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Julie Lea – Nyx Captain’s Mardi Gras Blog Series “Captain 2 Captain”

Join me  as I interview many different Mardi Gras Captains from across the New Orleans Metro area for a behind the scenes look at how traditions are formed and how parades are staged.

For my first blog in this series, I sit down with my friend Bobby Hjortsberg, the Captain of the Krewe of Freret.

 

JL  In doing research on the Krewe of Freret, I know y’all were founded in 2011, and first paraded in 2014.  Congratulations on that! What made you and the other founders decide to use the name of a former krewe, The Krewe of Freret?  

BH  We have been asked this question a lot and most people don’t believe the answer. Founder Brendan Ryan came up with the name because of our association with Freret Street.  We all went to Loyola and Freret St. was a big part of our lives, thus we became the Krewe of Freret.  We had no idea there was previously a Krewe of Freret until we filed formal paperwork with the state.

JL Parading in New Orleans has so many traditions and one of them is the signature throw.  Tell me about yours and how you guys came up with it.

BH  We wanted to do something handmade like many other Krewe’s now do.  We thought doing masks was an obvious choice for Carnival. We also wanted to throw something people could put on immediately and in a way, become part of the parade.

JL Something very unique about the Krewe of Freret that I find very interesting, and others may not  be aware of is, y’all do a Public Coronation each year.  Can you share with me details about that event?

BH So this just kind of evolved which I guess is how many great ideas come about.  We wanted to watch the first parade of the year together as a Krewe so Brendan and I walked the entire route of Krewe du Vieux to determine the best spot to set up.  Elysian Fields and Royal worked out well because of the amount of neutral ground space there. Once we picked the spot, founder Greg Rhoades noted that Elysian Fields is traditionally “the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and virtuous” in Greek Mythology.  Royal street is obviously a nod to royalty. Thus our Royals begin their reign there and also turn it over to the next royals in the same place. When they give up the crown they are going to their figurative final resting place.

JL How did the hashtag #BeMardiGras come about?

BH #BeMardiGras came about as a result of the masks.  We wanted people to immediately put the masks Bon that we threw and tag them on Social Media.  This allowed folks to actively participate in our parade while at the same time giving the riders a cool look at where their throws ended up.

JL What’s the biggest surprise to you about being a Mardi Gras Krewe Captain?

BH The amount of work that goes into it. It is a year around almost every day job and we only have 400 riders. The amount of time and planning that goes into a 3 hour event is truly mind boggling.

JL You and I have shared some great memories through the years celebrating at different events.  I have pictures to prove it! What would you say is your greatest Mardi Gras memory since the Krewe of Freret has hit the streets?

BH My greatest Mardi Gras memory was the first time our floats turned onto St. Charles avenue in 2014. The weather was perfect and the crowds were enormous.  It was also the first time I had ever ridden in a parade.  Although I had been invited to ride many times before, I wanted to save the experience for when we finally pulled it off on our own.  It was worth it!

 

Bobby Hjortsberg and Julie Lea New Orleans
Freret Captain Bobby Hjortsberg & Nyx Captain Julie Lea

 

JL What’s the best piece of advice you ever got about running a krewe and who was it from?

BH I bet I know why you asked this question lol.  The best piece of advice I ever got about running the Krewe of Freret was don’t wait. We were told not to wait until we thought  we were ready to get a permit or until we were “big enough” because we would never feel ready for such a huge step.  We were also told if we waited we would never get it because the competition for permits was growing and there were only a finite number of them left. It was you of course who gave us this advice. Without that guidance its a pretty safe bet that we would have never been successful in getting a permit and ultimately fulfilling our dream of parading down St. Charles ave.  We will forever be grateful for that piece of advice and all of the other help we got from you and Nyx along this awesome journey!

 

The Krewe of Freret’s membership is currently open.  For more information, visit their site,  www.kreweoffreret.com. 

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New Orleans Mardi Gras – The Festival with indescribable feelings.

 

The feeling of attending Mardi Gras is incomparable with any feeling, but being at the forefront of the parade is a feeling indescribable.

Mardi Gras  is a must in New Orleans. It is one of the celebrations of the year with exciting sights and sounds and floats. You will never know the worth of the season until you attend one. It is not enough for you to attend, you must plan it carefully to relinquish every moment.

Yes, millions all over the world love the Mardi Gras. People plan their trips just to get a feel of the Mardi Gras celebration. As exciting as this sounds, nothing can be compared when you are part of the parade team. To be part of the parade, you must be join a krewe.

The Mardi Gras season is the season where every kind of dressing is simply imaginable. It is an event-loaded period with contests for the best costumes with the crowd watching with much as much fun and enthusiasm as the parades themselves.

You cannot talk about the Mardi Gras without making mention of beads, stuffed animals, cups, and doubloons. You will hear the crowd cheering, “Throw me something, Mister!” at the riders of the floats. Get ready with your cloth bag or sturdy plastic to get a hold of all treasures thrown at you. You must be ready for the fun because some people due to over-excitement may grab the beads you have collected. The fun never ends until midnight on Mardi Gras night.

 

Each year the Mystic Krewe of Nyx parades on the Wednesday night before Mardi Gras.  If you have the chance to see it, you won’t be disappointed.  Just yell for the ladies “Throw me something Sister!” to catch some of the fun swag and useful throws that Nyx is known for.

We hope to see you all on the Avenue!

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Krewe Leader- A conversation with Julie Lea

 

 

Written by: Julie Couret.  Julie is a charter member of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx.  She is a leadership team development coach and CEO of her company, 7602coach.com.

 

In the off season of Carnival, I sat down with Mystic Krewe of Nyx Founder and Captain Julie Lea. With a krewe of over 3,300 women founded only seven years ago, I was eager to hear the correlation between Julie’s role in creating from nothing New Orleans’ supreme all female super krewe.

Me: Julie, you’ve been an organizational leader in your career. What is the primary similarity between leading a carnival krewe and a workplace team?

Julie L: I think leading a parade is the same as leading a team in the workplace because in both situations you need people to buy into the organizations missions and goals. In the workplace employees are paid a salary to carry out those goals and missions.

In a parade it is different because the members of the organization pay to have fun and are there because they want to be. They are there for entertainment and enjoyment away from their jobs and other responsibilities.

Me: That is an interesting point, these women choose to be a part of Nyx. Julie, you mentioned “buy in” as a key piece in the organization, whether that woman is sitting in a cubicle or standing on a float. Tell me more.

Julie L: Leading people is really the same no matter what the title or specific job. You have make people feel valued and a part of what you are trying to accomplish. As Krewe Captain I have to clearly let my members know my expectations so we put our best foot forward to the community in our parade and other events throughout the year. In turn, I listen to them and adjust plans at times based on suggestions and ideas to improve the way we do things. Most people are extremely proud to belong to a group or organization. I always strive to build on that pride to make us the best we can be.

Me: As a Nyx member myself, I personally understand that feeling of pride to be representing this krewe and at the same time, being a part of something bigger than me. And you provided this opportunity for me and several other thousand women. And we know the path wasn’t paved when you went to create this krewe. That has got to feel good!

Julie L: The legacy I hope to leave in the pages of Mardi Gras history is that I was a leader who saw an opportunity to bring women together. That I didn’t take no for an answer and created an amazing Sisterhood. I also hope I’m remembered as a leader who pushed the envelope. My wish is that the Krewe of Nyx will remain a source of joy and happiness for women and the community of New Orleans long after I am gone.

 Julie Lea Nyx Captain