The Tremé 200 Bicentennial Celebration kicked off Tuesday, October 16. The week-long fête continues through Sunday with lecture series and panels, concerts, second lines, and delicious food. With names like Kermit Ruffins, The Brassaholics, Corey Henry and Tremé Funktet, and the Uncle Lionel Orchestra, the week presents a commemorative homage to the rich history of the Tremé and those who live there.
The Treme 200 Bicentennial Celebration will feature a musical tribute to the late "Uncle" Lionel Batiste.
The oldest black neighborhood in the country, the Faubourg Tremé gave rise to the birth of jazz music, African American independence, brass bands, and notable architectural achievements. But the Tremé isn’t just a neighborhood — it’s something felt in the bones and souls of the residents who have lived, breathed, and died there, an area rich in tradition and steeped in sentiment.
If the bicentennial birthday of the Tremé weren’t enough to celebrate, 2012 also marks the 25th anniversary of the Mahalia Jackson International Rejoicin’ in the Park Festival. Why have two separate events when you can have one colossal bash? According to the Rev. Lois Dejean, producer of Rejoicin’ in the Park and the 200th celebration, the collaboration between Tremé and Rejoicin’ “allows us to celebrate the spiritual core of the neighborhood in a big way as we come together to celebrate the history and influence Faubourg Tremé continues to have on New Orleans.”
If you haven’t had a chance to stop by the festivities, Thursday, October 18 is a great day to start. At 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Kermit Ruffins will facilitate a panel called “Let Me Do My Thing: Music, Musicians, & Living a Tremé Life” at Perseverance Hall. Following the panel, there will be a club crawl to several bars including Kermit’s own Speakeasy, the Candlelight Lounge, and the infamous and influential Mother-in-Law Lounge. The club formally owned by Ernie K-Doe is so important to the area that Ruffins himself decided to reopen it.
As the weekend continues, head down to the Tremé. On Saturday, October 20 — just after Rejoicin’ in the Park — the Tremé 200 Bicentennial Celebration begins at 11 a.m. in Armstrong Park with an A-list lineup of entertainers: Shannon Powell and His All Stars, Chuck Perkins and Voices of The Big Easy, Doreen “Ketchens” Jazz New Orleans, DJ Jubilee, Corey Henry and the Tremé Funktet, Aaron Blanks, The Uncle Lionel Orchestra, and, again, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers.
Sunday’s program includes a special Gospel Jazz Mazz and the first Tremé United Second Line, stepping off from St. Augustine Church.
The festival is free and open to the public, with food and beverage stands on hand. For a more detailed history of the neighborhood and a full schedule of this week’s events, check out the Treme Bicentennial website.
