And the Emmy goes to ... “Treasures of the Tchefuncte”

A film commissioned by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville has been awarded the 2003 Emmy for a Documentary Program by the Suncoast Region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“Treasures of the Tchefuncte” presents the tumultuous tale of the development of trade and maritime industry along the Tchefuncte River. It features noted regional historians revealing the story of a south Louisiana community that overcame war and famine to develop a shipyard that eventually produced troop ships for World War I.

Museum creative director David Carambat notes, “We are proud our story merits these great honors, and we are equally proud that we commissioned a production that was written and produced about Louisiana history entirely with Louisiana talent. When we first previewed the show that Digital Bayou’s Dave Webber and Duane Prefume developed for us, it got rave reviews. It’s nice to have public sentiment confirmed by the national industry.”

The film is played daily in the museum’s Steamboat Theater. Says museum executive director Nixon Adams, “How many tourist attractions in our area can offer visitors an Emmy Award-winning feature shown in a near-life-sized replica of a 19th century paddlewheel steamboat? We have been recruiting corporations interested in sponsoring this great exhibit; winning an Emmy is surely a nice way to get on their radar screen. We have a wealth of stories left to tell, and we are actively seeking funding so that we can tell them all. Who knows how great the future can be? Next time out, we may try for an Academy Award!”

Mystic Krewe of Olympia

During the Mystic Krewe of Olympia parade on Valentine’s Day, King Zeus XXXIV and his royal subjects will present a regionally based Battle of the Bands to the city of Covington. Twelve high school bands from eight parishes throughout south Louisiana will participate, including seven from northshore area high schools: Amite, Covington, Fontainebleau, Franklinton Mandeville, Pearl River and St. Paul’s.

The competition will take place at the reviewing stands located at the intersection of Boston and Theard streets. An elite panel of four judges will include two representatives from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade band selection committee and two distinguished local notables. Lesslee Fitzmorris, president of American All Star, Inc., choreographs the Saints dance team, the Saintsations, and also Super Bowl performances by All Star dancers; Brian Taylor is the assistant director of bands for the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and director of the Pride of Acadiana marching band.

Thomas Dutel, Olympia’s Battle of the Bands director, explains that the objectives of the competition are to promote high school band programs, offer them an opportunity to perform before a nationally recognized organization, and enhance economic development for the city and St. Tammany Parish.

Dutel is excited about Olympia’s role in promoting Louisiana high schools and their music programs within the context of Mardi Gras. “It is our hope to make Covington ‘Home of the Mardi Gras Marching Band Competition,’” says Dutel. “The bands get to network with schools from different regions of the state, as well as perform in front of Macy’s representatives.”

King Zeus XXXIV will grant first, second and third place awards; the winner will be invited back next year to defend the title. More than 1,200 band members, family and friends will descend upon Covington for the event. The Krewe of Olympia plans to expand the competition each year with bands chosen from states throughout the Gulf South.

The parade will roll at 6 p.m. on February 14, following its customary route in downtown Covington. For additional information, contact Thomas Dutel at 867-8956.

Mona Lisa and Moon Pie

2004 marks the 20th anniversary of Slidell’s Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie and the Rebirth Brass Band. To honor the band members for their musical accomplishments throughout the years and for their devotion to the Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie, each of the nine members of the Rebirth Brass Band will be crowned king.

Founded in 1984 by the Slidell Arts Council as the Slidell Walking Parade, the krewe is scheduled to parade on Valentine’s Day at 7 p.m. and plans to throw more than 50,000 of its signature moon pies.

To commemorate the anniversaries, this year’s t-shirt will be a special edition and is destined to become a collector’s item. For more information, check out www.KreweOfMonaLisaMoonPie.com.

Second Lining
in the Highlands

If you’ve been thinking about a European trip, consider an Easter excursion with a New Orleans jazz band. The Big Easy Jazz Ambassadors have performed in London, Venice, Rome, Paris and at Scotland’s inaugural Edinburgh Easter Festival in 2003. The ensemble will return to the festival this year April 5 - 13. During the April trip, the group will also perform in the world-famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The band consists of amateur and professional musicians whose average age is 65; the oldest member is 84. Guy Wood of New Orleans organized the jazz ensemble in 1999 for their first performance, which was in the Netherlands. A big hit with the Dutch, the band returned the following two years.

Says Wood, “Although the basic group is from New Orleans, we’ve had people from throughout Louisiana, as well as from Florida, Alabama, Texas, Pennsylvania, Missouri and South Dakota travel with us. We simply meet at the second-leg gateway airport and fly oversees as a group.” Travelers who are not performing join in the fun by second lining behind the band.

The April itinerary includes three nights in Copenhagen, a day trip to Malmo, Sweden and four nights in Edinburgh, with day trips to the Trossachs, Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond. In June, the group will return to Italy, traveling south from Rome and into Sicily.

For more information on the Big Easy Jazz Ambassadors and these exciting trips, contact Guy Wood at (504) 835-8310, or e-mail gwood68@aol.com.

Visit the festival website at www.edinburghparade.co.uk.

Long Live the Republic

On the heels of the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, Southeastern Louisiana University has completed a project that was on the drawing board for more than a decade. In 1993, the state legislature renamed Interstate 12 through the Florida Parishes as the “Republic of West Florida Parkway,” but it was only through the efforts of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies that the project was finished.

Samuel Hyde, Jr., director of the center, explains that the purpose of the “Republic of West Florida Parkway” designation “is to highlight the unique identity of the Florida Parishes and to educate the public about the region’s curious connection to the Louisiana Purchase and the rest of Louisiana.”

Not included in the original Louisiana Purchase, the region remained under Spanish control until a bloody revolt in September 1810. “Known as the original Lone Star Republic because its flag included a single white star on a field of blue, the fledgling nation endured for 74 days before being forcibly annexed by the United States,” says Hyde.

This past fall, signs proclaiming the new name and bearing an image of the republic’s flag went up along the interstate in four parishes.

Still Missing

As you drive along Interstate 12 and Hwy. 190 headed east, you may have noticed a billboard announcing that Paul LeBlanc is still missing. The Covington resident left his home on February 2, 2003 to go for a bike ride and never returned. Due to the effects of Parkinson’s disease, LeBlanc could be suffering from hallucinations and muscle rigidity.

Despite attempts by local law enforcement agencies to find LeBlanc, there has been no breakthroughs in solving his disappearance. LeBlanc’s daughter, Susan, is determined not to give up the search and is continuing to ask the community for help. If you have seen anyone resembling LeBlanc or if you have any helpful information, please call Inside Northside.

Copyright 2004, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.