Jay's Lounge honors New Orleans ahead of Sugar Bowl 

 

NILES, Mich.-- Jay's Lounge, just over the state line where IN-933 becomes M-51, hosted a lively and excited crowd Thursday to cheer on the Fighting Irish as they faced off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl.

Of course, the watch party was supposed to happen the day prior, before the tragedy in New Orleans changed everything.

It really hit home for the chef at Jay's Lounge, James Brazo.

"I was born and raised down there," he said.

Brazo is a Niles local and a die-hard Notre Dame fan but was born and raised in the Big Easy, the home of the 2024 Sugar Bowl.

"I spent, you know, a good part of my childhood down there and learned a lot about food, culture, and people," Brazo said, "and what it means to love one another in a different way that you don't normally see in a lot of other cities in America."

The New Years Day tragedy-- a terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed more than a dozen people-- had Brazo's heart hurting for his hometown.

"It's supposed to be a happier time," he said, "and to wake up the first day of the year and to see that as a headline is just kind of an emotional shock."

He said it's a good reminder not to take life and it's good times for granted.

Of course, the attack postponed the Sugar Bowl, so Thursday, bars like Jay's opened their doors for the crowds they expected New Years Day.

"On the subject of love, people love the Irish. You know, it's definitely heart-felt," Brazo said. "Seems like it even means a little more this game for some reason, you know, after the devastation that happened."