Party in New Orleans 8
Did you find yourself having an intense craving for
virtually worthless plastic beads this week? We’ll try to
soothe your cravings by giving you an overview of
Mardi Gras and Carnival in New Orleans.
Fat Tuesday in Galveston .10
Galveston revived the Mardi Gras tradition several
years ago and has seen it blossom into a huge
celebration with parades, balls and other events. We
will take you to the island to see the festivities.
A&M's Mardi Gras 13
A&M was not to be left out of this festive holiday. The
parade that wound through campus may not have
been as elaborate as the big ones in New Orleans, but it
has that Aggie character.
Reasons to Party 6
Even though college students rarely need an excuse to
party, Mardi Gras does provide one. The origins and
traditions date from pre-history to the present and give
the reason behind the partying madness that is Mardi
Gras.
Parading Profile 6
We interviewed the person behind the Mardi Gras
celebrations at A&M. The director of this Off-Campus
Aggies program says even though he has never been to
the original Mardi Gras in New Orleans, he had helped
the local program make a profit for charity.
Movie Review 4
Matt says “Moonstruck” is a film dealing with people
trying to figure out who they actually love. He points
out subtle facets of the movie that make it different.
Live Music 4
Shane saw Dana Cooper perform this weekend, and
says his blend of folk, rock and country style made for a
good performance.
Dear Readers:
This Tuesday was a day of partying for
thousands of people around the world as they
celebrated Fat Tuesday, more commonly
known as Mardi Gras, But the parties started
well before Tuesday, and some of the biggest
parades were held this weekend. We decided to
devote an entire issue o/At Ease to some of the
hottest Mardi Gras celebrations in the South. So
brail of you who did not get the chance to
attend Mardi Gras, here's a glimpse of the
festivities. And for all of you who did get to
celebrate, here’s a reminder of what went on.
We have three big stories this week, one on
each of three big celebrations: New Orleans,
Galveston and Texas A&M. New Orleans,
home of one of the biggest Fat Tuesday
gatherings, played host to hundreds of
thousands of people during the 1988Mardi
Gras season. And the amount of money spent
by these festive folks is absolutely incredible!
Galveston also saw thousands of people
during the Mardi Gras season, and visitors there
this past weekend saw parades with elaborate
floats and renowned marching bands (including
our own Aggie Band). The parade participants
were not the only ones decked out in colorful
costumes. The dress-up display lining the
streets was almost as fine as that on the floats.
But A&M is not to be left off the list of sites of
March Gras celebrations. Although the parade
was not as long and the floats were not as
elaborate, this celebration attracted quite a few
spectators, and also earned money for a
worthwhile cause.
Our profile this week focuses on the director
of A&M’s Mardi Gras ’88, a student who had to
balance the fall-time job of organizing the event
with his school work.
We did not include an Aggienizing Answers
column or several days’ television logs in this
week’s issue as we wanted to devote as much
room as possible to Mardi Gras pictures, but
both will return next week. The pictures you see
this week were taken by many talented
photographers, which we would like to thank at
this time.
We ’d also like to thank you for all the
attention!!submissions which have come
pouring in. Don’t stop now; you Te doing great!
At Ease Staff
Editor
Assistant editor
Senior staff writer
Staff writers
Movie Reviewer
Music Reviewer
Lydia Berzsenyi
Lee Schexnaider
Staci Finch
Leslie Guy
Lawson Reilly
Matthew Stewart
Shane Hall
Thursday, February 18,1988/At Ease/Page 3