Just about anywhere one looked in the heart of Old Mandeville on April 4 there was a blur of the energy of activity and the eternal sunshine of laughter created by our hugely successful Art, Heart & Soul Festival.
Our wide offering of events brought huge crowds to the Mandeville Trailhead Cultural Interpretive Center, and later in the day, along beautiful Girod and Lafitte streets visitors toured our wonderful shops and restaurants. They listened to music, marveled at and purchased local art along the way, and huge numbers wrapped it all up with a late afternoon champagne stroll.
It was by all accounts one of our most successful events sponsored by your Old Mandeville Business Association. It was a success because so many of you worked long hours to make it a success.
The legendary American architect Frank Loyd Wright could have been talking directly to our hard working volunteers in OMBA when he said: “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and a devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
There were a number of OMBA members who joined me in weeks of preparation to make it all a memorable day for Old Mandeville. I may forget to name all of them but special thanks go to Linda Strickland, overall chairwoman, for organizing again her healthy living seminars at the Trailhead Depot building; to Leah Edmunds and Tess Dennie for their extraordinary talent in designing and producing our various beautiful fliers and posters for the event; Kathleen Martinell, our OMBA treasurer, for stuffing more than 1,000 Easter eggs for kids and adults, and to Julie Egle, our administrator, for working on the eggs, the stroll and so many other details including OMBA Secretary Richard Boyd manning a raffle table at the Trailhead to raise money for OMBA. We must congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Mitchell for winning the beautiful raffle basket filled with donated items from OMBA member businesses in Old Mandeville.
Thanks to members Ed and Kellie Green for providing live music from their front porch and Kerri Blanche and Linda Strickland for also providing live music at their businesses on Girod and Lafitte to entertain visitors after the Trailhead closed at 1 p.m. Thanks to OMBA officer Carol Self for providing a space on Girod at Jefferson for Blow 'n The Breeze to display wares from her Monroe Street shop and to pour champagne.
The Easter egg hunts for youngsters at 11 am for various age groups were amazing with such a huge crowd of youngsters and parents on hand.
And a very special thanks to OMBA officer Chris Dalton for gamely donning a very hot Peter Cottontail bunny suit and distributing baskets full of candy around the grounds. I have to praise my husband Ben for donning the costume later to lead us on the champagne stroll.
We have been bombarded by requests for a repeat of the amazing champagne stroll that started at 4 pm at Good Earth Market & Café. A big thank you to Paul Williamson, owner and OMBA member, for letting us use his parking lot as the beginning. Also thanks to David Pons, member and owner of Maxien's Coffee House, for letting the stroll end at his business.
It drew a huge crowd and we nearly ran out of commemorative champagne glasses. Many thanks to Ryan Green of Varsity Sports, an OMBA member, for all his help in organizing the stroll. We are most likely going to help businesses organize another stroll in July during the second annual Christmas in July sales promotion in Old Mandeville.
While the whole event was a huge success, we are saddened to accept the resignation of Linda Strickland as one of our vice presidents. She said her business is demanding too much of her time, certainly a situation so many of us can understand. If any of our members would like to join our board of directors filling Linda's position, please contact me.
We must also compliment our good friends, Friends of the Dew Drop, some of whom are OMBA officers, for sponsoring the next day, April 5, a hugely successful Tamarama 5-hour musical show at the historic Dew Drop that brought more huge crowds to Old Mandeville. Two of our member businesses, Nuvolari’s and Vianne’s, were among the food vendors for that show.
BEST OF THE BEST
It is that time of the year and again we offer hearty congratulations to several of our members who have once more been selected by the best judges of all — consumers — as the best of the best in St. Tammany Parish in several judging categories in the annual Guide to the Northshore’s Best sponsored by Sophisticated Woman Magazine.
In the restaurants and food category, consumers voting in the annual online polling picked Broken Egg Cafe on Girod Street for best breakfast and best Sunday brunch; Sweet Daddy’s BBQ on U.S. 190 for best barbeque; Isabella’s Pizzeria on U.S. 190 for best pizza and Saigon Grill on East Causeway in the “other” food category for best Vietnamese food.
In the people category, Randy Ennis at Linda Strickland’s Aviva Massage and Body Works Spa on Lafitte Street was voted best massage therapist. He also earned a picture in the April issue of the magazine with voting results showing his hands giving a neck massage. In the nightlife category, Ruby’s Roadhouse on Lamarque Street was voted best place to go dancing. Finally, a nod to the Mandeville lakefront voted best place for a picnic and best place to run. The picnic designation is puzzling since signs are posted along the entire stretch of Lakeshore Drive prohibiting any eating or drinking along the lakefront.