Happy Friday with Boudin, Beer, Mirlitons, Swamp Fun and Gleason Gras!

TGIF!!!

Hooray for wine!

It's the weekly wine tasting over at Cork & Bottle (Orleans at Moss St.) - from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  Come out and sample some fantastic wines and the tasting wines are always 10% off!

And you can double your wine tasting fun in Mid-City! Check out Swirl located on Ponce de Leon right off Esplanade and enjoy a FREE wine tasting at 6:00 pm. 

Hooray for Boudin and Beer!!

Boudin and Beer is tonight!! Celebrate boudin, beer, bourbon, and boots as New Orleans plays host to Emeril Lagasse's 2nd Annual Boudin and Beer, a food and music festival celebrating all-things Louisiana at The Foundry (333 St. Joseph) from 7:00 to 11:00 pm. The charity bash, presented by Abita Beer and sponsored by Buffalo Trace, is hosted by Emeril Lagasse and honorary co-chairs Mario Batali and New Orleans' own Donald Link. Fifty of the country's hottest chefs from San Francisco to New York, with several of New Orleans' top chefs represented, will be cooking up their take on boudin, with plenty of craft brews from Abita Beer. Dancing to the music of Drake White, Feufollet and Red Stick Ramblers. The event benefits the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. Tickets are $85 - for more info click - www.boudinandbeer.com

Enjoy a Night at the Museum!  Check out The Where Y'Art? party this evening over at the New Orleans Museum of Art beginning at 5:00 pm and celebrate the weekend!  The event is FREE with museum admissions. $10 Adults, $8 seniors, students, active military, $6 children ages 17 to 7, children 6 and under are free.

• 5pm to 8pm: Art Making Activity
• 6pm to 8pm: Music by Kristin Diable
• 6pm to 8pm: Visiting Artist in Museum Shop: Denise Mehurin (more info coming soon) 6pm: Talk and Book Signing with author/historian, Hugh Howard: Mr. and Mrs. Madison’s WAR
• 6:30pm: Gallery Talk: Ida Kohlmeyer: 100th Anniversary Highlights with curator, Anne C. B. Roberts 
• 7:30pm: Lecture with curator, Rachel Stevens: The Bayou School: 19th Century Louisiana Landscapes

Fun All Weekend Long Fun!

It's time to celebrate the mirliton!! It's the 2012 Mirliton Festival Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM at the Brick Yard on Chartres St. at Montegut St. in Bywater. There will be delicious mirliton delicacies and a fantastic musical line-up!! Check out the fun below.

Special events between sets include Fringe Festival performers, the NOLA Cherry Bombs, and the 504 Dancing Man.
11:00-11:45 Archdiocese Gospel Choir
12:00-12:45 Daria and the Hip Drops
1:00-1:45 Luke Winslow King
2:00-2:45 Hot 8 Brass Band
3:00-3:45 Charmaine Neville
4:00-4:45 Kristin Diable
5:00-7:00 Kermit Ruffins

It's time to party in the swamp for the Louisiana Swamp Festival as the Audubon Zoo celebrates Louisiana Cajun culture and heritage through education and entertainment all weekend long. This family-oriented festival gives visitors insight into the Cajun way of life through cultural demonstrations, music, food and crafts. The weekend salute to Louisiana's Bayou country at the Zoo features hands-on encounters with live Louisiana swamp animals and special animal feedings.  Plus an incredible musical line-up!

Saturday

Capital One Stage
10:25am - 11:45am Lafayette Rhythm Devils
12:05pm - 1:25pm Swamp Fiddler Tribute feat. Sarah Jayde Williams
1:25pm - 1:45pm Zydeco Dance Lessons
1:45pm - 3:05pm Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
3:25pm - 4:45pm Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers

Louisiana Swamp Exhibit
11:30am - 12:00pm Cajun Dance Lessons
12:00pm - 1:15pm Lafourche Cajun Band
1:30pm - 2:15pm Cajun Music Petting Zoo
2:15pm - 4:00pm Lafourche Cajun Band

