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THE NEXT 1,000 YEARS

The Carnival season of 2001 came and went with little controversy and an increase in tourism dollars.  Only one major event that year, the bumping of the Bards of Bohemia parade from its Lundi Gras night slot by superkrewe Orpheus. (Bards now parades on the first Sunday of the season)  However, 2002 arrived both early and late in "They Year They Split Up Carnival."  Due to a scheduling snafu and an overly-compensated National Football League, the Superbowl that year was to be held in New Orleans...in the middle of Carnival.  It was decided that, in order to maintain the peace and security of both events, that the bulk of theparades would begin to roll a week earlier than traditionally scheduled, cease parading for the week of the Superbowl, then resume Carnival until Fat Tuesday.  It was one of the most schizophrenic seasons in history, and caused great dissent among residents.  Some still harbor ill-feelings towards the League and the city for allowing it to occur.
2003 arrived in a splash of precipitation and accusations.  Out in Metairie Sherrif Harry Lee threatened to cancel the parades of Aladdin and Excalibur because of nonpayment of security fees (both krewes disputed this claim, but managed to find angels to pay the price).  Sherrif Lee, a lawman of tremendous influence and girth,  is honored every year with a throw that resembles a Buddah wearing a cowboy hat.  He added to the fires of satire for this year when he announced his plans to undergo gastric bypass surgery to reduce his...profile.
The weather for the season was the gloomiest in many a decade, causing 3 of 10 nights of parades to be cancelled.  Endymion, removed from its traditional Mid-City route (the only parade that now follows this path) was forced to move to the traditonal Uptown route because of streetcar construction on Canal St.  This proved to be a disastrous maneuver, demonstrating just how much larger the Endymion floats are than the other marching organizations.

AND THE LAST GRAS?
2004 produced its own share of triumphs and tragedies, both literally and figuratively.  A rare event at the beginning of the season, when the Knights of Jason was resurrected after 19 years dormancy.  However, this happy occasion was quickly overshadowed by incessant driving rains and rapid parade changes.  Politics again made its way into the fray when Orleans and Jefferson Parishes both enacted new parade regulations.  In Orleans, a cap of 30 parades was enacted onto an existing schedule of 33, which means that if any krewe cannot march for whatever reason, they permanently lose their slot in the parading schedule.
The Bards of Bohemia came very close to losing its parade slot, but were rescued by Carnival magnate Dom Carlone who donated the $45,000 for their parade permits and throws. Then the fun began.  On June 28th, the krewe quietly announced on their website that they had left the schedule, seemingly for good...until the following season.
Without doubt, the biggest development of 2004 was the murder of an innocent young mother at the Krewe of Muses parade on St. Charles Ave.  A few other paradegoers were injured as well, but none seriously.  4 young men were arrested.   To their immense credit, the Muses established a trust fund for the infant son of the young lady who lost her life.  Unfortunately, the incident made national news and was called "a black eye on the city" by Mayor Ray Nagin.  This was not the first time a paradegoer had been murdered, but it is rare.  The following night, two boys aged 13 and 14 were arrested for carrying pistols, a situation that hearkens back to the violent days of Mardi Gras before the arrival of the Mystick Krewe of Comus.  Problems continued on Endymion Night when a woman fell over the railing of a balcony at the Superdome as the parade was arriving.  In an attempt to catch more throws from the floats, she had been standing on a chair when she lost her balance and fell.  She died from her injuries a short while later.
Lundi Gras arrived with strong thunderstorms, which cancelled nearly every event planned for that day.  The King and Queen of Zulu traveled for the first time to Rivertown to meet with the King and Queen of Argus, creating a new tradition of an Orleanian krewe acknowledging a Jeffersonian krewe.  The holiday proper saw dank, gloomy skies and a perpetual misting rain that saturated the streets, keeping many revelers indoors for most of the celebrations.  Even Rue Bourbon was visibly less crowded than previous years, yet arrests were up according to the NOPD.  The final straw came shortly after midnight when another young woman was killed in a hit-and-run accident on S. Claiborne Street.
Overall, 2004's Carnival season was an unusual one.  Fewer people masqued or really participate in the celebrations, which always creates a hostile atmosphere (a fact that would seem to be proved by the increased violence).  These 'observer' Carnivals do come along on the every odd occasion regardless of the weather.  When they do, the streets are a less colourful, the smiles less cheery, and the regrets more poignant.  Like a live performance, Carnival requres the participation of the audience to live and breathe completely.
Up next, Dom Carlone sets a dangerous precedcent, and  New Orleans experiences its greatest strife in nearly 300 years.