EDITOR’S NOTE

IT WILL BE SO SWEET TO HAVE MOONPIES BACK IN MY LIFE! JUST FIVE SECONDS IN THE MICROWAVE, PLEASE. WHO’S READY FOR MARDI GRAS?

Bon Temps

Mardi Gras is upon us! Never has a holiday been so hotly anticipated as this year’s Carnival season, and it is no wonder after the sad demise of 2021’s festivities. And yet, I have to say I am really impressed with the way the Port City and all areas beyond adapted and found joy during last year’s difficult time. As cliche as it sounds, we proved to the world that Mardi Gras lives as much in our spirit — even in our DNA — as it does in the streets and ballrooms. We brought the boom as best we could and made Joe Cain proud.

Last year, my family tried to keep Mardi Gras alive by doing small stuff. We hauled our bikes to Oakleigh so the kids could pedal around and admire the over-the-top decorations for Yardi Gras. Massive papier-mache animal heads, normally reserved for floats, held court with Jerry Garcia, Big Bird and Poseidon behind the picket fences of historic homes. The time and energy these residents put into spreading joy and Carnival cheer was a gift to the whole city.

On the Saturday before Mardi Gras, my dad drove down to Bon Secour and bought a big sack of local oysters. We came home, poured cocktails, turned on some Trombone Shorty and fired up the grill. Of course, we missed our dear friends and our traditional gatherings, but I have to tell you, I felt the spirit of the first mystics with us as we celebrated in the backyard.

And for my daughter’s fifth birthday, we built our very own float out of cardboard, spray paint and streamers so she could be the queen of her very own Krewe. She had a purple and gold costume and mask and threw beads and doubloons to the screaming crowds (her classmates driving by in their parents’ cars, of course) for her Mardi Gras drive-by birthday party. It wasn’t the same, but we still had a whole lot of fun. This year we are, of course, hoping for more. More hugs, more beads, more balls and masked paraders on horseback. Whatever this season ends up looking like, however, I will be grateful. I will make it fun. And I will have a bloody mary in hand, come what may. Happy Mardi Gras, everybody!

Maggie Lacey

EXECUTIVE EDITOR maggie@pmtpublishing.com LOVE THIS ISSUE

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