[StBernard] It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood

[Westley Annis]

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood
Thursday, March 06, 2008By Barry Lemoine
The green parrots are back playing in my persimmon tree. This image is not
what most people envision when they think of St. Bernard Parish, but that's
just one of the many different and beautiful things witnessed when living in
historic Old Arabi. My name is Barry Lemoine, and I'm the new Arabi
neighborhood columnist. 

I have called St. Bernard Parish home for most of my adult life, working as
a teacher, playwright, actor and writer. I teach drama at Chalmette High
School and serve as a producer for the PEN-TV studio, the school system's
parish educational cable access channel. I'm also a partner in a local
theater company called Shine Productions and founder of a nonprofit theater
troupe called the Voices Foundation. 

And since I share a birthday with William Shakespeare and a love of theater,
I have been playfully regarded as the Bard of St. Bernard. In fact, before
Hurricane Katrina I was writing a column for the St. Bernard Picayune called
Bravo, a weekly look at the performing arts in our parish. 

My new column, Around Arabi, will feature news of the neighborhood from
Jackson Barracks to the Chalmette Battlefield and all points in between. 

For the past seven years, I've been happy to call Arabi home, no more so
than in January of 2007, when I was able to return to my home on Angela
Avenue. And while my house seems brand new, this neighborhood, like so many
others, is still working to get back. Many friends have left, but many
others have returned, committed to being a part of our community. 

I look forward to meeting these new neighbors and sharing their stories with
you each week. If you have any suggestions or news items, please contact me
with those ideas. So whether it's on the levee watching the cruise ships go
by or just walking down Angela Avenue, I'll be seeing you each week, around
Arabi. 

. . . . . . . 

Barry Lemoine of Arabi writes about people and events in Arabi. He can be
reached at (504) 301-8770 or barrybravo at yahoo.com.