Roger Guibor-Macbride has lived in the Northeast for 20 years. He is 53 years old and before settling down in Kansas City, he was a Navy Corpsman. He docked for the Marine Corp, and then was a park ranger.

The property he lives on he bought in 2000, and he has been building his house and two buildings in the back since then. He had moved from the Crossroads/West Bottoms area to avoid gentrification, as he wanted to live somewhere with ethnic diversity and a culture his art could thrive in.

He made his entire house from recycled materials, and went without hot water and electricity for almost a year. Now he has two “tiny home” buildings in his backyard that he rents out to friends, and he lives in the main house in front. Every bit is made out of recycled materials, and the whole building is as unique as MacBride is.

This year, like every year, Macbride hosted a Mardi Gras Parade/Crawfish Boil to bring the Northeast Community even closer. The Mardi Gras celebration has become one of Macbride’s favorite traditions, as it has become multi-generational.

“I remember one year, I didn’t think we would have a big turnout because it was so cold. I thought we were going to have to cancel,” recalled Macbride, “and this kid came up to me and almost started crying because she didn’t want it to be cancelled. She told me she would rather lose Christmas than lose the Mardi Gras celebration.”

Macbride knew then how much he had truly created and become a part of a community he plans on being in for the rest of his life. The preservation and improvement of the Historic Northeast is one of the things that drives him the most.