Fall 2013

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“ E v e r y g r e a t c i t y n e e d s a g r e a t p a r k t h a t n e e d s g r e a t f r i e n d s ! ”

Join Friends of City Park and Republic National Distributing Companyfor the 10th Annual Martini Madness fundraising event on Friday,September 20, 2013, from 7 - 11 p.m. at City Park’s Arbor Room atPopp Fountain. Sample more than 30 one-of-a-kind creations shaken andstirred. From Winston Churchill to Mad Men our martinis exude powerand adventure (and olive juice!) Enjoy exquisite nibbles from BananaBlossom, Cabot Cheese, City Park Catering, Dorignac’s Food Center“Jezz’s Kitchen” and Dots Diner. Dance and be merry with DJ Mattyand the Big Easy Photo Booth.

Thank you to our sponsors and partners:

“Let the Madness Begin!”JOIN FRIENDS OF CITY PARK FOR THE

10th ANNUAL MARTINI MADNESSFRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Before the Madness* 7 - 9 p.m. $75/person, *Exclusive to Friends of City Park Members

with reserved seating

Martini Madness 8 - 11 p.m.$50/person

$35/Friends' Member (limit to 4 tickets)

Proceeds from the event will go towards a brand new City Park foodtruck. This mobile food venue will increase revenue all year round forCity Park! This year’s event will feature a limited number of tickets sold!Purchase your tickets early before we sell out and come celebrate a night of madness with Friends of City Park’s most daring supporters!

To purchase tickets and receive more information, visit www.friendsofcitypark.com or call 504-483-9376. If you would like to volunteer during this event, contact Suzette Herpich, 504-296-6698,[email protected].

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1 P a l m D r i v eN e w O r l e a n s , L A 7 0 1 2 4

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Hi Friends,Thank you to the Friends’

members and volunteers thatjoined us for the 4th AnnualFriends’ Fest. There were morethan 1,580 members and volunteers enjoying the eveningin the Carousel Gardens andStoryland. I am very happy thatyou and your families are usingyour free member perk.

With all the Park has to offer,including the wildly successfulCity Putt, it is no wonder theFriends’ Memberships continueto grow; we are currently at3,785 members. Please help uscontinue to spread the word toyour friends and neighbors letting them know that yousupport the Park and they can,too!

Martini Madness is rightaround the corner on September20. This year’s co-chairs, ShonBaker and Ashley-Lauren

Scot Pilie, a native of New Orleans, lives two minutes from City Park and has practicallygrown up in the park. Scot will be a sophomore at Mississippi State University this fall,majoring in Professional Meteorology with a broadcast emphasis. He enjoys cross country, meteorology, frisbee golf, biking, traveling, kayaking, storm chasing, studying,and running in City Park.

Maya Gauthier, a native of Hahnville LA, will be a freshman this fall at Southeastern Louisiana University majoring in Pre-med Chemistry. In Maya’s spare time she enjoys working out, singing, dancing, studying, reading, going out with friends,wedding cake snow balls and working at City Putt.

Thank you to City Putt employees, Scot and Maya, this quarter’s top ambassadorsof Friends of City Park’s membership program! They help spread the word to parkpartons about the benefits of being an FOCP member.

2 • Friends of City Park • Fall 2013

Barrocco, have teamed up tothrow a fabulous party to benefitthe Park. The proceeds will gotowards a food truck which willbring an additional food and drinkvenue to the Park. Come join usfor an evening of fun at the ArborRoom and Popp Fountain.

It is not too early to mark your calenders for Ghosts in theOaks on October 18 and 19. Theannual fundraising event is anearly non-scary Halloween treatfor the whole family held in theCarousel Gardens and Storyland.

Checkout the picture of thenew Holiday Ornament in thisnewsletter. Designed by IndiaStewart, it is the perfect complement to the 2012 ornament.Get yours today and start your holiday shopping early. Great for business gifts, too.

