HATTER SELLS A THOUSAND HATS ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL

The music industry in New Orleans was a $9.6 billion industry before Hurricane Katrina hit. Since the storm, musicians are paying more attention to the business aspect of their livelihood.

Hatter Lynn LeBeaud has been selling hats at the Jazz Festival since 1979, but this year she sold more hats than ever before. On opening day she sold more than a thousand hats – a lot more than the 500 to 600 hats she sold before Katrina.

“Organizers did not say how many people attended the festival, but shortly after the gates opened a crowd had already gathered around LeBeaud's hat stand. They browsed through stacks of lids ranging from safari-style to straw hats and cool fedoras to cowboy hats.”

LeBeaud attributes some of the interest in hats to people wanting to replace hats lost in Katrina. Others just wanted a new one or were looking for a reprieve from the blazing sun, said the AP report.