[StBernard] Chalmette High Jazz Band honored

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette High Jazz Band honored for representing St. Bernard in NY

Group performs at Crawfish Festival in NY to raise money for local
rebuilding

 

St. Bernard President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. and the Parish Council recognized
members of the Chalmette High School Jazz Band and several members of the
Louisiana Crawfish Festival for representing St. Bernard in Syracuse, N.Y.
at several events including a festival to generate money for rebuilding
efforts in St. Bernard. 

 

While in New York, the band performed at several concerts with the trip's
highlight being when the band members performing at the Count Basie
Orchestra Concert at Liverpool High School, said Moderator Jason Rusk. The
students also performed at the second Annual Syracuse Crawfish Festival, and
Cisco Gonzales of the Louisiana Crawfish Festival in St. Bernard shipped
3,000-pounds of crawfish for the festival.

 

The festival in its second year has become a critical fundraiser for the
group called Operation Southern Comfort. Using crawfish cooked by Cisco,
Darrel and Larry Gonzales of St. Bernard, the group raised $50,000 at the
one-day festival that will be used in its rebuilding efforts in St. Bernard.
The group has restored St. Bernard Church, the oldest Catholic church in St.
Bernard, established in 1785. It is the second Catholic church to be
reopened in St. Bernard since Hurricane Katrina. The group also recently
built a house from ground up, and has rebuilt scores of other storm-damaged
homes in St. Bernard. 

 

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