Anyway, today is Lemonade Day and kids all over the city will be setting up stands on sidewalks and in front yards, tempting you with a sweet, cool drink.  The timing is perfect, since it’s already hot in New Orleans.

One stand will be at the corner of Alix and Belleville in Algiers Point.  The kids are donating a portion of their profits to the Confetti Kids park, so if you are out and about, please stop and grab a glass.

Our youth need all of the encouragement they can get while doing something for others and learning how to be entrepreneurs!

Here’s a list of the properties on tour this year:

• 517 2nd Street
• 423 10^th Street (Café Etienne)
• 701 Huey P. Long Ave (Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church)
• 338 Lafayette Street (Neeb’s Hardware)
• 412 Lavoisier Street
• 532 Newton Street
• 620 Newton Street
• 418 Weidman Street
• 927 Weyer Street

Need more information?  Call 504.363.1580.

Start your own Gretna home search here

Well, then pitch in at Beautify the Bayou Day at the Barataria Preserve right here on the West Bank.  It’s the kickoff to National Parks Week and being held in conjunction with clean up efforts across the country at almost 400 different parks.

From 9 am to 1 pm, volunteers will be doing trail maintenance, picking up trash and helping remove invasive plants so that visitors to the Preserve can enjoy the trails without litter and (hopefully) without catching a screaming case of poison ivy.

From the park website:

Volunteers (including groups) of all ages are welcome; children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers should be prepared to get dirty: work clothes (long sleeves and pants are best due to poison ivy), closed-toe shoes or boots, work gloves, insect repellent, sunscreen, and a personal water bottle are recommended. Drinking water and all tools and safety equipment needed for projects will be provided.

Volunteers must call the preserve at 504-689-3690 ext. 10 to register by Friday, April 20.

Additional information on Beautify the Bayou and other scheduled events is available at www.nps.gov/jela or by calling 504.689.3690.

The official name is Paws on Parade and the project is designed to raise awareness of animal needs and welfare in the area.  At the end of the parade (in September) many of the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise funds for LA SPCA.

From the SPCA website:

What is a Mardi Gras Bead Dog®?

A tradition among generations of New Orleanians, children create Bead Dogs from discarded Mardi Gras throws. A few twists and turns transform a necklace of beads into a fun trinket to enjoy. Haydel’s Bakery adopted the Mardi Gras Bead Dog® as their mascot and has graciously donated the sculpture’s mold to promote the LA/SPCA’s mission.

With almost 50 sculptures out and about, there are even 2 of them on the West Bank.  One is greeting visitors at the Algiers Ferry Landing and the other is standing guard outside the SPCA building on L.B. Landry in Algiers.

SPCA Bead Dog

"Our Louisiana" Bead Dog @ Algiers Ferry Landing

I’ve been on the lookout for these colorful creations ever since I spotted the first one a couple of weeks ago.  You can always cheat and follow this map if you don’t want to wait to stumble across them, but what’s the fun in that?

The kids usually bring a box or large piece of cardboard for levee sledding while the grown ups are dancing and visiting with folks they might not have seen since last year.  It’s a great kick off to the St. Patrick’s celebration, so don’t forget to wear your green.

Friendship Day starts at 11:00 am this Sunday (March 11th) and continues through the afternoon until 6:00 pm.  Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward an hour on Saturday night or you’ll be late!!

If you are heading to the parades, keep safety in mind.  Don’t put ladders right by the street (they should be as many feet back from the curb as they are tall), keep an eye on the kiddos and don’t drink and drive.  Pace yourself and stay hydrated.  A full day of parades can be exhausting, so don’t forget to bring food and drinks to keep your energy up for waving and yelling and catching some of the really cool throws that the krewes are tossing.

WEATHER NOTE:  Keep an eye on the news, since there is a good chance of rain on Saturday which could change the schedule and result in the cancellation or rescheduling of some parades.

Here’s the schedule of upcoming parades:

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17th

• Divine Protectors of Endangered Pleasures (DIVA) French Quarter 1:30 p.m.
• Knights of Hermes Uptown 6:00 p.m.
• d’Etat- Uptown, 6:00 p.m.
• Krewe of Morpheus Uptown 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18th

• Iris – Uptown, 11:00 a.m.
• Tucks – Uptown, 12:00 p.m.
• Endymion – Mid City, 4:15 p.m.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19th

• Okeanos – Uptown, 11:00 a.m.
• Mid-City – Uptown, 11:45 p.m
• Thoth – Uptown, 12:00 a.m.
• Bacchus- Uptown, 5:15 p.m.

