On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the historic Dew Drop Inn opened its doors to a full house of community members eager to explore the intersection of New Orleans music history and archival preservation. Community Day at the Dew Drop Inn with Tulane University Special Collections, a free event presented in collaboration with the Dew Drop Inn and sponsored by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, brought together history enthusiasts, first-time visitors, and music lovers for an afternoon of storytelling, live performance, and archival discovery in the redeveloped hotel and venue, which was founded in 1939 and reopened in 2024 after years of closure.
Celebrating New Orleans Musical Heritage
The Community Day event was a special, complimentary admission edition of the Dew Drop Inn’s weekly “Legends of the Dew Drop Inn: Road to Rock & Roll.” It drew a capacity crowd of attendees who were treated to a Creole brunch buffet and guided tour of Frank’s Barbershop, a gallery located in the original barbershop space named after founding Dew Drop Inn proprietor Frank Painia. The gallery features an exhibit including photographs and digitized audio from two TUSC collections, The Legend of the Dew Drop Inn documentary interviews by Julia Dorn (HJA-093) and the Ralston Crawford collection of New Orleans jazz photographs (HJA-098).
Guests also enjoyed a musical that traces the role and influence of New Orleans and the Dew Drop Inn on the 1950s origins of rock & roll. Jesse McBride, Senior Professor of Practice of Black American Music in the Newcomb Department of Music at Tulane, serves as bandleader for the production.
Bridging Past and Present Through Archives
As part of American Archives Month, TUSC staff shared educational resources, including information about caring for personal archives and TUSC holdings related to the Dew Drop Inn. Packets with these materials were distributed to attendees and are available for download, allowing access to those unable to attend the event in person.
Attendees had the opportunity to chat about archives with TUSC staff, including Collection Management Team members Erin Kinchen-Addicks and Jennifer Waxman, and Melissa A. Weber, curator of the Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz at TUSC, who coordinated the event in collaboration with Dew Drop Inn Communications Director Lauren Usher.
Gratitude and Community Impact
Community Day at the Dew Drop Inn with Tulane University Special Collections was presented as part of the Prima Memorial Series, which presents discourse and discussion around American popular music.
Thanks to the Gia Maione Prima Foundation's sponsorship, the event was presented as free to the public, removing barriers to cultural and educational engagement.
The success of Community Day at the Dew Drop Inn demonstrates the power of collaborations between educational institutions and historic venues to preserve, celebrate, and share the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans with diverse members of the community.
For more information about the Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz, contact Melissa A. Weber at mweber3@tulane.edu. To learn more about Tulane University Special Collections, visit the TUSC website at library.tulane.edu/tusc, email specialcollections@tulane.edu, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
The Dew Drop Inn is located at 2836 Lasalle Street, New Orleans.
Photo Caption
Performers with the Legends of the Dew Drop Inn: Road to Rock & Roll musical include (left to right) vocalist Jaudai Vappie, saxophonist Gladney, guitarist Arnold Little III, and actress/narrator Tanyell Quian.
Published 10/31/2025
