Mardi Gras or Bust

As a younger fella, big concerts/parties were tolerable. Eventually made it to home base.
Found huge celebrations to be a pain, as we'd get separated, inebriated and couldn't get home.
As an old prairie boyo now- only want to go to folk festivals, small parties.
Got caught up in the oilers/Flyers Stanley cup win/riot, and have never gone back into large street crowds.
MG would be fun during the day, but would want to be close to home base at night.

 

Well come on to Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge then. It's much smaller and a great deal safer than going to the Carnival in New Orleans.

 

Yeah, would like that.

 

I'm not positive about this, but I think the 610 Stompers is the real reason that Baptists don't allow dancing.

 

I am sitting on the balcony in my hotel in Funchal after watching the Madeira version of Mardi Gras. Tonight was a mad diverse parade of kids, political and sleazy floats. The political were parodies of Brexit, Mexican immigrants and yes Trump. The most bizarre spectacle was when we were downtown in the morning enjoying a coffee in the sun. A male dressed in a monk's habit with a devil's mask and a huge rubber penis. I thought it quite funny and children walking by dressed up as princesses and super heroes did not seem perturbed. Saying that, I would not have wanted my own children to have seen him. In the UK it would be seen as obscenity in a public place and likely a criminal offence. I find it quite ironic that these festivals are still timed six weeks before the moveable feast of Easter, yet they are the complete antithesis of the Christian origin. Our Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday are more in keeping with the feast before a Lenten fast but held mostly as a tradition rather than a religious requirement. I will ask a few locals if they still keep the fast after showing their all in public. Should be interesting!

 

Time to dust this thread off and bring it up to date. The Krewe of Orion Mardi Gras experience was this past weekend, and Jeff came back for another ration of carnival. Matter-O-fact this was our 20th year in existence, hooray us! His ole lady didn't have her leg in a cast this time, so they attempted to keep up with some of the hard corps drunkards in our 2nd Annual Pub Crawl (w/poker run rules). He also brought some folks from Alabama, and a WeeVee from West Virginia and his girlfriend who went to Auburn but lives in Nashville now. I believe that they enjoyed themselves. At least that's what they kept saying all night. I could barely hear them over the band except when the band stopped between songs and everyone was yelling. We were up close to the dance floor where all the action was.

Anyway, let me tell y'all about Jeff's experience with the pub crawl before he gets a chance to tell his side of the story. Since I was the pub crawl coordinator, I didn't participate, had to stay behind at Happy's Irish Pub, signing folks in, explaining rules, having drinks with friends, burning a few stogies you know, stuff like that. About two hours into the contest, I get a text from Jeff saying that he was at the Cask & Barrel on 3rd Street, and that they wouldn't stamp his card until they all bought a drink first. I explained to him real slow since I could tell that he was getting "into the carnival spirit" that them's the rules, at each place everyone buys a drink, pours it down the pie hole, then onto the next stop. He said that there was no way he could drink 12 beers and make it back to the starting point (there were 12 stops on the pub crawl). I then had to tell him "dood, that's why they call it a PUB CRAWL". First you start out walking, then staggering, then crawling. How simple is that? They finally made it back and held the winning hand (full house, jacks over sevens) until the last team came in and beat them out with a better full house (queens over nines). Oh well.

This will give you an idea of how to go the distance in a proper pub crawl, and how Jeff crossed the finish line....



The weather was terrible Saturday afternoon, so after an emergency meeting with the board of directors, then altogether with the float lieutenants, we decided to cancel the street parade after much discussion, cussin' and fussin'. We rolled only the floats through the River Center, so at least we had the chance to unload our beads and throws the fun way. It was a blast anyway. I really felt sorry for our Court for not getting to go the entire route after paying for their royalty fees (King-$15k, Queen-$12k, two maids-$7,500 each, 6 pages-$2,500 each). Not only was it raining, it was cold too. Not a good mix, especially in sub-tropical South Louisiana. We had a great, but short run anyway. Can't complain, could've been worse.

Next year, Otto has no excuse not to make the ride down to Baton Rouge, since he's a Texican now and Dallas is about an 8 hour ride away. Also, any of you Rogues are invited as well. Big fun for one and all!

 

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Reminds me of the Paul Hogan show...
Heres Crocodile Dundee as you've never seen him...

 

That pretty much covers matters too!

 

Don't you two look great!
Im guessing the guy on the right is Slip? Looks almost like a mayor...

 

Phew...I somehow thought it was 58...but the way it was captioned made me think twice...

 

My son rides on a float in the Endymion parade. He has done it for years since he worked for Freeport-McMoran in New Orleans. That was years ago. He flew down yesterday from Pennsylvania and the rest of the family will fly out on Thursday. I hear there is some rain in the forcast so I hope everything goes off as planned. I have been to New Orleans but never for Mardi Gras.

 

According to the New Orleans papers, all parades will roll regardless of weather, except of course for heavy lightening. Endymion is debating starting a bit later in the day, or rolling on another day altogether. Rescheduling parades, or even just altering start times is a logistical nightmare. And Endymion is the biggest of the superkrewes.

 

Once again this year, my son and his wife arrived back from Mardi Gras on Monday. He rides a float and is a member of the Endymion crew.

 

Great pics, Jeff. Although, I'm not sure I'll be able to get the image of Bobby in purple tights out of my mind anytime soon.