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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1999)
can Advertising i holdingagepf:" p.m. in 130ite'i >ers arewete A&M Womens 1 . * practice from:-' lelds behind ttiell . Practices aret; Jo experience(1® at 775-4220 fr: n. TUESDA' A&M Mens Rug actice from 7-Sr Field by the pc :' ichry parking lot- welcome, f y. Call Lucas atE information. Anglers BassFi will be a genera•: ssionofthe! nt in Rudder41C: nembers are * ddy at 694072: i ition. Spanish Club a I meeting anbr at 6 p.m. intheSi ict Scott Nova at cl information. >dox Christian v i will be a discuss II Faiths Chape s ret Susan at 69fc as Up All Night ormational me >C 225. Please:: it 693-3740 for ;ty of American' 1 irs: Captain Chipi.: sor of Naval Di.;: will discuss ige Operational® Zanders Corps® at 84 7-3640 to )n. s A&M Wome r ; will be practice" ; polo fields behinci ng lot. Practices: 'one. No expert ; Call April at 77:1 information. DN REV lould pref : courv ’he Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Thursday, February 11,1999 -9099 v.com lhePrincelonRwe»wl)!iM»" A&M UNIVERSE I chief r uentes, Photo Edit® ha Parekh, Opinion 5.1234 or on net! filler, City Editor p^oxoffice.tamu.edu .aGrone, Aggielife 1 Brown. Web Edito' ith Pariani, Radio P' R5 n Janik, David Lee, Caleb Mt# * chard Paddack, Russell W 1 ' ieid, Christian Robbins,Lul*^ ason Starch. awy Stempien, SailieI#®'® ry Roberson & Eric Ne**^ : Assistant: JP Beato; K*'' Alagener. ts - Gabriel Ruenes, W 1,l; Mike Norfeldt,. 3rs - Carino Casas, Roiul^ y, Danya Day, irkins, Merrisa gners- Lisa Kreick, Rort l! ssica Wegener & Kyle HI*' sity in the Division of SttfW t Newsroom phone: 845-33® fi( ‘: he Battalion. For campus, f 015 Reed McDonald, and oft* 1 *’''' On sale this week at the MSC Rudder Box Office mscopas — Big ■ The Musical Thurs, Feb 11,8p.m. ♦ Stage Center—Alone Together Thurs - Sat. Feb 11-13, T.30 p.m. & MSC Film Society (htlp://films.tamu.edu/) — Pleasantville Fri. Feb. 12,7 p.m. ami 9:30 p.m. • ‘Magtnation Station — McBeth Fri - Sat, Feb 12-13 & 19-20,7 p.m. and Sun Feb 14 & 21, 2 p.m. * Singing Cadets — Singing Cadets Concert Fri, Feb 12.7:30 p.m. ❖ MSC OPAS Jr—Billy B Sun, Feb 14 .2 p.m. and 4 p.m. «$*»*«*. **i#*X:%**, ihrow me some thing, Mister!” can be heard throughout the city echoing off the buildings of crowded streets. Elaborate floats pass by while beads, candy and cups are being flung into a crowd filled with brilliant shades of purple, gold and green. The sound of a marching band fills the air and soft blues music can be heard coming from a smoky club farther down the street. This combination can only suggest one thing — it is Mardi Gras in New Or leans. Mardi Gras festivities begin the 12th night after Christ mas and continue through Fat Tuesday. It is observed be fore the Christian Lenten period and has existed for many years. The celebration, in New Orleans, began in 1837, when the first street parade was held. Today, the Mardi Gras cele bration has experienced tremendous success. Parades, masked balls, food and a variety of entertainment are in cluded in the celebration. Laura Patterson, a senior political science and history ma jor, said the best way to describe Mardi Gras is as a non-stop party. “Mardi Gras in New Orleans is like nothing I have ever experienced before,” Patterson said. “This will be my sec ond year to go. I wanted to go again because of how much fun I had last year.” Ben Braly, a senior industrial distribution major, said Mardi Gras is an experience he will never for get. “Mardi Gras is that fun and wild.time that your mother always warned you about,” Braly said. “I would love to go back if 1 ever have the opportunity. ” People come from all over the country and the world to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras and participate in the festivi ties. Patterson said see ing so many different types of people also adds to the atmosphere of the celebration. “I met people from everywhere — California, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta and London,” she said. “1 think so many different kinds of people are attracted to this cel ebration because it is a time when you can let loose