Nashville High School - Scrapper Yearbook (Nashville, AR)

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Joining the 'krewe' at Mardi Gras NEW ORLEANS - What did Mardi Gras mean to you? Probably not much, unless you had the opportunity to experience Mardi Gras, New Orleans style. Mardi Gras was actually a religious celebration marking the beginning of Lent, but in New Orleans it was celebrated and enjoyed by all. For several weeks the entire town of New Orleans seemed to party every night. Parades were a main attraction in the Mardi Gras festivities. While I was in New Orleans with Julie Graves and her family, we attended two of these colorful parades. The first one, Iris, consisted of an allwomen krewe. A krewe was the group of people which organized and rode the floats in each parade. All of the floats in each parade depicted a theme. The theme of the Iris parade was “The Wonderful World of Make Believe.” The floats depicted such stories as “Peter Pan” and “The Wizard of Oz.” The theme of Tucks, the second parade we saw, was “Tucks on Vacation.” The people in the krewes each bought their own things to throw. Among the many common throws were beads, cups, doubloons, and even roses, tambourines, and frisbees. Some people attending the parades sold their catches back to the krcwcs to use the following year. This explained the beads dated with previous years. After catching a few parades, a visit to the French Quarter was an appealing way to end the evening, but in New Orleans the fun was just beginning. Our first stop was the Jackson Brewery to get a view of the French Quarter from the top. Later we took a walking tour and eventually found a restaurant with just enough room to fit us in for some oysters and seafood gumbo. Shopping in the French Quarter was quite an experience. We searched shops filled with Mardi Gras memorabilia to find just the right T-shirts, masks, and other souvenirs to take home. Another highlight was going to the Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. These were kind of like a square doughnut covered with powdered sugar. “One of the best parts of a trip to New Orleans is going to the Cafe du Monde to have cafe au lait and beignets,” said Julie. Street entertainers were a colorful part of New Orleans night life. One interesting entertainer was a water glass player. By rubbing his thumb along the rims of different sized glasses filled with water, he created diferent notes. He played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” and songs by Led Zeppelin and Paul Simon. “There are so many people, lights and parades. The city just comes alive,” said Julie. People came from everywhere to enjoy the Mardi Gras celebration. We heard people speaking Spanish, French and people with Australian accents. Also, there was an American aircraft carrier docked in New Orleans with 5,000 sailors ready to join in the festivities. “I look forward to Mardi Gras every year,” said Julie, who was already planning her next trip. — By Kathleen Gregory ‘The city just comes alive.’ Julie Graves BETWEEN PARADES, Julie Graves and Kathleen Gregory show their catches from Iris. — photo by Jane Graves THE COORS WAGON and horses march in the Tucks parade. 28 Student life

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30 Student life Tony (Kevin Rose) decks Craven (Chris Parker) for making a comment about his face. — photo by John R. Schirmer Craven (Chris Parker) is dragged off to the lake while other guests stand in awe. — photo by John R. Schirmer