beef and pastrami that come from the Bronx.

Takeout available. Lunch Sun.-Thu., dinner Mon.-Thu. $ Mark Twain’s Pizza Landing — 2035 Metairie Road, Metairie, (504) 832-8032; marktwainpizza.com — Mark Twain’s serves salads, po-boys and pies like the Italian pizza with salami, tomato, artichoke, sausage and basil. Takeout and curbside pickup are available. Lunch Tue.-Sat., dinner Tue.-Sun. $

Martin Wine Cellar — 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, (504) 896-7350; martinwine. com — See Uptown section for restaurant description. No reservations.

Lunch daily. $$ Nephew’s Ristorante — 4445 W. Metairie Ave., Metairie, (504) 533-9998; nephewsristorante.com — Chef Frank Catalanotto is the namesake “nephew” who ran the kitchen at his late uncle Tony Angello’s restaurant. The CreoleItalian menu features dishes like veal, eggplant or chicken parmigiana, and Mama’s Eggplant with red gravy and Romano cheese. Reservations required.

Dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $ Short Stop Po-Boys — 119 Transcontinental Drive, Metairie, (504) 885-4572; shortstoppoboysno.com — The menu includes more than 30 po-boys along with other Louisiana staples. Fried Louisiana oysters and Gulf shrimp are served on a Leidenheimer loaf with lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $

WINE OF THE

WEEK

MID-CITY/TREME

Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream.com — This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, fig cookies and other treats.

Window and curbside pickup. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar — 231 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite C, (504) 609-3871; brownbutterrestaurant.com — Sample items include smoked brisket served with smoked apple barbecue sauce, smoked heirloom beans and vinegar slaw. A Brunch burger features a brisket and short rib patty topped with bacon, brie, a fried egg, onion jam and arugula on a brioche bun. Dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; juansflyingburrito.com — See Uptown section for restaurant description. Outdoor dining available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — Favorites include the Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles pressed on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic and scallions. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Mid City Pizza — 4400 Banks St., (504) 483-8609; midcitypizza.com — The neighborhood pizza joint serves New York-style pies, plus calzones, sandwiches and salads. Signature shrimp remoulade pizza includes spinach, red onion, garlic, basil and green onion on an garlic-olive oil brushed curst.

Dine-in, takeout and delivery available.

Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Thu.-Mon. $$ Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes New Orleans favorites such as red beans with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as grilled or fried seafood plates, po-boys, raw or char-grilled PAGE 40

Avissi Prosecco DOC

Avissi Prosecco is clean and bright, a crisp sparkler with soft, elegant bubbles that flutter in the glass, giving a lovely effervescence to each sip. A beautiful balance of heady floral notes and luscious fruit makes it imminently approachable.

That’s why we love it with take-out after work or all dressed up on a Saturday night. Or, somewhere in between on Sunday.

(Hello, brunch.)

DISTRIBUTED BY

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C O M P L E T E L I S T I N G S A T W W W. B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M

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O U T T O E AT PAGE 39

For Voting us Best Neighborhood Grocery Store In New orleans, Jefferson & Northshore

Again this Year!

oysters, pasta, salads and more.

Dine-in and takeout available.

Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Nonna Mia — 3125 Esplanade Ave., (504) 948-1717; nonnamianola.com — A Divine Portobello appetizer features chicken breast, spinach in red pepper sauce and crostini. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza and more. Curbside pickup and delivery are available. Dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; theospizza.com — See Harahan/ Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

NORTHSHORE

P H O T O B Y C H R I S G R A N G E R / T H E T I M E S P I C AY U N E

Patrons dine outdoors at Juan’s Flying Burrito in the CBD (515 Baronne St., 504-529-5825; juansflyingburrito.com).

The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; thebluecrabnola.com — See Lakeview section for restaurant description. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Sun. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

UPTOWN

CR Coffee Shop — 3618 Magazine St., (504) 354-9422; crcoffeenola.com — The selection includes Coast Roast coffees made with beans roasted in antique roasters, and the sweet vanilla cream cold brew is a signature item.

There also are pastries and snacks.

