What Does Your Mardi Gras Costume Look Like?

Join a krewe this Carnival season. Two of the best outfits in SB Land are Blanc et Noir Marching Society and Krewe of Highland.

Fat Tuesday is February 24 in 2009.

Highland Jazz and Blues Festival

November 15 is the date for this year's Highland Jazz and Blues Festival. Like Trudeau recommends bring a blanket or chair.

The one day Saturday fest is packed with live music and local visual artists vending their wares.

Highland Gras!

Krewe of Highland rolls this Sunday. Trudeau has some more info. RRBJ has eaten too much King Cake and we can't type no mo...

Glass Jewelry

Su Stella's a talented Highland artist who will be selling her work at the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival this Saturday. She is also a part of the Shreveport Regional Art Council's Deck the Halls show. Su shares a home and studio with blacksmith Curt Harville.

Trudeau has the latest on the Saturday's doings and memories from last year's festival on his faces blog. Stephanie Netherton's covered this year's festival in today's Shreveport Times in a nice article with the reminder to tote some chairs or blankets so you'll have a place to sit.

Smithy

Metal artist Curt Harville has built a blacksmith shop on a large lot near the Highland home he shares with Su "Smiley" Stella.

He'll be vending items this Saturday at Columbia Park at the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival and later this month in Bossier City at the Shop Til You Drop event.

Later this week, I'll be posting a picture of one of the neat pieces of glass jewelry Su has created. In the meantime, you can see and buy the couple's art at their online shop at Etsy.

'Tis the Season to Give Homemade

Noma Fowler-Sandlin is the owner/jam artist of Pan's Pantry.

Her creations are made in the Historic Highland neighborhood.

She'll be vending her goods at the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday November 17. Afraid to buy new flavors? She always offers FREE taste samples.

Jam and jazz. The livin' is good smack dab in the middle of SB Land.

New Toys for Columbia Park

From this... to this...

RRBJ's favorite part? Behind the "Welcome" sign twirls a blue merry-go-round. No word on whether all that kid energy is being harvested for anything.

The new equipment probably got a work out Monday night while the Shreveport Metropolitan Concert Band performed. Over the next six weeks the band is scheduled for more Concerts in the Park in various parts of the city.

No More Swings Means No More Pedophiles

In an effort to keep trolls out of Columbia Park local authorities have decided to remove all the playground equipment. And since the creeps have moved to the Duck Pond it looks like that equipment will be removed sometime in the near future.

"If there's no place for kids to play then the underage solicitation will stop," says some uninformed local official.

Neighbors in both parts of the city say they wish police would move those meet ups to Wal-Mart's parking lot or "at least to that big grassy area under Interstate 20 near downtown..."