Posted on 07/12/2008 10:59:43 AM PDT by BBell
Run with it, roll with it
New York's centuries-old history as the gateway to America's melting pot has given it a certain multicultural cachet, but the fact that New Orleans culture is built on a melange of cultural flavors is often overlooked. In addition to the French architecture and language, Cajun food and the endless cultural festivals that fill the calendar, New Orleans now brings you a little taste of Spain, too.
NOLA Bulls, the organization behind San Fermin in Nueva Orleans, a tip of the hat to the bull run in Pamplona, Spain, is the brainchild of Mickey "El Padrino" Hanning. He is one of five founding members who call themselves Los Pastores, or The Sheperds.
"I ran with the bulls myself in Spain in 2002. I ran into a friend who had done it and kidded around that they should do it during the festival doing our own homage to it," El Padrino said. "When I mentioned it to Dylan, things started really spinning."
Conceptually, the run began as El Padrino's male friends and family running from their significant others through the French Quarter. When he mentioned his idea to friends Dylan O'Donnell and Tracey Bellina, they jumped on board.
"Tracey was fledgling rollergirl at the time and thought about bringing it to them to do it," El Padrino said. The Big Easy Rollergirls are New Orleans' women's flat track roller derby league and keep a fairly high profile participating in community events around the city.
The run mimics the actual Spanish event with a bit of signature New Orleans flair. Members of the Big Easy Rollergirls strap on their skates and adorn their helmets with horns, aiming to beat on unsuspecting runners with wiffle bats. Runners distinguish themselves by wearing all white with red sashes tied around their necks and waists.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.nola.com ...
Like New Orleans or not it is still a fun place to live.
LOL!!! I love it.
I had some good times visiting NO. Boring it ain't.
Too dang hot to go around running this time of year. I’ll just have a cool drink instead.
That's why they start early. There is also a less of a chance of drunk idiots disrupting the festivities.
roller derby?
that would have been about 25 yrs. ago, but the
memory is just as fresh...LOL
Yep! The Big Easy Roller Girls (BERG) are a roller derby team.
Er...hottie?
:-)
Sorry dude. Beauty in the eye and all that.
Er...hottie?
:-)
Sorry dude. Beauty in the eye and all that.
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