mardi gras

This months Center for Contemporary Arts 'ArtWalk' is themed 'Mardi Gras Madness' and promises to be just as fun as the real Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Bring the entire family to the historic downtown area of Abilene where restaurants, shops, museums, galleries and entertainment are waiting for you. If you dare, wear your favorite Mardi Gras mask or paint your face and join the parade.

Will Ferrell is in New Orleans filming the movie ‘Dogfight,’ which we learned a week ago when he popped up at the New Orleans Arena and read the starting line-ups for the Hornets-Chicago game. This made the funnyman an easy choice to lead the annual Krewe of Bacchus parade Sunday. And, of course, he dressed up like a king.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Atlantic Coast in 2005, New Orleans, and the region as a whole, gained more prominence in the national and international news, and rightly so.

The king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras food. It is usually a ring-shaped pastry, sometimes filled with cheese or jelly and sprinkled with the colors of Mardi Gras. It began as an Epiphany treat, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the stable where Jesus was born. Oh, and it’s delicious.

Did you think Mardi Gras was strictly a New Orleans thing? Think again. In Belgium Mardi Gras is the most important day of the year. Belgians celebrate the Carnival of Binche in the city of Binche, which features lots of music and dancing. Sweden celebrates Fettisdagen, translating to "Fat Tuesday." In Canada Mardi Gras is celebrated throughout the country, especially in the french-spea