Oktoberfest 2015 has officially kicked off in Munich: "O'zapft is!"
The annual celebration is expected to bring six million visitors this year.
There is no more Bacchanalian festival in existence with perhaps Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It's obviously my favorite holiday -- I have blogged at least 47 times about it.
Locally, Shreveport has joined the nation in forming their own version of Oktoberfest which will be Sunday, September 25 at Zocolo on Ashley Ridge. It is $20 to purchase a buffet pass, but you don't have to pay just to get in. If you plan on drinking, beer is $6.00; live music will be via Professor Pork Chop.
Steve and I will be attending the annual Oktoberfest festivities at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 2; this is a fundraiser for Operation Bright Star which brings airmen home for the holidays. We have attended all seven years so far; this one makes eight. We have the proud honor of being the first to come and the last to leave each year.
I was honored to win the costume contest two years but got robbed last year; an indignity I hope to remedy this year.
No, seriously, it's all in good fun and this is a celebration that gets better every year.
The food is great.
The beer is cold and plentiful.
And what better way to celebrate than partying with the men and women of our military?
And it's for a great cause. Doesn't get any better than that. Tickets are available at the Barksdale Club.
Last year the Highland Jazz & Blues Festival was nearly frozen out; if you attended last year you were bundled up in many layers and probably had hot potatoes in your pockets.
This year the festival was bumped up from November to September and the weather was the other extreme -- hot and humid, but it was a glorious day nonetheless! It was nearly perfect, actually, and any attendance that may have been missed last year was certainly made up for this year.
This is my favorite local festival, hands down, without a doubt. This was the twelfth year and I think I may have only missed one year -- the first one, perhaps. Not sure.
Highland is an eclectic, artsy, historic neighborhood and is filled with the most interesting people in town and they all come out to celebrate good music and to support local artists of all types.
We got there about 11:30 to stake out our spot before the noon kickoff with Buddy Flett and it was clear early on that it was going to get crowded. There were a lot of people already gathered on the slope before the Twisted Root main stage. Because temperatures were expected to hit the upper 90s today, we looked for shade.
Buddy Flett was in fine form and he is always a favorite.
The dancers came out early today:
We decided to scout out the food and the vendors after Buddy's set. The vendors this year were terrific: there were maybe three jewelry vendors, a couple of artists, plenty of food vendors, and some political campaigning as well (tis the season).
Steve and I both opted for Ki Mexico; I got the chicken pablano tacos with cilantro and onions with a middle range spice and it was great!
Lucky for me, they have a brick and mortar location near my house.
There were plenty of dogs there today -- this is always a dog-friendly event.
The local brewery, Great Raft, was representing; I hope Flying Heart is there next year, too!
Robert Trudeau was there with a fabulous percussion group. I did a Periscope of them; I'm not sure how long Periscope keeps video but if you have a 'Scope account you can check them out here.
They played between sets and were awesome!
The Matthew Davidson Band was performing on the Gazebo stage. There was a lot more shade at that end of the park, which was a bonus.
Paparazzi.
There's always a Hula Hoop Girl there...
These people had the right idea with the hot sun overhead; I'm just glad I wasn't sitting behind them!
A.J. Cascio is always a crowd favorite and he had Joe Nadeau with him today.
Nobody makes the harmonica sing like AJ.
This is the mid-day crowd:
Huge, and always a great place to "people watch."
This guy was dancing all over the park and having a great time; and another Hula Hoop Girl:
On our way out I had to stop on the hill by the Gazebo stage; it's my annual homage to my friend Rocque who I always would run into at local musical events; nobody I know loved local music and loved to support local music more than he did. He loved the classic greats, too; Rocque had seen more concerts than anyone I know and had scrapbooks filled with ticket stubs and photos from every great rock concert you could name. Every year I stop in the same spot where I sat with Rocque one afternoon at this same festival and I raise a toast among the pines and the music to my friend who is listening from above now.
Now who should I find in that same spot today? My friend Corina, which is totally appropriate because there is no bigger lover and supporter of local music than this chick. Rocque would love it. Karma is real.
And so, another Highland Jazz & Blues Fest is a success. I ran into so many people I don't see nearly enough; this festival is the best one in Shreveport for it's mix of food, music, friends, and locale. The date change appears to be a huge success. In September, in Louisiana, you never know, but odds are you're going to get better weather than you do in November. With the Red River Revel kicking off in the next couple of weeks, this new date seems like a good fit.
It was a beautiful day to drive up to Gillam, Louisiana and watch a 95-year old WWII veteran jump out of a perfectly good airplane to celebrate his birthday with a few friends.
With a nip of fall in the air, we took the top off the Jeep and made the 25 mile trek from Shreveport to Gillam to the tiny airport in the middle of a cotton patch next to the Red River. Ray Urban just turned 95 years old and to celebrate, he decided to invite the friends and family, cook a few hot dogs, have some cake, and jump out of an airplane, a feat which would make him the oldest person in Louisiana to parachute from a plane.
By the time we arrived around noon, the cars were lined up along the blacktop road next to the cotton fields and the hangar was filled with family and friends camped out in chairs or perched on whatever tractor, trailer, or crate was handy.
There was a long table set up where you could eat as many hot dogs as you could stand, courtesy of Ray.
And there was a dog, of course. I never got the dog's name but he was a friendly old dog and was very interested in the hot dogs! John Powell, Chef de Gare of the local 40 & 8 Voiture 137, served the dog a couple of cut up hot dogs, earning him some applause from the group.
Ray went off to suit up and get ready for his jump.
Ray Urban was born in 1920 in Bogalusa, Louisiana; when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor he was attending Louisiana Tech; he enlisted in the Marines a month later. He was working on parachute training when kidney stones quashed that and Ray then became an aviation mechanic:
In June of 1943 he went overseas to Midway as part of a squadron, VMF212. "We didn't' see any action. You stay there three months, you watch the gooney birds and after that they watched you," he quips. He was sent on to Espiritu Santos, where he lived in a Dallas hut, so named for the housing's construction in Dallas. He was stationed in the Russell Island, then landed on Bougainville on D+10 November 1944, ten days after the invasion of that island. Ray was often bombed by Japanese, and crouched in foxholes topped with coconut logs and sand bags. Ray returned to Hawaii from Green Island in December of 1945
Ray never lost his love for parachuting, however, and his jump today makes him the oldest person in the state of Louisiana to jump out of an airplane.
As Ray made his way to the plane today he was swamped with hugs, high-fives, and plenty of good wishes. He was as excited as a kid at Christmas.
He was surrounded by media, microphones, video cameras, and cell phone cameras all wanting to record the historic moment.
He was finally able to break away and made his way to the plane.
There was never a single moment of hesitation or second thought.
Once Ray reached the plane there was another pause for pictures and interviews before he climbed in.
As the plane roared to life and began to roll down the runway everyone cheered and waved.
And he was off!
We were told it would take about twenty minutes or so for the plane to gain proper altitude, so many of us just stood on the blacktop and watched the ascent. We'd lose sight of them and then someone would spot them...
The cameraman was looking, too.
The day could not have been more beautiful.
There were people of all ages there today, from the very young to the very mature. The fella that lives next to the Veterans Memorial Park in Belcher was there and passed out lovely photos of the park. He stood by to watch the jump.
And then we saw one chute open in the clear blue sky, then another.
Down, down he came.
Slowly drifting down, enjoying the ride.
And the landing!
(Sorry for the end of that -- forgot to turn off the video before I moved my camera!)
Family and friends (and media) ran up to be sure all was okay; it looked like a hard landing...
...and Ray sat right up with a big grin on his face.
He said he'd see us same time, same place, in five more years.
And then more interviews...
And a wonderful family photo:
Before we could have cake!
After Ray's jump, Steve went for a glider ride and spent about 45 minutes drifting over the cotton fields, catching one air pocket after another. He declared it to be a fabulous experience!
Drifting around...
After his ride we returned to the hangar to say goodbye to Ray before heading out.
All in all, it was a great day. Perfect weather, great company, and a brave, inspirational man who is good as gold all the way through. It doesn't get any better than that.
I hope I make it to Ray's next jump in five years!
The Lowe-McFarlane American Legion Post 14 hosted an excellent end-of-summer party and Floatilla this weekend despite a political spitting contest earlier in the year which caused some on the planning committee to separate from the Legion and host their own Floatilla in May. The Floatilla has always been a great fundraiser for the veterans causes supported by the American Legion, and without getting into the politics of the rift, suffice to say that the two sides couldn't come together on which was more important: the individuals or the veterans causes, so we ended up with two Floatillas this year which isn't a bad thing at all.
The party started Friday night with the customary catfish dinner and pre-party at the Legion. We registered for the Poker Run, ate catfish, and listened to The Sultans for a while, then called it an early night; we made plans to meet with friends for breakfast and get the boat in the water early to beat the crowds.
The theme this year was "Let Freedom Ring" and so there were lots of boats decorated with a patriotic theme for the boat parade.
We arrived just in time for the National Anthem and the opening ceremonies. After a stop by the lounge for Bloody Marys, we were ready for the poker run!
Steve is enjoying his Jell-O shot from one of the stops.
The poker run is lots of fun and we were thankful that it wasn't windy because it's so much easier to ease up to the docks to pick up your cards! The various stops offer water, margaritas, beer, jello shots, and vodka gummy bears.
We didn't win the poker run -- we were in second place for a bit, but that didn't hold up very long. We tied up to the Legion pier while we waited for the results:
We watched the boats...
...and the dogs...
...a stowaway chameleon...
...and the people:
I liked this dog...
It took little coaxing...
... but he would get into the water to get his ball:
More from the boat parade:
This boat was cool:
This guy was having fun:
And there were the floaters:
People dancing and partying on boats:
And boats all tied together:
My kind of houseboat:
There was fun on land, too.
Families got there early to stake out their spots on the point where they could grill, listen to the music, and enjoy the land-based family events.
There was face-painting, a cow milking contest, and plenty of food vendors.
There was a celebrity dunking booth, too. I think Mary Beth Lavery stayed in the water more than she was out of it, thanks to some kids with good aim:
and her father, Steve, gave an unfair assist with the water hose:
All in all, much fun was had by all on land and in the water. As for the division between the two Floatilla groups, it didn't seem to matter one iota yesterday. Folks turned out in a big way to celebrate the end of summer and to support the Legion and their efforts for America's veterans. The sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and participants all came together for a good cause.
