Bear Memorial Parade Pix
Oct. 15th, 2001 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
infrogmationA friend just pointed me to a website with pix of some friends of mine and I on 30 Sept, when we had our Memorial Tumble Parade for our departed trumpet playing comrade "Bear" Lemonie (see 12 Sept Journal), late king of the Carnival Krewes of MOMs, Dreiux, & Kosmic Debris.
It's the "Birdsong Photography" site. The front page has a picture of the wreath traditionally cast into the river along with pix of the band roving through the French Quarter giving Bear his musical send off. More photos of this procession at Farewell To Bear, "The Tumble Continues" and "More Tumble". Includes several views of Froggy playing his silver trombone and wearing his characteristic pink shirt with a pattern of green frogs. The object seen sticking out of my band cap in some pictures is a local tourist postcard depicting Bear playing on the "Moonwalk" riverfront park-- where we threw the wreath and other memorial objects.
At one of Ms. J's Kiddie-Pool Parties I recall having a long talk with Bear where he talked about how he was a fellow pacifist, and how war experiences had messed up his father for the rest of his life. In honor of those beliefs, the march included a detour to the front of the Catherdral on Jackson Square, where a Vietnam Vet Against Another Vietnam War was on a pro-Peace hunger strike. There we played and sang "Down By the River Side... Ain't Gonna Study War No More".
It's the "Birdsong Photography" site. The front page has a picture of the wreath traditionally cast into the river along with pix of the band roving through the French Quarter giving Bear his musical send off. More photos of this procession at Farewell To Bear, "The Tumble Continues" and "More Tumble". Includes several views of Froggy playing his silver trombone and wearing his characteristic pink shirt with a pattern of green frogs. The object seen sticking out of my band cap in some pictures is a local tourist postcard depicting Bear playing on the "Moonwalk" riverfront park-- where we threw the wreath and other memorial objects.
At one of Ms. J's Kiddie-Pool Parties I recall having a long talk with Bear where he talked about how he was a fellow pacifist, and how war experiences had messed up his father for the rest of his life. In honor of those beliefs, the march included a detour to the front of the Catherdral on Jackson Square, where a Vietnam Vet Against Another Vietnam War was on a pro-Peace hunger strike. There we played and sang "Down By the River Side... Ain't Gonna Study War No More".
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Date: 2001-10-18 12:28 pm (UTC)What do you play?
At this years Bastile Day Parade, we wound up having a band without a tuba. When we hit Bourbon Street we saw a guy walking down the street with a tuba. Bear yelled out, "Hey! You with the tuba! Get in with the band!". He did.
We talked with the tuba player on a break-- it turns out he was visiting town from somewhere in the midwest, he brought his tuba with him in hopes he might be able to sit in with A Real New Orleans Jazz Band. He hadn't known there would be a parade that evening. He just had a dream come true.
" Spent lots of time listening to this combo featuring a big fat black guy on tuba who could do a pretty decent Louis Armstrong."
Tuba Fats, presumably.
"What a great town."
Thanks, I like to think so. Where else would have parades for Bastile Day, the 4th of July, Queen Elizabeth's Birthday, and 5 de Mayo? (Are you in favor of monarchy or against it? Do you root for the French or against them? Whatever your choice, we've got a parade for you...)