Krewe
of Mid-City Parade update
***PRESS RELEASE***
1) Last year’s
blue tarp covered, flooded by Katrina,
Krewe of Mid-City will have to destroy
six of its historic foil covered
floats. Floodwaters caused the wooden
beams beneath 6 of the floats to
crack.
2) Engineers
have certified all other floats
safe. The Krewe will roll at least
14 floats on February 18, 2007 on
the Uptown parade route.
3) As a way
to raise money to repair its damaged
floats, the Krewe of Mid-City is
selling the satirical signs that
adorned last year’s floats.
The signs are for sale on e-Bay:
http://www.kreweofmidcity.com/
Mid-City’s
cutting satire made it the most
photographed and written about parade
in last year’s carnival season,
as throngs of global media made
the Krewe of Mid-City the poster
child for the city’s willingness
to recover and move forward, while
still poking fun at its own woes.
Last year’s theme was “Rode
hard, put up wet.”
“We put
a lot of smiles on a lot of faces
that needed cheering up last year.
That made it all worth while,”
says Gerard Braud, Krewe of Mid-City
membership chairman. Braud calculates
that during the krewe’s 4
hour parade, every rider made eye
contact and exchanged beads with
5,000 individuals.
4) The krewe’s
membership will be higher than last
year, but there are still openings
for riders.
5) The Krewe
of Mid-City would like to begin
building replacement floats, but
doing so hinges on finding a bank
willing to write a second mortgage
on the den (warehouse) where the
krewe stores and decorates its floats.
6) Each new
float would cost $25,000.
7) Currently,
the den is still without electricity
and running water. This means float
designers can only work during the
day.
For interviews,
contact:
Gerard Braud (Jared Bro)
Krewe of Mid-City officer
985-624-9976 home/office
504-908-8188 cell
It's Official....The
Krewe Of Mid City will Parade
this Mardi Gras Season 2007!!!
The Krewe of Mid-City was founded
by Charles A. Bourgeois and the
Mid-City Civic Association in
the early 1930’s. Mr. Bourgeois
created the Krewe’s motto,
“Pour La Joie de Vivre”
(“For the Joy of Living”)
and designed the familiar interlocking
heart emblem -- both are still
in use today. Mr. Bourgeois and
his wife, Gertrude, were the first
monarchs of Mid-City reigning
over the Krewe’s inaugural
parade; comprised of six small,
mule-drawn floats, a few bands
and mounted riders, the parade
was themed “Romance of 1934.”
Several innovative “firsts”
were introduced to the Mardi Gras
tradition by Mid-City and the
Krewe was the first to use animation
in float designs (1947). This
early motion was achieved by volunteer
Boy Scouts who were concealed
inside the floats working several
mechanisms, including pedaling
stationary bikes to turn cables
and gears on external devices.
Artist and painter Roy Kern was
the earliest designer of Mid-City’s
famous colorfully decorated foil
floats and eventually passed on
the tradition to his daughter,
Bettie Rae Kern.
Memorable Bettie Rae Kern theme
designs included “Toyland,”
“Fairies,” and “Magic.”
Her “Candy” theme
(1955) was accentuated by having
the floats spray the smell of
the particular candy (licorice,
peppermint and cotton candy, for
instance) represented by the float
titles. Ms. Kern’s many
years of sparkling fantasy helped
set Mid-City apart very early
on from other parades and helped
to create the special appeal that
endeared Mid-City to generations
of New Orleanians over the years
until her death.
"The
Krewe of Mid City Parade has been
voted " The Best New Orleans
Mardi Gras, Day Parade" for
many years by Gambit Magazine. The
Krewe of Mid City sponsors a Battle
of the Bands each year that draws
bands from all over the country
to compete."
Ricardo Pustanio stepped forward
to begin redesigning and recreating
the innovative work of Ms. Kern
to fit a new era, and his work
and dedication for the 1996 through
1998 parade seasons earned him
the prestigious position of Artist
/ Designer for the Krewe of Mid-City.
Ricardo produced his premiere
theme, “Love is in the Air,”
and introduced many of his signature
designs and recreations of many
of Ms. Kern’s designs that
had been closely guarded secrets
appeared in new mediums and expressions.
Ricardo truly re-invented the
dazzling tradition of the Mid-City
parade, taking it full speed ahead
into the new millennium.
With an eye to the past, Ricardo
set out to thank those who had
preceded him with his 2003 theme,
“Foiled Again,” marking
the Krewe’s 70th Anniversary
year. His personal homage to founder
Charles Bourgeois was a heart-filled
float entitled “Romance
of 1934” and Ricardo acknowledged
the many years of excellence produced
by Bettie Rae Kern with the dazzling
“Oops! I’m Foiled
Again!” Even Royal Artists
got a nod with a float dedicated
to their theme, “Hold Onto
Your Hats!”