Indoor and outdoor seating, online ordering and delivery available. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. $ Joey K’s — 3001 Magazine St., (504) 891-0997; joeyksrestaurant.com — The menu includes fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and red beans and rice. Sauteed trout Tchoupitoulas is topped with shrimp and crabmeat and served with vegetables and potatoes.

Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 5538 Magazine St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito. com — The Flying Burrito includes grilled steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar-jack cheese, black beans, yellow rice, salsa la fonda, guacamole and sour cream. The menu also has tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations.

Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Martin Wine Cellar — 3827 Baronne St., (504) 894-7444; martinwine.com — The deli at the wine and spirit shop serves sandwiches, salads and more.

The Sena salad includes pulled roasted chicken, golden raisins, blue cheese, pecans and field greens tossed with Tobasco pepperjelly vinaigrette. No reservations. Lunch daily. $$ Red Gravy — 4206 Magazine St., (504) 561-8844; redgravycafe.com — Thin cannoli pancakes are filled with cannoli cream and topped with chocolate. The menu includes brunch items, pasta dishes, sandwiches, baked goods and more. Takeout available. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; theospizza. com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $ Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 5015

Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscevichepisco.com — The Peruvian menu includes a version of the traditional dish lomo saltado, featuring beef tenderloin tips sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and pisco, and served with fried potatoes and rice. Dine-in, outdoor seating and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — The menu highlights Gulf seafood in Creole, Cajun and Southern dishes. Fried oysters and skewered bacon are served with meuniere sauce and toasted French bread.

Reservations required. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$$ NOLA Caye — 898 Baronne St., (504) 302-1302; nolacaye.com — The menu features Caribbean-inspired dishes and Gulf seafood. Seared ahi tuna is served with mango, avocado, mixed greens, citrus vinaigrette and sesame seeds. Takeout, delivery and outdoor seating available. D daily, brunch Sat.-Sun. $$$

WEST BANK Asia — Boomtown Casino & Hotel, 4132 Peters Road, Harvey, (504) 364- 8812; boomtownneworleans.com — Restaurateur Tri La’s menu serves Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. The Lau Hot Pot for two comes with choice of scallops, snow crab or shrimp.

Reservations accepted. Dinner Fri.-Sun. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves shrimp Mosca, chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca, made with breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. Curbside pickup available.

Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Specialty Italian Bistro — 2330 Belle Chasse Hwy., Gretna, (504) 391-1090; specialtyitalianbistro.com — The menu combines Old World Italian favorites and pizza. Paneed chicken piccata is topped with lemon-caper piccata sauce served with angel hair pasta, salad and garlic cheese bread. Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

41 NEW ORLEANS - METAIRIE

Scary tales

REAL EXPERIENCE

by Will Coviello

MATTERS.

FOR ITS ORIGINAL HALLOWEEN SHOW,

“Tell It to Me Sweet: A Winding Trail of Tales,” the NOLA Project turned to company member Brittany N. Williams, an actor, writer and fan of folk and fairy tales.

“I’m a huge nerd about fairy tales and fantasy and sci-fi and all those things,” Williams says.

She drew upon stories from lesser-known Grimm’s Fairy Tales to African-American folk tales to create five of her own short dramas.

“It just so happens that most fairy tales and folk tales are spooky and perfect for Halloween,” says Williams, whose story “Rentre” was featured in Gambit’s Halloween issue last year.

Her tales of menacing stepmothers, ghosts and devils will be spaced out in the expanded area of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans City Park. The show opens Halloween weekend (Oct. 29-31) and has five additional dates scattered through Nov. 14.

“The Oak Tree” is a tale of deceit about a woman who plots to steer her family’s wealth to her daughter.

The plan falls apart when the girl feels guilty about what’s happened to her step-brother. The story draws on the Grimm tale “The Juniper Tree” and an African-American folktale about a couple with so many children that at first no-one notices when a few go missing.

Far from enhancing the spooky aspects of fairy tales, Williams dialed down the horror for the family-friendly show. “The Spinner” is more lighthearted but not without its frights. A mother lies to the queen of the kingdom, bragging that her daughter Rebecca is magnificent at spinning flax into thread.

