2006 Le Krewe d’Etat
Jan 31st, 2008 by Nola
Le Krewe d’Etat is my all-time favorite parade. I love it! It is satirical, and its satire is truly biting. Read Pete’s post for a good description of this krewe. Post-Katrina, there was a big brouhaha about whether to have Mardi Gras or not. It was too soon and there were no extra resources for the city to cover it (police and clean up), some said, and it’d send the wrong message (that we are a party city even in out darkest hour) to the rest of the country. I tended to be in this group.
The other group felt that we needed to carry on, show the country parts of the city were intact and that we were ready for tourism, ready for business. This group won the day.
Mardi Gras 2006 was one of the most special I ever experienced. Very few tourists came. My first parade that year was Le Krewe d’Etat. The floats began to roll and it was clear that they were taking aim at Katrina, FEMA, local, state and federal government. This article explains the krewe’s 2006 parade far better than I can.
When I saw the float of the moldy refrigerators rolling past, tears welled in my eyes (just as they are now recalling the parade). This parade, this Mardi Gras, this one was for us, the locals, the New Orleanians. I realized then that had my out-of-town friends come in for this Mardi Gras, the satire mostly would have been lost on them. Sure, they had HEARD about the moldy refrigerators but had they SMELLED them? No. They had SEEN the levee breach on TV, but did it blow a hole in their lives, really? No. They had heard of the troubles with FEMA but had they had the run-around getting help from them? No.
Those on the route that night, they, we, had lived it. We had survived it. We WERE living it, surviving it. And sometimes you just don’t know how bottled up your stress is until you have a release to let your guard down. And that’s what Mardi Gras 2006 did for the city, it began the healing process. It was the first time we, collectively, LAUGHED at it all. And with that laughter came tears. Tears of unity and community.
Thank you Dictator and Le Krewe d’Etat. See you tomorrow night.
Stumble it!
“Vivite ut Vehatis. Vehite ut Vevatis”–Live to Ride, Ride to Live. That’s their motto. Remember the “Looter Shooter” float?
[...] ut Vehatis. Vehite ut Vevatis” which translates to the title of today’s post. Nola’s post today relates how important Mardi Gras 2006 was for the city, and how this krewe in particular throws [...]
Hee! In one of their first parading years, Dan got hold of a Beanie Baby Krewe D’Etat bear that would say a couple of choice phrases if you squeezed its belly:
“Krewe D’Etat Rules!”
“Live to ride, ride to live!”
“Hail to the Dictator!”
One of our all-time favorite throws.
I’ve never been to a Mardi Gras, but that one sounds like the most special of all.
I remember that parade, it did have a special ring to it that year….looking forward to tomorrow night, cough and all!
That was facinating. This is why I love you, I adore your perspective, being a survivor of the most devesating thing ever to happen (so far in my life, at least). I feel like you’ve given me a glimpse at something that I could never see on CNN or Regis and Kelly. Thank you!!
I love Krewe D’Etat too. When I first saw all the floats this year, I thought they were hillarious! A lot of them are making fun of local politics and political issues—Very creative and funny I agree. There were a few that I took offense too…but like I said in my last post, I WISH I DIDN’T. Chris and Norm tell me all the time that I need to lighten up a bit–they tell me “it’s okay to laugh” and I am working on it!!
Thanks Nola Notes for the comment–it reinforces that which I am working on!!
Looking forward to meeting y’all. Happy Mardi Gras!!
P.S. Chris and Norm were up early this morning, getting ready for the big day! They are so excited for all of you to see the Krewe’s “Dirty Dishes”…
that is just awesome … i can see why that would really begin the healing process.
Krewe d’etat is also my favorite. I didn’t see the 2006 one (I was here for Mardi Gras, but I didn’t get in until Saturday), but I went last year and had a blast.
Still working on The Fiance, but I’m hoping to swing by on Monday. Time will tell. I’m assuming if I kill his mother before then that that would inhibit my ability to go anywhere aside from my prison cell, so there’s that problem to negotiate too.
Oh and Whole Foods Chantilly King Cake is nasty. Just fyi.
[...] I run, I want to give a little shout-out to Nola Notes and her post of Mardi Gras 2006 memories - a very poignant post for those of us here for that first MG after [...]
Hope you had a wonderful time!
Happy Friday! Blog Hoppin’!
“Margarita Mom”
I “danced” in the 2006 parade, and you’re absolutely right. It was special. I was a little nervous about parading in the wake of Katrina, but the atmosphere was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
Glad you enjoyed the parade, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to put on.