NOLA

“The New Orleans I knew ain't no more.” – Micheal Davis. 

This rings true for citizens of New Orleans, Louisiana post-Hurricane Katrina.  A few years ago, my mother, a decorative painter who owns and runs the Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program, took on a project in City Park in New Orleans.  City Park is 1000 acres.  Every part of the park had damage.  There were trees that were over 100 years old that were just uprooted, gone.  Every building had upwards of six feet of water.  

wearing the mask I bought in the French Quarter

at Cafe Beignet

city skyline with my sister

my sister and I with Jane's daughter

As with the beginning of every project, my mom had to go look at the place so she could begin to plan.  She invited my sister and I to come along.  Upon our arrival, we went straight to City Park, where she met with the CFO of the park.  My sister and I sat together outside of the merry-go-round in shocked silence caused by the devastation surrounding us.  Mr. Hopper then led us around the park so we could see the project.  It became clear the amount of damage the park had sustained.  After City Park, mom’s friend Jane picked us up and drove us around the city.  It was then that I saw the Lower Ninth Ward for the first time.  It was eerie, to say the least.  After talking with Jane, it occurred to us that the only way we could help was to support the economy, so we decided to go out for dinner.  That night, in true southern style, Jane opened her home to us.  The next morning, we explored the French Quarter, experiencing the wonderful taste of beignets for the first time and doing some tourist shopping in an effort to try to help.

Although the trip was short-lived, it changed the way in which I view the world.  It made me realize that it is nearly impossible to experience something until you actually experience it.  I had seen the news, read the articles, and heard the stories post-Katrina.  None of that prepared me for driving through the Lower Ninth Ward.  All I could see were foundations of houses and the occasional still-standing home with encircled numbers spray painted on the front door representing the date of inspection, the number of survivors, and the number of people found dead inside.  The people who lived there feared.  They feared the government, that if they abandoned their homes for the shimmering hope of survival in the distance, that no one would help them when they returned.  At one point while driving through the Ninth Ward, we got out of the car.  I stood on the stoop of what once was a home.  I felt the desperation; I could smell it.  Being there showed me, a then-naïve-sixteen-year-old-private-school girl, to be aware of the bad things in the world and be extra-grateful for the good.

a destroyed home in New Orleans

a FEMA trailer

a rare still-standing home in the Lower Ninth Ward

closeup of the plea for help on the home above

a building with its roof torn off

broken dreams

'Shrooms

Nestled in southeastern Pennsylvania between Chadds Ford and Toughkennemon, Unionville and Hockessin, is the one-mile by one-mile town of Kennett Square.  This tiny town grows sixty-five percent of the mushrooms grown in America, making it the self-proclaimed Mushroom Capital of the World.  

Kennett Square’s large mushroom industry produces many hard-labor jobs, which are quite popular to immigrants.  Historically, immigrants wind up working in the agricultural, maintenance, construction, and food service industries. Southeastern Pennsylvania mushroom farms employ approximately nine thousand individuals.  Because of the need for a large manual workforce in Kennett Square, it is a popular immigration destination for many Hispanics. As a result, the percentage of Kennett Square’s population that is Hispanic is more than twice that of the national average (Kennett).  Along with a high percentage of Hispanics comes with a high population of non-English speakers.  This, in turn, causes a high level of racial and ethnic tension in the town at all levels.  Whether in the form of an elderly white woman trying to buy bread at a Mexican bakery, or a Hispanic student trying to understand his math teacher, there is an obvious brick wall between the white and Hispanic populations in Kennett Square. 

Each year, there is a festival to commemorate what put the town on the map.  The Mushroom Festival embodies the two days out of the year in which the racial and ethnic boundaries disappear.

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For citizens of Kennett Square, the Mushroom Festival, held the on the second weekend of September each year, is the pinnacle event of the year.  For those two days, the color of a person’s skin or the language he or she speaks does not matter.  On those two days the only thing that matters is cramming as many people as possible onto State Street, which is Kennett Square’s version of a Main Street, to enjoy what the mushroom industry has given the town.  Twenty-five years ago, when the festival began, it was just a small celebration among a few townspeople.  Today, over 100,000 people visit the mushroom festival each year.  Something unique about the festival is that it is entirely run by volunteers.  The community comes together, even just for those two days, to make something great.  On one end of State Street is the Mexican ice cream shop.  During the festival, there is an ice cream stand up the street.  People sample ice cream from both places, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.  Contrary to the rest of the year, crime is virtually non-existent during the festival.  The Mushroom Festival highlights the still present problem of racism.  Sure, it has changed from hatred for Jews in Germany, and hatred of blacks in America, but it is still here.  It is one thing to highlight a problem.  It is another entirely to solve it.  The festival temporarily does just that.

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Sources:

Barber, Chris. "Many Changes on Tap for This Year's Mushroom Festival." The Kennett Paper [Kennett Square] 1 Sept. 2010. Print.

Bastalick, Henrietta, Janice Taylor, and Richard Taylor. Kennett Square, Yesterday and Today: A History of the Borough of Kennett Square in the County of Chester in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Kennett Square: KNA, 1982. Print.

Forese, Bernadette. "Kennett Square Citizen on Mushroom Festival." Personal interview.

Hayward, Mary Ellen. Baltimore's Alley Houses: Homes for Working People since the 1780s. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2008. Print.

Horton, Tom. An Island Out of Time: A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

Hughes, Samuel. "Digging Routes." The Pennsylvania Gazette (2009): 38-45. Print.

"Kennett Square Pennsylvania (PA) Census and Detailed Community Profile - AmericanTowns.com." AmericanTowns.com: Online Local Community Network - Connecting The Community Is What We Do Best. 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.americantowns.com/pa/kennettsquare-information>.

