New State Cultural Districts To Be In Jefferson Parish

The state has decided to locate two new state cultural districts in Gretna and Jean Lafitte.  One of the main reasons is that these are sites where two historic buildings are located that could possibly qualify for state historic tax credits.  Another bonus is that any qualifying art that will be sold at the two locations will be exempt from local sales tax. 

In order for any artwork to be exempt from local sales tax it must be an original, one of a kind visual piece, conceived by the artist and made by their hand or under their direction, and not intended for mass production.  Art can be reviewed by the Office of Cultural Development to see if it qualifies for tax exemption.
Jefferson Parish will now be the site of five state cultural districts in Louisiana.  The first will be the new South Gretna Cultural District that will cover parts of southern Gretna along the south of Gretna Boulevard including Gretna City Park and Timberlane Estates.  Everything north of the Westbank Expressway is already included in a separate state cultural district.  The new Jean Lafitte Cultural District will include a block on both sides of Jean Lafitte Boulevard from Camille Court south to Shipyard Street.
There are 124 state cultural districts now in Louisiana, including six new districts that were announced.  The other new districts were the City of Crowley African American Cultural Historical District in Crowley, Divine Nine Cultural District in Monroe, Franklin Cultural District in Franklin, Pointe-aux-Loups Cultural District in Iota.

Gentilly Festival Will Be Held At Pontchartrain Park

The Gentilly Festival is a three-day event full of music, art and food with  three stages located in Pontchartrain Park.   The festival is a free event that will run on Friday from 6pm – 9pm and on Saturday and Sunday from noon – 8pm.  The festival will be located at the playground at Press and Prentiss Drives.

This fall-filled New Orleans festival will also raise funds to support first responders and nonprofits that serve the Gentilly community.  “It’s going to be really exciting. We’re keeping our flavor, our flair of the community. We’re trying to unify and reunite the neighbors post-pandemic,” says chair and organizer of the festival Gretchen Bradford.

This year there will be over 25 food vendors and an eclectic range of entertainment.  There will be restaurants, caterers and food vendors from the area serving up their dishes at this year’s festival.  Many local caterers that are starting a business will introduce themselves through the festival. There will also  be veteran Gentilly food fest vendors that will also provide delicious assortments.  “We’ve got a little Latin, a little hip hop, brass, funk……….We got a little bit of that New Orleans bounce. We can touch many different audiences,” says Bradford.

The festival is a great event for the whole family.  This year there will be a Kids’ Village which will include pony rides, an entertainment stage, pottery making, face painting and more crafts.  For the adults, there will be tons of local organizations which will provide services and tell about what they have to offer for Gentilly residents, and for an additional charge a VIP Champagne Experience.

The Gentilly Festival is not just for locals, as the festival also attracts tourists and those who used to live in Gentilly and are back to visit for the event.  The festival will kick off with “Jazz Under the Stars” with live music and DJ’s.  Performers include Brian Quezergue Quartet, Indys Blu, Quiana Lynell and DJ Juane Jordan.

This is a fun time for Gentilly and all of New Orleans.  “We promote happiness,” says Bradford.

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The Battle of the Bike Lane

The bike lanes along Newton Street between Elmira and Behrman in Algiers are the battleground for many cyclists and residents. Several months ago District C Council member Freddie King wanted the city to reevaluate their position on the protected bike lanes in Algier due to neighborhood disagreements regarding the lanes.

Since the situation was brought to the city’s attention, minimum changes have occurred. The city has removed dozens of the flex posts and the ones that remain have been shifted closer to the bike lane. They said this should help with parking on the street and alleviate residents’ concerns that the flex posts could obstruct emergency vehicles from getting by.

Residents are still up in arms about the protected lanes while cycling advocates are afraid of what might happen if the lanes are removed. King suggested the city remove over 2 miles of protected bike lanes located on MacArthur Boulevard and Newton Street. If this passes and goes through, this will be a downfall for the citywide bike plan created by Mayor LaToya Contrell.

West bank residents voted for King over Kristin Gisleson Palmer when he said he would advocate the removal of the paths. Residents wanted to be heard and felt that the city did not survey enough residents regarding the installation of the bike lanes in Algiers. The city has defended its actions but does admit that it did not do enough outreach to the residents of Algiers.

