Gert Town Surprise

(pictured: Wildman John of the Wild Tchoupitoulas 

Indian Gang) 

Gert Town Surprise

by Stuart McNair 

This past Sunday evening here in New Orleans, 

I went to visit a friend, a Mardi Gras Indian, up in 

Gert Town, an African-American neighborhood 

famous for producing great musicians like Allen 

Toussaint and Ellis Marsalis. My friend and I 

were sitting on his porch, and there was a 

birthday party going on next door.

All of the sudden, a group of guys (late teens)

came down the street carrying horns and drums. 

They got organized a block from the party, 

and ripped into a groove. The big bass drum 

was thundering through the neighborhood, 

and people started exploding out of doorways. 

They shimmeyed across their front porches, 

down their stoops, and into the street. Soon 

there were umbrellas in the air, children rolling 

up on little bikes, and moms and dads 

pushing strollers.

The young band marched in and set up shop on a 

grassy spot between the two houses, and friends 

and family surrounded them, taking turns in the 

dancing spotlight. One man was dressed to the 

nines in a suit with a handkerchief that he held in 

one hand as he danced with extreme grace and skill. 

The trumpets and trombone traded solos, while the 

tuba, snare, and bass drum raged onward. 

My friend went inside and put on a giant Indian 

Head Dress that he had created for a past 

Mardi Gras, and he leapt off of his porch and 

danced in the street. Then he went and danced 

with the children in the grass. He did two costume 

changes, for a total of three full length Head Dresses. 

I learned some new Second Line dance moves by 

watching one lady gettin' down in the street. 

I made a conscious decision to not pull out my 

camera, trading a pic for a pure memory, and a 

less intrusive presence. And another little story about 

living in the moment in New Orleans, Louisiana.