With Markey Park closed for renovations until the end of June, The Clouet Gardens, a volunteer/donation run park, invites the Bywater neighborhood into their space to play by hosting a Potluck BBQ Block Party this Saturday June 15th at 4pm.

Saturday, June 1, marks the first official day of the time of year New Orleanians dread most: hurricane season.  While the city should always take a stirring cyclone seriously, why not combat the chaos and ring in the new season with what the city does best: a festival.  This Saturday from noon to 5 pm, the Goodchildren Social Aid and Pleasure Club hosts StormFest at Holy Angels (3500 St. Claude Ave., Bywater).

Photos by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee

According to a friend of mine, the homes in the Bywater are “so close together you can hear your neighbor reading a magazine.”  This past Wednesday, the two stages of Chaz Fest brought more interesting noises to incidentally overhear if you were in the neighboring blocks.  

It rhymes with Jazz Fest, and it's held on the Wednesday between Jazz Fest weekends. But Alex McMurray, the organizer and mastermind behind the Bywater's Chaz Fest--now in its eighth year--is getting a little weary of the press-ready comparison.

New Orleans police are searching for a 33-year-old man who went missing Friday in the Florida neighborhood. Marchand Thomas was last seen around 3 a.m. in his home in the 2300 block of Independence Street, authorities said.

Robert Fresh Market cleared a major hurdle recently in their effort to bring back a shuttered, Katrina-battered grocery store location in the Marigny. Last week, Robert assumed sole ownership of the property near the corner of Elysian Fields Ave. and St. Claude Ave., according to a statement released Wednesday. The move clears the way for Robert to begin the  planning process to bring the store back online, but it remains uncertain when the store would reopen.

Update 9:05 p.m.

One section of the of the riverside park that is set to extend from the French Quarter through the Bywater hit another delay recently. The Mandeville Shed section of the Crescent Park was initially slated to be up and running by spring 2013. However, the section is now not slated to open until 2014. That's because a crossing at the section has undergone a redesign, according to the City.

New Orleans police released a composite sketch of person of interest in the Saturday morning shooting of Officer John Passaro. Police believe the man may have knowledge of the case because he was standing at the bus stop on the lakeside corner of St. Claude Ave. and Poland Ave. just before the shooting occurred.

For New Orleans, a week is enough rest after Mardi Gras. It's time to start rollin' again. A pair of parades is set to descend on downtown New Orleans this weekend. In the Bywater, the Downtown Irish Club is getting ready for their St. Patrick's Day saunter. In the 9th Ward, a Social Aide and Pleasure Club will cross the canal once again.

by Randi Kaufman

I’m a regular user of Mickey Markey Park, and have been bringing my dogs to the park daily since 2002. I remember when it was a bunch of overgrown weeds, and the broken down playground equipment was littered with used syringes and condoms.