Stories from the St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans (Landmarks) by Asher Sally

Author:Asher, Sally [Asher, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2015-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

Antoinette K-Doe with her mannequin of Ernie K-Doe. Courtesy of Cheryl Gerber .

Antoinette’s indefatigable spirit proved essential during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She had never evacuated before for a hurricane and prepared for it by dismantling K-Doe’s mannequin and storing the pieces in plastic bags in an upstairs closet. When floodwaters came into the lounge, she put on a swimsuit and moved her memorabilia upstairs. During Katrina’s aftermath, she took in a wayward college student and made pots of spaghetti for people who came (or rowed) by. She was not welcoming to everyone , however; when she heard men on the street talking about breaking into the lounge to get whiskey, she fired a shotgun over their heads, yelling, “I have more bullets!” Antoinette and her granddaughter Racquel stayed for seven days until they waved down a helicopter. Once Antoinette returned Racquel to her mother, she made her way back to New Orleans in a purple ambulance with “It’s Finger Poppin’ Time!” painted across the front. Eventually she traded the wheels for her 1991 Cadillac hearse, which she used not only for hauling but also to tell the National Guard that she was returning to the city for a “pickup.” They let her in.

The Mother-in-Law Lounge took on six feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, but with the help of Hands On New Orleans (a volunteer organization) and R&B star Usher, a year and a day after Katrina, the bar reopened. Over three thousand people attended the event, which featured an open casket where guests could write a memory of Katrina. The casket was buried next to the lounge, at a spot that was previously used for the pink Cadillac limousine of K-Doe’s that was destroyed in the storm. Antoinette also built an effigy of Katrina that, according to her friend Cree McCree, was a “butt-ugly creature clad in pointy wicked witch shoes.” After numerous attempts to bury it, someone suggested they burn it. Without missing a beat, Antoinette responded, “I’ll get the lamp oil.” 290

Aside from resurrecting her husband’s career, Antoinette was instrumental in the resurgence of the Baby Dolls, a Carnival organization dating back to the Storyville era when the sex industry was legal (but segregated). A rivalry existed between the white and black districts, and one year (presumably around 1910), the black district heard that their Storyville counterparts were going to costume for Mardi Gras and wanted to come up with outfits to compete, calling themselves “Baby Dolls.” For black prostitutes to mask and dance in the streets was unheard of at the time. The women wore short satin dresses, stockings, garters and bonnets. The Baby Dolls died out, but in early 2000, Antoinette helped revive the tradition. With the assistance of Miriam Batiste Reed, considered the “sought-after figure on all things Baby Doll,” Antoinette held workshops at the lounge on how to make their outfits. Antoinette decided to “clean up” their act and took great pains to distinguish the “Ernie K-Doe’s Baby Dolls” as professional women with charitable interests.

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