A large portion of the area represented by the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization (“MCNO”) is situated within the boundaries of District “B.” The citizens of District “B” have been without a Council Representative since Ms. Head was sworn into the at-large council position on May 3, 2012.

On behalf of our members, MCNO urges you to preserve the Council’s voice in the selection of an interim District “B” representative by making an interim appointment before the expiration of the 30-day deadline. Respectfully, we believe that it is more appropriate for the Council to make this appointment than the Mayor’s office. Council members have consistently shown their responsiveness to citizen concerns, and several members are intimately familiar with the specific and complicated projects and challenges that confront our neighborhood.

It is essential to the welfare of our neighborhood that the District “B” interim council member be chosen by the Council, a body that recognizes the need for that appointee to be responsive, first and foremost, to the citizens he or she will represent.

We entreat you to respect the voice of the community by moving to appoint an interim District “B” council member with all deliberate haste.

1. You get to sit in the SHADE, a rare occurrence out there on the bayou

2. You get to meet your neighbors and talk about how awesome Mid-City is!

3.  You get to sell MCNO gear to outfit the whole festival with Mid-City Merchandise

4. You participate in a tag team to go get food and beverages, or hold down the fort while other people get food and beverages.

5. You get to bask in the glory that IS MID-CITY (did I mention it is in the SHADE?)

The Mid-City Neighborhood Organization is in need of volunteers to staff our booth Saturday & Sunday.

Open Volunteer Slots Saturday & Sunday include:

10-12 (includes setup)

12:00-2:00

2:00-4:00

4:00-6:00

6:00-8:00 (includes breakdown)

If you can help out, please fill out the form Bayou Boogaloo Sign Up Sheet – May 19-20: (If you have trouble opening the spreadsheet, please email your availability to events@mcno.org)

Please check only those times you are COMMITTED to working. You can always drop by and lend a hand at the other times. If you are feeling non-committal, just stop by for a spell. We’ll be there from 10am–8pm, Saturday and Sunday (we will not have the booth open Friday evening).

Thanks for your support of Mid-City and see you at the Boogaloo!

See you there!

It is with great pleasure and heartfelt gratitude that the MotherShip Foundation announces the 7th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival that will be held May 18-20, 2012 on the banks of historic and beautiful Bayou St. John. Over the last six years, Bayou Boogaloo has experienced tremendous growth. 2011 was a milestone year for what has quickly become one of South Louisiana’s signature cultural celebrations. Last year as New Orleans celebrated the annual Festival over 25,000 locals and visitors reveled in music from three stages, dined on delicious food, sampled unique local culture and enjoyed the Boogaloo Art Market.

In 2011, the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo continued its sustainability efforts with help from a handful of dedicated neighbors, LSU AG Center, and funded by a Coypu Foundation grant. Volunteers planted one thousand (1000) plugs of the marsh grass Spartina Alternaflora and twelve hundred (1200) irises along the bayou’s western bank. As always the Festival is a family-friendly event with a kid’s stage, along with games and activities for children. Attendees can partake in delicious food, spirits and libations, listen to great local music, and enjoy the very best art that New Orleans has to offer.

The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival is hosted by the MotherShip Foundation, a non-profit (501c3) organization dedicated to encouraging social change by bringing forth a higher quality of life for all Louisiana and New Orleans residents through the promotion of arts, culture, and recreation.

MCNO will have a booth at the festival so come by and see us! If anyone is interested in working the booth for an hour here or there, email jenfarwell@gmail.com or just stop by and take a seat in the shade!

See you there!

Some residents are annoyed by the no parking status which changes every day and is hard to keep track of, but many are relieved to see the City take some initiative on our neighborhood infrastructure. MCNO made a few calls to the City to get the full scope of the project in our neighborhood, but have not heard back. Oh well, for now we will just count our blessings!

Curb cut construction at the corner of S. Pierce and Baudin

Feria de Primavera is Saturday, May 12th from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Grace United Methodist Church 3401 Canal Street (at the corner of Jeff Davis Parkway and Canal Street).

Entry to the event is free and punch cards for activities and games will be available at a cost of $5 per 10 activity punches.

Feria de Primavera is organized each year by the Morris Jeff Family Partnership and is a fundraiser to raise money for play yard improvements and support physical education at the school.

About Morris Jeff Community School:

MJCS is open-access public charter school located in Mid-City that uses a whole-child approach to create an education experience that is a source of freedom and possibility for our 260 students in grades PK-3. Over the next five years the school will expand to serve more than 700 students in grades PK-8 and will move into a new permanent home in lower Mid-City at the Fisk-Howard campus in 2014.

The school was founded through a community process in which parents, educators, and other community leaders dreamed of a school that is excellent, is open to all types of children and families, and is as diverse as the community we serve. At MJCS students’ learning experiences are infused with daily exposure to art, music, foreign language and meaningful play.

For more information the Morris Jeff website at www.morrisjeffschool.org

The proposed scope of work includes widening the sidewalk around Comiskey Park along Baudin Street, S. Clark and D’Hemecourt Streets. Tree pruning, benches and trees will also be replaced outside the park’s fence.

Come out and let the City know what we want to see happen in this area.

See you there!

For more information, read the TIMES PICAYUNE ARTICLE.

Let us know what you would like to see come of the old fire house.

Located in Mid-City, the NOLA Green Roots Kids’ Village is one of the only community gardens in the City developed primarily for kids in pre-school to 5th grade.

Date: 04/26/2012
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Questions: 504.251.9818 or info@nolagreenroots.com

NOLA Green Roots will work with parents, schools, and daycare centers in an effort to give kids more wholesome activities, improve healthy eating lifestyle and to keep them involved the community.

Morris Jeff Community School will host a fundraiser at Ur Way Yogurt & Coffee Bar this Saturday.

You are invited to join us for MJCS Student and Family Day at UR Way Yogurt & Coffee Bar

When? Saturday April 21, 2012 from 1-5pm

Where? 3001 Tulane Ave, Unit 1-A

Why? 20% of the proceeds with be donated to our school

You can learn more about our new neighbors at www.UrWayNola.com

The NOAIDS Taskforce is conducting a needs assessment for residents of the French Quarter, Treme/7th Ward, Marigny, Bywater and Midcity neighborhoods in New Orleans. The purpose of this project is to find out about the health and wellness concerns of the people living in these neighborhoods. Our goal is to create a community health center that is a safe and healthy medical home for you and your neighbors. Your participation will help determine how best to expand health care services to the community and to become the neighborhoods’ provider of choice.  In appreciation for your participation they will be raffling off two iPad 2’s. If you would like to participate in the survey then click on the link below. This survey will take approximately 10­ to 15 minutes to complete.

NOAIDS Taskforce Community Health Center Survey