The girl actually doesn’t know how to do that, and instead is a bookish sort who reads about the nation’s textile outputs. But the queen happens to be in need of a spinner and decrees that Rebecca must supply her with thread — or the entire family will be executed.

There also is a big bad wolf story and a ghost story. A tale about a young devil seeking to claim his first soul reflects many AfricanAmerican folk tales about people

SALVADOR M. BROCATO, III ATTORNEY AT LAW

BROCATO LAW FIRM, PLC PHO T O BY M A RY GR ACE C OPA

who find themselves trapped in a deal with the devil and must find a way to escape it. The stories often involved outsmarting the devil or a slave master.

Though many folk and fairy tales are cautionary tales, they also could be quite harrowing, involving cruelty, murder and even cannibalism.

As a child, Williams often sought out the original versions of stories remade into Disney movies. “‘The Little Mermaid’ can get really dark depending on which version you’re reading,” Williams says. And novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” is far worse, she adds.

Besides being a fan of many Disney stories, Williams worked at Hong Kong Disneyland, where she starred as Nala in a condensed version of “The Lion King” and was the lead vocalist in “High School Musical: LIVE.” In New Orleans, she starred in the NOLA Project’s production of “Harry and the Thief.”

Williams calibrated her stories for performance, knowing that some things would be better not staged.

The NOLA Project, however, has crossed that bridge by staging stories with gruesome details. It presented “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the headless horseman story of Ichabod Crane, in the sculpture garden.

“Tell It to Me Sweet” is the company’s first show since the Covid shutdowns. It also has been planned with Covid in mind. Audiences will be split into small groups, which will then view the five stories separately.

In January, Williams will become NOLA Project’s co-artistic director.

She says she’d like to see the company expand opportunities for local writers in play readings and full productions and keep the company engaged with the city.

For tickets and information, visit thenolaproject.com.

PERSONAL INJURY CIVIL

DWI CRIMINAL

CRIMINAL TRAFFIC

BROCATOLAW.COM

504-832-7225

Fall

BARS & COCKTAILS All advertisers receive a FREE drink feature in this issue and will be included in our Summer Bars and Cocktails Facebook Gallery

Fall DRINK GUIDE

RATES START AT $202 SPACE RESERVATION

1 WINE • Orleans Grapevine Delicious French cuisine and wine by the glass, bottle or flight. Courtyard and sidewalk seating. Thurs –Sun 4-10 pm.

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OCTOBER 29

2 BLUE CRAB COLLINS The Blue Crab Restaurant & Oyster Bar A delightfully light and refreshing cocktail made with Tito’s vodka, fresh blueberries and lemon.

7900 Lakeshore Dr. • NOLA 504-284-2898 • thebluecrabnola.com 3 DARK N STORMY • Lots-A-Luck Lounge

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The Blue Crab Restaurant & Oyster Bar

3

DARK N STORMY Lots-A-Luck Lounge

ISSUE DATE

4 HAND GRENADE • Tropical Isle Enjoy the sweet melon taste of New Orleans most powerful drink - the Hand Grenade.

Available at four Tropical Isle locations on Bourbon St. and Bourbon Street Honky Tonk, or order Hand Grenade Mix for gift giving or making at home.

800-ISLE-MIX • tropicalisle.com

NOVEMBER 9

5 BLUEBERRY LEMON DROP • Katie’s It’s been a rough year. Come join us at Katie’s. We’ll do the cooking while you relax and enjoy a great cocktail!

3701 Iberville St. • NOLA 504-488-6582 • katiesinmidcity.com

3

DARK N STORMY Lots-A-Luck Lounge

6 CAPRI BLU MARTINI • Capri Blu Bar Upscale Piano Bar offers a large selection of Wines by the Glass, including Champagnes, Sparkling, White, Blush, Red & Port Wines.

Happy Hour Mon-Friday 11am-7pm, Small Plates, Live Music Thu-Sat. 3100 19th St. • Metairie • 504-834-8583 andreasrestaurant.com

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HAND GRENADE Tropical Isle

5

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Katie’s

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Contact Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

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MUSIC F O R C O M P L E T E M U S I C L I S T I N G S A N D M O R E E V E N T S TA K I N G P L AC E I N T H E N E W O R L E A N S A R E A , V I S I T C A L E N D A R . G A M B I T W E E K LY. C O M To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com Note: Due to COVID-19, events may have certain restrictions or may be postponed; we recommend checking out a venues social media sites or call before you go for the most up to dateinformation.

