Eureka Springs announces Mardi Gras lineup
by January 13, 2017 1:48 pm 353 views
Eureka Springs continues to embrace the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras through its 12th-annual Eureka Springs Mardi Gras celebration. It began Jan. 7 with a gala to announce Royal Court and Monarchs of 2017, but there are more events to come in the next two months, according to the City Advertising & Promotion Commission.
The Taste of N’Awlins event, featuring hot beignets, chicory coffee and gumbo shooters, will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Grand Taverne inside the Grand Central Hotel at 37 N. Main St. The event will include a traditional New Orleans second line parasol parade dance.
The Coronation Masquerade Ball, a formal event, is set for Friday, Feb. 17 in the Crystal Dining Room at the Crescent Hotel, 75 Prospect Ave. It features champagne, a buffet dinner and live music, according to the CAPC.
The Light and Sound Night Parade is 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, and will follow a downtown route from the Carnegie Public Library, down Spring Street to the courthouse on Main Street, according to the commission. It will be followed by second line dancing at 7 p.m. and the Black Lite Ball at 8 p.m. The venue has not yet been determined. Tickets are available at this link.
The Jokers Masquerade Ball will be 6.p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center at 205 W. Van Buren St., feature live music and a mini parade. This year’s theme is “The Roaring 20s,” and prizes will be awarded for best costume. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 225-405-9672 or 479-253-7018.
The second Mardi Gras parade, led by Royal Court, will be 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, downtown, followed by the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce Mayor’s Ball that day at 6 p.m. at the Basin Park Hotel, with live music from the Downtown Livewires at 7 p.m. The theme is “The Great Gatsby” and costumes are encouraged, according to the commission. Tickets may be purchased at www.eurekaspringschamber.com.
A New Orleans-style “jazz brunch” will be the next day at 11 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Crescent Hotel. There will be live music, and reservations may be made by calling 479-253-9652.
On Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Mardi Gras celebration will conclude with the Saint ‘Lizbeth King Cake Ball and dinner at 6 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Parish Center at 232 Passion Play Road. Live music from Naturally Brass will be featured, and there will be an oyster bar, gourmet Cajun dinner and praline King Cake. More information is available by calling 479-253-4503 or 479-253-2222.
More information is available at www.EurekaSpringsMardiGras.org.
ATTRACTING ATTENTION
Event organizer Mary Popovac, also a loan assistant at Cornerstone Bank in Eureka Springs, said the kick-off event showed record attendance this year of about 200 ppl. All revenue for the event went to the Rowdy Beaver Dean and Restaurant, where the event was held, as each individual venue will, for events including Taste of N’Awlins, which Popovac said usually attracts 100 to 150 people.
Popovac said her group started the Mardi Gras celebrations for reasons other than raising money. “Our goal is to promote tourism to our little town during the winter months, plus provide a Mardi Gras tradition for the five-state region for those who can’t make it to New Orleans,” she said.
The Joker’s Ball has an attendance of about 300 and the Coronation Ball about 180-200. For the Day Parade, a couple of thousand people attend and there are about 5,000 pounds of beads thrown, Popovac said.
Sponsors for the annual Mardi Gras celebrations are the Crescent and Basin Park hotels, the Rowdy Beaver, Piedpiper, Cornerstone Bank, Equity Bank, Arvest Bank and McBride Distributors.