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For generations, Mardi Gras Indians (such as the Golden Eagles' Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, shown) have gathered at A.L. Davis Park, formerly Shakespeare Park.
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Photo by Sylvester Francis
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Hey Blake,
Dr. John does a version of the song 'Marie Laveau' on his latest album. There's a mention of Shakespeare Park in the lyrics. Where was Shakespeare Park?
Mike Jolley
Dear Mike,
You must be referring to the CD N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat or D'Udda. It's a doozy.
Shakespeare Park was -- and still is -- at the corner of LaSalle Street and Washington Avenue. However, these days it has a new name: A. L. Davis Park. This park has for many years been a traditional gathering place for the fabulous Mardi Gras Indians. Dressed in elaborate, handmade costumes that can cost $60,000 or more, the Indians parade through the streets on Mardi Gras, Super Sunday, St. Joseph's Day, and other special occasions. It is truly a remarkable tradition that often defies description.
Hey Blake,
Can you tell me if it was a tornado that struck during the Krewe of Carrollton parade on South Jefferson Davis Parkway back in 1970-something? Wasn't a float rider killed or seriously hurt when a float at the top of the Jeff Davis I-10 overpass was blown over onto the guardrail?
It was a cold day, with off-again, on-again downpours. My grandmother and I were standing near the intersection of Tulane Avenue and South Jeff Davis. I turned toward the overpass and saw something descending from the sky that barely stood out against it. It seemed to engulf the overpass as the parade was making its way toward us. The last thing I saw of the parade was some pretty but frightened marching girls scattering.
For a few seconds everything was blinding rain, wind, and a lot of scared people running for cover. When whatever it was finally passed, an astonishing scene was revealed. Where only a minute before there was a parade, now there were huge live oak branches ripped from the trees, rendering both lanes of Jeff Davis impassable for blocks. I looked to the overpass to see the overturned float with a couple of emergency vehicles already on the scene. The party was definitely over. Everyone either went straight home or straight to the nearest bar. I know I would have if I had been 18 instead of about 12.
Robert Jennings
Dear Robert,
Your memory is remarkable as well as your powers of description. The tragic event you remember so clearly occurred on Sunday, Feb. 1, 1970, at 2:30 p.m. A line of thunderstorms swept through the New Orleans area. The United States Weather Bureau had issued a tornado watch, but there were no confirmed reports of an actual tornado. Winds were gusting as high as 90 knots -- that's more than 70 mph. Because of this unusual weather event, there was widespread damage to buildings, trees, and power lines. And fallen trees closed many streets, not just Jeff Davis.
As you remember, the Krewe of Carrollton parade was on the Jeff Davis Parkway overpass when the wind blew a float onto the railing, toppling it over. Ten people were injured as a result, including three members of the Riverdale High School Band. Also injured when they were trapped under the float were three krewe members and four police officers.
When the float toppled, one of the riders -- Peter S. Latino -- fell 35 feet to the railroad tracks below. He was taken to the hospital. On Monday, he was still in critical condition, and subsequently he died from his injuries.
Hey Blake,
My son was wondering about the history of the building that housed the Jerusalem Temple -- next to the I-10 on St. Charles Avenue -- before it was sold to a church.
Carol
Dear Carol and son,
Today the building belongs to The Way Jesus Christ Christian Church, which purchased it in 1995 from the Shriners. On Nov. 21, 1916, the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine broke ground for the Jerusalem Temple. At that time, the order had one of the largest memberships of any Shrine temple in the United States. The gentlemen had been using the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Carondelet Street, but the members decided to build a splendid place all their own.
CORRECTION: The New Basin canal was dug between 1832 and 1838. The column of April 26 had it as a century later.
