New Orleans Thanksgiving is marked by a handful of annual events, collectively bringing crowds out to celebrate: the horse races at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, the Human Horse Races protest event at Easton Park, the regular human race hosted by the New Orleans Athletic Club, to name a few.

But at BJ's, a staple neighborhood dive bar, the celebration was cozier, more subdued, intended for those in the neighborhood in need of "their Ninth Ward living room" for the holidays, as owner Ryan Scully calls it.

BJ's hosted a Thanksgiving potluck for its patrons on Thursday, with a smoked turkey from The Joint BBQ around the corner and a ham brought in by the bartender, Bobby Lewis. A Thanksgiving open mic event was scheduled for later in the evening for patrons who want to "give thank

See Full Page