Mid-City gardeners learn to rise above bad soil

Advocate staff photo by JOHN McCUSKER -- Jeanette Bell's Fleur D’Eden urban garden, started before Hurricane Katrina on a 9,000-square-foot vacant lot on Baronne Street in Central City, offers a wide array of roses, herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Jeanette Bell has a dream for every New Orleanian, and she’s not afraid to get dirty to see it come true. “I want three things for everyone in this city,” she said as she stood on a vacant lot in Mid-City squinting into the sun. “I want everybody to have better quality food to eat in … Continue reading →

La Vie de Ville: Runners enjoy historic Metairie Cemetery

Advocate photo by ROBERTA GROVE -- Runners are off on the 5K race supporting the Save Our Cemeteries organization. More than 600 entrants participated.

The 10th annual 1-mile, 5K run/walk through historic Metairie Cemetery attracted more than 800 entrants this year, but at first the weather didn’t cooperate. Forced to postpone the event to the last Sunday morning of Jazz Fest, organizers were pleased that more than 600 runners still turned out to compete in a variety of different categories … Continue reading →

New Orleans neighborhood news for May 16-22

PORCH DOGS: The Garden District Book Shop presents Nell Dickerson, discussing and signing her book, “Porch Dogs,” from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St., New Orleans. “Porch Dogs” combines fine-art portraits of man’s best friend with beautiful architectural documentation of the Southern porch. The Louisiana Society for … Continue reading →

New Orleans area school news, May 16-22, 2013

The Jane Austen Society of Louisiana invited high school students in southeastern Louisiana to participate in the Jane Austen Literary Round Table, an essay contest that will conclude with a roundtable discussion of the 10 best papers. Students are invited to submit essays until Aug. … Continue reading →

Improv troupe gives sick children a reason to smile

Advocate staff photo by ELIOT KAMENITZ -- From left, Anna Blackmon, Rachel Durston and Lanae LaBlanc act out a scene for the children.

Every month, comedians go to three New Orleans metro area hospitals with one goal: making sick youngsters laugh. It’s a goal that unites philanthropists and performers in the city, the region and beyond under the banner of Funny Bones Improv. Founder Jolene Fehler brought the nonprofit Funny Bones with her from Chicago to New Orleans about … Continue reading →

Success stories retold at hospital’s neonatal unit

Photo provided by Kristen Robinson -- From left, triplets Aria Grace, Avery Claire and Adelynn Leigh Hilburn are held by mother Kristen Hilburn, right, and grandmother Tammy Davis.

Babies and toddlers with colorfully painted faces walked, crawled and stumbled through the Touro Family Birthing Center on Saturday to reunite with the nurses and doctors who helped them in the first few days and months of their lives. All these children had one thing in common: They had been cared for in the neonatal intensive care … Continue reading →

Around Jefferson: Kenner theater presents ‘Gypsy’

The Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts will present the musical “Gypsy” from Friday through May 26 at the theater, 325 Minor St., Kenner. The show is directed by Gary Rucker. The musical director is Kyle Aucoin and the choreographer is Frannie Buchtel. Tickets are $30 to $35 per person with discounts for seniors, students and … Continue reading →

Tips for introducing a new dog to your pack

Photo provided by Animal Rescue of New Orleans -- Cal is an energetic lab mix with a sweet personality. He is crate trained and knows how to sit and shake hands. The adoption fee is $150 includes neuter, shots, a chip and heartworm treatment. Contact adoptfromarno@yahoo.com.

Adding a new dog to the family is a big decision and a lifelong commitment. It is especially important to consider the pets you already have in the home when deciding to bring in a new addition. Once you’ve decided to get another pet, you’ll want to make the introduction with a minimal amount of stress. … Continue reading →

New Orleans neighborhood news, May 9-16, 2013

HIKE THE LAFITTE CORRIDOR: The Friends of the Lafitte Corridor will host its annual three-mile hike at 9:30 a.m. Saturday beginning Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park and finishing at Bud’s Broiler, 500 City Park Ave. Bike Easy will hold a bike safety workshop at 9 a.m. in Congo Square and transport bikes … Continue reading →

New Orleans students to present original plays

Photo provided by Shannon Flaherty -- Practicing their performance are St. Mary's Academy students, from left,  Kayla Hawkins, Simone Haley, Jaden Doucette and Kendrick Anderson.