Lafferty, Kathi. "Mushroom Festival Coordinator." Personal interview.

Mushroom Festival 2009 Kennett Square Pennsylvania USA. YouTube. 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1PK9MKBwtU>.

Mushroom Festival. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.mushroomfestival.org/>.

Taylor, Bayard. The Story of Kennett. Charleston: BiblioBazaar, 2008. Print.

KSQ: A Neighborhood Built on the Mushroom Industry

Waking up to the smell of freshly turned soil of a mushroom farm is how I know I'm home.  On any given morning, the entirety of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is overcome with the pungent smell of mushroom fertilizer.  We are the mushroom capital of the world.  It is this wonderful smell that unites the town of Kennett into one cohesive neighborhood.  We even have a Mushroom Festival each year to celebrate the wonderful food that put our town on the map.
Nestled neatly next to Route 1 between Chadds Ford and Toughkenamon latitudinally, Unionville and Hockessin longitudinally, in the heart of Southern Chester County, the town is primarily white and Hispanic, with a small black population.  While there are some predominately Hispanic sections of town, the people of Kennett live together in peace.
Although the community is primarily middle class, income in Kennett fully runs the gamut.  State Street, our version of Main Street, houses shops ranging from upscale boutiques, to restaurants, to a tattoo shop, to Mexican bakeries.
Kennett is a very safe community, where law enforcement openly drives around because it has nothing else to do.  One of the main factors in keeping Kennett safe is the Garage Youth Center, which plays host to the likes of homework help, private tutors, youth groups, and mentor programs.  Almost all of Kennett's youth has been to the Garage at one time or another, the result of which is profound on middle and high school age children.  Kennett's youth wants to go to school.
The combination of ideal location, abundant, coexistence, booming industry, and excellent education makes Kennett Square a wonderful place to live.
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"Born With a Hatchet and a Juggalo Face"

“What is a juggalo?

A juggalo

That's what it is

Well, [expletive], if I know

What is a juggalo?

I don't know

But I'm down with the clown

And I'm down for life, yo.”

Truer words were never spoken for a juggalo, a fan of Psychopathic Records artists.  This vast subculture does not simply have its own fashion, music, or dance; rather it has its own lifestyle.  From face paint to Faygo, the juggalo family has many customs and traditions.

As Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse states, "[Juggalos come] from all walks of life -- from poverty, from rich, from all religions, all colors. [...] It doesn't matter if you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or a crack rock in your mouth."

The degree to which juggalos dedicate themselves varies.  Some are covered in Psychopathic tattoos, never seen without face paint, and own half of Hatchet Gear.  Others simply like the attitudes of the Psychopathic artists.

That aside, the focus of juggalos is on the music.  Ultimately, it provides a harmless outlet for all things violent in nature, to which almost anyone can relate.

The juggalo family will no doubt continue to grow as Psychopathic Records continues to produce music.   

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Impacts

Tattoos: So What?

"The world is divided into two types of people: those who have tattoos and those afraid of people who have tattoos."  A tattoo is an art form, one that is both growing in popularity and acceptance.  This photo film explores the evolution of the popularity and acceptance of tattoos in American culture over the past one hundred years, ultimately focusing on the impact being tattooed has on employment.  Popular culture has evolved to accepting tattoos, with images of tattooed stars left and right.  Whether or not "real America" can become as open to change remains to be seen.
word count: 98

BJJ in MMA

Ask anyone who saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship 118 if Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has made an impact on Mixed Martial Arts and the answer will be a resounding yes.  This photo film investigates the impact that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has had on the world of martial arts.  Boxing legend James Toney was convinced that boxing is the most effective manner of fighting, sparking outrage in the MMA world.  UFC president Dana White arranged a fight between Toney and UFC Champion Randy Couture.  Determined to prove Toney wrong, not one fight on the UFC 118 card would be won by knockout.  Couture submitted Toney at 3:19 of round one.
word count: 108

Women in a Man's World

Wrestling is, in every sense of the word, a man's sport.  Eject the videocassette; insert the DVD.  Wrestling was a man's sport, at least until 2004 when the Olympic committee forced the world to reckon with female wrestlers by adding a women's division to the most elite level of competition.  This photo film delves deeply into the impact of adding a women's division to a traditionally male-centered sport, ultimately addressing the psychological impact segregation of sports has on each gender.  The song lyrics "Anything you can do, I can do better," quickly comes to mind.
word count: 94

Who am I?

My name is Maura Gay.  I am eighteen years old and come from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  I guess you could say I am a small-town girl at heart.

My family and friends are my strength.  My family consists of my mom, dad, and younger brother.  My mom is a painter, my dad a pharmaceutical consultant.  My brother is an amazing musician and one of my best friend.  Another of my best friends is Erin.  Erin inspires me every day to cope with whatever personal issues arise and make the most of them, while doing my best to better the lives of others.

The most meaningful place in my life is Lawler's Kenpo Karate studio in my hometown of Kennett Square.  It is here that I learned that "the most important thing is how you see yourself."  I try to live my life every day with this in mind.

I have two favorite traditions: one is a family tradition, the other a karate school tradition.  My favorite family tradition is the Italian tradition of The Feast of the Seven Fish, celebrated on Christmas Eve.  My entire extended family gathers together and we eat and drink the night away.  It is a wonderful celebration of family and Christmas, as well as traditional Italian values.  My other favorite tradition is the annual picnic for all the students and staff at Lawler's Kenpo Karate, held at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square.  We play pickup games of various sports, socialize, snipe each other with water guns, and eat delicious hot dogs and hamburgers made by our wonderful head instructor.  Everyone always has a fantastic time.  The picnic is a great way to relax and celebrate our accomplishments.

National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Association