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Park Re-Opening Gives NOLA A Reason To Celebrate

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Not that people in New Orleans ever a really need a reason to celebrate, but yesterday was one of those days.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

WERTHEIMER: That's the Treme Brass Band playing at the reopening of Armstrong Park, which is named after New Orleans's favorite son, Louis Armstrong. The park is right next to the French Quarter and, like New Orleans, has a long, rich history. It was here that slaves gathered in the 1800s to sing and dance in an area called Congo Square. Some historians believe it's where American jazz was born. Hurricane Katrina damaged the park, and for the past six years it's been mostly closed to the public. With Armstrong Park's reopening, people are once again able to enjoy some of the Crescent City's special charm. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Linda Wertheimer
As NPR's senior national correspondent, Linda Wertheimer travels the country and the globe for NPR News, bringing her unique insights and wealth of experience to bear on the day's top news stories.