Our Special Event,Membership and MarketingCoordinator, Casie Dupelchain, is leaving us for a position withthe New Orleans Opera. Casie’sdedication to Friends over the pasttwo years is greatly appreciatedand I wish her well in her newendeavor.

NEW member benefits includediscounts to Morning Call and to the Boat and Bike Rentals.Thanks to your ExecutiveDirector, Rodney Thoulion, fornegotiating these new benefits.Please continue to use your memberperks throughout the Park andthroughout the year.

As always, please let me know if you have any commentseither positive or negative about

Mary Johnson, President Friendsof City Park

President’sMessage

The mission of Friends of CityPark is to maintain and increasethe value and importance of CityPark as a place of natural beauty,culture, recreation, and educationfor the public. All monies raisedby Friends of City Park (FOCP)will be used for the capital needsof City Park at the discretion ofthe FOCP Executive Board. FOCP is a tax-exempt, non-profitorganization pursuant to section501(c)(3) of the Internal RevenueCode and is a registered charitywith the Louisiana Secretary ofState’s Office.

Meet Some FOCP Ambassadors

The 2013 Friends of CityPark ornament has arrived well before the holiday season.This year’s ornament depictsthe beloved Langles Bridgewhere many New Orleaniansfed the ducks and swans, gotengaged or took their weddingphotos. We anticipate sellingout of this ornament just as we did the last so don’t delay, buy today. The ornament is $20 and is available atwww.friendsofcitypark.comwith a $2 shipping and handling charge or at theBotanical Garden Gift Shop,City Park Gift Shop atMorning Call or Earthsaverslocations. For further informa-tion, call 504-483-9376.

Just Arrived!

your membership to Friends ofCity Park by sending an email [email protected] or calling the office at 504-483-9376.Sincerely,

Mary JohnsonPresident

Spruce up your yard and house withplants from the New Orleans BotanicalGarden’s greenhouse. Bring a wagon andarrive early for the best selection at theseupcoming sales:September 14, Pelican Greenhouse 9 a.m. - NoonOctober 5 - 6, Fall Garden Festival 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For additional information, call 504-483-9464, visit the website atwww.neworleanscitypark.com or [email protected]

Fall 2013 • Friends of City Park • 3

NOBG Seeking Scarecrows

Purchase Plants from NOBG

Preview Party - Friday, November 22, 7:30 - 11 p.m., $100 per person; $90 for Friends members. Children’s Preview Party - Saturday,November 24, 5 - 8 p.m., $30 per person; $25 for Friends members.Tickets go on sale September 23. For details, contact Julie Lacour at 504-483-9415.

Be Among the First to SeeCelebration in the Oaks

Individuals, families, businesses, civic organizations andschools are all encouraged to create one-of-a-kind scarecrows forthe Scarecrow Trail at the New Orleans Botanical Garden.Creations can be traditional, funny, scary, original or miniature (forindividual children up to 15 years of age). The Scarecrows will beon display in the Garden from October 5 through October 27. They will be judged on Saturday, October 6 at the Fall GardenFestival. For entry forms, rules and more information contact MaryEllen - 504-738-3980 or [email protected], or contact theBotanical Garden - 504-483-9386 or [email protected].

Our inaugural 3rd of JulyCelebration was, well, a blast!Festivities included stilt walkers,patriotic music by Marine and Navymilitary bands, huge beach balls, pic-nics, our mascot Parker, and spectacu-lar fireworks.

Check out these wonderful photosfrom photographer extraordinaire,Kerri McCaffety and this commentfrom a City Park patron:

“Whoever was responsible forputting the event together..............great job! We loved the fireworksand music! FABULOUS, to say theleast! JUST FABULOUS! I love myCITY PARK!”

– Tammy McFarland Billiot

Check out City Park’s New Website andBlog!

City Park has so many new ways for you to keep up with the park. Check out the new website at neworleanscitypark.com and the blog at: NewOrleansCityPark.Wordpress.com. It’s brand new but pickingup steam. The Friends of City Park office will be contributing to theblog each week, so stay tuned and stay up to date! Do you have anidea for a great blog post? Shoot your idea to City Park’s MediaManager Amanda Frentz at [email protected]. The Park loves hearing from its members and patrons!

