"It's not too late to join our marching society for traditional New Orleans-style fun," said Jerry Davenport of the Blanc et Noir Marching Society. "We have the Red and Black Brass Band from Grambling making a big, eight-piece sound; we second line the entire route at the head of the Krewe of Highland parade."
The Krewe of Highland extravaganza rolls on Creswell Ave at 2 pm Sun, Feb 3.
Memberships ($30; kids parade free) in B & N pay for the band, led by Daryl Bassbone Williams of Grambling.
Says Ernie Roberson on his vuky14 eBay blog, "The Highland parade route is very easy to find as you exit I-20 on Line Avenue South and turn left on any street from Olive Street to Kings Hwy. The parade rolls north on Creswell ( just 2 blocks east of Line Ave) and over to Centenary Blvd using Herndon and Olive Street. If you come early, you can find the floats in the parking lot of Byrd High School and flowing down Creswell, south of Gladstone.
The well-known childens author and Disney film maker, William Joyce, usually cranks up his Roly Poly Olly float for the parade as the route runs beside his home near Centenary College. The Blanc et Noir Marching Society starts off the parade and you can find out more about this group on Robert Trudeau's blog. You'll find one krewe that throws only Hot Dogs! Check out youtube.com for the Highland Parade." Roberson throws from his Krewe of LSU Truck in numerous local parades, but Highland is home base.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Jerry Davenport, Marion Marks, Lee Spruell, David Anderson, Madeline Kawanaka, and, in the foreground, Ernie Roberson, Shreveport
Some 21 people cut, glued, measured, sewed, stapled, ironed and painted their stuff for over 2 hours at the B & N Costume Workshop 08.
We are indebted to Artspace manager Byron Gipson and assistant Zach for opening for us and sweeping up afterwards. They also laid out cold drinks for the group.
We also would not have been able to work so assiduously were it not for a cornucopia of materials and tools brought to the workshop by Talbot Hopkins Trudeau, who planned well.
We are indebted to Artspace manager Byron Gipson and assistant Zach for opening for us and sweeping up afterwards. They also laid out cold drinks for the group.
We also would not have been able to work so assiduously were it not for a cornucopia of materials and tools brought to the workshop by Talbot Hopkins Trudeau, who planned well.
Tony Reans and almost-complete sash, Shreveport
Tony and Danielle Reans have been members since 07, although they didn't get to march last year. At the workshop Tony decided to make a sash from white felt with gold and red trim. Charter member Stewart Orchard cut the letters for the sash from black felt, freehand, for the project.
At the Twelfth Night Brunch the King Cake brought by Lee Spruell yielded a baby; the person holding her was Monsieur Reans. Accordingly, he brought a deluxe King Cake to the costume workshop.
Merci beaucoup to all you generous people.
At the Twelfth Night Brunch the King Cake brought by Lee Spruell yielded a baby; the person holding her was Monsieur Reans. Accordingly, he brought a deluxe King Cake to the costume workshop.
Merci beaucoup to all you generous people.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Jett Trudeau: youngsters, teens and families welcome in B & N
What could be healthier for youngsters, teens and families than a marching krewe?
a) The route is some 3.5 miles in aerobically-smart length. Really, it's no big whoop. And if you want to drop off at some point, no hard feelings.
b) Costumes crafted by hand. And designed by whim and artistic impulse.
c) Emphasis on learning: history, music, global traditions.
d) March is conducted alongside a honkin' brass jazz band.
318-861-6809
trudeau@earthlink.net
a) The route is some 3.5 miles in aerobically-smart length. Really, it's no big whoop. And if you want to drop off at some point, no hard feelings.
b) Costumes crafted by hand. And designed by whim and artistic impulse.
c) Emphasis on learning: history, music, global traditions.
d) March is conducted alongside a honkin' brass jazz band.
318-861-6809
trudeau@earthlink.net
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Blanc et Noir Twelfth Night lunch 08: Madeline Kawanaka, Tony Reans, Marion Marks
Marion Marks, charter member of B&N, has given enormous energy to Carnival in North Louisiana as well as to the birth of B&N.
His company, MMCC.com, or M&M Communications Concepts, is a digital photography-based new media provider. Doing a lot of work for the legal community as well as creative work for a slew of customers (fight songs for LSU, web sites for krewes, etc), Marion is a gonzo enhancer of anything that's artistic or fun in Louisiana.
He's an adept photographer as well as business owner and community booster.
His check for himself and wife, Ginger, will help take care of the brass band music on Feb 3.
His company, MMCC.com, or M&M Communications Concepts, is a digital photography-based new media provider. Doing a lot of work for the legal community as well as creative work for a slew of customers (fight songs for LSU, web sites for krewes, etc), Marion is a gonzo enhancer of anything that's artistic or fun in Louisiana.
He's an adept photographer as well as business owner and community booster.
His check for himself and wife, Ginger, will help take care of the brass band music on Feb 3.
Blanc et Noir Twelfth Night lunch 08: Lee Spruell, Tarama Davenport, Zama Jones Dexter / Shreveport
Blanc et Noir Twelfth Night lunch 08: Lee Spruell, Tarama Davenport, Zama Jones Dexter / Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Zama is a highly competent painter and active traveler. Talbot says Zama is a "Shreveport native with roots in Dixie, free-thinking and well-traveled. And she's a terrific artist."
Zama's paintings have been shown at Montessori Art Auction and tons of places. She has private commissions from California and Louisiana.
She is also known for her sharp wit and insight into the foibles of life and politics.
