Jefferson City let the good times roll Sunday at West Elm StrEATery’s first Mardi Gras parade and party.
Decorative masks, miles of beads and an abundance of green, purple and gold rolled through West Elm Street Sunday afternoon before circling back to West Elm StrEATery for food trucks and Mardi Gras-themed activities for children. The family-friendly Mardi Gras celebration attracted dozens looking to celebrate.
“We just wanted something fun for kids to do, something for families,” West Elm StrEATery owner Alanna May said.
May began organizing the parade with nearby women business owners about four weeks ago.
“We really wanted to just kind of bring the community together, and I mean Mardi Gras. It’s so fun,” co-organizer Shawna Martin, owner of Creative Escape, said.
Marking an end to the Carnival season of feasting and fun, Mardi Gras refers to “Fat Tuesday,” the “final day of revelry” before Ash Wednesday and the official start of Lent, according to the New Orleans Mardi Gras website. New Orleans hosts the nation’s largest Mardi Gras celebration while St. Louis claims to have the second largest, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Those celebrations tend to get “a little wild and crazy,” Martin said, so Sunday’s event in Jefferson City was geared toward children and families.
