Crime Blotter: Reported offenses in the Tri-parishes
July 9, 2013
Gumbo contributor partakes in rodeo, nabs unique catch
July 11, 2013
The pounding of hooves is replaced by skates on asphalt, and the risk of death by the possibility of scrapes and bruises as New Orleans, in Spanish flair, hosts its seventh annual Running of the Bulls.
Perhaps one of the city’s most unique events, San Fermin en Nueva Orleans is structured around its El Encierro, or Running of the Bulls event, coined from the Sanfermines event in Pamplona, Spain, where bulls are released into the streets to chase attendees risking a fatal outcome. The four-day festival commences July 11.
Native of the New Orleans West Bank, Mickey Hanning attended the Pamplona Running of the Bulls and decided to bring his own version to the city of New Orleans, gathering four friends and a few other organizations for help.
“It was Mardi Gras day when I saw someone else who had gone to Spain,” Hanning said. “He and I started sharing our experience and said ‘Hey, why don’t we recreate it here?’ We thought we would have our girlfriends chase us around, which is how the rollergirls got involved.”
Hanning decided to attend the Sanfermines Running of the Bulls in 2001, an experience he claimed was almost indescribable.
“This is an event everyone should go to,” Hanning said. “It’s amazing to see how a city about the size of the French Quarter can pack in so many people. The event is eight days long, and the people are so friendly. It was a surreal kind of feeling; very neat to see that in a different culture.”
The “bulls” of New Orleans are roller-derby ladies who get to experience a special aspect of the run that no one else is privileged to know.
“It’s exhilarating, and it’s lots of fun,” said Theresa O’Neal, or “Star-ree Eyed Surprize” from New Orleans. “It’s great watching everyone’s face as you’re coming through. I like to sneak up behind someone and growl. One time I had one girl fall to the ground and cry because she thought I was going to attack her.”
Their pilot year, Hanning and his group weren’t expecting much.
“We had May and June to put it together,” Hanning said. “We didn’t really have any marketing; we were using MySpace as an avenue of getting the word spread. We were expecting maybe 50 people and had 13 roller girls. When we got to the venue the first four people to show up were people I didn’t know. When we walked outside there were a few hundred people.”
The festival has grown in events and size since then. The one-day happening now spans four days and sees more than 14,000 runners and 400 derby girls the day of the El Encierro.
“It’s always going to be a bizarre, but exciting experience,” said Jennifer Nunez, or “Sista Boom Boom,” of the Cajun Rollergirls in Houma-Thibodaux. “It’s a kind of rush, and you get this natural engagement with people. We’re kind of like celebrities for the day because, after, people want to take pictures with you.”
Though Hanning said they use no real advertising besides social media and word of mouth, the event has experienced exponential growth since 2007, adding partners and events associated with the festival.
The newest event is a Thursday night wine dinner, the Marqués de Cáceres, held at the Bourbon Orleans hotel for guests to enjoy tasting the wines and dinner. The night before the bull run features the El Txupinazo, a large pre-party held at the Sugar Mill on Convention Center Boulevard. The free party hosts Spanish musicians and serves many authentic dishes to set the mood for the fiestas to follow.
Participants of the Running of the Bulls meet at the Sugar Mill early Saturday morning, where the bulls begin running at 8 a.m. That evening, the runners and the bulls can rest easy at the afterparty, La Fiesta de Pantalones (The Pants Party) at Maison on Frenchman Street.
“We added the Saturday night event to keep the ball rolling,” Hanning said. “We were working the door at first but handed it off to the bar. We told them, ‘You guys do it, and we’ll show up.’”
Sunday provides a way to wind down and recuperate at El Pobré de Mi at Maison. The event is known for its annual Ernest Hemmingway Celebration and Talent Contest that provides entertainment for guests as they eat tapas and drink cocktails. The contest features readings, skits and a Hemingway look-alike contest that includes prizes for the winners.
“The Sunday event was born from some friends of ours and was very much Hemingway inspired,” Hanning said.
San Fermin continues to thrive and draw visitors from across the United States. Though registration isn’t necessary, it does get the runner into the cool, conditioned air once the festivities begin and are a crucial way to keep the event going.
“The hope and plan every year is not to lose any money,” Hanning said. “It gets more and more expensive with more people and more events. So many people come out to do the run and take off but we really need everyone to pitch in; buy t-shirts, a koozie and a drink.”
The proceeds from the event don’t go to Hanning’s checkbook. The Nola Bulls group puts the money toward next year’s event while also making generous donations to the Animal Rescue of New Orleans and the Louisiana Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“We’ve always managed to make, save and donate,” said Hanning. “It’s not something we’re hoping to retire on – we all have full time jobs – but it’s something we enjoy and hope to enjoy for some time to come.”
– esther@gumboguide.com
Tracy Nelton, known as Olive Torture with the Cajun Rollergirls, delivers a sideways grin during El Encierro, which features bat-toting rollergirls chasing runners through New Orleans.
