Revelers dress the part for Fat Tuesday party
NEW ORLEANS – The tale of the city is all in the costumes.
“FEMArella” pranced about with a photo of her trailer home pinned to her gold cape while her boyfriend, “Robin’ Yur Hood,” stood alongside.
Nearby was a man advertising the “Road-Kill Home Program” – a mock version of Louisiana’s criticized Road Home Program – with pictures of local politicians and dead squirrels on his shirt. And then there was “Wetlands Man,” a caped crusader accompanied by two “Disappearing Wetlands” sidekicks who lacked the moss and plant life to cover their bodies.
Hurricane Katrina still has a strong hold on this city. But these were New Orleanians. Although they were still suffering, they still wanted to party, to satirize their city and relish it as people have done for the past 151 years.
For much of the United States, Tuesday was another ordinary day. In New Orleans, it was Mardi Gras, a day when most federal and state offices are closed and children are released from school. Despite the long shadow that Hurricane Katrina continues to cast, the city’s second post-Katrina Carnival season started and ended with officials claiming success and participants saying the crowds were much larger than last year.
About 700,000 people enjoyed the 2007 celebration, city officials said, but it’s difficult to tally, as revelers don’t buy tickets.
The crowds were five people deep during many of the larger parades. On Tuesday, thousands filled the French Quarter in costumes.
“It’s a way to express your current emotion: love, hate, whatever,” said “FEMArella,” aka Heather Salyer, 33, who dressed as a “Blue Tarp Princess” last year in honor of the material covering her storm-damaged roof.
“You can use it as an outlet for dealing with your stress, but you can also have a lot of fun,” she said.
Last year’s celebration was meant to be cathartic and to show the rest of the country that the city was still alive. Residents were reuniting on the parade routes for the first time since the storm. This year, the parades were more professional, and the celebrants were more casual and focused on fun.
“Things are back to normal, Mardi Gras-wise,” observed Cory Haik, 30, of New Orleans.
That observation was partially backed by Ernest Collins, the city’s Marketing Director.
“Coming out of (Katrina), it was a huge achievement just to have Mardi Gras,” he said. “Now we’re getting more back towards normal. We’re not there yet, but closer than before.”
And so the “Corpse of Engineers” jokes were replaced with digs at the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which has thousands of applicants waiting for grants.
Tom Macke’s costume had placards adorned with photos of road kill and politicos. “It makes some sort of a statement, whether you like it or not,” said Macke, 57, of Metairie. “Politics and other things are getting back to normal here.”