“We did have a number of meetings in Algiers. Obviously we needed to have more,” said Sarah Porteuos, a city infrastructure spokesperson.

As of now, the cyclists’ lanes on MacArthur and Newton include plastic posts guarding the separate lanes and parking spaces closer to the main travel lane than the curb. Automobiles will be the second line of defense for cyclists. Those who are for the lanes say that the protected lanes not only increase the safety of cyclists but motorists as well.

Research has shown that cyclists’ lanes reduce accidents for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Around the city, around 30 of the 75 planned miles already have cyclists’ lanes installed. According to city officials, there were 327 crashes involving cyclists between 2014 and 2018 on MacArthur Blvd before the cyclist’s lanes were installed.

“Please do not remove protected bike lanes, said Corinna Chaney, a resident who wrote to the City Council. ” This critical infrastructure is saving lives, drivers included. We should be slowing down traffic not tearing up what little safety we have here.”

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The 2022 Gretna Heritage Festival Will Features John Fogerty, Beach Boys, and Revivalists

How long has the Gretna Heritage Festival been around? The festival has been around for thirty years.

This fall the 2022 Gretna Heritage Festival will be along the Mississippi River in downtown Gretna celebrating its 26th edition. It is a three day event from October 7th – 9th and will feature big artists like John Fogerty, the Beach Boys, the Revivalists, country singer Brett Young and Irma Thomas.

The single-day pass will be just $20 which can be used on any of the three days. An all three day pass will cost $45 and will be free for children 12 and under. This will be the first year that the festival has happened since before COVID-19.

Along with live music, there will be the popular Italian Village which includes over 100 craft and clothing booths and dozens of food booths, Kid’s Corner which includes games and inflatables, Margarite Village and the craft beer section. The multi-block festival will be fun for the whole family.

The festival first took off in 1994 and has been a success ever since. Big artists have been featured at the festival in the past such as KISS, Kid Rock, the B-52s, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Earth Wind & Fire, ZZ Top, Huey Lewis and the News, Rick Springfield, KC and & he Sunshine Band, Hank Williams Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Melissa Etheridge, the Gregg Allman Band, Aaron Lewis and Poison’s Bret Michaels.

Revivalists, which was created 20 years ago in New Orleans, will be the opening night headliner. This year will have a vast array of genres including Thomas, Tank and the Bangas, Dumpstaphunk, Deacon John & the Ivories, Kermit Ruffins, Water Seed, Cowboy Mouth, Rockin’ Dopsie, Dwayne Dopsie, Amanda Shaw and Wendell Brunious. The Saturday night headliner will be Fogerty who was part of Creedence Clearwater.

The Gretna Heritage festival not only entertains locals but also benefits local businesses and organizations in Gretna. Proceeds from the festival have supported non-profit organizations like the American Cancer Society, Amigos Mexicans, American Heart Association, American Legion and much more. Sponsors of the festival include Bud Light, IMTT, West Jefferson Medical Center, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company, Where Y’At and many more.

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Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy Ranked No. 1 in Louisiana

What grades are served at Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy in Jefferson Parish?

Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy serves grades sixth through 12th grades.

 

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy number 1 in Louisiana. Benjamin Franklin High in New Orleans was the previous number one school. The principal, Sharmeika Daniels credits this accomplishment to the team effort between students, teachers, parents and administrators. Students have described the teachers as life mentors.

“This is my first experience, ever, that I’ve seen a leadership team, as well as teachers, parents and students, all on the same page,” Daniels said. “We’re a family here, and everybody’s input is important.”

“Teachers are demanding here and the content is rigorous, but that’s what’s going to be expected of the kids when they leave us.”

“There is never going to be a student on this campus [who] goes under the radar,” Daniels said.

The school is a magnet school that has a STEM-based college preparatory curriculum. There are around eight hundred students from the east and west bank of Jefferson Parish who go to the school that is named after the founder and CEO of the Taylor Energy Company. The school starts in the sixth grade where students will start to learn computer programing. Students have to score in the 85th percentile or higher on Jefferson’s Advanced Studies Academies admissions test to enroll.

“I will never take for granted how blessed I am to lead such phenomenal faculty and staff,” Daniels said. “All of our teachers are on board. That’s not an easy thing to do, to get a whole group of people to agree on one goal.

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