Help clear displaced musicians' yard Saturday

Contact: schroeder915 at yahoo dot com, or comment below, if you can attend so we can get a head count, and please mention tools, if any, you can bring.

When: Saturday, 9/09/06, Noon - 4 p.m.

Where: 3219 Livingston (turns into Monticello at JP line above Earhart Blvd., map)

What to bring: Tools -- heavy-duty lawn bags, hard and soft rakes, *machetes*, *weedwackers*, *chainsaws*,lawn mowers, hedgers, pruners, work gloves, eye protection, bug spray, a hat, sunscreen. I'm looking for people or organizations that will loan tools for the day. I'll probably purchase some machetes and donate them to a tool library when we're finished. I may also rent a chainsaw and weedwacker if these can't be borrowed.

Who this is for:

Cora Foster is a pianist, organist and choir teacher. She was raised in a family, and in a neighborhood, that fostered musical training. Some of her uncles were Sam Dutrey (Preservation Hall clarinet player),Honore Dutrey (played with Louis Armstrong in the seminal King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band), Buddy Bolden(who's playing inspired King Oliver and Louis Armstrong), and Jelly Roll Morton (who contributed significantly to the dissemination of jazz to other cities). Preserving the heritage and cohesion of this neighborhood is essential.

She and her daughters were evacuated to Michigan. Her daughters Regina and Sandra only recently returned after renting a car and driving 1300 miles, despite Regina's back problems. They came back specifically to address the city order to gut and clean lots by the Aug. 29 deadline. The Arabi Wrecking Krewe, which has been helping musicians' families with their homes, organized a salvage operation, but the yard still needs to be cleared.

Note that the time, Sat., Noon - 4, was set to accomodate the schedules of people who were only available later on Saturday. There's no reason not togo earlier. Nobody's at the house now -- in fact, nobody's in living in that block at all. But bring someone with you, because there may not be anybody there until Noon.

More background here.

Craig's List post here.