We have vivid Mardi Gras memories
The nude revelers on Bourbon Street were painted purple, green or gold for the celebration of Fat Tuesday, February 7, 1967. We viewed it all (um…well…partially all) – from our New Orleans residence – on television. The next day, Ash Wednesday, a body was found floating in a canal.
That was our introduction to the combination Christian/cultural/partying Mardi Gras celebration. The three years we lived in New Orleans while I was in graduate school were always interesting. And Mardi Gras, to paraphrase Forrest Gump, was like a box of chocolates. You never knew what you were going to get.
On Mardi Gras Day 1968, we arose early on February 27, capturing front-row standing spaces on St. Charles Avenue to participate in the granddaddy of all Mardi Gras parades highlighted by Rex, the New Orleans Carnival Krewe founded in 1872. It was, indeed, a sight to see. Of all the many processions, beginning in January and leading up to Mardi Gras Day, Rex has always been the most celebrated. This Krewe “birthed” the parades, along with the green, gold and purple Mardi Gras Flag colors and the Carnival anthem of “If I Ever Cease to Love.”
There were other processions in the lengthy parade that day, also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. But Rex was the main event. They had the most cherished doubloons (coins), beads and other souvenirs. The experienced parade watchers knew to yell loudly, “Throw me somethin’, mister.” (Rex is an all-male Krewe that volunteers throughout the year to help various groups and individuals “for the public good.” Rex selects an outstanding civic leader to reign over Mardi Gras, and his queen is always a debutante.) But I digress.
The parade route was packed at our chosen viewing site on St. Charles. This beautiful avenue lined with live oak trees and historic mansions had the only New Orleans streetcar line still running in the 1960s. But no streetcars were railing that day. Floats, bands and people dressed in fanciful costumes were on exhibit.
It was in 1968 that the Zulu Krewe initially marched in the same route as Rex, establishing this African-American group as a Mardi Gras morning staple. Famed jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain and his Half-Fast Walking Club led the day’s festivities. (It wasn't originally called "Half-Fast," but Mardi Gras officials persuaded Pete to change it's original name.)
Wife Jean recalls it was a chilly day. Long-time New Orleans’ residents advised us to “layer” because the weather could change quickly. We didn’t remove any layers, even though the temperature lingered around 50 degrees. It wasn’t what you would call cold, but it was a damp chilly, even though rain didn’t fall.
Our son Carl II, a Tiny Tot Kindergartener at the time, still talks about reaching down to pick up a doubloon and having his hand stepped on by a man retrieving the prize. But we did get our share of doubloons, beads, stuffed animals and other goodies. Along with photos of the day, we have doubloons and beads packed away somewhere.
We decided not to participate actively in 1969 Mardi Gras, choosing to experience it via television again. The local channels always had a lot of coverage (or un-coverage, as the case may be). Also, it was the beginning of my last graduate school semester and, among other things, I had a thesis due. Plus, the 1968 experience was memorable enough to last a lifetime – from early morning to early evening, and then on to a crowded restaurant before finally dragging home and collapsing.
Maybe next year when Mardi Gras rolls around I will write about turning down an invitation to an exclusive Mardi Gras Ball, which in retrospect Jean and I should have accepted. But we didn’t really realize what a big deal it was at the time. I may also share how Jean unknowingly worked for a New Orleans mafia boss for a brief time, a memory stashed away among many memories of what locals call "New Awlins."
? 2017 by Carl Mays, National Speakers Hall of Fame member and author of over a dozen books, including the classic A Strategy For Winning (foreword by Lou Holtz). E-mail [email protected]. Visit www.carlmays.com.