thedrifter
02-11-07, 06:47 AM
Mardi Gras off to colorful start
By Ben Tinsley
The Daily News
Published February 11, 2007
GALVESTON — Throwing beads from at least two balconies to the cheering crowds, a group of war veterans received a hero’s welcome as Mardi Gras celebrations commenced Saturday.
Many of the nine vets who attended were wounded Marines who served in Iraq.
One, Marine Cpl. Alejandro Nieto of Houston, 27, served in Afghanistan. He said Saturday was the most fun he and some of the others had in some time because some of them tend to be bedridden. Nieto suffers from cancer caused by something he was exposed to in Afghanistan, he said.
On Saturday, those problems faded into the background for a while.
“All I was thinking on the balcony was, ‘I need more beads,’” Nieto said with a smile.
The group — which also included the parents of two fallen Marines — was treated to a dinner afterward at Fish Tales, 25th Street and Seawall. A committee for the Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Houston helped coordinate the event with local merchants.
The dinner and festivities meant a lot to veterans such as marine Cpl. Dale Gargrave of Friendswood, 22, who sustained a head injury during a motorcycle accident in 2005.
“These people were ‘thumbs up’ for Marines, and that’s really good to know,” Gargrave said.
Saturday officially kicked off the excitement, merrymaking and revelry, as what eventually is expected to be 250,000 people prepare to make the most of celebrations.
Along Seawall Boulevard on Saturday was a cornucopia of feather boas, beads, clown hats and outdoor grills. Galveston police reported no major crimes, accidents or mischief on Saturday.
There were three parades to accompany the revelry — the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius Mardi Gras Kickoff Parade, the Galveston County Firefighter’s Association Fire Truck Parade and the Krewe of Gambrinus “The Spirit of New Orleans” Parade.
The entertainment includes a small carnival complete with a Ferris wheel on the seawall.
Next weekend’s entertainment includes Cowboy Mouth on Friday and Better Than Ezra, Blue Oyster Cult and Frankie J on Saturday. For more information, call 1-888-GAL-ISLE or visit www. mardigrasgalveston.com.
As it stands, the order of the day in Galveston for the immediate future will be flamboyant costumes, live music, colorful parades and elaborate masked balls.
And let’s not forget the beads. One young man had so much bling around his neck Saturday afternoon he was having trouble moving around.
“It’s for The Strand tonight, man,” the young man said, declining to give his name. “That’s where the party’s at. You bring the beads and you do better.”
Galveston’s Mardi Gras began in 1867, although the first year that Mardi Gras was celebrated on a grand scale in Galveston was 1871 with the emergence of two rival Mardi Gras societies, or krewes.
It was enjoyable to have a float in the midday parade, but it was tiring getting everything together to make a good presentation, said members of King Clyde’s Pardi Gras’ers from the Houston area. They are also members of the Krewe of Aquarius.
“This is it for us,” said Sherrie Langley of Deer Park. “We’re going home this evening. Two months’ preparation is enough.”
And the regal King Clyde, also known as Clyde Wagner, 75, of Austin? It was fun, he said.
“I like to throw the beads, and people like to catch them. It’s fun. Good times on a nice afternoon.” And then, something strange happened to Wagner at the end of his parade.
“Some girl flashed me, but it turned out she was really only showing me a fake plastic front,” he said.
Ellie
By Ben Tinsley
The Daily News
Published February 11, 2007
GALVESTON — Throwing beads from at least two balconies to the cheering crowds, a group of war veterans received a hero’s welcome as Mardi Gras celebrations commenced Saturday.
Many of the nine vets who attended were wounded Marines who served in Iraq.
One, Marine Cpl. Alejandro Nieto of Houston, 27, served in Afghanistan. He said Saturday was the most fun he and some of the others had in some time because some of them tend to be bedridden. Nieto suffers from cancer caused by something he was exposed to in Afghanistan, he said.
On Saturday, those problems faded into the background for a while.
“All I was thinking on the balcony was, ‘I need more beads,’” Nieto said with a smile.
The group — which also included the parents of two fallen Marines — was treated to a dinner afterward at Fish Tales, 25th Street and Seawall. A committee for the Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Houston helped coordinate the event with local merchants.
The dinner and festivities meant a lot to veterans such as marine Cpl. Dale Gargrave of Friendswood, 22, who sustained a head injury during a motorcycle accident in 2005.
“These people were ‘thumbs up’ for Marines, and that’s really good to know,” Gargrave said.
Saturday officially kicked off the excitement, merrymaking and revelry, as what eventually is expected to be 250,000 people prepare to make the most of celebrations.
Along Seawall Boulevard on Saturday was a cornucopia of feather boas, beads, clown hats and outdoor grills. Galveston police reported no major crimes, accidents or mischief on Saturday.
There were three parades to accompany the revelry — the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius Mardi Gras Kickoff Parade, the Galveston County Firefighter’s Association Fire Truck Parade and the Krewe of Gambrinus “The Spirit of New Orleans” Parade.
The entertainment includes a small carnival complete with a Ferris wheel on the seawall.
Next weekend’s entertainment includes Cowboy Mouth on Friday and Better Than Ezra, Blue Oyster Cult and Frankie J on Saturday. For more information, call 1-888-GAL-ISLE or visit www. mardigrasgalveston.com.
As it stands, the order of the day in Galveston for the immediate future will be flamboyant costumes, live music, colorful parades and elaborate masked balls.
And let’s not forget the beads. One young man had so much bling around his neck Saturday afternoon he was having trouble moving around.
“It’s for The Strand tonight, man,” the young man said, declining to give his name. “That’s where the party’s at. You bring the beads and you do better.”
Galveston’s Mardi Gras began in 1867, although the first year that Mardi Gras was celebrated on a grand scale in Galveston was 1871 with the emergence of two rival Mardi Gras societies, or krewes.
It was enjoyable to have a float in the midday parade, but it was tiring getting everything together to make a good presentation, said members of King Clyde’s Pardi Gras’ers from the Houston area. They are also members of the Krewe of Aquarius.
“This is it for us,” said Sherrie Langley of Deer Park. “We’re going home this evening. Two months’ preparation is enough.”
And the regal King Clyde, also known as Clyde Wagner, 75, of Austin? It was fun, he said.
“I like to throw the beads, and people like to catch them. It’s fun. Good times on a nice afternoon.” And then, something strange happened to Wagner at the end of his parade.
“Some girl flashed me, but it turned out she was really only showing me a fake plastic front,” he said.
Ellie