Spring Break 2009 Stories: Part 3

Due to our eviction from the previous evening, we moved the bus to our friend Becka’s house in the Garden District, where we are able to enjoy the pleasures of indoor plumbing and the World Wide Interweb. On Monday morning we woke up early again, and walked around a nearby cemetery looking for zombies and discussing serious issues like “Do you think vampires ever get tricked by an eclipse?”.

Our first event of the day, we dropped off about 15 bicycles at R.U.B.A.R.B. (Rusting Up Beyond All Recognition Bicycles) for their bicycle program as well as donating some helmets that were given to us by Erin Briggs, another Books on Wheels volunteer. Afterwards, we went to Sylvanie Elementary School in Center City where we gave out books to the students who also got to see the bus. In the afternoon, we returned to Israelite Baptist Church where the most honorable Rev. Larry Campbell invited us back for the third year. The beginning of the afternoon was quiet, and then Rev. Larry arrived. True to his profession, he was a shepherd for us, bringing groups of people from the neighborhood, and we remained busy for the rest of the day.

Monday evening consisted of a really great dinner at Deanie’s (not Denny’s) where everyone got to experience New Orleans food at its finest. Ward served as the entertainment for the evening, using de-tailed crawfish as finger puppets. Later, Ward and I provided music to a bar that had a broken juke box, and in our minds, we were greatly appreciated by fellow patrons. In our minds.
Tuesday was our last day in New Orleans before driving home. We returned to Slyvanie Elementary School again and then to our last event at Alvar Branch Library. Again, the crowd was good, and people seemed excited about receiving books, book bags, PowerAde, and getting their bikes fixed. A group of kids hung out almost all afternoon, and we were donated brownies to help us with the drive home. As the grand finale, an hour before we are to leave, a kid came over to us to ask if we could fix his bike if he went home and got it and I said sure. He shows up with a bike frame; no wheels, no seat, nothing. We plugged away at it and with the help of Ward, Steve, Mickey and his buddies, as Kate took care of distributing books, we built this kid a monster bike. And he was stoked.

As the kid road off on his new bike around 6 o’clock that evening, the bus also headed home. Hopefully, his ride home was shorter than 20 hours.

Books on Wheels would like to thank our Spring Tour 2009:
Joe’s Inn
Video Fan
SNAFU BMX
Six Burner
River City Roller Girls