TUESDAY 26

BOURREE — Tim Nielsen, 7 pm BROADSIDE NOLA — NolaTet with Brad Walker, 7 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Oscar Rossignoli Extended Trio, 7 pm DOS JEFES — Tom Hook, Wendell Brunious, 8:30 pm SANTOS — Imperial Triumphant, Pyrrhon, Psydonia, 10 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — Jazz with Steve Detroy, 7 pm ZONY MASH BEER PROJECT — Rebirth Brass Band, 7 pm

WEDNESDAY 27

BROADSIDE NOLA — "Nosferatu" screening with NOLA-tet live, 7 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Debbie Davis & Josh Paxton, 7 pm DOS JEFES — Kris Tokarski, 8:30 pm GASA GASA — Mo Lowda & The Humble + Desert Noises, 8 pm PALM COURT JAZZ CAFE — Greg Stafford with Palm Court Jazz Band, 7:30 pm PRESERVATION HALL — Charlie Gabriel & Friends, 1 & 2:15 pm SANTOS — Swamp Moves with The Russell Welch Trio, 8 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — Karaoke with Sunshine Edae, 10 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Funkin' It Up with Big Sam, 7:30 pm THE SANDBAR — Ed Petersen Big Band, 7 pm

THURSDAY 28

BAMBOULAS — J. Anderson Jazz Quartet, 2 pm; Marty Peters & the Party Meters, 5:30 pm; Tree House Band, 9 pm BOURREE — Sam Cammarata, 6 pm BROADSIDE NOLA — "Nosferatu" screening with NOLA-tet live, 7 pm BUFFA'S — Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand, 7 & 9 pm CARNAVAL LOUNGE — Jacky Blaire &

FOOTBALL

the Hot Biscuits/Pastel Panties/Foxy Blues, 8 pm CASA BORREGA — Matt Johnson, 6:30 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Johnny Sansone & John Fohl, 7 pm; Colin Davis & Night People , 9 pm D.B.A. AT PALACE MARKET — Blind Texas Marlin, 9 pm DOS JEFES — Steve Detroy, 8:30 pm LOYOLA UNIVERSITY — "Glitter on the Undersurface", 7:30 pm PALM COURT JAZZ CAFE — Duke Heitger & Tim Laughlin with Crescent City Joymakers, 7:30 pm PAVILION OF THE TWO SISTERS — Ladies of Soul, 6 pm PRESERVATION HALL — Preservation All-Stars feat. Wendell Brunious, 5, 6:15 & 7:30 pm SANTOS — Bloodkin, 9 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — Dark Lounge, 6 pm; Loudness War, Hoover, Bipolaroid, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO — Clarence Johnson III Quartet, 8 & 10 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm THE SPOTTED CAT MUSIC CLUB — Miss Sophie Lee, 6:30 pm THE YARD ON FRENCHMEN — Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 7 pm TIPITINA'S — Fleur de Tease , 7 & 9:30 pm

FRIDAY 29

ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Three Keys presents: Troy Sawyer & the Elementz, 9 pm BAMBOULAS — The Villains , 2 pm; Les Getrex N Creole Cooking, 6:30 pm; City of Trees, 10 pm BOURREE — Jonathan Bauer, 4 pm; Gordon Towell Jazz Duo, 7 pm BUFFA'S — Old Jazzer Cats Guitar Club, Pete Roze, Larry Scala, 7 & 9 pm CARNAVAL LOUNGE — Resurrection: Halloween, 7 pm CASA BORREGA — Los Tremolo Kings, 6:30 pm

LIVE ON OOK FACEBO WED EVERY W M! AT 7PM

Fashion

SATURDAY 30

ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — DJ RQ Away: Happy Feelins Halloween Edition with Teedra Moses, 9 pm BAMBOULAS — G & The Swinging Gypsies, 2 pm; Johnny Mastro Blues, 6:30 pm; Crawdaddy T’s Cajun/Zydeo Review, 10 pm BUFFA'S — Vintage Sex Box with Layla Musselwhite, 7 & 9 pm CARNAVAL LOUNGE — DEBAUCHE!, 9 pm; Tiffany Pollack & Co., 6 pm CASA BORREGA — Leo & Ovi, 6:30 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Gal Holiday & The Honkey Tonk Revue, 9 pm D.B.A. AT PALACE MARKET — Mike Dillon & Punkadelick, 11 pm; Lost Bayou Ramblers, 7 pm

FOLLOW US!