LUNDI GRAS, FEBRUARY 20th

• Proteus- Uptown, 5:15 p.m.
• Orpheus – Uptown, 6:00 p.m.
• Lundi Gras Celebration

MARDI GRAS, FEBRUARY 21st

• Zulu- Uptown, 8:00 a.m.
• Rex – Uptown, 10:00 a.m.
• Elks Orleans – Uptown, 11:30 a.m.
• Crescent City – Uptown, follows Elks

You can find a map of all of the parade routes here.

Have a safe and happy Mardi Gras!!

My first king cake of the year

In the event that you prefer to wait for your first slice, don’t miss the King Cake Kick off party on Sunday, January 29th from 12:00-4:00p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Algiers Point.

There will be hot dogs & chili, baked beans, king cake (of course!), soft drinks, local beers and live music from Benny Grunch and Da Bunch.  Open to the public, it’s a family friendly event perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

Trinity Lutheran is located at the corner of Eliza & Olivier Streets

From the office of John Young, Jefferson Parish President:

Jefferson Parish is preparing for its 22nd Annual Christmas Tree Marsh Restoration Project.

All Jefferson Parish residents, including unincorporated areas, the Town of Jean Lafitte, Gretna, Harahan, Kenner and Westwego, wishing to participate in the program are asked to remove all lights, tinsel, garland, ornaments, tree stands and plastic bags from their Christmas trees and leave them on the curb for collection.   Artificial, flocked or painted trees are not eligible for the program.

Residents are advised to place trees curbside on the evening of Wednesday, January 11, 2012, whereas in years’ past, trees were typically collected on the second scheduled garbage collection day.   Garbage trucks will make one pass through each neighborhood to collect trees within the dates of January 12, 13, and 14, 2012.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Fire Departments of the West Bank Presidents and Chiefs Association will again this year offer the use of their boats and personnel, and the 24th Judicial District Court, State Probation and Parole as well as other parish‐related justice programs are assigning court‐ordered community service workers to participate in supporting coastal restoration.

The New Orleans Fire Department is also supporting the Tree Marsh Restoration Project as will several Jefferson Parish municipal Police Departments.  Fire Department and law enforcement personnel will use boats to transport recyclable Christmas trees, using this as a training exercise for maneuvering shallow‐draft boats in tight quarters to specific GPS coordinates, while court‐ordered community service workers will load trees into boats.  Court‐ordered participants will have their service hours tracked and submitted to the appropriate justice program by employees of the Operations division of the Parish President’s Office.

“The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources eliminated funding for Christmas tree marsh restoration programs throughout the state, but because of the generosity and cooperation of the 24th Judicial District Court, Sheriff Normand, and our Fire Fighters, we are continuing the vital work of saving our coastline,” said Jefferson Parish President John Young.

Trees will be placed into pre‐constructed shoreline fences in Goose Bayou, near the town of Jean Lafitte.  Project Coordinator Jason Smith added that “A monitoring study by Louisiana State University found that these tree fences dramatically reduce the rate of shoreline retreat and, by effectively trapping sediments, result in higher accretion rates in nearby marshes.   Sediments carried over and through the fences by wave action are slowly accreting and building land between the shoreline and the fences.”

Bids will be taken shortly for the planned extension of the bike and walking path in Algiers.  With construction expected to begin this spring and be completed before the end of 2012, the path that currently runs from the Gretna ferry landing to the Algiers ferry landing will be extended all the way to the Chalmette ferry landing on the West Bank.

Plans include benches, water fountains, places for people to clean up after their pets and historic markers that share some of the history of Algiers.  There is already a shell path on the top of the levee, but the addition of a 10 foot path and several access ramps along the route will make your walk, run or ride even more enjoyable.  Additionally, the section of the levee that was closed to restrict access to the Naval Base is now open and will be included in the path construction.  Just that one change makes the entire path more appealing since it no longer dead ends into a restricted area, which forced people off of the levee and around the base.

I can’t wait to see the new improvements as they are completed!

Recent article about the bike path at nola.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the city of Gretna is getting in the holiday spirit with the annual lighting of their tree this weekend. Starting at 6 pm on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at the Gretna Visitor’s Center on the corner of Huey P. Long Avenue and 4th Street, there will be refreshments, caroling, visits with Santa and the official lighting of the city’s tree.

Open to the public, it’s a family friendly way to kick off your holiday celebrations!