#missfishercon2024

[adventuressclubamericas]

Wishing a very happy birthday to Mr. Nathan Page!

[adventuressclubamericas]

We are beyond excited to announce that everyone's favorite Detective Inspector, Nathan Page, will be joining us in New Orleans this July - in person! - for Miss Fisher Con 2024!

Have you registered yet? Space is very limited - don't wait!

[adventuressclubamericas]

For more than 150 years, Rex has reigned as New Orleans' King of Carnival. Many of the holiday's traditions - including the signature colors of purple, gold and green - originated with this super krewe. While many krewes now toss doubloons, Rex was the first, and they remain their signature throw to this day. Their parade - 440 riders and 26 exquisite floats - works its way throughout the city, and is seen by many as the culmination of Mardi Gras.

To learn more about the Rex Organization, also known as the School of Design, visit 

[adventuressclubamericas]

We went to New Orleans in large part because of the efforts of Irma Martin. She was born in the Big Easy, loved the city, its traditions (especially the parades) and its people. She also loved ACotA, and knew we and the city would be a perfect match, and was so excited for us to come. Sadly, Irma passed away in May. In her honor and memory, we held a Second Line parade on Saturday afternoon.

[adventuressclubamericas]

A few images from our amazing sessions during Miss Fisher Con 2024 in New Orleans

Fandom, Feminism, and Sexuality - Dr. Cassian Sparks-Vian La Francophonie à la Louisiane - Ryan Wadsworth & Hilary Dixon Nathan Page interview, with Mary Holste Dance break: Minnie the Moocher - Masie Lancaster Miss Fisher’s Finery - Hat Fashion of the 1920s - Pam Wilkerson Surveilance, Secrets & Seduction: WWI’s Sorority of Spies - Jeneen Preciose All the Way from the Folies Bergère - Bee Bee Sanchez

[adventuressclubamericas]

Check out this incredible session coming to Miss Fisher Con this summer:

Fandom, Feminism, and Sexuality The Miss Fisher fandom boasts a fabulous collection of feminists ready to follow in Phryne’s footsteps and fight the good fight for women’s rights. The history of fandom and feminism has long been intertwined. In this session, we’ll review the history from the earliest fan conventions and fanzines of the 1960s to modern fan fiction and the complex relationshiop between women, fandom, and sexual expression.

Presented by Cassian Sparks-Vian. Will we see you there?

[adventuressclubamericas]

A few more from Miss Fisher Con 2024 and our special guest, Nathan Page.

[adventuressclubamericas]

Each year, the ACotA Board and the Con committee wear a scarf designed especially for that year’s Con. This year’s scarf has elements of Jack’s footie scarf and his special tie in addition to the con logo and year, as well as a special element in honor of Irma.

For the first time ever, we are offering a limited number of these scarves as a gift with a donation to ACotA of $250 or more. We will not make them again, and they're going fast, so if you want one, donate today. Scarves must be picked up at the Con. They make a great keepsake, and they even have plenty of space for an autograph from a certain DI.

You will need to log in to place your order. Not a member yet? This is a great time to join.

https://missfishercon.com/event-5759108

[adventuressclubamericas]

In my quest to find a laundromat close to our Con hotel, I came across The Lost Sock on Rampart.

This is a really cool place.

Yes, you can get your clothes clean there, but it's not just a laundromat. It's also a gallery and arts venue, because this is New Orleans and of course it is. What's even cooler, though, is what this building used to be. From 1947-1956 this was the home of J&M Recording Studios. Inside these walls some of the greats, including Fats Domino and Little Richard, laid down some of the tracks that we know and love them for. A good argument could be made for this laundromat as a contender for being the birthplace of rock and roll.

The Lost Sock is a little more than a half mile from the Royal Sonesta, across the street from New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park and about a block away from Congo Square.

[adventuressclubamericas]

For tonight's musical interlude, from S1E3, The Green Mill Murder, here's Fletcher Henderson and The Baltimore Bell Hops with Hot and Anxious.

[adventuressclubamericas]

Cool Stuff in New Orleans – Joanie on the Pony In a small park near the French Market stands a bronze equestrian statue of New Orleans’ unofficial* Patron Saint, Joan of Arc. Affectionately known by some as Joanie on the Pony, how she came to the corner of Decatur and N. Peter St. is a story unto itself. The New Orleans statue is one of several castings made by French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet in the late 1800s. While all of her sisters found homes around the world, our Joan languished, all but forgotten, in a dusty warehouse for years. A New York company bought the warehouse, found the statue, and knew exactly where she belonged – so sent her to New Orleans. Where she went back into storage in another warehouse for more than a decade. The main issue this time was money. The city was having a hard time coming up with the funds needed to install her. When French president Charles de Gaulle found out about the situation, he decided to help foot the bill. De Gaulle convinced the cities of Orléans, Paris, Rouen, and Reims, to contribute to the cause. Finally, in 1972, St. Joan was installed in her park – named the Place de France at the request of the French – on Canal Street. She stood proudly here for many years. Until Harrah’s decided they wanted to use the land for something else and tried to get rid of her. After a long legal battle, the courts allowed Harrah’s to remove her – but only if they paid to move and install the statue elsewhere in the city. Which is how Joanie on the Pony came to the new Place de France where she stands proudly today. Maybe stop by and say Hello when you’re in town for Miss Fisher Con! For more cool stuff in New Orleans, visit https://www.missfishercon.com/new-orleans

One of the New Orleans’ Joan’s “sisters” found her home in front of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne!

