Musicians' Village

Since it has received a lot of wonderful media attention, many of you have probably seen pictures of colorful Musicians’ Village. It is a cluster of homes being built by Habitat for Humanity in the Upper Ninth Ward on land purchased by several well-known musicians after Hurricane Katrina. Although the homes are not limited to musicians, part of the original intent was to help bring musicians back to the city. To qualify for a home, applicants must provide documentation that illustrates that they can pay the modest (interest-free) mortgage.

Although most of our work with Habitat has not been at Musicians’ Village, often we help there on Saturdays when crews are not working at our regular site in East New Orleans. Last Saturday Keith used his step building skills while Bev worked on landscaping. We both got a lot of work done, but the best part was getting acquainted with some of the musicians who live in Musicians’ Village.

Dewey enjoyed selecting and planting two sweet olive trees and other plants donated by Home Depot. As his sweatshirt indicated, he was playing (string bass) at Preservation Hall that evening.

Sitting on the step is Dewey's neighbor, Troy Sawyer, who is a trumpet player. We enjoyed hearing him Saturday night at a coffee shop on Frenchmen Street. Lisa is a horticulture student who hopes to switch from a career in law to vegetable farming!

Many hands make light work!