This week's Gambit features two excellent articles by Clancy Dubos and David Winkler-Schmit on bygone and endangered Carnival traditions. Dubos's is about the state of the remaining "neighborhood" parades that don't actually parade in their neighborhoods anymore. The krewe captains quoted all cite diminishing crowds among their reasons for reluctantly abandoning their traditional routes. But the most important factor is the prevailing pressure from NOPD and City Hall who are unwilling to manage more than one parade route anymore. Something tells me that this pendulum could swing the other way in coming years given post-Katrina upswing in neighborhood pride (at least in some areas that are recovering... particularly Mid-City).
Winkler-Schmit's cover story is about the long-established traditions tied to social institutions in Treme as a result of continued displacement and gentrification. The next generation of downtown indians, second-liners, and bone men could be lost... and it could happen sooner than you would think.
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