517 METAIRIE RD. OLD METAIRIE | 504-510-4655 | nolaboo.com

DOS JEFES — Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunspots, 9 pm GASA GASA — SAVLO, 8 pm JAZZ @ THE BLUE DOG — DUKES of Dixiel&, 8 pm NOLA BREWING COMPANY — Kevin Scott's Trust Fund Trio, 5 pm PALM COURT JAZZ CAFE — Will Smith with Palm Court Jazz Band, 7:30 pm PIROGUE’S WHISKEY BAYOU — The Tin Men, 8 pm PRESERVATION HALL — Preservation Legacy Band feat. Shannon Powell, 5, 6:15 and 7 pm SANTOS — Bloodkin, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO — Phillip Manuel with Michael Pellera Trio 8 & 10 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones Experience, 7:30 pm TIPITINA'S — Big in the '90s, 9 pm

SUNDAY 31

BAMBOULAS — NOLA Ragweedz, 2 pm; Chance Bushman & Rhythm Stompers, 6:30 pm; Ed Wills Blues 4 Sale, 10 pm BOURREE — Dusky Waters, 2 pm BUFFA'S — Some Like It Hot, 11 am & 1 pm; Orphaned in Storyville, 7 & 9 pm CARNAVAL LOUNGE — The Painted H&s & Cult Wife, 9 pm D.B.A. AT PALACE MARKET — Morning 40 Federation, 10 pm DOS JEFES — Buddah, 8 pm GASA GASA — The Palace of Tears, Death Church & Come to Ruin, 9 pm MONKEY MONKEY COFFEE AND TEA — Valerie Sassyfras, 8 am MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — Brass Brunch, 10 am PALM COURT JAZZ CAFE — Palm Court Jazz Band, 7:30 pm PRESERVATION HALL — Preservation Legacy Band feat. Gregg Stafford, 5, 6:15 and 7 pm ROCK 'N' BOWL — Vince Vance 50th Anniversary Concert, 4:30 pm SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO — Walter “Wolfman” Washington does Halloween, 10 pm THE HOWLIN' WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 9 pm TIPITINA'S — George Porter, Jr. & Runnin' Pardners Will Funk You To Death!, 11 pm

VOTE STEPHEN MOSGROVE DISTRICT C Saturday November 13 ✦ Early Voting Oct. 30-Nov.6 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

DOWNLOAD OUR APP!!

SHOP ONLINE AT NOLABOO.COM OR ON OUR APP!

CHICKIE WAH WAH — Alex McMurrary, 7 pm D.B.A. AT PALACE MARKET — Matt Rhody Wood Floor Trio, 5 pm; Jank Setup, 8 pm; Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers, 11 pm DOS JEFES — Tom Fitzpatrick & Turning Point, 9 pm GASA GASA — North by North, Butte, Diets & Fantasy Non Fiction, 9 pm JAZZ @ THE BLUE DOG — DUKES of Dixiel&, 8 pm MANDEVILLE TRAILHEAD — Harvey Jesus & Fire, 6:30 pm MORNING CALL — Valerie Sassyfras, 8 am NOLA BREWING COMPANY — Eric Johanson, 5 pm PALM COURT JAZZ CAFE — Kevin Louis & Topsy Chapman with Palm Court Jazz Band, 7:30 pm PIROGUE’S WHISKEY BAYOU — The Velvet Harpies, 8 pm PRESERVATION HALL — Preservation AllStars feat. Mark Braud, 5, 6:15 & 7:30 pm SANTOS — Hidden Charms Records-Only Dance party, 9 pm; Raven, 9 pm SIDNEY'S SALOON — North by North, Butte, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO — Herlin Riley Quartet, 8 & 10 pm SOUTHPORT HALL LIVE MUSIC & PARTY HALL — Crowbar, 8 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Burlesque Ballroom feat. Romy Kaye, 7 & 9 pm THE YARD ON FRENCHMEN — JLaveaux, 4 pm; Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 7 pm TIPITINA'S — Galactic, 11 pm ZONY MASH BEER PROJECT — The Desert Nudes, 5 pm

