New Orleans Weekend Events to Consider for January 27-29, 2012:

-Wizard World Comic Con at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. Check out my New Orleans Comic Con preview article for the details.

-It's the Year of the Dragon according to the  Chinese New Year and Tet Vietnamese New Year, which officially starts on Monday with the lunar New Year, but you can celebrate this weekend in New Orleans.  Thousand will show up for the popular Tet Fest at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, 5069 Willowbrook Drive in New Orleans East.  Church volunteers will be selling all kinds of Vietnamese food, as well as a bit of Latino food, at the line of booths.  Also expect games, arts, crafts, and music.   Entry is free.  January 27 -29, 2012.  Tonight starting at 6:30 pm;  Saturday 9 am - 10 pm; Sunday 9 am - 9 pm.

-There's an  All American Handyman casting call for  men and women with DYI skills and personality.  It's for a reality TV series of course.  Bring two photos of yourself, six photos of your work, and a resume, to the W Hotel, 333 Poydras St., downtown New Orleans;  Sunday, 10 am - noon.

-If you are planning a wedding, you  might be interested in a free Concert of Sacred Songs and Wedding Music to b e presented at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1802 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, on Sunday at 7 pm.

Happy Weekend!

If you have been wondering if and when the New Canal Lighthouse, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina,  will return to New Orleans, JoAnn Burke, the Education Coordinator  for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, will discuss the current effort   tonight at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Jefferson Regional Library, 474 W. Napoleon, Metairie.    Pre-Katrina and current plans for the Lighthouse include an  education center for the public.  Pieces of the historic Lighthouse were saved when it was dismantled in 2007.  Work was reportedly  expected to take about six months per a construction contract signed last July.

The 2012 Wizard World Comic Con tour kicks off here in New Orleans this weekend. It will be pure  pop-culture, including films, tv, comic books, genres such as sci-fi & horror, video games, toys, and more. The big event features a slew of actors, artists, writers, as well as other celebrities and industry insiders. Big names at the New Orleans Wizard World event include William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk, and Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk. You could also learnStar Wars lightsaber fighting or enjoy other VIP Experiences, photo ops, and other specials at an extra cost. And the there will be unique Comic Con shopping opportunities.

Weatherfest  is a unique - and free -  event courtesy of the  American Meteorological Society,  which is holding its 92nd Annual Meeting in New Orleans this Sunday.  It could spark an new interest for kids and adults.  And anyone that already has an interest in  the weather (and who isn't in New Orleans), meteorology, oceanography, or science in general will be in heaven.

Highlights of the Weatherfest supersized science fair include hands-on experiments  and demonstrations.    Visitors can meet meteorologists, storm chasers and hurricane huntrers.

Plus, there will information about  job and educational opportunities including scholarships for college and grad school.

Over 3000 people visited a similar Weatherfest in Seattle last year.

The Weatherfest is  at the Morial Convention Center (Hall C) from noon to 4 pm  this Sunday  (Jan.22, 2012).