New Orleans has dodged the bullet through Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike, suffering no major damage. Now, locals and visitors will let the good times roll with an upcoming holiday – not Mardi Gras but Halloween.

Anyone who has seen a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans has been fascinated by the huge, vibrantly colored, whimsical floats. They're mostly created by the Blaine Kern Studios, and have been since 1947.

Last year, that artistry and accompanying musicality were expanded to another holiday — Halloween. And 2008 will bring an enlarged celebration to the streets of New Orleans, when Kern Studios kicks off its first official Halloween Parade — dubbed Krewe of Boo – on Oct. 31t, featuring 24 floats and bands.

Following the free parade, the Halloween Costume Expose will take place. Despite the admission price of $100 per person, last year this event drew 1,000 participants — when no parade rolled out. This includes food, drinks and entertainment. Guests are encouraged to attend in costume.

Plans are to raise $1 million for First Responders, the New Orleans police,

firefighters and EMS departments. Why? This was all the idea of 82-year-old Blaine Kern Sr., who's producing the event.

"There was a cop who had been shot, who was living in a trailer," Kern said. "I threw a party and raised $175,000. Most of the First Responders were living and working in trailers prior to Hurricane Gustav. I want to get them back into houses," he said.

The parade will start at Napolean Avenue and St. Charles Avenue, roll along St. Charles to Canal Street. It will follow uptown like the Mardi Gras parade and end on Convention Center Boulevard at the new Blaine Kern facility next to the Earnest N. Morial Convention Center. This will sport a slave ship, voodoo festivals, a jazz studio and rock ‘n' roll music.

At least 35 restaurants and bars will participate in "Boo in the Quarter: A Toast to First Responders." Included are such famous watering holes as Antoine's, Arnaud's, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Galatoire's, Jean Lafitte's and Redfish Grill. Each features a special cocktail and menu from Oct. 25-31, with proceeds going to the First Responders Fund. Guests should ask for the Krewe of Boo First Responders Special.

Incidentally, the term Krewe — pronounced crew — originated in the early 19th century for groups who work on the floats and costumes or financed them in the Carnival parades; memberships formerly were hereditary. They're largely associated with New Orleans but are also found in other parts of the South.

Although Blaine's son Barry now is president of Kern Studios and his son Brian runs Kern Artists, Blaine Sr. never runs out of ideas. The philanthropic Kern has been captain of the Krewe of Alla for 50 years.

How did he get started? "My daddy was an artist during the Depression, but he couldn't make a living at it," Kern Sr. said. "Later, my mother needed an operation. I painted a mural to pay for it when I was 19 years old. The Captain of Rex, Darwin Fenner, saw it — I'm really good at what I do — and sent me to Viareggio, Italy to live and study floats. I made an 18-foot-tall gorilla, with a head that turned and eyes that moved. Walt Disney saw it and invited me out to Hollywood. I went there and he offered me a job. I turned him down, but I worked on Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy."

He started his studio in 1947 in Old Algiers, across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans. The main installation is still there. It houses numerous floats, including one depicting Marilyn Monroe. Today the floats are made of wood, fiberglass, urethane and fiber-optic lights.

The studio also makes characters and floats for the Captain Morgan Parade in Tampa, Fla.; Disney stores in Orlando, Fla.; Universal Studios, Orlando, Fla.; Disney Paris; Las Vegas casinos; and Parque Espana in Japan, among others.

Throughout the year, visitors to Mardi Gras World can still tour the facility beginning at 9:30 a.m. daily. They see the whimsical floats such as the brilliant 240-foot-long Leviathan, built for the 1999 carnival season. It cost $850,000 to build, features hundreds of thousands of fiber-optic lights and accommodated 100 riders. Youngsters get to create their own masks, visitors can dress up in costumes, then watch the artists work on floats. All are served a slice of purple, green and gold king cake.

IF YOU GO

For information on the Halloween festivities, call Mardi Gras World (see below) or online at www.kreweof boo.org.

For year-round tours of Mardi Gras World, call 504-361-7821 or online at

www.mardigrasworld.com.

For information on New Orleans, call the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, 504-566-5011 or visit online at www.neworleanscvb.com.

Molly Arost Staub is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Molly Arost Staub and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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