[adventuressclubamericas]

Cool Stuff in New Orleans – Music Box Village

In New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood there stands a unique sculpture garden. While appearing to be a collection of treehouses and cottages, each “house” is in fact a musical instrument. The work of the more than 80 artists with the New Orleans Airlift arts program, Music Box Village is “…inspired by the everyday presence of music in New Orleans, and the city’s under-celebrated class of tinkerers, inventors, and avant-garde musicians….” During public hours, guests are invited to experiment with sound-play; the site is also a performance venue for local, regional, and national acts. Music Box Village also hosts arts workshops in many different media, and invites its guests to sample local cuisine and beverages at the on-site bar.

For more information about Music Box Village, visit https://musicboxvillage.com/

For more cool stuff in New Orleans, check out missfishercon.com/new-orleans

[adventuressclubamericas]

For tonight's musical interlude, wanted to find something that hit all of our "main" themes this year - the 20s, the 60s, and New Orleans.

[adventuressclubamericas]

New Orleans Food of the Month – Muffuletta

The muffuletta - a sandwich made with mortadella, Capicola ham, Genoa salami, provelone, olive spread and great bread - is a true New Orleans original. Sicilian immigrant Lupo Salvadore invented it when he opened his Central Grocery in the early 1900s. Central Grocery is closed for renovations, but you can still get an original muffuletta from several locations in town. Other establishments throughout the Quarter also offer their own version of the sandwich. Try one while you're in town for Miss Fisher Con!

[adventuressclubamericas]

We’ve been getting questions about proper etiquette during Irma’s second line parade. Let’s see if we can clear some of those up. Second lines come from jazz funerals, where a brass band would lead the casket and mourners to the cemetery playing slow, mournful dirges. For the funeral procession, there’s definitely proper etiquette. Once the body has been buried, though, the band starts playing up-tempo tunes, and everyone starts dancing and celebrating life. It’s this part, the celebrating part, that we recognize as a “second line” parade today. So what’s the etiquette for a second line? Basically – Don’t interrupt the musicians Don’t touch their instruments If you’re joining a parade already in progress, join from back. That’s pretty much it. Now, about the dancing…if you’re afraid that you won’t be able to do the “right” dance, that you’ll somehow mess it up, don’t worry. There is no one right way to dance a second line. Just move to the music with love in your heart, and you can’t go wrong.

About the parasols and handkerchiefs… The parasols seen in second lines are often highly decorated, but they don’t have to be. There’s also no special color for them. With the handkerchiefs, what I keep coming across is “white.” That said, if you happen to carry a handkerchief of a different color, nobody is going to mind. What if you don’t want to carry a parasol or handkerchief? No problem! You don’t have to, they aren’t required, carry only if you want to. If you do want to, though, we’ve got something going for handkerchiefs. If you’d prefer a parasol, the Con committee has put together a list of sources, or you might try any store that sells wedding favors – here are a few:

[adventuressclubamericas]

Photo taken on Canal Street, New Orleans, one summer in the late 1920s.

Have you started packing for Miss Fisher Con in New Orleans yet?

There’s really no escaping it, July in New Orleans is going to be hot and sticky (daytime temperatures in the 90s, coupled with high humidity). Here are a few wardrobe tips to help beat the heat without sacrificing that Miss Fisher style:

Choose natural, breathable fabrics like cotton and, especially, linen. Since wool wicks moisture away from the body, a lightweight wool wouldn’t be a bad choice, either.

Legend tells us that the modern seersucker suit was invented in New Orleans, making it a perfect choice for the climate.

Choose looser fitting clothes. Form-fitting clothes become uncomfortable real fast in the heat.

Wear a hat, preferably one made of straw. Going without one is inviting the sun to bake you. You should also consider carrying a small umbrella for some handy shade-on-the-go – and as a bonus, you’ll be ready for the brief, but intense, pop-up showers that go hand in hand with hot and humid days.

Shoes – while not directly related to the heat, pretty much everyone agrees that you do not want to wear open-toed shoes on Bourbon Street. Especially after it rains. Also, low heels, wedges, and flats will make navigating the cobblestones much easier and safer.

Hope this has been helpful! Cannot wait to see you all in New Orleans – in just a couple of weeks!