583. Ed Branley. Streetcars, Part 1

583. Part 1 of our most recent conversation with Ed Branley, also known as the NOLA History Guy. "The clanging of a streetcar’s bell conjures images of a time when street railways were a normal part of life in the city. Historic Canal Street represents the common ground between old and new with buses driving alongside steel rails and electric wires that once guided streetcars. New Orleans was one of the first cities to embrace street railways, and the city’s love affair with streetcars has never ceased. New Orleans: The Canal Streetcar Line showcases photographs, diagrams, and maps that detail the rail line from its origin and golden years, its decline and disappearance for almost 40 years, and its return to operation. From the French Quarter to the cemeteries, the Canal Line ran through the heart of the city and linked the Creole Faubourgs with the new neighborhoods that stretched to Lake Pontchartrain" (Hickory Stick Bookshop).

     "A former High School History teacher turned computer consultant and trainer, Branley was born just north of Boston, MA, in 1958. His family moved to New Orleans when he was two, and he's called metro NOLA home ever since. Educated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart at Brother Martin High School in Gentilly (Class of 1976), he also holds a B.A. in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans (Class of 1980). Branley taught at Redeemer High School before opening his own computer consulting business. He continues to teach, primarily in the computer specialty of Storage Area Networking." An avid fan of streetcar and public bus transportation, Branley's first book New Orleans, the Canal Streetcar Line, won critical acclaim across the city (Amazon).

1. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 220 years. Order your copy today!
   
2. This week in Louisiana history. July 20 1661 Piere LeMoyne Iberville born
   
3. This week in New Orleans history. July 21, 1967. The Green Bridge (the unofficial local name of the Paris Road Bridge) carrying Louisiana Highway 47 across the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet between St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans opened on July 21, 1967. The bridge replaced the Paris Road pontoon bridge. The name "the Green Bridge" came from it originally being painted green. About 1980 it was repainted brown, and more recently grey, but locals continued referring to it as "the green bridge". (Wiki)
   
4. This week in Louisiana.
   13th Annual Bayou BBQ Bash
   Event Dates: July 26th-27th, 2024
   Presented by the Morgan City Marine Corps League
   The annual Bayou BBQ Bash is a BCA Sanctioned State Championship BBQ Competition held rain or shine in Morgan City, LA each July.
   Thursday, July 25, 2024
   Meet the cooks and enjoy the unveiling of LA Shrimp & petroleum Festival Poster 
   Holiday Inn Express  
   5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
   Friday, July 26, 2024
   BBQ Bash will be under the U.S. 90 Bridge in Morgan City.  There will be food vendors, arts, and crafts from 4 p.m. -9:30 p.m., and live music by Cliff Hillebran from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
   Saturday, July 27, 2024
   There will be arts & crafts and food vendors at 10 a.m., DJ from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., and live music by South 70 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
   Come join and enjoy some food anytime.
   For more information, please contact Bill at
   (985) 384-3446
   (985) 372-8880
   email at wgoessl@hotmail.com.
   
5. Postcards from Louisiana. Cajun Band on Royal Street.

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