and basically do anything you want. People can be whoever they want to be.” Braly said another reason people are attracted to Mar di Gras is simple curiosity. “A lot of people are curious about what Mardi Gras in New Orleans is like, and this motivates many to go,” he said. “It is a great place to have a fun time and a chance to do something different.” For first time visitors to Mardi Gras, there are several things to be wary of. Patterson said students need to remember to pay care ful attention to their surroundings while in New Orleans. “An important thing to remember is to stay on Bour bon Street and do not wander off into the back alleys,” she said. “Tfy to stay with the group you are with and be wary of who gives you drinks. “If everyone remembers these tips, the trip to New Or leans and Mardi Gras will be one of the best experiences of your life.” For Aggies not willing to make the eight-hour journey to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, there are a variety of oth er options closer to home. Two-and-a-half hours south in Galveston, a Texas ver sion of Mardi Gras has been celebrated for 14 consecu tive years. Mardi Gras! Galveston is a 12-day event cele brating Mardi Gras similar to the New Orleans celebration. Mardi Gras celebrations in Galveston date back to 1867. The annual celebration was revived in 1985 by George P. Mitchell. Since its rebirth, Mardi Gras! Galve ston has grown dramatically in both size and scope. With the coordination of the city, the Galveston Park Board of Trustees and 14 participating krewes, the Galve ston celebration includes parades, masked balls, art ex hibits, music and theater performances and sporting events. The 12-day event now attracts over 500,000 par ticipants. Braly, who has also celebrated Mardi Gras in Galve ston, said the celebration is like New Orleans, but on a smaller scale. “The two celebrations are roughly the same, but the Galveston celebration is not nearly as big and the at mosphere is not as charged,” he said. Braly said the dif ferences between how New Orleans and Galveston celebrate Mardi Gras is that the entire city of New Orleans seems to be partici pating in the Mardi Gras festivities. The city participation in Galveston is not nearly the same. “Galveston will give a Mardi Gras-goer a rough idea of what the New Orleans celebra tion is like,” he said. “This celebration is a good substitute for the New Orleans Mardi Gras, but it is not nearly the same thing.” Another option for Aggies is Mardi Gras, Brazos Valley Style in downtown Bryan Feb. 13 from 12-6 p.m. This fifth annual celebration began as a way to celebrate the popular season in downtown Bryan. Kali Wood, assistant coordinator of the Bryan Main Street Project and Coordinator of the Mardi Gras festi val, said there will be a little something for everyone. “This celebration is geared toward families and a great way for college students to kick off the weekend,” Wood said. “There will be live fnusic at the Palace Theater, chil dren’s activities and we will even be throwing beads.” Included in the festivities will be a children’s area with face painting, food and craft vendors and the In ternational BBQ Cookers Association Cookoff. Live performance at the Palace Theater will fea ture the Red Brick Bunch, Blue Valentine and John Wick and the Full House Blues Band to add to the Mardi Gras atmosphere. “This celebration will be fun for all, and the cookoff will really add the Texas style to this Mardi Gras,” Wood said. Whether the authentic Mardi Gras in New Orleans is appealing to the av erage Ag, or staying a little closer to home at the Galveston or Bryan celebrations will be the popular option. Mar di Gras can be cele brated by all. Story by Beth Focht Photo Illustrations by Mike Fuentes * , . -! Miir % Aggie Owned and Opperated Since 1984! CUSTOM BUILT SYSTEMS! tae*fce,l?efXK,IJp^ « I •' JtagitlliebdSQlesaidSeDiceStafinltietaosWtey! I -e* 1 » >30^ e= r-o EE CBETN/veerxix cr> t*-ie t<z> "o-ne <= <r>«_ i_ e <3^ e G-rv*v.-r»c=>r^i. tx ^ &^x WWW.CACCESS.CO/H l«-09l Afifiieland Pregnancy Outreach A service to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. 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