A Party for All of Pensacola

By Savannah Evanoff

ber. She joined after being invited by friends to its Mardi Gras ball when she returned to Pensacola. Many of her favorite memories since have been at their ball.

"We have custom costumes; we get to put our boots on; we're full of glitter and sparkle," Stacey said. "But then being in the parade—every year, I think the parades get bigger and bigger—we love being that big hippie bus that turns the corner on Palafox and you hear the loud music, like 'These Boots are Made for Walkin,' and you just get to take to the streets and the crowds go crazy, and you throw things and it's just a lot of fun."

She loves the way the women in her krewe support each other, and the community, too.

"It sounds so cheesy, but it's a really special experience," Stacey said of Mardi Gras weekend. "I think what Danny Zimmern does with Pensacola Mardi Gras is just something very special and unique."

Stacey interned for Zimmern in college, she said.

"To see it grow and to see the community grow with the Mardi Gras celebration is a testament just to our community here in Pensacola and how much fun people like to have but also how much we like to help each other," Stacey said. "It really brings the whole town together."

A Rule that Works

You don't have to make everybody happy, but you can't make anybody mad.

It's the No. 1 rule governing Pensacola's Mardi Gras festivities, and Zimmern thinks it's a good one to be governed by.

They don't do it to make money; they do it to have fun, but Zimmern said it's a "tremendous economic engine for Northwest Florida." It supports restaurants, bars, retail and more, he explained.

"We take a lot of pride in Mardi Gras being so inclusive," Zimmern said. "It's a big, long day, and the throws are just amazing. People just really, really enjoy it. The police often say there's close to 100,000 people there. It's hard to tell because there's so many people inside. Sometimes the streets are packed, but people are everywhere inside. It's packed."

This year's Pensacola Mardi Gras presented by Publix will be no different.

When looking back at 20-plus years behind the scenes, Zimmern can't pinpoint a favorite memory.

"There's tons of memories, and most of them I wouldn't tell you because you might print them," Zimmern said. "My greatest memories are seeing those people the rest of the year when they stop me in Publix, or they stop me at the mall, or I see them at a game, and they want to talk or say something about Mardi Gras. I'm just the front; there's a lot of really great people who have been there with us since the beginning and are still with us and going strong and help us in so many very important ways. I feel like I'm doing that for all of them." {in}