Friends, family, and acquaintances of the late Ray Deter will gather tonight at DBA in the East Village for a New Orleans-style "second line" memorial parade in honor of the beloved bar owner, who died after getting hit by a car as he rode his bike through the intersection of Canal and West Broadway earlier this month. A
"second line," according to Wikipedia, features traditional dance "in which participants walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air... called 'second lining.' It has been called 'the quintessential New Orleans art form — a jazz funeral without a body.' "
A message on DBA's Facebook page notes that the memorial will start at 7 p.m., and adds: "Please everyone bring a candle, if you like an umbrella, and perhaps a tambourine. And ladies please bring a white handkerchief. We plan to send Ray off in the spirit he would have wanted. N'awlins style." (DBA is located at 41 1st Avenue.) There will also be a memorial service for Deter's immediate family at the NYC Marble Cemetery on East 2nd Street Wednesday afternoon, followed by a private wake at DBA, which will be closed until 7:30 p.m. on that day. But the DBA family notes that their Williamsburg location "will be open to share the love."
