Mardi Gras in St. Louis Made an Impression

When I lived in Arkansas, Mardi Gras was talked about on a small scale, but was not the focus of February with events every week as it is in St. Louis. I barely knew about Mardi Gras and that was only because of the fame brought to it by the huge celebration in New Orleans.

In Fort Smith, Mardi Gras consists of a party or two around town with the usual dinner, drinks, dancing and auction, a Junior Cotillion dance themed around Mardi Gras and a few local watering holes that offer drink specials. Nobody makes a big deal of it. It could be because Fort Smith is a very conservative community; the drinking, partying culture is mild there. And unlike St. Louis, Fort Smith has a small Catholic community.

In St. Louis, the past two years, I was unable to go to the Saturday parade in Soulard because of work obligations. But, I got the feeling from St. Louis natives that living in St. Louis without experiencing Mardi Gras in Soulard is almost as bad as Living in St. Louis and being a Cubs fan. I had to experience it at least once.

I learned that parking in Soulard is an issue, so I avoided the mess of closed streets by heading down I-55 and exited so I could drive up North Broadway. My plan worked beautifully. I parked in a lot across from the brewery. The walk to the parade route was rather long, but worth it.

I positioned myself at the end of the parade route, so I could avoid the massive crowd and get a better view for shooting photos of the floats and the fascinating, costumed people who happened by.

The streets were lined with tens of thousands of people of all ages watching the passing of the “more than 130 units” promised on the Mardi Gras website. Eager hands stretched forward hoping to snag a few strands of blue, green, purple, pink, silver and gold beads. Music played from the brightly colored, decorated floats. Those riding on the floats enjoyed dancing, drinking, waving and tossing beads to the crowd. It looked as though they were the ones having the most fun.

There were food tents, beer tents and portable potties; people were lined up twenty deep. The smell of food and the cool air reminded me of the county fair back home in Arkansas that is held each fall.

At the close of the parade, the parade route began to empty and all that was left was a dirty street full of trash and a street sweeper that quickly cleaned up. In minutes, Broadway was swept clean and back to business as usual. It was incredible.

I decided to venture deeper into the streets of Soulard to see what the fuss was about. Although, I heard about the large crowds prior to going down there, the sea of heads bobbing up and down the streets block after block was amazing.

I walked along taking in the festivities, I was empty-handed and sober, many were not. As I rounded the corner of Russell and Broadway, the stench of vomit hit my nostrils. I immediately looked down; relieved, I was in the clear.

One block further down Russell, a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties was handcuffed. With tears streaming down her contorted face, she begged the officers to let her go. She screamed “NO!” repeatedly. Who knew flashing for beads in Soulard was illegal? The undercover officers knew.

A half a block more, a young man was sent on his way, as two police officers blocked the door to a bar which will remain nameless to protect its “good” name and the “guilty” party. He, visibly intoxicated, verbalized his dislike for their actions. As his buddies scooped him up after he fell to the ground, the looks on their faces told the whole story, “Shut up man! You’re going to get arrested!” They whisked him off to safety, at least for the moment.

I crossed the street to find a man sitting on the ground with his back against a building. His forehead was gashed and bleeding. He was crying. His friends tried to console him as police officers handcuffed his attacker. At this point, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into and decided to make my way back to my car.

As I looked around, I noticed there were no longer families walking the streets. The crowd had changed. It was a sea of twenty-somethings ready to party. All were bouncing up and down to loud music in the streets. They were dancing, drinking, singing and having a “great time.” Residents of Soulard hung out of their second or third story windows and shouted to passersby below. They tossed beads to the festive crowd.

I smiled, admired all of the elaborate costumes people were wearing and thought, this is definitely an event for the young and maybe the young-at-heart, but not really for me.

I started back to my car. I felt a little old and out of place, but I had experienced it. Next year, I think I will stick to the dog parade and the Weiner dog race. It is more my speed.