Of course, with Jazz Fest in effect, festers are checking out their (often ingenious) headgear. But they have nothing on attendees at the recent Heart of the Park Hat Luncheon at City Park. The event, held by the New Orleans Town Gardeners and Friends of City Park, saw an array of toppers that reflected the city’s penchant for things colorful, creative and often outside the box. Proceeds from this inaugural event, which gives a nod to the famed Central Park Conservancy Hat Luncheon in New York, will go to City Park’s management of its magnificent trees, as well as local projects such as The Edible Schoolyard and Grow Dat Youth Farm. And that’s worth a tip of the hat any day.
We snapped a few photos to give you an idea of just what delightful concoctions New Orleanians can come up with when they put their heads together.
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- Butterflies flutter attractively at Hat Luncheon at City Park (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Margot Dubos beautifully channeled the state flower. (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Hats arow in the Arbor Room at Popp’s Fountain in City Park. (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- A bouquet to floral creativity (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Jesse Haynes goes strikingly minimalist (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Betty Hope brimming with color (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Confession: a selfie by the author (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- A self-described Vietnamese theme (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Nell Nolan, for once on the other side of the social camera (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Midge Morse, rose grower extraordinaire (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- The rouge and the noir in flowers (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Members of this group gathered beforehand to create a forest of oak-themed toppers (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Blue symphony (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Jackie Sullivan bowls ’em over (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Blue roses and a bird in the hand (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Toile lends a royal touch (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Blossoms in blue (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Perfectly accessorized (Photos: Renee Peck)
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- Color, color everywhere (Photos: Renee Peck)