ICCFA funeral Convention in NOLA 2016!

Hello Sweet people -

Whats better than a funeral convention in New Orleans?

You know I have been waiting my entire life to go to New Orleans. I have always thought it was the only other place in the USA where people like me ( rather overly romantic musical artistic beauty loving freaks who do not fit in well other places ) could survive & thrive outside of San Francisco. So when I heard the annual ICCFA was taking place in NOLA this year I was ready and began the arduous process of gathering the obscene amount of money it takes to exhibit at any funeral convention !

WELL IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! As a previous musician the level of the musicianship both on the street (and amazingly) hired inside the ICCFA convention was arresting to say the least! We have lots of street musicians in SF but these people are seriously rule!

and of course the Alligator shoes...

There was a full Treme Jazz funeral INSIDE the Morial Convention Hall with a 2nd line & we were given hankies & all invited to join in ! ( SO much fun! )

When I saw my first REAL Mardi Gras Indian I actually cried!

The people from New Orleans REALLY understood our KINKARA-KART™ funeral caissons BECAUSE-

they use funeral caissons all the time! (My kind of people...)

Our KINKARACO booth as usual was unlike any other booth at the Convention .It was like a portal to the great outdoors!

(13th Century products for the 21st Century !)

The really good news is this year the people knew more about GREEN BURIAL and SHROUDS than ever before and were actually POSITIVE about it!

No dirty looks! No nasty comments ( like at ICCFA 2014 when some funeral home owner walked by and said out of the side of his mouth : "Well , I hope THAT never catches on!") Why Yes Sir - Green Burial and Shroud burial in particular IS catching on because of the many other hard working people like us in the GBC have been promoting it tirelessly over the past 11 years !

What is phenomenal considering before we began working in a green cemetery in 2004 only Jews and Muslims could be buried in a shroud and only in specific religious cemeteries . Tree huggers and others who wanted a simple burial for environmental reasons were out of luck. So we designed the first SECULAR shroud for easy use for funeral professionals and families ( because we saw up close and personal that using shawls, quilts and sheets is a big mess! We have design strong , leakage proof ,easy to lower BEAUTIFUL 100% biodegradable shrouds for green burial AND cremation JUST FOR YOU ! We have now created a NEW NICHE within the funeral industry and are now kind of "mainstream"- How weird !

The Green Burial Council had our annual meeting at ICCFA and it was really great to see cemeterians and funeral directors I have worked with for years over the phone but never actually met! Also the new GBC board gave a presentation and talked turkey about the future . Better functionality and less complicated certification process with more direct benefit to providers. Yes!

The newcomers like our friends at QEEPER & COELIO (were there exhibiting as well this year.( Now they get the looks! )

Of course I just HAD to get to the VOO DOO MUSEUM to visit Madame Marie Lavoe:

and her "friends & relatives..."

Oh, did I mention the food?????? Next time you're in New Orleans don't miss -

Cane & Table on Decatur for dinner (So DIVINE! ) and The Ruby Slipper on Magazine for that Fried Green Tomatoes, grits ,eggs and bisquits breakfast! Yum!

We had a wonderful time at the Convention and feel hopeful for the future of the Green/Natural funeral movement (which is becoming an option almost as accepted as cremation almost is which in this industry is a good thing! )

Please leave us a comment and your favorite places in New Orleans!

Bye for now!

Your friend in the Charnal Grounds

Esmerelda