What do dive bars, churches, and elementary schools have in common? There’s no punch line here, but a payoff that can be invaluable during the height of Mardi Gras in this town.
A common thread is proximity to parade routes, and the connection is the way they shift roles to serve revelers whole the good times are rolling
One of the wonders of Carnival time in New Orleans is its ability to transform. Your normal neighbors can become temporary monarchs, if only of a krewe of their own. The streets of our daily commutes become stages for fantasy, imagination and generous masked strangers.
And so the humble, everyday watering hole suddenly offers box seats at the greatest free party on Earth.
The dives, the joints and the corner bars, can suddenly, if briefly, become hot spots. Every walk of New Orleans life jams in for as long as the parades roll.
If they are homes-away-from-home for their regulars, at Carnival they become the home base for revelers by the route. They can feel like godsends, especially if the weather turns against us or we just need a dose of old fashioned hospitality out of the sun.
Now stick with me as we get into the churches and schools.
Look around the Uptown parade route or Mid-City for Endymion Saturday.
Parade time turns schoolyards into food courts, it recasts church kitchens as short-order snack shacks and turns moms and dads and teachers into the staff for open-air beer bars and canteens for the benefit of the church or school.
With Carnival unfolding at their doorsteps, they’re tapping the thronging crowds and ample appetites of the season to become major annual fundraisers. The proceeds pay for everything from computers and school supplies to overseas charitable work.
So when you're out on the route, you need a cold drink, a hot meal or maybe other services, remember that in the spirit of Carnival everyday institutions are still there to serve, maybe just bit more dressed up for the day.
