Twelfth Night: New Orleans has said so long to the holidays and is using the Twelfth Night observance to kick off the Carnival season, which will be extra long this year. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, accompanied by New Orleans clarinetist Pete Fountain, today served up slices of king cake, the traditional Carnival pastry, at historic Gallier Hall, where the mayor will greet parading royalty on Mardi Gras, March 8. Before Carnival celebrations wrap up on Fat Tuesday, about 100 parades will roll through area streets or float down waterways. The first is the Phunny Phorty Phellows, scheduled for tonight. Annually the group rides a St. Charles Avenue streetcar on Twelfth Night, which for most Christians marks the end of the Christmas season.
Mardi Gras royalty: District Attorney Hillar Moore III will reign as king of the Spanish Town Mardi Gras. The Society for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana also elected Stephanie Vaughn as queen of the Mardi Gras and Charles “Chuck” Stoewer as grand marshal. This year’s Spanish Town theme is “Wiki Leaks, BP Blows.” The ball will be held Feb. 12, and the parade will roll at noon on March 5. Visit spanishtownmardigras.com for more information.
Move will save money: The Department of Environmental Quality says it will save more than $45,000 a year by moving air analysis to a vacant laboratory in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain and DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch say they plan to expand the partnership, sharing information as well as space. “We believe this is the first step in a working relationship that will lead to efficiency measures for both agencies statewide,” Hatch says. The five affected workers had been using a lab that DEQ closed to save money, department spokesman Rodney Mallett says. Renting 2,257 square feet from LDAF will save DEQ $45,700 a year.