Sunday

Capital One Stage
10:25am - 11:45am Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band
11:45am - 12:05pm Zydeco Dance Lessons
12:05pm - 1:25pm Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
1:45pm - 3:05pm BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
3:25pm - 4:45pm Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunpots

Louisiana Swamp Exhibit
11:30am - 12:00pm Cajun Dance Lessons
12:00pm - 1:15pm Tour Les Soirs
1:30pm - 2:15pm Cajun Music Petting Zoo
2:15pm - 4:00pm Tour Les Soirs

*Audubon Zoo is located at 6500 Magazine Street in New Orleans. Event hours are 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. No outside food or beverage allowed during special events and festivals. Zoo admission is required. Free for Audubon Zoo members. Purchase tickets at entrance gates or online.

Join the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation Sunday for the 2nd Annual Gleason Gras from Noon to 8:00 pm at Champions Sqare (right next to the Superdome). The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for ALS and to support the Gleason Family Trust. The Gleason Family Trust is set up to help offset the incremental costs of living with ALS. Contributions go toward Steve Gleason's participation in advanced and experimental technology, equipment and treatments. So come celebrate with great local food, cool music, a silent auction and more! Click here for the entertainment line-up and all the fun! Gleason Gras
*Tickets: General Admission - $20 • Kids 12 & under - Free

Alrighty, well that should keep you busy this evening...If you're looking for more fun stuff to do...check out the WWOZ Livewire -  http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!! 


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Thursday Fun w/Wine, Jazz, Folk and Mirlitons!

Happy Thursday!

Don't miss out on the weekly wine tasting at Cork and Bottle (3700 Orleans) about 5:00 pm in Mid-City. Come sample some delicious vinos and kick off your early weekend right! You can also stop at Clever (right next door - don't even have to walk outside) for their happy hour specials after attending the free wine tasting!

And be sure to stop by the Crescent City Farmer's Market (right outside the door) and patronize local Louisiana vendors with fresh veggies, seafood and more! The Market will be celebrating National Food Day with cooking demos, seed giveaways, treats for the kids, and a free raffle of signed copies of Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse, The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, and Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook by Poppy Tooker.

And there's more wine!! Come to Tastings at the Track and celebrate a Bigger is Better: Robust Reds from Around the World! The reception-style tasting will feature more than 25 bold reds from Amarone to Zinfandel.  Held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the clubhouse at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots (1751 Gentilly Blvd.), the spirited sampling is sponsored by Dorignac's. Wine experts are on hand to answer all of your wine questions, and there will be gourmet cheeses to compliment the wines. Cost to attend is $25 per person. Tickets are sold at Dorignac's or at the door. Don't miss it!

Jazz in the Park Free Concert Series continues this evening in Armstrong Park! PUfAP is proud to present the 2012 second season of Jazz in the Park, inside of the historic Louis Armstrong Park. The events are FREE, begins today and runs from 5:00 to 8:00 pm for seven Thursdays until November 1st featuring a Marketplace that provides an opportunity to purchase fresh food, produce and craft market available to the public from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. Check out the great line-up of music below!

10/25
* Jamal Batiste Band at 5pm
* Big Sam's Funky Nation at 6:00

11/1
* Leroy Jones at 5PM
* Los Hombres Calientes featuring Bill Summers and Irvin Mayfield at 6:15 PM

Need a little art, culture and music? You gotta go to the show at the Ogden Southern Museum of Art (925 Camp St.) - better known as Ogden after Hours. Tonight the Ogden presents Shovels and Rope -Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, Shovels & Rope (Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst) prefer to keep it simple. They have cleverly managed to take three separate recording projects and combine them into one cohesive, folk rock, sloppy tonk, harmonized, loose but tight, streamlined audience killing machine! Tonight the O BAR's celebrates October with is Oktober Fest Beers! *Remember with your Ogden membership all of these excellent concerts are FREE!!