“Just Fabulous...”

Bob Becker, CEO

Fall always brings a rush of activities and events to CityPark. The cross country seasonbegins and football returns toboth Pan American and TadGormley stadiums. In generalthe cross country season runsthrough early November andfootball season usually

Friends of City Park has reached3,785 members, the highest membershipnumbers since Hurricane Katrina! AsNew Orleans City Park continues togrow and make leaps towards the completion of the 2018 Master Plan,Friends of City Park’s membershipgrows stronger each day with yoursupport!

The Friends’ membership committeeand staff have worked to improve communication within our membershipthrough email renewals and increasing e-blasts with Friends of City Park news.We have also issued renewal stickersthat are placed on your membership cardto expedite each visit. The committee isexcited to have the opportunity to serve not only the park, but our loyalmembers.

How can you help us continue togrow? Be sure to renew your member-ship and invite your friends to becomemembers as well! We hope to reach4,000 members by the end of 2014. Help make this goal a reality. We would not be here without you! If you have any suggestions on how we can improve, feel free to [email protected] with your feedback.

concludes around Thanksgiving.Meanwhile numerous road races (Crescent City Fall Classic, Race for the Cure, Turkey DayRace, etc.) are taking shape as is the fall concert series in theBotanical Garden. The VoodooMusic Experience will move tothe Festival Grounds, November1, 2 and 3, the Louisiana SeafoodFestival will make its debut inthe Festival Grounds October 11through 13, and Celebration Inthe Oaks will open November 29,the day after Thanksgiving.Major events sponsored by theFriends include Martini Madnesson September 20 and Ghosts inthe Oaks on the 18 and 19 ofOctober. As you can see fall is abusy time of the year!

Some of you might havenoticed that at various timesmovie or TV companies will beshooting scenes in the Park. In 2012 nine major movies werepartially shot in the Park (whocould forget Hot Tub TimeMachine II) as well as eight TVshows or stories (Animal Planet,

Letter fromthe CEO


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Ravenwood, HBO’s DetectiveSeries, etc.), five nationalCommercials (Wrangler Jeans,Toyota, Cadillac, etc.) and fourlocal Commercials (People’sHealth, Adler’s, etc.). These“shoots” not only showcase the Park and the City, they also provide an importantsource of revenue through payment of location fees.

Have a safe and enjoyablefall season!

Robert W. Becker Ph.D.Chief Executive OfficerCity Park

FOCP Membership Growing Strong with Your Support

Follow Friends of City Park on


Ghosts in the Oaks will be held on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19. This Halloween event offers fun for the whole family includingunlimited rides in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, trick-or-treating inStoryland, arts and crafts, face-painting, music and much more!

Early admission begins at 6 p.m. and general admission starts at 7 p.m. Early admission is offered at $20/person and general admission is $15/person;$12/person for Friends of City Park members. Children under 36 months areadmitted free. Tickets will be sold for either October 18 or October 19 and will be honored only for the night purchased.

All proceeds raised from Ghosts in the Oaks will go to support capitalimprovements in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park and Storyland.

For more information on the event,please visit Friends of City Park’s websiteat www.friendsofcitypark.com or call 504-483-9376.

Be sure to “Like” us on Facebook andfollow us on twitter! Tickets are now on sale! Admission is limited and may sell out.

Get Ready for Two Spooktacular Nights!

A New Lady Bug Roller Coaster will fly intoCity Park by Summer 2014! Park Chief Operating OfficerRob DeViney successfully negotiated the $1.4 millionagreement after a prolonged process with FEMA. It willtake about 8 months to manufacture the custom coasterwhich will cover a larger footprint. The coaster will feature higher climbs and faster plunges. The originalLady Bug was damaged by the aftereffects from salt water that invaded the park in the wake of HurricaneKatrina.

