Pam’s Party Line for Aug. 5, 2012

School to start, marking end of BR summer

Labor Day, which is supposed to be the official end of summer, is still weeks away but here in Baton Rouge summer ends Wednesday when students head back to school. So, please pay extra attention as you head to work that morning — school buses, school zones, teenage drivers and lots of harried parents trying to multitask.

Preservation Awards

Speaking of multitasking, this year’s recipients of the Foundation for Historical Louisiana’s Preservation Awards are pretty good at keeping lots of balls in the air. The honorees were fêted at the annual banquet on July 24 at the City Club.

The honorees include master woodcarver Allen Crochet; Michael Doiron, the first-ever award for Neighborhood Preservation; New Orleans preservation advocate and community volunteer Louise Martin; the city of Shreveport, under the leadership of Mayor Cedric Glover and community volunteer Jean Sayres; Dyke Nelson and David Weinstein, Bricks & Mortar Award; and the East Feliciana Courthouse restoration. Old Governor’s Mansion docent Cleona Parisi was recognized with the Volunteer of the Year Award. They each received a caricature done by David Norwood.

FHL Board President Doug Cochran served as emcee and had a quote for each of the recipients. The one for Martin, who was unable to attend, described her as a woman who, when her feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, “Oh, crap, she’s awake!” Maybe not the devil, but probably the bankers and others she enlists for the many preservation projects she’s been involved in since 1980. Without any public funding, the Felicity Street Redevelopment Project has directly invested $4 million in the Central City of NOLA. Some 50 residences, 20 commercial units and five gardens have been reclaimed, generating another $4,137,000 in acquisition and rehabilitation investment by the new owners.

Crochet presented the foundation with a carving of the Old Governor’s Mansion, which was promptly bought by John Wilbert and “donated” back to the foundation to hang in the mansion. And, just as the awards were wrapping up, Mayor Kip Holden dropped in to offer his congratulations and offer up a new slogan describing the honorees. A play on the slogan adorning most police cars — “To protect & preserve.”

‘Boo on the Bayou!’

Since we’re already gearing up for Mardi Gras, I guess it’s not too early to start thinking about Halloween, in particular the 10/31 Consortium’s Halloween Parade. This group of lovers of all things black and orange held its annual social at the Woman’s Club on July 28 to announce this year’s king, queen and grand marshal.

Jay McGee and Denise Clause will reign over the parade, “Boo on the Bayou! A Red Stick Apocalypse!,” which rolls through downtown at 2 p.m. Oct. 27, and grand marshal will be — hang on to your masks — former Gov. Edwin Edwards. Needless to say, that announcement sent a twitter (literally) through the party and generated just the excitement founder Kelley Criscoe and her fellow board members were looking for. Once the “formal” part of the evening was over, everyone was back on the dance floor jiving to the sounds of Ned Fasullo & the Fabulous Big Band Orchestra.

Red Stick Social

OK, all you gala-planners and nonprofit worker bees, I need your help. I’m starting a new project that will hopefully make life a little easier for all of us. It’s called Red Stick Social, and it’s a comprehensive calendar of all the upcoming galas, dinners, teas, luncheons, coffees, breakfasts, etc., that make Baton Rouge the social butterfly of capital cities.

To make it comprehensive is where I most need your help. As soon as you and your committee have nailed down the date for your event, please email me at [e-mail]. I already have dates for several events, so if you’d like to check with me first, just shoot me an email or give me a call — [phone], until we get this up and running online, which should only take a week or so.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Items for “Pam’s Party Line” must be received by 9 a.m. the Monday preceding the run date. Digital photos should be emailed to [e-mail]; hard copy photos should be dropped off at or mailed to The Advocate, 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd. Events will run no later than four weeks after they have taken place. The date, place of the event and a contact name and phone number must be included. Photos may not include more than nine people and will be used on a space-available basis. Hard copy photos can be picked up in the lobby of The Advocate for up to three months after they run. By submitting photos to The Advocate, you agree that they can be published in any of The Advocate’s print or digital publications.