It's almost time for the Mirliton Festival and you can start celebrating tonight at The Mirliton Festival Kickoff Party, presented by the Bywater Neighborhood Association, and sponsored by Old New Orleans Rum. Join in the fun at The Country Club (634 Louisa St.) in the Bywater to help kickoff this year's Festival. The evening will feature the vinyl sounds of DJ BUNNY & DJ LINGERIE. And be sure to check out he Old New Orleans Rum Bywater Bomber, Official Daiquiri of the Mirliton Festival. The Country Club kitchen will be previewing some of the "Mirliton Specials" they'll be offering at the Festival:
-Pear Squash Lemonade
-Xu Xu Slaw with Marinated Shrimp
-Braised Pork & Cho-Cho Stew
*The Mirliton Festival Kickoff Party is open to the public and free to attend!

For more fun stuff to do and more music...check out the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!



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Saturday Fest Celebratin' & Eatin' Some Elephant Gumbo!!

Happy Saturday and GEAUX TIGERS!!!!

I'm pretty sure I know what you're doing tonight - either at your home, a party or a bar, but before you sit down to watch the Tigers cook up some Elephant gumbo there's some fun stuff going on this most beautiful day!

The animals are asking for you at the Audubon Zoo today, so head on down for the big Swamp Festival between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm- there's gonna be delicious food, crafts, cultural demonstrations and of course lots of Cajun and Zydeco music!  They've got Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, Washboard Rodeo, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town just to name a few.  Click on www.auduboninstitute.org for the complete schedule of music and fun!!  Admission is included with Zoo entrance or free with your zoo membership.

Looking for some Caribbean excitement then you should be at Lafayette Square (544 St. Charles) for the Bayou Bacchanal.  It's a celebration of Caribbean culture with music from Pan Vibrations Steel Band, Ovi-G and the Froggies and more! The festival begins with a parade starting up at Harrah's at 11:00 am traveling down St. Peter St. on to Canal and then to St. Charles to kick-off the fun at Noon.  For info on all the festivities click on www.bayoubacchanal.org.  Admission is FREE!

If you're looking to celebrate the world's most delicious gourd - then you've got to go to Markey Park (Piety and Royal Streets) for the Mirliton Festival in the Bywater.  Eat all things mirliton from 11:00 to 7:00 pm and enjoy music from Kermit Ruffiins, Guitar Lightening Lee with Little Freddie King, King James and the Special Men, Tuba Skinny and more!  Admission is $5 - and for more info click on www.bywatermirlitonfestival.com!

If you're looking for some Scandinavian Fun then we've got the celebration for you!  It's the Scandinavian Festival at the Norwegian Seamen's Church (1772 Prytania) from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm today.  There's going to be music from local jazz groups, a Norwegian choir, a Christmas sale with featuring Norwegian cookies, cakes and open faced sandwiches plus children's activities.  For more info call 525-3602!  Admission is FREE!

Keep on celebrating the ladies with the first ever YeMaYa PARADE at 6pm starting from Buffa's (1001 Esplanade Avenue)to The Maison (508 Frenchmen Street)
ROUTE:
http://www.ladyfestneworleans.org/ladyfest-2011/parades/ye_ma_ya_womens_parade_route/

The YeMaYa PARADE will be the first ever all-women, only-women walking parade in New Orleans. We have over 25 women's parading groups ready to hit the streets together in an historic outpouring of music, dance, costumes, creativity and sisterhood. Our groups include: Lady Buckjumpers, Pussyfooters, Camel Toe Steppers, Lady Rollers, Muff-a-lottas, Bearded Oysters, Sirens, NOLA Cherry Bombs and many more. Music provided by Mo' Lasses, The Local Skank and more. Our theme this year is "EVERY WOMEN A QUEEN." Our parade logo is a crown, which symbolizes the inherent dignity and worth of all women.

After the parade the fun continues at the Maison with "MUSIQUE at MAISON"

YeMaYa PARADE BALL

7pm Kelcy Mae
8pm Mo'Lasses
9pm Zena Moses and Rue Fiya

and more ladies fun at the Blue Nile (Upstairs)(532 Frenchmen Street) with "WOMEN In DANCE" from 6-10 pm featuring The Mari Milnar Dance Academy!

Okay, I got to go get my purple and gold on...have a wonderful day and for more musical fun check out the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!



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