Poll: Did You Participate in Mardi Gras Festivities in Soulard?
As always, the weekly poll is located in the upper right corner of the blog. Â The topic this week is the annual Mardi Gras celebration in Soulard. Â Did you go? Â Why or why not?
My last time was 2006, I was there for 12 hours! Â Had a great time but I didn’t return because, for me, one day of drunken debauchery in my life was enough. But I want to know your thoughts on this popular annual event.
– Steve Patterson
not comfortable with crowds especially a crowd of drinkers.
Most likely, a victim of its own success and a gentrifying neighborhood – what was fun when you're 22 with 10,000 people is a lot different when you're 44 and there are 100,000 . . .
One big question is whether the Grand Parade should be moved to a different venue.
no, we should return to the “good ol days” when soulard was abandoned and boarded
Love it. While the general debauchery can get out of hand, Mardi Gras showcases one of our greatest neighborhoods to folks who normally wouldn't be there (from the region and beyond).
No. For the same reason I don't go to the VP Fair. Too many stupid hoosiers.
Isn't “stupid hoosiers” redundant?!
I lived in Soulard before Mardi Gras, remember its first years, I would say festivals like this help rebuild neighborhoods. Yes at this point it is a pain in the ass also. I remember in the early 80's when I moved out the festivals in general were beginning to bring problems.
On the other hand it is important to have an active community. I do think they need to focus more on the artistic side, the costumes, masks, floats, music and the like and get away from it becoming a drunken festival. If they don't they would more than likely lose support eventually. I have not been to Mardi Gras in years (since I moved out of Soulard) and unless the focus is modified, I probably won't attend again)
Parties are fine, but too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing.
Speaking about gentrifying neighborhoods, Soulard is one where it has happened, it is certainly not like the 70's, in some ways gentrification is the only way money will flow freely into a neighborhood and hence it becomes the natural order of transition.
There are a few organizations especially YEHS in Soulard that have helped the transition so it didn't become a slash and burn exercise. Throwing people out their homes has been protected by YEHS. That moderation has been important to counteract gentrification up until today.
On the other hand reducing deficits may impair organizations such as YEHS from preforming that function.
To me the budget cuts should attack the socialism for the wealthy first, the tax giveaways to oil, pharma, big agriculture, the tax credits for sending jobs overseas (hard to believe it is still in place), the tax breaks to hedge fund managers allowing them to count income as capital gains and so on.
Helping neighborhoods succeed seems to me a better use of tax money. (Lets not forget House Leader Bohener said when he heard the proposed tax cuts would cause 700,000 people to lose their jobs, his answer was “so be it”)
In short, with sensible policies gentrification can be made acceptable and evolutionary rather than destructive.
In many way Soulard Mardi Gras and Soulard represent the success of government and private enterprise working together.
It remains to be seen whether Mardi Gras will develop into a more community orientated event rather than merely an excuse to drink profusely.
I go every year. This year seemed fairly tame but that may have been due to the chill in the air. I may eventually stop if my friends' participation continue to decline as we age. They need more of the men's trough tents. I say that every year, but they are great and free up port-a-potties for the ladies. Not to mention they drain directly to the sewer. Darned efficient.
I love Mardi Gras, and when I lived away from St. Louis for a few years Mardi Gras was one of the events I missed the most!
Yeah, it leaves behind trash and people get arrested, but isn't it one of the points of living in a urban area, to have festivals and enjoy rubbing shoulders with people of all backgrounds?
No one in my family ever goes because we don't perceive it as a genuine Mardi Gras celebration, only an excuse to go get drunk in public. We also kind of resent the reality that many of the people who go to Soulard for Mardi Gras, being loud and leaving trash, really don't have any interest in Soulard's history or health.