Strengthen Neighborhood Life Decrease Crime Improve City Services Boost Small Business Sustainability

Our district requires a highly capable, hard working, service-focused, inclusive, independent, and strong voice to advocate for what it needs on both sides of the river. Together, District C will progress towards a better community for all.

www.stephenmosgrove.com

43

Haunting season

Whether you’re costuming and trick or treating for Halloween, observing the Day of the Dead or looking for entertainment, there’s plenty to do in the haunting season. There are plenty of horror movie screenings and events. Here are some of the highlights.

Through Nov. 6

New Orleans Nightmare The haunted house under the Huey P. Long bridge is filled with classic Halloween frights, boogeymen and horrifying menaces spawned by an era of hallucinogenic exploration and laughing gas. The attraction is open every day through Halloween, plus Nov. 5-6. Find tickets and information at neworleansnightmare.com.

Through Nov. 12 The Mortuary Haunted Mansion The Mortuary, in a former mortuary on Canal Street, is an asylum being run by the inmates this year, promising a descent into Hell with halls full of frightening creatures inspired by an array of horror niches. Open Oct. 26-31 and Nov. 6 and Nov. 12. Visit themortuary.net for tickets and information.

Oct. 26

Halloweirdos 2 — Halloweirder The Halloween edition of the MAKE UP: Improv and Drag show features Laveau Contraire, Tarah Cards, Gayle King Kong, Virginia Slimjim, Siren, Dolly Pardon? and Anjle. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at AllWays Lounge. Tickets $5-$15 on eventbrite.com.

Oct 27

Day of the Dead at Evenings with Enrique The New Orleans Botanical Garden has a Day of the Dead altar assembled by Hugo

TAKEOUT and DELIVERY

Montero. At Evenings with Enrique on Wednesday, Oct. 27, there’s music by Gauchos del Tango and Manuel Arteaga. The altar will be on display in the Botanical Gardens’ Conservatory through Oct. 31. Visit neworleanscitypark.com/botanical-garden for details.

Oct. 27-28 ‘Nosferatu’ The silent film classic “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” is a 1922 movie version of the Dracula myth, based on Bram Stoker’s novel. The film screens with a live score provided by Nolatet with Aurora Nealand at The Broadside at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 28. Tickets $20 at the broadsidenola.com.

Oct. 28 Fleur de Tease Halloween Revue Trixie Minx debuts a new comic burlesque routine at Fleur de Tease’s annual Halloween show. Special guests include sword-swallowing singer Gigi DeLuxe, Simone del Mar and boylesque aerialist Styxx, who also will premiere a new act. Shows are at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, at Tipitina’s. Tickets $20$40 at tipitinas.com.

Oct. 28 & 30 Horror and sci-fi at Zony Mash Zony Mash Beer Project screens horror double features in its taproom, the former Gem Theatre. The line-up includes “Forbidden Planet” and the

PHOTO BY DOUG MACCASH/ T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

The Krewe of Krampus, which normally holds a frightening holiday parade, has created Swampus for Halloween.

1958 version of “The Blob” on Thursday, Oct. 28. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Shock Treatment” screen on Saturday, Oct. 30, and Rocky Horror costumes are encouraged. Screenings start at 7 p.m. Visit zonymashbeer.com for details.

Oct. 28-31 Endless Night: Samhain Samhain, the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of winter and the darker half of the year, is the theme for the Endless Night vampire weekend. The Vampire Ball is Saturday, Oct. 30, and there’s a bazaar, rituals, parties and more at House of Blues. Find information about the vampire events and tickets

at the New York-based group’s website, endlessnight.com.