One-act plays written by New Orleans fifth- and seventh-graders will be presented by five local, professional theater producers at Goat in the Road Productions’ fourth annual Play/Write Showcase at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dillard University’s Cook Theatre, 2601 Gentilly Blvd. Cripple Creek Theatre Co., Dillard Theatre Ensemble, Junebug Productions, NEW … Continue reading →

New Orleans area school news, May 9, 2013

Morris Jeff Community School will hold its third annual Feria de Primavera, a spring fair, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at First Grace United Methodist Church, 3401 Canal St. The school invites the community to join in the fun for a great cause. The event … Continue reading →

Nearly 1,000 donate time to Jazz Fest

Advocate staff photo by John McCusker -- Jazz Fest volunteer Adam Langhoff prepares a handicapped sign for display at the Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 25.

New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival has been drawing music fans from across the globe to the city for fun and funk for more than 40 years, but without the help of a volunteer force numbering nearly 1,000 people, the show could not go on. “We currently have 973 scheduled volunteers,” said Jamala Roux, human resources director … Continue reading →

State’s first female lawyer turns 100, will speak at Tulane

Photo by Rusty Costanza -- Marian Burkett

It’s not every day that a young college graduate makes history just being hired, but for Marian Mayer Berkett, that’s exactly what happened. In 1937, with the country stuck in the depths of the Great Depression, Berkett graduated first in her class from the Tulane School of Law and headed out to search for a job. Continue reading →

History of city and cuisine alive at Metairie Cemetery

Photo provided by Denise Westerfield -- The Race Through History, the longest cemetery run in the country, is Sunday morning in Metairie Cemetery.

What do Ruth Fertel, Al Copeland, Count Arnaud Cazenave, Angelo Brocato, Diamond Jim Moran, and members of the Brennan and Guste families have in common? Besides their connections to New Orleans’ culinary history, they are all buried in historic Metairie Cemetery. And so are other food-related people, such as Denis Rufin of the … Continue reading →

Chefs, Green students go to market, then cook

Photo by Julia Berghammer/FirstLine Schools -- Chef Mason Hereford of Coquette, back left, and Chef Loren Farese, a Culinary Intern at Edible School Yard, back right, demonstrate culinary technique for students. Students, from left, are Kareem Conner, Aleksi Young and Kernia Powe.

Samuel J. Green Charter School held its annual third-grade Market-to-Table event, one of the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans’ many grade-level “edible experiences” offered to students across the FirstLine Schools network of five schools. Staff, students and local chefs formed teams and visited the Crescent City Farmers Market, where the teams … Continue reading →

ISL students earn top language honors

Forty-eight students from the International High School of New Orleans earned top honors recently at Southeastern Louisiana University’s 31st annual Foreign Language Festival, hosted by the Department of Languages and Communication in Hammond. The festival is held each spring and features students from across the state competing in extemporaneous speaking, prose, … Continue reading →

Concert aids Trombone Shorty Academy

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will headline Shorty Fest on Thursday , a fundraiser for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, at Generations Hall, 310 Andrew Higgins Drive. Other performers on tap at Shorty Fest include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cha Wa and Hot 8 Brass Band, as well as a performance by students of the … Continue reading →

Harley ride honors slain St. John deputies

Photo provided by Harleys for Horses -- From left, Steve Neilsen, Jillayne Neilsen, Anita Hartzell Hefler and Wendy Neilsen of Fort Worth, Texas, participate in Harleys for Horses in LaPlace.

Harleys For Horses is an annual fundraising motorcycle run benefitting the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center in LaPlace. This year, the run was dedicated to the memory of St. John the Baptist Parish Deputy Brandon Neilsen who, along with Officer Jeremy Triche, lost his life in the line of … Continue reading →

‘Dancing with the Stars’ for La. students

Photo provided by Faith Peperone -- At Dancing with the Stars, from left, are Leslie Marsh, Jeff  Branson, Kathleen Mix Diamond, Eric Paulsen,  Louisiana Center for Women and Government Director Laura Badeaux, Christian Leblanc, Diane Hollis, Sandy Rosenthal, Russ Herman, Dianne Breaux, Faith Peperone, Jessica Collins and Elizabeth Dent.

Thibodaux was alive with excitement at the “Dancing with the Stars on the Bayou” event April 13 in the Cotillion Ballroom at Nicholls State University. Master of ceremonies was Chrisitan Leblanc of the CBS serial drama “The Young and the Restless.” Celebrity judges were Eric Paulsen … Continue reading →

New Orleans area health news, May 2-9, 2013

Touro dietitians will lead a seminar on dietary supplements on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the hospital’s President’s Room, 1401 Fourcher St., second floor. Topics include whether vitamin and mineral supplements make a difference in your health, whether supplements interact with your prescription … Continue reading →