City Park is seeking $25,000 sponsors for each of the 10 cars to endow the ride forfuture maintenance costs. Dots Diner was the first business to step up.


If you have fond memories of City Park and realize the importance of maintaining the Park for the enjoyment of futuregenerations then you might want to make a donation of either timeor money. There are many different ways and reasons to donate to Friends of City Park. Monetary donations can be made in theform of check, money order, credit card, stocks — whatever isconvenient and beneficial to you. You may restrict your donationto a specific project that is important to you or make your donation available for general capital improvements. All monetary donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law.

Donating your time is also important to the maintenance ofCity Park, and there are numerous events throughout the year forwhich volunteers are needed. One is sure to be of interest to you.Whichever of the following you choose, your donation is appereciated by Friends of City Park on behalf of the entire New Orleans metropolitan community benefitting from your generousity.

• Friends was founded in 1979 with Margaret “Peggy” Read serving as the first president. Friends formed to raise money for the ailing City Park that fell victim to a declining economy.

• The first goal of Friends was to hire a horticulturist (Paul Soniat) and fund his salary for five years.

• Friends held the first Lark in the Park in 1982 to erect a fence around the Botanical Garden.

• William Hines loaned Friends of City Park $300,000 in the late 80s to purchase the Carousel from Harry Batt. Mr. Hines, a good friend of Executive Director Beau Bassich gave $50,000 to renovate the carousel and later forgave the loan.

• In 1994 Friends hired its first full-time employee• Friends purchased a train engine for the Amusement Park – 1994• In 1995, Friends of City Park began Ghosts in the Oaks as

a fundraiser for the Amusement Park. Ghosts today raises over $50,000 annually.

• Friends raised funds for lighting the Pizzati Gate on City Park Avenue – 1996

• A park helicopter was purchased with Lark funds – 1997• In 2000 and 2001 Friends raised money for the tree bollards. Funds

also paid for the light fixture which hangs in the Pavilion of the Two Sisters and the lattice work atrium connecting the gift shop to the Pavilion

• Lark funds purchased tractors for maintenance – 2002• In 2003, Friends purchased two police cars for City Park Police• Martini Madness began in 2003• In 2003 Friends donated money to flooring the tent at Popp Fountain• In 2007 and 2008 Friends gave funding for the renovation of

Storyland including the building of the Three Little Pigs exhibit and the Castle.

• In 2008 Friends captured $25,000 in a Burger King Contest and purchased the Santa Gator Entrance to Celebration in the Oaks.

• Monies were raised to renovate Popp Fountain – 2009• In 2010 Friends gave City Park $500,000 toward the building of the

Arbor Room at Popp Fountain. Monies came from a previous Lark and Friends’ retained earnings.

• In recent years Lark has raised funds for:- Renovation of the Peristyle – 2010- Support of City Putt – 2011- New Entrance to the Botanical Garden and Storyland -- 2012- Cabana Plaza at City Splash – 2013

• Friends purchased a new train engine for the Amusement Park in 2012• In 2013 Friends funded in part the new Wacky Shack in the

Amusement Park.

Memberships — A membership offers City Parkpatrons exclusive perks and aidsFriends in its mission.

In Memory/Honor — Make a donation to the park in the memory of a loved one.

Wills and Bequests — Leave a lasting gift as part of your final plans.

Gifts of Securities — Make a donation of stocks andbonds.

Volunteer — Make a gift by donating your services to the park.

Charting Our SuccessesPlease call 504-483-9376 for additional details.

Ways to Donate to FriendsA Timeline of Friends Events

Lark in the Park is Friends of City Park’s premierfundraiser featuring New Orleans’ top restaurantsand live entertainment that raises funds for capitalimprovements in City Park.

Martini Madness, now in its 10th year, is cool, hipfundraiser that features 30 different martinis, foodand music in our newest venue, The Arbor Room atPopp Fountain. Funds are raised for various parkimprovements.