Oct. 29-Nov. 14 ‘Tell It to Me Sweet’ The NOLA Project presents a spooky show in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The show features five scenes in which company member Brittany N. Williams put a new spin on folk and fairy tales about witches, wolves, ghosts and devils. (See ‘Scary Tales’ on p. 41). Attendees in small groups follow a path through the garden to see the stories. The show runs Friday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 31, and there are five PAGE 45

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HALLOWEEN EVENTS

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o g o t e r e wh o s ee

o d o t t a wh

who t

W E N L L A The r

a d n e l a c events

make a plan calendar.gambitweekly.com

HALLOWEEN EVENTS

Photo by Shawn Fink / The Times-Picayune

The Krewe de Mayahuel leads a Dia de Muertos procession to St. Roch Cemetery on Nov. 2.

performances in November. Visit nolaproject.com for schedule and tickets.

Oct. 29-31 ‘The Addams Family’ Wednesday Addams has grown up in the musical comedy based on the gently macabre sitcom, “The Addams Family.” Jefferson Performing Arts Society presents the show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, and Saturday, Oct. 30, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at East Jefferson Auditorium at 400 Phlox St. in Metairie. Tickets $20$60 at jpas.org.

Oct. 30 Swampus Returns The Krewe of Krampus makes Christmas frightening in its annual parade in Bywater. For Halloween, it’s creating a drive-through trail of frights in Gentilly. There are contributions by groups including Krampus, Disco Amigos, Rolling Elvi, Lucha Krewe, Sirens of New Orleans and others. Swampus is at NORDC offices on Franklin Avenue from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. Tickets $20-$40 on Eventbrite.

Oct. 30 The Pirate Improv Show Goat in the Road presents a Halloween edition of its family-friendly improv show staring Chris Kaminstein, Grace Blakeman and Lauren Malara. The show is recommended for ages 5 to 12. Costumes are encouraged and Halloween treats will be shared. There are shows at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Parleaux Beer Lab. Visit goatintheroadproductions.org for details.

Oct. 30 ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ The New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) gets in the costuming spirit for a Halloween edition of Dinner & a Movie. Tickets include a five-course dinner and a screening of the cult classic. There’s also a costume

contest. Tickets are $65 per person at nochi.org.

Oct. 30 Trick or Treat at the Rink The shops at The Rink at 2727 Prytania St. hand out treats to visitors. Visit therinknola.com for information.

Oct. 31 Soul Sister’s Haunted B-Movie Marathon Melissa Weber, aka DJ Soul Sister, presents a marathon of 1970s low-budget horror and blaxploitation movies at Three Keys at the Ace Hotel. The lineup includes “Blacula,” “Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde,” “Sugar Hill” and “Disco Godfather.”

Doors open at 2 p.m. Admission is free with RSVP to rsvp.nola@ acehotel.com.

Nov. 2 Dia de Muertos Cemetery procession The Krewe de Mayahuel leads its fourth annual Dia de Muertos procession. Participants dress in Day of the Dead attire, and there are four bands and a giant Day of the Dead puppet and altar. The procession gathers at 5:30 p.m. at 1405 Marigny St. and ends at St. Roch Cemetery, near a house float designed in honor of the procession by the Krewe of Red Beans.

Visit facebook.com/krewedemayahuel for information.

Nov. 5-6 & 12-13 ‘SuspiriAcqua: A Haunted Water Ballet’ Aqua Mob, New Orleans’ water ballet company, presents its version of the cult horror classic “Suspiria,” about a woman who goes to a fabled Berlin dance school and finds herself blamed for supernatural events. In the aquatic version, Suzie wants to study dance at the Academy of Drift Haus, and encounters strange happenings. The show incorporates water ballet, flag twirling, music and more. At 8 p.m. at The Drifter Hotel on Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 5-13. Tickets $15 on Eventbrite.

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2021

GUIDE TO GIVING A SPECIAL PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MAKING NEW ORLEANS A BETTER PLACE

tell your organization’s story solicit end of the year donations attract new members and volunteers promote special events

A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T PAGE 5

Quintron and Miss Pussycat QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT RETURN TO THE ONE EYED JACKS

space where they’ve held a Halloween show for years. Also performing are Sick Thoughts, Sailor Hank, Shewould and more.

