How To Reach Us:
St. Louis Front Page
P.O. Box 1354
St. Louis, MO 63188
Voice: 314-771-0200
Fax: 314-771-0300
To submit news, contact:
editor@slfp.com
To advertise, contact:
advertising@slfp.com
|
|
Thousands of Mardi Gras revelers stretched out their hands screaming "Throw me some beads" at Krewe members on the Pirates of the Caribbean float in the Pyramid Mardi Gras Grand Parade 2007.
|
(L. to R.) Kayla Maness, Missy Portell and their husbands, Doug Portell and Brian Maness braved the bitterly cold weather to enjoy their ninth year at the Mardi Gras Parade.
|
Don't Snow on My Mardi Gras Parade in Soulard
by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
© 2007 Saint Louis Front Page
St. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), February 17, 2007 - "We wouldn't miss this for anything," shouted Mardi Gras revelers, who laughed and shivered in the twenty-something weather.
Blowing snow and wind chills in the teens did little to dampen the party spirit of thousands who came by bus, cab, or on foot to the historic Soulard neighborhood.
Wearing layers of beads over heavy coats, masks and outlandish hats, the rowdy crowd stood shoulder to shoulder at the metal fence line along the parade route. Laughing and shouting at friends, or trying to talk on cell phones, they stretched out gloved hands and screamed wildly for beads.
The parade theme for this year's celebration was "Soulard Mardi Gras Celebrates Literature". From the staging area at Cerre Street, over 150 colorfully decorated floats on flatbeds, marching units, and over 3,500 marching Krewes headed south to 7th Street and continue past Soulard Market to Sidney Street, just north of Anheuser Busch Brewery.
The sign on one colorful Mardi Gras float in the Parade, "Mardi Gras for Dummies", seemed appropriate.
"It's never too cold to party," stated one of the Mardi Gras organizers. "After all, Mardi Gras is a winter festivel." With that in mind, security had been expanded and additional surveillance cameras had been positioned throughout the neighborhood.
Along the parade route and near popular bars, over 800 port-a-pots were in place. As glass bottles and beer cans were not allowed into the festivities, commercial dumpsters were located near entrances into the normally quiet, residential neighborhood.
Large warming tents were set up around Soulard Market but most revelers stayed in the street as though they were immune to the cold weather.
This year, organizers also set up large tents and several stages east of Broadway for an afternoon of free concerts featuring Wyld Stallyns and They Might Be Giants.
Many Mardi Gras revelers never made it to the parade, heading instead to the popular neighborhood bars along Russell, Menard, Lafayette, Geyer, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12 Streets.
The fun continues with the top floats from the Grand Parade participating in the "Light Up the Night" Fat Tuesday Parade, on February 20, 2007, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The floats will roll down Market Street from 11th to 7th Streets and end at Kiener Plaza.
|
A wildly decorated bus rolled along the parade route with krewe members throwing beads from the windows.
|
The "So, Where Did You Go to School" float was decorated with high school pictures that stared back at the crowd.
|
The bright orange "Hooters" decorated with magazine covers generated wild responses from the crowd as it rolled along the parade route.
|
Parade goers kept warm by catching beads thrown from the floats.
|
 The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group .
|
One click from your destination. Point your PDA to www.hotels-stl.com/mobile
For people on the go,
point your PDA to www.diningstl.com/mobile
|
