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Mardi Gras 2013
2:55 pm
Tue February 12, 2013

'The Street Parade Of Life:' Mardi Gras Rolls On Despite Rain Threat

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Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
A reveler shows off his mask during the Krewe of Okeanos parade in New Orleans on Feb. 10, 2013.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Monday: Floats pass down Napoleon Ave. during the Krewe of Mid-City parade.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Sunday: A masked reveler in the Krewe of Okeanos parade.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Sunday: Revelers yell for beads and trinkets.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Monday: Members of the Laissez Boys Pleasure Aid & Leisure Club parade during the Krewe of Orpheus parade.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Tuesday: More of the scene at the start of the Society of Saint Anne parade.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Tuesday: Revelers gather before the start of the Society of Saint Anne parade.
Credit Dan Anderson / EPA /Landov
Sunday: A float rolling through during the Krewe of Bacchus parade.
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By editor

There was a threat of rain in New Orleans, today. But revelry doesn't stop for dark clouds.

In fact, as The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports, "this weather actually is perfect" was a refrain repeated over and over:

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Mardi Gras 2013
11:53 am
Tue February 12, 2013

Mardi Gras Merriment Beyond Bourbon Street Festivities

Credit Josh Noel / MCT /Landov
A reveler dances with a young girl during the Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou, La., in 2007.
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It's Fat Tuesday, the final day of indulgence before the fasting and penance of Lent begins. While the revelry in New Orleans tends to grab the spotlight, you can find some fascinating Mardi Gras traditions elsewhere.

From chasing chickens in Cajun Country to catching MoonPies in Mobile, communities all along the Gulf Coast have their own way of marking Carnival season.

The Fatted Ox

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Features
4:23 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

High School Marching Bands Lay Down The Beat Of Mardi Gras

Credit Keith O'Brien for NPR
The McDonogh 35 High School band marches in a parade to usher in the Carnival Season.
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By Keith O'Brien

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 8:18 am

In less than an hour, the McDonogh 35 High School marching band — including the flag girls, the dance team, the majorettes, the color guard and the actual band — needs to be on the parade route five miles away. It's the peak of Carnival season in New Orleans, and high school marching bands form the backbeat of Mardi Gras.

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Features
8:54 pm
Sun February 10, 2013

Marching Bands Battle Before Parades Roll

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Credit Eugenia Uhl
Justing Smothers is one of 17 trumpet players in Warren Easton's marching band.
Credit Eugenia Uhl
Warren Easton's bass drums
Credit Eugenia Uhl
Credit Eugenia Uhl
Credit Eugenia Uhl
McDonogh 35's drum major
Credit Eugenia Uhl
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High school marching bands have two main seasons: football and Carnival. But unlike football season, where bands briefly entertain sports fans during half time shows, Carnival season is a marathon of long songs, marching, and discipline. It’s also a time when the musicians, not the athletes, compete.

Eve Abrams visited two of New Orleans’ rival high school marching bands: MacDonough 35 and Warren Easton.

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The Superdome
1:31 pm
Sun February 3, 2013

The Superdome Through the Years

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Credit Curtis and Davis Office Records / Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries
Frank Lotz Miller's 1970 architectural model of what would become the Superdome.
Credit Curtis and Davis Office Records / Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries
Nathaniel C. Curtis, Jr.'s Superdome sketch, from 1975.
Credit Superdome, New Orleans Image Files / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Inside the construction.
Credit Superdome file, Ephemera Collection / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Concept aerial drawing of the Superdome.
Credit Superdome, New Orleans Image Files / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
The building begins to take shape.
Credit Superdome file, Ephemera Collection / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Superdome promotional drawing.
Credit Superdome, New Orleans Image Files / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Finished.
Credit Superdome, New Orleans Image Files / Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Basic facts on the Superdome.
Credit Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Facts About the Lousiana Superdome, from the Louisiana Superdome Newsletter, Nov. 15, 1973.
Credit Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University
Thousands View Dome Dedication. The Louisiana Superdome Newsletter, Aug. 15, 1975.
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The Superdome began as a public referendum in 1966, and shines today as New Orleans gets ready to celebrate Super Bowl XLVII.

Built atop the bulldozed Back o' Town neighborhood, the Superdome is the site of ecstasy and tragedy, of countless celebrations and memories, historical agonies and post-K clichés. The Dome is a temple to our Saints and our city, and — love it or hate it — you can't ignore it.

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