Doors open at 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31. Visit facebook.com/ oejnola for details.

‘Alton Brown Live: Beyond the Eats’

IN “BEYOND THE EATS,” THE FOOD NETWORK STAR AND CHEF leads a

culinary variety show, with trivia, demonstrations, music, guest assistants from the audience and more. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Saenger Theatre. Tickets $39 and up at ticketmaster.com.

Women in Black Masking Traditions

HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXHIBITION “MYSTERY IN MOTION: AFRICAN AMERICAN MASKING AND SPIRITUALITY IN MARDI GRAS,” the

Louisiana State Museum hosts a panel discussion on the contributions and leadership of women in Black masking traditions.

Panelists include Carol “Baby Doll Kit” Harris, the founder of the N’awlins D’awlins Baby Dolls, artist and educator Cherice HarrisonNelson and Janet “Nana Sula” Evans, the founding priestess of the Temple of Light – Ile de CoinCoin at the Musicians’ Village.

Author Kim Vaz-Deville, who co-curated the exhibition, will moderate the panel. “Women in Black Masking Traditions” takes place on Zoom at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28. The event is free, but registration is required at louisianastatemuseum.org/events.

Prospect.5

NEW ORLEANS’ INTERNATIONAL ART TRIENNIAL CONTINUES ITS STAGGERED OPENING with new shows on

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To advertise call Sandy Stein at 504.483.3150 or email sstein@gambitweekly.com

Saturday, Oct. 30. Brooklyn-based artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s text-heavy and documentary work is at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University and the New Orleans African American Museum in Treme.

Also at the museum is work by multimedia artists Paul Stephen Benjamin and South Africa-based Dineo Seshee Bopape. The expo includes work by more than 50 artists at more than a dozen venues and installation sites. Visit prospect5.org for details.

Louisiana Book Festival

THE LOUISIANA BOOK FESTIVAL IS HELD IN BATON ROUGE, but this

year’s event is virtual. There are sessions on fiction, nonfiction,

memoirs, poetry, journalism, sports, foodways, music, children’s books, mysteries and more from Saturday, Oct. 30, through Nov. 14.

New Orleans writer Fatima Shaik, who is receiving the Louisiana Writer Award, speaks on Saturday, Oct. 30, and is interviewed on Sunday, Oct. 31. Times-Picayune columnist James Gill and Howard Hunter discuss the removal of Confederate monuments on Sunday, Oct. 31. Visit louisianabookfestival.org for details.

Bon Bon Vivant Halloween Party

BON BON VIVANT MEMBERS DON COSTUMES AND WELCOME SPECIAL GUESTS for this show at The

Broadside. Attendees are encouraged to costume as well. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29. Tickets $20 at broadsidenola.com.

Patrice Fisher and Arpa

HARPIST PATRICE FISHER AND HER LATIN JAZZ GROUP, ARPA, are the

featured performers for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Arpa also includes pianist Fran Comisky and percussionist Carlos Valladares. The group will be joined by Alejandro Junco Romero, a Cuban-born violinist, and bassist Juan Soto Brown, who was born in Chile and now resides in New Orleans. The celebration starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28.

Tickets are $4-$8, free for members, and must be purchased in advance at ogdenmuseum.org.

Debauche

DEBAUCHE, THE SELF-DESCRIBED RUSSIAN MAFIA BAND, is a raucous

mix of guitar, strings, accordion and horns. It shakes down Carrollton Station at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, and Carnaval Lounge at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.

Papa Plays the Nite Tripper PIANIST JOHN “PAPA” GROS RESURRECTS HIS TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN for a

Halloween weekend show at the Howlin’ Wolf. “Papa Plays the Nite Tripper” is at 10:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 29. Tickets are $25 at thehowlinwolf.com.

Widespread Panic

WIDESPREAD PANIC BUILT ITS REPUTATION WITH A JAM BAND APPROACH

and has been grooving on psychedelic Southern rock for three and a half decades. The band pulls into UNO Lakefront Arena for a three-night stand. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 31. Tickets $68 on ticketmaster.com.

PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE NATIONAL DATA

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