Zama has childrean - and grandchildren - in Shreveport, Houston and Richmond, Va.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Blanc et Noir Twelfth Night lunch: red beans & rice, gumbo, King cake and even Roscon de Reyes
Lee Spruell, Tarama Davenport and Zama Jones eating red beans, gumbo and sweet cornbread at Brother's Seafood, downtown Shreveport.
Lee brought both the King cake and the Roscon de Reyes, " a traditional dessert, served the night before or morning of “Reyes” or Epiphany, January 6th. "Dia de Reyes" or simply "Reyes" is the day when children in Spain receive gifts from the "Reyes Magos"–Wise Men or Magi. The 3 kings who brought baby Jesus gifts. Instead of gifts from Santa Claus, they receive them from the "Reyes Magos."
It is traditional to put several surprises inside the "roscon." A porcelain figure of a baby wrapped in foil and a dry bean are hidden in the dough. Whoever finds the baby will have good luck and be the king of the party, but if you find the bean - pay for the cake!
For the record, Tony Reans got the baby in the King cake.
Lee brought both the King cake and the Roscon de Reyes, " a traditional dessert, served the night before or morning of “Reyes” or Epiphany, January 6th. "Dia de Reyes" or simply "Reyes" is the day when children in Spain receive gifts from the "Reyes Magos"–Wise Men or Magi. The 3 kings who brought baby Jesus gifts. Instead of gifts from Santa Claus, they receive them from the "Reyes Magos."
It is traditional to put several surprises inside the "roscon." A porcelain figure of a baby wrapped in foil and a dry bean are hidden in the dough. Whoever finds the baby will have good luck and be the king of the party, but if you find the bean - pay for the cake!
For the record, Tony Reans got the baby in the King cake.
Marion Marks, Jerry Davenport, B & N, Shreveport
Marion Marks brought greetings from a Mobile, Ala, Mardi Gras goods distributor who said that Blanc et Noir style reflected the earliest traditions
of Carnival.
Jerry Davenport told stories of growing up in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, and showed post cards created from his years of parade photography.
of Carnival.
Jerry Davenport told stories of growing up in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, and showed post cards created from his years of parade photography.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Created with a Flickr.com 3rd party template; you may make easily make one for yourself
Having fun with your B & N membership: there are free badge makers on the web - you insert your photo, usually, and the site's software makes the badge for you.
Questions? trudeau@earthlink.net.
Questions? trudeau@earthlink.net.
Annabel's Blanc et Noir freezer paper screen print how-to
Painting a design or lettering on your costume can be guided by use of a stencil. But getting the stencil stabilized can be a problem. When you temporarily stick the stencil to the fabric by this freezer paper ploy, you get a neat product. This is easy and cheap. Get some fabric paint and experiment!
a. Using a piece of freezer paper, cut out the image that you want to see painted upon your t-shirt or other artifact.
b. A fine-point Xacto tool is helpful; you can also use scissors. You are cutting out the part on which you will be brushing the paint.
c. Trim the outside of the freezer paper pattern so it will be less awkward.
d. Placement of your logo may require some exploration. If you have a t-shirt or other garment with which to try the print before hitting the final destination, please experiment.
e. Place the waxy or plasticky side of the freezer paper "down," or against the fabric. The slick side has the temporary adhesive.
f. Iron the freezer paper down at medium heat. The idea is to melt the waxy stuff so the paper will stick to the fabric.
g. Paint over the open parts of the pattern with a small brush using acrylic craft paint. It is a waterbase paint that can be used, it says, on wood, plaster, clay and metal as well as fabric.
h. Allow to dry. Since we were in a hurry, we accelerated the drying process by blowing it with a hair dryer - on the cool setting.
i. Slowly peel up the paper pattern (using the edge of a knife can be helpful). Your paint pattern should have marvelous, crisp edges.
j. Experiment with all the stages above. Multiple layers of paint? We're guessing 2 layers is best. We tried 1 layer and it was uneven - it produced a funky opacity that some may like. We tried 3 layers and the paint tried to curl a little bit.
Take a photo of your project and share it, please. Send the jpeg to trudeau@earthlink.net. Merci!
a. Using a piece of freezer paper, cut out the image that you want to see painted upon your t-shirt or other artifact.
b. A fine-point Xacto tool is helpful; you can also use scissors. You are cutting out the part on which you will be brushing the paint.
c. Trim the outside of the freezer paper pattern so it will be less awkward.
d. Placement of your logo may require some exploration. If you have a t-shirt or other garment with which to try the print before hitting the final destination, please experiment.
e. Place the waxy or plasticky side of the freezer paper "down," or against the fabric. The slick side has the temporary adhesive.
f. Iron the freezer paper down at medium heat. The idea is to melt the waxy stuff so the paper will stick to the fabric.
g. Paint over the open parts of the pattern with a small brush using acrylic craft paint. It is a waterbase paint that can be used, it says, on wood, plaster, clay and metal as well as fabric.
h. Allow to dry. Since we were in a hurry, we accelerated the drying process by blowing it with a hair dryer - on the cool setting.
i. Slowly peel up the paper pattern (using the edge of a knife can be helpful). Your paint pattern should have marvelous, crisp edges.
j. Experiment with all the stages above. Multiple layers of paint? We're guessing 2 layers is best. We tried 1 layer and it was uneven - it produced a funky opacity that some may like. We tried 3 layers and the paint tried to curl a little bit.
Take a photo of your project and share it, please. Send the jpeg to trudeau@earthlink.net. Merci!
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