"Bah Humbug! Pay the rent."
A little bit louder now.
"BAH Humbug! Pay the rent."
A little bit louder now.
"BAH HUMBUG! Pay the rent."
A little bit louder now.
"BAH HUMBUG! PAY THE RENT."
Now you’ve got it. The Isley Brothers had it: shout it out! Only this time you can be shouting the famous line uttered by Ebeneezer Scrooge, and if loud enough, walk away with a $50 first price in the Scrooge Shouting Contest. This event is part of the 6th Christmas Past Festival in Old Mandeville on Dec. 12 sponsored by the Old Mandeville Business Association.
Be loud and proud. Here is a contest that encourages you to be heard above the others by bellowing the phrase, "bah humbug. Pay the rent." Before purists point it out we have indeed embellished the most famous line attributed to Scrooge in Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol." Scrooge only says "bah humbug" twice and never adds to it, "pay the rent." But in the thematic context of the novel, the two phrases work together nicely for this annual contest.
The competing shouters will gather on the stage at Livingston Street beside Vianne's Tea Salon & Cafe facing Girod Street at 2 pm Dec. 12 for the shout down. May the loudest person prevail! First place will get a $50 Mandy Money certificate that can be redeemed at OMBA-member businesses throughout Old Mandeville. Second prize is a $25 Mandy Money certificate.
This 6th edition of Christmas Past will be from 9 am-4 pm with arts, crafts and food vendors lining the west side of Girod Street from just south of the Mandeville Trailhead Cultural Interpretive Center southward toward Lake Pontchartrain.
There will be a dazzling array of handmade items -- swings, pottery, art, clothing, jewelry, face painters, wind chimes, cotton candy, kettle corn and so much more and all just in time for making a significant dent in that upcoming gift giving list. There will be music, dancing and singing by costumed entertainers from Judy K's Studio. These talented singers will be performing seasonal favorites from 10:15-11:15 at the Livingston Street stage and from 2:40-3:10 pm at the Jefferson Street stage beside Nuvolari's Restaurant. En route from Livingston to Jefferson, the singing troupe will make 10-minute stops for public sing-a-longs at Das Schulerhaus, Rusty Pelican, Mae's Antiques, Samaritan Center and after the Jefferson Street set, at Broken Egg, Beach House, Maxein's and Girod and Lakeshore Drive.
Not only would the Isley Brothers feel right at home, but so would the late, great Nat King Cole: Yes, there will be chestnuts roasting on an open fire under the skilled mastery of OMBA member Ed Greene. There will be Christmas bluegrass music on the front porch of his Pontchartrain Winds Guest House at Girod and Monroe and in a side yard just off Girod Street; the roasted chestnuts will be available for purchase in small brown bags.
In addition to Judy K's, there will be seasonal singing by the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Choir at both stages, following the performances by the Judy K group. A New Orleans band playing seasonal hits called NOLA Express will perform from 1-1:45 pm at the Livingston stage and from 2:45-3:15 pm at the Jefferson Street stage. It is anticipated there will be several other musical and dancing surprises.
This we know for certain, Santa has somehow gotten wind of your OMBA's Christmas Past Festival and has decided this is a very important place for him to be on Dec. 12.
There will be an extremely active children's area in and around the Madison Street intersection. It will include a face painting and cotton candy vendor each; a hands-on activity station for young ones to make take-home items, a Santa letter writing station and a post office for sending those important letters directly to the North Pole.
The Jolly One, himself, will show up here about 2 p.m. to hand out special treats, talk to the youngsters and pose for pictures. He is expected to have some very pretty young helpers: a group of area Daisy Scouts.
About 4 p.m., as Christmas Past is winding down, Santa will begin a trek down Girod Street, probably accompanied by his Daisy Scout helpers en route to the large public gazebo on the lakefront. It is there that most of the activities will take place connected to the City of Mandeville's annual Winter on the Water event which always starts after your OMBA's Christmas Past Festival ends.
It has been announced that the city will not stage its annual Christmas Parade along the lakefront this year, but there are several activities planned for the gazebo. These include the lighting of the tree, performances by school choirs and entertainment by Benny Grunch & The Bunch. There will also be the unique, colorful lighted boat parade.
On top of all this, the Saturday Community Market at the Trailhead will be underway from 9 am-1 pm.
So shouting, eating, singing, strolling, buying, looking, laughing, dancing, smiling - there will be an abundance of happy activities in Old Mandeville on December 12.
Many thanks to Sheri Wilkens of BJ's QuickPrint for her beautiful work on Christmas Past flyers and large artistic posters. Thanks to her and Ed Greene for installing the large signs at U.S. 190 and Louisiana 59 promoting Christmas Past and Winter on the Water.
Something Old, Something New
By the time you read this, our annual Christmas party, general membership meeting and election of officers for OMBA for 2010 will have already occurred. You will all be introduced to the new officers in this column in January, but I am happy to say that I have agreed to serve another year as president of this wonderful organization. I hope we have a most productive year for OMBA and Old Mandeville.