Ghost in the Oaks is our family-friendly Halloweenfundraiser held in the Carousel Gardens AmusementPark. All funds raised support the amusement park.


On July 24, 2013, Friendsof City Park held its 4th annualFriends’ Fest in the CarouselGardens Amusement Park andStoryland. We were excited tohost this fun-filled membershipappreciation party and be ableto give thanks to over 1,500Friends of City Park Membersfirst hand. Without your sup-port we would not be able tocontinue the great works thatwe started over 30 years ago!

The evening was packedwith free rides, cotton candy,popcorn, water, Casey’s snow-balls, and Haydel’s cookiesand pastries. Party Peepleroamed the park creating bal-loon animals, along with meetand greets from CT Parker andCurious George, courtesy ofWYES. The Fairy Godmothertaught kids how to dance inStoryland Castle, Pirate Inkairbrushed fake tattoos in thegazebo, and Catalyst EventSolutions provided musicalentertainment.

At 8 p.m., Jay Bryan drewthe winning ticket for the 2013Outback Subaru. The winnerwas Mr. Louis Blaum!Proceeds raised through theraffle will be combined withLark in the Park 2013 proceedsto support the City Splashscheduled to debut in 2015.

Friends of City Park wouldlike to thank this year’s

We Have the Best Friends!Friends’ Fest event chair, MichelleTheard; volunteer coordinators,Suzette Herpich and KathyZimmerman; City Park staff, BobBecker, Sue Barrocco, Paul Marina,Chad Harper, Julie LaCour, and AprilLaughlin, and our outstanding volunteers were: A. J. Allegra, JohnBankston, Melissa Bankston, MignonBankston, Diane Baur, Harold Baur,R. J. Buras, Cheryl Cabes, KimComfort, Melissa Daigle, MikeDeJean, Meryl Englert, MorganEnglert, Jeanie Favret, Charlie Fos,Nancy Fos, Connie Gowland, TaniaHahn, Elaine Hinojosa, Mary Johnson,Catherine Kehoe, Traci Kehoe,Andrea Legrand, Philip Legrand, JanLangenbuhl, Kay Magill, PeggyMcCranie, Ron O’Rorke, GarySchully, Jackie Shreves, LaticiaSlafter, Zackeisha Stackhouse, TaraTebbe, Maureen Talley, BonnieTheard and Brad Theard.

Friends of City Park also recog-nized Mrs. Lynne Ross and Ms. JanLugenbuhl as volunteers of the yearfor their dedication and support ofFriends of City Park. We greatlyappreciate all of our volunteers!Without their time and hard work, we would not be able to have suchsuccessful events.

Friends’ Fest would not have beensuch a hit without the generous contri-butions from the following donors:Pepsi Beverages Company, Haydel’sBakery, City Park, StorylandTheatrical Players, WYES, CatalystEvent Solutions and Michael Maples.

Mary Johnson and Jay Bryan

Rodney Thoulion, Jay Bryan, Jackie Palumbo, and Pam Bryan

Photos: Michael Maples

JanLugenbuhl

“I just wanted the Friends of CityPark Board and Staff to know howmuch my grandchildren, my wifeand I enjoyed last Wednesday’sevent. We got there just after sixand closed the place down at nine.The kids were exhausted, but elated. They had been there manytimes before but not as long. Onthe way home, the youngest onesasked when they could go again.”

—Victor Havard

Lynne & PatRoss

Your Park, Your Memories!

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5 0 4 - 4 8 3 - 9 3 7 6Return Service Requested

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

NEW ORLEANS, LAPermit No. 572

“Every great city needs a great parkthat needs great friends!”

Mark Your Calendar

March 14, 2014

Sept. 20, 2013

Oct. 18 & 19, 2013

Subaru Raffle Winner: Congratulations, Louis Blaum!

After four months of tickets sales and 707 tickets sold, Louis Blaum was drawn as the winner by Bryan dealership owner Mr. Jay Bryan at Friends’ Fest on July 24, 2013.

Louis Blaum

Fall 2013

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