Who dat? Dat a Mardi Gras parade rolling through Cedar
From staff reports
In old New Orleans on Mardi Gras Tuesday, brass bands march in Second Line Parades through the neighborhoods that birthed jazz music, provoking intoxicating revelry on every street corner.
Twelve hundred miles to the north, tiny Cedar, Mich., will host its own Mardi Gras parade and celebration this Saturday, Feb. 21. Predominantly Polish, with a devout Catholic community, Cedar has good reason to celebrate Mardi Gras — an opportunity to engorge in one final night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lent season.
The second annual Mardi Gras parade rolls through Cedar at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Participants, in vehicles or on foot, are asked to gather at 2 p.m. at the recycling center parking lot. The parade route will cross the Cedar River, traverse the town’s lone intersection, turn left at the Cedar Tavern and then travel once more through town. The only rule is that you have to dress up to take part in the parade, says event organizer Judy Reinhardt, who owns Sweeter Song Farm together with her husband Jim Schwantes.
As you might guess, the parade is tiny. “It was just a silly thing that blossomed,” says Reinhardt of last year’s inaugural Cedar Mardi Gras parade.
People threw paczkis and beads last year from a handful of floats. One float boasted a live rooster. The parade’s king and queen were pulled in a sleigh: last year’s royal couple was Mary Lou Dotson and Phil Tiel; this year, Tallie and Ted Lanham will wear the crowns. And several hearty revelers, including Tom Ulrich and Lindy Kellogg, dressed up and walked the parade route.
Participants and spectators are encouraged to visit the Cedar Tavern afterwards for a beverage.
Despite sub-zero temperatures this week, Leelanau County weather is expected to change dramatically by Saturday. In fact, the temperature may skyrocket to 30 degrees.
Check out this video by Dc Hayden of last year’s Cedar Mardi Gras parade:
